How do I replace a 7' drop ceiling so it matches an 8' ceiling with 2 layers of drywall and popcorn texturing?

Question

I would like to remove a dropped ceiling and give the room an 8 foot ceiling. The great room ceiling has 2 layers of drywall already. I need to repair many areas of the ceiling (remove an attic fan, move ceiling fans, etc.). I also want to add blown-in insulation.

What is best way to fix this problem keeping in mind the weight to the trusses?

1. Scrape popcorn, repair holes, and re-texture, and then remove the dropped ceiling in the kitchen and add 1 or 2 layers of drywall to match the 2 layers on the great room ceiling and add blown in cellulose insulation to bring it to R-30.
2. Remove all layers of drywall (insulation would fall into room) and simply put up one layer of drywall and texture.
3. Remove the drywall completely (like 2) and install a wood ceiling.

Answer 1

What is the thickness of that second layer of drywall in your great room? Chances are it's very thin, which you could hide by simply fanning out your joint compound to make a "ramp" 1 1/2 to 2 feet wide where the kitchen meets the great room. Nobody would ever be able to see the difference. Another option is to put a fake beam between the two rooms - basically a thin piece of wood trim that looks like a fancy support beam partially buried in the ceiling. Again, nobody would ever notice the difference in the ceiling heights between the two rooms.

There is a VERY easy way to get rid of the popcorn ceiling. Get a paint roller with a fairly thick roller sleeve and put it on a long handle. Dip the roller into a bucket of water, and then "paint" the popcorn ceiling with the water. Use a bit of pressure to actually get the water into the popcorn, but don't overdo it and soak your drywall underneath. Let that soak in for a minute or two, and then the popcorn will come right off. Every time I paint a popcorn ceiling, half the popcorn wants to fall off with the roller, so I tried simply rolling it with water when I wanted to remove the popcorn one time, and it worked great.

Answer 2

1. Popcorn scraping is not fun even if its just the texture, but its do-able. If it was painted, its horrible. I use an angled stiff-bladed scraper on a pole and stay off the ladder as much as possible.
   

Its not clear why you need to add drywall back to the kitchen after removing the dropped ceiling. From floor level, its difficult to notice there is a second layer. Are the two room adjacent? There must be some sort of separation to allow a dropped ceiling to be installed properly.

Ceiling installation of drywall is difficult alone unless you use a drywall hoist. Even with a good helper and some drywall jacks, its hard. I would prefer to skim coat a ceiling before I would rip one down and start over.