Bengologist

Hey WhiteCookie, Thanks for the tip! I will heed that advice and try to replace t5 tube with led strips where possible. Thanks thanks! Have a fantastic week! Woohoo!

Hi Niko, Thanks for dropping by. Have an awesome week! Yeah!

Hi niko, My opinion is that you should get a contrasting colour for your cabinet against the colour of your cabinet top. If your solid/granite surface top is dark colour, your cabinet should be lighter in colour and vice versa. I'm not an expert but I've learnt this from my interior designer. Hope that helps. Happy Reno!

Hi Edd! My delivery is scheduled in June, so I've no idea about the quality of the furniture which I've ordered. However, based on the reviews of the customers on its website and the services I've received so far from their staff regarding my order, it's really top-notch! You should consider buying from there cause the price is really much cheaper than any furniture shops out there!

Ha! Thanks a great deal for the information! ​How's the workmanship for the blinds and installation? Do you recommend the curtain specialist you use? If yes, sorry to trouble you but can you PM me his contact? Hahaha! Thanks! Happy weekends btw!

Wow! Gorgeous crystal lights! I had ordered a similar one as your second picture hanging lighting set, hope it will come in perfect condition *fingers crossed*. Happy renovation! Post more pics!

Hi edd, Welcome to Renotalk! I had to agree with you guys that the new BTO flat's kitchen is indeed very small. Guess I need to feedback (translate: COMPLAIN) this to HDB. Anyway happy renovation! Hope to see more pics soon!

Hi Natalisha, Can you pm me Vincent's contact? Thanks!

Photographs of Air-Con Installation Day! (Part III) 9) Wires all boxed up with the compressor also up! 10) It's READY! Yeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh! 11) Air-con unit also ready in the master bedroom. I didn't expect the air con cable tray to look so ugly. Got to consult my ID for solutions to make it looks nicer. 12) Free luggage bags! Woohooooooo!

Photographs of Air-Con Installation Day! (Part II) 5) Wiring inside the master toilet 6) Wiring along the passageway 7) Air-con unit installed in one of the common bedroom 8) Wiring work on the air-con ledge. It certainly looks complicated for a novice like me!

27th April 2013 - Air-Con Installation Day! I really have to applause Gain City Marina Square for the fantastic services provided. I had purchased my air-condition systems on 24th April and I requested for urgent installation as my renovation is about to commerce and they appeared at my doorstep on 27th April to install them. Kudos to them! I had taken an urgent half day leave on a Saturday to attend to this installation but ended up almost becoming a decomposed corpse at one corner of the house after waiting patiently for them to complete the installation, while doing nothing. Kind of wasted my leave and my time. Well, these are the installation pics! 1) It's time to get down to work! Ha! 2) "Weapons of Mass Installation" 3) The Gain City technician ready to start the mission of the day 4) Tough job!

Wow! Nice roman blind! I also wanted to do roman blind for my whole house but facing strong opposition from my parents who prefer traditional long curtains for the house, guess I'm gonna start a debating contest with them soon. Hahaha! Anyway how much does it cost for roman blinds for the whole house? I need a rough idea to add it into my budgeting. Ha! Thanks! P.S: Love the simple colour you have chosen for your house. It makes it look much spacious and modern. Good design!

Hahaha! It's enough for my renovation plus furnitures, electrical appliances, lightings etc. However if strike Toto first prize, it will be okay to buy this, hahahahahaha...

Hi honeykitty, I'm not sure about the quality of the lightings from TB. Mine's currently on its way to Singapore. Maybe lawrenceke can advise you better since his lightings from TB already installed in his house.

Oh btw, Just something ridiculously funny. I have a similar photo of me wearing the Hulk mask, just like your profile picture. Here it is:- Wahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Hey lawrenceke, I must really thank you! It's really a wise move to purchase such lighting sets from taobao as similar ones cost at least 2 or 3 times higher in local lighting shops. Cheers!

FURNITURES Unlike my earlier purchases, I did majority of my furniture shopping with a click of the mouse. Ha! This is my virgin attempt at online purchasing from a local outlet (http://www.fortytwo.sg/ - previously known as beds.sg) and the whole process was easy breezy! Despite making numerous changes to the order, the staff at this site were all helpful and responded promptly. It was certainly my best online shopping experience. Below are the furniture I ordered via the website (free delivery & installation! ) 1) Alonzo Faux Leather Drawer Bed (Queen-Sized) - http://www.fortytwo.sg/alonzo-faux-leather-drawer-bed-9-working-days-lead-time.html 2) Sepora Divino Pillow-top Mattress (Queen-Sized) - http://www.fortytwo.sg/mattress/shop-by-size/queen/sepora-divino-pillow-top-mattress-queen-sized.html 3) Sydney Faux Leather Bed Frame (Super-Single) - http://www.fortytwo.sg/sydney-faux-leather-bed-frame.html 4) Maxcoil Athena Mattress (Super-Single) - http://www.fortytwo.sg/united-extra-firm-mattress.html 5) Maliland 3-in-1 Deluxe Package (Super-Single) - http://www.fortytwo.sg/maliland-basic-3-in-1-deluxe-package-supersingle.html 6) Augustine Sofa (3 Seater + 2 Seater with Ottoman) - http://www.fortytwo.sg/augustine-3-2-seater-sofa-set.html 7) Emiliana 4 Seater Dining Set - http://www.fortytwo.sg/t-ds-9366ta-bl-c-ds-9328c.html 8) Bloopen Carpet 2m x 1.4m - http://www.fortytwo.sg/bloopen-carpet-2m-x-1-4m.html 9) Draimen Vanilla Blended Carpet 2m x 1.4m - http://www.fortytwo.sg/draimen-vanilla-carpet-2m-x-1-4m.html For my TV console, I've made a trip to Hommage Lifestyle @ Jalan Pemimpin (near to Marymount MRT Station) after seeing splendid reviews on this company. The reviews were spot-on that the boss and staff are extremely amiable and helpful people. As soon as I stepped into the shop, one of the staff immediately came forward to serve me and aid me with the selection of a suitable TV console for my living hall. In addition, he also passed me a bottle of chilled water as the weather was devastatingly hot that afternoon. In the end, I made this selection @ $550.00 (Apologies for the bad resolutions. I have snapped a picture of this from their catalogue) : -

Photographs of Electrical Appliances (Part II) 5) The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries System-3 Inverter I purchased from Gain City 6) Save electricity = Save money! Wooooohoooooooo! 7) The behemothic Samsung refrigerator (also from Gain City). 4 ticks = save on utilities bill again! Yeaaaaahhhh! 8) Another Samsung product for my new home - The new eco-bubble function front load washing machine.

Photographs of Electrical Appliances 1) Onkyo 5.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver @ Courts (Might be getting this for my room! Yeah! Time to rock my room! ) 2) Weekend further discount for Onkyo 5.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver @ Courts! 3) I swear I will buy this if I strike Toto first prize! Arghhhhhhh! 4) The price of LG 84" UD 3D TV! *Faint*

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES For electrical appliances, instead of Geylang, Joo Chiat, Jalan Besar, Balestier etc, I have chosen to head straight to the big names - Courts, Harvey Norman & Gain City. The Courts at Toa Payoh and Tampines offer massive sales but the prices for majority of the items are still slightly higher than its rivals (maybe with the exception of Home Theater System). For Harvey Norman, I am so relieved that my "brother-in-law" (okay, he's still my sister's boyfriend at the moment) is working there as a promoter, so I am able to get good discount for some of the items I am going to purchase (eg Hob/Hood, Television etc). With regards to Gain City, I have visited their outlet at Changi City Point and Marina Square and I was very impressed by their customer services, especially the outlet in Marina Square. Not only are they patient and friendly, they are also able to offer advice and provided me with superb discounts and freebies. I was there for close to two hours, asking millions and millions of question like a hardworking student about air-conditioning, TVs, Home Theater Systems, Refrigerators, Washing Machine etc etc, even to the point that it's past their operation hours. In the end, I purchase a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries System-3 inverter air-conditioning, a Samsung fridge and a Samsung 8kg front load washing machine from them. Pictures to follow shortly....

Photographs of Bathroom/Kitchen wares 1) Granite Sink @ Sim Siang Choon. Really worth the bucks if you're looking for a double bowl sink with drainboard! 2) Bathroom corner double-layer glass shelf from Hoe Kee. The price is inexpensive @ $50 (w GST). 3) The double-bowl granite kitchen sink I bought from Heritage Bathroom Gallery (Only available on catalogue ) 4) The 7 piece bathroom accessories I bought from Heritage Bathroom Gallery. There's another non stainless steel set on offer at $65 but I chose this because it's more durable, especially in wet areas like toilets. 5) The gorgeously-designed sink mixer from Heritage Bathroom Gallery which I almost buy. Ha!

BATHROOM/KITCHEN WARES For bathroom & kitchen wares, the places I left my hunting marks are almost identical to the lightings. I guess having lightings and sanitary/kitchen wares shops clustered together on several locations in Singapore is indeed a brilliant move by the government as it saves up a lot of precious time/effort for shrewd bargain-hunters like us, Hahahaha.. Geylang Road i) Hoe Kee Hardware @ Tanjong Katong Complex - Recommended by forum-users, so I made a trip down to this outlet (note: If I'm not mistaken, they have about 5 showrooms in Singapore). The prices are reasonably-priced and they have quite a good spread of bathroom/kitchen items & accessories. I don't recall seeing any fanciful items there, so basically their stuff are merely for practical usage. I was served by this China saleslady who follow me around and provide explanations on the function/usability of the Hob/Hood, kitchen sink, bathroom accessories, ceiling fan. Excellent services but I did not purchase anything from them. Hahahaha! ii) Heritage Bathroom Gallery - There was a negative thread in this forum dedicated to this shop (REF: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/31487-heritage-bathroom-gallery/) and so I was deciding whether to step into the shop. I'm so glad I did because my experience with this shop is 101% different from this forum-user. Although it looks like a shop selling expensive bathroom & kitchen wares, the prices after discount for majority of the items are more affordable than other places. In addition, the saleslady who attend to me (I think her name is Yuko or Yumi or something Yu**) is very patient and assist me to write down the details of the items which I have an interest in buying. I subsequently left the shop with her handwritten note but return a week later to place order for the two sets of 7-piece stainless steel bathroom accessories, two sets of bathroom mirror cabinet and a top-mount black granite sink. Great savings! Jalan Besar i) Poh Seng (Joo?!) Hardware - I can't recall what is the name of the shop I stepped into, Poh Joo or Poh Seng Hardware, but I remember it is not too far away from Royal Franco. Business was good when I entered and even after 10 minutes, there was no one to attend to me, so I made a trip to Royal Franco first. After I returned again, a saleslady came to serve me. They have an adequate supply of kitchen sink, sink mixer and bathroom accessories for selection and price-wise, it's also reasonable. Left the shop again without any purchases as the saleslady gave me a "you-are-not-gonna-buy-anything" stare everytime I make query on their product. ii) Royal Franco - Due to excessive favourable comments on this shop in this forum, I had earlier attempted to make a few trips to this shop in the evening but unfortunately they are not open. Fortunately on my third attempt, they are open for business and I went in to take a look. Like what the forummers commented, the boss is indeed a friendly guy who wouldn't mind imparting his knowledge on his products to a stranger like me. He went around his shop showing me the different set of bathroom accessories they are selling, explain to me about the different brands of ceiling fan, pro & con of stainless steel sink vs granite sink. In addition, the prices for his items are cheaper than Poh Seng (Joo). However, I did not buy anything too because the selection is quite limited. Bukit Timah Road i) Sim Siang Choon @ Alfa Center - This is perhaps the only bathroom/kitchen wares specialist I know without reading the forum because they used to advertise heavily on the television. The showroom is big and have a wide variety for the fussy shopper. The services of the Filipino staff are just okay but the prices for majority of their products are at a bargain given the size of the company. The only drawback is that unlike those smaller enterprises run by the owner themselves, the amount reflected on the price-tag is the final amount (w GST) and so no further negotiation of price is allowed. Initially I wanted to purchase the granite sink which is already on a promotional price of $252.72 and come along with a free sink mixer. However the length of the sink exceeded my requirement and therefore I have to seek alternatives. I will upload the pictures later.

Hi Heavenlyn, Thanks for dropping by and sincere appreciation for the congrats. Yeah, it's my first time owning a flat (though I purchase it with my parents) and my parents had thrown all the renovation duties to me, so I am super excited to input as much ideas to my new house as possible! Once again, thank you and have a fantastic day! P.S.: That's an awesome name (Heavenlyn)!

Hi ProjectH, Thanks! Yup, I have no choice but to do intensive homework as I do not want to overspend on my renovation & household items (although I already did, hahahahaha.... )

No prob! I hope my reviews (based on my own experience) will aid you in your lights purchasing. Cheers!