I hate living in a handyman special.
The apartment building I live in was originally constructed in approximately 1840 (Or so the rental agent told me when I looked it over.) so it’s gone through a number of obvious refurbishings since that time.
I live in a basement apartment (Or “garden apartment,” which seems to mean my windows look up to the shrubbery.) and the fact that it is a handyman conversion from something else is painfully obvious. Not the least of the concerns is that the wiring is… odd. Forex - why did the gentleman put the only lightswitch to the kitchen alcove on the far wall of the kitchen - so that to turn on the light, and see to navigate in the kitchen, one has to first navigate through the kitchen? Then there’s the oh-so-convenient lightswitch next to the door going into the apartment. It does nothing. It has no effect on the ceiling fan/light unit. It affects none of the four outlets in that room, nor does it seem to affect any of the other outlets in the apartment. I’m just glad I’m not in a converted firestation, or I’d be playing with the trafficlights out front, I think.
I am morally certain that this apartment had been part of the coal bunkerage for the building while it had had a coal fired boiler. Among other things, it would explain the coal tar dust that continues to fall down from the drop ceilings. (Of course, since Park Ave is just… 8 meters from my windows that could be a factor, too.)
Some of the conversion details were obviously worked out by someone who had no intention of living here. The bathroom, for example. To say the toilet is a bit close is understating things.
My current gripe has to do with the repair that was just done on that same ceiling fan. A week ago when I pulled the chain to turn on the light… it came off in my hand. Now, given my distrust of the wiring in this place, I think it may seem reasonable to understand why I’m unwilling to trust that the wiring was set up properly for safety. I could go and open the circuit breakers to my apartment, but, since I’m in a basement apartment, I’d have to wait for a sunny day - otherwise it’s too dark in here to do any kind of close work without electric lighting. So I called the landlord, to put in a maintenance request.
Once he got here and understood the problem, I thought his solution was going to be the same as the one I’d contemplated: Going to the local hardware store, buying a replacement pull-switch, and then splicing it in to replace the old one. No, what I just came home to was that he got a screw-in switch and outlet combo for the light fixture. With a six inch cord.
I did mention this was a ceiling fan/light combo, right? It’s too high for me to reach that thing, without a step stool. (mutter mutter) Which is not what I want to be doing in the dark, yanno, when most people want to turn on lights?
That can be fixed, of course, by a length of string. And once I’m reassured that it’s a temorary fix, that’s what I’ll do. But if it’s meant as a permanent fix, it’s no good. Among other things, the globe that’s supposed to go over the bulb will complely block off the switch. Well, if I could jury-rig something to get the silly globe to fit over that extension in the first place.
Not a pitting, just a kvetching.
Ha! Bumhug!
Yes, I’m in a grumpy mood this morning.