What to do about ceiling damage

Well I remember all those times the ex-husband insisted I stand and watch him "do things around the house"--mostly in the line of repair. My job was to watch and learn, as well as hand him things. I did not want to be his assistant. He didn't really need my help--he just wanted me there, not in a connected way, but just to take my time.

 We've been divorced seven years now and how many times, I repeat, how many times have I used all those things he MADE me learn that I did not want to learn. One is how to repair a cracked ceiling, not a specific he made me learn, but as in general repair of sheetrock.

This is how it looked after the roofers put on a new roof. What was a visible crack now looked considerably more like a fissure. OK, I exaggerate, but the crack doubled, tripled in size and depth, plus it now was opened and so very obvious. There was no way of not seeing this long crack that ran about six or seven feet in a broken line.

I asked at the local home repair business how to repair it. Does it fall open, they asked. Yes, to some degree. Well, then, they informed me, the sheetrock has been too wet to repair and you must replace it.

I know my limitations and knew I could never attempt that kind of repair, so what else could I do? That's when I reverted to the good ol' ex's demonstrations. Use spackling compound to "glue" those two pieces together. So I did. The finished job is not professional by any standards, but it will suffice until I can afford to have it properly repaired.

 

The repair actually resembles a healed scar, but is less noticeable than an opened crack! 

 

This is the water damage to the ceiling after the roofers put on the new shingles. The flashing around the skylight was not properly sealed and water got under the shingles, causing this horrid result!

Again, I reverted to the ex's training and  came up with this result: The photo is taken from nearly the same angle as the damage shot. The lighting is different and makes the color of the photo different. Both of the damaged ceilings were shot under incandescent lighting (bulbs), causing a yellowish glow, while the water damage was shot under natural light, causing the white cast.

But notice that you can hardly see the damage on the "white" ceiling. So far all I have used was one coat of Primer in oil-base. You can see faint outlines of the two stains, but I feel sure those will disappear with two coats of ceiling paint, which the ceiling needed to begin with.

As a word inserted at this point: I am publicly thanking the ex for his teachings even under duress! Thank you, Ex!