Brian Huang

Hi JohnB, I chanced upon your t-blog and enjoyed reading about your ideas. I have been through a full renovation recently myself and I can totally understand all the ups and downs that accompanies it - most of the time we can't even foresee the problem till it actually happens! Personally my own list of challenges included un-level flooring from topping up of kitchen with lightweight cement, poor laying of sliding door tracks, mis-drilling of cabinets, electrical installation errors, unequal lengths of sliding door pieces, etc.. the list goes on and on... But the saving grace would be at least a responsible contractor/ID who can help to solve the problems. I can say that although I met many challenges, at least my contractor did not even turn away any of my complaint calls or messages and we would eventually work something out together e.g. they installed my bedroom cabinet handles too low even though I marked the height so in the end I had to purchase another set of recessed handles to cover the wrongly drilled holes, otherwise it would have cost >S$800 to replace the full sized doors, which my contractor offered to split the cost with me but I did not want to go down that route in any case... In the end the recessed handles cost $40 for 4 pieces and it was re-installed by the carpenters at no additional charge - only thing is that I have to leave with some small circular stickers covering the inside holes that cannot be cut away. All the mis-installation works were also subsequently rectified after several visits... Anyway, long story short, just wanna give you some encouragement and my 2 cents advice: 1. Try to supervise all the major installation works so that you can rectify and prevent any errors on the spot - they have no excuses later on such as "already done what you want me to do" blar blar... 2. Communicate with contractor/ID closely and mark all your instructions on masking tape on the item to make sure they are reminded e.g. drilling positions/ electrical socket positions 3. If you discover any problems, do not be angry (you will naturally be but cool down because being angry doesn't help) - what I did was to take photos of all the defects and compile them into a word document and put down all the remarks e.g. identified error and proposed rectification works to be submitted to contractor/ID for rectification works 4. Last but not least, the responsibility to rectify all the problems should mostly be with your contractor/ID (they are paid professionals) and do not stress yourself out over these problems as they definitely can be rectified somehow or another (usually $$ solves all problems but you should not be topping up $$ if it's not your problem) 5. Insist that all reno works should be performed as agreed in your quotation/ contract, otherwise they can not expect full payment from you Hope my 2 cents' worth helps and all the best to your reno! I am sure everything will turn out fine!

Very nice and unconventional design! Where did you get your inspirations from? Looking forward to see your end product!

Great colours! Looking forward to see more photos!

Sorry used the wrong link i meant this! SUI SUI!

Nice light!! Where to purchase this?

Wow marcel u always never fail to impress me with your resourcefulness! Looking forward to see more updated photos!

Very nice fan! Complements the cornices with the curves

Wow your contractor seems to have a lot of nice things. Do you mind if you could pm me his contact? Thank you!

Hi Lynnzlq love the sliding doors too! Are they top hung or normal with tracks on the floor.. Would be great if you could share where to get it! Thanks!

Wow lynnzlq this is a really great idea! Want to check with you if the horizontal metal bars come along with the rack? Otherwise how did you install it? Your home is really beautiful!

Wow it's all coming together nicely!

Good luck! Sorry to hear about your awful experience previously.

Congrats on your new place! So for the 4 room layout there's only 1 toilet? The kitchen looks really spacious!

Oh have you completed your renovation after so long?

Woo great theme looking forward to more updates! Maybe can post some 3D pictures by your ID for a heads up..

Wa sorry to hear about your screeding challenge.. But i guess it saved you some money having hdb do it for you.. not cheap for contractor to do also..

Great renovation! NIce big mirror in the bathroom!

I like the first picture too! Black/White def can fit into any theme easily!

I thought a lot of furniture from tb can be seen in places like imm too... so probably same supplier? quality wise should be as good as what you see in Singapore if they import from China too..

nice reno! cant wait to see the rest of the house and especially the kitchen haha.

Still in Maldives enjoying eh! haha. we'll probably see more updates once they're back!

Lunar 7th month coming soon again.. Wonder if it's ok to step inside for taking measurements but don't do any reno?

Very cute tv console!

+1 for matt white! glossy surfaces tend to leave fingerprints and are harder to maintain IMO.

Wow sounds like great advice anyway I feel there's more appeal in selling it as it is since it's a corner terrace which is favored over normal terrace houses. As long as the price is right there should be a buyer!