Danmify

Day 28 of Renovation - 14 Oct 2014 Aircon was installed yesterday and nicely wrapped up. Very delighted with the way the routing was done. I may have missed the whole installation process but my requirements were met. Aircon Requirements:- - Mitsubishi Electric Starmex (System 2) Inverter Aircon inverter - MXY2E20VA/ MSYGE10VA x 2 (9k btu each) - c/w Armaflex 1/2 Inches Class 1 Insulation / G22 Copper Pipe / 16mm drainage pvc pipe / Singapore Made Premium Grade Control Wiring - 1 yr warranty on workmanship / installation & 5 yrs warranty on compressor unit - Includes installation works and 1 delivery trip Whole House Painting was also completed! Shall update together when HERF flooring is up which is scheduled on 23 Oct. Andy actually went ahead of schedule, but we could not bring forward Evorich's pre-agreed schedule when informed yesterday. Good business for Evorich huh! We will have a short 3 days break then. Gas Installation will be done tomorrow and concurrently with whole house chemical washing. Praying everyday that my MBR Toilet Mosaic wall tiles can arrive ASAP! !

Hi PTopaz, mine should be around that price too. I will know during the pricing adjustment session with my contractor at the later stage.

Day 25 of Renovation - 10 Oct 2014 Yeah!! Finally got a good day shot of my completed Brick wall! Saw Ah Kim had to measure meticulously twice to make sure everything will be all right! There were 3 different spacers used to make the spacing natural looking and finally filled with white plaster area by area. A wet sponge is then used to wipe off excess plaster from the tiles. This will be our designated photo shoot backdrop for family and friends! Realised I haven't upload a full pic of my Common Toilet. My Barn inspired toilet is taking form! Awaiting the chemical wash to restore its gleam and the final gold touches. We chose Aluminium Louvered Bi-fold Door for the MBR Toilet because the wooden one is so pricey! Almost twice or thrice the cost! Since I "downgraded" from Tempered Glass door, I do not have to top up. The sliding track is rather stable but overall a bit flimsy and noisy due to its light weight. Considering my "Chor Lor (rough) pattern", I think it can probably last me a good 5 years. Well.. I struggled a bit for the kitchen concrete sink support because I felt Ah Kim did such an excellent job! For a man of details like him, he covered up all areas with tiles even though my original idea was for this whole structure to be enveloped by carpentry and quartz top. Moreover, he anticipated the requirements for the plumbing works and made due allowances. I am going to buy him his favourite cigarettes as a form of gratitude. Painting works is in progress and there are a lot of preparation works like scrapping the wall to make it even and smooth before applying the oil sealant onto the walls and ceiling. The experienced "one-man-show" painter completed all that in one day! I have opted for mould guard for additional protection for both the toilets and kitchen. Looking forward to the actual coats of paint. Chosen Sail White for the whole house and Creamy White for the Door frames and BS door.

Hi Rilkeanheart, great to have you here! Which blk you're from? Nope. My dining table will be placed just outside the kitchen entrance. My TV will be just behind BR2 wall. We intend to have occasional gathering with our friends and therefore need a bigger area

Anyone interested to buy my Big Light? http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220o.1000855.0.0.Rs62Q7&id=21629940045&bi_from=tm_comb Length 40 cm x Width 30 cm Going at discounted rate for SGD$60 I am giving away both my floor traps. However, not applicable for new BTO owners. Any takers? Silver colour http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=36432996659&ali_refid=a3_420434_1006:1104598592:6:%B5%D8%C2%A9+%C8%AB%CD%AD:42b8efd521d7a5b22e398cd3b97d78f0&ali_trackid=1_42b8efd521d7a5b22e398cd3b97d78f0&spm=a230r.1.17.11.tFwpQL Gold colour http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.18.tFwpQL&id=21083124862&ad_id=&am_id=&cm_id=140105335569ed55e27b&pm_id=

Had a long 1 hr+ session with my Carpenter and Andy. Really appreciated that they provided a lot of logical advice and counter proposal during my design brief and we were able to finalize all the details and laminate selections last Sat. Some updates to the progress as of Day 22 of Renovation - 07 Oct 2014 1. Concrete Support for Kitchen Sink completed 2. Make good for damaged floor tiles and skirting at Service Yard completed 3. Main Door Entrance Floor Tiling completed 4. Common Toilet Entrance Floor Tiling completed 5. Craft Brick Wall completed 6. Detailed measurements for carpentry works completed 7. Measurement for White Lourved Aluminium Bi-fold Door for MBR Toilet completed 8. Delivery of Hood & Hob 9. Delivery of Paints :lol: Upcoming Works 1. Painting Works 2. 2nd Round of grouting filling for Common Toilet Wall Tiles 3. Chemical Washing 4. Installation of Fixtures 5. Installation of HERF 6. Installation of Carpentry 7. Remaining Wet works in MBR Toilet 8. Air-con Works 9. Plumbing 10. Minor Final Touch up works :fire:

Hi Wyx03_2002, I thought I can give you a visual explanation but my Aircon works will most likely be rescheduled to early Nov as my MBR Toilet wall tiles are pending new stock availability. I will be installing FCU 1 in MBR at the ceiling beam just outside Toilet entrance and facing the bed. Not above MBR's or Toilet's door. FCU 2 in BR2 will be installed above the door. All the best in your Reno! Looking forward to meeting you and visiting your place one day!

Bro, thanks for recommending K2LD Builders to me! Day 20 of my Reno so far! Everything's speedy and the workmanship marvellous! Do drop by for coffee/tea at my new house next time

30 Sept to 01 Oct 2014 - Day 15 & 16 of Renovation Oh Yeah!! Fast Fast Fast Progress!! Cement Screeding works was done within a day and left overnight to dry. Andy's tiler wasted no time in the "safe zone", working on the kitchen cabinets base plinth, tile skirting and constructing the concrete support for our sink from scratch. The eventual result would be carpentry enveloping the exposed concrete areas to give an unified look. Next morning, another sub con came to box up the recessed areas at the MBR & Living Room walls and also solved the eye sore on the ceiling problem as well. Andy's team used partition boards in the MBR and calcium silicate boards in the Living room. I cannot tell much difference as both materials feel very sturdy. There is a process to seal up together with chemical bonding as well. Pretty neat and experienced works there! It was actually a roller coaster day for me! Received a morning call from Andy about the potential delay for my MBR Toilet wall mosaic tiles until early Nov. The Golden Week in China affects the Supplier's initial mid Oct shipping schedule. At first, I wanted to continue to wait as I had already sourced high and low from Hup Khiong, Unlimited, Hafary, Soon Bee Huat, Rice Fields, An Huat and GFA before finally deciding on my current choice. But later in the day, Andy somehow managed to source an even nicer alternative mosaic tile from Hup Khiong's new arrivals. Oh yeah! Now we're back on the fast track again! Ended the day positively with my confirmed selection on Paint Colours and Veneer Doors laminates as well. Looking forward to meeting the Aircon guy this Sat and also the Carpenter on next Monday. This is only Day 16 of my Renovation.

Hi Minibunnyhusky, I would not advise installing aircon in the living room after you hacked down the kitchen wall and BR3 wall for open concept. 1. You need a brand with high BTU. Maybe Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. But 1 fancoil might not be enough as you got to consider BR3, living room, kitchen and SY as 1 big combined area. 2. Unless you consider some ways to trap the cool air in e.g those frameless foldable glass panels / customized bifold or hidden sliding doors. 3. Or maybe do a bottom half wall and top half glass for your kitchen and BR3 area. You get some sense of a bigger space with more light into the house, the flexibility to use it as a private room when required and also to trap the cool air in within each area as well. 3. You need to plan for the aircon routing. Might need box up or other hidden costs. I think fans are more economical in the living room for our case.. if it gets too humid and hot, can "take cover" in the bedrooms. Save some bills too. Jia you! Just a short wait more!

Well.. Life isn't always smooth and we were expecting our first "lemons". After hacking down the BR3 walls to enlarge our living room, we found this stubborn metal structure remaining at the ceiling - the lone survivor against all odds! As per HDB guidelines, we cannot remove this metal object and our next best option is to make "lemonade" out of it. We explored the following options:- 1) Paint it white and install vertical wall planters and hope it covers up over time 2) Install vertical wooden columns 3) Hide it with Cornices 4) Hide it with partial false ceiling & cove lighting 5) Hide it with carpentry 6) Partial top half Box up that flushes with the existing BR3 ceiling beam at the windows We chose Option 6 and certainly hope it will turn out well! (not too sour) 23 to 27 Sept 2014 - Day 09 to 13 of Renovation The progress was gradual as the professional tiler took it upon himself to do the finishing touches to ensure the quality is consistent. The plastering works and laying of grouting lines were solely done by him - the popular Ah Kim which you will definitely see in K2LD Builders' FB albums! Common Toilet is 65% completed. For mosaic tiles, the grout lines will have holes after the 1st round. There will be another round of touch up. Kitchen wall tiles overlay will also be scheduled after carpentry and kitchen quartz top is up. We can have a better fit/alignment that way. IMO. 29 Sept 2014 - Day 14 of Renovation I happened to hear a rumour that the free HDB Cement Screeding might cease after 1 Oct and quickly arrange for it to be done before end Sept. Andy was flexible to shift the original targeted date on 3rd week of Oct forward. We were all surprised that the cement screed contractors turned up so fast on last Sat afternoon to put down their equipment and materials and completed everything today. :bow:

Hi future neighbour, great to have you here! My contractor is Andy from K2LD Builders. You can check out their FB PAGE. My quotation is about $41k, excluding $3k electrical works and also $5k floor works. Definitely not the cheapest around. You need to be rather involved in the design process. I will give a full review upon completion.

Hi ElsaAnna, it is about sgd $1k, inclusive of the top hung tracks. Door feels solid and wider than main door.

I was away for work in China for 5 days and was waiting excitedly every night for the daily updates of the Reno progress via Whatapps from my wife. 17 to 23 Sept 2014 - Day 03 to 08 of Renovation Andy's team is really detailed and experienced. After hacking & dismantling works, chipping off those embedded metal stabilizer strips and metal clips were promptly done before wet works touch up & plastering works. Plumbing joints were also extended and sealed up well with the white tapes. Existing kitchen and toilet wall surfaces are plastered and ready for tiling works. 1st phase of Plastering works completed and the next phase will have a more smooth end results before Painting works. Service yard windows are also up. Very satisfied with it! Tracks were well run and the windows seems thicker and solid. No annoying sound made during sliding. I liked how the uncle mixed the "cement cocktail" using an handheld blender! I was really worried about how both my toilet designs will turn out especially when I had "invested" a fair bit of "moolah". For the common toilet, I wanted to create a barn like feel and initially wanted to leave the top portion raw and painted white but decided in the end to go with the white mosaic tile finishes to avoid mouldy problems. Looking forward to the grout line laying for a more defined look. The overlaying of the MBR Toilet wall tiles is also half completed and awaiting for the other customized glass mosaic tiles to arrive around mid Oct. Andy's subcon was experienced to point out to me that there will be a thickness difference between both tiles at the joint areas and I told him that it is something I can accept. Once in a while, he likes to put these "disclaimer statements" to avoid future disputes among all parties which is great for me as I need someone who can help me identify the "blind spots" in my design.

15 Sept 2014 - Day 02 of Renovation Today is actually the first day for Andy's team as they normally do not commence demolition work on Saturday which was Day 1. However we had a detailed joint discussion with both the professional tiler and electrician on my requirements and purchases of renovation materials and scheduling of works was also efficiently arranged by Andy. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of works completed in 1 day! Well within the approved period stated on the HDB permit. And the best part of it is I get timely pictorial updates. I was able to see today's renovation progress around 10 PM just now. 1. Demolition works for BR3 L-walls & Door frame 2. Demolition works for Kitchen L-wall entrance 3. Dismantling work for SY windows & bi-fold door 4. Dismantling work for existing sanitary accessories and toilet bowls 5. Clearing of debris to dumpster truck 6. Upload of renovation materials to house 7. On-going electrical works (About 40% completion) 8. Coordination with vendor to have SY new sliding windows measurements taken :dancingqueen:

:sport-smiley-018: We did not opt in for flooring and doors, so there was not much to check for defects. Moreover, since we will be overlaying the toilets and partial areas of the kitchen, we were left to check only the electrical points, main door, gate, BS door, windows and paint work. Thankfully, we were blessed with no major defects and those minor ones which we submitted were rectified within 5 days. I bought a SGD$6 number lock for the BSC contractors who were doing those rectifications. I will switch to using the padlock provided by my main contractor Andy when his works commenced. There will be a clear line of handover of my home temporarily to him during this Reno period and also the liability in the event of unwanted circumstances. Andy is a super fast and efficient man! Some of the milestones:- 1. Met up with him on 03 Sept to confirm exact site details required for his HDB Permit application 2. Met up with him and his recommended Electrician on 06 Sept to confirm electrical works and quotation. 3. Scheduled 1st Day Reno Ceremony to be on 13 Sept as per FS auspicious date & timing 4. Demolition Works to commence on 15 Sept 5. Received news on 10 Sept that HDB permit has been approved. Aircon installation works scheduled on 21 Sept I am sure that it would have been faster if not for Andy having to accommodate to my Fengshui dates and timing requirements and my upcoming overseas work trip. So far, it has been great working with Andy. You need to have a clear design concept, present clearly and visually with mood pics during your initial discussion with Andy, right down to sourcing of the materials and noting down the material codes. I got most of the tiles purchases from Hup Khiong. To avoid feeling rushed, I would advise you have sourced in advance instead of leaving it to the single joint session with Andy on the eleventh hour. You are responsible for making sure the overall theme for your house is in sync for the different areas. Andy can only offer his technical experiences to forewarn future problems and the practicality. After you have shortlisted your materials, you can leave the actual site measurements and confirmed material purchases to him. (Not inclusive of sanitary or kitchen accessories / furniture) He will also do site coordination and scheduling of works. But during the joint meet up, he will leave you to coordinate directly with the electrician and Aircon guy for your own requirements before involving himself at the final part of the discussion to see if any conflicting issues with other portions of the Reno works. I find this arrangement ok for me as there is a clear line drawn on the responsibility and less risk of communication lost in translation. Hoping for a smooth sailing renovation! And to move in by end Nov 2014!

:jammin: Woot!! A long outstanding post on Key Collection & Opening House! Summary of our day on 02 Sept 2014 - Reached HDB @ 0830 hrs, checked in with queue no at level 1 kiosk & went Level 2 to get Etiqa Home Insurance (Gotten the $300++ for 5 yrs coverage) - Went down to level 1 again and met up with the Sales Officer @ 0910 hrs on time to settle all paperwork. Gotten a cement screeding form and also requested to pay 2 mths S&C fees in advance - Went up level 3 for payment and gotten a receipt - Went down to SP at level 2 to open Utilities Account - Went back down to level 1 to pass receipt copy to the Sales Officer The entire handover of flat process took less than 1.5 hrs. We followed in accordance to the Fengshui designated timings for the "Opening House" and then done the procedures as per instructed before leaving straight after that. We only came back for proper check of any defects, submission of defect listing and taking pics of the house on the weekends. Without further ado, allow us to present our humble abode in its original state. We shall witness her full transformation to a Scandinavian Modern Farmhouse inspired home in due time.

Hi Hellonub, I didn't buy those guest chairs in the end. Kept changing my shortlisted TB purchases in Apr and ended up with different confirmed ones in Jul.

Long Post on Taobao shopping ahead! My Taobao purchase arrived on 18 Aug. It was a rather eventful experience for a Taobao first timer like me. My previous online shopping = Qoo10sg. Let me share my detailed experience. There are many forwarding agents who can help you bring your goods to SG, namely Amcon Express, Prouter, 65 daigou, Oops SG, etc. Some quality check the contents of your purchases, monitor that pricing is consistent, do repacking worthy of overseas freight at a higher cost. I selected Amcon Express who does non of those value added services and therefore slightly more competitive in pricing. May has a Guangzhou warehouse for consolidation of all your TB purchases with different TB sellers domestically within China. After consolidation, she will ship via ocean freight and arrange for delivery right to your SG doorstep. In chronological sequence:- 1) Whatapps May from Amcon Express @ 93862818 on 17 Jul and she emailed back the following information:- - Warehouse Address: 广州市越秀区北站南路69号义庆商储仓A座135仓转“YOUR NAME” - Contact Person (联系人)：倪先生/康先生 13392684638 or 刘先生 13711601896 - Phone/Fax No (电话/传真)：020 - 3637 7718 - Postal (邮编)：510403 - Special Remark to Sellers: 请把唛头写在箱的外面，以便确认是"YOUR NAME" 的货, 谢谢! - Optional Remark to Sellers: 请加较厚的包装, 最终是要送海外的. 谢谢! You will need to indicate the above information during your payment check out with the individual TB sellers. In the same email, May also provided a excel form 淘宝&快递 货物装箱报关单(PACKING LIST & INVOICE) for you to fill up. The information are easily available on your "myTaobao page" which gives a summary of your activities. Take note of Courier No 快递号码, Courier Company 快递公司 & Date of Receipt 签收时间 2) Set up my Taobao Account on 27 Jul which also includes creation of Alipay Account (Chinese Paypal) and Aliwangwang (Chinese MSN)and made my 1st shipment purchases all on the same day. 3) Whenever goods reached May's warehouse, she either whatapps or email me the courier nos for my verification. You need to check against Courier No 快递号码, Courier Company 快递公司 & Date of Receipt 签收时间 to prevent short / wrong / extra shipment. May does not handle discrepancy, so you got to Aliwangwang the seller and enquire further. Note: Selecting reputable sellers in the first place is the most important step. 4) After consolidation and my verification, Goods shipped on 12 Aug. Usually take about 6 - 9 days for ocean freight. A delivery guy called me on 18 Aug to schedule for delivery date and time. Note that there is no night delivery when I tried to schedule after office hours. 5) Final Shipping Invoice consists of 3 billing components:- Shipping Fees chargeable @ RMB$550 per cubic metres (Cbm) / 7% GST paid on behalf (variable depending on your purchases) / Fixed SGD$35 Documentation Fees For my case, total amount was SGD$309. My goods are received in great condition. The sellers packed my glass lights and other fragile items well. Here are the links to my confirmed purchases:- 1st rd of Shipment (About 1 cbm worth) Lightings Tracklights (Shortlisted Qty 8 - White) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220m.1000858.1000725.211.IZo325&id=14800808078&sku=20397:494072105;9228689:3250781&cat_id=50105504&rn=27ec2ba24850939d68cdd7f9764c65e7&user_id=797585128&is_b=1 1.5 metres Track (Shortlisted Qty 2 - White) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220o.1000855.0.0.YNYpg9&id=13503986380&bi_from=tm_comb Dining table lights (Shortlisted Qty 1 - White) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220o.1000855.1998025129.1.XEDWBO&id=21944748280&rn=&acm=03054.1003.1.65793&uuid=dJPo9TVK&abtest=_AB-LR32-PV32_504&scm=1003.1.03054.ITEM_21944748280_65793&pos=1 Master Bathroom, Corridor light (Shortlisted Qty 1 Big & 1 Medium) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220o.1000855.0.0.Rs62Q7&id=21629940045&bi_from=tm_comb MBR, BR 2 & 3, Foyer Ceiling light (Shortlisted Qty 4) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a220m.1000858.1000725.132.9SkyZN&id=19784418578&user_id=741620912&is_b=1&cat_id=50030199&q=%B5%C6%CA%CE&rn=b365e7f7b6bdeb3bf81b221d70ac6a20 Common Bathroom / Bomb Shelter (Shortlisted Qty 2 - Gold) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.4.w4004-5777828591.26.WXKKb6&id=15431136216&acm=03131.1003.1.53417&uuid=xC5AHoE2&abtest=_AB-LR130-PR130&scm=1003.1.03131.ITEM_15431136216_53417&pos=13 Kitchen & Service Yard (Shortlisted Qty 3 - White) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w4004-3412660906.12.SVyLGb&id=19279366940&acm=03068.1003.1.32803&uuid=pdXmCQ68&abtest=_AB-LR73-PV73_510&scm=1003.1.03068.ITEM_19279366940_32803&pos=6 Kitchen Kitchen Faucet (Shortlisted Qty 1 - White) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.0.MnhLEK&scm=1007.10009.518.0&id=37614315646&pvid=7a7521bd-bcc8-4554-a1f7-296683da400d Bathroom Accessories Common Bathroom Basin (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.9.JWWoW3&id=17003135638&_u=r212arup2ffa Common Bathroom Shower Set (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.0.pn8Hu5&id=35069084980&scm=1007.10115.744.0&pvid=079719ee-773f-41c9-bf94-93f58e1b858d Common Bathroom Faucet (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.w4018-4818481343.11.9N7izR&scm=1007.170.0.0&id=4250725060&pvid=f00c878b-b378-4dd8-a154-36ef7f471c7a&jlogid=p1622311473d89 Common Bathroom Towel Rack (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.w4018-4818481343.19.ewNGvs&scm=1007.172.0.0&id=19845541514&pvid=694d8284-7a87-4ba5-9bfa-10d23d59d710&jlogid=p2112183174c36 Floor Trap Type 2 (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.18.tFwpQL&id=21083124862&ad_id=&am_id=&cm_id=140105335569ed55e27b&pm_id= Water S Trap (Shortlisted Qty 2) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z0d.6639537.1997196601.4.df9u8A&id=39787296760 Master Bathroom Shower Set (Shortlisted Qty 1) spm=a220o.1000855.1998025129.2.IsrtHS&id=18474958140&rn=&acm=03054.1003.1.67386&uuid=BAEWKTM2&abtest=_AB-LR32-PV32_675&scm=1003.1.03054.ITEM_18474958140_67386&pos=2 Master Bathroom Towel Rack (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w5833598-6645540212.4.9ZcjLk&id=36198031128 Master Bathroom Faucet (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.5.w4002-5050455461.33.AhYLXg&id=20850923323 Master Bathroom Basin (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w5003-3680533803.8.YNWqMd&id=15623565664&scene=taobao_shop Toilet Roll Holder (Shortlisted Qty 2) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.0.s8onIV&scm=1007.10009.518.0&id=39299260044&pvid=9cff7067-aa76-4a37-b623-1f7f2346e29e Floor Trap Type 1 (Shortlisted Qty 1) http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=36432996659&ali_refid=a3_420434_1006:1104598592:6:%B5%D8%C2%A9+%C8%AB%CD%AD:42b8efd521d7a5b22e398cd3b97d78f0&ali_trackid=1_42b8efd521d7a5b22e398cd3b97d78f0&spm=a230r.1.17.11.tFwpQL

@Binzz: Yah! My contractor was commenting that it will not fit too! Hopefully can find ways to overcome it. Too late to cancel purchase.. shipment left the port on route to SG

I got to admit I have been really fickle minded. There are so many changes compared to when I first started this blog. I am referring to my TB purchases, shortlisted furniture / furnishing purchases and most importantly my Reno budget. [Need to eat bread & (wheat)grass after moving in] Actual Key Collection Appt Date:- 02 Sept 2014 Looking forward to receiving my 1st shipment of TB purchases and will review especially as a 1st timer user of online TB Shopping & using Amcon Express as my Forwarder. Looking forward to sharing my joy of self designing my home, shopping for materials and partnering with my confirmed contractor to achieve the dream home that my wife and I are going to adore!

Some updates on my ID/Contractors selection Process:- There is not much difference between ID/Contractor. I meant specifically pricing & Site coordination/supervision. Maybe most ID draws using computer softwares but contractors draws on your actual walls. I must have met up and gotten quotes with at least 15 IDs/Contractors and have decided not to detail the reasons for rejection but to generalise as below and hopefully benefit the readers to take some notes on these aspects:- 1. Quote exceeds budget / Too vague with potential hidden costs 2. Saleperson's attitude / Responsiveness / Lack of Technical knowledge / Integrity 3. Not HDB Registered and potentially using other partners' assistance to get HDB approved permit 4. Do massive advertising / Mostly outsourced workers or business partners = higher priced 5. Mixed & Negative reviews in Forums 6. Too busy with a lot of projects / pass on work to assistant or colleague which defeats why you shortlisted him in the 1st place 7. Lack of Chemistry / Gives a feeling that he cannot understand your requirements or theme 8. Too many 3D drawings without actual completed site photos / Keep delaying your requests for actual site viewing to QC Despite experiencing the above, i cannot say I am already 100% certain. A good 50% is based on referral by Marcel, a fellow renotalker here and i am privileged to be able to follow his blog and got confirmation of his satisfaction. Maybe another 30% is after meeting up with the contractor and verifying the end results of an ongoing project with our own eyes. The balance 20% is really on gut feel. Quality work definitely outweighs my cheapest quote! Hopefully after key collection, invite him down to go through my requirements and revise the quote again before signing contract! I shall RTF upon completion.

The journey has been fun for us so far! Really motivates me to look forward to payday at the end of the coming months. Pending key purchases:- 1. Mitsubishi Starmex Sys 2 Inverter Aircon with upgrades & Warranty ($2,280) 2. LG Washing Machine WFT1011 ($530) 3. Fisher & Paykel Bottom Freezer Fridge E372BRE4 ($980) 4. Kitchen Farmhouse Ceramic Sink - Stella ($300) 5. Ceiling Fan - Elmark Aeronamics ($500) 6. Taobao Light Purchases ($1,589) 7. Taobao Sanitary Purchases ($836) 8. Toilet Bowls KIV till more moolah comes in:- 9. Dining Table & Chairs ($515) 10. Leather 3-Seaters Sofa ($900) 11. Samsung / LG TV New Estimated Key Collection: ~ 2nd week of Aug 2014 Keep saving!!

Been hit by the GSS bug! Had to fast forward some of my purchases in order to capitalise on the discounts. Total Damages incurred this week:- 1. Sealy Prestige Vitality King Sized Mattress - $3,634 (5% discount till 31 Jul for DBS credit cardholders, c/w 2 mattress protectors, 2 boutique pillows, divan bed bases with 6 inches wooden legs + 10 yrs Guarantee) - You can contact Hon @ 6837 2018 from Liang Court Sealy Boutique Store 2. City Gas Promotion (Got Rinnai Glass Hob RB-2CG @ $833.65, Rinnai Glass Hood RH-992CT @ $606.54 & Rinnai Gas Water Heater REU-10RFM @ $360 c/w free $80 installation and free trade in after 5 yrs but $120 chargeable for hob & hood installation) - You can contact Jenny @ 9080 1561 http://www.rinnai.sg/product_details.php?product_id=9 http://www.rinnai.sg/product_details.php?product_id=75

For those interested in Fengshui, you can consider my quote below from KX Intl Geomancy. It was a referral from my sis in law and therefore i did not really compare quotes at all. 1. SGD$738 for a 4RM BTO Flat which basically consists of Home Fengshui with reference to owners' Bazi, advice on health then wealth, career, opening house, 1st day reno and Moving in Ceremony Auspicious Date & Time, marriage/relationships, etc. A Senior Assistant will be going up my house to do the site assessment instead of the Master Shifu himself. It would have cost more than SGD$3,500 to engage the Master Shifu. 2. SGD$288 for the Goodies/Offerings for the ceremony 3. Potential Add-ons/$ to "neutralise" bad elements. You can contact Gina @ 6443 2137 from the Bedok Reservoir Branch for more details. She is not pushy and is transparent about their business. Website: http://www.kx.com.sg/ One great positive knowledge gained is I can perform both the Opening House and 1st Day Reno Ceremony during the HGF without having to wait. The only taboo is not to move into the new house during this period.