Hi Smiler,

We decided to go ahead and buy the house, the vendors agreed to pay to have the ceilings removed by a specialist contractor, Kowhai Coatings. Unfortunately, when we had a building inspection done on the property an issue with high moisture meter readings came up (it wasn't a plaster clad house) so we chose not to continue with the sale. The experience was a benefit though - as soon as I see one of those 'porridge' ceilings now, I immediately add another $3,000+ to the cost of buying.