theitsybits

Day 93 cont. View from sofa. Corridor. Our king-sized mattress came, and surprisingly, we still had quite abit of space! The fridge came later in the day, and my shoe-shelf is not getting enough attention since my door is always open. Here's how the kitchen looks like now. The husband is traveling from tomorrow, and we'll get our TV delivered in 2 weeks. Hopefully we can get the console by then..

Day 93 The home is almost ready. The fridge, washing machine and mattress came, and we spent the day doing some cleaning and lazing around at home. I really do love how things turned out, it looks like how i envisioned it to be despite not having any 3D drawings. Pictures paint a thousand words. View from entrance. View from Kitchen. Dining table and bench. Living area. View from corridor.

I love your wooden tiles! is it expensive? didn't see such tones while shopping for wood-grained tiles..

Day 92 Most of our living room's furniture has arrived! But we still need a console and a coffee table..and a mirror above sideboard.. Took a few pictures with iPhone. View from kitchen counter.. View from sofa.. sofa, feature wall, side board.. loots from Franc Franc..they've 40% discount now! The colorful things.. The fridge and washing machine and mattress is coming tomorrow! Will take more pictures to share..

yes! totally agree..we wanted pure white for kitchen, so we went for solid top..someone offered quartz for like 110pft but i was skeptical..black for toilets so we wanted granite which was at a pretty good price and adds some 'class' with the shiny top and specks of gold in it..plus it doesn't scratch! we grabbed all our lights there, since all pendant lights were from taobao..birdcage lamp was from taobao for about $30..they have it from lighting.com too but it's more than double the price..

oh no, better try to hurry and plan the time you have..it is indeed difficult to get things moving especially when weekends are the only time available, weekdays can be too rushed.. my wedding's in January, and I'm already starting to panic because i did zero preparations. hmm both was 20% discount with slight price difference..husband is used to down lights and his room has six..he was so skeptical that the small one was enough so we bought the bigger one..but it looks ok on the ceiling, don't find it too big.. yea price can be similar, but i would say granite is a better choice since even expensive solid top will be scratched too..sigh..wonder how are they going to calculate that part..i hope they don't insist that pricing is same or that solid top is even more expensive don't give any discount for the mistake..

Oh and the wood border of the light is interchangeable..one side is dark brown the other light brown..if u notice my initial pics its dark brown but I got them to flip it..

Thank you thank you =) good luck with your renovation too! They do have LED downlight with cover but don't think they have the 2 tubes one..u can check the website first before gg down to the outlets? We had a pretty good experience with the Balestier outlet..very patient and attentive sales guy, we took like 2 hours to choose our lights although we didn't get that many..delivery was smooth, no hassel too..plus they were having 20% off Phillips lights..

U mean the round light in study? There's 2 size and I chose the bigger one..actually the husband chose the bigger one when I felt the smaller size is sufficient..he scared not bright enough since there's only one light..it's from Phillips and we got it from Lightings.com.sg u can check their site or visit their showroom.. It's ok lei..not too big..else u can get the smaller size..

We wanted granite since its scratch proof..and it looks alot nicer and shiny.. =( kitchen we got solid top as we wanted pure white..I rather get India/china granite!

yea i know! but for some reason, did not notice..i guess carpentry took away all the attention..

Week 13 (Day 89) Guest/kids room. Study room. And i found a study table that i like when I went to Commune to pay the remaining for my dining table and sideboard! the top is similar to our canteen bench planks, and i've been looking for legs like this..i think i'm going to get it..it can be used as a dining table too.. it cost $599, and Commune is at Millennia Walk..they have expanded recently! And I saw this sofa that looks exactly like the one I got from Star Living, just different color. This one cost $2199 if I remember correctly.. This is the one I got from Star Living (Furniture Mall) for $990. More than half price and looks really similar..don't feel different either..mine has removable covers, not sure about Commune's. But if anyone is looking for such sofa, please go to Star Living instead. They have it in grey and brown. Our dining table, sofa, sideboard, bench, chairs, mattress, washing machine and fridge will arrive this weekend! All set. I'm really excited.

Week 13 (Day 89) cont Common toilet. Still common toilet! MBR toilet. MBR rainshower.

Week 13 (Day 89) The house is ready, despite the carpentry's imperfections. Whatever it is, we are moving on and ready for our new journey.. View from entrance. Dining area. Feature wall. View from bay window. Corridor with blackboard door.

Day 90 Husband argued with mil again. Mil insisted that we were very fussy, that after multiple rectifications, we are still not satisfied..and practically said that they are not going to do rectifications till we pay as we are so fussy that we will never be satisfied and will never pay..she even said that it's unreasonable to expect that all edges are perfect and kitchen carpentry flushed..it's ridiculous..even threatened to get people to dismantle all carpentry work.. The most funny thing is, while he was really angry, he was also almost sure that the people in the company do not talk and the workers must be still unaware. Husband liaised with the factory manager and carpenter direct, they came down to do some rectifications on Monday. When i arrived, although drawers were no longer hitting each other, it was very stiff and had a squeaking sound..i got them to adjust it and they finally put in more effort and actually managed to make it smooth, flushed and aligned..it is indeed possible! perhaps they are finally afraid after so many rounds of rectifications.. Backsplash people supposed to come today but was nowhere in sight and carpenters said they did not see anyone.. The worst thing is, as I was wiping my toilet vanity, it suddenly hit me that it does not look like granite. i just visited our neighbors place during the weekend and commented that their granite looked so much nicer..we have specified we wanted granite at all discussions and it was on contract..they installed everything and I never suspected that my toilet's vanity was solid top instead of granite.. the more i looked at it, the more it looked like my white solid top with slivery glitters.. Day 91 On Tuesday, they came again and filled up the gaps between my wooded border and supposedly the holes and edges..but only the wooden border was done..i was really weary and ready to close one eye forget about it..i might as well get some paint and do it myself instead of making them come again and again without finishing everything.. I checked with K, asked him what was my toilet vanity made of. He said solid top. I got my neighbors to come see, it was definitely solid top! :bangwall: It's quite impossible to change it now and we risk damaging the walls and plumbing/carpentry..i can't believe he actually cheated us! and i wouldn't have suspected if i didn't see others' granite..i suppose it was obvious, but i just didn't notice it.. Day 92 Factory manager suddenly called husband up, telling him that they would come back to touch-up the edges the next day.. The most shocking thing ever. The relative or any of his workers have never ever contacted us, we were always chasing them while they hardly picked up phones nor replied messages/emails. Husband also asked what was used for our toilet vanity, and factory manager confirmed that it was solid top..he said he will check contract for us since he was never in the picture till rectifications stage..they have to either give us a discount or change it for us..! they never fail to amaze me..it's becoming incredibly amusing by now..how can such things happen??

thanks sarah, that's really nice of you.. and yes, my place might be 'higher maintenance' but i'd rather it looks beautiful for a few years than not-so-beautiful for many years..i guess if you really love your home you will put in the effort to upkeep it..everything beautiful needs some work (especially women =p).. having said that, white laminates have their supporters since you will clean any dirt immediately. bricks can be simply dusted regularly with feather duster..and open kitchen is not much of an issue for me since i cook with very little oil and don't deep fry at home..nothing a good hood can't do..at the end of the day, just need to be comfortable and happy in it.. carpentry issue not settled yet..i'm struggling to make sense of things too..mil insisted we use relative, insisting that his carpentry had good with internal laminates, promised to oversee things for us and all..she said she wanted the best for her son..but when delays occurred, when workmanship was so bad, we were blamed for being 'fussy' among many other things when it's obvious that they did a very bad job. bad workmanship aside, many other specifications were wrong and we have to live with it..in the end mil even insisted that we pay first before they do rectifications.. i don't feel good abt getting K to do rectifications and husband insist that relative should be responsible..mil and relative have been nit-picking on K's work when we pointed out their horrible workmanship..they are saying that my contractor is LAZY..between K and us, everything was communicated quite clearly and he did point out how things will be done and if there might be issues before going ahead..so we really have no issues with his work even when it might be at 95% instead of 100%.. payment will be an issue and another hard battle..since some 'discounts' and 'rebates' were promised by mil verbally..it's anyone guess how things will end up.. Hopefully your renovation (and everyone else) go smoothly! =)

yea..but it's not often that people get such serious carpentry issues with bad attitude..as long as they are cosmetic and ID is willing to coordinate for rectification it's not that bad..we're coordinating ourselves and chasing factory manager, carpenter and relative..all refuse to even answer phone.. i have thought about it seriously..but budget is a constraint and i can only imagine how bad my MIL will take it and it's going to be world war three all over again..when we had so many reasons not to use him, my MIL hounded us, from persuasion to emotional blackmail..in short, not possible.. we just have to make them rectify whatever possible and perhaps save up to get it done again a few years down the road..

woah! very nice!! i can totally imagine Mr K's reaction..haha!!

Day 89 Husband had another clash with the relative today. They complained that we were 'fussy' and pushed all the blame to us, started nit-picking on our contractor's workmanship instead.. The factory manager assigned to handle our rectification came on Wednesday evening. We showed him all the parts which needed rectification and he committed to a 5th Sept (Wednesday) deadline to complete all rectifications. He was supposed to bring the carpenter over on Friday to brief them so that the can prepare the necessary. They did not seemed to have come on Friday and the husband tried to call both factory manager and relative. No answer. Called the carpenter direct, and carpenter said he was not told anything at all. Factory manager will only be back on Monday. Nothing has been done since Wednesday evening and our backsplash is still not measured after many weeks. Husband had to call MIL to complain before relative was willing to come down today. Basically, they are complaining that we are fussy, that no carpenter is perfect and such work such as chipped laminates are the norm..I did not want to be present, since I can anticipate that I will be really pissed off..didn't want to be attacked again.. They will get the carpenter to rectify again tomorrow, but I'm really not sure how it's going to be done since nobody seems to be monitoring or telling the workers what to be done exactly..our drawers were dropping out, and after rectification they are now hitting each other..neighbors who have visited my place commented that my drawers are very wobbly and flimsy..none of their places have drawers like mine..there are so many chipped laminates and holes everywhere, and it's not even clear that they will change anything.. Husband is particular about this carpentry box-up of the pipes as it was really done very badly and the insides are a mess exposed plywood everywhere..pipes generally have more moisture and with such exposed plywood everywhere, it's really prone to rotting..again, none of our neighbors who boxed up pipes similarly had such issues..it's obviously bad workmanship since carpenter said he was not told to box-up the pipes using carpentry..relative did not inform him..many of the issues was due to lack of communication between the relative and the carpenter as many of our needs were not told.. This is probably the first time in the past 8 years that I've ever heard the husband use a hokkien vulgar word..they are like pythons, eat the prey finish, pocket money then sit there don't move, never get things done.. at the end of the day, they are really businessmen trying to make money..i don't believe this should be the way, and hopefully the upcoming lemon law can help consumers to deal with horrible ID firms like this.. I honestly wonder how do these people sleep or find happiness, given all these horrible things they have done? How does the MIL feel after promising all that good workmanship and carpentry that lasts forever seeing the bad workmanship and horrible attitude/delays we are getting now? I knew it would turn out like this, and at the end of the day they will not redo any piece of the carpentry even if we chased them and insisted on it..and what can we do? he'll simply challenge us to sue him, bring him to court.. *sigh* I'm going to pray that they get what they deserve, what comes around will go around..

hurhur..yea..everything in bangkok is definitely cheaper..

Really!? I saw similar ones but not exactly the same..I got my clock from Bangkok for about $20.. U come Clementi?!! Yea I quite like them..but very apparently ,y plywood not that good, can see dark patches around and many holes! Plus initially they dare to mount it up wo sanding the edges at all..joints also not done well..end up mount le den make them sand..sigh sigh..holes are filled with wood patty but it's very obvious..not so nice! =(

I always go into that shop but haven't got anything there yet..Realized they use the same plywood shelvings (which were much smoother than mine).. My sentiments exactly!! Been telling the husband to get some of the materials, I do it myself - a lot faster and definitely nicer.. BUT..husband thinks that since no discount is agreed on and they promised to rectify everything to our satisfaction, they should be the one doing it..and if I start doing anything, they may push the blame on us and dispute who did a lousy job..

Day 88 My K has sent people to wash our place today, and it's almost time for him to hand-over the flat..we're almost done, except that carpentry rectifications are still not done and backsplash still not up yet..surprisingly the cleaning was cleaner than i thought and we can walk into the flats without shoes now.. The home looks like that now. And I've got some colorful stools. I've also started cleaning the MBR wardrobe. I've thrown away pails of grayish water, I think I'll still need to clean them again. As usual, cleaning means noticing more horrible carpentry workmanship. What's the point of coloring that hole without filling it properly?! And why is there even a hole in the first place?! Horribly chipped drawer even before even using it..i wonder if this will start peeling after a year or so! And the joints of the insides are as such. These are only a few of the many other defects we found. *sigh* Husband has got them to change and do more rectifications, but we've yet to see any sign of them, and we keep discovering more and more unacceptable workmanship..i'm really not sure how they are going to get this done or how we are going to live with such workmanship.. Shall go back to do more cleaning and take a picture of our our place in its finished glory..appliances and furniture will start coming next Saturday and I can't wait!

wah..that's quite lucky! no renovation pics? Mr K didn't wadsapp anything to you??

thanks! in fact, they say my whole house look like cafe..but nvm, i like to bake, cook, sit down and have tea.. all ready to move on.. i'm not going to say anything le..it's obvious, anyone can see it..and if she refuses to acknowledge it, then no point saying more or showing her anything..die die also got something to say de.. husband will settle the payment issues..if really force us to pay full, then take it as pay money to avoid trouble 'po cai xiao zai'..can't be helped after coming to this stage.. i am generally easy-going but also feel like cursing and swearing..some things can close one eye but mine is really quite horrible now i start wiping the carpentry can't help getting angry all over again.. luckily they only do carpentry, so the electrical and toilet bowls, flooring should be alright.. really thankful that we insisted to let Mr K do our place and he did a pretty good job, though there are also some imperfections here and there..otherwise, i think our place will not even be done yet given that their jobs are always delayed for many many weeks.. i dare write, not scared anyone read..i have chronicled the whole renovation experience, so all the dates and events were written down once it happens..she cannot dispute the timeline and delays nor bad workmanship produced.. so if she reads, i hope she realize how bad the workmanship is (just look at those pictures!) and know that good intentions does not equate to good results..her insistence and blind faith in the relative's workmanship has caused everyone so much trouble and frustrations..not everything can be rectified and we now have to live with such workmanship with visible patch-ups which are not even permanent.. we did not want to use the relative because of his attitude during quotation was bad (tell us never earn our money and don't want to do our business amount other things), and was not cheap at all (more ex than Mr K even 'at cost')..plus after 5 weeks, did not revert with adjustments at all..moreover, we have done our research and read about all the bad reviews and tried to explain these to her, hoping that she can respect our informed choice..alas she refused and created a scene as usual, telling us that we don't respect her nor give her face, all other contractors out to cheat my money, relative's carpentry is very good etc..we relented to avoid conflict and mistakenly thinking that given the close relationship, they wouldn't have done such a bad job..there were signs of trouble already, since relative wasn't keen about doing it for us and was 'afraid that he cannot meet our expectations'.. i guess they've proved themselves and all the reviews on renotalk are indeed true..i've never ever read any good review about them apart from obvious self-advertisement posts..even with so much pressure, close relationship and relentless chasing, these still happened..we resorted to chasing the carpenter directly and went down to the showroom when we couldn't get any updates..many specifications were wrong and we had to close one eye..so i can only imagine how bad it is for his other customers..my heart really goes out to those affected by delays, bad workmanship and not having calls/sms/emails answered..at the end of the day, they still make money..and if the company's name is so bad, they can easily change name and start again..there will always be people taken by internal laminates, freebies and mistaken security for a big showroom..and if really not profitable anymore, close shop and enjoy retirement with the money they make from screwing peoples' homes.. but still, i believe everything happens for a reason and every action has a consequence..everyone will get what they deserve eventually..