RyanYTH
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Posts posted by RyanYTH
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Sorry, tried to add Norman Ng's Renovation Blog link to my Epilogue entry
and Renotalk forum decides to hide my entire Epilogue post instead.
Luckily I still have my Wordpress Blog backup in such an event.
The epilogue page is updated with link to Norman Ng's blog.Edit: Ok the Epilogue page is un-hidden now. Thanks Renotalk mods
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15 hours ago, Norman Ng said:Ya well I thought of doing that at the moment of anger and frustration but I don’t like the naming and shaming culture in the age of social media. To their credit they did do some things well. Their tiling is good but the flooring guys cannot make it. So my advice is just for everyone to stick by your guns and not accept substandard work. I must say I am also quite particular about the quality of work so they probably are saying I’m a nightmare client haha.
Luckily you are good at DIY and was able to self-resolve the issue.
I shudder to think what would happen if this happened to someone wasn't good at DIY.
Well, its your choice whether or not to report this errant contractor, I just hope he doesn't cause such grief to his next customer.
Anyway, moving on, your flight sim set up really looks epic cool!
It would be perfect for Star Citizen, if it ever releases lol. Hopefully its not a scam.
I am somewhat of a gamer myself (as you can probably see from my forum avatar)
Do you mind if we can have a close up on the setup you have there, and a list of gear you bought?
You seat in particular looks like its mounted on a cabinet?
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On 7/29/2019 at 9:42 AM, diraf said:Hi 2roomers,
Went to see the flat last weekend,here are the raw pics. its 38sqm.
I accidently deleted my toilet pic. its screen grab from HDB but its still accurate except i dont have a sink cos i opt out OCS.
As you can see,need screeding & flooring.
Congrats on your key collection!!
This particular picture you posted really brings back memories for my home's 1st day opening
Time really flies fast. Good luck for your renovations!!
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On 7/26/2019 at 4:46 PM, Norman Ng said:In the end, I got so frustrated and disappointed in the workmanship that I personally had to mix the cement and patch up the floor flat, with the help of a 6 foot ruler that I got from a hardware store. Yes, the contractors did not even have a ruler to help them gauge whether the floor is flat. It was quite the effort but I managed to get the floor within specification and was thankfully happy with the final results upon installation. I have heard that other companies use vinyl that is installed over some kind of foam underlay, and that will mitigate the problems of an uneven floor.
Needless to say, this episode brought friction between me and my main contractor, but to his credit he did waive the fees for the screeding and give me a discount for the flooring. Judging from the effort I put in, I must say it is a fair trade.
I also had the time to go supervise the work pretty often. My main con was hardly around, which was disappointing. My advice is to stick by your guns and not to accept shoddy work. Some may entice you to accept by offering you a discount but you are the one who have to live in your home for many years to come.
Sorry to hear about the flooring issue. Really a nightmare scenario!
I can't imagine having to ownself manually mix the cement and personally do patching
and having the situation drag on for 6 months!
I cannot even begin to imagine the stress you went thru during this time.
The end result really looked good and you should be proud of what you achieved.
If i were you, i'd be posting the name and contact number of this contractor to help warn others to stay away from him. To not even have a simple basic tool like the water leveller ruler is unacceptable. -
On 7/27/2019 at 3:29 AM, Reno2020 said:Hi Ryan I have been following your entries and am most grateful for your 1 year later honest review of your home. It was most helpful. Your content page too. Many thanks.
Hey no problem, thanks for visiting!
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Thank you very much, I'm glad my blog helped you.
Congrats on your mancave, it looks absolutely delightful!
Well done!!! -
On 6/1/2019 at 11:02 PM, evozero said:question on aircon
searched online, seems single-split should be sufficient for 2-room flat
guide suggest 9,000btu for 350 to 400 sq feet area, which means system 1
spoke to a few IDs, they seemed to recommend system 2 [i.e. 2 aircon units] instead
any thoughts?
p.s. forum software seems to make my post hidden everytime i insert a hyperlink. anyway to resolve this?
btw nice link for that British show, i also watched that for inspiration when planning my home reno.
Anyway back to your aircon question and it depends on what you want really.
I myself have System 2 (2 aircons), 9000btu and 18000btu
9000btu is for my bedroom, 18000btu is for my living room.
If you just want bedroom to be air-conditioned, 9000btu is more than enough.
My bedroom is even open concept type and its still very cool to sleep.
The aircon in the living room is purely for luxury or enjoyment such as when I entertain friends or enjoy a movie / gaming night. Really up to you and your budgeting. if you don't feel you need an aircon in the living room, one aircon in the bedroom would be good enough.
No way to resolve the hyperlink hidden issue. I also encounter the same. just try to re-post and hope it doesn't get hidden lor. -
23 hours ago, Kelvin Cheng said:1. Nowaday watch everything on tablet / laptop so don't need TV. ?
2. I converted the bomb shelter into a walk in wardrobe to save space.The last thing I want is for the bomb shelter to become a dumping ground for unwanted stuffs.
Nice. Glad to see another Bomb Shelter Walk-In Wardrobe!
Looking good! -
On 1/9/2019 at 3:10 PM, Pooroldman said:Hi Ryan
Sorry .. one question. Is the pole Wardrobe drill into the wall of the BS ?
Thks
Oh hello.
No, it's not. Installer also say not suppose to drill because its illegal to drill anything in hdb bs. -
10 hours ago, Pooroldman said:Hi Ryan
Veri interesting post and l enjoy reading it . Provide lot of information for my furture 2rm
I wan to check with u since u are not taking any loan as u mention yr CPF is enough to cover .Do u need to do submit any HLE before key collection ? Did HDB request it ?
Thks
Valley Spring 2rm
Yo, thanks for your support bro~
I did not need to submit any HLE. During key collection, i remembered the HDB lady
reviewed thru if i needed to take loan, and when verified i didn't need to take loan,
she ignored anything to do with loan, and continued with her other tasks for my key collection.
That said, nowadays rules may be different. Best to contact your assigned HDB personnel directly for clarifications.
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1 hour ago, rustynail said:It is a very good blog, detail, informative, answers, tips and suggestions were given. I am sure past, present and future new comers will appreciate your good work. Wishing you a Happy 2019 New Year.
Thank you very much for your compliments!!
Wishing you also a very happy new year 2019 too!!
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Blog Entry Date: 31st December 2018 Monday
Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents
Epilogue
Today is the Last Day of 2018, and with that, this will also be my Final Entry for this Renovation Blog.
Once again, I sincerely thank you all for your kind patience reading and supporting my blog
while I chronicled my Renovation Journey and what a Journey it has been!
My hope is that with this humble little blog, it can help anyone who is first starting out
with their own renovations and hopefully make it a less scary experience.
If you know of anyone who needs any help, please do share this blog with them.
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While there will no longer be any more new blog entries, please feel free to continue and post any enquiries
you may have either in Renotalk or Wordpress and I will try my best to answer as best as I can.If you are a 2 roomer, please also don't forget to visit the excellent 2 Roomer community thread created by Mmoh in Renotalk. She is still very active and helpful and you can also gain alot more tips and tricks from fellow forummers there!
The link to her excellent 2-Roomer Community Thread:
https://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/71070-2-room-bto/
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There is also another 2 Roomer by the name of Andotang who has also made an
Excellent Renovation Blog and it is also chock full of very useful information.
The link to Andotang's Renovation Blog:
https://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/72213-2-room-bto-themeless-with-philips-hue-lighting/
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If you are looking for a Muji Styled Renovation with a more Gaming Influence Man-Cave, here is
another Excellent Renovation Blog by Norman Ng. His apartment is also a HDB Type 1 35sqm and
has almost the exact same layout floorplan as mine.
The link to Norman Ng's Renovation Blog:
https://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/84484-my-mancave-2rm-type-1-35sqm-hdb-bto-post-renovation-musings/
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And so, this is it. Thanks again!
Signing off, and Good Luck with your own Renovations!!!
Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents
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Blog Entry Date: 24th December 2018 Monday
Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents
One Year Retrospective 5/5 - Bedroom
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!Just nice, today is Christmas Eve and with it, comes the conclusion
of my 5 parts 1 Year-Retrospective review, so without further delays, lets begin!
I originally had no idea how to go about designing my bedroom and only after fiddling with the Planner 3D software, I slowly
built up its look. 1 year later, I am still very satisfied with how it turned out in the end. Among the sections of my apartment,
I feel my Bedroom is the one section that truly fulfills the "Zen" look for my "Modern Zen" concept.
Folks who are unfamiliar with Oriental Languages may be curious what that Caligraphy Character is in my Bedroom.
It actually means "Soul or Spirit". In Chinese, its pronounced as "Hun", in Japanese its pronounced as "Tamashii".
In Japanese especially, it can also roughly mean "Vigour or Willpower". Together with the swords, I like to think
of them as a nice reminder to wake up everyday filled with Vigour, Willpower and a Fighting Spirit to meet the
everyday challenges we face in our life.
Nothing religious, just a little something that I personally believe in lah.
My Thoughts after 1 year:
- No regrets removing the original bedroom sliding door, and even when I have no partition wall or curtain,
the Daikin 9000BTU Smile Aircon was somehow still able to cool down the bedroom area very well.
Every night I set it at 26-27C and it was sufficient enough to sleep comfortably.- Relocating the Wardrobe to the HDB Bomb Shelter and freeing up space in the Bedroom really
provided alot of open space for me to stretch around and once again I do highly recommend it.
- As you can see, the whole of my bedroom is just one big platform. I like having the platform
without any bedframe as it is very easy to clean. There were also plenty of storage areas available.
$3.8k was however too expensive in my opinion, and I wish I had gotten a better price for it.
That said, I understand nowadays HDB Rules may have changed and you might
need to apply for a permit if you want to build a Platform Bed for your Bedroom.
Please do check and confirm with HDB first before you decide to build it.- I had originally wanted to install some shelves on the bedroom wall, but the more I slept in it,
the more I like the blank, empty and uncluttered wall space look. I guess the lesson here is "Less is More".
- The Tracklight I installed in the middle of the bedroom ceiling was seldom used and I felt I could have
saved more money if I didn't install it. The 4 downlights provided more than enough lighting for me.
- The 2 square lamps I bought from Lazada still worked well surprisingly and while I felt i was ripped off
when I first bought them, they added very much to the overall feel of the bedroom. I use the one at the back quite
often when I do some light reading on the mattress. Still, do shop for a better price if you are looking for such lamps.
This concludes my thoughts and views for my Bedroom after using it for 1 year.
I hope this information helps you in planning for yours.Click Here for the Final Blog Entry: Epilogue
Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents
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On 12/19/2018 at 7:39 PM, hdb4ever said:Just remembered something - How has this part of the bathroom been like for you? Do you manage to keep it clean?
Yea cleaning that little area requires a thin cloth guided with a stick to do it.
Either that or a paper napkin wrapped around the thin stick to do a wipe down.
Slight inconvenience to clean, but not a biggie. -
1 hour ago, Salsationlover said:Hi Ryanyth,
Oops sorry not meant to be a question.
oic ok lol
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11 hours ago, Salsationlover said:Hi
Thanks for your prompt reply. I have been thinking how to fit fridge stove sink into my tiny kitchen and needs to have storage?
I'm sorry I don't quite understand what you're asking. Can you maybe rephrase it?
If you are asking how you can have storage areas in your kitchen, maybe thats a discussion better suited between you and your ID since we don't even know what your kitchen layout and dimensions looks like lol. -
Blog Entry Date: 17th December 2018 Monday
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One Year Retrospective 4/5 - Living Room
Didn't do much renovations for the Living Room, and its still pretty much the same 1 year later.
My Thoughts after 1 year:- 55 Inch TV for me was perfect for viewing. Watching movies was really a joy!
Couple this with a good Sofa that you can lean back, this was really very comfortable indeed!
- A Soundbar works surprisingly very well for Audio. In my original plans, I had wanted to fit a 5.1 or 7.1 surround system.
If you are not particularly fussy about audio quality, I would recommend using a Soundbar if you want a more minimalist look.- The 18000BTU Daikin Smile Aircon at the Living Room worked very well in cooling
the whole house even if I left the Kitchen Windows open. I have no regrets buying it.- The Cove Lighting / Ceiling L-Box I installed is seldom used and I felt I could have saved some money if I did not install it.
- Same with the changing tone Downlights. I almost always use Cool White and very seldom the other colours lol.
I could have saved some money by using a normal standard downlight.- One thing I regretted for my Living Room was choosing OCS components from HDB.
While I'm ok with the white tiles given by HDB, but I'm not exactly happy about the wooden skirting that surrounds it.
I mean its fine and all, but personally I feel the wooden colour did not gel very well with my overall primarily black and white look for my apartment.
I've since gotten used to it being around, but I wish I had removed or replaced it with something that gels alot better with the rest of my apartment.- I'm not a Botany expert, but if you want to buy indoor plants for decoration, I highly recommend easy maintenance
plants such as "Snake Plant" (Sansevieria Trifasciata) or "Spider Plant" (Chlorophytum Comosum).
"Snake Plant" is especially good to keep in the Bedroom because apparently they give out Oxygen during Nighttime.
The Plants I mentioned act as natural air purifiers and don't need much work to keep them alive.
They also don't shed much leaves and are easy to maintain. IKEA do sell them at a reasonable price (Around $5.90) so you might want to check them out. (Do take note if you have pets though, because these plants may be harmful to them.)
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If anyone is interested, below was a guide I posted previously on how to do a quick and dirty style
of hiding the TV Cables so they hang at the side instead of in the middle.
Step 1:
I first used some cable ties to bunch up the cables and try my best to slot them as deep as I can into the TV.
Step 2:
At the side of the TV, I stick a 3M hook to hold the cables as they come out and dangle to the side.
Step 3:
To cover up the cables that are dangling vertically from the hook, I will use my curtain to try and hide them like this.
At certain angles like the below image, if the curtains do their job, the dangling cables cannot be seen.
There are other much better ways to hide your cables of course, and this method I have shown is just a quick and dirty way to do it.
I find it just a tad neater for the cables to dangle at the side as compared to having them dangle right in the middle of the TV.
This concludes my thoughts and views for my Living Room after using it for 1 year.
I hope this information helps you in planning for yours.
Click Here for the Next Blog Entry:
One Year Retrospective 5/5 - Bedroom
Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents-
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7 hours ago, Salsationlover said:Hi Ryanyth,
Its very enjoyable to read up the house reno blog u have done. I would like to enquire if the moveable kitchen trolley is able to withstand some heavy weight appliances (ie: rice cooker, microwave oven, etc..). M planning to get one due to countespace limitation in the kitchen.
I also saw that u did half shower screen for the bathroom. Does the other area still being kept dry?
Thanks for your support!
Ya the Kitchen trolley is very sturdy. In this picture you can see that I use it to hold my rice cooker, air fryer, a small cake mixer and other barang barang.
And ya the other side of bathroom with the vanity mirror is very dry, never kena any water before. The glass panel protected the cabinet very well.
4 hours ago, hdb4ever said:Lol maybe he is using a door chain for his door? I remember the rental flat I lived in as a child had one, so we could open the door partially when talking to unfamiliar visitors.
Personally I find the gate design at your place not too bad for cleaning - it's all basically horizontal and vertical bars. I am only now starting to regret the leaf patterned design on mine
I also want to thank you for the very detailed postings about your place before, during and now even post-renovation. While I eventually decided not to get a 2-room flat, I found many nuggets of wisdom and have thoroughly enjoyed reading and re-reading everything you have posted
.
Hmm from how the picture looks like, it doesn't look like he put door chain. Really abit crazy to remove the whole metal gate lah i feel lol
Anyway thank you for your support, I'm glad it has helped you even if it was a little bit -
2 hours ago, mmoh said:no no no, will never remove the metal gate. I just want a simple design metal gate so that it is easier to clean...
Hahaha ya, removing the metal gate is so dangerous lol.
Without a metal gate barrier, all it takes for an intruder is to just knock on your door,
and when you answer the door, suddenly forcibly push your door open,
and they have access to your apartment already. -
This is for you @mmoh
If you ever find cleaning the main door gate troublesome,
why not remove the whole gate like what a resident of my estate did in the attached image.
Personally, i think this really compromise the safety of your home
and I don't recommend it at all, but hey whatever floats his boat lol.
What do ya'll think folks?
Would you dare to remove the main gate of your home like this?
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20 hours ago, Studio45 said:Hey thanks for your support man
Actually i'm gonna end my blog soon with my final updates
tho I will still be around to help answer questions as best as I can.
I'm also wondering how is Rufus58 doing. I haven't been in contact with her, hope she comes Renotalk to visit lol
10 hours ago, dexufto said:The grohe/hansgrohe are good quality stuffs which i have no regrets purchasing.
its still bright and shiny and silky smooth after 8 years of use.
Hey I'm glad it worked for you. Personally I still feel its not worth to pay a premium
for having personally seen how it performed against HDB's own shower head.-
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On 12/11/2018 at 3:54 PM, mmoh said:I notice the way you hang your clothes, with the hanger's opening facing out, which is the total opposite of what I have been doing. Isn't it easier to hang it the opposite way?
Erm...does it matter how the clothing is hanged? I also anyhow hang as I like lol.
Maybe is how I hanged it when i first got my clothes out from the washer to dry.I like that once shelter door open will block the way for privacy, for better ventilation in the shelter too.
Yup i liked this feature tooWe share the same metal gate design... which I find it troublesome to clean... >_<
tbh, you're the only person I know who actually cleans their front metal gate lol.
I normally maybe just give it a simple wipe down during CNY spring cleaning and leave it be for the whole year lol.
Interesting that you brought it up though.
I wonder how do the rest of the 2 roomers clean their house.
Cleaning for me is just Half-Hour vacuum whole house + Half-Hour moping the floor + 1 hour clean toilet + use wet cloth wipe nooks and crannies. Total i'll use about 2 hours++
And i do it like only once a week on a weekday. If I got friends planning to come visit, I'll do an extra round of this cleaning routine 1 day before they come.btw, your kitchen is bigger than mine...
Huh? I thought you're a 45sqm owner?
I thought my kitchen is already the smallest you can find in singapore lol.
When i first saw it, my heart sank like a rock lol -
Blog Entry Date: 10th December 2018 Monday
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One Year Retrospective 3/5 - Bathroom
It has always been my dream to have my very own Bathtub in my own home and enjoy a nice relaxing soak after a long workday. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out that my bathroom is simply too small to hold a bathtub...sigh.
Oh well...on the brighter side, at least that means I won't have to deal with a super high water bill every month.
1 year later, I am still happy with how my bathroom looked and functioned
despite not having a Bathtub. Everything still holds up very well.
My Thoughts after 1 year:- Having a Dark Coloured Bathroom really does feel very classy compared to a standard HDB Bathroom
although it still boils down to personal preference. I personally find that stains aren't as prominent on a
Dark Coloured Bathroom as compared to a Lighter Coloured Bathroom.- Having Sandpaper Rough tiles for the Wet Area was a VERY GOOD IDEA to prevent accidental slips.
In this 1 year, never have I ever once slipped. Cleaning isn't as troublesome as you may think, but you
do have to put in a little effort to mop it. Also due to how rough it is, your mop might wear out faster.- Unless your design calls for it, the default HDB toilet bowl is good enough,
you don't have to change it. I never had any problem with mine.
- There is no need to install Warm White lights in a Bathroom if you are on a tight budget as Cool White are good enough.
I honestly seldom use them, but they do enhance the look, making a Dark Coloured Bathroom look even classier lol.- Do ensure you have space allocated to put pails away. No point taking the effort to design a nice bathroom only to
have no space to store your pails and having them look so out of place. My pails are stored under the Vanity counter
as shown below. I cannot use the typical standard bathroom water pails so I have to use low profile basins instead.
- After using Grohe for 1 year, I personally feel it is nothing special.
In fact, as you have read in my previous blog entry when I first installed it, I was very disappointed that the default
HDB Shower Head produced a stronger water pressure compared to a Grohe Shower Head.- That said, if you want stronger water pressure, Storage Tank would definitely be a better choice than Instant Heaters.
If you are a 2 roomer, 20L capacity Storage Tank would be more than enough for a single person.
The Ariston Andris Slim 20 I got worked great. If your bathroom can fit one, I highly recommend it.
(Do check with your ID though, I have folks who PMed me that their Bathroom couldn't fit it for some reason.)
This concludes my thoughts and views for my Bathroom after using it for 1 year.
I hope this information helps you in planning for yours.Click Here for the Next Blog Entry:
One Year Retrospective 4/5 - Living Room
Click Here to go back to Page 1 - Table of Contents-
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On 11/28/2018 at 10:12 PM, studioflatter said:Join the club. Looking forward to your progress and updates! What's the theme?
By the by, sale alert, many many year-end sales to be found in The NEw PAper and online portals, esp 12 DEcember ... those reno now so lucky, so many promo during year end ... my friend advise me to buy now, but I got no space to keep WC or kitchen sink or oven or fridge in my tiny rental room for 8 months wor ... even if have, maybe by then the sink shower taps all rusty already ...
I wouldn't recommend buying the appliances so soon if your renovation has not even started.
Thats because there may be times where the item you buy may not fit your apartment.
Always always check with ID if the item you buy fits your apartment.
I had a few folks in my FB group who bought in advance, only to frantically try to find buyers
sell off cheap because some of them cannot fit or they decided to change their mind and dun like the design anymore.
Renovation itself can be stressful. Don't give yourself additional stress.
One tip i can recommend is you can check if the Store can help hold your furniture and appliances first.
Some vendors can help hold for 3 months or so provided you give a deposit or something.-
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My Mancave - 2Rm Type 1 (35sqm) HDB BTO post renovation musings
in Reno t-Blog Chat - HDB BTO Interior Design and Renovation
Posted · Edited by ryanyth
Ughhh I tried to add the link to your Renovation Blog to my Blog's Epilogue Page
and Renotalk decides to hide my entire Epilogue Page to pend for Moderator Approval.
Anyway i've linked your blog to my alternate Wordpress Blog. I hope you dont mind. ^_^;
I would also recommend that you host your blog on another backup service incase Renotalk goes haywire like this lol.
Sometimes Renotalk will for no reason hide posts even though there are no links ^_^;
Edit: Ok the Epilogue page is un-hidden now and the link to this blog is up. Thanks Renotalk mods