Moving into a new apartment is ever fun if you meet the new place in good condition but it’s rare to find such except it is based in the heart of the city. Although it’s possible if the previous occupant left the place with few defects that needs to be fixed by the new occupant.
Nothing big, I rented a one bedroom with toilet and kitchen space. On meeting the place there were few defects better than other places I saw. Firstly there were no working bulbs just a local lamp holder. I could remember well the drama that happened in between, I did an electrician job, HAHAHA!
This is because the electrical guy I called to help me hang the lamp holders you see in image below.
Charged me half of the price I bought the lamp holder and refuses to take something lower than that. Buying two lamp holders for NGN10,000 then in Nigerian currency, I was asked to pay 5000 to hang both of them and there were still wall socket defect that will be charged an extra money. He refused to take the offer of NGN2500 I gave.
I had to improvise my little baby girl, she was the one who inspired me to do so.
She told me that I should pay her to hang it for me on both sides of the room. I couldn’t stop laughing because she wasn’t even tall enough to get to the height of reaching where the bulb is located despite the used support.
I loosed the pack of the lamp holders immediately to check its content. I realized it was just the main body and place for electrical cable to pass into it. And a support at the back, nothing really big in it to start calculating.
I asked my landlord to help me place the lamp holder support with nails which is the white thing you see at the back of the lamp holder.
At first he was skeptical I could do the job, when he saw me hanged it to the wall, he called me a she-male, meaning a female and male built in one body. He was a kind of person that has phobia for electricity.
I was able to hang both lamp holders successfully. You see children are very smart it’s a pleasure having them around. I also thought of getting a wall decorator for the house.
That one was fixed by my landlord, seems he has an idea of decoration. He helped me put that to the wall which is the red decoration. Although some part of the room is yet to be covered with the decoration as you can see below.
But with time, I will get to complete it. I also changed the wall socket myself too.
The sockets I met were bad only just a functional one. Since I had idea on doing that, and my Landlord was a kind of person who is scared of electricity, he couldn’t help only supervision and series of warnings not to put the house on fire and the electrician too wasn’t an option because his charges were too high.
If he could collect me such amount just to change lamp holder that means he would even charge more to change wall sockets for me. Since my dad was an Electrical Technician there were some little jobs he would assign some of us to do at home which is changing sockets if they go bad. He would only supervise, I had that kind of Dad, He didn't spare even the girls at home.
I had to ensure there is no light from the mains, by changing over, after opening the bad socket, I located the red wire for the L (Live) position and the black wire for the N (Neutral) position, there was no earth wire. It’s actually a twin cable.
I fixed the double wall socket instantly then screw it up. In fact I will say the electrical job which involves changing the sockets and lamp holders were done by me, there were no other electrical defects.
Not that I was greedy on calling a Technician, but when they see that you recently parked in, they will charge you much probably they feel there is much money.
Till today I still enjoy my room and don’t think of packing out anytime soon, with the warmth welcome I received from the neighborhood, I was pleased to stay there till today. So it’s normal for new occupants of house to change items which they met in defected condition as long as it’s a minor defect.
I celebrated the success by buying drink for my kids.
Thanks so much for reading this post, do have a lovely week!
All Images in this Post Belongs to Me
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