Malaxo

Hi Penguin! can you share the links for your taobao loots? I guess many of us are interested in them! Thanks!

Hi c2016, PMed you!

We've been up and about the whole weekend to try to settle as much of our purchases as possible. Shopping is definitely VERY fun with the many choices available and we have made a deposit for the items below. Do give feedback if any of you have ever used the products!! LGUF680T The display on this TV captured me and wifey's attention as it wasn't in-your-face glaring and bright. We realized that some of the newer models are very sharp in contrast and gives us a headache after staring at the screen for a few minutes. The salesperson mentioned that the production of the model was only in August 2015 and its shelf life is much shorter than its 9 series counterparts which came out in January. Not sure how true this is, but we are satisfied with our choice of TV and saved a few $$$ off if we had gotten the newer model! This comes with a free Bluray player and 32inch TV!! LAS855M Got talked into purchasing this soundbar after the salesperson showed us the difference in using a soundbar as compared to using the speakers from the TV itself. The clarity of the dialogue could be differentiated. We got a free speaker as we purchase the soundbar with the TV. LG WTF1071DD We wanted a top load washing machine as both wifey and I have been using top load washing machines in our houses our whole lives and the thought of having to bend down to put the clothes in and taking them out puts us off. I'm still not too sure about the difference between top load and bottom load washing machines and any guru could provide more information on this? LG GT5101NS We based our fridge requirements on the size which we wanted before narrowing our choice to this option. The door-in-door feature would help us to get our milk, water, fruit juice quicker without opening the full fridge door! Save electricity! The interior of the fridge also allows us to put many layers of food and is wide enough to accommodate our groceries. Wifey wanted a top freezer as well and the ice holder could be moved around (not fixed to a single location). Brandt Hob & Hood Have not seen many people purchasing this model, but was recommended to me by the salesperson. As my parents live just a few blocks away, we do not foresee ourselves cooking heavily in the near future. Many people have gotten Fujioh, Turbo, E&F. Not too sure whats the major difference in all these Hobs & Hoods. We wanted a hood which is able to trap the oil using a mesh instead of sucking it all in and clearing the oil filter weekly. Bosch Oven We got this at a steal (I would like to think so) as the salesperson upgraded us from the entry model to this model. We first heard about this model from a salesperson from Bosch doing a roadshow at expo, guiding us on the difference in their technology (3D heating system). And also the fact that Bosch is widely used in Europe, thus, we stuck to this model without viewing other ovens. The salesperson at GC tried recommended us a Brandt oven stating that there are more features as compared to this Bosch oven. Any advice?? We also made a trip to Heritage Bathroom Gallery at Geylang Road and spent quite a bit of time there on bathroom accessories. Based on forumers, It seems that Baron 888 is the most recommended WC at a reasonable price. We placed a deposit for WCs, a Grohe rainshower, bathroom mixers, toilet paper holders, towel bars and a few other miscellaneous items. Have yet to decide to purchase all these from them as I am still keeping my options open to explore Amazon and Taobao (virgin purchase, lousy chinese). Hope there won't be much obstacles for my purchases! Tiling is commencing this Thursday!

The reno journey is an tireless journey and you've got to learn to see the positive side of every situation and learn to adapt as hiccups are bound to occur. The 3Ds were supposed to be sent to us by Friday and we were to meet J to discuss on Saturday, however, due to unforseen delays, we've only managed to meet J & E yesterday to discuss and make minor adjustments to our 3D. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the 3D drawings!!! Love the details, however, there were quite a number of mistakes and now we are pending the edited 3Ds. Without further ado, our humble pad. \

So, E has been providing us with updates via whatsapp and sent some photos of the progress while we are busy at work. Apparently, hacking works have completed and all debris are cleared. Can't wait to visit our place this weekend! Tiling will start next week once we have finalized our tiles and seen the 3D. Masonry Our shortlisted tiles! Hopefully they will turn out well in the 3D. Common Bathroom MBR Bathroom Laminates chosen

PLAN PLAN PLAN If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Its been hectic! Meeting up with J&E to discuss carpentry work, choosing of laminates, design ideas. Communication is key to every successful project and renovation is no different. Always ask to clarify and ensure that things are written down and agreed, be it on whatsapp or text messages. It is still a learning process for me as I often would do things based on trust, but the wifey insists that everything be agreed upon in black and white to prevent any disputes in the future. After much discussion with Contractor J on the layout and the design ideas, he drew a sketch ON THE SPOT for every single room, including toilets, living rooms and kitchens. I would say that his freehand drawing is pretty much quite accurate in what we wanted and he gives very practical advise on designs such as allowance of space to upgrade to a King size bed in the future. Had our first discussion with electrician on our lighting plans and currently waiting for the electrical plans and 3D to be out this Saturday! Hacking has just started today and E sent me pictures of the warzone in my unit. It is good that they send you updates daily to let you know the progress of your house. Some pictures before the hacking. Will post more this weekend! Living Room Kitchen Common Bathroom MBR MBR Bathroom

I'm using tiles for the herringbone design as it'll be in the kitchen and service yard. Waterproofing issues so no vinyl or parquet!

We met E before our key collection and went to Hafary to choose the tiles we wanted for our kitchen and toilets. Choosing the kitchen tiles were a breeze as we already knew what we wanted. However, toilet tiles were a headache for us as we have seen too many designs and are lost on what we want the most! We decided on wood grain tiles for the common bathroom with granite feature wall. We couldn't decide on the tiles for MBR toilet and took a walk around Hafary to see the tiles, as we are visual creatures, we told E that we needed to look at the tiles and we would know which tiles to choose once we set our eyes on it! It is better to narrow down your choices or have a picture of what you want before heading down to select your tiles as there is a HUGE selection of tiles available and you'll only get more confused! In the end, le wifey decided on a set of tiles (I can't remember how it looks like now) and we both agreed that it'll look good! And if you think tiles selection was a pain, wait till you reach the LAMINATE selection portion! The catalogue from TAK contained MANY options and textures. My ID friend also provided me a catalogue from CHAPTERZ (which E says I can also select from) which only launched their product in 2015. Their range was not as extensive but the laminates are from Italy or Japan and I am inclined to believe that these would be more lasting coz, made in Japan/Italy ma. The small square of sample laminates were really hard to imagine and we chose many samples for E to order from TAK so that we can have a better idea of how a full piece of laminate would look like using A4 samples. Next up: The freehand master, J. (He somehow reminds me of PCK with his mole)

MOODBOARD We've spent HOURS browsing through Pinterest and , and reading SquareRoom magazines to get the exact feel of what we want in our house and finally decided not to stick to the usual Scandinavian designs. We wanted a design that would leave a lasting image and yet portray homeliness. Brick/Stucco walls were a huge no-no to us due to the maintenance issues (I'm just lazy to clean!). Finally, we decided on these! Super stoked to see them come to pass in the future! Kitchen: Blue Shaker Style Cabinets and Drawers I wanted these as our kitchen backsplash but le wifey says that it is hard to maintain. Loving the unique prints on them lor. Herringbone styled flooring Living Room: Feature wall and blue walls Top and bottom casement shoe cabinet

Love all your taobao loots! We have very similar taste!

Hey Freb! Have been following your T-blog and I can say you sure are meticulous! I hope I don't experience the same ruling issues you had!

Hi bro, PM-ed you.

Hi huiamos! It sure is an exciting wait isn't it! Hi Sanguine! Yeah its been kinda quiet as I believe most of the hand overs have been done. Thanks for stopping by! Will post more updates when I meet J&E after this festive season.

I don't quite understand how do I post my photos without those links showing up. Any advice?

Like many first time owners, our source of inspiration came from Pinterest. We scoured Pinterest and looked up to shortlist the IDs to meet up. With curious hearts and enthusiastic minds, we met up with the IDs. K*** ID: We met up with this firm as they did up my friend's place. L was a busy man, mainly coordinating commercial projects. I requested for him and was directed to their in-house designer, C. As C was from Hong Kong, she had ample suggestions on space planning to maximize our area. I was quite impressed by her creativity to take down one of the walls and use the back of the built in wardrobe as a feature wall. However, the quotation came up to almost 70k!! Spoke to L about this and asked him to review the quote and was told that the designer had overcharged us and that she was only staying till the end of the month. NOT IMPRESSED! Why would you direct me to someone who could not handle my whole project! L went up to the unit and made some measurements and came back with a second quote which came up to 54k. I felt that I had to lead in this project and could not trust them entirely with my home. Rejected. D***** C*******: We loved their grasp on scandinavian design and was blown away by their designs on ! We looked up reviews and contacted G. After speaking on the phone, we waited 1 week for quotation...but it never came. Followed up with G again on the 2nd week and was told to email him my requirements. He responded quickly and said that the quotation will be prepared and he will arrange for a 1st appointment. Never heard from him since. Rejected. S**** D***** I*******: We shortlisted this firm and looked for D upon reading reviews. Met up at their showroom and the first impression was that he had a lot of experience in this field. However, he wasn't attentive to our requirements as he had his idea of how scandinavian design should be and kept showing us pictures of his own home which he infused a touch of oriental with. Upon hearing our budget of 40k for our resale flat, he said that with 40k, we cannot get anything done as a BTO flat nowadays would already require 40k. RUDE MUCH. After leaving, we never heard back from him for the quotation after several prompts. Rejected. U**** ID: Was looking at one afternoon and accidentally browsed through their profile. I have no idea which project caught my attention but when i mentioned them to le wifey, she was hesitant as by this time, it became quite time consuming and tiresome to meet up with IDs and repeat the same process again. Nevertheless, we went ahead to meet up with K & S since I had already made an appointment with them. Boy oh boy were we in for a ride! Like finding a gem! Upon first impression, you could see that K&S were very artistic and had a great sense of style. You could feel the camaraderie they both had and when one speaks, the other listens. They complimented each other very well and we made a second appointment for the following week. We were excited as we really clicked well with them and eagerly waited for the week to pass. Second appointment day, the table was filled with our moodboard!! They hand drawn the kitchen and masterbedroom and attached photos of what they feel would enhance the appeal of the house. Even the laminate colors were pasted on the moodboard! Impression . We were happy until we saw the quotation, came up to 60+k. Despite the price, we were very impressed by them and requested for site visitation to see their works. From the site visit, you could tell that their attention to detail was superb! Quality of the carpentry was also good. In the end, we had to eliminate them due to the pricing J&E: This duo needs no introduction in the renotalk world. The famed duo that had rave reviews and I managed to get the contact from lovescandi. KUDOS TO YOU! We met up at the resale flat and they got to taking measurements up down left right. Suggesting some space planning tips and recommending the ideal length of our wardrobe. I love how they took into consideration the space if we decide to upgrade our bed to King size in the future. Quotation came in after a few days and it exceeded our budget by 5k. Met up with E again for further discussion on the quote and when he went back, he told me he forgot to include my hacking cost into his first quotation!! I trust that it was an oversight on his part as I know that they are VERY busy with MANY projects. After adding more stuffs, our final quotation came to 50k and for the amount of overhaul required, I would say that it is fair. E brought us to a few projects of his in the North East and I believe that one of the projects is dadajunior's! That brown Fino Vento fan. *Drools*. E also mentioned that they are not yet HDB registered and plan to be registered this year. We trust him and have signed with them. Renovation to commence after CNY!! So exciting!! Leaving you guys with a view from our MBR! Sentosa on the left and the award winning Interlace on right.

Greetings to all fellow Renotalkers! I have been a curious reader for the past 3 months, absorbing any and every advice given in this community. Me and my missus have purchased a 4A Resale flat after 5 failed attempts at BTO/SBF. After deciding to look into the resale market, we listed down our criteria for our home: 1) High Floor 2) Corner Unit 3) Must have storeroom (to stash away all our chapalan stuff) 4) North-South facing 5) Fits our budget After looking through many units around my parent's area, we finally saw one which fit our criteria (4/5). Although this is not a corner unit, we loved the view. That feeling in your gut that says "THIS IS THE ONE" once you step foot into the unit. ">http://www.renotalk.com/forum/gallery/image/12621-floor-plan/] We exercised our option late in October and fast forward, we collected our keys today! Excited to finally have our own place to call HOME! Next up: ID/Contractor Selection

Test

I'm only getting my resale keys on Wednesday so have not confirmed on my vinyl flooring. However, I've narrowed down to Ecopluz (6mm), Wood Culture or Berry Alloc.

Hey Alprakas! It's actually quite standard for tile laying to be $10 psf. It takes into account the workmanship of the tiler and you'll want an experienced tiler. I've been quoted $10 psf from my contractor as well. You might wanna consider overlaying w vinyl instead?

Just a quick glance at the quotation and it seems quite competitive! I just purchased a 4 room resale and have raised my initial budget from 35k to 50k now.

Amazing! Looking forward to reading your Reno journey! I've just signed with J&E two days ago!!