Acoustic Ceiling Paradise

Ever since we moved in to the house in June of 2016, we hated the downstairs ceiling. It was acoustic tile with 3 or 4 different style tiles. It looked terrible and smelled nasty as well. This included three bedrooms, the hallway, the downstairs kitchen and another 25x 25 space. Because of the flood and ensuing cleanup, the entire downstairs had been almost emptied of furniture. This was our CHANCE!

Not only where we getting rid of the drop tile ceiling, I was going to frame in a sheetrock ceiling at the full height of the bottom floor, 10 feet! Of course there was HVCA ductwork to frame around and some of it I even had to modify or raise. However, the end result is a much more open space and interesting lines. I was able to raise the ceiling from 8 feet to 10 feet.

There was only one, rare closet on the entire 1st floor space. It was under the stairs and stretched the entire depth of the staircase but only about 3 feet wide.

The door to this closet was at the long end making it difficult to use. If you needed something it was so narrow that getting to anything was a problem. I decided to move the door to the side and make it a 5' bifold allowing plenty of access to the space. However, after I cut the opening I noticed something. I realized the stairs were an interesting feature. Well, not in the current ugly, un-painted state, but the potential was there for a very cool space. I envisioned a place for book shelves with a reading nook and a sconce light next to a cozy chair perfect for hiding away with a good book. Cindy loved the idea so we decided to convert this rare closet to a living space. I did wall in the lower part under the stairs as storage so we didn't lose much there. After this space is finished and the shelves are installed it will still hold as much as before only now it's an open and interesting feature to the space.

Once the 1st floor ceiling was framed and ready, I picked up 55 sheets of sheetrock and stacked them just outside the entrance to the bottom floor. I hired an excellent sheetrock crew to hang and finish the ceiling and wall extensions (because we raised the ceiling 2 feet there was a 2 foot section of sheetrock needed on the walls). These guys did in about 16 hours what it would have taken me 100's of hours to do, and they did excellent work which is important to me. I hate sloppy sheetrock work! All the lines are perfectly straight just like I framed them.

The sheetrock installers where a fun to watch. These guys worked efficiently and with amazing skill.

To make the main room more efficient we added plenty of LED can lights so it's is nice and bright and for storage, a closet by the outside door and also by the bathroom door. I properly trimmed out the window and added modern blinds. The pool table was uncovered, cleaned and properly positioned and a mid century light fixture hung above. To finish off we added vinyl plank flooring. A lot of it! Warmer than tile in the winter, it's also softer to walk on.

Finally we were able to move everything back in from the storage container. It was great to see the space complete. The two remaining downstairs bedrooms will be next to get a "ceiling lift" but this will need to wait until the rooms are vacant as we currently are hosting some family members in transition.