koori

Other updates: Gas pipes connected. Sink and stove support are both concrete based, which is why the structure here is standing here without the carpentry at the moment. The base and the sides are tiled. One of my earlier posts indicated the tile for 'sink&stove support' which is where it is used now. The front of this will be covered by a wooden frame with doors so it will look the same as the wooden cabinets to the side. The top of the structure is not tiled as I am opting for iQuartz top. It is possible to get homogenous tile top as well - there are grout lines to deal with though. I think the sequence will be wood cabinets installation. After that iQuartz installation on top of this concrete structure + wood cabinets. Hob and sink tap should be the last to be installed after the top is up. Will update photos when it's more completed. Carpentry in midst of fabrication at the moment, so nothing to show here yet. Dish rack also up ~

Special mention...a guy arrived around 4.30pm saying his boss sent him to do cornices....He said his boss told him 'a little bit' only. Asked me where is the 'little' bit. I was confused. I thought there was a lot of ending halfway cornices to settle. Haha....I went 'your boss didn't tell you arh?' Even the GC guys who were still there joked - Cornices? They are all over the place. His first reaction on seeing half-way ending cornices in all 3 rooms was '够力~' I deduced he is a Malaysian based on this comment. LOL...Singaporean's equivalent will be 'jialat!' Special mention coz he saw the installation in BR2 and straight away pointed out that it was too high up on the wall. The cornices to be done after will in future hinder the aircon flap from being opened...cleaning will be impossible. Lucky for me coz the GC guys were already 95% finished with the installation. They were already starting the cleanup....if you need to call GC back for position changes, it's $150 a trip. The AC guy also cannot explain why they put this so high up. Alex did tell them earlier in the morning that there will be cornices on the ceiling. And me the newbie can't tell it's too high up.... Mr Cornice insist them change the position of the aircon... .Really glad he came up at such an odd timing. Not his fault he came at odd timing though, mine is the 3rd house he is scheduled work for today One pic of the damaged ceiling after the cornice removal. Mr Cornice is really the 'talkative' sort. He commented that the cornices in the older days are very 'solid'. Very difficult to take down....nowadays false ceiling very easy to remove, not like this one. He took one look and said this must be at least 10 years old. Haha...

Opt for Toshiba Inverter System 3. Installers are Gain City. Team I had are Malaysians....Haha...obvious from the mandarin spoken. Main reason for getting this brand is my sis and mum are both using Toshiba.Feedback from both is that the compressor is quite silent and maintenance (filter washing) is easy as well. There are folks on Renotalk with a slightly lower quote....about $80 cheaper based on similar specs, but kiasee me went for GC anyways. Damage to pocket for System 3: $3,159 - $200 discount [voucher given, I asked for cash discount instead of getting vouchers]Stainless Steel bracket : $150. [no AC ledge in old flats. ] Dismantle of existing AC : FOC [trade-in] Power point : no cost. Used existing. Mum was there earlier in the morning when the GC folks arrived at 10.40am. Alex arrived not sure when. Mum said she called him after the GC guys arrived. The folks were waiting for me to decide the Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3 aircon placement. Paiseh for making them wait. I didn't understand when mom called me and asked me '走上面‘ 还是 ’走下面‘？ [literal translation : 'Go from above' or 'Go from below'? ] Pardon the very very long post below...didn't know there is so many issues with just where to run the AC pipes/wires..just writing down what happened today. Haha.... MBR : I understood when mom called me about the MBR, 'must be in middle of the protruding wall? Or can be placed to the side?' Apparently Alex and GC guys both suggested to the side of the wall, but mom kept insisting middle of the wall...so she called me to confirm. Opted for the side of the wall so that the trunking doesn't show up on this wall. It's on the wall behind so not obvious from the front. BR2 : Trunking came from MBR's wall from around the skirting area. Here's a photo showing where it connects to MBR. There is a 'bend' in the trunking coz a beam is in the way. Can go straight too if you can accept the aircon being fixed much lower on the wall than usual. BR3 : Room causing the headache. The 'shortcut' from MBR is from the entryway between the 2 rooms. Problem : There is a fake ceiling done by the previous owners...there's also some kind of cornice design at the entryway. Damages to the cornice definite... A no-no in Alex's opinion. Ended up have to go through BR2 to reach BR3. Debated which wall to put the AC too. Per the GC guys, the longer the trunking/piping, the more inefficient the water drainage. Or maybe the more work they have to do so they say the shorter the better. In BR2, GC guys show me that trunking can go across the wall about 12 inches from the ceiling, or below just above skirting area. Advantage of going below is that the water will run down the drainage pipe easier as it's flowing downwards from aircon split units. Disadvantage....the trunking takes up space above the skirting area. Any furniture placed around the walls will not 'flush' with the wall. Opt for this method coz going across the wall is simply so unsightly...cut across the whole room wall at where it is smack in front of your eyes. At least near the flooring not that obvious. At least I think most people look up instead of down when walking lah. The piping that goes from below skirting to upwards at wall level is hidden in the storeroom. Might create a challenge for those storeroom shelves I want...well, we will worry about that later.

Aircon installation today~ Out with the old : In with the new :

the most expensive I saw was $129/set.

I thought it's 'Skycreation+dc' or something like that coz the 3D pictures all marked with that name.

Yep, referring to LED lights. Same for me. All LED except for storeroom. Didn't go to distributor though, got plain ones from a light shop.

27 lights? Wah...can check how many watts are each of your downlights? For my place, I only got 1x32W for the whole kitchen, so I can't imagine 5 lights in the kitchen. [my kitchen is square shaped though, quite small.] Rooms are with 1 x 36 W each...again, can't imagine 4 lights in each room..... Or are your lights lower in wattage so you need more for the brightness? Sorry, newbie here too. I asked my contractor about how many wattage light to get for each room, as I had no idea how much would be bright enough.

Cannot have 1 week expectation lah. Your contractor heart attack... Think just the MBR toilet will take more than a week liao. hahaha...

Ya, I cheapskate dun want to pay for 3D, can't complain when cannot visualise. For me, the only difference for me is ID will give you fancy 3D pictures. [cost hidden dunno where in your quote, likely +$10 item 1, +$20 item 2...etc...not obvious but adds up...] Contrary to popular belief, getting a contractor does not mean he does not help on coloring and placement. Or did I happen to get a 'hybrid' contractor who can do some ID work without the 3D? LOL. Mine does know matching of colors, and he can tell you where to place what. Of course need to communicate and ask him if you are open to suggestions lah....at least that is my experience so far. My floor tiling actually all picked by him coz the whole tile showroom is horrendously big and confusing to a clueless person like me...not to mention there are sections of 'out-of-reach' tiles coz too expensive for me. Sorry for sounding like I was some kind of expert on colors. hahahhaa.....should have credited Alex earlier. I picked the wall tile, then went 'what floor tile do you suggest?' hahaha....then he had to go hunting for the suitable ones in the shop. For placement of stuff, I go 'so where typically should the water heater/wardrobe/bed headboard/_______ go arh?' He will suggest....of course if you insist on doing a non-typical way, he will follow your instructions lah. Yes, me actually even ask about where the bed/study table should be placed when it's clearly none of his business. hahahah....

eh? How come the water comes from the top of the tap? New design? What's the white material- Acrylic?

What works are you doing ~ just one week can finish?

Updates : Met Alex [my contractor's name. Will use his name from henceforth. Less letters to type. haha] yesterday afternoon. The plumbing uncle fly my kite. He was supposed to be around so I could point out where I wanted the bathroom accessories and the kitchen accessories to go onto. [plumbing uncle is also the guy drilling all those misc holes for bathroom accessories/kitchen odds and ends....] Not too upset though. Electrician uncle who was around says he will be helping to do markings on what stuff goes where. I don't know leh....me thinks is ok to just indicate where I want the stuff and they will arrange. Mom insist must stand there see them drill.... Alex did take another look to confirm placement after he arrived. He did suggest a few movement of items for aesthetic purposes. Me and electrican uncle just thinking where it is practical, not much consideration on if nice or not de. Colors chosen after meeting with Alex yesterday : iQuartz top :iCrystal Cabinet laminate : PG1881V Living room paint color : Sail White All bedrooms paint color : Lilac White All doors : Sail White All ceiling : Plain old white white.... Took iCrystal for the countertop color instead of grey in the end. Alex was saying that the entire kitchen looks grey-grey if top and cabinet both in darker colors. For contrast should get a lighter top. Was already hovering between the 2 colors, so now white top it is. iCrystal has these flecks, so hopefully not as difficult to maintain as plain solid white. The cabinet laminate PG1881V (Antrasit Alpi) looks more brownish on computer screen, it looks more greyish in the catalog sample. Let's hope it doesn't turn out too bad. Color wise, Sail White was suggested by Alex. I was thinking Cotton-White or Pearl....both more 'creamy white colors'. Think Alex is considering my 'open' kitchen and suggested sail white instead.

No idea. Shall review the water heater and the pressure after it is installed. Haha....at the moment it is still sitting in a box in Bedroom 2. Was repeating wat the sales guy told me. I have no idea if it's true. I was thinking worst come to the worst will just use the regular shower-head that came with the set if the rain shower has pathetic water pressure.

How tall is your block? I'm just repeating the sales talk I was given. Secretly I dubbed it the 'water pump theory'. I dunno how to verify though. Based on the theory : HDB has 2 water pumps in each block. There is one at ground floor, water will pump upwards to about mid point of the block. There is another pump at top of the block, pumps downwards to also about mid point of the block. So levels closer to ground floor or top floors get good pressure due to proximity to the water pump. Before this, I always thought there is only one water pump from top of block down....

thanks for the vote. These laminates all have fancy names in the catalog de. These 4 laminates I picked - from left : Antrasit Alpi, Grey Cedar, Grey Oak, Zebrawood black. Besides color, also had check that the laminate doesn't have too much 'embossed' lines/grooves. This can't be seen on computer screen, have to feel the sample square bits in the catalog to get a feel. Was told by mom that those embossed grooves will trap oiliness...will be more difficult to clean. Best is matt surface I guess. I also read somewhere glossy laminates get scratched easily? Tough part of the single getting reno....everything needs to be decided individually. No one to check with on color schemes/brands of stuff to get.... hhahah... Will also be asking the contractor about the colors Monday when I meet him, but just thought I should have some idea to start with else will be a super long meeting......

haha..I'm on 4th floor. sama sama quite low floor. If the 'water pump' theory the sales guy fed me is correct, you should have even better water pressure than I do. I didn't get my water heater from Royal Fanco though.

Question....will iZen quartz top make the kitchen look really dark? I found the colors of the tile online based on the tile code and did a picture collage. The few laminates I put in here are those that I think match my 'greyish' kitchen. I am given the whole range of Jennings laminate to choose from. Same laminates, but with iCrystal. Any views?

Sure, will review the water heater once I get the chance to use it. I actually walked into that shop looking for 707 Princeton. The salesguy kept telling 707 is just good branding (marketing), he recommended Alpha instead. Ended up taking Alpha coz it looked nicer. I'm not sure if I got 'smoked'. The sales guy told me the rainshower that came with this Alpha heater will be able to work without storage tank. I remember reading otherwise somewhere.... He gave me this really long talk about water pressure in HDB. The gist is, I'm on a low floor, so the pressure would be strong enough for the rainshower to work without storage heater. Will see how it goes after installation.

The black tempered glass hob from Turbo. Will update post later when it's been installed. Probably need to wait until cabinet is done, after that quartz top.

Fans with LED light ~ I bought these purely for aesthetic reasons...I have no idea if this brand can make it or not. Will review later after they get installed and I start using them. Probably not that soon though...My half extended ceiling has not been fixed yet. The false ceiling still stops halfway around the rooms. Water heater - Alpha, metal black color.

Bought a load of stuff from Song-Cho - these folks do stainless steel stuff. Expensive when compared to other stainless steel products, but lasts... Mom's got a few trivets from them like 10 years ago and they are still nice, no rust whatsoever. Some people call this the 'chicken brand' coz their logo is a shape of the chicken. Their stainless steel brand goes by the name 'Wel-Mi'. They actually issue you a life-time warranty card against rust for purchases above S$150. [if you are getting a dish rack, this target is easy.] Single layer dish rack. They have double/triple layers type too...those looked like too much clutter for just me, so I opt for a single layer only. The fork/spoon holder and the S hooks pictured on the box not included, sold separately. Too much stuff from them to take pictures individually....there's shampoo rack, corner rack, trivet, S hooks, bar, toilet roll holder, soap rack with tray, glass-cum-stainless steel shelf, bidet. All pictured here : The white box is the towel rack with single bar. The other 2 big tray like things are stainless steel 'drawers'. These will be fixed in kitchen cabinet interior. Will take pictures of the finished product after the cabinetry is completed. Got 2 plain aluminium rectangular mirrors from them too. The sales lady specifically told me these are not SS, but aluminium. Not under Song-Cho's brand. They just sell these for a 3rd party as a lot of shoppers ask them about it when getting those stainless steel-cum-glass shelves that we usually put under bathroom mirrors. I just got them at the same place too as I liked the silver and the plain-ness. LOL. Free gifts I got from them. The sales lady was saying this was actually a pre-CNY promotion....when I went there was already day 4 of CNY. Technically, the promotion has stopped. Not sure if she's just saying this to make me happy, but she said dun care, still gift coz boss haven't send official notification to stop promotion yet. A portable induction cooker and a stainless steel double grill pan..reminds me of happy call.. can cook on both sides of the pan and can seal both sides to cook. This pan also allows separation of the sides and use them as normal frying pan.

Stuff purchased sitting in BR2 at the moment. Will list down in more details in later posts...

More photo bombing! Heh..seems like a lot was done since last Tuesday when I went over for a look. Master bathroom tiling completed too....arghhh....I see I am reflected again in the tiles. haha...aiyah, just upload le....lazy to go retake. My earlier post I mentioned this strange tilted pipe coming out of the wall causing a gap? It's sealed with some substance. Probably grout mixed into a black color that matches the tiles. Not really noticeable unless you went up close. The shower bench I requested for. It's tiled with the same white wall tiles. Pardon, my finger got in the way and I did not realise until I uploaded the photo. The small wall at the 'dry' bathroom side. Not sure why HDB did this wall....nothing better to do? It takes up precious space in the already tiny bathroom. Had to get a smaller sink for master bathroom as compared to the common bath. Also, the WC's outlet pipe does not have enough space. Had to change a model of WC where the back-end of the WC is 'open' and allows flexible piping. Contractor says te back-end of the WC is against the wall and can't be seen anyways, so is ok. The original WC can fit only if we do a 'L shaped' outlet pipe...he told me it's not ideal because of the angled pipe, likely to get chokages. OMG~ nightmare if toilet chokes. Just imagining it makes me ill.... I opt to change WC models rather than take the risk. The wet and dry bathroom area has different floor tiles. Shower area's slightly more textured and a darker grey. .

Just to show a pic - this shows the color disparity between the end of my living room and the start of the kitchen. Wahahha....the very small patch of beige marble showing through is covered in cement dust, so now it's 'ashy' in color, seems a match the kitchen grey tiles at the moment. The floor area is level, so I won't be doing massive water pouring and scrubbing in the kitchen. I will probably accidentally flood my living area if I do that.