bie18

Looks like we are at a similar stage of the reno! Electrical works started yesterday at my place and like you, i was like at all the pvc casing! Btw, what kind of switch plates are you using? I just asked my contractor which ones she is using and told her I would like to use legrand mallia/belanko for some of the plugs and switches. We never had that discussion before and I am afraid it might be too late to arrange for that!

Thanks for weighing in, @ilkl. Hope yr reno is gg well! Thing is, the door has to stay because hdb put it there for them to use when necessary. So i cant remove or replace it.

About halfway through the reno journey and noticed today how spacious and pristine the flat looks now the wall plastering and floor screeding is done. Can't get too excited, though, 'cos there are still a million and one decisions to be made. Ah, the challenges of an ID-less reno. Spacious looking view from living room. On the left is the kitchen and on the right is the MBR. Going to put a partition folding door between the MBR and living room. My place is blessed with a lot of light..this was taken in the early evening, around 6.30pm. Another peek at my pretty common toilet. Lastly, a design dilemma... What am i going to do about this ugly door in my kitchen that cannot be replaced or removed? My unit is on the top floor and apparently HDB put the door there as an emergency access route or something. It is complicated to box up because the window grille is too near. If i really want to box up, i will have to remove the grille (which cannot be reinstalled; needs to replaced with a new grille in the future if i want one). The door is so decrepit that it will look ugly even when painted. Wallpapering is not an option because of the latch. How ah?

About halfway through the reno journey and noticed today how spacious and pristine the flat looks now the wall plastering and floor screeding is done. Can't get too excited, though, 'cos there are still a million and one decisions to be made. Ah, the challenges of an ID-less reno. Spacious looking view from living room. On the left is the kitchen and on the right is the MBR. Going to put a partition folding door between the MBR and living room. My place is blessed with a lot of light..this was taken in the early evening, around 6.30pm. Another peek at my pretty common toilet. Lastly, a design dilemma... What am i going to do about this ugly door in my kitchen that cannot be replaced or removed? My unit is on the top floor and apparently HDB put the door there as an emergency access route or something. It is complicated to box up because the window grille is too near. If i really want to box up, i will have to remove the grille (which cannot be reinstalled; needs to replaced with a new grille in the future if i want one). The door is so decrepit that it will look ugly even when painted. Wallpapering is not an option because of the latch. How ah?

I just noticed yesterday that there are water pipes running across the top of my living room wall to the kitchen (see the brown pipes in the photo below). Previously, they were hidden by the cornice, which has now been hacked away. Any suggestions for an economical way to hide the pipes? I'd prefer not to use cornices

I just noticed yesterday that there are water pipes running across the top of my living room wall to the kitchen (see the brown pipes in the photo below). Previously, they were hidden by the cornice, which has now been hacked away. Any suggestions for an economical way to hide the pipes? I dont want to add new cornice or box it up.

Item description says its glass... we shall see

Went to see the house today and was happy to see that the mbr bathroom walls were alrd fully tiled. Too bad i couldn't go and see the common bathroom as well since that required walkinv through the kitchen where the cement screed was still drying. Absolutely love the shower feature wall in the mbr bathrooms. Sneak peek below:

Hey @zalaxz, thanks for dropping by. So far it's oklah, with some hiccups here and there. As we are less than 1/4 way through the reno, it is a bit premature to recommend the contractor.

Would love to see yr plant racks when done! As for the toilet bowl, i bought this one..(iXiss mg-970p in case anyone is interested) $248 inclusive of top-up to the famed gerberit flushing system. Since price was so good for a one-piece bowl, got the same one for both bathrooms! There are two side by side which were the same price. I chose the wider one alamak, never really thought abt the difficulty cleaning with the hole design (didnt really notice that part. Abt the tiles, got my contractor to agree to do staggered for the kitchen floor. For the MBR toilet tiles tt have already been put up, i decided to accept it. Quite poor thing if they have to hack it and hack new tiles. I already made the bring down the brick wall that they mistakenly put up even though the contractor had agreed to my request to cancel thag item. Anyway, must just be more vigilant and firm. Floor prep work and tiling is going pretty slowly... but they have abt a week more to go according to the work schedule, so will just pray hard there is no delay. As long as my contractor keeps an open line of comms, and is willing to resolve issues that crop up, will remain hopeful abt the final product!

Thanks for the recommendation, @trcd! I hope to get track lights for the living room and kitchen, and pendant lights for other spaces. Just track lights would be kinda boring :p. Recently ordered this light for my MBR (via ezbuy prime). Thought it would go well with my platform bed!

Yeah, i can't help but suspect that is the real reason the tiling guy chose to do straight design and my main contractor was trying to find excuses. But so far my main contractor has been honest and upfront, so will give them the benefit of the doubt and discuss the matter further with them before deciding whether to ask them to re-do the tiling.

Thank you! My main concern is that it should be long-lasting and easy to clean! Looking forward to doing lots of cooking on it.

Thanks for the recommendation! My contractor mentioned the same shop. She says she doesn't get commission from them, but have heard her other customers say that they charge reasonable prices. Will check it out.

Reno works started again last Fri, after the CNY break. Saw the tiling uncle at work alone on Saturday. Then the next time I managed to go down to see the house was today, after work. Discovered some mix-ups, and immediately contacted my contractor (e.g. wall tiles laid in a different pattern than agreed, they didnt leave enough space behind the new L-shaped sink area for my washing machine to slot in) Thankfully, she went down to the house a couple of hours later (i.e within today) to rectify or else I would have been more upset. Will meet her tmrw at lunchtime to discuss the tile issue. Essentially, they were laid in a regular pattern, but i prefer the staggered pattern. She said something abt the possibility of the tiles "bending" or appearing uneven if laid in a staggered pattern. Anyone knows what that means? The tiles are 60 by 30 cm. Example of staggered pattern: In any case, will try to lay them out on the floor to see which looks nicer. She apologised for not checking with me first before tiles were laid, so that's something. And at least i like the tile work in the other bathroom. A sneak peek below. Will try to take a clearer photo tmrw.

Hope some renotalkers can help with the following questions. 1) my main contractor will be doing whole house rewiring as part of the reno. I assume the standard material they will use is pvc casing for the wires. If I want to use metal conduit pipes instead, will i be expected to to supply them myself? (Just like i am expected to supply all lights myself). 2) any recommendations for decently priced track lighting in Sg? (I am planning to go to JB to looksee, but a bit worried abt installing non-sg safety certified electrical stuff in my home, so am still considering whether to just get em in sg)

Yeah, P&R started branching out into custom-made stuff not too long ago, towards the last few months of the year. The boxes are screwed together, so I just need to unscrew to dismantle. The few contractors I spoke to about making a platform only offer built-in options. The other option I was considering was systemind, which similarly comes in boxes which can be taken apart... but it's much more expensive! Thanks for taking a close-up photo of yr tiles! I can see why you thought they look similar to mine! Similar colours though the line pattern is a bit different. Can't wait till my tiles are installed. I went to Hoe Kee to get my hob and hood 'cos people say the prices there are reasonable. Decided on a Mayer gas hob with a ceramic glass surface (this one: http://www.mayer.sg/products/hob/mayer2013-07-18-04-10-12/hob2016-02-24-09-04-25-detail). Was aiming for the rinnai hob at first ('cos of the inner flame), but the sales guy recommended Mayer instead (i can't remember exactly why... but must hv been very persuasive!). Ended up getting a Rinnai hood though (this one: http://www.rinnai.sg/product_details.php?product_id=103. ) Saw a renotalk post about it I think, and was won over by its sexy curves (plus the great suction power... excellent for all the sambal frying I intend to do once in a while). Total cost was $900+,

Hi there!! I think i read yr t-blog last yr when i was searching for ideas. Love yr idea of building racks within the window frame for plants. Did u ever get round to it? Also, i think i will be getting the same toilet bowl as u! What won me was when the guy at Wasser said he can change the flush mechanism to gerberit for a $50 top up! That would still be way cheaper than the $350 treo one piece toilet bowl tt i was eyeing before.

Hi jayr. My reno just started, so am not ready to recommend my contractor, sorry! Thanks for visiting n i hope u stay around

Thanks, u r very kind. Am following yr t-blog closely too

I was raring to start shopping months ago, but had to wait cos there would be no space for the new stuff in my current space. Finally got to start in late dec/ early jan, with my custom-made platform bed, followed by cooker hob and hood as the first major purchases. Also chose my fridge at courts toa payoh when i had to go to hdb hub to collect my keys 2 wks ago! Will write more abt those appliances in a separate post. Sneak peek of my custom-made platform fm here: https://www.facebook.com/pnrcustom/. It is made up of individual boxes which can be taken apart and moved to another room/house. The two boxes at the bedhead area are 90cm by 60cm while the rest are 60 by 60 cm. The middle box at the end of the bed is a drawer. The configurations can be customised to yr preference. Price is 2k plus. I am planning to sleep on it with just a futon mattress, jap style, instead of a thick mattress, so i can easily open up the boxes whenever i want.

Thanks i went to see yr t-blog but couldnt find a clear pic of yr kitchen tiles... yup, the one i chose is 30×60 cm. Notice that most ppl use that size nowadays. If u hv a clear pic of yr tiles, wld love to see it! Btw, i have tge same rice cooker... bought it some time ago seems like our tastes are similar. Oh yeah, btw, how much did yr front door from **** cost?

Thanks for reading, ahmiu All the IDs and contractors i approached were ok to give me quotes just based on my floor plan..most of them did say their quote is subject to adjustments after actual measurements. My budget includes a 5-10k buffer for additional works that may need to be done along the way but the initial quotes were good enough to help me decide who to go with.

Updated with a post on tiling choices in the previous page (you can also click here:http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/76638-my-first-home-the-bachelorette-pad-edition/?do=findComment&comment=943340)

May I know which branch of HT lighting you went to (jalan rosmerah?) and how much did u pay for the vento fino 2?