zihui

Went to Bangkok over the last weekend with my HTB's family as part of his brother's birthday celebrations. We found some spare time to hit the Chatuchak Weekend Market to hunt for knick knacks while the others went for pedicures / foot massages. Managed to find some adorable items with which I can decorate our home with - 1) Black tea light lantern holders which my HTB intends to hang at our (sorry, HIS) balcony (picture grabbed from the store's website) 2) White candle light holders in different sizes which I can decorate the living room with (picture grabbed from the store's FB page) 3) My HTB's favourite item - the artificial grass carpet for HIS balcony (this is a close up. The entire thing measures 1 square metre) He intends to place it in a corner of the balcony and then put his water feature / plants on top of it. We also got several other aromatherapy burners and reed diffusers for the entire house Total Damage = THB1,580 (S$63.20) Hopefully everything comes together nicely!!

So is the slimline hood better or is the chimney hood better? i'm quite concerned about this as i'm a heavy cooker and my kitchen cabinets will be in white so i'm looking for something strong...

Your purchases all look wonderful!!!! Thanks for the vote of confidence! Frankly speaking, I was thinking of whether I should buy my WC basins and rain showers from TB... I was worried about the cost of shipping & the condition of the items upon arrival but after seeing your purchases, I'm so much more confident!

hahaaha i knew you would be nice about it! West side rules!!! *beams*

hahaaha we're in the same boat... not much money for Reno after the COV problem is, your place is quite well maintained... mine needs a complete overhaul i'm looking forward to seeing the photos of your process!!

hahahah what a coincidence! we were at Chatuchak last weekend and this caught my HTB's eye too! However, we chose not to buy it back because it doesn't really suit what we're trying to do with our place but i've gotta say - it looks awesome with your potted plants!

hahahah i'm guessing that it's near Circuit Road ilkl, like what the other friendly RT members have said, you write very well! but what really impresses me the most is how you've entered into the entire process with a VERY clear idea as to what it is that you want that's totally unlike me. even until now, i'm still poring through Lookbooks and design magazines every day - it's gotten to the point where my contractor told me to stop doing this because the more i read, the more confused i get hahahahahahaha i'm really looking forward to seeing the transformation and following your t-blog to admire the process!

Nice lights!! I like the fact that the lights manage to create a warm and inviting space!

hahahhahahaha Likewise!! our first appointment with the HDB will be on this Friday (2nd Aug) after that, our 2nd appointment has been tentatively set for the 12th of Sept so shortly after that, we will be starting the reno!! sorry for the late replies we went away to bangkok last weekend managed to buy some knick knacks and decorative items for the house from Bangkok will take photos and upload them in due time tee hee HTB wanted to buy a swinging chair for the balcony but after factoring in the shipping cost, decided that it's more economical to buy it in singapore so we scrapped that idea. but he did manage to buy an artificial grass patch for his precious balcony

thanks alanng! we would love to pop by when the reno is completed if you don't mind having us over thanks for being so friendly!!

Thanks for the good advice as always we've decided to retain the ground floor toilet after all. *sigh* there goes my washing bay hahahahhaha

Wow so close?? Fantastic - I can't wait to see the start of your t-blog! This way, we can share contacts and cheer each other on!

Ah yes!! "Our 5 room Resale.... and it's Transformation" hahahah so sorry... i get so caught up with work etc that I lose track of which t-blog is whose i only remembered it not because of the user name but because of the location of the unit hahahhahaha Teck Whye is very close to Jurong - *high five* i bet you're feeling both excited and stressed at this point in time right? can't wait to see the transformation of your place.....

that's very good advice! at the end of the day, what's most important is that we have the roof over our heads whether it's a dream house or not, that's not important. even if it's not a showflat or my dream house, we can still make it our dream HOME by the way, where's your house at? hahhahahhahaha *high five* He's promised me to stop supporting them when he turns 50 because he says that his heart cannot take anymore sadness and disappointment by that time

Thanks for the luck, eddy! I'm going to need bagfuls of it... It's a maisonette over at Jurong East

hahhahahaha Hello!! I think I know who you are - I saw your comments on his FB. You're the one he always refers to as 'Vxxxxx Jie' right? hee hee Such a small world. actually i think he's more stressed about the budget than I am hahahaha I'm the one with all the ideas and he's the one going around with a black face saying, "No.", "No money", "No budget" Next time must come to our place for housewarming yeah?

Hi ucypmas, Thanks for the advice. I agree with you, prices of electronics will constantly drop as newer models and newer technology comes out. That's why we havn't bought the living room TV (targetting a minimum of 46' to 50') and the other electronic appliances as yet however, our mentality is that: For a 2 door samsung fridge, $700+ is a decent price. We might be able to find a better price out there, but not by much. For the Samsung top-load washing machine which only cost us $200+, I really don't think we can get a better deal out there We might have been too hasty getting the 40' Toshiba LED Smart TV when it's a cash and carry item, but at $600+, it's still an awesome deal. It's like what my HTB constantly says - we'll need to do our homework to get the most out of our limited budget, but once we confirm an item, don't keep comparing prices / looking around anymore and just enjoy the purchase (I'm a HUGE worrier. I will keep second guessing myself, wondering if i've made the right choice). to be honest, we bought the TV last saturday. Then we shortlisted several items before going back with friends on Sunday. I couldn't even sleep properly the entire night on Saturday as I kept debating my choices with myself before we finally took the plunge on Sunday The remaining appliances have got to wait until the tail end of our reno!

hahaha it's not just that, mark i'm asking myself if i can live with the old, dilapidated toilets for a couple of years while waiting for the HIP to come along and the honest answer is that I can't Think I will most likely proceed with the reno as planned and then opt out of the optional HIP later on

OMG Mark, you are a genius. I called up HDB, who diverted me to the Branch Office. After I explained what I was enquiring about, the officer asked for my (soon-to-be) home address. When I gave it to her, she confirmed that the HIP program is in the pipeline for my unit / estate. Problem is, there is no schedule as yet. It's just in the planning process. No announcement for polling has been made as yet. So I went to read up more on this - http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10328p.nsf/w/UpgradeWhatsHIP hmmmmmm I can't possibly blindly wait for the HIP to be announced right? There are some issues that we need to address immediately like the toilets, the structural issues and the spalling concrete right? So should I just get my contractor to proceed first and then opt out of the HIP later on? I mean, I can't possibly intentionally ignore spalling concrete issues like the photo I took of the ceiling in the unit:

with all due respect, i disagree. i actually think that he's made good use of his tight budget to come up with a design that's both practical and cozy.

hahahahahahha i can imagine the scene in the future... Daughter 1: "Mummy, this is Alex, my boyfriend." Alex: "Hello aunti..." 3Dyms (interjecting excitedly): "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR 15 YEARS! QUICK, SHUT UP AND HELP US TO CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS. AIYA, DON'T NEED TO SHAKE HAND LAH, FASTER GO CHANGE LIGHT BULBS FIRST THEN CALL ME AUNTIE!!!"

hahahaha i can totally imagine! once the hacking starts, you can take a pre-requisite photo of the debris and upload it here for us to share in your joy!

Hi mark, I'm lost. are we expecting any upgrading to be done? what kind of upgrading are we expecting? this is a very interesting development! as long as i hear the magic words, "this might save you some cost" my ears perk up!

Thanks for the warm welcome aegis! but like i said above, i made a mistake... we didn't buy an EM. We got a 5 room maisonette so are we still welcome in the maisonette owners' club? hahhhahahha

LOL Great minds think alike... BUT FOOLS SELDOM DIFFER Just kidding... It's all gonna be GOOD!