Harriette

Hi mellenur, Actually, I didn't really pay close attention to the pipes. They seem straight. I have noticed that the works take some time. For me: - tiling took 2 weeks, for 3 toilets, balcony, yard and kitchen - plastering took 1 week - wiring has taken 2 weeks and are still on-going this week However, I also noticed that the quality of works are good: - The tiling workmanship is good. It is indeed better than what I have seen in other people's homes. - Plastering is good - my contractor said I have more light points, cables and 2-way switches than other people, which seem true. I have 7 datapoints while other people seem to have just 4 (kitchen and bedrooms). I have five 2-way switches (3 bedrooms, staircase and living room). I asked for many power points. Where I think I need 1 power point, I will ask for 2 additional ones. So, I rationalise that quality works require time. For me, I'm more concerned with the overall quality of the works. So far, things have been good except one. Mr Yeak uses PVC edging for the tiling works. He explained that for some edges, 45 deg joint is not possible. Nevertheless, he agreed to do 45 deg joint where he can. Doing 45 deg joint will require more time, and very likely, costs will be higher too. Nothing comes free. Since we did not tell him upfront that we want 45 deg joint, we will accept some PVC edging if it is not in the prominent area of the house. Mr Yeak did some nice 45 deg joint for my balcony, but I did not take any photo of it. PVC edging 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr PVC edging 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Here is a cute photo I saw on the internet. Maybe I could stick these stickers on my staircase. Jan 19th - staircase pic from internet by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

These wires are dangling in the upstairs foyer. False ceiling will be built. Jan 19th - wires by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr At the staircase landing, we are building a cove light. LED strips will be mounted onto the metal frame in the photo below. This cove light will be controlled by a 2-way switch - one upstairs and one downstairs.Jan19th - cove lights by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

19 Jan 2014 reno updates Currently, wiring works are being done. There are alot of wires. Most wires will be hidden in the false ceiling. This photo shows some of the false ceiling being built. The door frame in the study/helper's room is up. Jan 19th - reno update 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr This is a photo of the master bedroom:Jan 19th - false ceiling by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr False ceilings in the other 2 upstairs bedrooms are done:Jan19th - false ceiling upstairs by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Hi kstoh and alfredt, Thanks for your advice. I have asked my ID if we can do louvred doors in the compartments holding electronic devices. Such devices will generate alot of heat.

Hi nwz, I have PM-ed you Mr Yeak's contact. His tiler's workmanship is quite good. We are now doing alot of wiring. His electrician seems quite good too. Jay does the design. He also works with Mr Yeak to ensure that the design is well-executed. I personally feel that Jay's designs are very good. He is an architect. However, do note that as he is a part-time designer, he only goes down to site once a week. One advantage of having a separate ID and contractor is that when there are disputes, there is a 2nd opinion. One recent example - Mr Yeak did not locate a power socket at where I wanted. He said I didn't tell him. Jay said he had indicated that location in his drawing. So the matter was solved. I don't know whether Mr Yeak does 3D drawings. You can ask him.

Hi there, my contractor charges me $120 per datapoint. Agreed with EMinLove that coming up with the electrical plan and data plan was exhausting. Another challenge is to figure out how to store the devices and manage the messy wires. I just wrote about my experiences in my T-blog.

Help ..... I need advice. As mentioned earlier, I will be storing a host of electronic devices such as ONT, RG, DVD player and X-box inside Compartment A of the TV console. I intend to use wooden doors, as depicted in the rendering. If the doors of the TV console is shut: - can I still get strong wireless signals from the RG? - To enable the DVD player and Xbox to read the remote control, I understand that I will need to get an IR Repeater/ Extender which would repeat the iR signal from my remote via a small receiver to my equipment inside the TV console. See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPdHyEUsos. Has anyone use an iR repeater before? Where can I buy one? Jan 19th - living rm by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

One problem with setting up structured network cabling is the huge amount of wires. These are messy. Below are the photos of my current ONT in my existing 5-room flat. Opennet was implemented a few years after we moved into our current 5-room flat, so we did not have storage built to hold these wires. We also did not have enough power sockets and have to use an extension cord. It is quite messy. Jan 19th - existing ONT 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr Jan 19th - existing ONT 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr This is a photo of my current RG. It is left dangling in the air.Jan 19th - existing RG by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr Right now, I only have an ONT and RG in my 5-room flat. We use wireless.

Hi alfredt, we are installing cat 6 network cables in our EM. In fact, my contractor and his electrician were busy laying wires and cables last week, and will continue to do so this coming week. I will have 7 datapoints in the house: - 3 upstairs (one per bedroom) - 4 downstairs (one in the study and 3 for IP cameras) Each datapoint has to be accompanied by sufficient number of power sockets, which will depend on how many devices you have. The pink line in the picture below denotes the fibre connection running from the main door to the Termination Point (TP) in the living room. Jan 19th - cable from door to living rm by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr The TP will be connected to the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and Residential Gateway (RG). These 3 items (TP, ONT and RG) forms the "data headquarters (HQ)"of the house. All cables must originate from this HQ. As I have 7 other datapoints in the house, I will use a 8 port gigabit switch to connect these 7 cables to the RG. The 7 cables will be connected to the rest of the house. We will hide the TP, ONT, RG, 8-port switch in the TV console, inside Compartment A in the picture below. My ID and contractor informs me that compartment A is big enough to hold all these devices, as well as a DVD player and an Xbox. If it turns out that compartment A is too small, I can place some devices in Compartment B. Sufficient number of power sockets have to be provided in Compartment A and B, to cater to all these devices. The TV will be connected to the RG. Again, power socket is required for the TV. This will be in Compartment A too. Jan 19th - living rm by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr The blue line below shows the fibre connection running from the RG/8-port switch to the edge of the kitchen and upstairs. The cables will emerge through a hole in one of the upstairs bedroom floor. From there, connection will be run to the other 2 bedrooms. Jan 19th - cable from RG to upstiars by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr This is a photo of the upstairs bedroom's floor. Jan 19th - cables emerge through bedrm 3 floor by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr As HDB does not allow "MRT tracks" to be dug in the wall to hide the cables and wires, we have to hide them in trunking. The trunking will be blocked by bookcases later, so it will look alright.

Hi solidsurface, Thanks for your suggestion. I will explore further.

Hi alfredt, the thermostatic rainshower can be preset at say, 36 °C. This means, everytime you on the shower, water will come out at 36 °C. You can still use the tap handle to switch to a higher or lower temperature, depending on your preference. I have read reviews in renotalk where users commented that the thermostat function is very "shiok". I have not experienced it personally yet. For Grohe, the rainshower with thermostat is $100 more than the one without. So I think it is worth trying.

Mr Yeak (my contractor) has offered us 2 choices for roller shutter. Option 1 comes with acrylic panel. I prefer this, but I'm concerned that the acrylic may turn brittle and disintegrate after a few years in the sun. If anyone has used such roller shutter before, can you share your experience with me? roller shutter 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr Option 2 comes with slots for ventilation and light. I'm unlikely to get this as I think rain might come in during a heavy downpour. roller shutter 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr On a un-related topic, I have switched to Flickr, coz Renotalk now disallowed me to upload any more photos into my album. Flickr is so much easier to use. Should have switched earlier.

We opted for a roller shutter in the yard, so that we can roll it up and see a big patch of blue sky. yard win 3 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

11 Jan 2014 reno updates Yard windows are up. Waiting for aluminium roller shutter to be installed. yard win 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickryard win 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

11 Jan 2014 reno updates We are using hot and cold water in the kitchen and bathrooms. The new storage heaters are mounted in the yard.storage heater by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr Electrical works and piping works are in progress. electrical by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr pipe 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr pipe 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

11 Jan 2014 reno updates The partition wall for the study is up. study 1 by Harriette_Tan, on FlickrView from another angle: study 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr New door frame waiting to be installed study 3 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Hi Makan, I was unable to upload photos using flickr. Could you teach me how to do it? Thanks.

11 Jan 2014 reno updates New double-glazed windows are up in the master bedroom. I think the white frames make the room brighter. mbr win (110114) by Harriette_Tan, on FlickrHere is a closer look at the double layer glass: mbr win 2 (110114) by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

PM-ed.

Hi FamilyGuy72, my balcony decking is normal tile which looks like wood. It is from Hafary (tile code: Y1159M2016) and costs $4psf. I will PM you how much Mr Yeak charges me shortly.