frostyapple

Looks like it has happened quite long ago. My neighbour is not home most of the time, cannot find out any information from them. I am thinking of writing the previous owner's new address on my main door, and ask the A Long not to bother me. Do you think this will work ?

I am now renovating my new flat. My contractor told me that my main door has big patches of paint which was painted over to cover up. He said this was A Long's work. I am quite paranoid. Will the A Long continue to hound my flat ?

Yes Ikea charges $28 per feet of installation charge. People who wrote negative feedback never actually installed Ikea kitchen. It is true that most people in Singapore get custom made kitchen cabinets, I haven't heard of anyone who has installed Ikea kitchen except myself.

My old kitchen was made up of laminated doors which peeled after a few years. I am thinking of using solid wood doors for my new kitchen, and I wonder if this will be durable ?

I have been using LG Hi MACS solid surface for my kitchen for 2 years already. I am very happy with it. It is definitely much better than my previous kitchen countertop which is a no name brand of solid surface.

I have my Ikea kitchen for 1 year 10 months now. Here is the photo : http://tamarindthings.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html I am happy with it. It was cheap because there was a very good promotion back then. The quality really depends on the type of doors and countertop that you choose. I chose the most expensive countertop which is LG Hi-macs which is very good, and the abstrakt high gloss door which looks very good. The cheaper doors will not be durable. The 25 year warranty covers manufacturers defect only, it does not cover normal wear and tear. Note that Ikea uses an external contractor to install the cabinets. It is best to contact them and arrange an installation date before you purchase the cabinets. Installation is additonal 5%, delivery costs extra. The reason why I chose Ikea is because they will always be around. The cabinets, doors, etc can be replaced without the need of hacking the whole kitchen. My previous so called designer kitchen lasted only 10 years, the cabinet under the sink rotted and I had no choice but to hack the whole kitchen.

renoseeker, I met with a contractor who has a busness ad in this forum, I don't seem to find any bad comments about them. I went to see an ongoing project, I think the workmanship is average. I really wonder whether I can trust that the admin never remove any bad comments about them. Perhaps this comment will be removed too.

Wow a new 5 room flat is selling at about $400K now. 12 years ago I bought my 5 room flat for only $210K, completely paid off our loan after 5 years. No wonder people are complaining that HDB flats are not affordable now.

Thanks. If don't rely on certs, what else can we rely on ? There are too much self advertising here, and contractors/IDs pretending to be satisfied customers and promoting themselves. Even the reviews here cannot really be trusted.

Dear all, I am currently looking for a contractor or ID. It is not easy to find one that can be trusted to do a good job. Do contractors also register with Radac ? Can we ask them for the Radac Cert No ?

Thank you very much.

Anyone knows where to find latest prices of new HDB flats purchased directly from HDB ? I cannot find it at HDB website.

Dear all, Thanks for all your replies. The granite floor is in very good conditon so I find it quite a waste to hack. It is close to red in colour, not my favourite colour, but I can live with it. My concern is whether it will be difficult to maintain because I am a very lazy person, I will mop my floor once every month only when I don't have a maid. But my floor almost never has puddles of water on it, just dusty. It does not seem too difficult to maintain judging from the replies.

I replaced the sink in my parents' old flat to a very nice and big porcelain one. It is attached directly to the wall, no cabinet below. I found it at a shop at Jalan Besar, and the shop recommended a contractor for me who hacked the old sink and installed the new sink. Total cost including installation and sink is about $500. I also saw some metal sinks at IMM Sim Siang Choon. I cannot remember the price, but I think it is cheaper. I also bought a porcelain sink from this shop and have it installed in my bathroom. For a very cheap kitchen cabinet, you can go down to Ikea kitchen section, look for a kitchen table with stainless steel legs, stainless steel shelf and Ikea countertop. I bought one of these and I am surprised at how durable the NUMERAR countertop is, not a single scratch and looks brand new after 2 years. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/10472/ You can buy Ikea stainless steel shelves at $29 a piece. I have lots of those at home. I actually have an Ikea kitchen at home but I chose the most expensive doors and LG Hi-macs countertop so it is very nice. I don't recommend getting the cheapest Ikea kitchen cabinets because they give you the cheapest doors and countertops. I was also on a very tight budget when I first renovated my flat 12 years ago. So I totally understand how you feel. I also painted the whole flat myself ! My hubby paid for the paint so I don't remember how much it cost. You can definitely do without a main gate. I lived in a house without main gate for many years when I was a child.

I just bought a resale flat which comes with a granite floor. It is 12 years old. I am wondering whether I should keep it or hack it. I heard that granite is scratch resistant but it can absorb water easily and is not easy to maintain. Is this true ? Also, is a 12 year old granite floor too old ?

My children love to climb onto the Ikea tables, jump on their Ikea beds and the Ikea sofa, and generally very rough with all the Ikea furniture. So far nothing is broken, only some scratches but I don't look too closely. Ikea's Swedish design is really timeless, and yes we only choose the simple designs and mostly dark color wood so we don't even notice that they turn yellowish, they just turn darker. I just bought a new flat and they have so many built in cabinets which looked so old after only 12 years. Now I have to spend a lot of money to hack all of them.

I wonder if those people commenting about Ikea kitchen, actually have installed an Ikea kitchen in your home and used it for years ? If they have not done so, then they are only guessing or "hear people say" and how can their comments be taken seriously ? My first kitchen was done by a so-called kitchen specialist and cost me a lot of money, but the cabinet under the sink started to rot only after 5 years and I had no choice but to replace the whole thing. I installed Ikea kitchen because it is cheap, and the quality of the counter top is very good, it is actually LG HI-MACS installed by Luxx and I am very happy with it. I realized that my first kitchen had a bad quality solid top. So going to a kitchen specialist does not guarantee that you will get a good long lasting kitchen. For my Ikea Kitchen, I can replace individual cabinets in the future if necessary, and I know that they will always be around.

Actually such gaps between buildings are very common in Singapore. I am just wondering, the "sha" refers only to a thin gap right ? If the gap is wide like this photo, I wonder if it is OK? I can view this gap from the flat where I have stayed for 12 years, though it is not directly facing any of my windows or main door.

I googled and found this : http://www.kenlauher.com/feng-shui-tips/bid/65598/Avoid-Sky-Crack-Sha-For-Better-Fortune-in-the-City Feng Shui extends to the area outside your home or apartment as well as affecting the space inside. One problem NYC apartment buyers might face is something called “Sky Crack Sha.” This describes a thin, narrow gap between two buildings. If such a gap is visible from the main entry of an apartment you are considering purchasing, renting, or leasing, you may want to consider other apartments instead. While most Feng Shui issues can be fixed by improving the flow of chi, there is no way to diminish the effects of sky crack sha. This view from your main entrance can limit opportunities in your life and make your personal road to wealth that much more difficult to achieve. dreamygal, It only makes it harder for you to get rich. So don't worry.

There is nothing wrong with Ikea furniture. My whole house is filled with Ikea furniture that has lasted me close to 20 years and still look timeless. While searching for a flat, I have seen many other flats with built in cabinets and furniture that looked so outdated after 10 years, compared to my house. I also have not seen another kitchen that is nicer than my Ikea kitchen

Hi Tiler Seng, I need to hack and lay new tiles for my entire resale exec apartment. May I know if you allow me to view 1 or 2 of your ongoing projects ? I am looking for quality, not lowest price.

Thanks. I have already paid the deposit for another flat Do you mean that I can engage a feng shui master every time I go and view a flat ? That will be very expensive right ? I can view 3 flats every week.

I replaced my old kitchen with an Ikea kitchen in early 2010. I have the photos in my blog : http://tamarindthings.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-new-ikea-kitchen.html I am actually quite happy with it. I am a big fan of Ikea for 20 years already and I am well aware of their quality. I did not want to spend too much on the kitchen, and that time Ikea had very good promotion for kitchens, so I decided to use them. For the Ikea kitchen, the solid table top is very good and I like it very much. The doors still look like new now, only thing is that the bottom strip of the door right under the kitchen sink fell off. I think if you get those solid wood type there will be no such problem. Another reason why I chose Ikea is because I know that 10 or 20 years later, they will still be around. I can easily replace the doors or other parts without the need to hack the entire kitchen. I was very disappointed with my old kitchen, the cabinet under the sink rotted due to moisture, and I had no choice but to replace everything.

Hi mae29 and jabram, Thank you for your advice. I have decided not to buy these 2 units.

Thank you for your advice. I kept checking property-guru and I found the flat that I want ! Agent uploaded to property-guru on 12 Sep, I called him early morning yesterday and we were the first to view the flat. I immediately knew that this is what I want, 3 mins to Jurong Point, 10th floor, quiet, 130 sq m. We decided to buy it on the spot and agreed to pay COV $65K which is what the owner is asking. There were actually many others who wanted to view the unit, but fortunately the owner did not wait for a bidding war and agreed to sell it to us. We paid the deposit, and the registration has just been submitted today. Thank goodness this seller is reasonable. I am happy that I did not offer higher to buy the other EA I mentioned above which was asking for COV $110K. This unit is so much better, higher floor and a nice granite flooring. The earlier one which I offered $55K COV is bigger, but the renovation is bad and the location is not as good. Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread. All of you have been very helpful !