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Hello bigcat thks for dropping by .. wow, really sympathise with u on getting into another reno so soon I think reno is the most scary experience ever. Seems like SO many thgs to juggle - furnishings, shifting hse , reno etc Thks vm for ur tip on gnee hong. I didn't knw they have outdoor stuff. Will check them out. r104_for thks pal n real sori to hear abt ur hdb rejectn. Did they give u any reason ? I thot wall is 'less sensitive' than flooring which has major waterproofing. Whats your plans now?

Finally ! An end is in sight for our endless task of buying furnishings !! The only thing left is buying an outdoor dining set that is within our budget. So far those that we have viewed aren't Our recent purchases: We bought our TV from the recently ended PC show : the LG LW5700 its a cheap alternative to samsungs smart tv the price : $1699 free: 3D blu ray player 4 green lantern tickets dongle magic motion remote 4 3D glasses delivery earphones cordless earphones corded mouse Our first time thronging a PC show. Quite proud of ourselves at the end of the show. Even tho' we didn't stake out the LG booth at closing time during last day (which we always hear will get good bargains)

Some updating to do here and more pics to follow soon So far, my ID has cheoreographed everything most efficiently. And you might think that this industry is dominated by the men because they have to deal with dialect speaking rough-type contractors. But no , she is a true lady (only see her in long pants once), but its evident that she commands respect from the workmen, from electrician to the carpenter. I think its the way she is 'no-nonsense' with them and she knows her work very well so they won't even try to 'bully' her. Perhaps its my imagination but when she arrives on site, I think even the workmen stand straighter and quicken their pace when doing their work Recently we saw that the additional switches that the elect added were too 'curvy' to match the rest of the other existing switches. We didn't want to trouble Vera to get the elect to change the switches so we were psyching ourselves to accept the switches when lo and behold, dear Vera saw the switches and told the elect to get them changed. Even the most challenging of tasks - fabricating a dish drying rack unto a false kitchen ceiling - we left it to her to find us a solution and she did . The whole fabrication is going to be installed amidst a whole myraid of pipes and water heater (hidden above the false ceiling). When we voiced our concern to cap our costs, she suggested alternatives that were more wallet friendly. Eg we needed the use of 'chengal wood' but as an alternative we are using 'marine ply' which is lower cost. She also suggeseted that the ply be painted white to match the surrounding area's color theme. I believe that an efficient and helpful ID is imperative to something as harrowing as renovating a house

work in progress state . I love the quality of the paint! On the brochure it did say 'light reflecting' or something of that sort but I thought it was just marketing hype. Who knew, the effect was indeed 'brighter' and definitely cheerier

The curtains u see in the previous pic belongs to the seller who sold the place to us after it got TOP. "Flipping" ?

My princess's room in 'before' state

adidaem , thks pal - we needed more storage space, hence the need to remove the entire wall mirror to replace with mirror cabinets . Finished outcome may technically 'look the same' however But it helps me to keep the vanity top clutter free cos evrythg will be concealed behind the mirrors

'work in progress' state

My kitchen in 'before' state

The bathroom in 'before' state

Some 'before & work in progress' pictures

Totally swamped with all the furnishing shopping and necessary errands Need a good spa retreat to recharge but thats just wishful thinking on my part ... feeling a little broke these days But we are lucky that its GSS - Subsequent to my shopping list above - here's what we have achieved so far 1) 4 units of kdk m11su $167@ and 1 unit r/c wall kdk $128@ 2) king size bed frame $297 3) super single 8" spring mattress $127 4) curtains for entire house $2200 5) 3 chandeliers, 3 pendant lights $1500 6) backdoor's gate + yard's window grills $800 What we have yet to buy: 1) TV 2) clothes dryer 3) dining table + chairs 4) maid's bed + mattress

hi patsy, wow, your first quote really daylite robbery . Sorry can't help much with bathrm layout planning . Can understand ur intention to enclose bathing space - its a nitemare to wet the entire area everytm the shower is used

Oops .. forgot one 'kudos' here . The sales person we encountered at Cap Dist for KDK fans was fantastic. We didn't buying anythg but got a thorough education on fans, the installation and all that jazz. We were told the prices of fans at cap dist and also a 'estimated' price of fans at the retailers. The price diff was up to $100. No pressure, no sale from us, and we took up at least 45 mins of his time. We apologised and thanked the SA at the same time.

2) that I would like to share with other reno-consumers like myself wht kind of experience I had with various retailers during the reno journey. So that all of us can make informed choices at some point a) king koil - bot the mattress from robinson. The sales lady told us that anytime before delivery, if the mattress is ever offered at robinson for lower price , we can get a refund of the price difference. Enough said b) courts - we bought the HTL couch from there and other items on 2 seperate ocassions. The sales man was very nice - he told us that he will lump the 2 purchases under same delivery so we only pay one del. c) Spotlight - we bought blinds and paid for delivery/ installation. Thanks to the nice sales lady , she told us that after delivery , if blinds don't fit , they can refund us (minus the del/installation). Impressed. d) I wanna go Home- good service by sales lady. I wanted to buy a pic frame and she offered to search for a new pc without prompting and even checked with their tanglin branch. The male staff also kindly helped me to carry my purchases down to the car. My purchase did not even cross the $400 mark. Lest you think its been all smooth sailing and a bed of roses, read on .. a) a retailer by the name of Uniqulus had to be 'compelled'(thru the legal channel) to refund us for a furniture set that we bought. I shall save the unplesantries for another day but suffice to say, its like a landmine where furniture buying is concerned. Best to find out some opinions/ experiences of others if possible. JMHO.

This reno made me realise a few things: 1) what seems like a simple reno - suddenly evolves and grows into a specimen with a 'life' of its own. The items that you 'need' are getting blurred with those that you 'want'. One extra coffee table here, a nice wall clock there, and extra floor lamp that will pull the whole look together , I have to tell myself that moods and fads change - there will alw be opportunities to get the 'add-ons'. My wardrobe suffers these few months because my credit card usage is swamped with household purchases. Some consolation is that its GSS now, so hopefully there are 'good buys' for furnishings

patsy , 2 reno projects in 2 yrs ? wow .. my last project was 5 yrs ago and now this current reno , alr I am almost fainting frm the 'busy-ness' of this event. I really must be getting old btw, I see that you went to 'arco, jln beser' for your lights .. I went past that same shop when I had to go to lightings.com (think they are neighbours) - they looked 'up-mkt' n i couldn't spy any 'pricetag' hanging around so I didn't dare to go in. Mind if I ask how were their pricing and overall sales experience for u? Lady R, thks for the welcome! are u a car lover ? Your nick reminds me of 'type R ' yes , its a condo. Now tht I figure out how to load photos, will post more up . Btw, your current place in JW? So kong tai fan seller is near by? Did u buy from them? We were told by someone frm KDK(S) that its much cheaper to get from the 'retailers'. We need at least 4 units KDK so doing my reseach now to knw whr to go.

Contractor measuring out and marking the electrical points with our ID

I did it , footprint!

The start of all renovations : the ubiquitous floor protection process

Our first 3 meetings with our ID were quite a hassle - their office is located right in the heart of business district and parking was not only exorbitant but also non existent. But our ID was very nice - she suggested meeting us near to our current home. *Phew* So we never had to jostle with the traffic thereafter We had a total of about 4-5 meetings after signing up with her firm before things launched into gear . These meetings were to discuss and preview all the necessary works. Some things that I observe about the ID: She listens and remembers our likes/ needs/ wants even tho' some of our 'criterias' must have run contrary to her better design expertise Flexible and responsive - even late at night (11+pm) and she's responding/ emailing / smsing us. Responsible - follows up and keeps her word Hmmm.... maybe works haven't get 'busy' yet, so too soon to verdict .. so stay tuned ... will load some pics meantime

Laundry list of items bought: 1) yamaha U1 2) king koil mattress 3) HTL couch 4) accent arm chairs 6) framed picture 7) nesting table 8) outdoor transparent blinds 9) my toddler's princess bed items going-to-be bought: 1) 6 units ceiling fans 2) 1 unit of wall fan 3) LG smart TV 42" 4) curtains 6) master bed 7) dishwasher 8) clothes dryer 9) study room chair 10) dining table 11) 6 units dining chairs 12) 1 unit outdoor dining table 13) 4 units outdoor dining chairs 14) 2 units bedside table 15) 2 units bedside lamps 16) 11 units potted plants 17) 2 units chandeliers 18) 4 units pendant light

patsy : thats what we thot so too .. but alarmingly , the 'to-do' list seems to be lengthening.. and the same goes for the expenses too but i admit, i felt relieved that its not more than wat it is footprint: ok, will try again n look for the , thks vm !

thks for the tip , sleek !

Items from developer : 1) wardrobe in light beech color for all rooms 2) bosch 2 door (side by side) fridge 3) bosch cooker hob 4) stove (can't rem brand) 5) hansgrohe bathroom accessories for all baths. 6) mitsubishi aircon 7) sensor lighting for wardrobes and foyer 8) kitchen cabinets in beech / white gloss laminate 9) bosch oven /grill 10) soft closing mech for kitchen cab doors 11) Beech color front door/ room doors 12) matt white marble floor for living / kitchen 13) dark brn parquet in room