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I am just like many people, doing all sorts of research works before engaging a Renovation company for our renovation. From price to quality , these are very taxing. I am a silent reader in this forum since mid 2013, indeed this forum is the best of the best gathering infos people shared here. I also realized, there are many competitors inhere, so some are here for self promotion and some are here to comment on their competitors. I really gain a lot of knowledge in here, now is time for me to share. From searching an housing agent to my renovation finish. I will not comment on the products, shops, person and renovation work now as all these are still on going, but I have input the searching and purchasing part. Here are some tips to share, starting from a housing agent. This is just a resale 3 room, but I really want it to progress smoothly..................... so I started searching for the area I had in my mind. This way it will be easier and faster getting your desire flat. If you have many areas in mind, it will take slightly longer. For my case, I took only 4 days to purchased an unit. Please note, chose an agent who is driving. Why I said this? Try getting an agent to serve you, whatever unit you shortlisted or if the agent is hardworking enough, he/she will do the homework for you. Tell the agent what you looking for, when all are sorted out, let this agent drive you around to view all the units. I am very lucky to have this agent serving me, and very clear cut, I bought from her. Patient and hardworking is her reward and yes, she is driving. After the paper signed, basically you have 6weeks ( 1st appt ) + 6weeks ( 2nd appt )to search for a renovation company, many people use the Renotalk portal and after submitting, you will get dozens and dozens of emails and calls. From my experience, do not meet more than 5 IDs approaching you, you will get very confuse in the end. Try to contact them by emails, phones and shortlist about 5 to meet personally. See how the proposals are. This part is really taxing. I will not write anything about my ID first, because Reno is on going and I will try to update here day by day. When you had sort out who to engaged, another hectic part will be, buying things for your new house, Lighting, Furniture, Appliances blah blah........ This needs a lot of research. I read a lot here, came across a Blog a friend bought many many items from Tao Bao, at that time, I tell myself, he/she must be crazy......... But when I did my own shopping comparing products and prices, I gave that forummer a thumb up by using Tao Bao. Just said my lighting, I bought a numbers of hanging crystal pendants. I shop around in Singapore lighting house, comparing apple to apple. But the items I found is ridiculously expensive. Let's say it this way, 85% of lighting in Singapore come from China, many people do not want to involve in on line shopping is the troublesome of handling the after sales........ I am one of them. You might think, How if the items don't arrive, how if the items arrive damage, how if this how if that. If that is the case, I will say, buy it in Singapore shop paying at least 3-5 times more than you shop yourself online. For example, I saw a Crystal hanging dining table light in Singapore which offer me $880. I bought it online, EXACTLY the same light ........... for........... $220 includes shipping. Somehow, the risk is still there buying on line, this is just my call, you can always have your decision. I will update my Reno day by day. Recommend the good and Comments the bad. The Kai Meng ( OPEN DOOR ) ritual had perform, now waiting for the Reno to start in days time........... This is the 3D my Id propose and it will be exactly what I want..... all lightings and furniture were purchase before the Reno starts...... I brought my ID and show him what are the items will be like, at least the 3D came out very similar .

This is the final product. How does it look? Kitchen Living Room Wardrobe Master bedroom

Recently we have closed the third group buy for this lamp. Also since the group buy page will be expired by 31/5/11 and we are not collecting anymore orders. this page will function like info page and this thread is not a group buy page. For all of us who had part-take in the group buy, - look out here for collection details - share our installation experience - share your photos & tips and even remarks. For those who are thinking of getting ARCO LAMP, this will be a good read. if there are really many keen parties, maybe we can do the 4th Group buy on the spree page!! Introduction of ACRO Lamp in SG: I had been search this Arco Lamp in SG for the longest time, since 2009 From Furniture shops to lighting shops in Geylang, to Balestier & Jln Besar, it seems that there isn't 1 of decent quality. SG mkt Price range cheapest $199, rest range ard $350-$600 but most cannot make it. Either they are steel rod with steel shades which can rust. [some showroom pcs are already rusty!!] while marble are man-made which r really cheaper, lighter & ez to crack Best 1 had seen with the most accurate reproduction is in LORGAN'S Superb quality & finishing & exact proportions going @ $950. There are those look alike with Round rods and Flat round marble base which aren't really good. Round rods are using twist tightening like those shower curtain bars. which leaves scratch marks on the steel rod. Once the scratches appear rust will follow on the same spot. this is because the protective lacquer that protects the steel from rusting is being scrap off. Round flat marble base also have problems. As the rod is tall & have a heavy cantilever force, the rods are attached onto the marble in mere 4cm contact. this will end up making the lamps wobbly. Unlike the rectangle, the rod is embedded thru-out the marble in 50cm contact & support, this makes the rod alot stronger and hard to topple. Lets hope this lamp looks good in your home & blends well with your deco. So share with us your pictures and give us inspiration!! more details of this lamp http://arcofloorlamp.com/ or http://www.i-neostyle.com/goods/Light/arco_lamp/img/top.jpg

Laminate flooring is becoming increasingly popular for one reason is the premium advantages laminate floors possess such as high wearing resistance, waterproof performance and anti-scratch performance. And the other reason may be for the beautiful colors it presents. With the printing technique improved, more and more natural mimic colors emerged. The color series stretches from wood to marble and cloth. And each series has been expanded vertically to enrich the current color collections. From wood species, you may get classical wood colors like pine, cherry, walnut, and you can also choose from peculiar wood designs such as merbau, wenge and spotted gum. Those products with obvious authentic wood features are especially popular, for example, knotty pine laminate flooring, rustic oak laminate flooring and vineyard cherry laminate flooring. Meanwhile, some antique wood colors have been hotly welcomed by more and more large laminate flooring wholesalers. The following pictures are the new launch products from Sunspeed Flooring. Dark and old color tone matching with knotty and scar gifts laminate flooring history and dignity. Though most consumers pursue wood effect laminate flooring to get the feeling of real wood floor, there are also some requirements for special decors like marble and cloth. But compared with wood colors, marble and cloth pictures are easily to be imitated and produced since they don’t have so many details as wood grains to consider.

The beauty of internal PVC. Mr. Foo does this as a standard offer which is great IMO.

Continuation from previous post Table Digital Clock (*Not yet tried if everything is in working order) Clock (Room) - *Not yet tried if it is in working order Clock (Living Room) - *Not yet tried if it is in working order Ottoman **Some purchases (Bathroom Mat, Cushions and etc) I will not be sharing the pictures here as I am not opening them till Renovation is done

Hiccup #2 As i have a very small kitchen cum dining space planning is quite challenging on my kitchen layout. Being a first time owner, generally I am very excited abt my house purchases. I bought my sink a month back and sent the specifications to my contractor. Let's call him C.. It was a double bowl sink measuring 83cm in length. As I was expecting delivery this weekend, i went and confirm the measurements again with c. And he was like huh u bought such a big sink? The countertop reserved for the sink was only 80cm.. Looks like I need to get this changed to a single bowl instead. I really dunno if all contractors are so forgetful or they just ignore stuff sent over whatsapp or maybe I bombarded him with too many pics? Another super sian hiccup. I have delayed the delivery to next week and ask him to do that exact measurement after the construction of the hollow block wall. Update: C just called to say I can only get a sink below 70 cm! That leaves me with the only choice of the single bowl 65cm sink from wasser bath... Not sure if it will be too small for washing

Congrats on getting your own loft and starting the blog. There is no con about having no 3D. Most 3D cost money and delay the reno. Imagine waiting 2 weeks just for drawings which you may not like afterall. Some need deposit to start 3D only to realize not the right ID and forfeit the deposit. So brace up and enjoy the journey.

Hi friend, before a Reno, many people will be like you, " Headache ".... trust me, the more headache you have , the real headache will approach. Stay cool, stay firm and do lot's of research. Stay on the computer whenever you have time, scroll through, search for things you want, email, call or even visit the suppliers etc. One word, cannot be lazy afterall it's you house. Most people will not have "experience" on renovation, afterall we don't renovate our house once a year, so research counts all. I have to admit, before my Reno, I also very headache, don't know where to start.... but times come, you will automatically know what is the next step....... Search whatever items before hand, don't wait until last minute, at least you have time for option. The rest I had already written in my Blog, Good luck and remember to post.

Carpentry was delivered and started. Went over in the night and this is the carpentry in progress picture. Living Room Kitchen MBR

Hello zen_zen! I got an updated quotation from #MayTing the other day... My quotation amounted to about 4.3k in the end... That is inclusive of the dining area, living area, room corridor and the 3 bedrooms combined.. #MayTing told me before that they will measure the dimensions at the site on the actual day of installation to determine the exact cost, but the 4.3k quotation that she calculated for me (based on the area coverage derived from the HDB floor plan that I sent her) should be a very good representative cost... ERM. Why most people choose vinyl flooring compared to homogeneous tiles ah? I can only say that in MY case... Vain lor. Wahahaha... And I think that the vinyl flooring design looks better than the standard HDB homogeneous tiles lor... Vinyl flooring nowadays can have various kinds of designs; such as the wooden floor plank look... the cement screeding look... etc. etc. Other than looks, you can look at functionality when you decide too... Hmmmm. I'm sure you have experienced homogeneous tiles before, so I won't talk much about that... But as for the characteristics of vinyl flooring (and incidentally laminate flooring too!), you can look at my previous post, Post#282 for more information!Really hope I helped!

The flooring looks good!

well said!

sorry, dont get me wrong i like looking at t-blog with scandustrial theme. no offence

my contractor did ask me if i want slope or step.. i guess step is better TC washing? i did voice out on the your concern before.. he mentioned that there is this aluminium sleeve and vinyl is water proof.. so i guess should be fine.. are u also on the same floor as me? from what i read online.. understand that those filter will help to 'remove' the smell... haha your place already done swee swee.. very nice alr la~ i think its considered as carpentry work...

Turn out very nicely! Happy for ya

I've been wondering about instant water heaters for landed property. I know you have written about water heater in a post before but what I am wondering is whether landed property require water heaters with pump. I know HDB flats do not need pump for water heater because of the huge water tank on the roof. Not sure if it is feasible but you could separate electrical phases, eg one part for upstairs and one part for downstairs so that when power goes off, it only affects one part and the other part will still have power running. But this may or not require 2 ELCB, one for upstairs and one for downstairs?

Hi folks, Recently, the weather has been very warm, so I am considering to install a ceiling fan in my living room. Unfortunately, I have a false ceiling installed, so it is not possible to install a ceiling fan. I am trying to remove the middle part of the false ceiling...cut it out and convert it to a light holder. Then install a fan. See picture below. Does anyone know how much such a job will cost? Any contractors to recommend? I approached the contractors recommended by HDB but they only provide repair services. Thanks in advance!

Laminate flooring is only 6mm thick at the beginning of launch. While in the following years 8mm products became the leading. But in recent years, laminate flooring becomes thicker and thicker which pushed 12mm board onto the top position. Meanwhile, a few 13mm and 15mm flooring products have emerged therefore enriched the diversity of laminate flooring at the thickness. But this trend also makes many consumers puzzled: Thickness is a very important factor which should be considered seriously while purchasing laminate flooring, the question is what kind of laminate flooring is better, thick or thin? To this question, laminate flooring suppliers have their own answers: Answer 1 Thick laminate flooring is more comfortable. 8mm laminate flooring is only 4mm thinner than 12mm product. However, the slight difference brings large distance at price. According to flooring salers, neither 8mm nor 12mm products have heat dissipation or bending problems as long as their quality is assured. The main point is foot feeling and thick floors may offer better foot feeling. Answer 2 Thin laminate flooring is better at density. Unlike the above answer, some laminate flooring manufacturers may recommend thin boards for the density of thin board is higher than the thick ones. Suppliers provide explanations why thick floors are thicker. That's because flooring machine can not press large amount of crushed wood materials into boards as strong and steady as thin boards. Thus makes the density of thick board lower than that of thin boards. And the thick board is easy to bend while impregnated with water. Professional Answers from Experts The thickness of laminate flooring has less affection on product performance. Consumers could do the procurement by their favors. Thick floors do offer better foot feeling and it's true that the density of thick floor is not higher than thin floors. But that doesn't mean the saying that some thin floor manufacturers boaster that Europe countries prefer thin floors because of its better quality is true. It's actually a misleading because European countries have low requirement to floorings, they pay more attention to the practical application of flooring products. So Europeans' favors can not be regarded as an advantage of thin laminate flooring. Of course, thick floor lovers should care more about quality but not only foot feelings because it do occur bending problem if the quality is not assured. For more professional purchasing suggestions about laminate flooring, please don't hesitate to contact Sunspeed Flooring sales team. They will spare no efforts to solve problems for you.

For friends who have intention installing these big big faucet but with small small basin like what I did, I share my honest opinion. Get a big basin or at least a deep one. As for my current one, it's not that practical, but it's beautiful , no need to on toilet lights and it's brighten up from the LED. But the down point is, when tap pressure open to strongest, a lot of splashing. As for the rain shower, I really enjoy it, but consumption of water is alot. Hope this help. The plumber came today to fix the hand shower holder that the merchant I ordered online missed out, it's done, again thanks to my ID Javerson, very efficient!! Look at the water , it's only half pressure, if full pressure, water will splash out from my basin. Look at the neck of the faucet, very huge. So a deeper basin is recommended. My 2 cents worth

Reno finally completes. 36 days excluding Sat & Sun. Some auspicious procedures followed by some beers. Now the headache begins, unpacking....... Some touch up work needs to apply, taking this forum to thank a few guys I met during this reno, very impressive! Will upload photos after deco. - ID : Mr Javerson ( you did a good job, keep it up bro . I must praise you here, you are a very helpful & creative Designer. Without your cordination, it will not be so smooth. THANKS bro ) - LED down light & Strips : Mr Gary ( thanks your product is top grade and you are very helpful ) - Home appliaces ( Bryan & Su, best price offered ) - Faucet, hanging light and Rain shower ( Ali ) - Furniture ( forty two, Silver River, Star living , Tao Bao ) - Air Con ( Mitsubishi Electric Mr Chin ) - Mirror - ( Frame & Glass ) - Curtain ( Mr Lim Yong Meng curtain Enterprise ) - Switch & Sockets ( Choo Chiang ) - Wrought Iron Gate, Doors & Glass ( Dr Doors) - Windows & Grilles ( My Eric ) - Bathroom ( Hoe Kee ) - Ceiling lights ( BL Singapore lighting Miss Lee Ming ) This will takes at least a week to unpack Huat ahhhhhhh Will finish this off tonight....haha Brothers who pm me.... I had replied, all contacts sent to you guys already. Good Luck!

false ceiling and light boxes will be up over the next few days. Air con installation is on Saturday. We got a cheapo Midea system 3 that was on discount ($1888! + free brandless robot vacuum) at NTUC Fairprice and will be installing it in all three bedrooms. We're not heavy air con users. We're thinking of running the trunking along the corridor instead of inside the rooms, in case it gets in the way of any potential full-height wardrobes/shelving. Also not planning to box up the trunking for easier future maintenance. Any downsides to not boxing up and running trunking along the corridor? Other than it being not pretty... haha. It seems like most new home owners box up their air con trunking!

there is a current groupbuy for this going on.. if you are going to get 1, i think its best to do so soon, cos we are looking at getting it hopefully before CNY Group buy page Click here.

Richard from pin pin plaster. Very friendly and reasonable price. http://www.pinpin.com.sg/

will u be tokking to ur ID again? if so, can ask him if he used the SOLID CORE white laminate? but if too troublesome then its ok.... haiz...me contemplating asking ur ID to do my tv console....