OurLivingSpaces

My Duravit Stark wall-hung WC costs $588 while the Geberit flushing system costs around $300. I bought them at the Sansei sale last year. Do check out the Sansei sale currently on at 462 Tagore Industrial Ave till Sunday (21 Nov). You might be able to pick up some good buys.

Hi, I am using Duravit wall hung WC and Gebeit flushing system. I got them from Sansei located at 462 Tagore Industrial Ave.

Hi Highroller, Thanks for your compliments! My architect came out with the design after understanding my likes and dislikes. Along the way, there are some fine tweakings to the design like adding dormer window at the attic bathroom for ventilation and relocating the columns to coincide with room partitioning. I don't think you can save cost by doing your own design and letting the architect do the blue print. These 2 tasks are inseparable. The architect charges based on the estimated time that he needs to spend on the project, just like other professionals. Btw, structural design is done by a Professional Engineer (PE) who needs to calculate load and advise on the location of beams and columns. My architect, PE and interior designer work closely as a team to come out with the architectural and structural blueprints for us. The bulk of the cost for rebuilding a house lies with the construction cost and not professional fees. You might want to get a few builders to give you their quotations after you firm up the design with your architect and PE.

Hi Highroller, My house is currently under construction for below $400k. Like yours, my house is 2.5 storey with a roof terrace and a total GFA of around 3000 sqft. Hence, I think you have a comfortable budget to work with. The cost will of course, depend on your design, materials used and who you engage. You can check out images of my new house from my Facebook page called "Our Living Spaces" to see if your requirements are similar as mine.

KWSeow, I recommend you to talk to my ID/contractor. He handled the carpentry and some wet works for my house. He is very creative and has helped to maximise storage for my small apartment. Do check out his works at my Facebook page "Our Living Spaces". He has a partner who is very good at customising furniture. Do talk to them. PM me if you wish to have his contact info.

Hi Wa1ker, you may wish to consider Shawn whom I engaged for carpentry and some wet works for my home. You can check out his works from the photo album in my Facebook page "Our Living Spaces". PM me if you wish to have his contact info.

Dreamhouse, From my own house hunting experience, it is not easy to find a house that suits my needs and that is designed to my liking. Hence, I prefer to buy an old house that I can tear down and customise to my needs. There are 4 types of home improvement projects: - Renovation - Alterations & Additions (A&A) - Reconstruction - Rebuild and new erection I have written something on the differences between these projects in my Facebook page "Our Living Spaces". Do check it out!

Hi Pantieileen, I have PM you the contact info of my ID/contractor and architect. I have spoken to them regarding your requirements and budget. They find your budget reasonable but will need to assess the amount of structural works needed to extend your 2nd storey. I concur with you that Meridien Homes adopt a standardised design approach which I do not like. I want my house to be customised and configured to my needs. I know a little about feng shui and agree with you that it is not good for chi to flow straight through from the front door to the back. My interior designer and architect listened to my needs and were able to work out something we like. I believe they can do the same for you. Thanks for being a fan of my FB page. I will continue to share photos and what I learned in the process of rebuilding my house. You are most welcome to post photos of your house, share your experience or ask questions in my page. I can see that you wish to have an attic very much. Do discuss your requirements with my architect and interior designer. I believe they will be able to advise you on the cost for doing so and you can then decide whether to have one.

Kelsiah, my house is currently under construction. I am very happy with the services provided by my PE, architects, ID and builder. You can PM me for their contact info if you are keen. You can also check out my Facebook page called "Our Living Spaces" where you can find out more about the cost and time needed for rebuilding a house.

Hi Fren, Thanks for sharing your experience. At least, I know I am not alone. I had wanted to do an A&A initially and ended up with a massive rebuilding job because we want to maximise our GFA with an attic and extension to the back. I had to engage a PE, Architect, ID, Clerks of Works and Surveyor for the project and go through a long drawn approval process with the Authorities. Pantieileen, I would advise you to avoid rebuilding if you have budget and time constraint. As for A&A, I got a quotation of less than $250k when I first considered A&A. You can PM me if you wish to know more.

Dereklsh, I think you will need more than an A&A for putting up an attic and making extension to your house. My house is currently under construction and I have done the same modifications as what you intended. I initially thought it is a simple A&A job but it turned out to be a massive re-building project. My PE (professional engineer) told us that the project would have to be classified as a rebuilding project as it involves too much structural changes. For rebuilding a house, you need to engage not only a PE but also an architect as QPs (qualified persons) to prepare drawings and do submissions to various Authorities for approval. I spent 4 months to obtain the necessary approvals before construction work can commence. If you wish to know more, you can check out my Facebook Page called "My Living Spaces" where I have posted articles on the cost and time needed for rebuilding a house.

I have the same question. My house is currently under construction and I would like to move in asap. I am staying in a rented place and might not be able to extend my rental contract. stl67, how long does it take for you to reconstruct your house? Perhaps, we can share notes in my "Our Living Spaces" Facebook page where I have posted photos of the construction of my house and share my experience of the rebuilding process.