Creating Our Home ...

[Maximus 0]

Hi All,

As like many others, i have learnt a lot of things from this forum and benefited from a lot of friendly advice from fellow forummers. And now its our turn to pay it forward, and hence the reason for the existence of this t-blog. My wife and I recently bought a resale condo unit in the general Serangoon area and will be looking to do it up over a couple of months after CNY. I will post stuff on the floor plan, our theme, our buys as we go along.

We are very excited about the next few months.

And Gong xi fa cai in advance to all out there.

Cheers

Maximus

[Maximus 0]

Thought that i would upload my attempt at a space plan rather than a basic floor plan ..

Edited February 8, 2011 by Maximus

[Maximus 0]

First Look at IDs

My wife and I first headed over to a Home Expo in November just to get a feel for what the ID thing was all about (as neither of us had any experience of this sort of thing) and also we thought it was a good place to get to meet several IDs in one place. Our intent was to just meet with a few IDs, get ideas, get their quotations and select one. Interestingly enough, it turned out to be a much long drawn out affair than this.

1. "Image" Creative - Nice works, good reputation, several awards. Met with an ID there and he followed up after the expo was done. We hit it off rather nicely and i was impressed by his experience, as well as willingness to show us around a past project which had been recently completed. Not too high on the design front but for sure execution would have been good. Quotation received. Finally decided not to go through due to budget constraints.

2. Rezt 'n' Relax - Stepped in to their stall for a quick chat where we shown around their kitchen package. Didnt really like what we saw. Zero follow-up after the expo. Hence auto drop. No quotation.

3. Ciseern - Shown around by an elderly gentleman with '20 years work exp' in the industry. They had some media personality's showflat up there but it wasnt our kinda style. Zero follow-up after the expo. Hence auto drop. No quotation.

4. Linewerkz - Young ID, talked to us for a bit, listened patiently to requirements. Followed up after the Expo to discuss but we found very slippery and taichi even before quotation. Dropped after a few talks. No quotation.

5. OrangeCube - Experienced lady ID showed us around their stall at the Expo. We really loved what we saw there and hence very keenly considered OrangeCube. One of the top runners for our selection of ID. The approach to design, the sensibilities of the styling all were very appealing. Quotation received.

At this point in time, we didnt really want to get more quotations than the above but since what came to us as initial quotations were high and there was a wide variance from one ID to the next for even basic items, we thought it would be most useful to look up a few more IDs even though this would mean more work and time spent. But since its our place that we were putting in all this effort for, hopefully it would become worth it.

6. The Interior Place - Went down to their office and met with an ID who has done reno of some of the forummers here. Very nice for the first meeting but after that very elusive and hard to get hold of. If its like this before the contract has even been signed, i can only imagine what happens after the signing. Got advice from another forummer that she was having similar issues. Hence dropped. No quotation received.

7. ID Note aka Henry - Since there was so much internet traffic on that thread in the forum, decided to give him a look to see how things were. For sure, he gave the most competitive quote but his operations didnt instill any confidence in me that the aesthetic appeal that we were looking for would emerge. If you knew exactly what you wanted and didnt need too many design inputs, this would have been a very good bet. I considered for a bit and then dropped as I want to minimize risk as much as possible on the design front. Quotation received. Significantly enough, the other reason i chose to drop ID Note was that there was too many people asking for his contacts on the forum and i was pretty sure that if he converted even 20% of his prospects here, he would be very busy and my project might suffer in the midst of several others.

8. Inside Living - Went to their office and was met by a very young ID who seemed to actually have a fair bit of experience. Explained requirements, received a quotation promptly. Didnt meet my needs and hence had to drop.

9. Plush Living - Gave them a call and told them i was looking for an ID specializing in my preferred theme / decor (In fact on the second round of ID visits, this was my modus operandi. I would cold call the ID firm and tell them i want to meet with a senior designer who has done *** type of styling before. An ID from the firm would later call me back and i would go down to their office to meet). I asked by name for a specific ID (whose name i had come across in the forum here), and spoke to him. I went down to his office and was met by a very young ID (almost like a kid) and the senior ID never came down to even introduce himself or this kid. I was told that the senior guy is busy and so i should talk to only this guy. He was alright but i didnt want to hand over my project to too young an ID. Hence dropped. Quotation received.

10. *** - Approached them after a friend of mine had done his reno through them. Met with an ID who had very strong design skills and had been in the industry and with the firm for ages. Felt very reassured and was confident that *** would do a very good job. Met her several times and also had her come over to my place to look at the stuff i already owned. Although initial quotation was very high, we were able to rework the estimates over the next few iterations. Very strong contender for the final ID selection. Quotation received.

11. Ideal House - Dropped by their office and was met by a young, affable ID. Discussed requirements and asked around past experience of the ID. The ID followed up immediately with a very detailed quote and i was impressed by the fact that the ID's quotation for tiling specified the total sqft for each room used as the basis for cost estimation. ID was also willing enough to show us around a past project so we were quite taken up by the positive rapport with the ID. Strong contender for the final ID selection. Quotation received.

12. Earnest Interiors - Dropped by their office and met with a very jovial and nice ID who has lot of experience in the industry. He gave his personal points of view on some of our requirements and also followed up immediately with a quotation. While he was in the reckoning, i was forced to drop because of budget constraints. Quotation received.

13. Rhiss Design - The only firm i never got to meet personally and yet the ID was so responsive in speaking on the phone and then following up with the quotation. This despite the fact i told him that i am already in advanced stages of discussion with other ID firms. Hats off to his commitment. Had to drop as i didnt get into very detailed discussions with him as i had already got down to the shortlist of ID firms i would select from.

So at the end of countless number of meetings with IDs, infinite number of explanation of our requirements and endless excel iterations, the final selection was going to be from one of these three firms (***, OrangeCube, IdealHouse).

I will post more about who we finally chose and what swung the deal in their favor.

<Review of IDs and selection to be updated here>

Edited January 24, 2011 by Maximus

[Maximus 0]

<Pictures to be updated here later>

[JCase 0]

Good stuff. Look forward to your updates.

[Maximus 0]

Good stuff. Look forward to your updates.

Thanks Jcase. I shall try to do timely justice to the reno itself on this blog!

[Maximus 0]

We have a fair bit of things to buy but haven't done much of it yet.

1. Aircons - Currently considering Toshiba and Daikin.

2. Refrigerator - Decided on the Panasonic Inverter fridge (601L gross, storage capacity:551L)

3. Built-in oven - Tough one, cant seem to decide at all. Probably gonna look at a very basic Bosch or Brandt model. Any recommendations people? We are not going to be baking that often and to top it, we are vegetarians.

4. Microwave oven - Liked a Samsung model with ability to steam and has a turntable.

5. Hob and hood - Very confusing. Spoilt for choice. Have only decided that we need stainless steel over glass and that it should be 3 burner. For the hood, we want a slimline hood but most slimline hoods are around 400m3/hr suction power. I have no way of knowing if thats good or bad. Again considering a bosch bundle. Does anyone have an electrolux bundle cos i saw that their slimline hood has a suction power of 1000m3/hr? Any recommendations please?

6. 1 king size bedframe - Haven't decided where to buy yet. Mattress already bought though.

7. 1 Super single size bedframe - Haven't decided where to buy yet. Mattress already bought though.

8. Display cabinets

9. 6 seater wooden dining table

10. Tatami cushions for platform - Does anybody here know of a good place to get value-for-money tatami flooring?

11. Wardrobe for 3rd bedroom (Having my ID do up the MBR and 2nd bedroom wardrobes).

Of course need to buy all the lightings and bathroom fixtures too but no point listing them here.

I would really appreciate it if anybody here has some good tips on buying any of the items i have listed above.

Cheers

Maximus

[JCase 0]

Bedframes and stuff I normally buy from S&C Furniture. Located along AMK Ave 1 or 8. Look for Melvin.

[marshmallow 0]

We have a fair bit of things to buy but haven't done much of it yet.

3. Built-in oven - Tough one, cant seem to decide at all. Probably gonna look at a very basic Bosch or Brandt model. Any recommendations people? We are not going to be baking that often and to top it, we are vegetarians.

4. Microwave oven - Liked a Samsung model with ability to steam and has a turntable.

since you are not going to bake much, maybe you can consider those 3-in-1 microwave oven? Steam + microwave + convection. then instead of one built-in oven and one microwave with steam, you only need one oven

i'm using a Panasonic one now and very happy with it think Sharp has something similar too, my colleague is using a Sharp one and he's happy too~

[Maximus 0]

Bedframes and stuff I normally buy from S&C Furniture. Located along AMK Ave 1 or 8. Look for Melvin.

Jcase - Is this the same furniture shop that also has an outlet at IFC in Sungei Kadut on the 3rd floor? I had been to IFC this weekend and recollect going to a shop with the name "SC Furniture".

since you are not going to bake much, maybe you can consider those 3-in-1 microwave oven? Steam + microwave + convection. then instead of one built-in oven and one microwave with steam, you only need one oven

i'm using a Panasonic one now and very happy with it think Sharp has something similar too, my colleague is using a Sharp one and he's happy too~

Marshmallow - Thanks for this piece of info. I do think that a 3-in-1 should do as well and i saw this Panasonic one which has a separate water compartment to add water when you want to do steamed stuff like dim sum etc. My wife however is particular on getting a built-in oven as she thinks she will able to bake proper sized cakes and pizzas in it. While i am skeptical, i cant refuse. So let me try to again make her see the wisdom of buying a 3-in-1 and see if that works out. Btw, someone was telling me that baking in a 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 type of oven isnt all that great, because the temperatures dont get as high as a conventional oven and also that there are hotspots which doesnt make for uniform cooking. Have you experienced any of this?

[rmgthatsme 0]

Jcase - Is this the same furniture shop that also has an outlet at IFC in Sungei Kadut on the 3rd floor? I had been to IFC this weekend and recollect going to a shop with the name "SC Furniture".

Marshmallow - Thanks for this piece of info. I do think that a 3-in-1 should do as well and i saw this Panasonic one which has a separate water compartment to add water when you want to do steamed stuff like dim sum etc. My wife however is particular on getting a built-in oven as she thinks she will able to bake proper sized cakes and pizzas in it. While i am skeptical, i cant refuse. So let me try to again make her see the wisdom of buying a 3-in-1 and see if that works out. Btw, someone was telling me that baking in a 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 type of oven isnt all that great, because the temperatures dont get as high as a conventional oven and also that there are hotspots which doesnt make for uniform cooking. Have you experienced any of this?

I have a large 2 in 1 Panasonic Microwave/Convection Oven as well as a standalone oven. We use both oven frequently in our family at least 2 to 3 times a week, mainly for roasting during the week with some baking at weekends. It is surprising how good the Panasonic 2 in 1 actually is. Can't say I find any hot or uneven temperature spots (it has a turntable) and it will easily do large roasts in te 5 kg range as well as 2 level baking/roasting. You normally have to reduce the cooking time a little vs std. oven as it is a convection oven otherwise you will get over cooking or a bit of a drying effect. Only thing I can criticise about it is that it's hot air grilling does not give as an authentic grilling effect as the radiant grill in our standard oven. Hope this helps a little.

Which model of Electrolux slimline hood gives 1000m3 suction?

Cheers

[Maximus 0]

Which model of Electrolux slimline hood gives 1000m3 suction?

Cheers

The hood i was referring to is this one.

[JCase 0]

Jcase - Is this the same furniture shop that also has an outlet at IFC in Sungei Kadut on the 3rd floor? I had been to IFC this weekend and recollect going to a shop with the name "SC Furniture".

It should be different. S&C Furniture is a neighbourhood shop. Lower overheads and I suppose that's why they are relatively cheap. I bought a SSingle slumberland bed with single pull out last month for $800. Came with free delivery and 2 pillows.

[rmgthatsme 0]

The hood i was referring to is this one.

Hi Maximus,

thanks for the super quick reply. That is quite an impressive piece of equipment. Have you seen it anywhere available in S'Pore as the site to which you refer is in Malaysia right?

Cheers

RMG

[marshmallow 0]

Marshmallow - Thanks for this piece of info. I do think that a 3-in-1 should do as well and i saw this Panasonic one which has a separate water compartment to add water when you want to do steamed stuff like dim sum etc. My wife however is particular on getting a built-in oven as she thinks she will able to bake proper sized cakes and pizzas in it. While i am skeptical, i cant refuse. So let me try to again make her see the wisdom of buying a 3-in-1 and see if that works out. Btw, someone was telling me that baking in a 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 type of oven isnt all that great, because the temperatures dont get as high as a conventional oven and also that there are hotspots which doesnt make for uniform cooking. Have you experienced any of this?

There are 3-in-1 oven with various sizes, of course big one more ex maybe you can check out Tangs... saw many models on display there, but not the Sharp one though.

for myself, temperature is high enough for normal baking/grilling... my colleague's Sharp one uses superheated steam - sounds like very hot~

i think hotspots is not a problem unique to 3-in-1, normal oven gets that as well.

but i understand what you mean.... the wife will still have the final say since she is the one using all these stuff

I have a large 2 in 1 Panasonic Microwave/Convection Oven as well as a standalone oven. We use both oven frequently in our family at least 2 to 3 times a week, mainly for roasting during the week with some baking at weekends. It is surprising how good the Panasonic 2 in 1 actually is. Can't say I find any hot or uneven temperature spots (it has a turntable) and it will easily do large roasts in te 5 kg range as well as 2 level baking/roasting. You normally have to reduce the cooking time a little vs std. oven as it is a convection oven otherwise you will get over cooking or a bit of a drying effect. Only thing I can criticise about it is that it's hot air grilling does not give as an authentic grilling effect as the radiant grill in our standard oven. Hope this helps a little.

my Panasonic doesn't have a turntable... will there be big difference?

Come to think of it, i've overcooked a few times too... should take your advice to reduce the cooking time