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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.

And 3d rendering of kitchen

Hi aluka, very detailed list u got there. My vote goes to heritage and RF too. I was initially very attracted to the bathroom warehouse place in changi, their advertised prices are so attractive. But just too far for me.

Went down today with the Mrs and saw the cleaners doing our first wash. Which means we're halfway through! And we saw that my beloved brick wall was finally all the way done! Oh it's perfect in its imperfection! *cue John legend song* The grouting is a little uneven, colours are uneven. Certain bricks have leftover plaster on them and certain bricks are thicker than the others or thinner than the others and so you see a lot of texture in the wall. Absolutely LOVE it.

Most of us got our bathroom stuff (Toilet Bowl & Sink - Combo) from Heritage / Royal Fanco. Other bathroom accessories are from TaoBao Hope this helps.

IMO you should narrow down to a few ID/contractors you would like to work with. They can be base on hear say, renotalk, friends etc. There is no point to mass email IDs and expect them to revert exactly to your needs. Some may not be able to understand what you need. To be fair to them as well, they cant afford to spend hours on one quote unless there are chances for confirmation. So selectively meet up with some IDs and discuss about what you want and get a more accurate quote. At the same time, you can have a feel of the ID and see if there is a chemistry or on the same frequency. Once you have narrow down to 1 or 2, you can invite them to visit your new place when you get the keys. From there a clearer picture will be presented to all. Certain features are not shown on the floor plan. Eg, Beams, pipes, drop etc and these will play a huge part in designing. Things you think may fit might not be feasible afterall. From my experience, trust and communication is very important between you and ID. It paves the way for a smooth reno. Also the contract you signed on, will not be the final one. Main reason is that as reno progress, more ideas will flow in, better design will surface as well. That is when a good ID comes in and work his magic. Generally, no ID will be lead along and focus much until the project is on. I have a great reno experience, though it took very long (not ID's fault) and almost everything turns out the way I wanted.

Congrats to both of u. Nice preview of your house. When u gonna invite us over for housewarming lol. Btw u should be able to guess who I am. I got reservist in july till 19.

Just to give my feedback on Schneider and legrand. At my previous place, I used Schneider. I like the solid feel and the "click click" sound when I switch on/off. But sometimes, the switch quite hard to press. Now, I am using legrand. Looks nicer but I miss the "click click" sound. Soft feel, don't feel solid. Sometimes, so soft that there seems to be no clicking at all. One more thing. For legrand power sockets, I find the on/off switch too close to the plug holes. After I put in my multi-plug, I cannot reach the on/off switch. Very irritating.

Can I ask where you got those gorgeous black panels and kitchen folding doors, and also your shower black framed shower screen? I'm doing these for my house too, but worried about the black frames may be too thick, yours look very gorgeous!