I imagine it's because a perfectly smooth ceiling is much harder work (more expensive). can you ask them to drywall but not finish the job, and hire your own help to finish it?

Thank, you. Your suggestion is an good idea. I will have to talk to my realtor about it. The house is in Florida and I live in NY so I don’t know any contractors down there.

The best looking and most affordable smooth finish for drywall is "veneer plaster" (often called blueboard). Its available in some parts of Florida. If its availabe you should use it for the walls too. Where is the project?

Why not ask what is the additional cost to go with flat ceilings?

Ask about the cost of veneer plaster, although I don't think it's what you're expecting. It will be a cost above the next lower level of finish where all the joints are smooth. Level 5. https://www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/canada/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/cgc-construction-handbook-ch05-finishing-drywall-systems-can-en.pdf

When a surface is going to be textured only level 3 is necessary. So you want the cost of going to Level 5 minus texturing costs.

Knockdown texture is very popular here in Florida, I still see it in new builds. It is hardly noticeable and is definitely easier to repaint, etc. As long as it’s just a white ceiling I don’t think you’ll care or notice too much. Here is mine.

In the Boston area taped drywall is used by DIYers. All pros use veneer plaster/blueboard because its faster and doesn't need sanding. Its what you'll get if you don't telll the contractor you want somenitng different.

The end result is a very hard surface that is more difficult to damage, easier to repair and holds paint well. I first used it for college dormitories in the 70's.

Unfortunately, it requires a higher level of skill to install so it hasn't caught on everywhere but its well worth looking for it.

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I just built a custom home in FL and have smooth walls and ceilings. My builder was made aware that we wanted that finish right from the start. His drywall/plaster sub did try to talk me out of the smooth ceilings! Once I told him that most of the living areas had ceiling beams and he wouldn't have to have large spans, he was happy to do it. They have the ability/knowledge to do a good job, but would rather make it easier for themselves if possible! They have 2 women on the crew who are excellent at making perfect drywall repairs.

I would not sign without seeing a model home or any home that this builder has built. Also talk to customers who have gone through the process and moved in. Ask for references. Better still, drive around and knock on doors of houses that are occupied ... more chance of meeting someone that the builder might not want on a referral list!

Developer home expect to pay a steep price plus a change order fee for either smooth or even leaving it unfinished.

I don't love knock down ceilings but on the other hand I would not want the contractors attempting something on my ceilings that they aren't very good at because they rarely or never do it. They may do a great knockdown texture because it's all they do, and do a lousy smooth ceiling because they don't really have practice.

I went from smooth drywall of NY to a very lightly textured walls of Florida. Its fine and it just blends into the background, you will forget about it. Its common here so nobody thinks twice about it. Anything can be done though as long as you want to pay. Welcome to the sunshine state.

I have knockdown texture on my walls and ceiling in a fairly new home in Colorado and I quite like it. It’s very common here.

I think knock down looks perfectly fine on the ceiling and I have no issues with it. I don't find myself staring at the ceiling very often (or ever) to look at the texture, and I think it's something that you would not notice after you live in the house for a while. I would go with it personally.

I am coming around to the knockdown. I think smooth is sleeker and would prefer that but I am hearing the comments that it is very common in new builds in Florida and elsewhere. The upgrade to smooth is 4,000.00 and I don’t want to pay that, honestly… on to the next issues.

When we built in 1998, we had to pay $600 extra for them not to do knock down on our walls on our 1900 sf home. This is the norm here and I'm sure our house is the only one in the beighborhood that has smoothe walls.

My vote is for a smooth finish for your ceiling whether it be traditional gyp. board or blueboard. Textured ceilings simply don't look as good IMO.

Personally, it looks like a less

popcorn-y popcorn to me. It would not go well with my neo-trad style…but would probably be fine if you like a more rustic look. I’d try to figure out a way to get smooth for less than they are charging.

Norwood Architects, here in FL the standard is a textured finish.

I too hail originally from NY and was "horrified" when I was first told I couldn't get a smooth finish. However my GC for my condo, who was also originally from NY, talked me into a light orange peel and once it was done, I never noticed it again.

In fact when we built our house, I opted for light orange peel again throughout because this is FL and it's not worth paying through the nose for a smooth finish unless the house is well into the 7 figures.

Here's a semi dyi option you might want to explore. Have the builder go to Level 3 and not apply the texture. Talk to the actual crew guys doing the install. They'll be there a couple days. See if they'd be interested in doing the rest of the smooth finishing on a weekend for cash. Like a lot less than $4K. You'll supply the 5 gal buckets of topping finishing compound of their choice and sanding screens. When our smooth finish was done we vacuumed the joint areas and revealed pinholes. We used a 12" drywall knife to do final applications of topping. Then screens and a pole with flexible sanding block to smooth to our desired quality level. It mainly just requires time.