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OceanEleven

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Posts posted by OceanEleven

  2. Posted

    On 7/15/2017 at 0:03 PM, infatuation1527 said:

    NO False ceiling

    No false ceiling because we will be having track lights for the entire house. We also don't want any creepy crawlies stuck somewhere up there. Some IDs also said that depending on the design of the false ceiling, some ceiling fans "wind strength" may be "blocked" by the shape of the false ceiling. 

     

    On 7/17/2017 at 5:56 AM, Remon said:

    Wow. Interesting idea that there might be creepy crawlies on false ceilings and wind that will be blocked by cove designs.

    Perhaps I want to rethink my now reno concept. Hehe.

    False ceilings should not house any creepy crawlies unless it is not done properly or crack over time. 

    More of a concern will be L box instead, however after living with L Boxes for more than a decade, I have no problem with any insect growth or dust issue.

    L Box has its charm too as it create a lume of reflected light which is more evenly scattered around.

    False ceiling is a MUST if one wants down light, and false ceiling also can help conceal/ run wire and cable easily compare to no false ceilings.

    Without false ceilings, cable and wires are run in trunking (piping if industrial look) which some may not like it.

    Track lights not recommended for dining are, as track lights are more of a beam/spot like and focus on a area rather than "all around". Makes reading/looking tedious.

  3. Posted

    On 7/14/2017 at 7:09 AM, infatuation1527 said:

    Purchase of Sanitary Fittings

    So how? We turned to Amazon.com and got a Kraus KPF-1640SS instead. Costs us SGD $398.03 including shipping. Order was placed on Jul 8 and it was shipped on Jul 13! Can't wait for it to arrive.

    91GKNoG6huL._SL1500_.jpg

    Looks almost the same right? Kraus sinks are also highly raved apart from Blanco sinks. So I thought their faucet should be not bad too. Kraus is not sold in Singapore and I've read that their stainless steel sinks are quite good too. One way to shop easily on Amazon.com is to filter the items by "eligible for international shipping" and "sold by Amazon" as this would entitle you to get free global shipping if your order is above USD 125.

    Taobao purchases

    When we ordered our lights from Heritage, I got a hunch that Taobao may be cheaper so I just went online to check if they have the dining lights that I wanted. True enough, there is!

    Bought the same sink from Taobao. About $230. Still going strong till now.

    Like wise, I bought most lightnings from Taobao/Tmall. Local prices are really rip off. My ID saw my light selling for $300 at Balestier while I got 3 for $200.

  5. Posted

    Oven Tripping Circuit Breaker Tips.

    It is common for ovens, steamers and grillers to trip electrical circuit breakers when left unused for a period of time. Such faults can be easily rectified via these steps that Bosch has highlighted:

    1) Set the temperature to 50 degree celsius n 'Top and Bottom Heat' mode

    2) When the temperature reaches 50 degree celsius, increase the set temperature to 80 degree celsius; when it reaches the set point, increase again to 150 degree celsius, and follow the same to get to 200 degree celsius.

    3) Once the temperature reaches 200 degree celsius, increase the set temperature to 250 degree celsius and let it remain at the temperature for one hour.

    4) Turn off the oven

    It is always advisable to gradualy increase the oven temperature during the preheating process to avoid a sudden draw of high electricity which causes tripping.

  6. Posted

    1 hour ago, minnie15 said:

    Hi OceanEleven,

    after much consideration and speaking to a few ID's they mention the same, the flooring will be slightly uneven and quite an eyesore, so will be scrapping that idea.

    so far gotten 1 quote( meet up with 3 IDs to date)and was quite taken aback with a quote of $3520 for full height Tv feature wall and console. It's my first reno so i am not sure if that is the right price or etc etc. hoping to receive quotes for other ID's to compare. 

    Craft Stones,  i am a follower of your blog :) i saw the detailed post u shared in purchasing it from JB and your Taobao purchases as well. one of the ID mentioned he can recommend electric shops to purchase lights in SG but i did share with him that i will be getting lights/fan from JB and Taobao and he said that it's not safe to get from taobao" blah blah blah" as the lights does not have safety mark and incase of fire it's not covered under the insurance. but compared to SG it's so much cheaper getting elsewhere. 

    so far i have seen ID's only, would be great if u can PM me J&E contact . i understand J&E prefer to meet only after we get keys? saw a couple of their works shared here and it's equally good as any other ID. and your house is beautiful!!  they way u space plan it *thumbs up*..

    Thank You.

    Glad that you moved on with the hacking. :lol:

    Carpentry are expensive. I rather spent the money to make a full height cabinet with TV mount, like mine.have storage and solve the console issue.

    Didnt know folks are still reading my blog, thank you, hope the sharing aide in some decision making. Thanks for the compliment.

    As for safety mark, it is a pretty grey area. If insists to have, be prepare to pay thru the nose. Many got it from JB, TB or Tmall, no issues so far.

    I manage to control my whole house lightings to below 1.5k. I prefer simple, easy to clean and maintain. The most fanciful one is in MBR toilet, ironically. 

    My ID is Mr. Foo from Custombox, not J&E though.

    • Like 1

  7. Posted · Edited by OceanEleven

    On 2/20/2017 at 3:55 PM, minnie15 said:

    Living Rm : Featured wall/false ceiling/TV console ( no cove)

    -would love the craftstone as a featured wall and i read thru RT that getting it from malaysia is cheaper so keeping it as an option will see how much quote i get and will take it from there and decide

    Kitchen - full scope carpentry with top and bottom cabinet with iQuartz finish.

    Mainroom 2(parents room) - build in wardrobe

    Bedroom 4 - it will be the kids room. decided not to get build-in wardrobe as they are still small( 5months old & 5yrs old) therefore we feel that we can just get a normal wardrobe to accommodate their clothes.

    NOW lets comes to my favorite part:

     Bedroom 3 and MainBedroom 1 -  we plan to hack the wall inbetween to create space as the MR likes to have a "entertainment room to accommodate his gaming"  and for myself i have tons of clothes therefore require a long wardrobe and TV console.  

    Painting/Electric works.

    This week we are meeting up with another 2 more ID but we are looking into getting a contractor as well as there are a few that is much raved about in RT blog. We do have a rough idea how we wanna do up so is contractor a better option? 

    With having said that i will update when there's any new progress..

     

    Couple of things to consider. Craft stones are nice and maintenance free. Buying from JB is much cheaper, especially if you have car to self-collect. I did this the last time, whole 20 boxes of it. However the labor to lay them is costly.

    Since you opt out the kitchen wall, you have limited storage space, due to one less wall for top hung and bottom cabinet. 

    You can do an open concept kitchen, with a small bar counter with tall stools but kinda defeats the purpose as right in front is likely where you are gonna place the dining table. Also, open concept make air conditioning the living room a challenge.

    Depending where you place and size of your fridge, likely you will have limited table top space. Again since you opt for no wall, imagine you have to place the fridge, sink and stove along the 3675mm kitchen wall, leaving you will almost no top at all.

    You can consider hacking away the wall dividing the kitchen and service yard. I find such wall pointless and useless. Then you will have a bigger kitchen, looks more spacious and airy. However since yours is a new unit, hacking may require permit or totally disallow.  Check with your ID.

    Combining BR1&3 may prove to be disadvantage in the long run. Especially when selling, most buyers prefer more rooms than space in rooms.

    Also since you had opt for flooring, ID may have problem finding similar flooring to replace the hacked walls. Looking at the floor plan, there is a pillar protruding out, which cannot be hack.

    Overall cost is much higher, as you need to make good the wall after hacking, relocate the door to the combine rooms. I remember door frame are not cheap.

    If you hack, you have to consider about air conditioning, a normal system 3 may not be sufficed to cool such a big area. I would rather to have BR3 as a gaming/entertainment room, with wardrobe built in.

    This way, any late night gaming will not interfere with you sleeping in BR1. Kids will grow up, eldest already 5 years old, in time will wanna have own room.

    Eldest will be 10 years old when MOP, if no intention to move again, BR3 can be revamp to be eldest room, leaving another room for the younger one.  

    Just my two cents. Have a good reno journey. :D

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    I am actually quite keen to see how your ID proposes for the WIW for the MBR.

    Looking at the dimensions, you are left with 3.6m length to manage with.

    A queen-size bed is about 1.53m in width, leaving about 2.07m to fit in 2 bed size table and the WIW.

    So assuming having 2 x 30cm square bed side table, means you are left with only 1.47m length for the WIW, which I feel is very little.

    Even removing the bed side table, it is still only 2.07m, including bed frame and the partition wall to be erected for the WIW.

  10. Posted

    ID and contractors are pretty much in a grey area nowadays. A contractor donned in shirt and pants can be an ID but an ID may not be a contractor.

    The diff is that contractors may be more hands on, likely more on site and able to visualize space, angles and technical aspect of things.

    Our floor plan looks fairly similar as yours and I went with an ID who looks like a contractor and never look back. Key point is talk to more people, have a feel what is on the table, have a sense of the person who are you working with.

    I never really like to sign on during some exhibition, let alone paying up $1k as retainer/designer fee. If needed, I rather take my biz elsewhere then.

    Like you, I am very picky as well as keen eyes for the details. My EA reno took 6 months and enjoy every moment of it. So knowing what you want is a good start, getting what you want in the most economical manner is the next challenge.

    Have a fun reno journey. :lol:

  13. Posted

     

    Bought a pair of these speaker stand from Tmall. A little costly though after shipping.

    The machining and finishing is goo, no rough edges. Paint work is great, slight blemishes but not noticeable once speaker sits on it.

    Speaker%20Stand.jpg

     

    Speaker%20Stand%201.jpg

  14. Posted

    Thanks for taking time to read through and hope the information will help you to build your dream home. :lol:

    Washroom tiles just the normal scrubbing now and them to remove grime and grit.

    If carpentry are expanding, more likely due to warping. Could be complete full length tends to warp over time or moisture remove from wood/ply wood, causing them to warp.

  15. Posted

    18 minutes ago, blacksheep said:

    Very helpful tips it nice that you posted this to inform and give inspiration.

    Thanks for the kind words. Just that went thru reno twice and understood the agony and frustration during the journey hence wanna share a little to save on the efforts and time.

    Anyway, my comments are a little old school., may be a little pricky at times, kinda been there, done that. For eg non believer of hacking of rooms and WIW. Dont fancy those side by side fridges etc. 

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    8 hours ago, PositiveLola said:

    It is very kind and nice of you to share with me the above pointers slashmylove! It is indeed very useful especially for my case where I will not be engaging an ID due to budget constraints. My BTO is in Yishun estate so we are quite near!! Haha....

    Do share with me any other useful pointers so I can learn and take note when doing my planning... :) 

    Don’t gun down the idea of an ID so fast. Start with a budget and things you need.

    Some things needs to be done before you move in and not after you moved in on a bit by bit basis.

    To a certain extend if you need to take a small loan to reno the house, I believe it is still worth it.

    This is your home, where you make happy and sad memories, a harbour where you berth your thoughts and base your emotions.

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