calliecats

Hi all, sorry to all fellow forum users who have been following my blog for the long absence! Shortly after my reno, I was posted overseas by my company for a few months & have just returned. Thus the long hiatus. I'm back now and it looks like I've got alot of backdating to do Please be patient & I will retrace my reno journey here to share with you.

Thanks for all the encouragement! I know some people will never use black. I just think it's cool & chic. Now I'm deciding on the grout colour to be used. Many people don't think much about the grout colours after choosing the tiles but I've discovered that it makes a great difference to the overall look. My contractor also shared with me that there are actually many many grout colours available (like rainbow colours, no kidding). I used to think that it was only available in black & white (haha). So now the possibilities are endless. The black tile for the bedrooms & the one for the living room are both 600x600mm. Counting down to hacking day!!

Hi, your apt looks really unique! Who cares what others say as long as you both get max enjoyment out of it (oops, I mean you three, not forgetting maomao of course!). I travel alot to indonesia for work & your deco reminds me alot of the houses here. Congrats on your beutifully unique new home! My Dream Home - 4 Room In The Central Area Embarking on an exciting journey to create my dream apt

Hi SClofthouse, The black tile is high gloss homogeneous tile. My bedroom has no direct sunlight & I intend to keep my bedroom in a cosy ambience so it will not be too reflective. What you see here was taken next to a window with bright sunlight, so that everyone can see the tile clearly. My link

Hi adrielx, your black LG WM looks cool. Am thinking of buying a black WM too, but not used to front load. Don't think there is any black top load in the market yet ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My Dream Home - 4 Room In The Central Area Embarking on an exciting journey to create my dream apt Read all about it in my Reno Blog!

Hi all, mid week already! I've gone for my tile selection (actually I had to go a few times before I could decide as there were so many choices!). Changed my mind a few times too. Decided to rip out the laminate flooring and replace the whole apt with tiles instead. For all the good things said about laminate flooring, I still prefere the squeky clean feel of tiles. So these are my final tile choices: For Living Room/Dining Area & Bedrooms Floor(bedroom floor will be all black glossy) For Kitchen & common bathroom (the floor will be the same grey tile for both bathrooms & kitchen, the white "pop out" tile will be for the common bathroom walls) For master bath (the grey "horizontal" line tile is for the shower area only) . My contractor is a fairly young guy but he is engineering & electrical trained so he was able to advise me on the viability & on the technical aspects of my design, which I'm totally clueless about. I will go crazy if I take on someone that just tells me "up to you, lor"-that would simply be unacceptable to me! My contractor was also able to give me a quote that (compared to other contractor quotes I got) is very reasonable Upon his advise, I have also decided to incorporate mirrors in the living area & glass panels & doors to replace some walls that will be knocked down. He said that it will make the space look bigger & will give it a "manhattan apt look" (I like!!). He is patient even though I changed my mind a few times during the tile selection & accompanied me several times to change the order. Overall, I would say that I'm extremely comfortable with our working relationship up till now. Crossing my fingers that everything will go smoothly. Target to start hacking in 1 week's time.

*Mango13: Thank you for your kind wishes! Last weekend, I started going around looking at furniture & liked this cellini sofa alot! Looks good on its own but doesn't quite go with the overall style that I'm planning to have-which is classic with lots of black, grey, white & some gold/silver thrown in for good measure! Have been reading alot of mags & scouring the blogs here for ideas too. Looks like the mid century modern deco is the flavour of the day. But it's not a style that I'm gravitating towards though (for now).

Hi folks, I'm back-2nd appointment over..yey! Now just waiting (impatiently ) for the sellers to shift out. I'm officially the proud owner of 1! I see this thread had carried on in my absence...haha! Thank you for all the suggestions regarding the fingerprint lock. *Edlyn: Please PM me your contact-the price is irresistable! wow good job (saves me the trouble of going around the island comparing prices ) Will keep you all posted of my reno progress in due course. Wish me luck!

**Rondy:So clever! Are you a contractor or property agent by any chance? **Edlyn:All the best to you too! Have received some more quotes from a few more contractors & I think I might have made my choice As the sellers asked for a 1-2 weeks extension as they are doing a contra at their end (due to lapse time the CPF monies gets credited back to their account to purchase their new flat), I've agreed & will probably decide on the contractor within the next few days so they can apply for the HDB approval for hacking etc. Will be keeping all RT-ers posted! Have a good holiday, everyone.

**Hi West: Thanks for the warm welcome! **Edlyn:We can keep each other posted on the progress of our reno. **Rover:Thanks for the link. **Hafiizh:Thanks for the welcome! By the way, I read your blog, how much did you pay for your parquet? It looks really good!

And also Common Bathroom I'm also interested in installing one of those Samsung Fingerprint locks. I checked the price but it's very expensive around $1200-$1300 including installation. Any one has contacts? Thanks so much!

Here are a few more pictures of the apt: Master Bedroom View 1 Master Bedroom View 2 Master Bathroom Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3

Hi Rover, thank you for your warm welcome. Looking forward to my second appointment coming up next week. In the meantime, here are some of the pictures of the flat for all fellow RTs-ers. Foyer area (main door to kichen) Kitchen View 1 (from inside kitchen looking out) Kitchen View 2 Living Room View 1 Living Room View 2

I have been reading the blogs for awhile now as I started looking for a home early this year. Had shortlisted some areas & I must have viewed over 35-40 flats. Then... the right one came along (ie. price & location ideal-esp. the dreaded COV)! Had gone for my 1st appointment last month & 2nd appointment coming up soon. It's all very exciting!! I've also been talking to some IDs & contractors but so far the IDs have quoted me around $50K-$60K, contractors around $35K-$40K & that excludes some things like WIW, granite table & island top, mirrors etc. As I already know what I want, I'm thinking to skip the ID route & just go for a good contractor that can communicate & manage the project for me well & help me to save some money. I'm still figuring out how to post pictures here & I will post the floor plan & some pics of the house as soon as I get it sorted out. Here's the floor plan:

Hi this is my 1st time doing reno, so will appreciate it if you guys who have more experience can advise me on this: what are the advantages of having laminated vs spray painted kitchen cabinets? How much is the going rate for pfr for laminated & spray painted? Thanks!

Hi Anybody knows the current price for bundle Rinnai hob & hood model RB-2GHIII & RH-90CD? Thanks!