Calgary Drywall Doctor is a drywall contractor serving Acadia in SE Calgary. Acadia was built mostly in the 1960s, with some early 1970s phases, and it is full of bungalows, bi-levels and split-levels on wide lots, plus a band of low-rise apartments and townhomes along the main roads. Those bungalows are the reason we are in Acadia so often. They have big basements that make good legal suites, stipple ceilings from the asbestos era, closed-off kitchens that owners want opened up, and in some cases Poly-B plumbing from a 1980s renovation. We are licensed, WCB-covered and insured. Call 587-417-5252 for a free written quote.
What We Tend to Find in Acadia Homes
An Acadia bungalow from the 1960s was built with 1/2-inch drywall, a Level 3 finish, and a sprayed stipple ceiling in almost every room. Walls were often left smooth, which is a plus. Basements were usually finished later, by owners, in the 1970s through 1990s.
What we see most:
- Stipple ceilings. Popcorn and stipple ceilings are common in 1960s to 1980s Calgary homes. Textures applied before about 1990 may contain asbestos and should be lab-tested before anyone scrapes or sands them. If the test is positive, a licensed abatement contractor removes the texture, and we skim and finish the ceiling after clearance.
- Basement suites. Acadia bungalows with side entrances and full-height basements are popular for legal secondary suites. The City of Calgary requires fire separation between the suite and the main house, which means 5/8-inch Type X board on the suite ceiling and shared walls, plus fire-rated detailing around ducts, penetrations and the furnace room. We do that portion.
- Poly-B from 1980s renovations. The original 1960s plumbing is copper, but many Acadia homes were renovated or re-plumbed during the Poly-B years of roughly 1978 to 1995. When the plumber takes it out, we close the holes.
- Opening up the floor plan. Removing the wall between a 1960s kitchen and living room means a new beam, new corners and a wide skim to blend into the old ceiling.
- Old basement moisture. 1960s foundations can seep at the cove joint and through window wells. We meter every wall before boarding and use mould-resistant board on exterior walls.
The framing in these homes settled long ago. Cracks we find now are seasonal movement or old repairs that were not done well, and both fix cleanly.
Acadia also has a band of 1960s and 1970s walk-up apartments and townhomes along the main roads. We repair walls and ceilings in those units too, and on anything that touches a shared wall or floor-ceiling assembly we keep the fire separation intact with the same board and sealing it had.
Drywall Services in Acadia
What we bring to Acadia:
- Ceiling Repair, including Popcorn Ceiling Removal after testing and any required abatement, and smooth or knockdown finishing after the scrape.
- Basement Drywall, with Legal Suite Drywall for the fire-rated board, sealed penetrations and ceiling detailing a permitted suite needs.
- Drywall Repair for cracks, old patches and holes, plus Poly-B Drywall Repair to close and texture access holes after a repipe.
- Drywall Installation for renovations and additions, including Fire-Rated Drywall for garage-to-house walls and ceilings when a garage is added or finished.
- Drywall Finishing, including Level 5 skim coats to blend new openings into old ceilings and walls.
Most Acadia suite jobs combine basement boarding, fire-rated ceilings and some main-floor patching. We quote the whole thing as one written scope so nothing gets missed at inspection.
If you are renting out an existing non-permitted basement and the City has asked you to bring it up to code, we can walk through what the drywall side of that looks like, usually a Type X ceiling and sealed penetrations, before you commit to anything.
How an Acadia Drywall Job Goes
- Site visit and quote. We check moisture in the basement, flag any pre-1990 texture for a lab test, and look at the suite plan if there is one. The written itemized quote lists what is repair, what is new board and what is fire-rated.
- Testing and abatement, if needed. If the ceiling test comes back positive, a licensed abatement contractor removes the texture first. We come in after clearance.
- Booking. Most jobs are booked within 2–3 days of approval. Suite work is scheduled after framing, electrical and plumbing inspections.
- Dust control. Plastic on the floors, zip walls at doorways and the stairs, HEPA vacuum during sanding. On a suite job we keep the upstairs clean so you can live there while we work.
- Board, tape, finish. Type X board on the suite ceiling, taped and fire-sealed at penetrations. Three coats of mud on all joints, sanded between coats. Scraped ceilings get a skim and a Level 4 or Level 5 finish.
- Raking-light inspection. Every surface gets checked under a low-angle light before we leave.
Suite inspections in Calgary look closely at the fire separation. We photograph the Type X board and the sealed penetrations before taping so you have a record if the inspector asks what is behind the finish.
Why Acadia Homeowners Call Calgary Drywall Doctor
Calgary Drywall Doctor has worked in Calgary since 2004 and completed 500+ projects, many of them in 1960s communities like Acadia. Owners here call us because we know the suite fire separation rules, we follow the asbestos testing rule every time, and every job carries a written workmanship warranty.
Acadia owners also like that we are a single crew doing the whole job, so the person who quoted the suite is the person who finishes it.
We also serve the communities next door: Willow Park, Lake Bonavista and, closer to downtown, Inglewood. For the full quadrant, see our SE Calgary drywall contractor page.
Call 587-417-5252 or email info@calgarydrywalldoctor.com for a free written quote in Acadia.
Acadia is part of our SE Calgary service area. See the whole quadrant on our drywall contractor SE Calgary page.