Winter in Egypt, 2024 - Fixing Things, Part 1.

Besides turning on the water and gas, we noticed that we were going to need a few repairs. There had been some significant water damage to our apartment during the previous nine months, the results of leaks from the unit above us.  While the worst of it is above the kitchen and powder room, the damage extends out into the living/dining area.  One light fixture had completely fallen from the ceiling in the powder room and the massive ceiling medallion, typical of Egyptian architecture, near the dining room table was hanging by a thread of electric wire.  More than a few feet of heavy plaster crown molding had also fallen to the floor and had been removed from the scene by our cleaning crew that visits before our arrival.

Obviously, some significant repairs will need to be made, but our immediate need was to deal with that hanging ceiling medallion before it fell on someone's head.  Roshdy was able to schedule a contractor to come look that situation the next afternoon.

  

Meanwhile we began uncovering the furniture.  We wrap everything in plastic before we leave each spring to protect it from the infiltrating dust that covers everything in Egypt.  This used to be quite a laborious process to install and remove until we found plastic covers that easily cover our larger chairs and sofa.  Here's what things look like when we first walk in.

Linda had removed the plastic in our bedroom while I had been out at the market the previous night.  It takes a couple of hours to strip off all the covers and put things back in order.

  

  

Plugging in the telephone, I was pleasantly surprised to find a dial tone available.  Many times in past years, the landline connection disappears during our absence.  The wifi modem, had no signal however.  Following two trips to Technical Support at the local telephone central office and a visit by the telco installer, Roshdy had our Internet service functioning by the end of Day 1. Sometimes this can take 2-3 days or more. Because Roshdy has learned who to contact, the process has become streamlined, something we greatly appreciate. What would we do without him?

 

Our arrival in Egypt is no secret. On the evening of the Day 1, the electric utility's meter reader arrived with the bill for the past several month's service.  About a year ago the electric company added a monthly service charge even when there is no electricity is used. This fee is about $2 per month.  Since the comparable charge at our cabin in Wisconsin just went up from $37 per month to $45, I can't really complain much about it.  The bill for electricity actually used during our three month stay will total  about $30.  Just as quickly as the meter reader found us, one of our "building cats" from last year showed up to check out her favorite feeding and resting site.

 

We have a new "Home Owners Association" representative collecting our dues for the apartment this year.  He waited a couple of days before arriving to collect that assessment.  We pay $10 a month for the time that we are here and $5 a month for the other months - plus any special assessments for the elevator, water pump and the like.  We settled up for about a hundred dollars for the preceding nine months.  More about that in a later post.

Roshdy's contractor arrived to deal with the dangling ceiling medallion the next day.  The basic process was:

1. Remove the light fixture.

2. Loosen the knot in the wiring that was holding the medallion and take it down.

3. Prepare the concrete/plaster surface to receive a fresh coat of plaster to "glue" the medallion in place.

4. Mix a batch of plaster out in the hallway, ie create a mess.

5. Apply the plaster to the ceiling area.

6. Replace the medallion and clean excess plaster from around it.

7. Hold the medallion in place until the fresh plaster "glue" dried sufficiently.

8. Rehang the light fixture.

All of this took about two hours.  We were fortunate to happen to have two ladders of our own, a spray bottle with water to moisten the underlying surface and a flashlight to supply to the workers. It's been our experience that workers don't carry all the tools needed to complete a job. They typically arrive by taxi or tuk-tuk so they have no way to bring any larger items.  Plastic protection and rags for post-work clean up? Well, that's on the homeowner. We have those things also. Their small tools are usually carried in a plastic bag. Photos follow:

  

  

 

The bill for the work came to $25 dollars.  The guys did a great job of carefully cleaning up so I added another $5 tip.  At that point the apartment is "livable" and we will be able to move on to fixing the remaining water damage. That should be fun!