Cost to raise ceilings while re-trussing a damaged attic/roof?

5 years ago

We are in the home buying process and have a fixer upper 1600 sq ft

1930's home that originally stated 'new roof was added 2020, sloping is cosmetic only and not structural'. The roof did visually slope a little, but the sellers said the add-on was done in the 60's, the house settled, and the roof sagged slightly and has since been structurally sound. The ceilings also slope from about 7'6" at the front of the house to about 7' at the back. Ideally we'd want to raise all the ceilings to a standard 8'.

Some of the ceiling is sheetrock, but several look like drop ceilings and a couple room have plywood ceilings.

Well, we get the inspection done, took a peek in the attic and oh boy! That back roof is ready to collapse and is causing the ceilings below (made of plywood...) to bow under the weight. The attic does not seem to have trusses, and the sagging looks like it is being held up by some 2x4s nailed into the rafters...

This house is in an extremely desirable neighborhood, and would be sold at below market rate for the area making the repairs somewhat understandable. The rest of the inspection came back pretty clean.

It's so difficult to get an estimate on repairs before committing to this thing, but how much would it cost to fix the sagging roof and raise the ceilings below to correct the bowing? I know many people will say 'cost prohibitive' or 'buy a different house' but I am looking for a number ideally so we can make that decision.

Featured Answer

3onthetree

5 years ago

A gable roof where the ridge sagged has also pushed out on the walls. So demo roof/ceiling. Ceiling joists stay or go, repair or add. Electrical in ceiling if go. If stay then siding because truss sits higher. Shore/plumb walls. Trusses, sheathing/shingles. Gutters, fascias, soffits. Misc HVAC/plumbing (vents, exhaust, attic ductwork). Ceiling finish. Insulation. Rewire, probably new circuits and lighting fixtures. Can of worms and project creep unaccounted for. WAG $80K DIY --> $150K contracted, 12 weeks pandemic ignored.

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Comments (12)

Angel 18432
5 years ago
Get a pro in to give you an estimate. Asking for a general number is risky.
Sydney Gee
Original Author
5 years ago
I would love to. Issue is, contractors don't want to come out and give estimates on a house you don't own yet. And I don't want to purchase a house with out some range of numbers on the repair cost. I would prefer to know it can be done under $30k for example, and go through with the sale, vs buying the home and it turns out to be $70k or else the roof falls down during our next earth quake/heavy snow.
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cat_ky
5 years ago
Since costs vary, in all parts of the country, and since we cant view your house, nor know what all is involved, its impossible to give you any kind of estimate. It will definitely cost you more now, than it would have last yr, or the year before, due to the rising costs of lumber. You would get more info, if you talked to a contractor, and agree to pay him for his time, and have him look it all over.
Angel 18432
5 years ago
Move on to another house. Let someone else deal with this nightmare.
acm
5 years ago
current owner should be getting estimates and negotiating how to handle the cost.
remodeling1840
5 years ago
This is a tear down house. The entire roof needs to come off, new trusses installed, new plywood sheathing installed, and new shingles installed. The bigger problem is this house is so poorly constructed, you can bet the rest of the structure was built no better than that roof. The foundation, wiring, framing, plumbing, heating-all is under built, I would guess. We are big d-I-y people and wouldn’t begin to tackle this. This is a money pit in the worst way.
shirlpp
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
They should be able to give you a ballpark of what it would cost per square foot. $65? $75, $150...etc.
PRO
User
5 years ago
Unless you want to do a teardown, do not buy this. You'll spend more than a new build to tackle everthing that needs to be corrected.
millworkman
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
"They should be able to give you a ballpark of what it would cost per square foot. $65? $75, $150...etc."

Square foot price poor metric especially in a reno / potential tear down / selective demo to determine course of action project. Hell sq ft pricing does not really even work well in new construction. It really is a set up for disappointment more often than not as all square footage is not equal.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
Run do not walk away from this that will become a money pit so unless it is free and you have a huge money tree do not go there.
Sydney Gee
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks all for your advice. After more in depth analysis of the home, it looks like more than the roof needs work, the foundation needed structural repairs as well. We will pass on this house.