mavicaste

Pre-renovation Photos Living Room Kitchen/Service Yard Bathroom Study Bedroom 1 Main Bedroom

Draft Drawings These are done using Google SketchUp over a period of 2 years as I found other tools such as Floorplanner and Visio lacking. One nice feature of SketchUp is the ability to import models created by other users and someone actually did one of the exact Scanteak bed we have gotten! The textures to apply onto surfaces though can be limited and are not exactly representative of what we have in mind. As we started out, there were unorthodox ideas such as combining the MBR and Bedroom 1, using the formal as a study cum walk-in-wardrobe and the latter as the bedroom but we have since narrowed it down to this. The concept is to limit the amount of permanent, built-in fixtures and achieve the feel we want through the furnishing. This also makes it easier to shift things around in case we are bored with the layout from time to time.

Design Concept and Inspirations When it comes to building a home and choosing the style of interior design, there are bound to be differing opinions between a couple and we are not spared from this as well. To deal with this issue, we scoured through the forum, interior design sites such as http://www.desiretoinspire.net/, magazines and TV variety shows to compile a varying list of styles, elements and furnishing that we fancy. From there, we find the common themes that appeal to us and began our conceptualization from there. If its a must to label the style we are looking to get, it will be a combination of contemporary, industrial and Scandinavian themes. So, elements such as clean lines, exposed brick walls, cement screed and wood furnishings will hopefully help us achieve the "timeless" look we envision. Themes such as these...

Milestones and Progress Updates 20 April 2010 - Punggol Emerald BTO launched 10 August 2010 - Unit selected 6 March 2011 - Signed Agreement for Lease 6 April 2012 - Placed refundable deposit for mattress at Robinsons 7 September 2013 - Technically bought our first piece of furniture, king size bed from Scanteak 5 October 2013 - Started contractor/ID shopping 4 January 2014 - Laid down a deposit and signed up with AL of 9 Creation 20 January 2014 - Household Shelter commissioned 22 January 2014 - TOP approved 7 February 2014 - Keys collection 27 February 2014 - Commencement of renovation with hacking Contractor/ID Shopping We started out our search for the right firm to turn our vision into reality with a list of referrals from family and friends and proceeded to further narrow down the candidates based on online feedback, estimated pricing using their "promotional" packages as well as their portfolio. As a result, we only had 3 shortlisted firms when we began meeting them for quotations as the original referral list was pretty short to being with. ZY of Ideal House - One of the youngest among them but seemed experienced enough as he pointed out some considerations I failed to include in my design. We were initially drawn to the firm due to their package "gift" items of Mitsubishi system-3 air conditioner, 20 feet top and bottom kitchen cabinet which we later found out it was only a choice between the 2 as this description was ambiguously left out. Their prices are slightly above average but the main reason he wasn't shortlisted was because he was already showing signs of unresponsiveness during the followup to the quotation when we were trying to clarify certain details. * not shortlisted * AG of Carpenters - An experienced ID who actually carried out the most complete preparation work prior to the first meeting and displayed traits of a very organized, sincere, flexible and reliable person. He also suggested a major distinctive ***** variation to our initial plan when we have since included into our plans. Despite the lack of online feedback on their quality of work, it is clear from their portfolio that their carpentry work is top notch. The main drawback is that their prices are on the high side and even he admittedly agreed. * KIV * JS of Monoloft - Decided to get a quotation from this firm as my friend had his place nicely done with plenty of carpentry work and hacking for under $20k. We understood that was "friendship" price and we shouldn't be expecting anything close but our quotation turned out to be no different from the other 2 initial firms. We also felt that communication may be an issue in the future and that ruled him out. * not shortlisted * After receiving the quotations from the 3 firms, which were all around the range of $26k to $28k excluding, we felt the need to explore other firms on our own as we were certainly not getting much value from initial firms. We decided to take the plunge and filled up the quotation request forms on both Renotalk and Reno-Nation. By providing the firms who responded with a list of items and requirements to quote on, along with some of the 3D drawings to help illustrate our ideas, we hope to save ourselves from plenty of wasted time meeting up with each and every firm we are interested in. Of course, the cheapest quote does not equate to being the most value and we actually evaluated them using the criteria of pricing, online feedback, portfolio, personality and even office location. AL of 9 Creation - He is one of our favourites as we feel that in terms of design, he is the one who share the closest vision as what we have in mind. AL is also straight forward with his opinions and quick to offer practical tips, yet at the same time does not appear to be pushy. Pricing wise, his prices are competitive and his reason was that we must have already done our homework getting them to quote on a specific list of requirements and they have to offer value in order to get us interested. The only concern here is that being a relatively new setup, there aren't any reviews on the firm but he has offered to show us to not 1 but 2 units which he is currently working on. * signed * TT of D'Trenzo - We were quoted with very competitive pricing but has yet to meet up with this ID due to the mixed reviews pertaining to the firm. * KIV * JF of DeFong - He needs no introduction as you can find plenty of positive reviews around in the forum. His prices are the most competitive among all quotations we have received and that came as a pleasant surprise to us. During the meeting, JF showed his experience by highlighting some issues that may require further thought which none of the other ID brought up. Well, if you are wondering why we did not confirm him shortly after the meeting since he seems like the complete package, it is due to the fact that he seems more like the "uncle" type ID who may be overly practical at times and not as inspiring on the design aspect. * shortlisted * BC of Ciseern - Things got off on a bad note when the first response from him after receiving from us the list or requirements and 3D drawings was that if there our own ideas or were there someone else's and also if he could make changes to it. Having heard the horror story from our future neighbour of their ID from this firm making wholesale changes to their plan after a deposit is made, we decided that the wise decision would be to steer clear. * not shortlisted * JT of Matrix Interior - We only interacted via emails and SMS but this ID deserves a special mention. After we decided to solicit for quotations using the forms, the responses we received were mostly in the low 20s until we got a $30+k one from JT. Some of the overcharging were so blatant that even people who hasn't done any research would also realised. $2200 for painting? The worst part is that he still had the cheek to defend himself by attempting to smoke us with technicalities when we politely informed him that his prices were significantly higher than the others. * not shortlisted * PTL of Ming Sing Construction - One of the few contractors we approached and also a referral from a friend. Prices are relatively competitive but not offering as much value without the services of an ID * KIV * JY of Z L Construction - Again a referral from another friend and we thought we found the right person just after viewing their portfolio as we saw many elements we were looking for in it. The quality of their workmanship is also evident just by looking at photos. Sadly, it turned out their prices were considerably higher and way above our budget but in their defence, their team is made up of solely locals and Malaysians. * not shortlisted * AT of Aian Furniture & Renovation - Did not display reasonable amount of promptness in his responses but we gave him the benefit of the doubt and met up with him for discussion as per his request. During the meeting, he actually got my name wrong as he was looking for my email to him in order to download my floor plan and drawings which I have already provided weeks ago. He also kept asking questions about the ideas we have in mind when they were right in front of him in the drawings I provided. We were promised with the quotation a week later but it has been a month and there has been nothing, not even a response to my messages * not shortlisted * At this point in time, we can conclude that referrals do not work for us as the contractor/ID and our friends may share a special relationship which does not spill over and besides, business is business. So unless you have your own family or friend who is actually in the line and willing to offer you a special "friendship" price, don't expect a steal when you get a quote from a referral. Another point is that contractors are cheaper than IDs appear to be nothing but a myth for us so far.

Hi! We have been on this forum for over 3 years and have learnt a lot thanks to the generous sharing of information and ideas here. Now that our very own first home will be ready soon, it's time to give back. Our home is a 4-room unit in Punggol Emerald that was launched in April 2010 together with Punggol Waves. At the point of writing, some of our future neighbours have already collected their keys and commenced renovation works. Even though our PCD is still stated as 4th Quarter 2013, our block still has quite a bit of work to do and as the title suggests, we are looking at a more realistic moving in date of March to April 2014. In terms of the unit layout, we are really pleased that the kitchen is large by today's 4-room BTO standards as we are looking forward to finally hosting dinners in our home. On the other hand, this means the living room will be smaller but we feel the area distribution is balanced. The only gripe is that due to the way the Main Bedroom and Bedroom 1 are placed, the available options to hack or combine the 2 rooms are limited.

I am referring to other BTO projects in Punggol as well. For example, the kitchens in Sapphire next door are notoriously small but of course they get larger halls in return.

My unit's dimensions are exactly identical, just a lateral inversion difference. Our kitchen is relatively larger than most 4-room units in Punggol, so much I am considering having cabinets on both sides of the walls.

Hi neighbours joekpw and DMac!

If your unit is on the top floor, can consider using it the balcony as a grilling/chill out area. That's what a close friend of mine did. He holds regular BBQ dinners at his home, doubles up for cigars and drinks as well.

Hi reglxt, sent you a pm a while back and not sure if you may have overlooked it.

Thanks for the info.

Hi floppy, can I know which bedroom is your study in and what is the width of the standing space in your walk-in wardrobe?

Just wanted to share my experience with these pests. The whole episode started after a holiday in Hong Kong. Initially, I only discovered their presence a few months later when I noticed the stains in the seams on the mattress. It took me time to realized it as I don't really react to the bites but my girlfriend would be kept awake by them if she stayed over. I have read that these creatures are immune to insecticide so I didn't try using them. What we did were to comb the room, and especially the mattress, for them and literally caught them. The problem obviously returned after a few weeks and I even resorted to steaming the seams of my mattress and the bed. Also, applied the bed bug spray (from NTUC if I remember correctly) but that did not work. As a final resort, my dad got someone to bring in freshly plucked soursop tree leaves from Thailand and I spread them between the bed and the mattress. According to his colleague, this is a common remedy that the Thais use. Coupled that together with regular combing in the middle of the night and I finally managed to eradicate the problem. They are something which I really wish would be extinct from the face of the earth.