I'm afraid anything above the door will draw attention to the problem. No one but you will ever notice. It's a very nice door the way it is.

Why not live with it for a year or so and see if it is less important to you over time? Then have the ceiling fixed if you must.

It would drive my husband crazy, me...no. Once you get your light up nobody will notice.

I'd have to try to fix the ceiling.

Straighten out the ceiling, fir it out, sheetrock, tape, a little sanding, and paint. Few days, a few coats, of spackle, a few hours per day between the coats and it will look straight.

I agree with hanging the fixture before correcting the ceiling.

The house was just re-built after we lost it 1 year ago to a fire. Everything (sheetrock, primer) already done. To try and fix the ceiling is not an option. We are lucky we even got these hirrifuc contractors to finish. We will be moving in next week! It’s been a nightmare of a year!

There is a hi hat directly over the door. A chandelier will be above in the cathedral area.

Sorry to hear about your trouble. Maybe you should just relax for a while. Know how you feel. Lost our house in CA wildfires in 2003.

Thank you. You are probably right. Sorry about your loss. I have such compassion for anyone that’s been through anything like this!

One good thing was moving was easy when you don't own anything.

Kris mom and suzyq,,,so sorry you both had to go through that. suzy,,i remember those from 03. I've had 2 near misses on mine (i'm north OC near the Canyons). just 3 days ago brush fire was only a few miles from us. I would be devastated.

kris,,from what I can see, the house looks beautiful.

Thanks Beth. I know, scary right. Feeling for the folks in Santa Rosa. Seeing that takes me back. Glad you're safe.

@Kris You don't have to hire anyone "horrific" again, when you ready and settled in, get a good local painter with a good reputation, and he will do this for you in a few days and you won't even know he was there, especially this being a foyer you don't have to worry about moving furniture, etc, all they have to do is cover everything up and put drop cloths away after done.

Good luck.

agreed, you dont need to fix it today. the problem isnt going anywhere, you can revisit it down the road.

GN builder must have an amazing painter that carries carpentry tools to fir out a ceiling, and has a super large tub of spackle ? If you correct this problem start with a carpenter, then a drywall finisher who uses mud not spackle?? Then a painter to finish.

a larger painting company will have a 'carpenter' who can do this. which is why i never hire a 'one person shop' for painting jobs.

Not familiar with too many painting contractors who employ carpenters, hire a "remodeling" company.And the phrase "fir" apply to firring strips which are used to for an entire surface to the same plane. In this case they need to be tapered or you could sister the joist, but a painter as implied will not have a table saw to create a taper, what is worse than a horrible, as he said contractor, is horrible advise.

I'm neither architect nor carpenter, but I think it's the ceiling, not the moulding. I believe the door's squared up properly or it wouldn't operate smoothly. The moulding looks square to the door. I think the ceiling's not quite true. I love your door, art glass & moulding.

@Matt That is a very small job and most painters I know can handle a repair like this without any issues, not to mention I never met a painter who cannot hang sheetrock or spackle... so there is no need to bring a GC on a job to bring 3 different trades... by the way you forgot to mention to bring an electrician to re-install the light fixture after the painting is done.

That being said Mud Spackle around here it's the same thing and spackle is the term which is mostly used.

As "super large tub of spackle go" did you actually think my suggestion was to level that ceiling using spackle? If that's what you thinking, that wasn't my suggestion, everyone in the business would know how to straighten that out without making to much of a mess.

I think it could be plastered by someone very very good as I don't think it goes across the whole area...This isn't a head on photo, so it's difficult to tell for sure, but to my eye it's only from above the door hinge to the corner.

At this point only you know, really.

It would drive me nuts to keep it that way...but I could wait.

I would tear out the existing ceiling, correct the framing, because the fixture box needs to be the same plane not up an inch because someone tried to overlay the problem, new rock, cornerbead, because with an overlay there would be no nailer where the rock is doubled, then joint compound (mud) as pros call it, good luck.

What if the ceiling was painted the wall color?

I would paint the door trim colour all around the door.