that's what I was afraid of

I would have a professional painter remove all of the old paint and prep and prime your walls when you are ready to paint. Definitely go with a flat or satin finish, not a high gloss.

yea we got a satin finish already for the kitchen. do you know how much it would cost for a professional to come in and do that

If you don't mind doing the work, there is lots of information on Google on the correct process..it's not hard, just time consuming. Your can also call around to get quotes if you explain the situation and the size of the room will also make a difference.

Not knowing the size of the space I can't say. Call around and get a few free estimates. A painter will have to come see the area to give you a quote.

If it's a new build ..shouldn't the builders sort it out ?

Doubt that this is a new build since there is an underlying oil based coat. Hope that it is the only room mis-painted this way.

Unfortunately, it looks as if the space may have been quickly painted to facilitate a sale. There are latex formulas that can cover oil based undercoats--this is clearly not one of them! Your safest bet is to fully remove this top coat--don't assume that portions that adhere well can stay and only loose portions removed.

you might get a better price calling larger painting companies... they have 'low guys' on the crew who get the tedious jobs at a better per hour rate. same with scraping off popcorn ceilings. you dont want the owner of a small company to do this.

This is no Bueno. Are you sure your dry wall hasn't been compromised? As in, does the wall feel powdery underneath the peeled latex? If so, the top layer of your drywall is peeling with your paint. If that happens, you will have to either replace the drywall or seal, skim coat, then seal and prime over the damaged wall.
If it's just latex coming up, and the old oil painted wall underneath, peel all the latex off, then shellac over the old oil based paint. Zinsser BIN is my fav.

Ive been through this and repaired many peeling walls since I purchased my condo. It's not impossible to fix, but it is time consuming, especially if you are doing this alone. Either way, it's a good skill to have. It adds up If you contract out every repair job in your home.

well my boyfriend owns a drywall company so his guys are going to come in and fix the drywall after the paint is removed because, yes it is powdery underneath. Just the paint removal is the part we were most concerned about. it sucks that the people before us did this.

Yep, your drywall needs replacing or repair. In the future, If come across a bit of peeling but not in sheets like this is now, flake off the excess and seal it down before you create a huge job for yourself. I peeled off half my bathroom wall, not knowing I was actually making more work for myself. I like zinsser Gardz to lock down peeling, prime, then use a bit of joint compound to blend the indentation.

Glad you have friends with skills, but repairing your wall without replacement is doable. I learned how to properly repair in skim coat my walls. After all is said in done, you wouldn't be able tell where the repairs or holes were made in my walls.

If your drywall is just going to get replaced, then there should be no need to continue working on peeling it. If they told you to keep peeling, then they probably going to repair your walls like I described.