leonjennawong

Yawnnnn.. Really can't be bothered with my wedding preparation already... So many things to do... Ahhhhh... Our house defects have since been rectified some time ago... For everyone's reference sake, it took 2 weeks to complete.. My dear CFO is once again seated beside me trying to collate all our purchases on #TaoBao.. But that shall be a topic for another day.. A lot of things I want to update everyone but I must resist and continue on the chronological order of my renovation journey... QUICK UPDATE ON MORE PURCHASES We bought a Weldenbo Carl fabric sofa (L212 x D89 x H70) & the large-size powder-pinkish DLM table for our living area from #Grafunkt about a month ago because they were running an offer.. Before discount, the sofa costs a WHOPPING $2800.. CFO & I managed to get it at $2200.. And we went ahead with the purchase only because I am so hopelessly in love with the fabric sofa and it's oak wooden pencil legs.. hehehe Even now, I would swoon over its prettiness... The 100% cotton light grey fabric has a really cooling effect when you sit on it as it doesn't retain body heat.. And as for the DLM (Don't Leave Me) table, we would like to think that it will offer a nice splash of pastel colour to our living room too... We might match the DLM table with the previously purchased #Muuto oak coffee table... Got the DLM table at $375, compared to usual price of $441... Yes yes I know I am a spendthrift... I'm just starting to realise actually.. I usually don't buy anything for myself one lei.. Light grey #Grafunkt fabric sofa + Pink DLM table from #Grafunkt: Moving on, CFO & I also decided to do away with the custom-made nyatoh wall planter and replace it with 2 sets of #Grafunkt Circus... with #CalvinTan's blessings of course hehe 1x taller unit (H134) and 1x shorter unit (H78).. The taller unit will be custom-spray-painted in mint green & the shorter unit in pastel blue.. Original price of $960 ($495+$465) reduced to $800.. A little cheaper than #CalvinTan's nyatoh wall planter... Heh heh.. #Grafunkt Circus (1x tall unit & 1x shorter unit) from #Grafunkt: Last but not least, CFO & I finally decided on our dining area pendant lights... We are getting the #Miniforms Slope Light which resembles an inverted ice-cream cone! hehehe.. I realise that I am going a bit oak-bonkers in my furnishing.. Please pardon my taste... We went for a combination of 3 pendant lights.. Decided on having 1x light grey, 1x white & 1x mustard yellow in differing shapes for more contrast at the pre-dominantly white dining area... However #Grafunkt didn't carry the mustard yellow version, so had to buy 1 piece from #XTRA (saw it before on one of our trips there)... Costs approximately $270 per light... *cue sound of pocket burning* #Miniforms Slope Light from #Grafunkt (mustard yellow version from #XTRA): Will probably be too busy to blog until after my wedding on Sunday! Fingers crossed that everything goes well! And then after that... I CAN FOCUS ALL MY TIME AND ENERGIES ON MY BELOVED RENOVATION! WOOHOO!

Awwww..... Thanks so much @AshleyAdams you make me such a happy person... :) some people have the sweetest mouths... I'm glad and sad all at the same time; that you enjoy my blog so much, and yet you ended up having less sleep as a result of it... hahaha... You must have become a zombie the next day.. Yes you are right, I am indeed buying the vinyl flooring from #Bilrich directly. The vinyl floor installation itself will be done by #Bilrich workers, not #CalvinTan... As they are 2 seperate companies with no tie-ups together.. But the good thing about my ID, #CalvinTan is that he volunteered to liaise with the #Bilrich salesperson directly to get the vinyl floor samples; From there, #CalvinTan suggested a few colours that he thought would be suitable for my scandinavian theme, for CFO & I to decide.. On the actual renovation (though mine haven't start hehehehe too excited!), #CalvinTan will liaise with #Bilrich directly to tell them which period is open for them to come in to lay the flooring... You may want to bring these ideas up to your ID and see if he/she is willing to coordinate the entire flooring installation phase for you! Thanks again!

Hello Sporerabbit! haha... I ever had that discussion with my parents on the stove-sink proximity before.. The most practical application I can relate this fengshui requirement to, is a fire-safety concern if and when water from the sink splashes over to a gas stove, somehow extinguishes the flame... And cooking gas continues to come out and accumulate dangerously... (BTW dear readers, I have just come off a SCDF Fire Safety Manager course and it is useful to know that cooking gas is relatively heavier than air... So it will accumulate at the feet-level) Assuming that this safety concern is in fact, the very reason that this fengshui requirement is trying to guard against; it is not very applicable in the modern world with better gas stove designs that doesn't allow flames to be put out so easily and also with the in-built automatic gas shut-off devices in mind... That being said, I still try to give fengshui the benefit of the doubt that there are logical reasons behind their many many requirements... Anyway, it is the first time I have heard of your south-eastern stove conundrum, so I am sorry I can't help you much there... The final conclusion, summarised and advised before by my dad; is if you choose to follow fengshui, should follow all the way. If not, then better don't go and look at it at all....

HEY HO EVERY BIRDIE!! First and foremost, Happy Mother’s Day to all Mums! Wanted to upload this post a couple of days ago but dunno why got problem accessing Renotalk lei... Oh well glad it's back up! CFO & I just submitted our list of defects to the Building Services Centre (BSC) located in our estate.. Just a piece of advice to all future home owners, do google for “HDB BTO defects tips” or something along that long… A few kind souls have compiled and put up their recommended list of things to do & defects to look out for.. So yeah.. Just helping to spread word of it and share.. My dearest CFO is currently seated beside me, surfing #TaoBao right now for Philips downlights, and here I am beside her blogging away… Heh heh… Oh, if any one of you dearest beloved readers happen to know of any good 12W round LED downlights with diffuser on #TaoBao, please PM me to share your lobang… LeonJennaWong would be most grateful… hehehe QUICK UPDATE ON PURCHASES OK, just a quick update on purchases so far by CFO & I… Turns out that we are both quite ngiao on furniture choice & colour… As we both believe the furniture we buy can definitely make or break our Scandinavian design… We have been shopping around for furniture at some places.. Like Tan Boon Liat building, #MakeRoom, #Pomelo, #Ikea, #MountainTeak, #GalangaLiving, #XTRA etc. etc. We both find the furniture designs at #Grafunkt, #TheDesignStoreByLifeStory & #XTRA are the most appropriate to compliment the theme of our currently-imaginative-dream-home. Hahaha… Speaking of which, #PoshHome’s carpenter didn’t manage to come up with the washed-up finish for the colourful dining tablethat we had wanted.. They told us that they would have to ship in and use the actual marine-ply scavenged off old ships which would cost a mini fortune… Anyway, not a problem for CFO & I because we were starting to think that the colourful vintage table would be too ‘complicated’ for our theme… In the end, we chanced upon and fell hopelessly & deeply in love with a beautiful solid oak table from #TheDesignStoreByLifeStory… The grain and colour is just the right combination we were looking for! Needless to say, we bought it… For $1970… Chairs not included.. 1.8 metre-long Solid Oak Dining Table: Also at #TheDesignStoreByLifeStory, we got this great deal for 2x #Muuto coffee tables at $1300… Very excited about these purchases!Now I finally understand what #CalvinTan meant in our first proper WhatsApp chat with him, when he said that Scandinavian theme done properly, is more expensive one… *gulp* #Muuto Coffee Table combination (Light Grey & Light Oak colour): Now all that we need to do is to wait long long for the BSC peeps to call us back to inform us that the defects have been rectified before we can fix a date for #CalvinTan to COMMENCE WITH OUR RENOVATION! See ya’ll again! :) FIN.

HO HO HO! I am back! So many things happened but mainly prevented from blogging due to lack of time from my wedding preparations... Today woke up a bit earlier on a whim to provide some brief updates.... Here we go.. KENNA SCOLDED BY #CALVINTAN UNTIL JIALAT JIALAT On 25th April 2014, just when I was about to sleep at 11.04pm... I kenna my first scolding by #CalvinTan.. Hahaha... Apparently some other home owner "bao toh" my other expo purchases to #CalvinTan... And then he went to see my pictures... This is the first sentence he said to me on that fateful night: "U bought so many things at the expo fair without asking me???" Over the next 1-hour, he complained that: - Stainless steel hob is super duper chin chong (cina) & ugly, and doesn't match the kitchen design - Instant heater (even with rain shower) will spoil the entire look of the toilet.. Until there isn't even any point to add on my beloved motif wall tiles - That we overpaid for the air-con set & the warranty extension is a sham, because your FCU hardly spoils. Not forgetting Gain City's reputation for bad workmanship. - The entire house image is done for :( In the midst of the long long long 1-hour conversation he kept going "faintz", which made me a little disappointed in myself really for choosing those kind of designs and not consulting him before hand.. Come to think of it, we only asked for his opinion on the kitchen hood..... For everything else, we thought design-sense didn't matter & that functionality was all that we needed to consider.... In the end, #CalvinTan still apologised for being a bit harsh with his words... But he told me that when he saw the pictures he really became very sad... Sigh. But actually to me, he didn't need to apologise... Though it's our house, on hindsight, we ought to have consulted him first... In the end we are just appreciative that he still has that designer drive to reprimand us & correct us before we err any further.... In the end, THANKFULLY we could trade in the values from the instant heaters & transfer them to the kitchen hob upgrade (upgraded the stainless steel Rinnai kitchen hob into a tempered glass version, with #CalvinTan's blessings... phew..) My new Rinnai black tempered glass kitchen hob: KEY COLLECTION ON 28TH APRIL 2014, 2.10PM FINALLY collected our keys! The whole appointment took only about 30 min.. Inclusive of the Singapore Power water & electricity account set-up, house keys hand-over & also the fire insurance briefing... CFO & I immediately popped down to our new home after getting the keys.... Let me tell you new home owners, the feeling as you approach your new house is immeasurably exciting & intimate.. I was looking all over the block, even before I stepped into the house, thinking... "Waaaaaaaa... This is going to be the void deck that is GOING TO BE MY NEW HOME... This is the wall that I will pass by everyday when I go back from work TO MY NEW HOME..... This or That will be my view everytime I choose to walk by this particular way to MY NEW HOME...." Hahahahaha. Ok I am a bit kuku liao. Pictures tell a thousand words, and so I hereby give you... Four Thousand Words below regarding my new house... Beautiful key pouch: Our 5-room living/dining hall (huat-ness at top right hand corner): Our cosy little (freaking small) kitchen: The place where all the business happens in the house: Till next time, enjoy what's left of your long weekend guys!(applicable only for those who took leave/off on Friday, like me. Wahahaha... )

Yo sotongyun! Yes a Gain City salesman ever told me about that scenario before.. So it's best not to buy too early lor.. Anyway they can deliver the air con system within 2-3 weeks of purchase... Also hor, topping up 2k sounds a bit much.. Unless your friend upgraded from a lower system number to a higher system number, can't imagine where the increased cost can come from lei... *scratch head* Having said that, I do believe such cases have happened before... So, go for more popular brands that are more likely to keep stock and spares!! Hey hey tessina! Nice to hear from you again... the warranty upgrade costs $499! Anyway it's for 4 fan coils, not 2... 2-FCU warranty extension should be cheaper but I'm not sure how much wor... Hello alfredt, the extended warranty is for the 4x FCUs and costs $499.. Warranty not covered for aesthetic aspects and for general wear & tear... Ahhhhhhhh! Can't wait for my Reno to start!

...... Continued. GAIN CITY ELECTRONICS FAIR @ SINGAPORE EXPO - PART 2 Impulse Purchase #4) Rinnai Cooking Hob, RB-3Si (Dimensions W870 x D510MM) CFO wanted a stainless steel finish because she heard of a few horror stories involving glass shattering. I did not 'win this battle' to get a tempered glass finish hob... hehehe... Regardless of that, I do think that the stainless steel finish is compatible with our newly-purchased fridge... Still on the same Impulse Purchase #4, this cooking hob comes with the infamous Inner Flame technology!!! Apparently it focuses the heat better onto the crockery, thus saves time & cooking gas. Supposed to be easier to clean the burners too. But do beware, I have read somewhere before on RenoTalk of some reviews saying that this Inner Flame takes some getting used to because the stronger heat makes it easier for you to end up with burnt food. Heh heh heh, I hope CFO can adapt to it fast, if not I will really dread my impending-guinea-pig-food-tasting role... A close-up picture of the Rinnai Inner Flame burner. The flame emerges from the stainless steel rim on the inside of the burner. Impulse Purchase #5) Rinnai Fume Hood, RH-992CT @ special price of $1401 (inclusive of the cooking hob) (specifications can be seen in the photo below but omg, a WHOPPING 1000m3/hr suction power... YEAH.) Pretty looking fume hood with the tempered glass brims... Oh btw we consulted helpful #CalvinTan on-the-spot with WhatsApp photos on the design compatibility too! Approved by him... Impulse Purchase #6 & 7) Rinnai Instantaneous Electric Heater Rain Shower @ $299 & Rinnai Normal Instantaneous Electric Heater @ $129... Rinnai Instantaneous Electric Heater Rain Shower for my Master Toilet: Rinnai Normal Instantaneous Electric Heater for my Common Toilet: And... That's all... OMG... We spent a total of approximately $4800 (air-con) + $2600 (other accessories as mentioned); Which means I am $7400 poorer after 20th April 2014... Wa lao, truely a huge lobang in my pocket right now, and as CFO says... It's now time to eat grass! Ho ho ho! Good night everybody!

Before I start my post properly, I must say that it is wonderfully nice to see people exchanging constructive views on the #Kompactop vs Quartz conundrum right here on my T-Blog... Hahaha.. I feel slightly vindicated on my decision to start my own T-Blog because I had initially also intended for this to be a source of information for new home owners... So cheers to @dandelion1986, @PTopaz, @myzticalz, @alfredt, @and888 and @EthanDad! Here goes.... Good evening people! I want to announce that... I AM COLLECTING MY KEYS TO MY BTO ON 28th APRIL @ 2.10PM! Supposed to be on 3rd May, but CFO is so clever.. She called HDB to enquire if there is an earlier slot & citing upcoming wedding preparations & schedule clashes... and voila! The rest is history... Don't tell people that leonjennawong teach you one okie? ANYWAY. How did your weekend go? As for me, my weekend was staggeringly humbling because I burnt a FREAKING HUGE LOBANG in my pocket. The protagonist and topic for today: GAIN CITY ELECTRONICS FAIR @ SINGAPORE EXPO - PART 1 CFO & I marched down to Singapore Expo on 20th April 2014, looking to buy our first-ever air con set... Which is really not so simple. We did some homework and a lot of discussions on the type of air con specifications that we want (I won the 'battle' to put air con in our living hall! Woohoo! ) and finally decided on: Mitsubishi Starmex inverter system-4 with 10k BTU slave FCU (Fan Coil Unit) & 24k BTU main FCU & 28k BTU Compressor Unit Advice for new home owners: - Decide which rooms you want air-con. CFO & I decided to get air-con for all 3 bedrooms & the living hall; which is why we got the System-4. The "4" symbolises the number of Fan Coil Units (the blower) in the air-con system. - The general advice I have been getting is to get minimum 9k BTU for your rooms & 18k BTU for your living hall. Also, you don't have to decide whether you want energy-saving inverter technology or not anymore, because all models that can be sold in Singapore already come with inverter technology because they have to meet a regulatory requirement for a certain amount of energy efficiency. - As for the brand, it really differs from salesman to salesman.. I went for Mitsubishi Starmex because more home-consumers are buying this brand (heard from the different salesmen we talked to) and probably less likely to have spare part shortage issue in case it spoils. The entire air-con system costs $3969 nett initially but... Along came the upgrades...... Upgrade #1) Upgraded insulation layer from 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch; (very important for home owners who are looking to run their copper piping in their false ceilings, because you wouldn't want condensation to start staining/destroying your beautiful false ceiling) Upgrade #2) Upgraded the copper pipes from G23 to G22 (gauge 22); (read somewhere that the copper pipe upgrade will help to prevent leakage of the refrigerant gas) Upgrade #3) Upgraded the warranty to 5-years for the FCUs, to match the compressor warranty period (usually it's only 1-year warranty for the FCUs and 5-year warranty for the compressor, but I have heard of complains of the FCUs giving problems just after the 1-year period.. So just went ahead with the upgrade) Picture of the copper pipes & insulation for reference Behold the beautiful monster. Looks quite cool. Get it get it? Final damage for air-con is $4758. OUCH. And now let's move on... With our minds fuelled by adrenaline & excitement & clouded by the delicious fumes from the nearby food expo, CFO & I made a few (ok la ok la, we made a lot) decisions on the spot in the expo hall and bought the following: Impulse Purchase #1) LG Washer WFT1161DD @ $779 (top loading, inverter direct-drive technology, full stainless steel drum & filtering function) Oh! We got a free microwave with this purchase too! Impulse Purchase #2) LG Fridge GRM562GSH~STS VCM @ $779 (Nett capacity at 416L, dimensions W755 x D717 x H1777MM) Oh! Oh! We got ANOTHER free microwave with this purchase. The stainless steel finish will go nicely with our new kitchen theme... Impulse Purchase #3) Rinnai built-in oven @ $820 (Made in Italy, forgot the dimensions & capacity, comes with self-clean function, with top & bottom heating elements & circulating fan for even heat distribution) To be continued......