Can I leave a textured ceiling alone in my Alta Vista house?

If the ceiling is in good condition and you are not planning any work that disturbs it, leaving it alone is a reasonable choice. Health Canada says there are no significant health risks from materials containing asbestos when they are left undisturbed, sealed behind walls or tightly bound in products in good condition.

The concern arises the moment anyone cuts, sands, scrapes or otherwise disturbs the surface. Health Canada lists older materials that may contain asbestos, including paint, putty, drywall, caulking, sealants, spackling, floor and ceiling tiles, and cement and plaster. Textured ceilings and joint compound in homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos too. If your house was built before 1990 and you decide at some point to scrape, patch or remove the texture, Health Canada advises hiring a professional to test before the work starts. A positive result means abatement work before any drywall contractor comes in; ottawaabatement.com covers that side of it.

If the ceiling is damaged, sagging or stained and you are weighing whether to repair or remove it, the scope of that work changes the picture. A contractor has to look at the ceiling to say whether a patch is possible or whether the board needs to come out. For a textured ceiling that has tested clear, published Toronto and Ontario contractor prices for removal run from about $2 to $10 per square foot, from scrape only at the low end to scrape, skim coat and paint at the high end. There are too few published figures for ceiling repairs alone to give a range for patching.

When you have two written quotes in front of you, set them side by side and check that each one names exactly what is being removed and what replaces it, the board thickness and type, the finish level from the Gypsum Association's GA-214 industry scale, and whether primer and paint are included in the price or billed separately.