theitsybits

i love the light from danish designs! it's indeed really sexy, but the things are so ridiculously expensive there..

Day 75 cont Common toilet vanity and lights up. All my pretty taobao lights.. Track light and haiku fan up. Study room and my favorite piece of carpentry, but sadly, the workmanship is also the worst.. i guess we shall see how they can touch it up since it'll really pain me to dismantle everything and dump it.. I left before they finished installing lights and the haiku fan..will be there again tomorrow to test out the lights..and arrange for plumber to come ASAP, then we are almost done.. almost there!!

Day 75 Electrical guys came to install lights and my haiku fan today! and when i left home to get more T5 lights, the solid top guys came unexpectedly and was working on my solid tops when I went back..been asking when it will be installed, no update the whole week and suddenly they're here.. It was nicely done, and my kitchen is almost complete..except that none of my drawers are functional, they either don't align or are falling off their brackets when you pull.. and again, unexpectedly, the relative actually dropped by our place to look at the defects..say will get people to come down to touch-up the edges and rectify the drawers plus sand my plywood..my plywoods are so rough and has ugly grains unlike paloma's..hers was smooth to the touch while mine can cut your fingers.. The corridor with blackboard painted bomb shelter door. MBR makeup corner. MBR down lights up. MBR toilet and vanity up.. if i knew solid top guys were coming today, i would have arranged for plumber to come install everything too.. really dislike such lack of communication or refusal to update anything..

yar, even when i'm there i can feel that he's frustrated and overworked..and it's not like his attitude is very bad, and you can feel he is trying but can't find that extra to do it nicely.. they told me will come down to touch-up the edges..but my laminate is textured..and the gap is still, well, exposed plywood even when color is added.. not sure how that can be done though.. haha i don't really look at it but when people mention, i start getting paranoid and will go read up to avoid the major no-no..

trust me, i'm not someone who can be bullied.. but it's really tahan and give husband face, since i value our r/s more than her or other stuff..else i'm sure my voice will be louder and fiercer..but when start crying, say we never respect her..lose liao lor..

Height of shoe cabinets and Fengshui. A neighbour came to visit my place and pointed out that it was very bad fengshui to have a full-height shoe-cabinet. To be specific, it's bad fenshui to place shoes above your head. I honestly had no clue, which got me to do some searches in regards to this. I'm not particularly very superstitious, but I suppose when it comes to Fengshui, it's better to avoid outright negative things for the home! Did a quick search and realized that shoes represent bad energy! In summary: - Shoe cabinets should not be black or red. - Shoes should preferably only be placed up to 1/3 of the house's height, and up to 2/3 of the house's height. - Shoe cabinets should be closed, so that bad energy can be kept inside. - Shoes should face head-in, otherwise bad energy will be directed at you whenever you open the cabinet door. - Shoe cabinets should be on the left of your door and near the entrance as the right side is considered auspicious. - Avoid placing the shoe cabinet outside the house as it blocks good energy from coming in. - It's best to have 5 tiers for the shoe cabinet as it represents the five elements. - Wooden rectangle shoe cabinets are suitable for everyone. - Do not place a mirror facing a door, including shoe cabinets with reflective surfaces. Some links: http://pinkytoky.hubpages.com/hub/shoe-rack-and-its-effect-on-feng-shui http://vj0516.blogspot.hk/

Day 74 i really miss working with Mr K..i told him to arrange for electrical guys to come down on Friday since carpentry is almost completed..he got the painter down and they painted the whole house including my doors and blackboard bomb shelter door today! Even painted my yellowish pendant light I got from Taobao..he's super on the ball..text him and he replies or calls back shortly..plus i will always know what is being done every single day.. carpentry is 95% done..they were fixing the final drawers for kitchen when we left in the evening..but he still needs to adjust the height of some shelves and do some rectifications..not even sure if he's coming tomorrow to finish it up since it's quite impossible to finish them tonight.. This is how the living room look like now..my shoe cabinet is up..and the wider planks look so much better..the wooden border made with plywood is pretty horrible, both sides weren't sanded properly even though I told him before installation..i've seen paloma's border or plywood features, but they were totally smooth to the touch while mine is really really rough.. i'm really going to make them sand it till it's smooth..and no news of my solid top yet..one whole week already.. Full height shoe cabinet..but i've decided to only put shoes in the lower shelves! will explain that in another post.. My makeup area when closed to hide the mirror. And the pretty dining light that Mr K painted for me! so shiny and white now.. my haiku fan and lights will be installed tomorrow!! will go down with my dslr to take nicer pictures..

i saw your pictures, very horrible too! we will get them to come down see what they say lor..i don't have high hopes..my edges the most only touch up with crayon look nicer visually but it's still a gap between both laminates..unless dismantle and change whole thing but i really can't take their nonsense anymore..who knows MIL will ask me not to be so calculative, such small issues also won't die.. we haven't paid them yet..but they took 7 weeks to deliver these, i really cannot tahan a few more weeks and chase them..reno already 3 months le..and my contractor super efficient come in and paint, plus fixing lights tomorrow..if carpentry dismantle and redo, poor Mr K can't finish up my job and take the last 5% plus must repaint again.. let's just say that my MIL is...different..already a lot of problems le..and i can't take all the screaming anymore.. ay, husband settle..i keep quiet suck thumb.

oh no not acceptable!! that huge crack is horrible..must get them to change them!!

no!! the worst ones are the open shelving that are just below eye level........! sigh yea..let him settle..otherwise just have to live with it ba..

i think it's better not to hack your door frame, incase if affects waterproofing it'll be alot of trouble..and it definitely will since door frame goes all the way to the toilet floor.. why do you want to hack your door frame? just to change the door or to shift it? i did not change door frame..the doors were screwed on top..

sigh, workmanship wise, I really do not have the energy to insist..and i really can't take any more chasing and waiting..it's really very draining and frustrating..the last clash with them was horrible..and their attitude is basically not happy, the most redo, you wait lor..plus no guarantee will be better =_=" there's no way to rectify the uneven laminate edges now, unless you dismantle them and redo the whole thing..using a crayon would only make it look slightly better visually..and there are holes which are everywhere, even if you fill it up with whatever it's still a hole without laminates.. MIL insisted that we use them because of internal laminates which is supposed to be more durable etc..but with such holes throughout the carpentry and such workmanship, i'm not sure how it will affect the wood inside and durability.. will the wood cause moisture into the wood? i.e. is wood covered with PVC or polygon better than laminated wood with lots of holes? and this is supposed to be their best carpenter

no lei, no urge to do myself because I know I'm no expert and won't do it well..! Thanks, i really need it..we had excellent ground in the first place, but didn't work..even for delayed so long also tell me no big deal, late a feel weeks will won't die, don't be so calculative.. i was just wondering if this is the norm i.e. a lot of carpenter provide such work, or that i'm making a big fuss over such edges.. anyone has any idea if it's possible to somehow rectify this without dismantling the whole thing? i can't imagine making them redo and chase them for many more weeks..

Day 73 Went down after work, but to my dismay, carpenter didn't come today and nothing was done. I've arranged for lights and fans to be delivered and installed on Friday, and husband called carpenter to confirm that he can finish tomorrow.. Solid top still no news after measurement on Friday. Carpenter said 3 days after measurement, and it's 3 full days tomorrow. No clue when they are going to come install..super slow these people..! after kitchen ready for solid top, takes one whole week before coming down for measurements!! At this rate, it's impossible for them to ever finish one whole renovation job within 6 weeks right? I spent the evening sweeping the floor and cleaning up the place..and we found that the workmanship for my bookshelves was pretty bad.. i suppose can't be changed unless they change whole thing? This is not normal right?? There are also a lot of holes inside the carpentry, can someone advise if this is normal? And my shoe cabinet was not supposed to have backing, but it came with backing and they were trying to rip apart the staples.. i suppose there will be many many holes and they won't mend back the hole since they will not be seen after installation.. And got 2 big holes in between the gaps of my feature wall.. *sigh..the rest of the carpentry isn't that bad although not perfect either..so much for having the best carpenter and internal laminates that are supposed to last forever..i guess he's just not that particular about these details which differentiate good workmanship and not-so-good workmanship..will bring my dslr and macro lens to take some clearer pictures this Friday.. gonna let the husband do what he deems fit and maintain my silence..got it bad enough the last time..

my bed dun wan face door and window, so only left one position! far i like king sized bed..and prefer to have more space in bedroom not scared knock into things (i very clumsy esp in morning kun busy ki)..so juz put one bed in the room can le.. really?? but this hole is in the gaps between my wooden plank..it may be quite difficult to reach into it..otherwise later not careful my white planks kana also how.. is this the norm? as in every carpenter is like that? i don't know how much is too much..and because it's relative, abit hard..i can imagine MIL telling me not to be so calculative, small thing only won't die.. and ar, we waited 7 weeks since we requested for measurements! want to rectify don't know need how long more..

not both, only me wor..my husband was travelling for work, i went with 2 other gf..so it's really tiring.. but actually, if you like those bamboo wood-like cutlery (i love them), they are so much cheaper in bkk and light..i got quite a few teaspoons, rice scoop and a serving tray..i also got the glove-like thingy to lift pots from Naraya, some nice checkered kitchen cloth, hand-made place mats and clock..i'm sure there's alot of light stuff to bring back! i think shopping is different from moving..i think of moving also want to die..haha! i think i'll take my time and move luggage by luggage over.. my room really can't fit a dressing table, it can only fit my king size bed and 2 tiny side tables..only left walking space le..

can you hack your toilet floor? If no, then i don't think it's possible.. i read that it's possible but not recommended..they connect pipes to the original sewage hole to move the position due to concerns that it may be more difficult for the **** to move across the connecting pipes..not sure if it's true though, read it on another renotalk thread.. and for the eames chair, do you want to plastic or acrylic version? prices vary and market only sells the plastic version..

Day 72 cont We've a few issues with carpentry works, nothing really major and I guess I can close one eye..although i'm really not that pleased about the feature wall's narrow planks! my heart pain when i saw that he had to throw away 4 huge drawers because they didn't communicate to him that we chose the big metal blum-like drawers instead..they are good brand new drawers, yet they have to go to waste because of some miscommunication.. One major problem the husband has is the underside of the drawers. He cut a hole below so that your hands can reach in to pull out the drawers easily..all the holes were cut unevenly and you can see the staples and what's not inside..he's concerned about dust or potential pest hiding inside to lay eggs.. The other problem is the gaps between the planks for the feature wall..they were supposed to sand paper it and lacquer the sides of the wood..yet you see such wood shavings in between and the 2 sides of the planks are not lacquered. Scrutinizing the gaps, I see holes on the wood!! And this is my shoe cabinet..he's like ripping it apart.. *sigh..the carpenter is a good guy, and i don't doubt his skills..but he doesn't really note of these details somehow..because of his lack of eye for detail, I couldn't really say that his workmanship is good, yet it isn't that bad either..and he's probably overworked since he was still there when we left around 8pm these 2 days..plus he's working alone with a helper whom he can't communicate with.. I'm half-hearted about making him do any rectifications for it will be a lot of work and the pieces already done will go to waste..

Day 72 Carpentry works continue..progress ain't that fast because only one carpenter is working on it..he's a PRC while there's a bangala (he calls him that) helper..it's funny to see them work together because one doesn't speak english and the other doesn't speak chinese..so the carpenter is always annoyed with his helper, but obviously the helper doesn't understand anything he says.. can sense the carpenter's irritated today, even asked the helper to use his brain - and he obviously didn't understand a word.. Book cabinet is completed today! I love it, it's the favorite piece of carpentry in the whole house. Guest/Kids room wardrobe is completed too.. Living room feature wall at the recess area is completed too..the black area is a black board..but we find it somewhat weird..the planks are too narrow while the gaps too wide, and it does not reach the ceiling.. i didn't imagine it to look this way.. the border was also supposed to be done with plywood but ended up with white laminate instead.. And he fitted one of my makeup cabinet door..

yes, i love the bookshelves and wardrobe..just wasn't really happy with the toilet laminates..Bangkok is a great place for home and decor stuff, especially if you spend some time to comb JJ market! It's super cheap too! I would say skip those Siam Discovery etc and just spend the weekend at JJ and Rod Fai flea market (both next to each other). Asiatique is great too. It might take some time before the stuff are displayed! they are all wrapped up in bubble wrap and I left it that way since I'd need to move them over the the new place soon.. yes!! it was initially my husband's idea, because i was complaining about not having a makeup area, and i didn't like those pull-out full-length mirror..plus i'm very particular about having a mirror facing the bed - big no-no! this is great for me.. hee, give me some time..need to house to be fully ready before moving them over.. don't really want to unwrap them now, and my room truly look like a warehouse, can't take nice picture to do them justice.. hmm how did i manage to lug it back to sg? through sheer determination and endurance! it was really tiring, i spend sunday sleeping..i brought one of those foldable huge bag so that it's easier to carry..but actually, only the plates were really heavy, other things wasn't that bad..i backpacked (hand carry) 10kg of plates home and checked in the rest.. this was provided by HDB! i'm not really sure how much it cost or where to get it..and....i'm not even sure if i'll use it..it's quite a hassle to lower it down..there's this long black strap that you must unwind many rounds before it can be lowered..I find it redundant and would rather use a U-stick to hang my clothes up.. perhaps others who's using this provided by HDB can comment?

Day 71 cont Guest/Kids room wardrobe. And lastly, my favorite corner at the side of the wardrobe specially designed for my make-up! I usually stand to makeup and these little pockets will store things like my mascara, eyeliner, powder etc..it's easily reachable on my right while I stand in front of the mirror. The top part would be rods which I can hang my necklaces and accessories. And this is how the MBR looks like now, with my makeup corner in full view while the sliding wardrobe opens up opposite the toilet door..the bookshelf at the other room shares the backing and separates both rooms despite hacking down the wall. Carpentry work should be done by tomorrow.. then they will do the rectifications for us..

Day 71 The rest of the carpentry was finally delivered today!! Only horrible pictures by iPhone to share at the moment.. Half-done book shelves..the top and bottom will be covered with doors. My feature wall was lying on the floor. I'm abit dismayed that the planks were so narrow while the gaps so big!! Carpenter said that drawing was wrong, they drew a 1.4m instead of a 1m wall resulting in wrong dimension.. *sigh. This is my shoe-cabinet door. The planks are ALOT wider, which was what I preferred. Both had bigger gaps in between the planks than I would have liked. Common toilet vanity mirror up. I initially requested for the mirror to cover the whole wall, because I didn't want to see the white tiles. They did not change the drawings, and it seems like my husband has agreed to the gap between vanity and mirror which is supposed to be the norm..I guess that's that then.. The tiny MBR vanity, with the mirror yet to be up.

I hope so too..! pm-ed you the contact. I only did a glass panel to separate the toilet bowl and bathing area. Did not do a curb or full glass shower screen as I preferred to keep it open, so that it's convenient to put in tubs to bathe babies in future..enclosing it would make it hard, and I'm worried that a curb is a tripping hazard.. If you really want to separate the wet and dry area, you can do up a curb or even full shower screen..I don't think water will splash all the way to the vanity for mine though.. only both of us are living in it now..if water really splashes, I might add a shower curtain..

Shopping for the home @ Bangkok cont. Right across the street was Tuba, Hawaii Five O, Mob x Mobler and Y5. Inside Mob x Mobler or Y5, both seemed like the same shop as we entered from one door and exit from the other - not very sure though. I couldn't really find anything worth buying and things really looked old. The guy inside was playing the violin! And this was inside Hawaii Five O. It was stacked full of chairs and very dusty. 2 workers were making chairs outside when we walked in. It was impossible to really 'shop' since there's only a tiny walkway and you might be better off looking at catalogues. The next stop was Asiatique near the river. Read that some stores from Suan Lum night market moved here and they do have quite a few interesting shops. I bought a remote holder, placemats, some bamboo spoons and plates here. I love the plates and cups here, plus it's really cheap. They also have a shop selling chairs here. Last stop was THE JJ market. I have a love-hate relationship with this place. It is really hot and stuffy yet there's so much gems in there. I got my clock, a bamboo lacquered tray and condiments tray from here. I also visited places like Siam Discovery Center and Centralworld. There might be some interesting stuff there, but prices ain't that cheap. But if you only have a day in Bangkok for home shopping, I would say head straight to Asiatique and JJ market. They have so much to offer (esp JJ market) at very cheap prices! Only head to Sukumvit area around Hawaii Five O only if you really wish to get furniture there. But be warned that prices ain't that much cheaper after factoring shipping, GST, unstuffing cost etc and you can get similar furniture from places like Lorgans, Room of Woods and other retro-furniture shop here at similar prices.

Shopping for the home @ Bangkok I had a huge long list of places where I'd like to visit to shop for the home, but I end up going only to a few places. Jim Thompson factory outlet where I spent a lot of my money at. I now have very pretty cushions and covers for the sofa. Next stop was the furniture area at Sukumvit area where Hawaii Five O and Tuba was. Inside Tuba Line 2, which was the prettiest showroom there. I love the lounge chairs and would like one. Prices were about $1k, with about $400 shipping. I think SG sells it for around $2k, so I'm not sure if it's worth it after GST and whatever fees. Might just get it from Singapore instead. I kind of like the mirrors.