So I've been quiet, there is a reason. I've been through 1.5 contractors. The first imploded and his people were horribly slow and incompetent. The next one, the .5, sort of didn't want to deal with the mess the first one left and so just put me in contact with subs.

So the house is over 100 years old and in Baltimore. It did have some work done sometime in the late 20th century by a obvious DIYer, and some of the old walls were behind new drywall. So a lot of the lead was behind things and under other coats of paint..... until the first contractor's people decided to sand the stairs without doing anything to control the dust. Worst yet, someone decided to sand the stairs after the walls were painted and the carpet laid, so in the open plan house the dust is on the walls and everywhere. I suspected the stairs might have had lead paint on them so when I tested the wall closest to the stairs and I got red.

So what do I do now?

Most of everything is done. I just need to redo a few minor things and repaint. I really want to get this thing rented out before the Summer ends. The holding costs are now becoming a problem.