My neighbors upstairs are renovating. From the sounds of it they are tearing down a wall or three. That’s good for them and I’m happy for them until my ceiling starts to break / crumble / fall down not even sure how to describe it. Check out the pics..

So I went up to talk to the contractor, they told me to contact the HDB (Gov’t entity that built the building) because this kind of damage is normal for older buildings and they will decide who has to pay. So I did and they told me, I have to pay there is a “scheme” called a GRA (Goodwill Repair Assistance) which covers 50% of the repair costs AND the max the owner must pay tops out at $300. Sounds good, except I shouldn’t have to pay in the first place, I think my neighbor should cover “my” 50% because my ceiling wouldn’t have come down if the didn’t start jack hammering their walls/floors.

Anyways, the inspector guy who came to see the damage said the gov’t contractor who is going to do the repairs is back logged and it may take months for them to get around to my unit. LUCKILY, I got an appointment for next week. The repair works is called “spalling” which means they just mix some concrete and put patch up the hole. They’re supposed to paint over the rusted rebar to prevent further rusting but most of the rebar is gone now anyways, so we’ll see what they do.

The worst part is I had to remove a kitchen wall cabinet to reveal the full extent of the ceiling damage and I found out the crown molding was only resting on top of the cabinet and held to the ceiling via sealant. WTH?!?!?! Yeah, so it fell off as soon as the cabinet was lowered.

Gotta love them corner cutters…lol. First world problems…sigh.