You should have your popcorn ceiling tested for asbestos. Ours had it and it is from the late 70s. They were using this into the 1980s; see link. Our state requires full decontamination (a shower station was put up in our backyard) for all workers and multiple safety regs for it. If your ceiling doesn't have asbestos, it's no big deal. Do it yourself or hire it. It is far easier to remove if someone has not come along and painted over it. If it does contain asbestos, you really need to think twice about doing it yourself. A papermask is not going to cut it! We had contractors offer to remove it for us "under the table" but we didn't want any floating around to breathe later. We also wanted paperwork showing we'd removed it properly if we ever sell the home. One thing we did that we regretted was have the same company do the retexturing and painting as did the decontam. Their painting subs were nothing amazing and I think charged a lot more because they were with the removal people. They have to put two layers of plastic up and they take the first one down after the asbestos is out. Have them leave the 2nd layer up for your own contractors and you'd be happier. Here is a link that might be useful: asbestos Q&A

Nice job of removing the acoustic! Trying to get a smooth finish on drywall is tough because the paper is more porous than the mud joints and will show no matter how finely feathered the edges. One way is to size the entire surface lightly by applying your mud, but wiping off as much as possible. This is similar to skim coating with the exception that you are not leaving a thin layer of mud to try and get an even surface. This is best accomplished with skim coating plaster over blue board.The advantage that you have ,however, is that your ceiling is already somewhat sized because of the acoustic being sprayed on. Even though you have removed the texture, the mud base of the acoustic is still on and adhered to the dry wall. You might give it a go yourself by filling any imperfections, sanding smooth the entire surface.Any bare drywall spots that might present their self you can size as explained. Start with a small area of the cieling and see how you feel about it.If you have the confidence, move ahead. If not, get a pro.

We had popcorn ceilings removed from our 1500 square foot house in 1991 when we bought it and before we moved in. It was a very messy job, but it was done right. We have smooth ceilings and, with the exception just a few inconspicuous areas, no patching had to be done. If your popcorn removal left a smooth celing that's got a lot of cracks and bumps, you will need to patch it up. It can be done DIY, but it's very hard a tedious. The alternative is to hire a professional plasterer, which can be expensive. A less expensive alternative is to hire a handyman who can do a reasonably good job of it, it you're lucky enough to find such a person. One consideration is how visible are the imperfections. That depends to some extent on the shininess of the paint. Flat paint will show imperfections a lot less than shiny paint. But for a bathroom, you'll probably want semi-gloss.

Breezygirl, this does help since one of the reasons my kitchen was going to cost so much was because I wanted to remove the empty soffit and install 36" cabinets with crown molding. Most stores wanted to then remove all the popcorn first in all rooms downstairs telling me they could not patch it up. My most recent quote was in January 2014 and the contractor was going to put a beam to separate the rooms which I did not like as he said he had to remove the popcorn. I prefer no beam and to have just a straight line with the other room having popcorn if it costs too much to remove. I will try to take a picture of my kitchen. I love my tiles and it is helping to see that BM Simply White looks best with my tiles. I am going to put the recessed lights in my living room which is my home office and leave the fixture in the dining room part of the home office. I will then see if that room becomes a mess (has no lights in the ceiling now) before seeing who can patch up my ceilings. I will revisit my kitchen cabinets after the lighting is done downstairs, my wood floors are installed in the other three rooms to close out my insurance claim and my windows and doors downstairs are replaced as the vinyl has cracked and it is cold in the winter time. I really want kitchen cabinets and a counter like Breezygirl. I needed tiles due to little dogs going in and out the sliding door in the kitchen and having a KitchenAid dishwasher that will be 5 years old at the end of October with now poor reviews of a failing pump. I can't afford another insurance claim for my wood floors. I am only using the dishwasher if I am home. I paid a lot for this dishwasher.