An Adventure: Resale 3Room Renovation

[MsJ9 0]

Hi everyone

Renotalk is a fabulous platform to learn about renovation and sharing of renovation experience. I have been reading and taking note of ideas that appeal to me for the past months when I started to shop for a resale unit.

Now that I have found the unit, it is time to start my Reno t-blog Chat and document this adventure. Currently, I am awaiting for my first appt in mid Dec. If nothing goes wrong, I should get my keys in Jan 2014. Since CNY is end Jan next year, I believe renovation can only start mid Feb earliest. Meanwhile, I have to decide on what reno to do and find a direct contractor.

Below is photo of floor plan, kitchen and living. Didn't take photos of rooms, store room and toilets. But toilet tiles are same as kitchen and the bedrooms tiles are same as living room and totally without fixtures as well. Common toilet is the squat pan type and MB toilet is the sitting wc...some blocks in the neighbourhood are undergoing HIP, changing of pipes and toilets. My block has completed LUP but no news of HIP....very tempted to wait...shd I or shd I not????? Argh...


Floor plan

Kitchen

Living Room

Edited March 15, 2014 by MsJ9

[Asking4Help 1]

Looking forward to your reno !

[Makanology 29]

Your MBR looks bigger than usual! Welcome to the 3-roomer club!

[MsJ9 0]

Tks Asking4help and Makanlogy for the warm welcome!

This 3 room is 30 years old. 3NG at 67Sqm. The bedrooms are slanted with the back of the room bigger than the front. If I don't "straighten" it, my beds will look slanted since that should be the side to place the beds. Then again maybe I can use the angled wall to create something? Still brain storming keke...

[jus4fun 4]

Yo MsJ9, congrats on ur new flat & welcome to the 3-roomers' club & to RT!

Ur layout very similar to mine (28 yo 3A) but your slanting walls in the bedrms is one I've nvr seen.. Guess they will post some challenges to furniture & carpentary design..

Hv fun designing!

[MsJ9 0]

Hi everyone

It has been a long time since I update my Reno T-Blog. After a long wait, I got my keys 4 days before CNY. Well, for the past 2 and a half months, I have been immersing myself with reno ideas and pictures to get a feel of what I want. Looking for ID or contractor itself has also been a learning experience for me. I went to 2 IDs and 2 contractors for quotation. Each meeting, I learn something new and more about what I want. Actually, I am quite amazed by how some fellow bloggers visit and talk to 10 or more IDs or contractors.That really need a lot of hard work and determination. Kudos to them.

I shortlisted a contractor for the job. 45k for the following job (summarized below since contractor gave very detailed breakdown with size and unit price).

Hacking of all floor tiles in entire unit

Hacking of all wall tiles in kitchen and 2 toilets

Hacking of all existing cornice and false ceiling

Supply material and labour to lay homogenous tiles for entire unit and stairs at main door entrance

Supply material and labour to lay homogenous/ceramic wall tiles for kitchen and toilet

Supply and apply water proofing for kitchen and 2 toilets

Supply material and labour to construct kitchen cabinet base and concrete sink support

Cove lighting and false ceiling for living, part of kitchen and 2 bedrooms

Supply material and labour to extend stainless steel pipe for entire house

Installation of wc, basin+taps, shower system, washing machine, storage heater and bathroom accessories and chute

Electrical works-rewiring of entire unit including new sockets est 13 single pwr point 13 dble point 13-15 light switches, A/C, scv point, data point. light installation

Refurbish main door including new locks and handles.

2 solid veneer door incl new frame and locks for 2 bedrooms

2 bifold doors for 2 toilets

1 glass door for kitchen

Aluminium windows (white powder coated) + clear glass, sliding for corridor windows and casement for kitchen and mbr

Aluminium grilles (white powder coated) for all windows

wrought iron gate

Strip of rough stony surface in living room + painting of entire unit

32ft (top and bottom) kitchen cabinet incl full height tall unit

13ft quartz/ solid surface kitchen counter top

3ft full height shoe cabinet

7ft wardrobe for each bedroom

Mitsubitshi Electric Inverter system 3 + installation

Box up of water pipes and a/c pipes

Queen size Bedhead frame for 2 bedrooms

chemical wash entire unit

Debris and haulage

I am looking forward to the renovation! Can experience reno bloggers give some tips as to what to look out for during the different reno stages? Some mistakes will take money and time to rectify. Always good to take precaution rite? TIA

[Songz 132]

1 thing that happen to my friend house is the cabling.

Always ensure they cover up nicely for the cable tubing just in case (*Touch Wood) some roach or etc crawl in and shorted the whole house.

Will also suggest to go take a look everyday (Night time after work) on the progress and work done so as to rectify problems early

Hope this helps

(*Just my 2 cents worth)

[MsJ9 0]

It has been a while since I updated by T-blog. The renovation journey has started and there are so much to do and so much to learn. I am glad to find a contractor who has been very patient with me and who has been willing to guide me along. Lets call him SK.

I always like wood or wood-like floorings and was reaserching on laminates, vinyl floorings and wood grained ceramic tiles. Before the sales completion, I was pretty sure I will settle for laminates as I can save on hacking. However, after I got my keys and SK went up for site view, he told me to hack the floor whether or not I am using laminates or tiles as the floor from main door to living and the kitchen is very uneven and besides the floor has already been overlaid.

Hmm..so ta-dah my job made easy---woodgrained ceramic tiles. Better to use tiles as it will last much longer anyway.

Beforehand, I told SK that I understand that he will get a discount from the shops they deal with and it will be easy for him to return excess tiles orderd or request for more to be delivered should there be unexpected changes. But if I really cannot find what I like, then we will have to go other tile shops. I always tell him I want to save as much as I can without him being shortchanged, and we always look for Win-Win outcome

At the tile shop he brought me to, I fell in love with a woodgrained homogenous tile but at $6.50.sqft, thats $3.30 more than what SK quoted me initially. That will cost you 2.3k more, Miss. You must remember a bit more here and there can mean a lot at the end of the renovation.

After thinking hard, I told him the wood grained homogenous tile is what I really like and that I will rather buy cheaper furnishing to make up for it. I can change furnishing every few years but I don't think I can go through the hassle hacking the floor so often even if I have the money. "Well, in that case you can also consider not having the full glass door separating kitchen and living and have less ceiling works. That will do too." How nice of SK to give me alternative solutions instead.

I love the floor tile so much that I am using it for the entire house except for the toilets haha... Yeah so end up only 4 type of tiles for the entire house. OK...ok I know that is boring, right?....Nah simplicity is beauty.


Woodgrained homogenous tiles for living, kitchen and bedrooms--- LOVE LOVE




Floor tiles for Toilet



Wall Tiles for Toilet



Wall tiles for kitchen

Edited March 15, 2014 by MsJ9

[MsJ9 0]

Demolition: Store room, wall tiles and floor tiles hacked. Completed in 2 days.

Edited March 19, 2014 by MsJ9

[sforshor 84]

Hi everyone

It has been a long time since I update my Reno T-Blog. After a long wait, I got my keys 4 days before CNY. Well, for the past 2 and a half months, I have been immersing myself with reno ideas and pictures to get a feel of what I want. Looking for ID or contractor itself has also been a learning experience for me. I went to 2 IDs and 2 contractors for quotation. Each meeting, I learn something new and more about what I want. Actually, I am quite amazed by how some fellow bloggers visit and talk to 10 or more IDs or contractors.That really need a lot of hard work and determination. Kudos to them.

I shortlisted a contractor for the job. 45k for the following job (summarized below since contractor gave very detailed breakdown with size and unit price).

Hacking of all floor tiles in entire unit

Hacking of all wall tiles in kitchen and 2 toilets

Hacking of all existing cornice and false ceiling

Supply material and labour to lay homogenous tiles for entire unit and stairs at main door entrance

Supply material and labour to lay homogenous/ceramic wall tiles for kitchen and toilet

Supply and apply water proofing for kitchen and 2 toilets

Supply material and labour to construct kitchen cabinet base and concrete sink support

Cove lighting and false ceiling for living, part of kitchen and 2 bedrooms

Supply material and labour to extend stainless steel pipe for entire house

Installation of wc, basin+taps, shower system, washing machine, storage heater and bathroom accessories and chute

Electrical works-rewiring of entire unit including new sockets est 13 single pwr point 13 dble point 13-15 light switches, A/C, scv point, data point. light installation

Refurbish main door including new locks and handles.

2 solid veneer door incl new frame and locks for 2 bedrooms

2 bifold doors for 2 toilets

1 glass door for kitchen

Aluminium windows (white powder coated) + clear glass, sliding for corridor windows and casement for kitchen and mbr

Aluminium grilles (white powder coated) for all windows

wrought iron gate

Strip of rough stony surface in living room + painting of entire unit

32ft (top and bottom) kitchen cabinet incl full height tall unit

13ft quartz/ solid surface kitchen counter top

3ft full height shoe cabinet

7ft wardrobe for each bedroom

Mitsubitshi Electric Inverter system 3 + installation

Box up of water pipes and a/c pipes

Queen size Bedhead frame for 2 bedrooms

chemical wash entire unit

Debris and haulage

I am looking forward to the renovation! Can experience reno bloggers give some tips as to what to look out for during the different reno stages? Some mistakes will take money and time to rectify. Always good to take precaution rite? TIA

Welcome to the 3 roomer...... Good luck!

45k for a contractor? No ID? hmmmm

I also first time see the slant shape room...very challenging on the furniture, custom should not be a prob! Enjoy.....

[MsJ9 0]

Masonry Works: Only completed tiling last week. Took almost 3 weeks. Delayed as I was hoping to top up kitchen flooring to be same level as living room but eventually had to drop the idea anyway due to structural constraints. I saw how SK tried to get round the problems with his other contractor buddies but after a few round of discussions, I decided to drop the idea. SK saw how much I wanted it and offered to try our luck and submit for hdb approval. But I didn't want to waste time, everyone's effort and also deal with the disappointment. I think it will look just as good with a drop at kitchen entrance anyway...

The wood grained homogenous tiles

MBR toilet floor (taken when floor not done)

Kitchen and toilet wall adjoins area

As you can see photos are taken when in the midst of tiling job. By the time I remember I had to take pics, my tiling was completed and covered.

Taken and sent to me by my contractor, as I was busy at work and couldn't go over to check on progress...kitchen cabinet based are up and tiled and the concrete sink support sitting nicely on it.

And the windows are up too....I wanted to do sliding windows for entire unit as I thought it looks simpler. My contractor SK suggested louvred window for corridor bedroom and living room after he realised I am not an aircon lover. His rationale is that I get all the light I need, the natural air should I decided to not switch on my aircon and at the same time maintaining privacy and safety. I am glad I took up his suggestion. Love the windows!

Edited March 19, 2014 by MsJ9

[MsJ9 0]

Welcome to the 3 roomer...... Good luck!

45k for a contractor? No ID? hmmmm

I also first time see the slant shape room...very challenging on the furniture, custom should not be a prob! Enjoy.....

Got ID...me lor...keke.

Initially,I thought its pretty expensive for a contractor too... But after comparing a few quotes...I think its pretty reasonable. The other contractor I found on RT quoted with overlaying of living and bedrooms floor with inova laminates, without change of windows, without concrete sink support, without electrical wiring and without aircon, only light box in living for 41.5K...both IDs I approached quoted in the 47-48k range without electrical wiring and Aircon as well.

Besides the fact that I find my contractor price reasonable, I went along with my gut feel that I can trust him. So far so good, but until I live in, I really won't know...

Edited March 19, 2014 by MsJ9

[Songz 132]

Nice update, really curious what you will do with the slated wall portion.

By the way the kitchen sink area there is concrete or carpentry work ...

[sforshor 84]

Got ID...me lor...keke.

Initially,I thought its pretty expensive for a contractor too... But after comparing a few quotes...I think its pretty reasonable. The other contractor I found on RT quoted with overlaying of living and bedrooms floor with inova laminates, without change of windows, without concrete sink support, without electrical wiring and without aircon, only light box in living for 41.5K...both IDs I approached quoted in the 47-48k range without electrical wiring and Aircon as well.

Besides the fact that I find my contractor price reasonable, I went along with my gut feel that I can trust him. So far so good, but until I live in, I really won't know...

Since already engaged just enjoy...

[MsJ9 0]

Nice update, really curious what you will do with the slated wall portion.

By the way the kitchen sink area there is concrete or carpentry work ...

Hi Songz,

How are you doing? 7 days to key collection....must be really excited right?

The slated wall portion I am going to plaster only. Basically that will be where the cabinets will be.

The sink area is concrete. Carpentry work not up yet. It does eat into the cabinet space but it gives the whole bottom cabinet more support for cooking and washing then just wooden cabinet alone.

Edited March 20, 2014 by MsJ9