leonjennawong

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......

Wow it feels like as though I just woke up from a deep 1 month long sleep.... I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone.... Especially those who PM-ed me and I made you wait so long for a reply... I really have been so super busy... Just tided over this mini safety campaign crisis period at my workplace... Work at 11.30pm to 12am+ for quite a few nights.... I even had to put my wedding prep on hold... Time outside of work was put into renovation scouting, wedding prep lor... Really no time to blog wor... And oh ya. Now that I mention about my wedding preparations... OMG. Got video montage la... Photo montage la... Song choice la.. Coordinate with hotel la... Buy this la.. Buy that la... OMG. Not. Fun. Renovation is still more fun. Hehehehehe.... HDB is still taking their own sweet time to release my house keys to me.. Block 432C and 432A of Vista Spring have already started getting their keys for a few weeks liao... But no news for 432B... Sian. On another front, renovation planning with #CalvinTan has progressed & even taken a turn at the planning stage.... about 3 weeks ago we started to meet up with him on the exact details of our carpentry & colour choice! KITCHEN CABINET LAMINATE COLOUR FROM #FORMICA (2nd column & 3rd row from bottom right) When I was uploading I suddenly realised that #CalvinTan's hand is in the background... hahaha.. We settled on the colour of the kitchen carpentry laminates very quickly, same as before... Previously, we had wanted to go for white-tiled backsplash, mint kitchen laminates & grey quartz countertop surface.. Which looks like this: However from that day's discussion with #CalvinTan, we actually made some changes to the kitchen surface top... (what can I say, CFO & I are two fickle-minded people hehehehe ) We compared the grey colour Quartz VS #Kompactop 10.20 Boston Cherry.. And finally decided to go for the less-boring #Kompactop choice.. We had to ask #CalvinTan for the pros and cons of #Kompactop material on the spot before making a decision (see below) - Impact-resistant (comparable to Quartz; I'm saying so of my own assumption because I think Quartz, being a natural stone and all, will crack & chip off more easily) - Joining Lines: at corners are angled 45 degrees, which I think looks nicer (but not applicable to me though) - Stain-proof (We asked #CalvinTan on the stain-proofing characteristics of #Kompactop & Quartz, he said no problem) - Heat-resistant (apparently someone tested with a naked flame on the #Kompactop surface before, with no issues, though probably will fare worse than Quartz in this aspect) - Design (The wood grain surface designs are not available for Quartz obviously! haha... Also the side trimming for #Kompactop is black in colour, which gives a bit more character to the kitchen..) - Scratch-resistant (#CalvinTan took out his key, and BOY did he scratch on the #Kompactop; No problems. ) - Price (#Kompactop is a little bit cheaper than Quartz according to #CalvinTan, but he said it's negligible) A piece of advise to anyone out there who has a ear to listen to me... When deciding on the kitchen design, it is best to let the Master Chef in the relationship to decide because he/she is the one who will be using it most frequently... Food Tasters (like myself) better stay back and just support in spirit and moolah. Wahahahahaha... And so... CFO finally decided on #Kompactop being the WINNER! HERE IS OUR FINAL DECISION ON THE COLOUR COMBINATION FOR OUR BELOVED KITCHEN: (notice the black trimming on the #Kompactop, and we used white rough paper to stand-in for the backsplash white-tiles) For the benefit of those readers who are considering #Kompactop, I also took a picture of a few of the other shades available for your reference; (sorry missed out the last few, but the colour shade gets darker as you can imagine ) Until the next time I see you guys (which I promise won't be too far away).... See ya and enjoy the long weekend!

Yo w3iy3n & marcusolp! #CalvinTan told me that the brand is called #TotalPanel... I googled a bit for #TotalPanel and oh boy, seems like they have quite a range of other wall finishes too! Dunno where this #PoshHome get all these good material contacts from... But good for us! Enjoy guys!!

Happy for you that u managed to get #CalvinTan and # #Ephron themselves! #PoshHome is probably the hottest property out there now! Enjoy your renovation process breakster!

Wa super mama I love your house concept! Can you please advise me what is your wattage that you got for your track lights?

Hello Guojiawen! Hahaha Yea couldn't wait anymore so I started blogging liao.. Hehehe.. I noticed that our floor plan is EXACTLY the same!! keep blogging too!! Hey w3iy3n and marcusolp! Hahaha I'm so glad that I actually posted the fibreglass brick sheet! Although I can't go for it, I am happy to help you guys to fulfill your dream home concept!! renovation is so super exciting I think. Hahahahaha.. Eh back to topic, let me check with #CalvinTan and let you all know the brand soon... If you 2 can't wait, and haven't chosen an ID, then you might want to contact #PoshHome for an appointment first & then ask them there and then.. Hehe Thanks for your continued support of my humble t-blog!! Hehehe :)

Before I start this post proper, I think it has to be said that we should be careful of certain ID companies who create user profiles in this forum to broadcast advertisement for their companies & dupe people into thinking that they are regular home owners... If a quick user profile view shows that this person has only been a renotalk user for 6 days, and is going around many T-Blogs to leave short and superficial sentences on how good their ID is.. Well, I think it's a little dubious. Just saying. I didn't mention any names. Haha... (I actually quite like their facebook portfolio photos, but this kind of unethical advertisement just puts me off from having any kinds of dealings with this company. Talk about being counter-productive. ) In other news.... I finally got my HLE letter from HDB yesterday on 14 March 2014! WOOHOO!! :D:D Can't wait to be able to start my actual renovation process! So envious of all you other home owners lei!! hehehe.. Anyway, just some simple updates today... Thinking of getting this beautiful birch clock from Taobao.. Even CFO thinks it's nice! Will probably place it over the oh-my-god-so-ugly ventilation opening of the household shelter! Actually saw something similar at Muji.. But erm, Muji is not for budget people like me. hahaha.. http://h5.m.taobao.com/awp/core/detail.htm?id=19027662270&spm=a230r.1.14.437.G5DBM7&id=19027662270 Also saw good reviews of this perfect white track lights from Taobao.. Yum yum! Hmm.. will probably have to measure the length of the tracks that I need before I go and buy anything.. http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.62.2bW0O4&id=17499602429 Also, #CalvinTan is trying to psycho me to think about getting a solid wood coffee table! He whatsapped the following photo to me the other day... The grain & the entire wood piece is so nice!! But hor. Don't you all think it's so oddly-shaped? My good friend Mr DF Muscle said it looks like a weirdly-shaped guitar. I must admit that was not the first item that popped into my mind. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *Ahem.* Anyway I don't think I'm getting this wood piece.. If not CFO will kill me. hahahahaha... Just show you all what #CalvinTan has been pushing across to me only... One last thing for today, I actually owe everyone the picture of the fibreglass brick wall sheet that I was mentioning in Post#24.. So here you are! I'm not actually getting these brick-wall fibreglass sheets either, because CFO doesn't like the brick-wall theme... *sad* But just for sharing purposes, I would've gotten these because I had done a rough calculation that using this fibreglass sheet is actually cheaper overall due to the ever-increasing high labour cost of getting a craftsman to come in and lay the actual half-bricks. Another advantage is that these fibreglass sheets are cleaner and faster to install... Here's another photo for everyone to visualise better... That's all for today.. Let's hope that HDB gives me my keys soooooonnnnn... HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND FELLAS!! HEHEHE..

Breakster! Welcome to Reno t blog! Interesting concept! In the end who did you engage for your Reno?

Hi harriette! U have a very unique name.. Haha anyway, #CalvinTan said the brand is Bugaboo. He even sent a picture to me but I'm sure you can Google the image for it... I am well and truly shocked. This stroller... Has Omg.. SPRING SUSPENSION... Just like a freaking motor vehicle. I am stunned. Hahahahaha anyway happy stroller-hunting pm me if you want my #PoshHome quotation ya? Thanks

Takaishi & songz, thanks for your confirmations!! Really appreciated!! I feel a bit more at ease now, after the 2 of you gave me this assurance.. Hahaha. My design taste will tend to veer and I'm generally jialat at design. =x Takaishi, I will definitely try my luck at taobao! I actually found this awesome birch clock which I will share in due time... Songz, I actually don't mind the idea of all white for my lamps.. Your design sense actually seems quite good lei. *thumbs up!* Like tessina mentioned, it might help to simplify the look instead of complicating it with too many colours and things going on... Tessina you sound like my boss. Hahahahaha.. He is always talking about intention behind certain rules or policies.. Haha just joking. Actually tessina, I think you are right.. I must try to re-align and constantly remind myself of my main direction of my design.. Cleaner lines definitely a must, and you got that right about the part of wanting the dining table to be the focal point of the room! Thanks so much for your great advice! Anyway.. Do you have any suitable dining lamps to recommend? Hahaha

I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT SOMETHING. HAHA. If I could title the following section of my post.... Hmm... It would be called...... How To Persuade Your Wife/ CFO To Let You Buy The Huge-Donkey TV You Always Wanted hahahahaha... This #CalvinTan taught me how to go around my CFO's budget control, in an ethical way of cos! #CalvinTan ever shared with me on his personal experience with #MrsCalvinTan, using baby strollers as an example.. hahaha.. Basically if you can afford it, don't over-subscribe & apply the "scrimp & save every-single-cent mentality" to all your renovation/ house accessory purchases... So the story of #CalvinTan's baby-stroller-buying goes something like this... #CalvinTan wanted to buy a better brand (and more expensive) baby stroller that cost $1,000... This super-stroller (hahaha nice name that I gave the stroller right? ) can turn here turn there, super hardy, extremely light.. Wah. The features can go on and on... But #MrsCalvinTan wanted to save $$$... So he thought, "not wrong to save $$ ma... ok lor..". And so the #CalvinTan family bought the cheapest (albeit heaviest, clunkiest & the "most minimalistic") baby stroller... After a short while, the cheapo baby stroller gave way... spoilt lor... So the next time round they thought, "ok maybe we go for something better this time round!" ANDDDDDD so they bought the next-better-generation baby stroller! Time passed before #MrsCalvinTan thought that the current stroller was a bit difficult to turn, not all the wheels are fully rotatable, very difficult to bring baby around you know?! HAHAHA. And so no prizes for guessing, the #CalvinTan family bought an EVEN BETTER baby stroller!! hahaha... And to cut the story short, they didn't settle for this baby-stroller either... #CalvinTan finally put his foot down and went for the SUPER-STROLLER that he always wanted, after experiencing about 7 different strollers along the way.... BTW, they are still using the super-stroller to this day. (i think) All in all, they spent more than $1,000 on the different baby-strollers.. More than they would have if they'd just went for the $1,000 stroller in the first place! Anyway aside from #CalvinTan's advice, I have also long thought that buying TVs are just like buying computers... The latest models are always crazy-expensive, so you should go for a couple of models before the latest generation, where the specifications are still really good, BUT the prices are a lot cheaper... This way, you get the most bang for your buck! Value for money! Heh heh... And so with that story of the #CalvinTan family in mind as my added ammunition, call it a devious tactic if you will, but...... I have finally managed to convince my CFO to allow me to get my long-term dream SAMSUNG 60" FULL HD SMART LED LCD TV UA60F6300! Isn't she a beauty??? Bought from the recent IT Show at Marina Bay Sands for $2199. (CFO kept complaining that she wanted to eat grass the next few days, of course it didn't happen. :p:p) Since we are on the topic, I also got the Samsung HW-F450 2.1 Sound Bar w Wireless Subwoofer @ $279. (OK i didn't do much research on soundbars. actually. Looks good, Got bluetooth connectivity, Got wireless subwoofer = Good Enough!) NOW, BEFORE I GO OUT OF TOPIC on this predominantly renovation-related blog...... I have some updates on our beloved dining table! Take a look at the photo sent by #CalvinTan below: LOOKS LIKE A FREAKING TABLE MADE OF FREAKING LEGO RIGHT. OMG. I CERTAINLY HOPE IT LOOKS BETTER SOON. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Aiya apparently, what you are seeing is just the base coat of paint. The #PoshHome carpenters will start to stain the individual dining table wooden pieces with the oh-so-beautiful tapestry of colours, before finally sanding it all off to get the amazing finish that we want... Let's wait and see what happens next. more posts on this when I get the pictures! hehehe... Oh, and last thing for tonight..... I've been meaning to post this up for some time already... CFO & I saw this shop near the #PoshHome showroom... called Lite Lab or something.. Saw this beautiful bamboo pendant light that might work for my dining area.. The bulbs are of the incandescent type. But costs $350 lei. Hmm. We could possibly paint the bamboo frames into white, baby pink & baby blue colours...... Bamboo pendant light photo in beautiful light fawn colour... Really am in love with this colour.. Colour combination of dining lights that we might try to mimick, other than the grey one (sorry for blur image, captured from TV) What do you all think ah?

Hihi MrandMrsWEE! Do start your own T-Blog! hahahahaha and let me know once you have set it up! I will be sure to subscribe to it! heh heh Yeah I'm really glad that we found #CalvinTan! So many design ideas coming from him & the best part is after engaging him, we continue to have a solid designer brain to count on. Also, PLEASE DO share your 3D drawing with me please!! It's gonna be awesome! Curious what other genius ideas this #CalvinTan has up his sleeve!! Cheers to our reno journeys!

Wow! Hahaha thanks so much elvira for your kind words! Really makes my day.. Hehehe Modern European!! Very beautiful and interesting theme! Your house will look gorgeous! If you start a t-blog please pm me your url k? Engaging these "theme designer" designers is a right step towards your dream house! There was a comment earlier from another visitor to my blog about Ephron being very proactive and on the ball as well! Seems like we have unearthed another ID gem from Renotalk & #PoshHome! Yeah all the best in our Reno journeys! :)

PHEW! Finally finished my Fire Safety Manager assignment.. All freaking 89 pages of it! I want to die liao. Sunday has come and gone, and I've missed my opportunity to spend it with my beloved CFO... the sole comfort I have now is from blogging quietly here.. hahaha so poor thing lei. Sorry lei everyone I have been really really so so so busyyyyyy... :( sobs. Good to see that my blog didn't degrade into a request-and-sent-thread in my absence.. heh heh ANYWAY. thanks lei taiwee7.. Your drooling is received with a lot of appreciation.. hahahaha... I've been discussing with CFO on our master toilet wall tiles recently.. with some inputs from #CalvinTan.. he actually sent 28 whatsapp photos to us for consideration on the type of wall overlay that we want for the master toilet tiles.. Can't attach all here due to the 5 pictures per post limitation here.. But they're all basically either mosaic or motif tiles.... But ohmygod 28 photos. hahahaha.. Will show you guys 5 of the nicer photos (in my opinion) that #CalvinTan sent over to us... Still gotta decide lor. So difficult lei. I always thought that I wanted a hotel-like-feel for my master bathroom... dark tiles with character.. glass... mirror.. with light accents....... BUT NOW when I see how pretty the motif tiles look, I'm starting to have second thoughts about my hotel-themed master toilet. hahahahaha talk about being wishy-washy... AIYA JUST A TOILET ONLY LEI!! WAH... At this rate I will go bonkers. (0_0) Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. You know the kind of feeling you get when you got a lot of options/choices and you don't know which one to go for? Touché. Luckily I am engaging an ID and not a contractor. I plan to just consult and wait for #CalvinTan's advice.. As much as I want to.. really cannot be too micro-managing on all aspects of my home reno... Still got work, night class exam & assignment.. and WEDDING to tend to... tiring. Sorry i complain so much. hehehehhee... Anyway as promised, here are 5 of the nicer photos... The last one being my favourite as always.. Mosaic tiles sent by #CalvinTan (am starting to feel that mosaic is a bit common.. and I also worry that the small mosaic pieces will start to drop off here and there...) Motif tiles! Finally managed to find a picture of the entire wall clad in this wonderful & pretty motif tiles... *swoon* hehehe I realised that some of the motif tiles can actually look quite vintage and rustic... So I must be careful which one i choose... obviously my master toilet is not going to be scandinavian style, but i still wouldn't want something too vintage-looking... So the last picture (i hope) actually gives a welcome splash of colour to my toilet amidst all the beige+mirror+glass combination... Meeting #CalvinTan soon.. Hopefully CFO & I can settle this by then..... That's all sorry for the short post guys.. Will update more when I have more time I promise... Argh tomorrow is monday! No no no cannot lidat... i love my job i love my job i love my job i love my job i love my job....

Hey breakster! Wow it sounds like you managed to get another good designer from #PoshHome! Outstanding service right?! Heh Heh... I have personally not met this Ephron before but he sounds like someone who is quite proactive! Good for you! *thumbs up* All the best to your Reno and maybe we will even bump in each other at #PoshHome showroom one day! Yeah!!

Can pm me the link/cost/contact for your awesome white track lights Pls?

Hi you all! Thanks so much for all your kind comments on the 3d drawings and the choice of colours! Also I am very happy if I managed to entertain you guys along the way! Hahahaha not intended, but still it's bringing a smile to my way on this gloomy Monday morning. Even now I'm stuck in a traffic jam on TPE.. Sheesh... Haha.. I must admit that the choice of mint colour for the kitchen cabinet was totally CFO's idea! Initially I was like yuckkkkk.. Because I'm a very boring person.. Always go for earthy tones one.. But even now, the colour is really growing on me!! So I guess you can say that CFO brings colour to my life... Hehehehe so cheesy..

*Continued from previous post KITCHEN 3D (LEFT & RIGHT SIDE) by #PoshHome: Summary of Works: · Mint-coloured laminate from #Formica & ABS trimming & soft-close hinges (bottom cabinet only) for all kitchen cabinets (CFO absolutely loves this colour! ) · Concrete Base for bottom kitchen cabinets · LED strip lighting below top-hung kitchen cabinets · White subway tiles with grey grouting for kitchen backsplash · Full height cabinet for built-in ovens · Complete quartz top for bottom cabinets (colour to be confirmed again) · Forgot to tell #CalvinTan that we want a kitchen hood with chimney · Dish rack not shown here · Complete false ceiling for kitchen not shown here · Full height ladder unit not shown here MASTER BATHROOM 3D by #PoshHome: Summary of Works: · Top hung suspended mirror cabinet (love love love how it is in-line with the bottom quartz top & vanity closet) · Quartz top for sink (still exploring other colours) · Built-in vanity closet below sink · Tempered glass shower screen (extends all the way up to ceiling, opted out glass door) · Shower Kerb (tiles to be bought from HDB later) · Still looking around for suitable motif tiles to replace the current mosaic 3D design shown (will have a post on new choices for motif tiles soon!) Oh yeah.... Hmm there's still one more Master Bedroom 3D drawing that #CalvinTan owes me... I shall upload again once I get my grubby hands on it.. Hehehe.. And.. That's all folks! Hope you all enjoy these 3D drawings as much as CFO & I do! TGIF and Happy Weekends everybody!

Hahaha just as an opening, tell you all what happened last night.. CFO & I were talking to my sister yesterday about renovation.. And again, we concluded the conversation with “Ask #Calvin lor.” when deciding on subway tiles for her kitchen backsplash… Hahahahaha… Really our favourite person to go to for design ideas.. ANYWAY. Let’s not hide the BIG NEWS any further… I have been going on and on about my eagerness for the end of Feb to come… And how it cannot come any sooner for me… It’s been a torturous 4 weeks up until now… And, here goes…... *cue drumroll* LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BRINGING TO YOU… THE LONG-AWAITED 3D DRAWINGS OF THE BELOVED NEW HOME OF LEONJENNAWONG! (spread over next 2 posts due to photo limitations per post) BTW I will accompany each 3D drawing with a summary of what I’m doing in the picture.. Just to provide some text to accompany the illustrations, so that you guys can have a better understanding of the scope of work that I’m doing & can even tally it with my sent quotation if you holding on to it. If I don’t specify anything in the ‘Summary of Works’, it means that it is done/ provided by #PoshHome. Hmmmm… Just realised that I indeed have quite a lot of custom-made stuff in my home… Hehehe… (n_n)v LIVING AREA 3D (FRONT VIEW) by #PoshHome: Summary of Works: · Gypsum board cover up of wall recess (on wall where TV is mounted) · Complete false ceiling coverage for living area · Wood trimming for windows in white paint finish (to cover the ugly aluminum white frames where possible…) · Loose furniture planning to get from #PoshHome: o Beige fabric sofa (see below printscreen from #CalvinTan for details, might go for soft grey) o TV console sideboard (btw I did check, there is a hole behind for wires) o Custom-made Solid-Wood-Bench-cum-Bay-Window (love this so much!) o Custom-made Castor-Wheel Coffee Table (still pending quotation, keep you all updated) o Custom-made solid-nyatoh-wood Wall Planter Rack (in the corner of the living area where it still can get some light, different location from initial proposal if you remember) · So cute, #CalvinTan even put a 60” Samsung TV for me – buying outside myself (he must have remembered that time when I was asking him on advice on how to persuade CFO to let me to buy a bigger TV hehehe ) · Wooden grain HERF vinyl Alsafloor purchased direct from Bilrich · Designer bag on the floor beside the sofa not included (hahahaha yes I did tell that joke to #CalvinTan too) LIVING AREA 3D (BACK VIEW) by #PoshHome: Summary of Works: · Custom-made sideboard with pencil legs for living area back wall (Design aligned to the current theme of living area) · Painted back wall with mint-colour (probably going to reconsider the colour and get something a couple of tones lighter) · False Ceiling for corridor to bedrooms (still considering if we should put the normal downlights or the white tracklights as shown… Hmm..) DINING AREA 3D by #PoshHome: Summary of Works: · Custom-made colourfully-stained Solid-Wood Dining Table · White ceiling beams · Full height 5ft-wide shoe cabinet (right hand side of picture) · Vertical light-oak-colour veneer-wrapped beam, with 2x white plywood ABS-trimming suspended/open display shelves (elongates the adjoining wall & enlarge the dining area space, so that my dining table does not seem like it’s too big. Also planning to place a pastel/ white table fan on the shelf to provide ventilation for the dining area) · Install kitchen glass door with custom-made veneer-wrapped handle (like I mentioned before, the custom-made veneer-wrapped handle is to soften the ‘modern’ look that a glass door exudes… And to be more aligned to Scandinavia theme) · Take note that I will probably source for a different pendant light to the one in the 3D drawing (maybe something more woody or pastel coloured) BTW, this is the recommended sofa printscreen from #CalvinTan: (wooden pencil legs! My favourite!) 3D DRAWINGS ARE OUT!! WOOHOO! YEAH! Like I was telling you guys before in the earlier short post on 3D design quality (see Post #24), the 3D drawing is good right! Hehehe... Turned out EXACTLY the way I want it to be!*thumbs up!* *completely melting from elation like… right now. Wahahaha..* Wahahahahha just typing this post is making me so happy and excited because I am re-living my initial feelings when I got the 3D drawings. Ok enough of nonsense. Move on to my observations and more serious stuff... COMMUNCIATION WITHIN #POSHHOME: The 3D rendering was done by #CalvinTan’s trusted #PoshHome 3D rendering design team, so like I was telling a couple of Renotalk friends who PM-ed me, I actually believe that the #PoshHome core team of (senior)designers/carpenters/site-coordinators must have been working together for some time already because there doesn’t seem to be ANY communication break-down from; 1) my communication of my preferences/design to #CalvinTan; 2) from #CalvinTan to the #PoshHome designing team; and 3) from #CalvinTan to the #PoshHome carpentry team Communication from Person A (leonjennawong) to Person B (#CalvinTan) to Persons C (#PoshHome designers & carpenters) all working fine!(which is really not easy to find from any contractor or ID firm) Really give me the impression that their #PoshHome team is a well-oiled machine. Thumbs up and kudos to them! Really so impressed and very appreciate how they captured the EXACT FEEL AND ESSENCE that I wanted for my house, so much so that I couldn’t help but tell him well done & good job! Really impressed. Of course after I told him good job, I proceeded to gush over and over and OVER ON HOW MUCH CFO & I LOVED THE 3D DRAWINGS!! Wahahaha.. POINT TO TAKE NOTE ON EXPECTATION LEVELS THOUGH… Anyhow, dearest newer Renotalkers, beware and please don’t make the mistaken assumption that engaging a super ID like #CalvinTan and #PoshHome or anyone else means you can hands-off & let them design freestyle, and yet still expect them to be able to read your mind and achieve your inner most desired dream house… NO! I have met up with #CalvinTan on a few occasions & even text with him sometimes, and am not afraid to converse with him on my preferences… I mean of course it helps that on the other hand, this #CalvinTan has good design intuition and SIMPLY GETS IT when it comes to our design preferences. But as the old saying still goes, “It takes 2 hands to clap.”…… Also, I am very sorry that some of the Renotalkers told me that #CalvinTan seems to be quite busy nowadays.. Maybe it’s peak period or something..? But do try to talk to his recommended senior designers.. I’m sure they can offer the same top-class designs & services to you.. Not to mention about the NO FREAKINGGGG GST pricing! Wahaha... (yah what… if you engage the same #PoshHome company, the pricing rates should remain the same ma.. unless they increase then I really got nothing to say. Haha don’t quote me on this if not I think #CalvinTan will hunt me down hehehehehe…) Lastly, do remember that my comfort-level & chemistry with #CalvinTan might not necessarily mean you will experience the same level of chemistry with him too… Because we are all different people with different ways of interaction ma…. So anyway, what I’m trying to say from my own experience is, DON'T TURN DOWN the opportunity to talk to different designers so easily.. Because… Worse come to worse, even if you don’t engage that particular ID; 1) You will still manage to get an exchange of renovation ideas; 2) You will get a better idea of the pricing being offered on the market for your intended works; 3) Lastly, I believe that you cannot just meet the so-called ‘good’ or 'famous' interior designers. Because you don’t really value what is right in front of you, or know what is considered good, UNTIL you have met the bad or mediocre ones. Just my 2 cents worth really… Anyways, Good Job to #PoshHome & #CalvinTan!!! CFO & I are super-duper happy & satisfied. *Continued on next post: 3D rendering for Kitchen, Master Bathroom & Master Bedroom

I ever mentioned that my sister is engaging #PoshHome as well right…? Well, she recently met up with #CalvinTan and he told her that apparently got some renotalkers walk-in to #PoshHome to look around because they don’t believe that such a good deal for ID services exists… So they went down to the 33 Ubi Ave 3 address to see if I am a scam or not. They said the nick leonjennawong sounds like a scammy nick… Like what the heckkkkkkkk…? ! I really am at a loss. Don’t even know if I should be happy or sad. Hahahahha.. Ok I choose happy. Anyway on a less ridiculously hilarious note, my sister seems to be leaning towards getting #kompactop from kompacplus that #PoshHome also carry.. She said the prices are comparable and good… I’m wondering if I ought to take up #kompactop too… But from what I’ve heard and read from other T-blogs, doesn't seem like it is as durable as quartz counter top… But good to know that #PoshHome actually carries the latest design materials… Take a look.. #KOMPACTOP FROM #KOMPACPLUS THINK MY SISTER IS GOING FOR THIS COLOUR I KNOW RIGHT. IT’S SUCH A SUPER SUPER GOOD MATCH FOR SCANDINAVIA THEME! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh… But… Sigh, seeing as CFO is such an advent cook, and quite the practical person, she will confirm reject this proposal & go for the hardy durable quartz I think…. And so, this thing no need to bring up to her for approval liao.. Confirm tio shot down one. Double-confirm. Welcome to my (happy-wife) happy-life.