pantieileen

Alternatively, u can get a company and do soil test yourself and pay them directly. Topo survey 1-2k. ura 3-4k, BCA 1k. So at the end of it, you get all these reports yourself, don't have to worry if builder, architect, PE hold on the copy.

Rules change liao. You only can "borrow" soil test results from immediate next door neighbors and not even 2doors away or in the vicinity

no 22ft = sink side (top & bottom) + cooking side (top) coz the hood takes up the top already.

Started doing my renovation of my condo on Monday. Replacing of my existing downlight bulbs to LED bulbs (more than 15) : 120 per light (my contractor charge me $35 for each existing lights labour and bulb) ** if new lights $10 each (but i buy my own light fittings) ** transfer light from toilet to storeroom $15 Varnishing of living room skirting: $300 Varnishing of master rm skirting : $180 ** so funny u only do skirting. I'm charged 1k for 3bedrooms (regrinding and repolishing) Varnishing of built in wardrobes' doors: ard $ 300 per set ** duno : bought ikea ones Waxing granite floor: $1300 ** duno : mine is marble $1300 for 720sqft, cut up all the grouting and redo new ones plus polishing Varnishing of each door n frame : $180 ** $55 per set x10 doors/frames = $550 One more question: how much does it cost to remove kitchen cabinet n install a new one? Remove existing kitchen : $300 New kitchen : To supply labour & materials to install 22ft kitchen cabinet in laminate & polygon $ 3,520.00 To supply labour & materials to install 04 x blum motion drawers FOC To supply labour & materials to install 11ft W colored tempered glass backing $ 600.00 To supply labour & materials to install 11ft quartz top on kitchen cabinet $ 1,045.00 Total new kitchen : $5165 (could be cheaper if i don't do glass backing or stinge on the quartz top coz this is a rental unit)

Which silly person told you cannot conceal pipes? All condos and HDB can condo piping. Only matter of do u have the layout of piping? If not do the easiest, use mosaic over the piping so u know in future "do not hack the mosaic" coz piping is behind the mosaic

1) Do waterproofing for your living room before you lay your marble 2) All stone suppliers will provide this service but if your buy from them. 3) It might be cheaper if you source for project leftover tiles (means condos, malls) from Futar, Tien Seng, Polybuilding. Could be as cheap as $6-9 can't rem if it's psf or sqm

Was quoted slightly less than 20k in 2010 when I was going my place, 3-4pax standing or 1 wheelchair plus 1 standing. Hence I build a lift shaft which I use as an airwell now, just in case.

Yup, my attic has a bedroom ensuite bathroom and opens out to a balcony. I'm on east coast road. Not pasir ris

In my neighborhood, you can stand on the street and see. Terraces 2storey A&A : my right side neighbor, my builder completed in Feb 2013 (300-350k) 2storey original : my lefft side neighbor 60yo house 2.5storey reconstruction : Me, completed Dec 2011 (grand total damage 500k) 3storey with full rooftop balcony & pool : right right neighbor corner terrace, another builder completed in Dec 2012 (1millon) 3.5storey (3storey with attic) build under reconstruction no piling but with bomb shelter (kept existing height) : opposite corner complete in June 2012 (hear say 700k-1m) with lift 3storey (tile roof) : opposite row 20yo houses SemiD 2storey with attic (tile roof) : completed 10yo ago, 1m for the pair 3storey (no attic no roof terrace) : completed Jan 2011, 700k architect Ong&Ong, no swimming pool with lift

My aunt from a renowned developer explained in layman's term. You pay 6digit figure to do an additional floor (which could be a terrace, attic or proper 3rd floor), professionals will have to provide for (hence we pay) additonal columns, beams and footings, so the most ideal outcome is to have it sheltered with a roof hence attic or 3rd floor. When architect/PE/URA/BCA set the requirements for the load for the 0.5floor, there's no restriction to one building a terrace and then building an extra shelter (aluminium frame, glass/perspex roof) where one could still house furniture inside. So in short, developers will typically build 3storey and rarely 2.5 o 3.5storey to maximise their profit margin Lauer and Taketen already mentioned 0.5 floor actually just means an attic floor where BCA/URA requirements is to have a sloping roof. So attic vs 3rd floor would mean the usable space for attic is smaller than 3rd floor (less windows, ventilation) due to sloping roof and angular ceiling in your room. 2.5storey and 3storey houses will also look the same on the front facade but side profile would look different. Height could also be the same. My attic masterbedroom walk in wardrobe is 4m tall (i use a rollable ladder) and my actual height of my attic floor is 4.3m. Open invitation to puppet : you want come my place and see?

btw, saw some nice features during new SD openhouse 1) parquet and marble skirting are flushed with the wall. I've seen those at sentosa cove before and wanted my builder to do it but he said i must pay for extra capping so ok nvm can live with it so never do 2) marble bathroom but the shower area is made of stone and the area outside the shower where u stand is sunken in forthe water to floor into the manhole. I guess this means one won't slip and fall when showering in marble bathroom esp for old folks

Mine was 3yr ago, at that point of time, don't need soil test and bomb shelter for reconstruction. A full 3storey would mean i exceed extra GFA by more than 50% and for only 3-4pax family size, we don't need that big.

I didn't hire an ID, went to national library at bugis borrowed books, use camera and took pictures of designs I wanted, flash to my builder and architect in 1 meeting. They tell me it's possible to do. I'm not designer trained or architecturally inclined, biochemist by natural. So I believed one can save alot of cost by doing own research. Ya shopping at corner terrace or semiD since market is down. Saw a few new developer built ones at crazy prices. 3800sqft land 6400sqft built in at $7.8m min and old ones similar size land 3500sqft for 4-5m, same district. But I don't need so big lah. Adopted larger dogs, 1 extra car so need more garden space and carpark.

Totally different from mine in 2010. 1) architect drew 2 plans 3 storey if we need to soil test and pile w/bomb shelter, 2.5storey if soil test piling bomb shelter not required 2) builder calculate both costs 3) pay 10% to builder and architect based on 2.5storey 4) submit to BCA URA and wait 5) URA BCA approve 2.5storey 6) start work on 2.5 storey 7) brick start to lay only at 50% completion stage Seems like your ID and architect don't have enough experience

Just did complete remodelling of our other condo in east coast which we tenanted it out, 3 bedroom condo. 1) complete overhaul of kitchen, can't remember the dimention but it was $120/sqft spent 5k excluding hood, hob oven stove etc 2) complete overhaul of 2 toilet, rehack and retile with glass screen 5k for each toilet 3) revarnish parquet floor for 3bedroom 4) rewire electricity (it was an old fashion condo about 20yo) everything conceal 5) redo aircon for whole place 6) redo false ceiling everything done swee swee in 1month coz new tenant move request to move in. We paid 50% deposit upon confirmation, everything cash afterwards. Went over to monitor every weekend. Guess our contractor was reliable and don't dare to cheat us coz we have a 4-6condo units that require remodelling every now and then. Doing another condo unit next month in the west, Korean tenants are horrible and i tot they are civilized...

Recon intermediate terrace 60yo

Upon getting keys to new place, don't need to connect SP services electricity and water. Appoint builder, builder will apply renovation temporary power and water themselves therefore builder pay. Prob 75% into completion, SP services will come and connect power and water, in this case under owner's account. For my place, the bill never crossed $30 so I just paid and this was only for 4-5months so close 1 eye although builder say he will reimburse me. At this point of them, contact Starhub and Singtel ESP Singtel because their waiting time is horrible! Anyway, don't need to pay until the service is activated.

Forgot to tell you, there are some companies that "Bao" PE & architect. For my case, i drew my ideal layout on drawing paper then i sat down with the architect for him to vat. What can be done, what cannot be done. Can the toilet be placed here or there, can i have extra windows etc etc, can i remove and shift this beam, loading and weight questions. I get my answers immediately. Sometimes it takes 30min-1hour. My architect is patient, middle age, in his 50s. Then he will pass on the recifications to the layout to the junior architect (around my age, late 20s) and PE(middle age uncle) to endorse before submission to BCA/URA. Note, you have to get everything right before they send in to BCA/URA otherwise changes will take a very long time and this can delay projects. I think there are a few of such companies around and builders tend to use them, i guess "all-in-one" solution. Coincidentally a few of my new neighbors used the same company. And then there are those real hardcore architects who have certain ideas for your house in their own mind and prefer that you heed their designs. Personally i don't like it. Prefer that they listen to what i want instead. I realized it's good to make friends with "all-in-one" PE/architect & builder. I can get instant estimated quotations when i window shop for houses to know what it cost to A&A, rebuild, re-erect. Call them on the spot when i "window-shop" tell them where trucks can access, location of sewage manholes in the house etc. Was viewing a few conservation properties in Geylang

so expensive 75k! i only spent 26k for architect & PE and mine was reconstruction. I remembered A&A is cheaper. I think if you are not extending your SD laterally, only vertically, redo your wirings/piping for only new floor, not doing any changes to existing 1st and 2nd storey. Possible leh. Then again, i'm only estimating based on my puny experience for a IT, reconstruction from 2 to 2.5storey. i spent 365k, tore the entire house down leaving the staircase only. how come there's a ID stalker in our forum recently ?

Oh. I wrote in to ask to defer my installation in 2009 coz i knew i was going to demolish it so no point to do it first. Had email records filed nicely and guess what, they are so black and white. If i didn't kept my emails properly, they will make me pay. I think it's $450-500. Actually now that i think of it, quite ridiculous leh. they open up the public hole in the road, bring a staircase in, connect the wire, pull the string in my lead-in-pipe, pull another string to connect to my DB box less than 45min charge $500. Means $500/hr job for 3 ahnehs that cannot speak proper english to do the job.

In the midst of looking for a cheap alternative too. My builder did glass with Steel supports for me but cannot completely enclose, must have 1m setback. So now 2yr pass, TOP and CSC over, wanted to enclose entire backyard, connect a new shelter with existing class one. Expensive sia. Wanted the "waterfall" to be outside my boundary wall into the longkang between me and my opposite neighbor house. Tempered glass 1m x 7m & steel supports = 9k Polycarbonate 1m x 7m & aluminium supports = 4k Honestly, is 4k fair? Or are there cheaper alternatives beside wood support? Coz just trying to enclose the area to protect my washing machine and dryer. My fil said it's silly because washing machine and dryer is cheaper than the roof extension.

Open Net just came to install today finally, free! Took less than 45min with my builder supervisor supervising, refused to pay my builder $500 to hasten up the connection 2yr ago. They open up the public cable on the road, pull the cable to my meter box. Then pull the cable to my DB box at carporch where my modem is currently located. Nice and clean, didn't even have to enter my indoor area. My house is wired with LAN cables in every room, living room and family area (network storage and printer)

I'm happy with my builder. 2yr after moving in, little things that need help i can still call and expect his workers to turn up in 30min even as late as 9-10pm! PM me if you need my builder contacts but i think it's somewhere in this forum.

it's also very important to visit your prospective architect/builder's : 1) existing projects (half completed) to see a) if workers are happy (talk to the ah nehs or ah tiongs or supervisors. Happy workers = better quality job done for you b) see how they do certain things like floor, windows, piping, electricals before they are all plastered up. Which means you can have an idea of what your quotation will be about. c) best if you can see multiple projects to have an idea of example, homogenous vs marble vs granite floor, parquet (small strips vs large strips), how they locate their DB box, designs 2) existing projects (almost completed) to see the finishing. Pray that you'll bump into the owner too and listen to his mistakes, good and bad lobangs 3) old projects (already completed, staying there for 6months - 1yr). see how bad is the wear and tear and extent of their defects for example, we just went to our neighbor's unit, completed before Xmas '12 at 1M and woohoo, major water seepage into their bedroom windows which means bye bye to parquet floor and wardrobe So far, i'm happy with my team coz we have become friends and they are useful to diagnose problems for condo defects, renovation suggestions, funny ideas to buy old conservation units and redo with realistic ballpark $$ immediately before we make purchasing decisions

I had the same problem too. Wanted to widen the gate, submitted to URA and BCA and was rejected. Yes, there's a certain setback which i also do not understand. BUt i guess, intermediate will face more restriction than semiD. We also removed the pillar that is holding the carporch roof and made a horizontal beam across instead. My architect was very nice, told me that i cannot park 2 cars vertically into my carporch. 1st car must be slanted and 2nd car vertical. 3rd car will have to park on the driveway (with gate open), 4th car no choice squeeze with neigbors for street parking. Because of this, the gate can only be sliding and not swing open or even bi-folding