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Astarz

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Posts posted by Astarz

  1. Posted

    Hi Makanology,

    I share your pain with regard to Alan... lol.... going through the same thing now. :curse::bangwall:

    Oh dear, i share yr worry, cos i also encounter hits and misses. I think it is more a scheduling issue. My hacking starts on 10 Oct 2013 and right now, still not handed over but he is trying his best. All major works are done, except very very minor stuff. As of today, the last piece of installation is completed and hopefully, final chemical cleaning by this week. We all expect the whole process to take abt 10 weeks, that is it should finish before Xmas. I guess I have to welcome my new home next year.. hahah. be patient guys.....work on the big picture. No need point finger.

    I am so glad I am 99% done with my reno.

  2. Posted

    Hi Astarz,

    Your house is simply marvellous! could see all your effort in planning. Great work! :thumbs up::thumbs up:

    Tks for the compliment. There is a sense of achievement on my side cos I was the brainchild behind the design.The shower bench was very wel received, it is my contractor's idea.

  3. Posted

    Astarz - what is the colour name for the grey that you are using? It's nice!

    It's in Dulux Cool Neutral series - Canadian Sky, a blue-ish grey. It looks more blue in photos than it is in real. In reality, it looks just right and when exposed to bright natural daylight, its blue tint is very minimum, that is if u are concerned by its blue-ness. This color is a customized mix, which means the seller have to pre-mix for u and not available off the shelf. Hope that helps.

  7. Posted · Edited by Astarz

    Lucky you to have a good experience with him. Some of us ain't that lucky. Still, it is good if you know what you want so it helps decision-making easier & quicker!

    Unlucky? What happens? U engaged him as well?

    Engaging him has its pros and cons. One has to take it with a pinch of salt. I learn that we cant have too much of an expectation of him in terms of quality and responsiveness of his client-management /project management service/skills. Patience is key, communication as well. If necessary, do remind him nicely and regularly, be specific of what needs to be done. He is a very busy guy handling projects so he cant always attend to our issues on the spot or promptly but he will get back to u. But do remind him again and I am sure he will follow up. He does get things fixed though not immediately due to his work circumstances. Actually he is running a one-man show and his time is stretched thinly. Bear in mind he is not a project manager or an ID who will update u on the reno process daily. If u have such thoughts, forget him and move on to a ID who acts as a site supervisor. Before I sign him up, i have the expectation of being updated regularly by my contractor. ****, no, i was so very wrong. This is the real world. We cant just sit in the office and be updated by him every half a day of the reno process. That is what u guys hv to realise before engaging a contractor.

    If anyone wanna use him, my advice is to have a very realistic expectation and be prepared to be very proactive in yr renovation. That means being able to know what you want and have them ready on paper, sketches and photos, and show him. Buy your things in tandem to his renovation stage so no one waits for anyone. Buy your lights and shelves and hoods and hobs. Draw a layout plan. Dont expect very detailed specs of yr cabinet or cupboard until u meet up with his carpenter at a later stage. Nothing is in blueprint, prepared for u. Anything that not done to yr specs, take a pic and send to him. He will get his man down. Dont expect him to meet you regularly on-site if you have minor problems. We all have anxiety. Learn to take it in strides, note down the issues, inform him and have him delivered, though not immediately unless it is very urgent. Dont expect immediate reply to yr SMS. Dont call unless super urgent. Give him time to digest. Check your quotations, sometimes his template will charge u the price of two items instead of one. Not deliberate but u know, he doesnt seem to enjoy tedious paperwork. Possibly a crossover from the last quote from another client.

    Go down to yr new place as regularly as you can, especially when the workers have started work. Wear the supervisor's hat...haha u know what I mean. Communicate yr needs to the workers. Alan's painter, electrician, tilers, carpenter, floor installer etc are quite pro and easy to talk to. They are patient, not rushed and quite prideful in their job. On site, u are able to monitor and have some control over how things u wanna them to be. I work with his electricians to carefully locate all the electrical and light points in my house, telling them how and where I want them to be and I want the lights to be switched on in sequence and in groups that make sense. They fulfill that.

    All in all, mine is a very hands-on approach, it tires me but hey, i am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck and good job to myself and his team.

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    I like your shower bench. Nice!

    If u have the space, do incorporate an bench, wont regret it later. Imagine after a long hot day outside and U just bought the new L'Occitane shower product.... pure bliss... BTW, i hv installed a LED spot light above for the ambience. No diffused lights to flood the space, that is boring and harsh.

  21. Posted · Edited by Astarz

    Ya, i thought abt that also but ultimately I decide on this layout cos after all, how often do u have guest visiting? not daily I hope hahah.

    So i make the layout works for me and not the other way round. HDB toilets are a legacy of bad planning. How can one has both dry and wet area combined into one?

    Therefore i have to sacrifice privacy for practicality. Having another door to access toilet from Kitchen would affect my layout. I would have a very small vanity area and no place for mirror, painting and make my toilet very squeezy to use. If u notice my WIW actually serves as a screen-off.

  22. Posted · Edited by Astarz

    Rather smooth and speedy (when needed) process: My lights and power are up, first coat of paint done and laminated floor will be laid this week. Anticipate.. Aircon installed too.

    When things come, they come with a vengeance...haha

  25. Posted · Edited by Astarz

    Tiles are up and i have spent some time configuring the mix of tiles for both floor and walls. Not easy, hv to think abt functions and aesthetic. Dont want it to look bland, uninspiring and designer-lacking. I avoid shiny glazed tiles, cos it is rather last era.

    Matt and textural are the new "in's". Have to take a leap of faith to execute this design.

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