mae29

Master Toilet wall tiles... Foyer at entrance to Kitchen Good workmanship....worth praising them

The workers seen working on kitchen & toilets walls when I went up on Friday. The workers' output---- My ID, Donny, seen here in deep thought (not so easy to revamp old flat!!) and inspecting the work-in-progress on Friday, 10-Dec-2010..... Progress to date... --Service Balcony wall tiles up....and SS rubbish chute The wall opening at Dining & Kitchen low cabinet..

Took half day leave yesterday to do personal errand and therefore have more time to spend inspecting the renovation. Went up to my place around 12 plus and there were 6 workers including the one changing the rubbish chute. Hmmm...seems like my ID is pushing the contractor to deploy more workers to speed up the revonation. The controversial Aircon drainage pipe has been changed to bigger diameter and concealed in the wall in master toilet. My ID is really a very responsible person. I am also glad that the workers sent to my place are all very experienced and care for their workmanship! Tiler Ah Lim told me before that he would reject a piece of wall tile in the common toilet as he found it not in alignment with the rest. I won't have noticed it if he didn't tell him that, and this shows his professionalism. What I saw later was a raw area which tile was removed. Then, while I was there yesterday, one worker was supposed to erect the wall with frosted glass in the living room and had an issue which I can't make the decision. I heard this worker calling my ID and to my surprise, my ID arrived at site in less than 15 mins. We later left my home and ID drove me to the bank and beauty salon.

In ancient time, the Chinese had discovered to their amazement that the universe is made up of energy fields known to them as 'Qi'. They believed that the Sun, Moon, Earth and other planets in the Solar System radiate cosmic energy which is constantly changing over time depending on the relative positions of the planets. We are all affected by our living environment. The place we live, the location our house is sited, the landscape in our vicinity and the internal space within our home are channels where energy flows. Qi wax and wane through time and is inclined towards certain compass direction and location. If properly tapped, it gives prosperity and harmony to the inhabitants of a property in terms of health, wealth and relationships, by identifying, locating, containing and tapping into this energy. so, this is the Earth part.... The discovery had led to the creation of the Chinese calendar which is based on the movement of this cosmic energy. The Chinese charted this cosmic energy into 22 energy pillars known as the 10 heavenly Stems and 12 Earthy Branches (equivalent to 12 Zodiac signs). From these combinations of heavenly stems and earthly branches, the Chinese Solar Calendar (Hsia) is derived which is quite similar to the western Gregorian calendar as it is also based on the earth's orbit around the sun. However, instead of starting the year on the 1st of January, the Chinese Solar Calendar begins the year on the 1st day of Spring which falls on or around the 4th Feb. This calendar is also used in the practice of Chinese Astrology known as the Four Pillars of Destiny or BaZi. Based on a person's date and time of birth, the influence of this cosmic energy on the newborn is said to chart the destiny and characteristics of that particular person. In Chinese Astrology, the year in which we were born is represented by one of the 12 animals in the zodiac and one of the 5 elements in the universe i.e. wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each of the animal symbolism is associated with an element which has a polarity of Yin and Yang. This is based on the Chinese system of counting the years known as the 60 year cycle. In this cycle, the years are formed by the interaction of 10 celestial stems and 12 terrestrial branches. These stems and branches are also called heavenly stems and earthly branches, simply because our luck is governed partly by heaven's decree and partly by human action. So, this is Heaven part.... ...and this is my basic understanding of the connections between Heaven and earth... Pardon me as my knowledge is not up to expectation yet....still learning phase! Do feel free to advise and expand please....so that we all can learn together!

A person’s destiny is governed by the following factors:- • Timing (to be born at the right time) • Space (to stay at the right place) • Action (to do the right things) Timing refers to the time of birth when a person is infused with the energy of the universe or heaven’s luck which is one’s fate. Space refers to the place of habitation or earth’s luck where the energy of the environment affects the inhabitants on earth. Action refers to the cause and effects of one’s attitudes and actions or man luck. Hope this brief explanation helps....

Hi, Ken Original quotation was around $48K for all carpentries, new floor & wall tiles, hacking whole house (hacking alone is already a few K due to so many walls, floors and cabinets to remove)! It was considered reasonable as I took their promo package for kitchen & 2 toilets ($15,999), and subsequently revise from thereon for my requirements. Later, I made changes and added these items: - Plastering for whole house (wall & ceilings) - New windows in White Powder Coated frame with green tinted glass panels for whole house - Wall tiles for service balcony (was not included as their package is for kitchen + 2 toilets only) - New doors in veneer solid wood & frames x 4 nos. - New side board in laminate for the platform bed in Bedroom 4 - Design ceiling for all rooms - Extra top hung wooden door in laminate finish for my Master toilet (as you can see from 3D drawing) I asked to remove all those freebies (toilet bowls, sink, accessories) which they included in promo package and discount was given to me. Total price for my reno package as seen in 3D drawings is >$50K! You can roughly guess the final numbers...... I showed these 11 pieces of 3D drawings to my colleague and she was shocked that my ID provides so many pieces for the 1st time (unlike some ID who will feed you piece meal!!). These 11 pieces of 3D drawings excluded the 5 pieces of 3D drawings for toilets & kitchen from the tiles shop which they provide to show me the colour scheme of tiles, which I believe, not many ID requested the shop to provide. ...and all these 3D drawings are FOC!

I was utterly disappointed with the aircon guy who has embedded the draining pipe underneath the floor tiles in Master toilet. For the first time, I fly into fury and sent the following message to the aircon guy, via my ID (because he recommended this guy to me): Quote" I definitely want thicker insulation, Armaflex Class '0' to prevent condensation & loss of energy efficiency, and Grade 22 copper for refrigeration system. Also, the common drainage pipe which I saw in master toiler now seemed too small! My engineer told me better use DN25 for common drain pipe connecting all drainage pipes from each FCU. The PVC drainage pipe at each FCU can use 16mm, but the main one connecting them must be bigger. As I have lost trust on the aircon guy, Joey, I have to keep an eye on his material and installation. Hence, when time for aircon installation, I am taking leave to inspect! If Joey gives excuses that bigger pipes & thicker insultation may pose bulky trunkings, I was told that we can have it partially concealed in walls. Not sure how much you understand this message, but I can get my HVAC engineer to talk to him, if Joey is trying to dissuade me. Unquote" Wow...I seemed to be too harsh on my ID...as this has nothing to do with him at all! Donny is really very patient and nice...didn't push the problem back to me, instead he replied that " I'll let him know" and later sms'd to say "Have told Joie your request, he'll call you......"

The quotation I received do not have this line item...perhaps they absorbed as my quotation was over $70K?

I contacted the partner of this firm during September 2010. He assigned his Snr Consultant, Montie, to serve me. My first impression with Montie was good as he is the only person who came with measuring tape and taking down all the measurements, although I gave all firms & contractors the same set of HDB floor plan. He was also able to provide good suggestion and he also asked me which are the old furnitures I want to keep them. This is also the only company who provides a very detailed breakdown of their prices, including quantity and unit rates for all items quoted. I was invited to go down to meet Montie to discuss the concept design he had for me, so that I know what were included for me. In the end, I didn't have the time to meet him as I thought my budget was stretched! Now looking back, I should say this firm is worth a try, as they have done alot of reno works for private condominiums and I have no doubt on their ideas and design.

My card reader is faulty and I am trying to find time to buy a replacement before I can download the progress photographs of my home renovation. These days, lunch time is spent walking home to inspect the workmanship, and having lunch with the tiler. Today, lunch is with both tiler and my ID. My ID was at the reno site because there is open window affecting the row of mosiacs designed for the wall behind the WC bowl. For the time being, decided to write something on house feng shui & 4 pillars of destiny, with my little knowledge. How we face adversities in life and whether we are successful in the pursuit of our goals and aspirations will depend on the conditions of our living space or environment and our attitudes and actions. I like this advice from 'Sun Tzu': “It is a principle of war that we do not assume the enemy will not come, but instead be prepared for his coming, not to presume the enemy will not attack, but instead to make our own position invincible to ensure victory.” True enough, by knowing our natal chart based on BaZi and our luck cycle over the course of our life using the intrinsic luck pillars, we can use Feng Shui as a moderator to overcome anticipated challenges and at the same time, enable us to achieve our goals and purpose in life. Our house is a gateway for Qi to enter and collect. By positioning the front door of our house in the auspicious location and direction, we can tune into the positive energy of our environment for harmony and prosperity, and at the same time, to avoid negative energy which brings misfortune and calamity. Apart from our destiny’s chart and Feng Shui, we can always rely on our own free will as well. When the going started to get tough and life is but a struggle, our own attitude and reaction will partly determine whether the battle is won or lost.

Further on this topic: A kitchen is best located at a sector where there are positive facing stars such as 9 or 1 (but NOT star 8, burning away your wealth). Kitchen is considered Yang and therefore suitable for facing stars. It can also have neutral star such as 4 and even star 3 as both are of wood elements which support the stove. It is also acceptable to have sitting stars 9 or 1 in the kitchen as secondary preference. This is because a kitchen can also be considered Yin if the cooking is done quietly and pleasantly with the help of modern appliances. If the facing or sitting star is 6, it is considered inauspicious as it is akin to fire at heaven’s gate. The reason being the Star 6 is a reference for Heaven based on Early Heaven Ba Gua Trigram. The stove should ideally follow your Life Gua favorable direction based on 8 Mansion as 1st chouce. If not, we can follow the favorable house Gua direction. In kitchen FS, we don't like to have an “island” in the middle of a kitchen. This is because the stove will be subject to the onslaught of incoming Qi which is not auspicious (will create health problem). For kitchen fs, most of you already know, the tap and stove should not be directly facing one another or too near to one another. In the study of the 5 elements, it is akin to water clashing with fire.

We must understand that feng shui is only an enhancer (33.33% of cosmic trinity). If we are not born to be Rich, there is little feng shui can do except to lessen the hardship in the pursuit of our wealth. In our Bazi Chart, if we are not meant to be the next Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, no FSM can make you turned into One of them!

CoffeeMan, Will HDB approved concealed wiring in toilet? I am paying for PE Endorsement for electrical installations....so many lighting points and sockets...

On the first batch of 3D drawings released to us last week, here are our comments to our ID: Bedroom 2 - youngest son wants his room to be all white & black theme with some original Wood colour furniture! Sigh!!! His BaZi Chart already has so many Metal elements and yet he still want Earth to grow Metal! Bedroom 3 - for second son, and he is the only person who makes no comments! Bedroom 4 - for eldest son, he likes the concept design and the only comment from him is to remove the mirror from the wardrobe and install the mirror on the wall near right side of door entrance. However, as he is a strong 'Ren' Day Master staying in Gen Kua, FSM suggested 'Apple White' theme for his room, which will be identical to the second son (also a strong Ren day master born in season). On this aspect, I am also insisting the ID to change the colour theme for Bedroom 4.

hahaha....luckily fall into longkang not ocean. Otherwise, you can stay afloat but I will be drown!

I went up to see the progress of tiling work during my lunch time just now. Only one Malaysian tiler is at work, for the wall tiles at common toilet. As I have requested for build-in shelves for shampoos, he had cut out a quarter round shape from the living room floor tiles and showed it to me if I accepted it. I was delighted at that very moment! Understand from this guy, Ah Lim or Ah Pak we may call him, his colleague will join him to do the flooring once he finished a current project at CCK. Was quite surprised when he told me that owner is rushing to move in by this Friday, while the granite flooring is still incomplete as of today?! Ah Lim also told me that this colleague, the floor tiler, workmanship is good:) I am hoping so.

Hi, cleong I have a King size Sealy Posturepedic mattress and I have to purchase a custom made 'platform' type of frame (from the same shop at IMM) which is strong enough to hold the mattress which is really really heavy! It is true, the Sealy mattress is really heavy when we recently moved it out for renovation. If you buy the Idea Kingsize frame, please check to ensure it can accommodate the weight of the mattress, especially if you buy those frame with legs!

bepgof, You are my 'Sifu' here indeed! Must learn the 'JieQi' theory from you....my knowledge on this topic is so so niah...

It could be that person's room has more metals, or he likes Earth!

Thank you for compiling the Renovation Tips. It provides alot of tips and useful information for owners like me, who has nobody to turn to but here seeking guidance and solutions from brothers and sisters in this forum:)

Hi, Reiki Thank you for the valuable feedback and I am taking note of all comments & will discuss it with my ID. So far, he has been very responsive & he is coordinating the reno works himself personally! Today, when I was telling the tiler that we have plenty of time, ID immediately disagreed and told the tiler that he should speed up as per schedule. On a separate issue, I am unhappy with the Aircon guy. When I first met him, I did tell him that I want the pipes to be concealed at side kerb but I never agreed that the pipe laid underneath the floor tiles! Worst still, the pipe outlet was dipping into floor trap, so how am I going to do purging during maintenance? ID called the aircon guy and conveyed my complaint to him. The aircon guy assured me that he will modify it when floor tiles are ready. I am not listening to his advice and over the weekend, told ID that I am rejecting it & asked that the aircon guy adhered to my suggestion to hide the pipes along the kerbs. Not sure what other solutions are available to hide those aircon pipes, yet still maintain accessibility for purging?

I also agreed that 2.5 months for reno to new 4 room flat is more than my old 5 rooms with major makeover! My hacking started on 25 Nov, and I ask my ID to handover by 26 Jan. Today, while I was telling the tiler that we are not rushing, ID immediately proclaimed that tiling should finish according to schedule! Wow...he is serious in his work! My ID is also the Project Manager & I am keeping my fingers crossed that all went well. By the way, can you advise me the diameter of air con pipe? 16mm dia? What is Class '0' thing that was mentioned?

In that case, since you have activators (telephone, hi-fi, fan) on left table, and lamp on right table, I would suggest you superimposed both tables and place these activators in the sub-sector with good stars. Got office politiking? On the right table, place the lamp at South for these few months until 3-Feb.

You are right; the TV seems to be too low. I will be checking with ID if it can be mounted on the low wall; but it also depends on the height of sofa we are getting. Seems like we have to buy low theme coffee table and sofa. Else, will mount TV on the bracket and increase the height of base console. Overall, we like the sleek design of the TV console.

Absolutely important to close up the gap! Thank you!