Saru

Track lights from Lightcraft . Some lights from the other more expensive shop down the road but more reliable. Consult between both for pricing and recommendations and make sure your electrician is informed on whether it is H shaped track or just an N as the shape is necessary to hide the wiring? Both shops will tell you different things for sure. I since upgraded with some lights and Bulbs can get from Taiwan vintage shop in furniture street and some cheap vintage bulbs from Bali Legian shopping area. There is also the pricey LED bulb you can get from TANGS but worth every bit

OOps. just happened to see all the messages as have not logged in for a while: Pipsqueak>> TV console is from Danish Design located in Pasir Pangjang. It will match well with a Dyson Fan and the B&O A9 Play Applegoh>> City Gas sells it. Just google information for the heaters online (they may upgrade the models every year and head down to their office at 1st floor Triple 111 Somerset Benjamin90lim>> If it is a key pillar or sorts, Need your contractor or ID to work with a certified engineer to apply with HDB to do it. Extra $500 just for certification but hacking should not cost too much, ask them throw it in with other hacks.

Wow. Chanced upon your posts and realised we have similar themes. I'm 80% done for mine pending some extra pieces (because we exceeded our budget and now have to save up if we want more). Once our leather single seater sofa and some cabinetry comes in, we will also be looking to you for design ideas for some parts. But we seriously may be so sick of the dust from any drill work or cabinetry work we may just stop for a year!

Remember the chair i bought is the Ya Ma type - Looks rougher but wears better and quite comfy. Just that it's weaved design (not very fine weave) is like a salt and pepper mini schaunzer rather than a clean color

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.24.T0JeAc&id=42299744204&_u=s1sas9d3db83 Just bought this as well. Fingers crossed it all turns out well! So far beside table and lamp were the best buys!! Photo frames are dirt cheap from China - just know your sizes for 5R and 6R correctly - double check! Baby stuff from UK and USA is the best at 70% off Big Alzipmat Baby mat (colour folder series) from Korea if you want high quality but you got to cart it back like a hero with giggles from the airline check in stuff Mega discount store is your best bet for some good appliances. Hope all this helps everyone!

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.158.Z5jTtE&id=38305089246&_u=s1sas9d399dc chair - http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=14739573093&spm=a1z09.2.9.43.KiEjuY&_u=s1sas9d3fbca small coffee table http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=36208303578&spm=a1z09.2.9.289.71vadn&_u=s1sas9d35e4c door bell http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=27150188307&spm=a1z09.2.9.14.71vadn&_u=s1sas9d3f740 bedside table http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=36314282557&spm=a1z09.2.9.87.71vadn&_u=s1sas9d3c402 tissue box http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.214.wJhggp&id=36782041096&_u=s1sas9d32fbf bedside lamp http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=38736294594&spm=a1z09.2.9.178.wJhggp&_u=s1sas9d3b049 knife holder http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=38633313165&spm=a1z09.2.9.71.wJhggp&_u=s1sas9d3d9a6 butterfly stool to wear shoes at genkan http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=21085643160&spm=a1z09.2.9.210.Z5jTtE&_u=s1sas9d30822 http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=21085643160&spm=a1z09.2.9.210.Z5jTtE&_u=s1sas9d30822 various bronze look fittings if you are after the English look like me Leather Sofa from Commune is the cheapest nice one you can get in my opinion. Commune stuff is good and affordable if it suits your taste Crate and barrel has nice bar cabinets but everything else there is a reap If you are after a neutral palette like me (white, wood, light grey) then Muji will work very well too. Just need to dot the house with lots of piece de resistance, i splurged on a few pieces that cost a bomb but can follow me 20-30 years whichever house i go. Built-in stuff keep to minimal/zero to make sure house can be flexible to change for kids/for sale if i relocate back to Japan

Wow I saw the table of contents. This is a great resource! Thanks for the information! Currently reading a lot of books from Taiwan that are so thick and boring. This one is a great summary!

Yes slightly above. But you see HDB already has the pipes built-in as indicated by blue/red tapes before reno. You cannot hack BTO toilet to change that, unless you want to extend pipes outside and downwards. So i stuck with having the mixer higher. Thankfully it works okay (Before renovation) After renovation - replaced with an awesome mixer but has to be at same height photo hosting sites

Bun Bun - your photo reminded me of my wife and my horror of installing bathtubs in HDB units - The Mixer! Dainty flair please take note: Because you cannot hack BTO toilets or want to waste money digging out the pipes to adjust the height - The mixer will have to pour from a height of 1m? Maciam waterfall blasting down. We we are used to it now since there is no choice. Bear in the find the choice mixer should allow the flow to hit into the bathtub (not the sides) properly - else lots of splashes!

Followed internet tip and used expired stale lemons (leftovers from cocktails also can) for the cleaning. Just squeeze some juice on the taps/mixers and wipe dry - all natural and cleans all the taps in the house in 2-3 minutes! Really fast useful! No need Autosol to shine! Works to remove the soap suds/water marks on my granite sink as well.

Agree with you! But everyone needs some hocus pocus to believe in and for some folks to make a living I guess? Milo also can add some extra powder on top make Milo Dinosaur and charge more money It's always things that are subject to interpretation that allows a lot of spin-offs. That's why just take it as supplementary knowledge pinch of salt - Like Lao Yu Shengs and jumping over charcoal stove - Makes for great Chinese Cultural Rituals whether they work or not. Everything is still pretty much up to self - positivity can change everything. Not everyone will want to rationalise properly even if they get the real truth though. Well at least it's not as crazy as "China Wine" CDs That was blatant to me but to this day there are still a lot of Biebers for that. oh wait..there was the Bomoh with a good fan base trying to find the missing plane as well... "Open Light" is true - Real monks really would not be involved in such rituals unnecessarily. But it's a way to earn donations for the temple for sure and bless/keep the masses happy as a good deed. Our government always ask various religious leaders out to bless certain events like National Day though and "Open Light Blessing ritural" for the emblem on the Beret is an NS story that the previous generation pass down and even NCO/Specs today talk about it" What's No-No is that monks definitely do not hang out on the streets to ask for money - have to beg for alms(only FOOD) at Dawn and return very early for breakfast - no more outings after that in Mercedes Benz and nor more horse racing in Australia like a certain someone.

Wife said not Muji. Maybe Sarasa? http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/sarasa-designstore/ Now is good time to go Japan. The Yen will fall further this month. Will be almost $1 = 100 Yen unlike that days I chased my wife was $1.70 = 100 Yen. Life is unfair, huh. Tip: Joseph Joseph is less than half price in Japan if housewives out there want to shop in japan. Just buy from Rakuten and ship to your hotel. 30% of Robinsons' prices to be exact. Local dept stores are a rip off. Just don't buy high wattage electronics (ovens/grills) as even with transformers, the stuff I brought over do not work at 100%.

Because Anchorvale Isles has the smallest Master Bathroom in Sengkang/Punggol, IMO ( 2.6m x 1.7m), I had to get the smallest tub in the market. 1370mm Hydrabath tub - Anyone over 162cm in height would not be able to full stretch out their legs comfortably. I could have tried for a 1450mm tub but ID was not confident and I may risk hitting the walls (1700mm minus walls and build up about 1500mm left only and tub needs 30-50mm each end)? I got an uncanny feeling this information is bull and the ID made some money or convenience bringing me to the bathroom boutique in Balestier road? But let's give ID the benefit of doubt as it's good to be on the safe side (though other shop should have other sizes that might fit and do a product exchange if it does not fit) If only I have >1.75m toilet size like everyone! But the bathtub is great for bathing toddlers. And my wife being Japanese, just GOT TO HAVE A BATHTUB - no negotiation. She is not as tall so fits her okay. This bathtub is affordable at $650*. Don't think should spend more than $900 for one and there should be many choices at below $1000. Don't go for branded ones because most Singaporeans don't use their bathtub often to justify the expenditure. Actually a 50 degrees Celsius hot water soaking for the feet each day does wonders to health. Side by side with the wife while drinking Ocha = Even better. It does helps the resale value pitch if I want to sell the house later. Tip: Pair with Ikea battery tea candle lights ($2-$3 only for 4 and put them in translucent cups/see-through cups) for a romantic bath experience without burning down the house with real tea lights. *prepare to get "carrot-head" for ordinary installation accessories for the plumber to install bathtub - about $25-$50. If you want a better deal, I did research on renotalk and many recommended 1-2 common places for sanitary fittings (esp toilet bowl). Go for it! Alternatively you can discuss with your contractor to give you a bonus build by building a bathtub out of concrete somehow? I knew a young couple did it this way when I was shopping for a resale flat Block 248. Super small tub but deep one - but outside the toilet is open walk-in-wardrobe full of mould and musty smells.

You are right. But my wife is Japanese so get the comment my house is a Muji Japanese childcare center because of the partition door and her choice of soft furnishings/cutlery/cooking.

Thanks. Nice to hear it at the start of the year! Sofa from Commune and featured regularly on magazines. It is on latest Dec issue of Sq Rms magazine (one of the key showcase projects) . Cheapest leather sofa you can ever get locally, with free delivery, at slightly over $2k. Despite what they say I think it's PU leather rather than full leather, which suits me fine as our weather does not suit real full leather. A must if you like leather sofa and taking good care of it till it gets the old leather shiny sheen look. Not the neighbourhood "italian ones" that will tear/rip fast. With some maintenance done every half year should be looking good I hope?

The Fengshui follows the Breadwinner/ Father of the house anyway - Rest would not matter as much. It is said Lilian Too (A famous FSM in SE Asia I believe) and her partner sleep in separate rooms since Fengshui can't please everyone and everything - her partner and herself have different "HUAT ah" directions and lucky spots -. For FS to work, be comfortable, rational and logical first. Coins and lucky items have to 开光 to be effective - which means they need the blessing and prayer of people with a lot of positive energy to change circumstance. They can always be alternatives (though authentic 5 Emperor Coins collect the positivity of 5 dynasties). Hard to change to world so learn to change yourself positively. For example, filial piety volition, conviction and action brings truck load of wealth. Everything has an uncanny karma that comes back to you - positively or negatively. You can share your renovation floor plan and designs and who knows someone may have another solution for you. or put up your Ba Zi for analysis

By most definitions of "religion", don't think Fengshui falls into the worship gods/deity concept. First and foremost is to realise you invested in your well-being and be happy about having learnt something here. You can share you experience with your friends and your kids next time. Yes a stove at the wrong position may burn away wealth. Not to forget, If you cook often, do try to maintain a working triangle shape between stove, sink and fridge to best improve work flow. Or simply imagine how you go about daily cooking and see if it is efficient. Just google on this. Not comfortable with blatantly showing coins and gourds? Hide it in the divider or think of ways (in the electrical switch cabinet beside door or in a vase). Just make sure you don't show disrespect by putting those lucky charms like in the in shoe cabinet or under the door (where you step on). Nothing works if you don't believe in it. Positive energy besides from the environment, comes from your words and your actions, everyday be positive and your thoughts and environment might change with you sometimes. Good luck

Hello Asterix No problem at all - Fengshui is fluid. Even the most "perfect" arrangements have something to fix - something has got to give and you choose what suits you most. A lot of times we do not have a choice - like in Hong Kong - You will already be lucky enough to have a place to live even if it is beside a cemetery/morgue! You can hack away the study room wall facing the toilet door and rebuilt it like what I did. But a cheaper way would be to put in some fengshui charms you can buy cheaply from taobao to block the negative energy from the toilet. An 文昌塔 (Wenchang tower) will most definitely help here. And that's all you need. From one school of Fengshui, from the 8 characters of the owner of the house, you can identify from the floor plan the 8 quadrants of the house - 4 good (生气／伏／天衣／延年 4 bad 绝命／祸害／五鬼／六煞. 伏 is the Nurturing quadrant you want to place your kids bedroom (and or/and study desk) in. And if 绝命 is not the owner's master bedroom or door entrance - all is good. No worries. (So no house perfect - some areas has to be bad right! Hopefully they become the toilets) Go google if you want to learn more. Most Fengshui knowledge is available publicly Good grades is only one aspect of life. More importantly than studying is for a kid to handle his emotions, procrastinating thoughts and impulses properly and grow up as a responsible adult with good manners. This elitist, memorise-everything system in primary and secondary school is useless against 1.4 billion Chinese and 1 billion South Asian talents out there that will compete with the next generation. A good attitude means life long learning and being better at achieving the ultimate goal - happiness, balance and family/marital bliss. This is priceless. Cheers and Happy New Year

Wow. First sort of praise in renotalk on the house - so thought my family's taste is not to other's liking. But personally am very happy with the house as it is very kids friendly - and happy a lot of people like it (especially kids) when they visited. Huge living area is a good choice after all. ID is three-d co*.werk. Quite expensive actually but budget was set a little higher as I wanted piece of mind for a minimum level worksmanship and accountability. And to have a younger ID with generally better taste (in our case was Serene) than your average Joe, to come in between my wife and I when we are at loggerheads for certain design aspects. On hindsight, it was not perfect but I definitely avoided any type of nightmares talked about by friends and fellow renotalkers. Though you cannot escape the usual bull**** sometimes - which to me was irritating given my overly high expectations from the ID. Payment upfront before 3D rendering but somehow got a design simlar to other people that chose the same ID. So I guess the trick is to really know your own lifestyles, what designs you want, and further edit from the drawings/renderings and meet ups with ID. Nevertheless, super grateful for the patient ID as my wife and I can be quite anal and fickle sometimes. Other firms will never allow us to change our minds halfway on somethings regardless of whether a premium price was paid. They are more known for industrial styles really. So if you like industrial styles and want to further explore, definitely go get a quotation. Mine looks scandinavian but is more a "Muji Simple -Maintanance style" that adhered to fengshui principles for every space/direction/room. We hate clutter and wanted a huge living area instead of the popular walk-in-wardrobe or private study rooms. So the first room was changed to very thin but strong mild steel partitions to enlarge the room (vs. pre-existing thick concrete) and made with see-through tempered glass to make the space look bigger - can also observe kids playing when working in study room. P.S. The house looks totally different now with our stuff put in. Our plan is only to invest in the mobile pieces of good furniture which we can easily move out if we relocate. Still need a second tv console to back the sofa and a few designer chairs but so low on cash for now even thinking of doing fengshui tips consultation for people on the side to make a quick buck

Late reply my bad - HK DN Daniel>>> HDB only need about around a week to approve the permit. I did not wait too long from what I remember. If you hire an ID - just set the budget and get them to worry about it for you - that's the reason what IDs are for - else better yet, if are they too new in the business, they learn when you keep pushing them!

Sorry for the late reply - for uniarm you can call Kelvin at 90669065 for him to come over to fix it up - only about $68-70! Haven't been reading renotalk ever since my renovation is 100% done! A very good deal for that uniarm stopper vs. what's out there i believe. One of the best things I invested in thanks to my neighbour in Anchorvale Harvest who introduced me

Hi Neighbour I first called this guy 67421822 Engineer registraion no. 2987 Boey Choong Fatt Field of Engineering CIVIL Emploer Cse consultants company address 118 Lorong 23 (of Sims Ave) #SCN Industrial Building S388402 $300-$400. Then when i dug further if engineer required on site they will charge about $500-$600. Eventually settled with my ID to have her PE do it for us for $500, which will be on-site. Onsite is required just in case HDB check. If not, you can get by rubber stamping with PE signature. Pester your contractor to find PE for you Moral of the story is for our kids to be PE or lawyer - one signature = $200-$300 Hope this helps.