Oh, I'm so sorry! I have a hole in my living room ceiling like that. I looked up one day and saw water dripping on my couch occasionally. I pointed it out to my husband and he called the plumber and we wandered all over the house, finally found it appeared to be coming from the floor of my husband's closet in the bedroom, there's no pipes or anything there! He asked us could he cut the area out of the living room ceiling (and I replied, how the heck else was he supposed to see what the problem was? He said he never knows, has to ask because there are people who will say "No"!) and it was a joint in the antique AC unit, it has been covered since they put it in in 1972 with regular old duct tape! Fortunately, the plumber had the special silver tape you're supposed to use and joint "glue" and did it right but was getting ready to prop it up better and my husband intervened and pointed out do that and it might just run down to the next seam and leak somewhere else in the ceiling.

I found a piece of cardboard and cut it the right size and the plumber put it up in the hole but it's ugly, not the right color :-) and occasionally there's a small bit of condensation (there's not supposed to be ANY condensation on the ducts which means the AC unit ain't right in some way) which is scary looking so I found a foam board backing the right side and taped that on the outside, leaving the cardboard box piece in place since it absorbs so well. Now someone pointed out there will only be mold and mildew growing up there. At least half of our HVAC vents don't work, think we need a whole new system up there. I ain't thinking about cost and having the whole house torn apart!

Maybe you work or hang out with people who know people and can "trade" services or get a really good discounted rate? Our neighbors are all contractor types and/or own several rental homes so we often have them do little stuff or ask for someone they know. I got my landscaper this summer because I made my husband walk across the street to the guys doing the work their and have Paul, the owner come over and bid on ours. We have a heck of a time just calling people and asking them to come give an estimate; they do but we never see them again, it takes us forever or a neighbor's referral to get someone to come do any work.