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Early 2014: I and hubby started to hunt down a place to called HOME. Then after few weekends viewing, we finally found a place that both of us like, near the Causeway. Although, it was at the highest floor, we can't get the corner unit that suited our need. So we just settled down at this corridor unit with the area around 100 sqm. Our floor plan: BBCode

Hello! Need advice on BTO toilets. As new home owners would know. the tiles of BTO flats are absolutely disgusting. Well, at least for my estate lah. Was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction if I wanna simply create a single-colour scheme for my two toilets. Was quoted almost 4k to overlay the tiles, so I'm thinking of spray-coating instead. Any tips? Thanks in advance!

A crowbar! I get to buy a crowbar! Mrs, are you reading this? Whoo! Manliness factor up by 10.

Also! I went to second charm today to place an order for a solid teak dining table done in the style of grafunkt's apollo table. Met the owner Shariffah who was very efficient and helpful. Her company has apparently been giving old furniture a facelift for the past 15 years but only started making furniture in the last 4 years or so. She says that they use planation teak of a high grade and so things like splitting or cracking won't be an issue. If it happens, I can go straight back to her. Honestly though, looking at the pieces around her showroom, the workmanship is good, but not at the level of the pieces you find in grafunkt or air. The finish is not as smooth and the grain not as balanced. That said, you are paying a third of the price. So you decide for yourself which you value more. I was quite happy with what they produced and her eye for finishes. So I can't wait to see the finished product. We have also just received a call from our freight forwarder! Our TB loot will arrive earlier than expected on the 5th of Aug!! Whoo! 23 parcels in total but sadly they can't give us a rough timing. Only that they will call an hour before they arrive. Stay tuned for my post on the loot! Feels like christmas!

The thread is moving fast and furious! Many new home owners sharing their journey and that's great haha. Just recalled I have taken photos of the actual turnout of my wardrobe configuration First compartment - Shelvings Second compartment - For bags, drawers n clothes. Third compartment - For clothes and some drawers. Fourth compartment - Hubby's corner. Mirrors at each compartment for convenient trying of clothes! Certainly hope the space is enough!

Sneaked out in the middle of the night to bring my sis to our new home... and we saw that TV is up!

Hello Everyone, We have just made purchase for a 5room unit at Sgoon North. So excited about it. Will gradually update with reno progress and finally the shifting in process!! All ideas/ suggestions are welcome.

Thank you for dropping by and reading my renovation blog from page 1 Just wanted to share that I've collated all the posts about my renovation journey to my personal blog. If you wish to cut through the clutter of people asking for PMs for my ID, do go direct to www.guojiawen.com and choose the tags "Dream Home / Renovation / Home Deco". Cheers! Jiawen ____________ Have been reading renovation blogs for quite sometime and found the info all really useful. Hence decided to start my own reno blog to document our reno journey Our dream home is a 5 room BTO at Woodlands Meadows. Currently awaiting for keys which should be ready by March (hopefully), since our block is the last one hanging. HDB, please release our keys soon! As my hubby & I are will be shuttling back & forth from overseas, we were pretty eager to settle our choice of ID. Have done our research since Oct 2013, shortlisted about 15 firms, asked for quotations, met with 6 IDs and further shortlisted our choice. Finally signed with our ID two days back. Overall we have good vibes and chemistry with Jason (our ID), who is working together with his brother (owner of the company). Price quoted was reasonable, Jason was really flexible in terms of our requests and after viewing a work in progress home, the workmanship was good as well. Everything is great so far. We are also really happy with the reno package! The next step is to choose the colour & overall feel of what we like and update Jason before he helps come up with our 3D designs. Am really looking forward!

Hey Renotalkers! I've been reading the T-blogs for ages now and finally it seems like its time for me to start my own! Got shackled to the lovely missus a month ago and now we're embarking on an exciting journey to build our very first home. We actually decided on the house late last year. We were torn between a smaller (and cheaper) 4 rm in Marine Parade with all its brilliant amenities; or a somewhat unknown area of Cassia Crescent which was quiet and closer to the city. At first we were leaning towards Marine Parade since they only had corridor units available in Cassia that could be sold to Chinese. But then on our regular trawl of propertyguru we suddenly found a 5 room @ Cassia that we were eligible for! We were previously only looking at 4 rooms but when I saw that one i immediately searched online for the floorplan and fell in love. Unlike the 5 rooms in marine parade, this layout had no odd wall that I couldn't use. It already had a balcony which i love and just suited our lifestyle needs perfectly. In fact, I think I half decided on the place based on the floor plan alone! haha. Being really close to the HUGE hawker center helps too. And we hope that the new stadium will bring more life and amenities to the area. Already we see a number of cool coffeshops / pubs popping up in geylang. But this isn't a property forum! It's a reno one! So here is our floorplan! Well, the actual house will be horizontally inverted but this was ripped off the net. HDBFloorPlan-CassiaCrescent by dwinsplace, on Flickr

Can any of you nice folks here advise what's the average price per foot run for solid top in the kitchen? Was informed by ID that the cheaper kind is $85 /ft run while the better quality kind is $105/ ft run... FYI, he quoted me $125 for quartz top. Thanks for sharing!

Hi all, I decided to start this blog now cos I think its highly likely I'm gonna be getting my key in the next month or so despite HDB advising we'd get in the 4th Qtr of 2014. A large part of me doesnt want to engage an ID as its cheaper to just go ala carte but I dont know if its worth getting myself into that kinda hassle of liasing with various contractors? A shot of my floorplan which I'm not entirely pleased with

Hi, Going to get my 5room BTO keys soon, and I didn't opt for the HDB flooring. I'm interested in both tiles (for the kitchen) and engineered wood/laminate/HERF flooring (for the bedroom). Went to Evorich yesterday and they quoted me $6.95psf for walk in price of HERF, but from some threads here, they seem to be offering it for less. I'm interested in HERF because it's supposedly water resistant compared to laminate, and only marginally more expensive. However, I've also read that they may not be scratch resistant, and may be toxic due to their plastic content? Are there any definitive resources for these information? Other than Evorich, what other companies are comparable in quality and price? (preferably lower priced of course). Also, can any contractor install these flooring, or must they go through Evorich/etc? I've also read about engineered wood, and it seems better in quality and safety than laminate/HERF. What are the prices of these, and any good/affordable companies locally? Lastly, how much do tiles go for, and any recommendations for companies? Thanks!

Siong Door Enterprise - The Space Opener

Hi all, I just bought a 3NG flat in Clementi, was hoping to get some renovation ideas here in this Forum. My younger brother is in ID firm so likely using him. Want to source for good n reasonable price item, be it furniture, appliances, tiles etc etc.. My 1st appt 26 Aug, so likely getting my key in early Oct i hope.

Hi everyone! We are new at this t-blogging but we have been ardent fans of reading the blogs posted thus far. We will be getting our keys end March (excited much!) but we reckon that it will be very soon (gasps!). Anyways, we have only started scouting for IDs like two weeks back. And now, we are freaking out. We have only visited two IDs and are unsure whether to pursue more quotations from other IDs. We have many queries about moving forward with our ID choice. We have estimated our budget to be less than $30k, however, we had wanted four settees and a huge-*** dining table with storage and iQuartz top. With these in mind, plus overhauling of both toilets, invisible grills and electrician works, we were quoted $40k. It is a reasonable price for us but we were hoping to get some help from you guys. We would love to hear inputs and recommendations for the following: 1. Estimated cost of one bay window settee 2. Estimated cost of carpentry and iQuartz top for dining table (3ft x 6ft) with storage 3. Estimated cost of invinsible window grills for half a window for 4 rooms and service yard 4. Estimated cost of full-height wardrobes (5ft x 5ft) & (6ft x 3ft) Apart from the estimated costs for the above-mentioned, we would also appreciate it if you guys can recommend some shops or places that sell good quality of such items. We are also concerned about the flooring for our premium flats. We are wondering if the polished porcelain tiles will be in good condition with minimal or no defects. So we are crossing our fingers that everything will be good. We will continue our search online and update you on our reno journey. Cheerios!

I felt exactly the same way about brick walls. Passe, but please pass me some. Your design is already done and in fact you're almost finished with your reno right? So this might be a bit pointless but 2 thoughts popped into my head that I thought I'd share. 1. Too much texture and lines in a small space makes it feel very complex and cramped. However, some say it's cosy. Perspective I guess. 2. Small tiles in bathroom means more grouting for mildew to set into and more to clean. As it is, i'm making the tilers lay more grout in the bathroom area to make the wall as flush as possible so that it will be easier to clean. I'm loving your kitchen inspiration pic but i know I won't be able to keep my kitchen as clutter free. haha. We wanna see the designs of your house!

hi, Good location. I also bot a resale flat at AMK 5 room. Waiting to take my key

hi everyone! it has been aeons since we last logged in. pardon us as we were busy with the cleaning up and all, especially with the fasting month and our "settling in" period as "full-fledged" adults. lols! furthermore, we had to wait for our internet connection to be up so we were unable to update anything. anyways, it has been nearly two months since we moved in. these are some of the pictures that we have taken thus far: More pictures to come...

Hello, sorry late reply. I measured it today when I was back at the new house, its 15cm length by 9.5cm high. Thats the measurement of the base.

Yup, I just did a check today. Even from the furthest room, the MBR, its still audible.

House is currently 85% done I guess. Carpentry is done except for some rectifications. Currently left with painting, cleaning of the place & defect rectifications. Below are the pictures of the house : Kitchen (Left - Right) MBR Wardrobe (Stuff from TaoBao storing inside temporary)

Actually if my only requirement is to stream contents from the NAS, the TV or our phones are good enough and I can even live with no subtitles on the TV. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't allow me to install very specfic streaming clients for my football fix, so I will need an actual system for this purpose and that is where the NUC comes into the picture. It doubles up as an additional PC and simply offers much more versatility.

Hi, We signed up for Evorich pkg during their anniversary at S$6.50 psf including GST. Comes with lifetime warranty. Has paid S$500 for the deposit. We have decided to use homogenous tiles instead as this is preferred by my in-laws as we are staying together. Willing to let go at S$450. Interested parties, please pm or email me at dafenni19@gmail.com. Thanks!

Chances of more than 500 are slim now, especially after the first round of purchase. Even if one is shopping frequently on Amazon, max hitting SGD300 will stop to avoid GST. So planning is important when buying.

i like the yellow and blue cushions =) what i would have bought if they matched my theme.

Great updates and unique ceiling lights for the walkway Love those tiles of the bathroom, good choice there

Hi Jasmine, really thanks for sharing the details pictures..

WTS pre-loved black leather reclining 2 seater sofa @$119 Reclines both sides Needs to be plugged in to power to recline 3-4 yrs old, some stains, not for fussies D95cm x W230cm x H90cm

Corridor leading to master bedroom MBR's toilet Master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and study Missing photos of the study and common toilet which have yet to be sent to us by our ID.

Kitchen

Quick update! Our renovation was completed in April and we moved in in the first week of May. Here are some shots off the photographer's screen when our ID came to take photos for their portfolio few weeks back. Quite happy with how it turned out. Living room View of kitchen from living room

Hi Thinking of replacing the existing sliding windows to natural anodized ones (instead of powder-coated). Reasons being the window films have discoloured, making some parts of the window panes opague now; couple of the window panels can no longer be slided too (jammed up!). I'm currently exploring two options: 1) Total replacement - window panels & frames plus window grilles; or 2) Partial replacement - window panels only (with the existing natural anodized window frames and grilles retained). Would greatly appreciate advice as to which would be a better/ feasible option and recommendations of responsible licensed window contractor. Many thanks. PS My main concern here is the mess created after the replacement as I've quite abit of furnitures and no maid to clean up thereafter.

Less than 20 days left to catch our $140 per roll GSS promotion! Order before 30th July to enjoy this deal. Installation charges to be quoted separately depending on how many rolls you purchase from us. Www.facebook.com/ministryofwall or contact 83222868 to view hardcopy catalogs.

After the Mild Steel is fabricate to size and shape, do the following : 1. Send for sandblasting (To clear the rust and other impurities) 2. Galvanizing (This act as a coat of protect over the mild steel to prevent it from rust) 3. Paint / Spray Paint the color you want over the Mild Steel (*Do 2 coating ) - You may need to add Primer before it (Not sure ) (*Usually Step 1 and 2 is done together at those Galvanizing Yard) Hope this helps.

Thread discussion stopped!!

Thank you bigeyes. If I am correct, it's formed by applying plaster on the wall, and use a mould to form the shaped.

Hi there! Can share the tb link for the laundry basket? thanks

hi. i think your comment is abit unnecessary. alot of people also do modern theme. a common theme does not mean it is less creative. you can choose to read another t-blog if you find mine boring.

Floor plan of my 5rm flat Hacked the wall at the kitchen to make it an open concept kitchen. Hacked the wall at Bedroom 1 and sealed up the door. We need a big wardrobe as my wife and i have a lot of clothes hence will be using the MBR as our walkin wardrobe. Bedroom 1 will then be our master bedroom.

Continuing the 3D pictures.... Bedroom 2 The other side of the hacked wall would be the back of the master bedroom wardrobe. Our ID proposed to laminate over it to turn it into a "feature" design for this bedroom which makes in a win-win for both rooms. we didnt have to lose one room to our wardrobe as we just "stole" a bit of bedroom 2's space. Eventually we chose a light laminate color but the layout is what we envision for a guest room. Kitchen This turned out to be the place we love the most (and also spent the most) even though we had not intend to do anything too fancy. we are doing cabinets for both sides. the top right cabinet with a "/" across is a fixed cabinet designed to hide the ugly pipes. the rest can be used for storage. the white laminate chosen is a leather like texture, and it's matt. the brown laminate has grooves lines and feels rough to the touch. we are using grey quartz for the countertop. as we wanted enclosed kitchen rather than open concept, our ID proposed using aluminium sliding doors as well as sliding panels that overlooks the living area and you can potentially hand dishes from someone inside the kitchen to someone at the dining table. however i don't think we would actually do that and i preferred it as a fixed panel like what i showed in my moodboard. However aluminium doors have a certain thickness to the frame so we were afraid the effect would be more aluminium windows than panels. we got our ID to think of other solutions and finally we decided to top up a bit more to change the material to cast iron doors and panels. so from the living room's perspective you would see this. the wooden panels "feature" is where our bomb shelter is located at. i dont have a close up of it but the panels would alternate so that there is some texture and it is not a flat piece of laminate.one of the panels would be able to be opened up. we would be getting a customised dining table with boat wood top and 4 chairs of different colors to give a playful scandinavian vibe. Shoe Cabinet (Version 2 and 3) Our ID said he has never met someone who keeps changing the shoe cabinet design. it gave him the most headache. LOL. clearly he has not met me before. I have always wanted a big shoe cabinet and i wanted one that i can be proud of, cuz i m a shoes lover. initially i wanted a shoe cabinet that wasn't obvious a shoe cabinet (i have seen some that looks like a feature wall, but it can be opened)... but due to the location of my shoe cabinet, it is pretty obvious it is a cabinet and not a flat wall. so the next best hope i had was for it to be outstanding, and more than just for shoe storage. he revised it to this.. which i was on the verge of accepting because he used this 'crate-like' laminate that i liked... but i was still not fully satisfied with it. it didn't felt right. and i didnt want to settle as it is one of the 1st things i would see when i return home. And then i was brainstorming and thinking about it for days and days... finally an idea came to me. so i modified his design to better it. if you look at the 3D of bedroom 2 there is a locker cabinet featured at the side. i liked that very much but it is over $1000 from Journey East! so i had this crazy thought "why not i merge this locker with my shoe cabinet?" And then for the flip-up rectangular panel, i asked him to turn it into a blackboard so we can scribble things like Wi-fi password, or reminders for ourselves. Our ID thought i was a bit mad for such a 'strong' shoe cabinet.. but i persisted. i even sketched it and asked him to make it into 3D for me. so here it is... it is probably not to most people's liking but hey i like it very much. Plus i contributed to the overall design, so i am very proud of it. seeing it come to live made me smile.

Thanks, Septh. Congrats on your new home.

In the meantime, while the renov is on the way, my wife and I have also purchased a few items: 1) First of all, a set of Grohe rain shower package that consists the rain shower with hand piece, shower mixer and a basin tap: 2) Elkay 2 bowl stainless steel drop-in kitchen sink with tap hole (Size: L800xW448xD230mm; Thickness: 1.2mm) - including a chopping board and drainer tray 3) Baron WC with Geberit pump system 4) Bowers & Wilkins EISA award-winning floor standing speakers to deliver a satisfying listening experience

Hi Septh! Mind sharing your quote and your ID? I'm also doing marble for my house

Same on my side...will be getting sliding window for service yard. But then, I am used to sliding windows, so would have asked for sliding anyways even if not suggested by contractor. I am also replacing all the grilles for the whole house....doing horizontal grilles too. Easier to wipe lah....just straight across. Lazy person here! My current window grilles are like yours - bronze with squarish patterns.

Same here. Will do horizontal grilles if I am gg to replace them too. (*Esp the window by the corridor)

i am quite pantang.. but i didnt want to let my fsm see my home. later he ask me do this do that not according to my design, i will not know what to do. later i siao for them to see. when we first choose flat, i asked him help me choose, he just said to me," for what? home is yours. pick whichever one u got feeling for." (only applies to bto) But its true. i feel FS most important is health and harmony. i dont believe ppl when they say they change this change that then they strike TOTO. so easy strike, then singapore pools close down liao.

ahhhhh we opt for e flooring as well, nice to see e pics!

Seems to be a problem in posting pics from imageshack. After clicking on the image icon on the toolbar, and copying and pasting the link, then clicking on the Ok button, NOTHING happens. Can't even close the window or cancel to go back to the page. Am I doing it wrong or is something the matter with the site? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!