bepgof

- Reason 1. Many years back, "kitchen" is really a "kitchen" for cooking, so flooring/wall tend to be dirty, oily, smelly. To "save" time, or to do flooring cleaning more effective is to pour water with detergent and just brush here & there. - Reason 2. The "levelling" of kitchen flooring to the floor trap must be correct, water flows "automative" towards the FT. - Reason 3. Older generation(like my late parents), especially Chinese, have this "pour in" & "pour out" concept. Kitchen is the place (no store rm) where all natural resources (food) are stored. Once cabinet doors are open, food "pour out" from high to low. This is pretty much the same as our main door step, always higher, symbolising house full of resources which can be "pour out" once main door is open. This is a belief, not a science. Modern kitchens in HDB require no pouring of water for cleaning, therefore water flowing towards floor trap is not a concern. The "pour in" & "pour out" is a belief related to feng shui theory, is subject to ones' believe. Hope these clear your doubts. - Anyway, my frig & w/m have no 50mm, but the cabinet yes.

My "new resale" 5 rm done with no traditional grilles (those hollow alu cross here & there, can slide..) but just two horizontal rectangular hollow alu bar (one" by 1/2", 3mm thick). At first, the contractor fitted with those 1mm thick, hollow bar fitted with rivet, when I inspected the house, I just applied "karatak", bars dropped. Gave ID 2 days to find suitable bars, otherwise I would engage my own contractor to do the job. Finally done, fitted with screws - back drill-in. - Hammer can do job already, cannot apply karatak. - Cast spell to the house - Pour acid on floor, pvc sanitary pipes, etc. Destruction is much more easier than construction... Just joking for the above, don't take them. Selling-buying should be an happy event, and will be remembered for life. Happy & sweet is better than sad & sour, right?

I expect resale tx to drop further the next half yr, more bto, dbss, more ura lands out for private, etc. For buyers, if can hold, just hold till end of year. COV is a mock to valuation report, in a way or another. Report should have been inclusive of all the factors determining the price. Before buying the resale last yr, I already had plan to renovate the whole unit, in other words, I would "knock" down everythings - so I told myself, the most cov is capped at 30k. Don't tell me thing like "move in" conditions, I don't buy the idea. I spent 90k on reno for the 5-rm, having my own ideas on the reno themes and materials used.

Some 17 years ago, HDB offered me some units there for selection, before exercising, jalan the whole area for about 4 hours, wow, saw many grandpaps & grandmams & one funeral.

If you did not sign any checklist for 2 parties tp agree upon, by all means to remove/damage whatever you like, just left the walls & ceiling behind. -spoil the locks -damage the floor -bend the windows/grilles -make water pipes leaks -choke wc/floor trap -cut the electrical cables here one, there one What else?

Dean, sound like yr floor has a layer of thick wax. May need machine polishing to get rid the wax. Solvents can't help. May be you can try to test this: burn a knife till hot and rub the hot surface on the floor surface, quickly see got any "wax-like" residue.

Remember - you will get "tired" about those once has been "very nice feature wall" - Simplicity is the key, next better keep some money in the pocket for the next "feature wall".

Aiyo, forget about all these lah, very marginal. Actually for personal income tax, anything which is "in the production of revenue" is claimable. However, IRAS is at "upper hand" who has discretion to decide which "is not in the production of revenue", and can hold "over-charge" amount for a year and "credit" back to a year or so later. This is bad about Giro, deduct first & tell you later. Wait till one day get fed up & will get a lawyer to fight back for the interest, & blow the issue big. IRAS is ruining its image without realising! Some other gov agencies also quite similar - read newspaper. Great man like Albert Einstein who also could not understand the concept of "income tax" and many others taxes, not to mention layman like you & me, just know to pay & pay.

-This's rather a "to each his own" issue. Just to add some further more: - When choosing estate, should consider the "resale" potential = easy to sell, can fetch high price - Good schools(P,S, not JC & U), MRT, market with famous foods, Sport facilities, cinema, shopping centre, etc... One will realise all these appeared ONLY in matured/"old" estates. - New estate = "cheaper price", quite (good or bad?), bus service?, mrt? markets? school? See Punggol, Bukit Panjang, Sembwang. Anyway, new will become "old" - look at Bishan (once no one wanted, now everybody wanted), bedok N/S (1979 pretty new, now? now land availand for future development) Unlike Pasir, Simei, Woodland, tempines, Punggol, plenty of land available. RedHill, Chaichee are defenitely out for me ! Really "old" and the ambience is like "stagnant air" - many retirees, may be can join them in tai-chi playing once a while.

Very precise ! - Hood creates the "pressure difference" - 60cm-65cm is just nice that not much "short circulating air "ard hood. -Wind from window/doors will affect the "pressure difference" - best is to close all "openings" to have a "still air" ambience in kitchen while doing cooking. But, which cookers can stand this? Uncles & Anuties who do not understand all these and condemn the hoods as "useless", are really "useless".

Speaking of truth/experience afraids nothing!

You are precisely right. + good view + high floor + no blockage...

Great men think alike! I also kena "bite" before ! - Must know Singapore's climate, 1 deg N latitude - wind flow at different seasons: -Sept-Dec -N wind, slowly change to N-E till Feb - In Dec, earth the most nearest to Sun, cos Earth tilts at 23.5 deg, Southern Semisphere the "most" hot. South pole 24hr "day". -In March~Apr, Equator has "balanced" length of "day" & "night" - Some NE winds, and "E" wind. Equator the "most" hotest in a year. -May -Jul, earth the most further away from sun, cos the 23.5 deg tilt, northpole 24hr "day", Singapore has longer "day", shorter "night". S wind starts. - Aug-Oct, balanced length of "day" & "night". S wind, started to change NW winds. In view of the above characteristics of the earth & sun relationship. Wise choices of the openings(doors & windors): N-S openings(as big as possible), W-E openings (Can be doors vs windows). - Avoid walls facing direct W with sunlight, esp those 2-6pm sunlight. External wall absorbes heat from sunlight & "release" heat into room/hall/kitchen when ambience cool down. - Morning sunlight to wall is acceptable, 8-11am not that "hot", will also bring "brightness" to home. Wise choice of home to have morning sunlight. - No blockage at surrounding, meaning, house as high as possible (but not the top), wind flows naturally. - View is another issue, to each his own. Hope above explanation give u some "light" as to how to choose yr dream home.

Not V Kay po at all, thank you very much. Hope this spirit goes on within this forum...I knew my SIL when she was in kindergarden, we initially(MIL, wife& myself) did not look good to this marriage, now pending to the investigation of the police.....take abt a month.

Pls read my post #88 under thread: "Buy Now Or Wait......" dated 16/5/10, an article there, print it out & slowly digest it. I considered the report "too brief", good for general reading for comparing countries'....Singapore will more or less follow the trend...that was part of the reasons Mah went to HK for studying recently & concluded singaporeans can afford to buy house... - File has been sent. - A scenerio here: say a 1 mil condo(incl stamp..) & paid 60%, $400k loan for 20yr, interest @2%, mnthly instalment = $2023.54. If the same for 10yr = $3680.54, 30yr=$1478.48, so on so for. - Personally perceived that most ppl here would use "monthly instalment amount" as a yardstick to draw the financial comfort zone as to property. Say mnthly instalment = $2K, one may then further decide $1k cash? $1kcpf? (couple combined). - Worth mentioning, 30yr tenure loan = dangerous, likely will hit the 120% Valuation Limit rule at year 25st or so...if I calculate & remember correctly. Sorry memory getting poorer. Minimum sum is another issue. - Must study and understand the "rules of the game" carefully before taking part.

1. I don't know yr cpf portfolio, should be able to use yr husband's $150K & yr $50K, together. Advise u to use both yr singpass to check your own's cpf account for maximum use. 2. Can be as "low" as 100K or even less, but of higher interest, got to calculate & optimise your best "leverage". 3. Generally, for me (46 yr old), I'm using 60: 40, meaning 60 %(cpf + cash) to pay, 40% loan. The 100% inclusive of stamp duty + legal fee...Of course, some cash on hand for contigencies. - Previously posted one UOBKayHian report mentioning Singaporeans' condo: income ratio is about 13.8. Total price/combine annual income =13.8, HK & China is much more higher of this ratio. As I said earlier, there are "rooms" for this ratio to go up. - Can PM me with yr email, I will send a loan calculation file (spreadsheet) to you, so can do your "homework". - Expect coming next half yr, price will start sliding down. Gov is serious abt the house using issue. More lands, break record, will released for tender. More DBSS, BTO will come too. If this measure can't solve the issue, "legislation" will come in next.

Private resale: 1. Pay 1% to seller in exchange of otp. Look for banker for money to lent(for buyer). 2. Within 14 days, in front of yr lawyer, exercise the otp & pay 4% through lawyer. 3. Pay stamp duty(buyer) through lawyer. 4. Legal completion take 8-12wk, remaining bal pay by cash, loan or cpf. In standview of buyer, will receive money (100%-1%) only at completion from lawyer.

Congrats!, BK88=WJ888? U are referring to Dakota Residences. Waterbank@ Dakota is just beside under construction. - A good start already won half the battle. Do not let yr enthu die down. - Did commented something about the Geylang River, especially the sharp turn at waterbank. - Both also good location. Area also allow high-rise.

Lim, just curious, just moved in for 4 months? Have any Altar/God in your house?

This is where the problem lies. You should have periodically cleaned the filters yourself. Unless the aircon system is not cold or completely down, otherwise no service men please. Just spent the $250, next time they will tell you compressor not good this and that....or they will put a "time bomb", supervise their work. When I sent my car for routine engine oil/filter change, servicemen will ask to change this and that.....don't fall into the trap!

Informed, news released in stockexchange web, price lower than par value, how to sell, prefer company voluntarily winds up & get back my portion. Now, holding the certs... going to frame up and hand over to son/daughter during their wedding day as gift - good idea? Mkt now full of uncertainties...Greece got debt, iceland broke, USA- like to spend future money, debt so high that whole population need to work 10 years for free to pay the present debt! Very dangerous! World cup's coming, ppl started cash out from stock mkt, mkt nose down...HDB/URA to inject more flats/land....property counters very dangerous....

- URA to release more land in 2nd half year. - HDB to launch more BTO & DBSS. Gov said & acted. Expected $psf to head south from 2nd half yr. Worth to wait & hold. Expect public & private transaction have sharp decrease from June. World cup's comming, ppl cash out from stock mkt......sigh, "tough" months ahead. http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2600/attachment1q.jpg http ://img203.imageshack.us/img203/2549/at...ment2page1.jpg http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/3535/attachment2page2.jpg http ://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4269/at...ment2page3.jpg http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/6841/attachment2page4.jpg

Sure, caused by acid washing. Prevent metallic stuff contact wwith acid. Use "brasso" to rub & clean.

1. Stainless steel comes with many grade, SS316, SS402, SS706, etc. Using normal "Brasso" to clean the rust. Somehow the SS intact with some acidic fluid. 2. You are right, it the rust is light, use WD40 rub with cloth, if rust is heavy, use "Brasso". 3. "Deposit" of residual water. This is quite "normal", should clean bathroom everyday with soup water (PH<7), make ventilation as much as possible. Glassware is best, but easy to break, stainless steel best to use SS316. In fact, I allow not "wood" stuff within bathrooms, and have changed all screws to SS402.

To me, all natural resources are "Cai". Remember "water" can carry a boat, and if situations not managed properlt, "water" can capsize the boat too. Since water is part of "cai" - let nature takes it course.