gendon

Yup, the running costs are the same, only the road tax and COE got discount/rebate. I guess new OPC buyers should anticipate how often they need to use the car using the $20 coupon. If almost everyday have to use the coupon, wah...sure end up very expensive. But if use coupon 3-4 times a month, I think should be ok. Must budget liao...

Hi TPY I'm not sure if yours is a HDB flat as the window height is 6 metres or 6 feet?

Yes, I agree with compassvale singhao's nest very swee! And it's very interesting to see that within this cluster alone, even though the layouts are the same albeit mirror image of each other, there are variety of styles, personalities and own uniqueness.

Oh, how come?

Hi Blueberi Don't be sad lah....or sweat the small stuff. I'm sure with a beautiful personality like yours, you can sprinkle it in your home with your hubby together. After all, the reno is done already, so now's the time to focus on other parts of home decor: injecting you & your hubby personalities for your home. True, true...very true

By the way...what's TOK KONG? Oh ya, I forgot to add abt my friend V of her common bathroom. U guys try to figure out how much this cost: The common toilet size and shape is like N2C19 EA mbr bathroom. Bathroom floor is greyish-black slate-like matt tiles with no patterns, simple white new WC and absolutely no wall tiles around in the bathroom. Dunno if the ex-owner never install wall tiles or most probably the old wall tiles were hacked and walls plastered smooth with cement. White bowl sink sits nicely on a specially-treated salvaged teakwood u-shaped vanity top, with chromed tap. The bathroom walls are painted with white epoxy paint, no need to think of grout lines here & there. Got rainshower, handshower and two way tap.

Hmmm...10 yrs time reno again? Wah, yesterday afternoon went to visit my hubby's friend's wife at Marsiling Road. Found out it took me abt 30 minutes from 299 MSCP to their carpark. Is it the route or is it me driving? Anyway, I wanna talk abt their house. Wah.....sweeeeeee! Very simple and understated, very diff concept and most importantly they got reno done for under $20k for a resale 5rm flat, corridor unit. Sandwiched between their home are the two units of jumbo flat. Sorry har....no pics to show, bcos forgot to bring camera. Ok, first when step into the living room, I see: not-so-glossy milky white homo tiles, milky white matt painted walls. Sofa is a very BIG L-shape like angmoh size, camel colour fabric upholstery, and very sleek. The sofa's base is unvarnished/unstained but oiled teak wood, square & low coffee table has pockets of niches as storage and the same oiled teak wood. Dining table and benches can fit 8 big-sized adults or 10 petite adults, wood is oiled teak wood. At parts of some walls, there's also long oiled teak wood wall shelves, tv console same type of wood & finishing. The tv console is a tall (abt 1m) and wide (abt 2m) U-shaped, with one-tier shelf to put StarHub set-top and dvd player. The even nicer part is the kitchen: Cement-screed floor with abt 2-inch wide treated teakwood embedded within the cement-screed surface and arranged to mimic floor tiles and squarish. The kitchen base and counter is concrete and tiled (slate tile, I think). The worktop: imagine the ikea wooden chopping block that looked like basket weave? Yup, treated and oiled salvaged teakwood (brought in from Java and Lombok)embedded within combination of cement and slate tiles, to form a ready-to-use wooden surface cum chopping board. Kitchen sink is porcelain, deep and squarish. In fact, the bedroom doors are all just oiled solid teakwood. She told me all her furnitures including the bed are shipped from Java & Lombok for a total of S$300 plus S$100 GST, for a half container ler. The whole house concept reminded me of a spa at Jalan Seminyak in Bali. Very calm, serene, not too masculine or feminine, just simply simple. The ID is also hubby's friend, but they use local S'pore contractor. My friend V, told me yesterday that even the contractors got headaches to execute this particular concept, bcos they never tried it before...but they managed to pull it through well. Just too bad the ID now in Jakarta oredi, concentrating on his other businesses. Gd for him as me & hubby had seen how much he struggled so much to obtain a design degree in RMIT Melbourne and subsequently won a landscaping design award in Melbourne while he was in his final year. Hope to see him again soon, he now honeymooning with his bride lah. He also designed the interior for one of my close friends who owned a bridal shop at Jalan Kledek, the one nearby Golden Landmark.

Pssst....inside info: If you wanna order curtains at shops like Joo Chiat Complex & Tanjong Katong Complex, better order before fasting month hor (fasting starts 13 Sep). The cheaper the prices, usually the busier they are, that's where usually the makciks go and order their curtains for Hari Raya. Last year I managed to get Home Curtains & Fabrics to deliver & install my tracks & curtains just one day before Hari Raya, all bcos of my mom. I make sad face to that uncle (Mr Toh) also like no use, he one look at my mom's face, he said ok lah! That time I came, choose fabric and place order abt 1.5 months before Hari Raya leh. I found out that his regulars will order at least 3-4 months ahead. Jimmy Textiles also not bad, got reasonable prices. So, abt the discount thingy, u can try reccee first & bring floorplan as well as photos of your windows....easier to communicate. But one thing I observed that curtain shops LOVE resale flats. Why? Bcos usually got bigger windows equals bigger $$$$ mah....

Yup, my curtains from them, and I still have my bedroom curtains since my wedding in 2001 liao. My mom's a regular there. As for the speaker & tv, ermmm...this dept I've got no lobang !!

Oh, now I remember...the one at Joo Chiat Complex the shop name is Home Fabrics & Curtains (sister company of J&S). One thing abt J&S branches, different branch carry diff concept, must really ask them in detail. If you're not willing to part with the $480, sit on it first...think..think...browse...browse. If still thinking abt it after more than 2 weeks, it's destined to be yours, hee hee! !! Frankly, for that kind of fabric with that kind of $480 price, it's a steal. Imagine the workmanship required to sew up this curtain, not easy. Btw, does the strips run vertically or horizontally? Bcos if it runs horizontally....then must think of the workmanship costs chargeable when they need to ensure that the right side and left side of the curtain when you draw them close...need to be aligned. If you got expensive fabric, skali the workmanship sucks (ie. here there not even, wrong length, seam & hem not finished neatly) then everything goes down the drain.

Blueberi, Is this fabric to be dry clean only or can handwash or machinewash? Sometimes, the washing instruction can give u an idea the quality of the material. From the pic and your description of the curtain fabric, I suspect this fabric costs at least $80 per metre, could be from Europe or Japan. Look at how the interweaving is done, the workmanship of the fabric alone, the feel and drape & drop of the fabric. With such fabric, u can try browse at J&S shop, the one at Joo Chiat as well as the Orchard Rd branches, or other mid-to-high-end range shops. IMHO....If you intend to keep such curtains for a long time, better get good quality ones, at least the money is worth well spent. Yes, I agree that some may think no need to get expensive curtains, etc. But the point is, when a curtain is big and attractive, better get quality good looking ones. If wanna save on curtains, can get those cheaper ones that blend into the background and doesn't stand out too much. That way you can focus on other better quality small-ticket furnishings such as cushions,upholstery,table cloths,table runners.

Hi Odie !! Wah...lucky I happen to drop by and got to know abt this. Anyways, keep in touch ya!

Applefreak, some sample bathroom photos for u to ponder It's better to have colourful accents with a neutral or soft lilac or lavender as the backdrop/canvas. Then easier to change colour scheme when u get bored allover purple. And cheaper too. !!

That means you love your bf very much Anyways, floor also can spray lah, e.g. like my MBR bathroom. It depends on how much floor traffic and the way u clean & maintain the refinished tile surfaces. The only thing u need to take care is not to scrub with any brushes, just wipe with a soft sponge and spray-on bleach like Mr Muscle Mold & Mildew will do. Recently my hubby happily scrubbed the MBR bathroom floor very hard until some parts of refinished grout line came off, and the best part he didn't notice it. So, now my hubby kena banned from cleaning the bathrooms. And he will bear the costs to re-do the affected areas Btw, the purple colour scheme you intend to do is it the MBR bathroom or the common bathroom? Sure can play around with the colours lah...dun worry. Yup, fasting month for this year starts on 13 Sep and Hari Raya Puasa falls on 13 Oct. Sure, I can join u guys for coffee after breaking fast.

Yup, David has abt 20 colours and newkoat has abt 40+ colours. David's price is of course cheaper bcos he goes by lumpsum, newkoat pricing is by psf. But in the end, took newkoat bcos Andy from newkoat is cuter & younger. So, the choice is yours, and as long it fits your budget range lah. As for 27/7/07 tentative date, let me check my calendar first ah...wait coincide with fasting month...habis! Wahh....deathcoth.....you're da man Btw, do u often use VPostUSA? I very long time never use woh. Maybe in future we can set up Compassvale Green Order Central & Post Box?

Hi applefreak Well, as per your request, here's the tile refinisher’s contact details: New Koat Pte Ltd 30 Defu Lane 9 Singapore 539270 tel: 62813345 fax: 64870483 email: sales@newkoat.com website: www.newkoat.com The person I liased with is Andy Ang (project exec), nice chap whose so far been very patient with my many questions and details. You can call him directly at 98470543. U can also try David from Poh Chin Entreprise, nice chap, who was also shorlisted when I was searching for vendors for the tile refinishing. In the end, engaged newkoat bcos they got more colour-selection, able to custom-blend colours as well as textures/finishes that I wanted. Hi blueberi, Cheers to u too! Wah....how time flies ya? Hi deathcoth, Wah that jacket-cum-bag, it's cool looking! I wonder if got stroller-cum-bag-cum bicycle? Hee hee, just kidding! Errrmmmm....sorry ya if I can't keep up with u guys, this t-blog like very fast one. Anyway, now I'm at my mom's place...later going back Sengkang. Have to wake up hubby lah.

Hi Happened to drop by. Scanned thru' your t-blog 30 pages, until now. So glad to have fellow neighbours. Me from 299B

Yup, the kitchen...well story was that when hubby wanted to slash here & there to revise the reno quote, I told him I don't mind not having a wardrobe at BR3 (to put my clothes), as long as budget for kitchen & svc yard is left untouched. Then....later I itchy asked my ID to add glass backing in the kitchen....hee heee!

Sure, no problemo. Thanks If you're starting the unit tour, kindly let me know in advance, like several days? Bcos my house is still in a tornado mess, still got some more unpacked boxes here & there. Gotta finish cleaning by fasting month, hopefully we Compassvale Alumni can have a gathering at my house during Hari Raya Puasa time

Oh, I see........yup, better settle the defects first bcos that alone will take time. My reno cost was $31k+. Kitchen and service yard works cost abt 35% of total reno costs. ID was not from those big-name companies, was recommended by my cousin. I try to search for my reno invoice first. Will let u know once I got it.

Hi applefreak Nice to see u here too . Yup, it's been a while since. Hi deathcoth Nice to know a fellow N2C19 flat owner. Errrr....u mean you already renovate? Or intending to renovate?

Hi all Me at 299B Compassvale Street.

You're welcome, and happy curtain-shopping!

New cars registered as an OPC will enjoy: - An upfront rebate of $17,000 to be offset against the following items: (a) COE Quota Premium (b) Additional Registration Fee (ARF). The rebate is first offset against the COE premium payable. Any excess is then offset against the ARF payable. - A flat discount of $800 on annual road tax, subject to a minimum road tax payment of $50 per year. (The vehicle tax structure depends on the car's engine capacity. U can check out the LTA link here: Vehicle Tax Structure for Private Cars ) Road tax for the OPC is payable every year. Before renewal, the OPC must be inspected by an authorised Inspection Centre to certify that the number plate has not been tampered with.

Hi rummi, The curtain that you're referring to is also known as lace curtain fabric. Lace curtains can be thick and crocheted or delicate and light. You can try browsing at Spotlight, at Joo Chiat Complex, Arab Street or even Textile Centre at Key Point. Cheers!