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bykaraanne

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Posts posted by bykaraanne

  3. Posted

    21 minutes ago, pandacel said:

    What's this chio one from Amazon?? Mind giving me the link? Oh no i think I have some of the gaudy gold stuff from taobao. 

    For the grout, think I must show him your nice toilet pic then complain to him liao.

    Cheaper ones:

    Goldenwarm 15pcs Brushed Brass Cabinet Cupboard Drawer Door Handle Pulls Knob LS201GD96 for Furniture Kitchen Cupboard Hardware 3-3/4in Hole Center 6in Overall Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M4KRHJA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dgrfAbCBE4QYT

    Atlas Homewares A875-UB 6-5/16 in. It Pull, Vintage Brass https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O4KLN9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HirfAbKMGS27E

    but the expensive rustoleum (with the odd shaped cap, not the normal circular one) works ok. Kitchen actually held up quite well considering I touch everyday. 

     

  5. Posted · Edited by bykaraanne

    26 minutes ago, pandacel said:

    Thank you!! Your place still looks really good! Can tell that u have spent lots of effort cleaning to maintain it.

    Did you get white grout for your master bathroom tiles? Edmund advised me against it coz apparently they will turn yellow against China made tiles so we went for darker grout instead. Now I'm regretting my decision after seeing your beautiful toilet..

    Seems that he is right that gold painted items will darken/tarnish over time though. I'm worried now coz I have quite a few gold painted stuff!

    My kitchen one actually generally ok and it’s the less goldy rustoleum! The cheaper gold rustoleum does darken with touch.

    If you still got time now, just go and get from amazon, or plate. Even furniture from outside the gold doesn’t always stay. 

    Some played that stays also look **** gaudy lah, so actually I am still glad I sprayed my handles at the time instead of buying gaudy ones from tb.

    but now amazon got quite chio ones! I’m changing for my wardrobe and maybe my kitchen (tho my kitchen got 2 small handles is fixed cus of sink. 

    Re: white grout, he didn’t advise me. But hor, no yellowing in my kitchen (hdb supplied) or my bathroom! My bathroom tiles are china made, not sure about hdb but don’t think they’re atas... 

  7. Posted · Edited by bykaraanne

    OVERALL CHANGES:

    Most of our fixed fixtures, we didn't change. The only one that's going soon is the guest bathroom's mirror, which we did not like as it was too big and often got splashes from the sink, which I do not enjoy cleaning everyday. 

    The truth is our home was very cheaply renovated, not as extensive as many people here, so honestly most of the time it is as good as it gets. Haha! Without floors and doors from HDB, we spent about low $20k+ on the reno. Tile laying (without free cement screed from HDB) already took a great deal of that budget. 

    LIVING ROOM:

    I changed out the rug in the LR to a more classic design, more in line with the theme of the home. It was shipped from Amazon about 1 year ago. The coffee table we DIY-ed broke (glass shattered while cleaning - totally my fault) and we got a replacement one that fit the space even better! Though the gold has mostly eroded :wacko: so I won't share where it's from.

    I picked up the round table from IKEA AS-IS at $80, and sold away my bulky, dark rectangle table that honestly, showed every single bit of dust, as dark surfaces often do. I added 1 more ghost chair (armless), and gathered all the other ghost chairs I had in the home, and voila! It made a completely airy, lovely set that freed up so much more space in the living room.

    I also painted the canvas painting that hangs over it to go with the fresh new look. The coat rack was added because I found us with no place to put our bags everyday when we entered the place, so this was a convenient, neat and drill-less solution to the problem. Now I don't have to bring the bags into the MBR and out everyday. Not the prettiest coat rack, but it costed me $4 and has held up for a year.

    As I often have friends and family over to my place, the white bench next to the shoe cabinet is a storage bench that fits right into the wall the dining table is leaning on. On normal days, it's used as storage and extra seating. On dinner dates, it's used to accommodate up to 6 people around the dining table.

    The shoe cabinet/bookshelf and foyer table we intend to replace into one slim shoe cabinet with a drawer to make it look neater, but that's a work in progress. We kinda like how things work right now.

    Updated many small decor stuff to make the LR look fresher, too. 

    KITCHEN:

    I practically live in here some days! I cook almost every day, and as you can see, the kitchen has held up. Even without a glass backing, the grout has not turned yellow. I clean my kitchen after every cooking, though. I love my deep + wide sink, and the Taobao faucet has only discolored in some areas and not leaking at all. Still working good for a $30 purchase.

    Added an iPad holder (with hooks) to the wall, and suction towel racks to dry cleaning and drying towels from cooking and washing up.

    This orientation actually works perfectly for a frequent home cook, and the shelf next to the fridge still works well! We're planning on switching up the air fryer to a steam oven with air frying capability very soon, it should take up almost the same footprint.

    Carpentry work largely held up, no issues so far after 2 years of heavy use.

    For those wondering about our Solid Top (which we were quite advised against at the beginning) this is how it looks now. It is not super glossy (though it does become a bit more glossy if I treat it with the spray the coy advises), but this is how it looks on a daily basis. No stains at all, and only light scratches that you can't see unless at an angle. There are a few harder knocks when we dropped cups or heavy objects on it, inevitable, but it blends in quite well cus the inside is white, so you can't really tell. LOL.

    The second surface is where I cut my vegetables etc and gets the heaviest use. 

    vGyIJNB.jpg

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    OFFICE:

    I changed up my business so the office changed up too. It was a cozy nice office, so pretty! But I was no longer the sole employee, so things changed to a more open layout with an extra table for gaming with the SO or a part-time staff or a friend who wants to work here. :) The foster bunny stays with me while I work, too! Not so pretty anymore, but super functional. 

    The toilets and master bedroom stayed largely the same. Everything works great for our use. Honestly. I am happy that I did the research that I did, because the only things I regret are probably (1) not marbling up the backsplash of the kitchen to look more luxe; and (2) nicer bifold doors for the toilets. They do work, just not as chio. Thankfully not expensive. 

    Also, all I needed was additional refining of my workflow. Changes made didn't cost anything cus I just sold away old stuff to make space for new. But overall the storage works as planned (means minimal clutter) and it's a relatively nice home to live in.

    All our Taobao loots still work, the showers, taps, faucet, lights, are all still working after two years. :) Hope that helps some of you out.

    THAT'S ALL! Hope this update helps you guys out! :)

    If you have any questions, I'll try to reply to them. x

    • Like 1

  8. Posted · Edited by bykaraanne

    Over the last 2 years, we changed the way we lived: fostered a new bun, changed the way my business worked, experienced the passing of one of our buns, fostered two more bunnies........ Also, as I cleaned the house each week, I got more and more aware of how I wanted the flow of the flat to be and how to maintain it. 

    Again, these pictures are taken with lousy iPhone 6 photos by a bad photographer, so bear with me! :D

    2017 (TODAY):

    LIVING ROOM

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    SERVICE YARD (also home to my two new foster bunnies)

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    KITCHEN

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    MASTER BATHROOM

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    MASTER BEDROOM

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    GUEST BATHROOM

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    OFFICE / FOSTER BUNNY ROOM

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  10. Posted · Edited by bykaraanne

    5 hours ago, pandacel said:

    Hey Kara! We have engaged Edmund too and he is still very fond of you haha. Good to see u coming back to review after 2 years! I have read through your entire blog some time ago and not sure if u have mentioned this before. May I know where you bought your Rustoleum spray? Tried but couldn't find it in Homefix..

    Selffix! :) 

    And hope it all goes smoothly for you! :) 

  14. Posted

    Btw I'm back because I wanted to update on my Taobao buys after almost 2 years of using, as requested by a previous Renotalker.

    My main Taobao items:

    Authentic Hansgrohe Shower set and bathroom taps

    These held up well of course and are definitely authentic. No issues. 

    Probably authentic Hansgrohe rainshower set

    This only rusted slightly at a very inconspicuous spot, near the top of the rainshower stem. Otherwise no other rusting. I sprayed transparent Rustoleum on it after and no further rusting.

    Gold Kitchen Faucet

    No leaking but there is some discoloration at the bend of the handle. Not very obvious but it's significant. Didn't affect usage so I'm okay. 

    Bathroom Accessories

    Toiler paper holders, bath towel holders all held up well. No rusting or discoloration. 

    ----

    I didn't want to praise it all, but honestly they all held up well. :) My home has stayed relatively the same except for my dining table, so I've really used these things for the last almost 2 years. :) 

    hope that helps!

  15. Posted

    On 21/02/2017 at 11:57 AM, Butterflious said:

    Hi there, do you mind to share how much you bought the bathtub for and so far, is it practical to have it in your house? (since it is shorter than those in hotel)

    Do you mind to share your contractor's details and how much he quoted you? Thanks! :)

    $250. Depends on how tall you are. It is good for me but I'm petite (1.56m). My husband uses it too but less often.

    my toilet can do longer but I didn't. If given a choice again I would buy 1.7- 1.75m.

    but I'm not unhappy with it. :) i use it very often and didn't regret the decision once to have a tub.

    On 28/02/2017 at 6:28 PM, POX said:

    Hi @bykaraanne!! Wanted to ask if evershine insisted on you making full payment before they fabricated and installed the solid surface top? Also, did they charge you GST too? 

    I think yes - my contractor paid on my behalf first. Not sure about GST, my contractor liaised! 

    I'm pretty sure all must pay to fabricate.

    On 27/07/2017 at 11:26 PM, honeybunny said:

    hi kara, may i know the color for your main door paint? i'm thinking of painting my bedroom doors the same color as it looks like a light mint :)

    Hmm I think it's Dulux Royal wedding.

    On 02/09/2017 at 4:09 PM, Teebag said:

    Hi, read in one of your posts that u bought a Mayfair 8116 wc. Does it work well? Any problems ?

    No problems for me. :) 

  16. Posted

    On 19/02/2017 at 10:55 PM, geneo79 said:

    HiHi

    Can i check from where you get your bathtub? The dimensions and the model as well.

    Thanks Thanks!

     

    Ideal Bathroom at Balestier! I don't have the model anymore. It's the 160x75cm model iirc! Should've gotten slightly longer, I underestimated the length of my bathroom.

    On 19/02/2017 at 11:57 PM, arpanbagchi said:

    hi - can you share your contractor details pls ? sounds like he worked out really well for you...

    Hello! I've DMed you.

  17. Posted

    On 19/01/2017 at 0:46 PM, ahjack said:

    Hi

     

    Mind to share where to get Replica Tom Dixon Copper Ball Lamp Shade ? Thanks

    Taobao!

    On 19/01/2017 at 4:02 PM, ahjack said:

    Hi

    for the rain shower.- u got the storage heater ? is it must have storage heater for rain shower ?

     

     

    I use gas heater! Rainshower works fine!

    On 23/01/2017 at 4:04 PM, fifteenmay said:

    can i ask where did you get your main door and gate from?

     

    It's original HDB just painted over.

  24. Posted

    On 23/11/2016 at 9:10 AM, pipsqueak said:

    hey @bykaraanne this is a totally noob question but i accidentally bought artificial vinegar - just wondering if it works the same as your white vinegar for cleaning? what brand of vinegar do you use? 

    also am i reading correctly that 1/3 white vinegar + water + corn starch gives you an awesome solution for glass/mirror cleaning? :o i am going to try this out!

    Artificial works fine too! I usually buy the glass bottle rice vinegar. Both serves same purpose. 

    Yep I did! Works. :) 

  25. Posted

    Hey babe!! Recommend you try out eco products instead, great for you and the environment. Much cheaper as well!

    If you want ready-made, Method, Attitude, Mrs Meyers etc from iHerb. 

    For my home, I generally use a solution of 1/3 white vinegar and water for an all purpose, add 10 drops of Mrs Meyers concentrated all purpose solution for a bathroom spray, or add a teaspoon of cornstarch for mirrors / glass (to the vinegar solution without the soap).

    the bathroom solution works great with a sponge with some baking soda sprinkled on. Bathrooms gleam like crazy. And everything costs me like nothing and lasts forever. 

    Castile soap is also great. Adding Essential oils to vinegar also cleans and antibacs it great!! :) 

    sound like a hippie but seriously, I've gone through SO MANY products outside, one for each purpose, cluttered up my storage and have to carry so many bottles around when cleaning the house. Now everything is easy and healthy, I don't need to smell toxic fumes or support companies who test on animals... and save lots of money. :D 

    just sharing! Still love your home. :) 

    • Like 1
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