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Hi KayKay.. let me buy the LeGrand switches from you since I need them anyway.. u are so so talented i must say! All the best for your DIY projects! PM me so i can pay you accordingly :-) Cheers!

Can't wait to see the final product of your kitchen.. Love the green!

Some overdue updates. Metal Gate (Reason for the design is due to FengShui) A number plate will be made by ID side and install on the circle. Door was repainted Bottom windows were changed from aluminium panels to frosted panels. This will allow light to come in and yet having privacy so as to prevent people from looking in when walk pass.

I had similar problem before. My neighbour was in the corner unit and we are along the corridor unit. Their entrance has a very small outside area and they took to hanging their laundry right outside their main door which means right outside my corridor window - all I can see from that window was their wet laundry - not pretty. I managed to talk to the wife very nicely that it was not a good sight especially those women lingerie. She was very embarrassed about it (especially the fact that I told her my husband can see all her undies). I think it will be worth the while to tell them nicely and see if they response back the same as we will be seeing each other very frequent since we are living directly next to each other. Definitely make life easier and would be very nice and important to have our neighbour keeping an eye out for each other's unit. All the best!

So it considered finally over. After many sorry-s & psps-es for delaying minor touch ups. My house is currently without a unit-number plate, with cracked floors and existing sharp edges pending for "touch-up" which I still dunno when ("tmr? next week? maybe?"). Anyway, I want to SAY that MY electrician is SUPER freaking good! LOVE him MAX. He did the fan, some added cove lightings and some of my Taobao wall decor on behalf of the ID's electrician (because the person never exist?). Its a RIGHT choice to find our own electrician. He will pop-by my place randomly to check on my renovation progress. I bump into him twice in my new place and he said he was nearby so he came up to see if there is anything he could do (no one ask him to). Even before we start our renovation, (those "empty" weeks waiting for the hacking approval from HDB) he went up few times to see if anything can be done instead of us having to call him up. Super nice and proactive guy (boss). Also, his answers to our requests is either "ok, can" or "nope, cannot", no complaints and no excuses which I appreciate loads. Thumbs UP!

Hi guys, Most of the works have been done. I am only left with carpentry. And the mosaic project. In fact I have already moved in for a couple of weeks. Yes, without carpentry. I am simply put off by the high cost quoted by all contractors and carpenters, that I think to myself that there has to be a cheap yet good (yes, it's a paradox) carpentry system I can source. Cal me a cheapo if you must, but for my tight pockets it sure provides me some relief. Various visits to Ikea is convincing me that their kitchen solutions can work. So I am jumping in. DIY. Include the countertop too. I will be using phenolic board for the countertop. It is infact the same material as a well known brand we currently see around. I am very fortunate to have a friend in that same industry, and am able to get it cheap. Here's a peek of the sample: So far I have put up 2 base cabinets. It was real fun, and rewarding. My contractor left me the plumbing lead like this: I just have to irrigate my way out. And the result, after hunting down the parts, and speaking with the shop owners at Kelantan Lane: It was indeed a lot of elbow grease, throw in some blisters and an aching back. Haha. Mounting of the kitchen sink I bought via Taobao gave me nights of planning, and lots of youtube research. I love YouTube!! As it is an undermount sink, the precision involved was rather high. This is what I decide on. I tried putting my weight on it. Thank God it was steady. I pray it remains steady after 5 years. The mosaics will go up after the full installation of the cabinets. Next up will be the installation of the built in oven, and even the chinmey hood. I have been reading the installation guides, and it seems not too intimidating. My electrician have also left me connecting parts for easy elect connections. I do hope to be able to provide pics along the way. This is now my full time weekend project. I think I will take the next 3 weekends to complete everything. Oh ya, for those of you wondering about the cost: The cheapest kitchen carpentry quote I received was $4,400+. Total of 23 foot run. (Solid surface top, 3 drawers) I am doing it up for less than $2,500, more if I decide on more drawers later. Current plan is with 7 drawers. More pics over the next weekend. Wish me luck.

An experienced contractor will be able to point out flaws and offer suggestions but you definitely must have some ideas, particularly for the major works.. At first, my husband and I also thought of getting an ID but after talking to two IDs, we realised that an experienced ID charges quite a bit (i.e. markups can be on the high side) and the cheaper ones can be quite inexperienced (she was quite clueless about a lot of things).. But if you are lucky and do enough research, you might be able to find an experienced ID that charges reasonably. Do ask around for recommendations.. In the end we decided to take the leap and engage a contractor.. So far, he has been very accommodating to us changing our minds about stuffs even after we have discussed it and somewhat finalised the details.. He also helped to coordinate the different sub-contractors he has employed and is willing to make rectifications when necessary.. But for carpentry, we got the help of my dad who used to be a carpenter to help us draw and liaise with our contractor as we have little clue about designing the kitchen..

Smooth Reno bro!

Oh this is embarassing. I forgot to draw a door for the mbr. See below for the revision. Yes, the daughter will have to enter her brother's room before exiting the room. Woohoo I have my first fan. Thanks for your support KimNaNa. Yup the breakfast counter could very well turn out to be my favourite spot at this home.. I personally have not cooked with an air fryer yet, but I have had friends who have, beside of course frying, roasted, baked a cake, steamed clams, and toasted some dried sole fish. Nuggets and fries will be a breeze though. I must say that it may very well be a "wonder pot". I am certain you can whip up lots of yummy comfort food in it. Recipes abound online.. Hmmm.. makes me wonder if I can sous vide with it.. Haha..