Dy 5Rm Scandinavian.. Modern And Something In Between

[lyn2015 1]

Hello, was inspired to start a t-blog after reading through a few! Hopefully we will survive the complex journey of 1st time renovators.

Our design is quite different as the bomb shelter does not cover the kitchen which means we can hack down the wall. Still thinking if should spend to separate the open kitchen from the living room with black frame windows to save electricity/oil though its expensive and we don't really do much heavy cooking. Also deciding what to do with the extra suggested study if we do not put our study/dinning table there...

so yes, still gathering information from magazines , forums and starting the process of meeting IDs/Contractors as the place can be ready as early as Jan/Feb next year.. that's another question. ID or Contractor.. will post more on the selection process when we have finally chosen.. given ourselves till end of Nov.

[St0rmTr00per 0]

Camping here.

Edited October 21, 2015 by St0rmTr00per

[Khng 2]

Nice layout.

I see the possibility of an open concept kitchen with a real island (not peninsular type). With both wet and dry kitchen.

Or extending the dining table to the island to make this the focal point of the house.

[lyn2015 1]

Nice layout.

I see the possibility of an open concept kitchen with a real island (not peninsular type). With both wet and dry kitchen.

Or extending the dining table to the island to make this the focal point of the house.

Hey what you mean by extending the dinning table to the island?

[lifeissimple 3]

wah!! ur layout looks very gd! tons to play around!

ur masterbed room can do a small walk-in-wardrobe...just my suggestion...

yup and i agreed ur dining table can be changed to an island too...since u guys don't do heavy cooking.

can't wait to see ur design man!

[Khng 2]

Hey what you mean by extending the dinning table to the island?

Hey what you mean by extending the dinning table to the island?

Not sure if this will work. Have the island at where the dining table is in the layout diagram. Then extend/ connect the dining table towards the left (where your entrance door is). The wall in the kitchen has to come down of course.

If you worry not enough storage, you can build full height cabinet in your kitchen across the long side of your kitchen. Your island will have provide enough countertop space.

If not enough, make it in to a L shape so the short wall you can have top & bottom cabinet & give you more countertop space.

It really depends on your lifestyle if it will work for you or not. Cheers!

[Khng 2]

Tall kitchen cabinet example.

[lyn2015 1]

wah!! ur layout looks very gd! tons to play around!

ur masterbed room can do a small walk-in-wardrobe...just my suggestion...

yup and i agreed ur dining table can be changed to an island too...since u guys don't do heavy cooking.

can't wait to see ur design man!

Yup! Intend to do some kind of a corridor with two cupboards back to back. My current house has that kind of concept.. Cause have the window and don't want to block it

[lyn2015 1]

Not sure if this will work. Have the island at where the dining table is in the layout diagram. Then extend/ connect the dining table towards the left (where your entrance door is). The wall in the kitchen has to come down of course.

If you worry not enough storage, you can build full height cabinet in your kitchen across the long side of your kitchen. Your island will have provide enough countertop space.

If not enough, make it in to a L shape so the short wall you can have top & bottom cabinet & give you more countertop space.

It really depends on your lifestyle if it will work for you or not. Cheers!

Ahh okay I see thanks for the photo! may be abit hard to have guests sit around the island? Will keep this in consideration!

[lyn2015 1]

We are still currently in the process of shortlisting IDs/Contractor. There is a lot of demand and hence most of the IDs contacted were not very responsive and quick,especially the popular ones. So also going for those lesser known companies who are hopefully easier to work with. we can only meet them also on the weekends which makes the process slower.

In the meantime, we are trying to firm up the design concept of the house that we like..and reading as much T-blog posts as possible! I'm torn between a more clean minimalist design, stronger design with more black lines as you can see below or a more grey industrial feel... I wonder if it is possible to have a mixure of both. kitchen to be more bold and living room to be have the minimalist feel..

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Edited October 26, 2015 by lyn2015

[Khng 2]

Ahh okay I see thanks for the photo! may be abit hard to have guests sit around the island? Will keep this in consideration!

The picture is to illustrate the full height or tall kitchen cabinets. You are blessed with the possibility of a real kitchen island. The island can be placed straddling between your (old) kitchen and dining area. So your guests can move around or if you choose, to sit around the island.

Cheers & all the best in your discussion with your ID.

[lifeissimple 3]

Yup! Intend to do some kind of a corridor with two cupboards back to back. My current house has that kind of concept.. Cause have the window and don't want to block it

don't think we can block the window right? i tot is illegal?

[lyn2015 1]

don't think we can block the window right? i tot is illegal?

Hmm contractor didn't say anything about that and HDB website link is down!

[lifeissimple 3]

Hmm contractor didn't say anything about that and HDB website link is down!

hmm..i maybe wrong? hahaa...i'm not very sure too..

[lyn2015 1]

Since i last updated, we have met with two more IDs.. our progress on IDs so far..

1. H*e Conc*ept

ID got back to me quite quickly and so was the first that we made an appointment with. Upon reaching the place, the ID and a more senior guy sat down with us and started asking our requirements. As this was the first ID, I was abit taken back that they did not ask us about the concept of the house. It went downhill from there as the ID was not very experienced and the more senior guy did most of the talking. Eventually, they did not get back to us with the quote even though i reminded them.

2. Re*zt & Rel*x

This was in the same building as the ID above and we walked in. Immediately we felt the difference, as though we were in 'safe hands'. haha..

the first meeting we just explained our requirements and during the second meet up a week later, there was a more senior guy who sat down with us and went through our requirements on the exact length etc. He was very experience and really knew his stuff. This was our first quote which was way above our budget. The assigned ID to us is actually very sincere and enthusiastic and would message me frequently.

3. D* S*****

This was an ID introduced by a fellow tblogger. A rather new and smaller outfit which i feel is more personable and there is more confidence that they would oversee the project directly. will be getting our quote soon

4. T** S*******

Took awhile to come back but the first meeting went well. My husband felt that there was rapport. Looking forward to the the next meeting!

5. D** Wo*****

This ID was featured quite frequently in the square rooms and i liked his industrial woody look. He is very prompt on facebook and when I contacted him, he called me soon. As he does most of the work, he will 'assess' on the phone if he can deliver your project. If he feels its out of the budget, its likely he will turn you down. We met soon after the phone call and he was very experienced in the renovation. He was the only one who pointed out to us that the vanity sink for my master toilet is smaller than normal sinks because of the wall and there is only a few design that can take that. He also asked if we are using curtains or blinds as he needs to know if he needs to quote for the track. He also advised I should start appealing for cement screed also, if possible as my house does not come with tiles :/ If you like someone who is really straightforward and experience, he is the guy to go to. As we have not taken our keys, he indicated that our quotes will take about a month as he does most things by himself and he draws them by hand.

He also indicated that we should not do the shower screen in the common toilet and..thoughts anybody?

6. Contractor, my mum's contact. my parents have moved alot and so they have quite a bit of experience. He has yet to come back to me on a quote and will likely take till the end of Nov.

Have been reading other t-blogs and some users suggest that we should wait till we get the keys before we sign on the dotted lines...

am taking my time to meet the IDs buts its taking up most saturdays now.. i think i may have made too many appointments!

Edited November 3, 2015 by lyn2015