Ceilings are Nice.

Especially when they're WHOLE. Not one big HOLE.

Here's the before:

In case you can't tell what you're looking at, this is the ceiling in my office. There were ceiling tiles across the whole ceiling, and then firring (sp??) strips, and then plaster in some places, just the lath in others. It was a mess. This is how the ceiling was in our bedroom, as well. We've just had all the ceilings upstairs drywalled. We debated about whether or not to repair the plaster, but as is so often the case for us these days, it was "price-prohibitive." We're really pleased with how the drywall turned out and are eager to finish the walls as well. (We're repairing the plaster on the walls, though, not drywalling.)

Here's the finished ceiling:

Of course, it's not actually finished. It obviously needs to be painted. But I think it looks a million times better. (Please excuse the light fixture hanging by wires, as well as the hole by the door where the smoke detector goes. It seems silly to attach them, only to take them right back down in order to paint.)

And here's what our dining room looks like, since we had to empty the upstairs for this project:

The living room was even worse.