Hello, My husband and I just bought our first home, but it is very outdated...Advice?

We have drop tile ceilings in all five rooms, and wall paneling in 3 of the rooms. Our home is about 1200 square feet. Just wondering if anyone would have a rough idea of the costs of removing both the dropped ceilings and panels and updating to normal ceilings and walls.. And also, if anyone knows the costs of diy versus having a professional come in and do the job. Thanks !!!Hello, My husband and I just bought our first home, but it is very outdated...Advice?
5000 grand should give a beutiful nice ceiling most likely probably little more or less dont do it yourselves trust me.Hello, My husband and I just bought our first home, but it is very outdated...Advice?
I would leave it or just replace the drop ceiling tiles, they retain heat so in return saves in heating costs,if you have high ceilings.Also depending on the wiring ,they could have ran wire above the ceiling which was hidden by the ceiling, its self which in some citys are code, but if you tore down the ceiling and they were exsposed ,than they would have to enclosed the wire in conduet.Regaurdless if you do it yourself you will save alot of money because you would eliminate the labor costs which are not cheap.Doesn't seam like a dificult project to take on.I would say a good weekends worth.But just take the time to measure and plan everything out before you start any of it.Start by taking a small section of panel off the wall and see how easily they come off ,and condition of the wall behind it .If no damage or slight you can just put wall spackle and fresh coat of paint.
I would take a tile down in one of the room's ceilings and look at the ceiling above it. It would be much cheaper for you to remove the tile and the paneling yourself. Years ago they did not use the carpenter's glue to put things up so removing it would be easy. Just use gloves, a mask and a crow bar, maybe a hammer. That is all it would take. As you take the tiles down put them in the black plastic bags. Consider reusing the paneling say in the garage or even sell it. Some people sell it on the walls and the person who is buying it takes it down but I would be there so they do not gouge the walls. I bought a house that was built in 1904 and it has horse-hair plaster walls. I paneled it and now I want to take the paneling off and Venetian plaster the walls. Yes, it has real horse hair on the walls. I would remove and do the kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom first so you can go in there and use it. My nephew is a contractor and I know his men get $15 a hr. per each one plus the supplies, but you can always check in your area by just calling one. Call the Better Business Bureau, or see if they are listed with them.


If you are young and energetic, go for it. You will learn a lot in the process that will stay with you the rest of your life. Take a lot of before and after pictures of each room. You will be amazed.
Unless you are talking ugly fake wood paneling or the real thin veneer kind they put in mobile homes, please don't destroy that wood paneling for drywall. The reason it looks ';outdated'; to you is that most home construction can't afford it anymore. You will find beautiful wood paneling in luxury homes of all sizes, and if it fits the architecture and period of this house, you should try to preserve it if possible. The dropped tile ceilings are another matter....depending on the era of your house, you might want to go with the tin or metal ceiling tile look. Lowe's and Home Depot sell those, and though it is supposed to be DIY, the show on HGTV that I saw where they installed some looked fairly complicated, so you may want to hire a contractor unless you are really handy.





If you absolutely can't stand the paneling in its existing form, consider restaining or painting it or maybe taking it down %26amp; reconfiguring it into wainscoting (half wall panel with trim molding across the seam between the panel %26amp; the rest of the wall) with painted drywall on the rest of the wall. Or see if one of the walls is open enough to be converted to built-in cabinets or something. (By open, I mean you don't need the wall space for existing or planned furniture.)





Go to the HGTV and DIY websites, and look for episodes and tips that fit your situation.





Good luck!