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d'lotus

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Posts posted by d'lotus

  2. Posted

    Gosh, it's been a long time since I visited my own thread... 8 months <img src="http://www.renotalk.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

    @patsy... visited a few galleries but somehow, didn't quite like what we saw. Will leave my place bare and plain for the time being

    What has changed since my last visit in April? Well, the glass door leading into the kitchen SHATTERED 2 months into our stay..... and got the condo management to change it but I insisted to have a wooden frame for support - no more just glass! Will share pix later

  5. Posted

    Hey Rhema83

    I was just gg through your reno journey and enjoying it... until I saw the cost of your whole reno.

    $27,500 for a 5I? Why so low? I don't know what to make of it, because I have recently paid a deposit to EI for reno of my 5I too. And the cost is nearly twice as yours! Yet from the looks of your pics, I don't think I did v much more than you to be honest? Or @ least I cannot immediately tell where the additional $27,500 would have gone to???

    I have a sinking feeling now... :unsure::( yet in my discussions with EI I never really felt anything was really wrong... just that I thought a major overhaul for a 5-rm would cost along this range.

    @Tobey... it's not what you do that counts... pricing depends very much on the materials used, eg... black glass vs normal glass = 3x more exp.

    Another one is partitioning using wood vs gypsum board, and of course, the tiles used

  6. Posted

    warm white 2800k

    cool white 4100k

    Cool or warm..... from white... white-orangie.. to orangie - very much depends on personal preference.

    My ID recommend warm for the cove... and as a constast... cool for the downlights.... but when it's all up and running... and wifey took a look... straightaway I knew she didn't like what she saw.... have to took out all the double tubes for the living and masterbed room's downlights and change them all to warm too.... luckily I kept all the boxes (I know my wife well).

    Sometimes, it is very difficult to visualise what the ID recommends.. it may be good on paper... but taken as a whole, might not... so, constant visitation to the reno site is a MUST... any dislike/variation from the plans to be notified IMMEDIATELY to the ID/contractor

  7. Posted

    Haha, that's funny.

    If not for this thread, I wouldn't understand why would anyone pay an exhorbiant price for a tap :jawdrop:

    Anyway, one of the dealers adviced that;

    for taps go for Grophe and for showers go for Hansgrophe. :yamseng:

    Haha.... to be fair to both the 'father' and 'son'

  8. Posted

    Today I talked to the technical officer from hdb or town council ... he said cannot change to top hung window. When I asked him why ... he said "people will throw rubbish out of window and break the glass" ... DUH! :bangwall:

    How to get rid of these 3rd world mentality people from Singapore? It is so simple for the officer to state the obvious... but what is done to reduce this menace? I can guarantee you most of these people are OLD people :furious:

  10. Posted

    oh man... why did the owner wanna dismantle the doors? but good that you've settled that and the 2nd appointment went smoothly. congrats! :)

    my fren had a similar experience... when he viewed the flat, there were built-in furniture (cupboards wardrobe etc). At handover, to his horror, the owner actually removed ALL the built-in carpentry.... :bangwall:

    btw, talking about the washing machine, my brother also has his put in the kitchen cabinet, but there is no cabinet door to this washing machine compartment... he has this kind of arrangement for 10+ yrs and so far no prob ;) sure a good way to save space~

    @marsh... this is classic KIASU ;)

  13. Posted

    I have just check with them 2days ago regards to Opennet. My ex-owner has rejected the free installation offer and now if I want to install, I got to pay $200+ for them to come install. I have email them about this issus and told them the reason as I just move in but they dun give chances again once rejected their offer.

    The ex-owner must be an old stupid man.... who knows nothing about IT.... feel so sad for you!!

  14. Posted

    If you are looking for alternatives for anti slam/soft closing hinges, you can try looking @ www.innerwerkz.com

    Thanks @macer...... very good site.... I have found what I was looking for..... cabinet light :) pity there's no pricing listed in the website... let me try emailing them and test how fast (if any) is their response

  15. Posted

    a real eye opener for us.. and we love the fridge.. i tried to on the oven.. and so far everything is ok..

    I will invite if i make an open hse.. but it wont be so soon as next mth is fasting mth already.. unless i invite all of u to break fast with me.. :)

    Tak jadi masalah bro..... I dah biasa buka puasa dengan kawan2 melayu I.......

    Off topic sikit ya... Singapore + English = Singlish; Singapore + Malay = Singlay? Ada? :unsure:

  16. Posted · Edited by d'lotus

    yes... we're happy shifting and unpacking.. the back is aching madly...

    guess what.. we've got our first welcome gifts from the neighbours above (dunno which floor) .. they threw they used pad with their stains on it out of their window and it landed on my aircon condenser... arghhhh!!!

    Welcome to 3rd world mentality singapore :furious: - maximise the monthly fees they pay to the council

    Glad everything turns out ok for your fridge.... just love the SIZE of that thing... pity I'm limited by space :(

    Remember to invite me for your open house yah........

  19. Posted · Edited by d'lotus

    your place looks really nice! the wall above the table top could do with some small prints? just to liven it up (but I know your wifey is minimalist so may go against her taste!)! love the idea of the picture hangers to act as cable control!!

    one thing about buying condo's that have lots of built it is that you feel it's "sayang" to redo too much right? And yes, I will add lots and lots and lots of power points next time too.. when I think it's the last time we will move! As it is, bf is already saying he saw a great looking unit in Farrer Road! I told him we should at least stay here for 2 years for all the effort we put in the place! But if a good deal comes.... who knows... will be renotalking again soon :)

    the shelves for DVD's was a good idea... would it be nice to have covered it with glass doors to minimize the "cluttered" look?

    more pics!

    Thanks @patsy...... like mentioned earlier, at this juncture, my condo does not have a SINGLE painting, prints, etc - pretty bland... still a condo, not a HOME yet..... wifey want's to live in for a little while, trying to see where or which wall requires what.... prints? paintings? size? colour? We will be visiting a few art gallaries soon. :paint:

    Glass door @ the 2 openings..... kinda difficult now, but I might cut a piece of glass to separate the openings into 2 halves - right now, the top layer DVDs are resting on top of the lower level DVD. Cluttered? hmmm..... I have actually put those same sized DVDs together to ensure they have an even look. Those are just a small percentage of my collection.... changing them frequently from main storage to these 2 openings those I want to watch. Let me see again :)

    Oh Oh... forgot to note.... the study room is MY territory... mine... mine.... MINE.... MINE.... hahahahaha!!!!

  21. Posted

    I have installed Ikea's Ribba picture ledge below the table, a long one (185cm) and a medium one (105cm).

    This is to serve as cable runner and where chargers, adapters, etc will rest under the table

    This is under the wire outlet beneath the printer

    img2407d.jpg

    This is where the long and medium ledge meet at the corner wire outlet

    * the parts for the additional points and switches are temporary kept here

    img2408w.jpg

    T5s under the top-hung cabinets

    * major screw-up by ID - wanted a design where the T5s will be hidden but he said not bright lah, blah blah blah. Ok, you are the ID - you know best - phui! :bleah:

    * the T5s are too bright... make the eyes water. Will think of a way to diffuse it. Guys - any ideas?

    * was thinking of glueing an L-shaped opaque plastic along the inner edge. Right now, using more of the ceiling light bought from Ikea

    img2413u.jpg

    It gets stuffy when you stay for an extended period of time inside as air circulation is lousy.

    The wall fan helps to a certain extent, but when I want cooler air, this is what I will use, to blow the living room's air-con cooled air into the study

    img2411eg.jpg

  22. Posted

    And now..... the current state of the home shelter

    View from living room

    * what a co-incidence, the depth of the display space is just nice to accomodate DVDs

    * if we had known earlier, we would have 3 spaces instead of just 2.... the top one flush with the height of the entrance

    * the entrance is SO THICK - reminds me of NORAD's bunker doors :o

    img2414c.jpg

    Overview

    * the 3-tier plastic drawers may go.... brought it down from KL condo, but it fits nicely into that space

    * on the bottom right is the bottom half of Ikea's TV console (forgot name) - hv space to slide in max 10cm height containers under it - more storage space!!

    * my trusty notebook (opened to RT - or course :good: ) and 21" LG monitor. On the right is my CanonScan 4400F and HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One printer

    * planning to get Logitech's notebook rest at the next Sept IT fair.... to prop up the notebook and wireless (lighted keys) KB and mousy

    * the big black duffel bag is kept for an ex-colleague

    * seriously seriously missing Herman Miller's Aeron :notti:

    * the walls are pretty empty too..... will think of something

    img2401e.jpg

    Right view

    * the switches and double power points in place

    * to change the original single gang light switch (near the top hung cabinet) to 3-gang, and transfer the 2 switches for the T5s there

    * to add another single base plate between the current single and double plates. The 2 singles will each house a 4-gang switch (total 8) to on/off additional 8 power points underneath the table... 4 at the corner (below my notebook), and 4 at the right side (below the printer)

    * to add another double power point to the left of the current double power point

    img2402m.jpg

    Corner view

    * to add another double power point to the left of the current double power point

    img2405oy.jpg

    ... and lastly, the Left view

    * the mounted glass for writing is re-used from Ikea's 4-person table (forgot name) - donated the metal frame to the block cleaner when I shifted from Tampines

    * originally wanted to install Ikea's Ribba runner under the glass to keep the pens / dusters - but sitting with my back agains it - decided not to due to negative feng tsui

    * Mistral wall fan can be seen at the top left of the pix

    img2410ny.jpg

  23. Posted

    The electrician should come first to pull all the necessary wires before carpentry goes up, but as luck would have it... our dear electrician was busy and missed his scheduled appointment.

    The carpenters could not wait and started the installation of the top hung cabinets. Luckily, the electrician magically appeared and did up the wiring inside the home shelter before the L-shaped table top was installed.

    Painter was the last to come - which accordingly, should be the first. My ID really kucar-kacir man - luckily for the whole project, I was there almost on a daily basis (after work). Anything amiss will have me shooting emails through the night to that boy-man!!

    Wiring - right side

    * to keep the cost down, I decided the following points/switches here :

    (I will add MANY additional power points and switches ALL over the place in future)

    - 1 single switch for the wall fan

    - 1 2-gang switch to control the front and right side T5s

    - 1 double power point

    * power is tapped from the existing power point (the other points here are - telephone R11 and double SCV)

    img1322c.jpg

    Wiring - corner

    * 1 double power point here

    img1323y.jpg

    L-shaped table top

    * there will be a 3 inch hole at each corner of the table for wires to pass through (still looking for nice hole covers)

    * there is no drawer at the front - to accomodate my dry cabinet (for my camera equipment)

    * note the existing power point, telephone R11 and double SCV on the bottom left corner

    img1351dm.jpg

    Almost done

    * the 3 holes are cut

    * drawers not installed yet as ID got the wrong length Blum soft closing runners - thought it's the same length as the kitchen drawers.

    * electrician will come back later to finish installing the power points, switches, sockets, T5s

    img1416r.jpg

  24. Posted · Edited by d'lotus

    This unit is technically 'new' (unsold more than a year from launch date). Many items were built-in, so we decided on just a simple reno - nothing fancy.

    Storage is a main problem as the unit is just 1,016sqf with many 'dead-space' - ie 3 bay windows and a balcony.

    Our instruction to our ID, recommended by my BIL - minimalist theme, maximize storage.

    To start off, let's concentrate on the single most expensive area of the whole reno - the home shelter, which we will use as our study cum office.

    It has an L-shared table top and top-hung cabinet. The height of the table is a little high @ 78cm, mainly due to sufficient height to accomodate my dry cabinet (74cm) and to have drawers on one side of the table. (on hind-sight, the height of the drawer is too much... I just want to keep simple things, like paper, pen, pencils, etc.

    Firstly, let us take you through the boxing up process of the shelter door. Refer here for before reno pix

    Reno - Home Shelter

    Home shelter door

    (sorry - somehow, could not rotate the pix - will leave them as they are first)

    * decided to cover up the door, which means the passageway will be narrower by 20cm (width is now 94cm - can live with it)

    * removed the facing out handle, wrapped and stored it at the square spare in the wall behind the steel door

    * cheapest option is to cover with plasterboard. Initial quote for this area come close to $8k :jawdrop: (ID recommend plywood + wallpaper)

    img1368e.jpg

    img1370w.jpg

    * don't know what to do with the empty space at the left size of the new wall.... ID recommended a display space, dimensions left to ID to decide

    * later this decision will come back to haunt us (not much.... just - why didn't we think of that...)

    * how we got the final dimension and location? the worker use his 'expertise' and it's all AGAK-AGAK one ;)

    img1379e.jpg

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