Harriette

Under the original design, the door of the study/helper's room opens into the kitchen. However, HDB did not approve this as an habitable room is not allowed to open into the kitchen (a fire hazard). Relocating the door of the study/helper's room will eat into valuable shoe cabinet space.

Nice rugs. Where did you buy them?

Hi there, flowerfans, We have the same ID! Regarding your beam issue, you can just submit your request to HDB. The technical officer probably will need to consult the HDB architect and engineer before he can reply you. Your formal submission will facilitate the procedure.

In one of your earlier post, you mentioned that you are customising your dining room light. Is this the one? Did you design it yourself? What types of customising services does this shop has?

Hi, I like the white lights above your dining table, and the black lights in your MBR (flanking your bed). Where did you buy them? Can you fit a typical LED light bulb in them?

For the past 1.5 months, we have been busy sourcing for contractors. As part of the deal, my IDs contacted 3 contractors for quotes. I wanted more choices and I contacted another 6 contractors on my own. Eventually, - 5 contractors quoted about $75K to $81K - Mr K quoted about $109K - one contractor quoted $130+K - two contractors declined to quote I shall elaborate a little about 4 of them: 1. Patrick (Ho Bee Renovation) - quoted less than $75K, however some items were omitted. When I bought my first home (a 5-room flat) in 2007, Patrick was very popular in Renotalk. I think he could be the Mr K of that era. Initially, I was very keen to work with him. Unfortunately, forum comments about his attitude and workmanship in recent years (from 2010 onwards) were very negative. Hence, I decided not to take the risk. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/2131-ho-bee/page-39 2. Mr K - quoted about $109K Mr K is very busy. I contacted him on 22 Oct 13, but his earliest available date to meet me was on 6 Nov 13, and he could start work only in Mar 2014. Recent blogs from Tangie and Plainsharon suggest that he is very stretched. I prefer someone who could be more committed. His price is quite high too. 3. William (My ID's regular contractor) - quoted about $75K which was the lowest quote we received This is the contractor that my IDs usually work with. He did the renovation works for my ID's home, Vanessa's EM and 2 other on-going projects for my ID's clients. Advantages of picking him would be: (1) he is familiar with how my IDs work (2) his workmanship seems ok, judging from my ID's home which I visited several times (3) his quoted price is the lowest However, we didn't choose William. We decided to go with Mr Yeak instead. 4. Mr Yeak (our chosen contractor) - quoted about $81K. Reasons for choosing him are: (1) he does not over-commit himself. He told us that he schedule his jobs such that he could pay personal attention on every job. (2) he seems scheduled and organised, which is quite similar to how I work (3) his workmanship seems ok - I visited one of his client's home. I have also read positive forum comments about him. Hopefully, we made the right choice. Renovation will start tomorrow!

Hi, your curtains look nice. Can I get the contact? Thanks in advance.

Hi, which forwarder did you use for your TaoBao purchases? Did you have to make any payment before getting the final quotation?

Hi, pls PM me the contact of the sales person from Audio House. Thanks.

Hi there, welcome. Nice to see another EM blog.

How about you source for a PE directly yourself, instead of going thru your ID?

Congrats for the arrival of your twins. If you plan to use sarong cradle (摇篮）, you can get the contractor to install a hook in the ceiling. About $10 a hook.

Hi hi, welcome. Good to see another EM blog.

Nice! I like your "can open or close" kitchen concept. Can even watch TV while washing dishes.

Thanks for sharing so much about lights. I have not started thinking about lights yet, and I didn't realise that there is so much to think about.

Nice!

Hi Sarah, Thanks for the warm welcome. It is quite hard to get a unit around the pond. We tried to buy one in 2007, but were out-bidded by others. We even engaged a housing agent to distribute flyers for us but were still unsuccessful. In the end, we bought a 5-room across the street in Senja (probably near your sister?). We were happy in our current place as Bukit Panjang Plaza, N5 park and the swimming pool are just a short walk away. We did not try to find a new place. But somehow, my hubby happened to read the classified one weekend, and saw that this EM was available. We simply popped over to take a look and somehow bought it successfully. It was totally unexpected.

Hi, where did you buy the Hitronweb Electronic Insect Exterminator?

Hi, can I have the address of the light shop in Ubi? What do you like about this shop?

Hi Vanessa, we are still evaluating the quotations from various contractors. Hope to appoint a contractor soon.