Keep Drywall Garage Ceiling: Yay or Nay?

[JohnBlack]

I have a typical 1970s subdivision home with a two car garage. I'm fixing up the garage and getting it organized for a couple of projects and it occurred to me that I should pull down the old drywall ceiling and expose the rafters for easier access and more headroom. The drywall ceiling is showing it's age and has a few old stains from past roof leaks, as well as some sagging along the seams. There are significant repairs needed to make it look new again, after all, it's been in the Florida humidity for 40 years. Drywall was never meant to do that. If I redo the ceiling I would probably use greenboard.

My question is - any ideas on how badly doing this will affect resale value? Are there any negative functional or structural considerations? Anything else?

 

[On-Wheel]

Have you thought about putting metal siding over the old dry wall? I think you'd want some thing up or it'd get stinking hot in the garage.You don't have pop corn texture do you? I hat that stuff.

Anything nicer is more appealing for resale...

 

[Big Bad Dad]

If attached to the house, the drywall ceiling is a code requirement for fire protection. Something else to consider too. I have an attached with ceiling, and a detached with open trusses. The detached has 19 flouresent lights on the trusses, and yet I still dont seem to have enough light at times. It seems like not having a white ceiling to reflect the light down causes the problem. I can look up at night, and see all the open truss space over top of the lights as well as can see down below.

 

[Nowater]

+1 on the drywall code requirement. Have you considered placing another layer of drywall on what is already there to clean it up? There would be more fire resistance and less noise transmission. Securely screw in the existing drywall first to remove the sags, then cover it all up.

 

[James-W]

My suggestion, since the roof has leaked before and the drywall has gotten wet, it would be best to remove the old drywall and put up the mold resistant 5/8 drywall. Then mud it and tape it and paint it white. If you do that the cost won't be terrible (especially if you can do it yourself) and it will look really nice.

 

[gtae07]

My suggestion, since the roof has leaked before and the drywall has gotten wet, it would be best to remove the old drywall and put up the mold resistant 5/8 drywall. Then mud it and tape it and paint it white. If you do that the cost won't be terrible (especially if you can do it yourself) and it will look really nice.

I second this. Pull out the old drywall, and while it's out you can:
- make sure the roof repairs are holding
- run wiring for outlets and lighting
- add a scuttle hatch
- install new drywall
- insulate the ceiling
- paint the interior

If you're feeling ambitious you could insulate the exterior wall and the garage door, too. My detached shop is fully insulated and the attached garage is insulated now, too. It's made a noticeable difference already.

 

[Ponchoguy]

I have a typical 1970s subdivision home with a two car garage. I'm fixing up the garage and getting it organized for a couple of projects and it occurred to me that I should pull down the old drywall ceiling and expose the rafters for easier access and more headroom. The drywall ceiling is showing it's age and has a few old stains from past roof leaks, as well as some sagging along the seams. There are significant repairs needed to make it look new again, after all, it's been in the Florida humidity for 40 years. Drywall was never meant to do that. If I redo the ceiling I would probably use greenboard.

My question is - any ideas on how badly doing this will affect resale value? Are there any negative functional or structural considerations? Anything else?

My parent's garage is attached and has drywall all the way around. Nice finished look. My grandparent's house a mile away has no drywall on the ceiling and last year during redo/reno, there was 5/8" Firecheck added to it. I then painted it white and it looks like a hospital .

I left the drywall off the ceiling as I use the rafter space for storage, trying to keep it neat and organized up there...

 

[ford33]

A drywall ceiling reflects more light, looks better and is a fire code requirement when the garage is attached to the home. It looks so much better.

+1 drywall.

 

[JohnBlack]

I'm glad I put this question here. I didn't even think about the fire code issue. That's a problem then. And the brighter appearance is also a valid point. Because of shoulder injuries I won't really be able to do the work myself if I replace the entire ceiling so I'll probably just patch what I can. Thanks for all the input guys. You've been a big help.

 

[joes169]

You don't necessarily need drywall on the ceiling to satisfy fire codes, hundred's of thousands of new homes don't. You just need to have the shared walls drywalled from floor to ceiling, which may already be done, you just can't see it unless you have an attic hatch to check it out.

 

[Denwood]

If it's a flat ceiling, having it redone should not be too expensive. Moisture control and insulation can be addressed while you're at it

 

[JohnBlack]

You don't necessarily need drywall on the ceiling to satisfy fire codes, hundred's of thousands of new homes don't. You just need to have the shared walls drywalled from floor to ceiling, which may already be done, you just can't see it unless you have an attic hatch to check it out.

If that's the case then all I would have to do is install drywall on the shared walls in the crawlspace after I pull down the ceilings.

What prompted me to do this was that our air handler is getting quite old and will need to be replaced. I don't think it can be replaced without removing at least part of the ceiling. The old one was built in to the house before the ceilings were installed.

 

[JohnBlack]

Something to consider is that the existing ceiling was built with an attic ladder hatch that, when closed, is covered by a 2'x4' rectangle of 1/4 inch plywood. There is no way that this could be fire rated. Of course it might have met code requirements 40 years ago, I have no idea on that.