Just once I’d like to make a Home Depot run and spend less money than anticipated. It seems that no matter the size of the project, I always spend double my original estimate. Materials have definitely gone up in price in the five years since I installed the suspended ceiling in the basement of our previous house. And herein lies the fundamental difference between do-it-yourselfers and contractors: contractors are always aware of the current prices whereas do-it-yourselfers usually base estimates on the cost of previous projects, even though they may have been completed several years ago.
Value for money
Okay…I didn’t quite spend $500….but it was close enough. And not everything I bought was related to the suspended ceiling project. The actual total for the suspended ceiling supplies was $393 with tax. The rest was for some electrical boxes (unrelated project), some new metal snips (tools are always an investment) and some electrical wire (biggest sticker shock…the price of standard household wire has doubled since the last time I bought some two years ago).
I could have done the ceiling cheaper if I used 2 x 4 panels instead of 2 x 2. I would have needed fewer cross tees at a savings of $15. I could have shopped around and bought the ceiling panels at a place that sells them individually. Home Depot only sells by the case. There are 16 in a case, and I need 24. That means I needed to buy 2 cases and will likely have 8 left over, which is an additional cost to me of around $40. And I also bought an extra main tee and an extra cross tee (an extra $10), just in case. With tax, that’s an extra $75 over and above the actual cost of this project. And I will be able to use the extra tiles elsewhere, so it’s not like the money is completely wasted.
Cheaper alternatives
Sure, as I left the Home Depot parking lot, I was going over several alternatives for this project in my head. A suspended ceiling was not the cheapest way to go, but at the end of the day, it was my only real option, legally.
Another hidden junction point
Surprise, surprise. Another example of the previous owner’s electrical wizardry. Further proof that the family room addition was built without any permits or inspections.
Yet another hidden junction box
What you are looking at here is the box that was built around the existing fluorescent fixture, with the panelling removed from one side. Removing the panelling, which was glued and nailed in place, was the only way to gain access to the electrical wiring. As you can see, there is a junction point at the peak of the ceiling, which was completely inaccessible, and therefore completely against code. Therefore, a suspended ceiling is really the only legal option as all junction boxes MUST be accessible. Therefore, installing either a drywall or a beadboard ceiling (two other options that I had considered) was completely out of the question.
Next Step
Wednesday I want to get all necessary 2×4 framing up in place, the lights installed, and at least get the wall angles up in place. Thursday, the grid will go up, and by Friday, I should be able to wrap up the project. If things go smoothly, which they never do, I might be able to completely knock this project off in one day. Wouldn’t that be out of character….
