theitsybits

Layout It's only when someone asked to see my layout that I realized I did not post my floor plan at all! Here's our floor plan. It's a 100m2 4-room, and I pretty much like the layout as the rooms are all squarish and it was easy to plan the spaces. The only complaint I had is that the MBR is really small and we had to hack a wall to place our wardrobe opposite the toilet. And here's the hand-drawn final layout which we decided on. From the lightings plan, we highlighted the walls to be hacked. We hacked 6 walls in total. (1) Hack MBR walls to fit wardrobe into Bedroom 2 space. Wardrobe is opposite the toilet and opens up to MBR. It's a great idea for us as our air-con ledge window brings in ALOT of wind and that was the only space where we could fit our wardrobe if we didn't hack the walls. It's also a squeeze and I don't think it's comfortable to have a MBR where you have to avoid knocking into each other! (2) Hacked the walls between dining and kitchen as we wanted a open-concept kitchen to open up the space. I also like to be able to cook and chat with my friends at the same time. I can imagine my friends sitting around the counter and help with preparations while we chat away as I cook. I also like to bake, so the long counter will house my kitchenaid and oven. (3) Hacked the walls between kitchen and service yard. This was added after all our hacking work was done as we simply did not think of it. It was a sore point for me as I felt that the service yard space is 'wasted'. We initially did not do windows nor any works at the service yard and it did not feel like part of the house. But after hacking it down, we overlaid the same tiles, extended it to the yard. We also added windows . It integrates the service yard into the house and brightens up the kitchen. Visually, it looks alot more spacious and brighter. I also added a cement screed wall since the beam needs touching up after hacking and I didn't like the cream colored kitchen wall tiles. We also have a uniquely huge common toilet that has 2 doors. We kept both doors as I like the air to circulate in the house and like the idea that you can hand-wash your clothes and bring it out to the yard to dry in 2 steps. We've changed the bi-fold door to go outwards and a sliding door for the other door. We also changed the MBR door as it opens up to hit the vanity! We'll be getting a 2-panel door that opens inwards instead. We are also making a feature wall to flush the ugly recess wall in the living room. It'll be a wood-plank effect wall with a 'hole' to display stuff. Common questions I get: Q: I like open-concept kitchens too, aren't you worried about oil and smell? A: I will cook often and my kitchen is not for show only! I do not deep fry food at home (only eat it outside, since outside fried food tastes better) and likes to cook soups or use the oven. When I stir-fry, I only use a small teaspoon of olive oil. So it really depends on your needs and how you use your kitchen. Personally, I've been doing this during my student days at a rented apartment and had no issues with oil and smell. I'm not bothering about clothes as I do not intend to hang much clothes, prefer to save time by using the dryer. If it's an issue I suppose you can hang clothes outside instead? Or time your cooking and washing properly.. Q: How much does it cost to hack? A: It's not as expensive as most people might think! It would depend on which walls you are hacking and whether you need a PE for that. PE fees range from $300 (cheapest I've seen) to $1200 (ridiculously marked up by IDs). I suppose hacking can cost anything from $500 to $3000, mostly between $1k-$2k Q: Your main door opens up to your kitchen and yard's window. You are not worried about bad Fengshui? (My contractor double-checked this point and even a malay asked me this!) A: Yes, I did consider this, but visualizing the bright and open space that comes with hacking 4 kitchen walls was too strong a temptation for me. I love bright and open kitchen/dining/living areas as these are where your guests will mingle and hang around when they visit. Most doors open up to the living room windows or the kitchen/yard windows, both are equally bad for fengshui. Some people seal up the door or build a partition to counter this. However, fengshui is also about comfortable spaces which are bright and airy for energy circulation. This was the main principle I followed and thus, hacked the kitchen walls to let the light in and create the illusion of space, left my air-con window unblocked to let air in, refuse to seal one of the common toilet doors (also to let air in and circulate). And to counter the 'bad fengshui', i got a crystal light for the entrance (to slow down the flow of energy) and possibly some plants near the yard window. Personally, I really don't see how building a partition and blocking the flow would improve fengshui, and I guess different masters have different opinions about this too. And lastly, because I happen to be at one of the stacks with 'best fengshui' in the estate, I'm less inclined to be bothered too much. Q: Your kitchens are all white? Are you worried about maintenance? A: No. It really depends on how you maintain it! I love white kitchens, they take my breath away. When I flip through magazines, it's always the white kitchens which wow me. Although I like wood-colored kitchen too, but white is still my favorite. And to people who are worried - beautiful things always need more maintenance than anything less beautiful. This applies to almost everything in life, including woman. Q: You have 2 brick walls, are you worried that it'll be difficult to clean and dust will settle in between? A: I love my brick walls and it was THE most important thing for me. See previous answer.

haha i just happened to come in to reply a pm and saw it! i think i would prefer Layout B. I know what you mean by not wanting to have a high cabinet on the left to block the light..i initially wanted a tall cabinet too..but end up didn't have space since I want my hob and hood in a line and didn't want to block the light/space on the left.. i've the same layout and was abit concerned about fengshui too..but doors either open up to kitchen and yard window or living room windows..! but since fengshui is also abt having bright, comfortable and spacious spaces for the air to flow, we still chose to hack all the kitchen walls and add a crystal light at the entrance..and perhaps a plant near the window..

welcome!! are u finally starting work already? =)

Hey do u mind sharing what color is the turquoise? I would like to use it to paint stripes for one of the rooms..

the fan looks good!

i like the colors! especially the turquoise one!

thank you! u're so nice.. its nice to hear some affirmation from others..your place is looking great too!

hello! thank you for the nice words.. i did not hack away original tiles, it was overlaid as mine is a new flats and can't hack due to waterproofing.. pm-ed you contacts..

hello! i guess mine isn't 100% scandi, and even scandinavian has the very white and more ikea-like style within it.. Pm-ed. Good luck!

i will be installing windows..no grills (yet)..

thanks thanks! =) i'm lovin' it too and excited to see how it turns out..

hello, K will not be doing carpentry for me as MIL insisted that our relative do it instead. Tilling wise is pretty good, no complaints so far. Everything was done up in 4 weeks and he's very responsive, wadsapp progress almost daily. His tilers should be good, you can drop by paloma and pinkwhale's t-blog. they did concrete with tiling kitchen and pinkwhale did a honeycomb mosaic vanity with sink..carpentry workmanship should be good too..

do you have kids? it's not very safe for kids and studies have shown that it emits poisonous fumes..there're quite a few studies on it if you google it.. and also note that lifetime warranty is for the material itself only..this is installed with a 'floating' system i.e. the pieces are joined together like puzzles, clicking the sides together without sealing it..you'll have to be very careful with water e.g. air-con leaks, pipe leaks, forget to close windows when it rains, water spills, or even pets' pee..the water may seep in between and it may smell or cause mould to build up under the material..this is not covered by warranty as the material itself is not spoilt..

i really like his other projects too, that's why we got him.. =) PM-ed. i love them too..i prefer flooring that feels solid..there's a chinese idiom that says feet has to step on solid ground.. i used 65daigou, so far no issue..i added the link below, but i don't really recommend that you buy down lights from taobao..not that the quality is no good, but the price difference is not great enough to be worth it..i got phillips downlight, with air shipping it came to about $10 each excluding the bulb which is about $8? The Phillips one we got from lightnings.com.sg was about $23 with bulb and warranty after discount..price difference about $5 each, which came to $50 isn't exactly substantial enough.. http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=14503626133 Pendant lights are really worth it though, as shops here import from China too..I got a set of Tom Dixon lights for about S$100 all inclusive..shops here sell ONE for more than $100..I also got a big 'spinning' light for about $100 when it cost $220 here..track lights are also pretty worth it..

Week 4 concluded..cont. The side where my washer-dryer/sink/hob/fridge will be in a row. The cement screed wall in the kitchen. My lovely brick walls. View of the living/dining from the door. It was a hot hot sunny day! With this, I guess updates will get less frequent as not much will be done till carpentry comes in. It's been really exciting, but very tiring too. Can't wait to see the result and add in our furnishings. It's going to take months for us to decorate our place like hanging up our puzzles, photo frame wall etc. I don't know how people finish their renovation in 4 weeks and move in immediately! We will only move in at the end of the year and will be taking our time to clean up and deco the place slowly.

Week 4 concluded..cont. MBR toilet with mosaic curb for shower screen up. Waiting for shower screen. Common toilet. I love the curb! From common toilet to service yard. View from service yard.

Week 4 concluded. Can't believe it's been a month since we've started renovation! Very happy with progress so far. Almost all works are done. We're only left with painting, shower screens/doors, plumbing and lights and carpentry..but plumbing and lights usually come when the carpentry comes in..so i suppose things will come to a standstill till my carpentry is in..i'm hoping that it'll be done in 2 weeks but i've a feeling that we'll be delayed by carpentry - we are only discussing carpentry with the relative tomorrow, after which carpenter will come do measurements before manufacturing..no idea why both ain't done the same time.. worksite. View from entrance. The whole place look so much brighter and bigger after the walls were knocked down! Kitchen. Living room. The recess wall will be covered by 'wood planks' with a 'hole' in the middle.. View from the other end of the living room.

hey.. my aircon trunking went through the rooms..so it's not visible along the corridor..it is only visible in the MBR towards the air-con ledge..

wow many thanks for your very kind words..you've just described what i envisioned in words..do u happen to write for a living? i don't exactly have green fingers but may plant some herbs for cooking..and buy fresh flowers to place them in vases..will probably get white semi see through curtains to keep the living/dining bright.. i started with pinning images (on pinterest) of homes I liked, then sieved out what was possible for the flat based on the layout (and practicalities).. April/June is pretty soon, especially since HDB seem to hand over flats faster than expected nowadays! good luck and enjoy the process..

thanks thanks! i didn't choose any colors, they are mostly white walls and wooden flooring.. PM-ed.

I like your toilet! The wardrobe laminates are really pretty too..and the console's design.. =) great progress there!

thanks thanks! wow i thought i was just lucky..really appreciative of good service these days..

i like your study table too! gonna head down to ikea!

Day 23 We finally hacked the last wall. The permit took forever and needed a PE. The husband dropped by in the afternoon in between meetings, and realized that the workers have accidentally drilled a hole into our concealed pipes in the wall. He immediately texted K and told him to fix it. And within the next hour, K proudly announced that it's fixed. He got his people down to weld it back immediately. It was really fast and I suppose we wouldn't even have known if the husband didn't drop by. An excited me rushed down after work to see how it looks like after the hacking. Here's our kitchen without the wall now. Debris has been cleared and curbs extended with screeding for flooring too. View from service yard to main door. I'm squeezing my sink/hob/2-door fridge on this side, so I can have full counter space on the other side. I guess I'm used to having a cutting space in between the sink/hob as the place I rented in Sweden had a one-side kitchen. I usually cook a dish and prepare the ingredients at the same time - I find that it really saves time. Day 24 They are finishing up the flooring, it was fast! Day 25 No pictures from K! I guess he's busy and the curbs and shower screens will be up soon. All of the major works have been completed and we're only left with doors, shower screens, lights, windows for service yard and painting. We're trying to arrange with the carpentry guy to come down for measurements this weekend. I'm most worried about this, as K is not doing carpentry for us since MIL insist that we use a relative. *cross fingers* Initially we got K to quote for everything, but end up taking out the carpentry to appease everyone. Let's hope everything will continue smoothly.

Been really tired these days. Managed to drop by Balestier's lightings.com.sg to get lights after work and spent more than 2 hours choosing lights. The sales person was so patient, service was good too. Balestier lights shop served us water while The Link did not even serve us anything when we went to try Vera Wang gowns. There's also a 15% discount for Phillips items now, so I guess we had a pretty good deal. We wanted to visit Poh Seng at Jalan Besar after work. I was in a hurry and just saw '159 Jalan Besar' on their website. Reached there and realized, wrong! Had to walk all the way to 389, but it was already closed at 6pm!! I walked all the way from Serangoon Road, and it is so hot these days. I need to get sanitary wares really soon! Day 22 False ceilings and partitions up. Photos from K. MBR false ceiling. Partition and L-box up.