adrian_john

Thanks Wendy. Yeah, that's what I felt as well, cos' we thought having too much up-to-the-ceiling cupboards would really make the whole house too 'boarded up' so thought perhaps some free space would be a welcome breather. Have been reading your blog about the stress from the handover, wallpaper and stains. Really sorry to hear about it but glad to see you guys are taking it positively. I'm dreading this sorta rush I'm gonna have to face at the end of my reno; because I have a very short window for renovation and moving in, especially if the current owner decides to drag the 2nd appointment further. So delays will really mess up everything. Anyways, waiting for Uncle's quote still .... called him today and he said he'll look for me tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers that he does but yet, mentally prepared to accumulate some Uncle 'Air Miles'

Hahaha, that wasn't the worst thing she said lah. She always seemed to have something against the art I churned out then because I couldn't meet up to her high expectations I guess. But seriously, I think my art really sucked big time so I don't blame her.

Clumsy..Ahahaha..Welcome to the Club. I'm an ultra clutz (or what my wife sometimes like to say 'ter ter') too! The idea for hanging umbrellas is really very good. I did up a sketch where I tried to reconfigure the shoe shelves in a different way so that one side can be set aside for kids' shoes and shoes in boxes and factored a small section to hang the brollies within the cabinet itself so that they're hidden. Unfortunately I made some error with the perspective lines so it looks abit off. But here's the raw sketch to show how it looks.

A Visualisation of the Foyer Area with the shoe cabinet and suspended cabinet on the opposite end. Actually, I think perhaps it may be wiser to move the suspended drawers to the other end closer to the door cos' I guess functionally speaking, we'd take our shoes first then sit down near the entrance to wear them, and then easily take our cards/keys/etc. before moving out of the house.

Congrats Wendy and James on the completion of your reno and moving into your home!

@Pet Yes Pet, thanks for pointing it out! I thought it'd be abit funny initially when sketching it and now that I look at it, I think the overhead compartment will be a hazard indeed - Bump head everytime you get up. I think reworking it without it would be better. If I don't use that section for a seating settee, I guess I could use it as spare space to put umbrellas and prams. @Hello88 Thanks again for your comments. You really flatter me. Erm, honestly, my art used to suck in Sec school. My teacher used to hold up my work with another's work and say 'beauty and the beast'; of which mine was the latter. Only gradually 'improved' from Sec 4 and beyond. I see sketching more of a leisurely pursuit in my own time or for visualisation at work these days.

Another alternative proposal for a shoe cabinet updated on Post #102.

Pet, I'm quite shocked and appalled that there are people who make nasty comments about your recommendation of Ah Soon. I think that's really too much. But to take it in a positive light, for every dickhead that makes a nasty comment, I'm sure there are many others who have benefitted and are happy. The world is full of unreasonable people who just have too much of their warped logic to regurgitate, so don't bother about them. I guess we can't control what they wanna do or say but we can control how we respond to them. Even I myself have received PMs from people saying why I like to show off by posting my drawings or I am an ID in disguise promoting my firm. Geez .... but I can't be bothered lah. But its really great all the work and extra effort you've put in for Uncle's sake. I'm sure he'll always appreciate the gesture. Even your talk with him on improving his work process will be of very good benefit to him and his appreciative consumers in the long run.

@hello88 Thanks for the compliments. For my drawings, I roughly sketch them out in pencil, then refine it using a fine-tip drawing pen. After which, it's scanned into 300dpi resolution PDF, converted to a JPEG image file. From the image file, I use Photoshop to place in layers of images (e.g. superimposed pictures), shading (for a more 3D look) and text. Thanks to this reno process, I've actually kinda revived my rusty old school mode of sketching. I'm trying to improve by learning to go full digital (eg. 3D). Am gonna purchase a drawing tablet next week and see if that can help improve my traditional to digital transition. @Ivy There's a bit of space at the Main Entrance of the home to do a full height shoe cabinet. I think it'll be about 4 ft in length, if I remember correctly. Wife already immediately 'chope' it for shoe cabinet. For the other side of the wall, I hope I have enough budget to do a suspended cabinet to put stuff like keys, letters etc. Eagerly waiting for Ah Soon's quote.

Hey Pet, Congrats on getting the recess space! A recess is always a nice area to have and play around with. It'll definitely make the entire home more cosier, and probably with the cabinets, give you more storage space for shoes and miscellaneous stuff. Maybe you can even do a 'mini-garden' of sorts!

Thanks Pet, Ivy and Booy for the votes. Looks like its an unanimous vote for a compact and separated layout without the island. I was looking through both again, and I had some more thoughts on playing around with the position of the cooking hobs, hood and sink. Will try to sketch it out early next week and post it up. Meantime, here's a sketch for an initial thought for the shoe cabinet. I have in my head a few other ideas to work it out, will also sketch and post it up once ready. Ivy, the shoe cabinet is a piece of carpentry which can be exciting cos' it can be done in many ways - Full height all the way, a smaller suspended one, or have a space for a settee to wear shoes, remove the overhead cupboard above settee for a nicer flush and put a mirror, or even velvet backing, choosing between glass/mirror/laminate for cabinet doors.... so many options and possibilities! I'm still working on some other options an will try to get it down in ink and see how it turns out.. meantime, as usual, any feedback is most welcome... Update (18 May) - Another alternative proposal for the shoe cabinet. This one keeps the shoe racks closer to the door, while the other portion gives a suspended drawer and a slot below for a moveable ottoman to sit down and wear shoes. The suspended drawers can be integrated or be separate from the shoe cabinet itself for a clean look. If integrated, the inside can be livened up with nice wall paper/laminate. I'm quote eager to have those glass-finish doors for the cabinet doors but have to see how budget goes.

As far as I recall, the sale is still on until probably the end of the month. But then again, since GSS is coming, it may get 'extended' again. I was told that for The Furniture Mall, alot of the shops are actually at the end of the lease and are moving out, hence they're holding alot of sales there to generate as much sales as possible before the lease ends. For buying stuff, if you're not so much in a hurry, you can always take the time to look around and shortlist. Best not to get something on impulse or else some time after if you see a newer model/nicer one, you may regret.

Thanks all for your votes and feedback. Looks like the layout without the island is the popular choice; and its good to get feedback from the ladies cos' you all are the Queens of the Kitchen. All the points you raised are very helpful, especially so since for me, I guess I'm so caught up with the aesthetics that I forget the reality of function, as my wife always says. Will crack my head to see if I can come up with other layout options. Meantime, also exploring options for the shoe cabinet and Foyer area.

Congrats on your new place. Very nice long-ish and square layout you got there. Do share some pics on your place soon. Its good that you got Ah Soon to do the reno for you. From all the glowing testimonials here, I'm sure your renovation will be in safe hands and budget-friendly. The Mondi sofa is indeed very comfy and nice! Good buy indeed! The 3m long one with the extenable seat is on my shortlist

Alternative Kitchen Layout option added in post #86. Still debating and trying to figure out which would be best. Any advice, feedback is much welcomed!

Hi Ivy, Thanks for reminding him on my behalf. I guess it has also helped him jog his memory in a small way. I can understand he'll also get confused if not for block numbers, cos' he's got a couple of Bishan jobs ongoing and upcoming, such as Smartie's. One of his other jobs in Bishan also has almost the same block number as mine - That one's 167, whereas mine's 197. I wonder how he can remember so many things sometimes ... maybe we should teach him how to use PDA!

Thanks Pet, Yup. Got his number from her and got him. He's really ultra busy. He said he'll return call but forgot, so I called him again. He was mentioning that he didn't really have time to do up my quote yet because of all the jobs he's got now, plus he's got 5 jobs starting this week, but he will meet me next week. Somehow I think he won't be able too but I told him, just let me know lah and if need be, I'll go to him. But good thing is at least he now remembers who I am - 'The house with the little dog'. Ahahahaha!

Hi Wendy and James, Thanks for hosting me, wifey and our little boy last night at your place. Really well-planned and spacious kitchen you've got and very nice WIW and bathrooms too. Your kitchen has gotten wifey reinforcing her request for all the Blum stuff to me this morning ... Hahahahahha! XiaoBB and Nottimonster: Nice meeting you guys last night too!

Abit stressed this week so decided to take a breather and do up a simple sketch of a layout option of the Kitchen. Wifey and I have had abit of headache on sorting out which Kitchen layout would be best and have a couple of options on our head. We're trying as far as possible to have something different that the usual, but yet balance and serve the needs and functions of a heavy-usage kitchen, service balcony and a neat and clean way. This layout was actually suggested by one of the nicer IDs we met. We like the idea that the service area is distinctly separated via the partition, but yet can be semi-visible to show extent of space via the glass window and door. In this way, the main kitchen area, while compact, still has a clear focus and fits an open concept by using glass door and a full-height glass panel for a full see-through effect. The more utility-heavy service balcony and its wash areas and clothes drying are concealed from the dining/hallway as it is blocked by the hollow block partition wall. I will try to sketch some of the other layout options to give some comparison. Do share your feedback and comments. Anyways, still no word from Uncle ... The wait goes on ... Update of another option for the kitchen layout here:

Yes, I agree with Hello88. Nothing is Impossible. My wife and myself were prepared already to not have children at all because my wife has for many years been told by gynaes that the chances of her conceiving are very remote, if not impossible due to some woman problem. So, for us, we were prepared for this reality and didn't really stress ourselves over trying. Moreover, my wife was also working in very high-pressure and stress job at the time so we just take it easy lor. It was a really major surprise when she suddenly showed those pregnacy symptoms, and we were just so excited when we saw the positive on the test kit. And you know, the bigger blessing was that ever since she gave birth to my elder son, her woman problem seemed to have slowly disappeared too. If you believe in any God or divine power, this is an example of how small miracles can happen.

Hi Smallboy and Wendy. Your home's looking really good! Really nicely done and neat! And yeah, agree you better get some decals for the kitchen glass doors. Very easy for people to just walk into it.

Heya Guys, Thanks for all the feedback. We'll try calling him again this week and hopefully can get to meet him and get the quote sorted. I'll also let him know that its not a problem for me to go to him wherever his location if he's too busy and if that makes it more convenient for him. I just hope he manged to fish out my floor plan and all the notes of what we discussed.

Pet, Familyof4 and XiaoBB, Thanks for the feedback and advice. I gave uncle a call just now but he also can't remember who I am. I think the latest bunch of jobs have overwhelmed him as he himself mentioned. He was driving so I told him, never mind, go check and call me later. I hope he does. In another sense, I guess I still have sufficient lead time, so I can afford abit of delays. Moreover I'm hoping that since my reno will take place very close before the Chinese 7th month, perhaps he'll be less occupied with other projects. Quotes-wise, I've already seen about 10 IDs. But the thing me and my wife like about Uncle is his integrity and sincerity. He's someone that you can just warm up to, and he still believes in the old-school work ethic and takes pride in his work. So I guess, although we're anxious, we'll give him abit of time and remind him the next few days and really hope he gets back to us soon.

Haven't been able to do much sketching. Spent the last couple of days doing this one bit by bit. Its a refreshed version of my earlier initial sketch as per post #9 of the Foyer and Dining Area. Now with a picture reference, I think the proportion and space is slightly more accurate. To make the space look bigger, I'll dispense with the intial idea of a swivel TV wall. Instead, I'm thinking of putting a full height wall mirror next to the dining area. Shoe cabinet is of course a must to cater to my wife's shoes, and if possible, a suspended cabinet across it to put stuff and maybe store miscellaneous items like letters etc. To save money, I'll recycle my current Bonaldo glass-top extendable dining table from XZQT(although I wish I could get a clear glass table and clear acrylic chairs!), but will get a set of 4 dining chairs, of which I've shortlisted at S&C. If budget permits, a storage cabinet would be ideal at the dining area - I can use these to store my wine/liquor and the crystal glasses, and maybe even some plates and cutlery. Lighting-wise, not sure if I should just be simple and stick to normal PLCs, or buy one of those fancy lights. My next attempt will be to do a better focused sketch on the Foyer itself, showing options for the shoe cabinet. Do feel free to share feedback and comments. In the meantime however, I think the reno process will be a little stuck. I still haven't heard from Ah Soon for 2 weeks now, and I know he's really busy with quite a number of jobs this week. Thus, I'm unable to really have an accurate gauge as to the kind of budget I need to set aside. I really hope he does call me and gets back to me soon with his quote. We're anxiously waiting.

@Pinklady Thanks for the compliments. Er no lah, cannot become part-time ID. I think my sense of dimensions and proportions are always out, and I'm hopeless with specifics. I can only use sketches to visualise and get a rough idea.