jaykr

I think you can post like 4 or 5 pics per post.

Buying from Malaysia is definitely cheaper for many things. However I would suggest you do a check on the prices in Singapore 1st before you go Malaysia. Also, if you are buying from Malaysia, buy from reputable places and do a bit of research on the shops and you'll find if there are any complains about them on the internet. Also, check to make sure they deliver to your place and also how much they charge for delivery ( for heavy items). If they don't deliver to your place, do you have transportation and manpower to deliver yourself? Also, if you know how to bargain, you can get pretty good prices in Malaysia for quality materials. I practically bought most of my stuff from Malaysia. I saved a couple of thousand dollars. Only the electrical appliances I bought from Singapore as its more logical to buy from Singapore. For me, I never chased any of the furniture shops or go cheated etc.... probably because I spent quite a bit of research as well as used the shops that I know others have used and didn't have problems. Finally, calculate the total cost of buy from Malaysia and compare it to Singapore. If the savings is big then do it. If the savings is very small, whats the point of of all the hassle. For me, I bought all from Malaysia as I felt for the quality for the price was good and I saved quite a lot that I can use for other renovation needs. Hope this helps.

I wrote a post in one of the T-blogs on curtains and thought it would be good to include it my T-blog as well. In my quest for curtains for my house I learned a lot of things. The cost of curtains can be very cheap or expensive depending on many factors . So take in consideration all these factors before deciding on a price. If you see the price is high but the factors is low then they are probably hiking up the price. Ask the curtain person to explain to you and if they don't or are hesitant then you need to make the decision if you want to go with that person. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Material type - There are so many types of material that you can choose from. Each material has a different cost depending on the material it is made from. pure and not pure materials. e.g. Pure cotton, nylon, polyester etc... or mixed 60% polyester 40 cotton , Organza? etc.... 2 Country of production - Which country is the curtain materials made from? China? Korea? Taiwan? Turkey? Belgium? Spain? etc... Each country also has price difference and material look and feel difference, durability, weight, transparency etc... Even within China there is high quality and low quality material . 3. Design of material - Does the curtain material have any designs or is it just plain ? Is the design burned it or not? all these adds to the cost. 4. What type of curtain design are you looking for? Eyelet ? pencil pleat? with toning? borders? pencil pleat? depending on the design you choose it can cheaper or expensive, certain designs take more material and thus cost more. 5. Material usage - How many different designs , colors , toning, borders etc... are you using for your curtains for the whole house? If the material is all the same, it would be cheaper if the material is all the same. If it is different you would definitely have wastage that would add up to the cost. 6. Types of curtain needed- Day only? Day & Night? Black out or not? Full length or half? etc.... 7. Track type - Rails? Rods? Double? Single? - Are you using wooden rods or rails? Design style? Double wooden , extended non extended. There are cheap and expensive ones. 8. Accessories - Valances, trimming, tails, tassel etc.... There are cheap ones and expensive ones. 9. Finally the height and width of the area you want to install curtains. All these add to the cost of curtains . So whether you got a good deal or not depends on these factors. So review your curtain details and you will be able to find out if the cost is high or low. One other thing, you really need to be aware off is after sales services. How is the after sales service , because you will often need more than one curtain and if there are issues later, you should be able rely on them to help you fix it often at no extra charge if it's a small thing or its their material fault. Hope these help you. Later.

Say, out of curiosity, may I ask how did you order from taobao as it is written in mandarin? Do you know the language too?? I wanted to buy from there but cannot understand the language so didn't ...got them from J.B & Singapore. Singapore is sometimes cheaper than J.B. for some items.

Hi, I purchased my furniture and curtain from Malaysia too. Any particular shop you went to purchase your furniture from? Also, after looking at many places for curtains, I finally got it from a curtain shop my cousin made from for his house from Johor. Not all shops in Johor are cheap , they can be quite expensive. However, after evaluating everything , I got it from cousins curtain maker in Johor as I seen the curtain in my cousins place for the last 5 years and the after sales service.

In my quest for curtains for my house I learned a lot of things. The cost of curtains can be very cheap or expensive depending on many factors . 1. Material type - There are so many types of material that you can choose from. Each material has a different cost depending on the material it is made from. pure and not pure materials. e.g. Pure cotton, nylon, polyester etc... or mixed 60% polyester 40 cotton , Organza? etc.... 2 Country of production - Which country is the curtain materials made from? China? Korea? Taiwan? Turkey? Belgium? Spain? etc... Each country also has price difference and material look and feel difference, durability, weight, transparency etc... Even within China there is high quality and low quality material . 3. Design of material - Does the curtain material have any designs or is it just plain ? Is the design burned it or not? all these adds to the cost. 4. What type of curtain design are you looking for? Eyelet ? with toning? borders? pencil pleat? depending on the design you choose it can cheaper or expensive, 5. Material usage - How many different designs , colors , toning, borders etc... are you using for your curtains for the whole house? If the material is all the same, it would be cheaper if the material is all the same. If it is different you would definitely have wastage that would add up to the cost. 6. Types of curtain needed- Day only? Day & Night? Black out or not? Full length or half? etc.... 7. Track type - Rails? Rods? Double? Single? - Are you using wooden rods or rails? Design style? Double wooden , extended non extended. There are cheap and expensive ones. 8. Accessories - Valances, trimming, tails, tassel etc.... There are cheap ones and expensive ones. 9. Finally the height and width of the area you want to install curtains. All these add to the cost of curtains . So whether you got a good deal or not depends on these factors. So review your curtain details and you will be able to find out if the cost is high or low. One other thing, you really need to be aware off is after sales services. How is the after sales service , because you will often need more than one curtain and if there are issues later, you should be able rely on them to help you fix it often at no extra charge if it's a small thing or its their material fault. Hope these help you. Later.

Hi, apologies but I forgot, but you can ask the craftstone lady to calculate for you or your contractor.

Oh. didn't know my inbox was full. Sorry. ok deletes some msgs and replied you. Hope it helps in keeping to your reno budget. Later.

I got my brickwall that is 12 ft long done for 800 - 1000 dollars. The reason for the low price is that i got the bricks from Malaysia and paid just for the service.

hmmm.... just want to say, don't listen to what the sales people tell no matter which company it is. You should do your research based on people who have used the products and provided their review. I bought from them because they provided the best price for my Rinnai stove, Fujioh Hob , samsung fridge and washing machine and other appliances, I however, bought them because many reviews rated them well. So far, no issues for me. Another thing, those shops who told the the brands are not good might be doing that because they might not be getting good rates for rinnai and fujioh. just my 2 cents.

Hi ProjectH, This is all depends on you. In my kitchen, I have two types of lighting. one is bright white light using Philips T8 extra bright tube light. This is an essential need for cooking , baking , storage , cleaning etc...etc.... Warm light does not help for this practical purpose. Another type of light I have is a hanging pendant light ( warm light), this is more for sitting at the table in the kitchen and enjoying the food and relaxing with a cup of coffee as well as to add aesthetics to the kitchen. You can look at the pics in my tblog. My advice is to look at how you are going to use the kitchen and design accordingly. If you do a lot of cooking or spent a lot of time in the kitchen , it is best to have bright white light to help see well . Hope this helps.

Would the white laminate turn yellow over time? Would you be ok with it ?

Hi Everyone, Can anyone tell me what the cost will be if I got the following for a E.A. flat. All wooden rods for night curtain and railing for night curtain. Dining room day curtain Corridor day curtain Living room night & day 3 bedroom night and day Kitchen Roller blind Study room Roller blind

Hi Retch, I am not sure if it is the same plumber you had. I have the plumber contact as - Ah Beng - 97400371 Hope this helps. Regards.

HI Retch, With a 46 inch, the wind can be felt only up till the length of the blade and a bit more. Beyond that you will feel the wind but very minimal. So you got to see if that fits you. I have a very low ceiling so I have to use a 46 inch ceiling fan that has a very short trunk and based on my experience that is what I felt. If height is not an issue for you , you should go for the 56 inch ones. Just my suggestion. =) Regards.

Hi Project H, Finally your blog is up! woo hoo! Congrats! I agree with a lot of the folks who highlight the issues with Alan. I was there practically everyday and to make sure they don't get my specific design correct, my wife and I had to communicate directly with the sub contractors or else it can go haywire. At the final stage, I actually locked the door so that I know when a sub con is coming and follow them to see and make sure everything is done correctly. However, all these happens ONLY if you have specific design needs or a particular about certain things , like the gap between the toilet door and outside etc... or how the design should look like etc... After saying all these, I understand with a minimal budget the restrictions you have and totally understand why you went with Alan. That said, I want you to do the following to make sure everything goes smooth for you: 1. Write down and document everything you want Alan to do get him to acknowledge it. If you can draw or take pictures from or from other renovations and show exactly what you mean. The purpose of this is to make sure that later if there are differences , you can use the proof to show that it was their fault. If they cannot fix it, then bargain with them to reduce the price or refuse to pay unless they fix it ( if it is fixable). I had a lot of disputes in terms of the design and related areas and often I took out the design specs and showed to him and told him that they were wrong . I refused to accept the work . 2) Also, I got Alan to quote me multiple times as he got the details in the quote wrong leading to me having to pay more. So I vetted the quotation and calculated the cost to make sure there is no errors. Please validate all the items in the quotation and make sure he has actually done it. If you had requested additional items after you have signed the contract , please make sure to check the price of the additional items before you agree to it. If you don't, later he can charge you any price he wants. I always get him to quote me before they do the work. If they did it without asking me , I informed him that I would not pay for it or would pay based on market rate if I think it is needed. 3) If it is possible , get someone to be in the house when the sub-cons are doing the work. In my experience and from what I have heard and seen from others is that Alan forgets a lot of what you tell him. His sub cons sometimes don't know the specific request you have made. If you want the design to look the way you want, it would be best to be there to make sure it is done correctly the way you want it to be. My wife and I practically dealt with all the sub cons, without which some of the areas would look totally different from what we had requested. 4. Don't just accept the price he offers, check the market price with other reputable contractors etc. Example, I needed an extra 15 amp plug point but my circuit board did not have any more space for an addtional 15 A point. When I asked Alan, Alan quoted me 1400 for changing the Circuit board and additional plug point. He aid there was no choice but to do that. So what I did was check with a couple of other electricians I got to know. The electrician did the plug point and the additional single circuit breaker as well as check my breaker from a 32A to 40A all for 350 bucks. Big difference! I did that for quite a number of the items in my quotation. These are some of the things I wanted to advice you to have a smoother journey. In terns of fixing things after going wrong, most of the times he agrees to fix them, but a for number of things, I had to have " Interesting conversations" with him. Hope these help you.

Those keyword are reflective of part of my design philosophy for my flat : SPACE , STORAGE , BRIGHT. Happy renovation.

Hi MK, A very long and stressful journey indeed. Yup, Yup! lots of storage, something I think we'll need to keep the house clean and clutter free. ;P Am sure after the furniture and all the other items come in, it wouldn't look spacious. ;p Keeping with the simple philosophy, we didn't do much for the bedrooms except for hte master bedroom with the cabinets. ;p Thank you for visiting the blog and reading. much appreciated. =)

ok folks, that's all the photos. Next the following tasks are in order : 1) To buy mirror for master bedroom bathroom, dining room & tabletop tampered glass for study room table, Didn't get from Alan as the price was just way to ex. Got a great price from a glass factory just next to the house and from Ikea! 2) Washing the entire house. 2) Move all my old furniture and get if needed some new.

We didn't do much for the other rooms : Hacked the wall for this room and thus this room now has an attached bathroom.

View from Kitchen back entrance thru service yard to Common Bathroom : Opposite view - Common bathroom thry service yard to Kitchen back entrance Service Yard : Need to buy washing machine stand as it is too low for front loading. Found a great ship in Jurong East! Common Bathroom :

M/B Bathroom entrance : Shower Niche with tampered glass inserts :

Master Bedroom Overview : M/B Bathroom Door / Greenery outside the window : M/B Cabinet for clothes / accessories / storage etc... M/B Cabinet 2 - Cabinet designed to support Meows storage & comfort Zone.

Hi MiracleSG, yup it is ....

Hi Project H, Yup finally done with the renovation, now furnishing time. I helped with whatever I know....glad to help you where possible. =)