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Entire Ceiling in HDB Room Collapsed After Renovation, Narrowly Missing a Baby’s Crib

2022-06-10 , 11:48 am

A spur-of-the-moment decision to bring the family out to take pictures ended up saving their lives.

The 100kg false ceiling of the newly-renovated bedroom collapsed on the bed, where the family would have been lounging on if they weren’t out.

100kg False Ceiling Crashed Into Bed, Sounded Like Earthquake

On the afternoon of 8 June, Ms Wendy Liu decided to bring her children out to take pictures instead of lounging on the bed together.

This sudden decision saved their lives as at 6pm that day, the false ceiling of the newly-renovated master bedroom had collapsed on the bed.

Ms Liu’s domestic worker, who was in the flat, heard a loud crash that “sounded like an earthquake”, and rushed to see what had happened. The impact of the 100kg false ceiling’s collapse was so large that even her neighbour went over to ask what happened.

Room Just Underwent Renovation Works

Ms Liu’s family of five have been living in their four-room Dawson Road HDB flat for five years, and recently completed renovation works.

The renovation included removing part of the bedroom wall, and installing a false ceiling for about $5,000. Needless to say, Ms Liu was struck speechless by the scene of the ceiling crushing the bed.

She reported the incident to the contract, the Tanjong Pagar Town Council, and the police immediately. The contractor, SR Tech Engineering, has since arranged for the family to stay in a hotel for a few days while they fixed the damage and recompensated them.

Four Nails Supporting 100kg

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Ms Liu said that after carefully inspecting the fallen ceiling, she realised the contractor only installed for small nails to support the ceiling.

As the ceiling was supported by a metal frame, it could have easily weighed about 100kg. How could four nails support that much weight?

Speaking to TODAY, the contractor’s operation manager Ranamb Masud said that his contractors have installed false ceilings many times, and this is the first time such an incident has happened.

He also acknowledged that the collapse of the ceiling could be due to a lack of supporting structures.

When the ceiling fell, it scratched the wallpaper, smashed a wall lamp, and damaged several electrical wirings. The contractor has said that they are willing to repair all damages, as well as compensate Ms Liu for double the initial renovation costs.

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A Traumatic Experience

Ms Liu definitely does not want the false ceiling replaced, despite the contractor’s willingness to bring in another professional engineer to ensure the stability of the new works.

She said that it was a very traumatic experience, and that she hasn’t been able to sleep properly. Who knows when the ceiling, or even the fans and air-conditioner will randomly fall and hurt someone this time?

After this experience, Ms Liu said that she will definitely ask everyone to be more vigilant when looking for a renovation contractor in the future.