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Christopher

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Posts posted by Christopher

  2. Posted

    Hi,

    I did some studies on this cause I was almost on the verge of getting engineered wood done for my house. Effectively its a layer of solid wood over plywood, the thicker it is the better the top layer is, of course it can give you good wood feeling but I didn't choose it cause my house tiles is not so level and requires a layer of plywood as the base, which in the end makes my floor much higher, I chosen a 15mm thick engineered wood oak species + another 12mm plywood = 27mm higher than my walkway between bedroom and living room, that's really crazy. However, it is possible to sand and re-varnish the top layer 2 to 3 times like timber strip or parquet as each sanding takes away 0.5mm so for thick solid timber strip after 3 times it will sand down to the tongue and grove which will creates a V grove between each plank and it's time to say bye bye cause they cannot hold on to each other. If i am not staying in i will hack the whole floor and get engineered wood done. Just too bad, I didn't did it when I was renovating my house. :( :(

    Hi Morgan,

    can you tell me anything about engineered wood. From what little I understand it uses a wood veneer surface over plywood. I also understand it can be overlayed on existing homogenous tiles just like laminate flooring. I've already moved into my home and don't want to have to hack out the existing flooring. Can timber wood be overlayed on an existing floor? Is it advisable? Am not crazy about installing laminate wood flooring. Tried pergo in my first home about 17 years ago when it was just introduced in Singapore and wasn't very impressed. I know laminates have come far since then but I really don't like the spongy feel of it.

  3. Posted

    I totally agree with Dr Anarchy,

    When i was thinking of what to do for my 4 bedroom floor i consider 3 types, based on my maximum budget of $7K with option to go up to even $10K for specify species of timber since i had been doing research on wood flooring for the past 1 year plus.

    1) Laminate floor

    2) Engineered Wood

    3) Timber Strip

    Each has their plus point and and negative point, finally i go for laminate floor.

    Reasons being :

    1) Timber strip cannot be too wide and long = Warp due to humidity level of our weather (I have liking for long and wide strip which makes the house looks very elegant and posh)

    2) Engineer wood is best to have a layer of plywood above my current tile so as to have nice good even up floor, unlike timber strip i can still sand it to make it somewhat even, Using plywood as the base, i am a little skeptical since plywood are best "food" for termite so i get uncomfortable, unless i get better quality plywood which cost much more = come back to same as timber strip pricing.

    3) Sanding and varnish of timber strip will make my house unbearable due to the saw dust = Biggest headache since I am staying in..

    4) There is a significant height difference between all my bedroom and walkway due to overlay if i will to use either engineered wood or timber strip.

    Finally, the only choice and solution point to laminate floor. The height difference is reduce also there is no varnish nor sanding. I need not worry how many days it takes to complete they are relatively wide and long and this is the best part, the amount of money spend is like less than 30% of my allocated budget and i use the rest of the fund for some investment hehee hoping to reap some profits to knock off my flooring. :P :P

    I like the youtube videos as comparison :D

    Its so true that most house owners who went to ID firms are not granted the chance to view real wood and do a comparison. The only reason I can think of is most first or second time owners are looking are marble, granite, homogenous tiles instead. It is not so frequent that you see an entire house laid with laminate let alone real wood.

    Even when come to buying of furniture, how often do we see the younger generation buying teak wood for their sofa, TV console etc. It is usually the westerners who loves wood. Singapore scene are more towards leather. Seriously, I can't bear to part away 2 to 3K of my money on leather. 2K can get me burmese wood sofa which can last me like 30 years and still looks good! Okay I'm drifting out of the topic.

    I do agree real wood need more maintaining than laminate and I feel I will choose real wood when my kid has grown up, no more banging and scratching/drawing on the floor when they are still young and most importantly lesser liability. As we grow older, we should have more cash than we are starting out our first home.

  5. Posted

    I installed supreme laminate for my 5 rooms hdb flat - total 4 bedrooms with dinning room lately. I did it with my contractor that did my renovation last year and i got their AC5 grade at a special price thru my contractor since i went back to him. My contractor actually used a lot of supreme laminate for his project so he can give me very solid price, and his knowledge is super when i ask him what's the different in european. I will not even consider using any European made product as i am been enlighten by my contractor. His price is **** solid and i got lifetime warranty.

    wat!? $3k for 3 rooms? how big are your rooms?

    Ehh...$6.80psf for a China-made product versus $4+ to $5psf for a European-made product? Plus, a more established name in the laminates industry? I'm sorry but i won't spend my money this way.

    Granted that a lot of things are made in China now. Even big brands have moved their production facilities to China. But these big brands also have a reputation and history to uphold, so their QC standards would also be relatively higher than those Chinese-based made in China goods.

    if u have dealt with made in China industrial goods, u will know wat i mean. Given a choice between 2 similar products of similar branding with pricing tt's also quite close to each other, I would definitely buy the one made in Europe vs the one made in China. Case in point: HansGrohe's Focus E2 range versus Grohe's Bau range. HG still made in Germany, while Grohe's is made in China. Both are entry level range and cost roughly the same. I bought HG.

  6. Posted

    Haha,

    Well thought, i was thinking of what you all are thinking when i got my house. However i ended up with a contractor that did everything for me after comparing ID & contractor quote. Just doing the same amount of works the IDs will quote higher than contractor and most importantly timing is met. My contractor actually make a point to be present at site on everyday basis! If i will to DIY, it might save me at most $1K to $1.5K however with the time that i save on going to jobsite I make back more $$ since i am doing outdoor sales!

    Although handing the entire project to an ID is convenient (no hassle), but it would mean you are effectively paying many more thousands over what you could have ended up paying for. Cos IDs and contractors mark up the price quite a lot.

    My close friend owns an ID firm, and he sometimes tells me that they will quote according to what they think the customer can afford. So if u walk into an ID wearing LV, Rolex and other brand name stuff, be prepared to kena chop. My ID friend said he has ever charged customers $100k for reno work that eventually cost less than $50k. That's a whopping 100% markup in profit!!

    So although I am gonna start renovations on my own house soon, no way am I going to go to any ID / contractor. I'd rather try to co-ordinate everything on my own and save the money!

  7. Posted

    I am encountering that as well! Most ID juz push me their packages even after I've told them my budget and roughly what I want! What's more, those who served me are NOT even ID but sales executives and what not! Grrrrrrr :(

    Well that's ID.. After going through what you have gone thru i seek out a contractor and told him my budget, he advice me what's more important and i stick to my budget and get my reno done with the amount of cash i have, no need loan hehe :P

  9. Posted

    My renovation fees ard 20k . For similiar items i get qouation from other ID firms as below min 30k-50k

    Includes.

    Balcony

    Supply & fabricate L 3.5ft x W 1.5ft x H 8.5ft storage cabinet to conceal piping using laminate finish

    Supply & construct outdoor Chengai wood decking (Total 100sqft)

    Supply & construct L 4.5ft x W 2.5ft x H 7ft bird aviary c/w 10mm tempered glass, laminated backing &

    sides, bottom pull out tray, 1 nos of door & roofing using laminate finish

    Living

    Supply & construct false ceiling c/w design (130sqft)

    Supply & fabricate L 7ft x H 4ft suspended TV feature wall backing c/w light holder

    Supply & fabricate L 7ft x D 1.5ft suspended TV console

    Dining

    Supply & fabricate L 7.5ft x D 1.5ft dining settee c/w 4ft cushion backing & seating using laminate finish

    Supply & fabricate L 7.5ft x W 2ft dining table using laminate finish

    Supply & fabricate L 6.5ft x W 1ft bench c/w cushion seating using laminate finish

    Supply & install L 7.2ft x H 8.5ft mirror

    Entrance area

    Supply & fabricate L 3ft x H 8.5ft shoe cabinet c/w ABS trimming casement door using laminate finish

    Master Bedroom

    Supply & fabricate L 5.7ft x H 8.5ft bedhead c/w velvet finish & back cushion

    Supply & fabricate 2 nos of L 1.5ft x W 1ft suspended bedside table using laminate finish

    Supply & fabricate L 7ft x W 2ft TV console & L 5ft x W 2ft seating using laminate finish

    Supply & fabricate L 8.7ft x W 2ft cushion at baywindow

    Supply & fabricate King size bedframe with storage

    Bedroom 2

    Supply & fabricate L 5ft x W 1.5ft suspended TV console using laminate finish

    Supply & install L 9.9ft x W 2ft top using laminate finish at baywindow

    Bedroom 3

    Supply & fabricate L 5ft x W 1.5ft suspended TV console using laminate finish

    Supply & install L 9.6ft x W 2ft top using laminate finish at baywindow

    Wardrobe area

    Supply & fabricate L 3ft x W 1.5ft suspended table c/w glass top & checker box drawer

    Supply & install L 3ft x H 3ft mirror & L 3ft x H 6ft backing c/w light holder using laminate finish

    Supply & fabricate L 3.6ft x W 1.5ft x H 8.5ft wardrobe c/w L 0.6ft open shelving using laminate finish

    Master toilet

    Supply & fabricate L 6.6ft x H 3ft top storage cabinet c/w mirror doors & light holder using laminate finish

    Common toilet

    Supply & fabricate L 3ft suspended bottom cabinet using laminate finish

    Others

    Painting for whole house using Nippon emulsion

    Supply & lay floor protection with corrugated paper / card-board during reno works

    Debris removal services

    General cleaning and acid wash upon completion 2 times

    Hi, Your reno is all carpentry work?? All in is 20K exact?

  10. Posted

    Basically i paid $400 for the PE to get his endorsement. The rest was done by my contractor and I insisted that i want that useless kitchen wall down. Apparently i knew from him that if there is nobody in the same unit above or below me hack the same wall before as me than my chance is secured. Well, the approval came and there was a dimension which was given by HDB and on the day of the demolition the HDB officer was present to get my contractor to do the marking and he witness the "opening" of the demolition works. :D

    Hi Christopher,

    I heard from one of the ID told me that if I were to engage a PE to check on the portion of the wall to be hacked, the consultation fees is about $400-600. Whether the PE approved or not approved, this amt will be paid to get his advice and consultation. If based on floorplan and paper resources, the PE might be able to tell if the wall can be hacked. If the PE cannot ascertain, he will need to go down to your unit to confirm. So, at the end of the day if the PE says cannoot hack, you still need to pay the fees...

    Is that free for your case? Maybe u can share abit more on this....

    Thanks.... =)

  11. Posted

    i am doing a lot of hacking to reposition my granny's room, kitchen,first floor toilets and create a new maid room. i am also thinking of converting my non acess roof to balconies for upper floors. i need PE to determine if wall can hack and the load the roof can take... let me know if PE is not necessary

    Private property? It will be good to check if there is any structural that cannot be hack or to the extend of how much can be hack.

  15. Posted · Edited by Christopher

    Black bold line on floorplan means you cannot hack but if you have a PE = professional engineer to endorse & submit to hdb to certify, HDB will allow you to hack a portion depending on the wall structure etc. Mine house 5room in tampines is all bold black line, however i still managed to hack away my kitchen wall to make it open concept with the help of my contractor. Our dream came true

    floorplanj.jpg

    Uploaded with ImageShack.us

  17. Posted

    I wonder is the prices reasonable?

    Wall-wall toilet 10mm tempered-glass shower screen:

    1. Fixed Glass Panel with swing glass door - $396.00

    2. Fixed Glass Panel only - $ 198.00

    Toilet door

    3. Aluminum bi-folding door - $120

    Time required: half day

    Installation: $50 per installation

    * quote directly from supplier

    Can i have the contact? thanks

  18. Posted

    I might go direct to contractor as well, thinking of it - as what I need might just as simple as painting job, or if budget allows I will go for bathroom renovation as well.

    Anyone can share the contact details for contractors based on your good experience? Thanks heaps!

    Good and bad on going direct, you save some but sub con do what you tell them and you got to coordinate the timing. Which is a headache. HDB requires permit for doing wet works so if you get tiler they ask you to pay for the license which cost 2-300 bucks. Contractor no charge. Also, if you can get sub-con to do they are dealing with you on a once off deal, price give you lower but down the road got problem -- no help.

    Think of all these i rather get contractor to handle all and i just think of when to move in will do. Saving $500 - $800 may mean a lot to many people but i think if your time involved to coordinate all these small job on a daily basis will be tiring. :sport-smiley-018:

  22. Posted

    I gave up the ideal and now opt for parquet. My contractor told me he can't guarantee oak flooring, and the door maker which is my dad's friend, told him oak look nice when new, but will turn dark later on. Goggle american white oak.... that was my initial choice.

    American white oak is nice, price also nice hehe.. parquet can be nice too but quite common (Indo teak or Burmese teak). All are solid wood after a period there will be scratches and turn dark for sure. That's the time when u will need to re-sand, per round of sanding will be approximately 5mm down so commonly 2 times or 3 times the whole flooring is as good as gone.

  23. Posted

    My dad visited his designer's friend house and advise me that oak wood flooring is very nice.

    Then my contractor sounds so scary when I told him that's what I want.

    He make his disclaimer that he can guarantee if things screw up later, due to the possibility of wood shrinking issue.

    Anyone else here use oak wood for flooring?

    I understood that they are 3' by 1-1.5ft variable length.

    Solid wood will face expansion and contraction issue in our weather due to our high humidity level. opt for smaller piece to control this

  24. Posted

    I've met a handful of IDs and I said i want to hack both floor and wall tiles but only 1 recommended I can overlay to save cost.

    Is it recommended to overlay tiles for common bathroom?

    Hi doubl3a,

    To do overlay first the current tiles must be in good condition, in other words the tiles will not pop in long run. if it's really sturdy than overlay will save quite a fair bit of your reno cost. ;)

  25. Posted

    Use smaller tiles for kitchen and toilets due to the water flow.

    The difference in price is also due to the made. Those made in Spain are of course more ex compare to those made in China and Malaysia. I choose to use 30 x 30 Spain tiles which cost S$3.60 @ Soon Bee Huat but S$3.30 @ Hafary. Same made, same code, same tile. The ex-owner of my house used Spain tiles and it is so lasting and durable. My maids are so clumsy and kept dropping pots and pan on the homogenous tiles, but my tiles are never damage. If not because of the relocation of my kitchen sink, I wouldn't hack it away.

    I also noticed that most of the China tiles @ the supplier's showrooms have minor chips, whereas those made in Spain and Italy seems more durable. Pay attention on your next visit. Hope this helps and good luck!

    Thanks for the advice, indeed very good information. :D i will check on my next visit

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