One simple and quick way to upgrade a room is to add some crown moulding.  Interesting trimwork adds interest to a space and dresses things up.  People tend to equate nice trimwork with luxury, and it can be done without tearing anything out or any major messes.  A homeowner in Ellettesville, IN (just outside Bloomington) was preparing to list his home for sale and called me to add crown to nearly every room.

This basic ranch home had already been upgraded by a previous owner.  It was in basically good condition.  The only problem was that nearly every ceiling drywall corner was cracked where the drywall tape was installed.  There weren’t any signs of foundation settling or structural issues, so we figured that the drywall tape was installed poorly and probably hastily, since they knew they’d be doing a texture on the ceiling and hide it.  Well, it wasn’t hidden anymore and it looked terrible!

Fixing the small hairline cracks with patching compound would be very difficult because of the textured ceiling.  It’s hard to get a repair like that to blend and match.  You’d have the best chances by finding a drywall/plaster specialist with this type of experience.  (Sounds expensive, right?)  Anyway, we decided to go another route and add crown moulding.  The cost was certainly comparable to any repair to the corners and the home was noticeably improved by having crown in nearly every room.

I enjoy doing trim of all kinds and it was great to see the difference that a little crown made for this home.  Perhaps it will make the difference and help them get it sold!