Jump to content
Find Professionals    Deals    Get Quotations   Portfolios

Yplailai

Members
  • Content Count

    47
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by Yplailai

  1. Our one roller coaster renovations journey thanks fellow renotalkers who are following my blog. This post serves to conclude our renovation experience and hopefully help new home owners in deciding what to do for their house. I'll not be updating anymore because 1) no point 2) talking about the same boring things my advice 1) listen to your personal friend is better than taking recommendations elsewhere. Esp friends with 3-4 renovations experience. 2) minimal carpentry is best. 3) take time to visit your neighbours in midst of their reno for an all rounded decision 4) join group buys. We have a few good purchase which is great, though how good, haven't personally test it out yet. 5) accessories buy from normal neighbourhood shops. They give very competitive pricing. One good example is my fan with light ($500 per piece. No installation) vs another shop i found ($400 foc installation) 6) when choosing anything, don't look at solely just facebook page review. Consider the reputation from online forums as well. No review is good as erm... 7) I personally like more matured workers.
  2. Initially when i read blogs posted by others i also studied my house plan. After talking to the aircon staff, i realised how much we could hide safely and efficiently really depends on the bouse design. We are not planning to box up mbr trunking to save costs and the likelihood of me looking up and feel bothered by trunking is almost zero.
  3. Yes, planning to buy ready made and move one of our wardrobe over. We want to have flexibility to change layout of room as and when we like. Also, my toddler is still young, dont want to commit any layout first, in case grow up, don't like, hard to change.
  4. air-conditioning piping today aircon piping installation. We were also flipping between system 3 or 4. End up decided system 4 because 1) living room is small and 2) dont want to regret not installing when i need it very satisfied with my air-con company because they do a very neat job in installing the trunking! Initally also panicked when saw on some forums how some staff will install based on the most convenient route for them. So i called up the staff and requested to view how trunking runs on other units they are handling. the installation staff is very nice and patient to show me around the flat they are working on, and explained that every unit layout is different. If sufficient space allows, they will hide in the concealed box up (provided by hdb), if insufficient space, they will have to run under it (exposed and visible) after hearing that, more panic! I went back to study our unit and quite undecided whether it will be seen or not. Especially we already overlaid the toilet tiles so nicely. Pleasantly surprised that our layout allows aircon piping to run so nicely. The staff advised us to do box up because of the ugly trunking. But looking at the excellent job they do, i may only box up the living room mbr toilet (running inconspicuously) and luckily the rest all hidden in the box up above mbr, air con sitting above toilet entrance for least trunking mbr entrance, all three units in br2,3 and living room entering mbr and exiting onto toilet. I dont think it is necessary to box up because very neat. trunking in br2 travelling neatly under the beam. No need box up too. br3 also travelling neatly under beam (max happy) living room, will be sitting on beam. Although neat and nice trunking, i may have to box up this.
  5. Efficient and professional electrical works today electrician came down to do electrical wiring, looking at photos i think they are very neat and professional. Very happy with their services. had second thoughts about my crystal chandelier because it will be hanging low (tickling the top of hubby's head) and right in front of the cabinets. But the electrician was confident it can be hung up nicely.. mil was quite encouraging too, look weird, but as long as we enjoyed looking at it is what matters. the contractor said they will redo my kitchen cabinets and bathroom mirror and wardrobe configuration. At least taking responsibility.
  6. @spooky iDs in general quote me about 28k after gst. This contractor cost me 15k no gst and songcho 12k. And i get extra things that ID cannot offer me like overlay of toilet, customised vanity and full length (horizontal) mirror, shower screen
  7. @spooky He said he would come up with some hand drawn drawings before proceed and reassure us he would do the coordinating for us, just leave it to him. Next thing we know, they said no space in their office and need to park at our house. Everything also haven't do already carpentry done. I think their planning is very messy and unreliable. And never see any drawings. whereas my next door neighbour, in stark contrast doesnt need to be physically there and they have a team of 3-4 of different expertise working on site. Really, if not out of budget, self coordination is a headache thing. There is a gap at the top because need to box up and conceal wiring. I hope they dont break my chandelier when moving things.
  8. More progress today painting is done, one man show, and very efficient. He just painted a single layer grossly over the walls, will touch up the edges and corners another day. Having mixed feelings about renovations, the only "right" choice i made so far is the wall colour. Exactly what i wanted, not pure white and not yellowish in colour. Recommended nippon cotton white 1136. Note the original white by hdb at the edges and my new cotton white colour. However, as i scrutinise the carpentry, i realised the internal laminates are already up. And some of the edges are poorly finished. Is it supposed to be like this? Also, the more i think about it, the funnier the configuration of the wardrobe appears to be. This small space for me to store 2 sets of my most precious dresses or what? I told the carpenter i wanted pigeon holes to put my bags, and the extreme left side of the wardrobe is the width of my pigeon hole. To be honest, we are feeling tinge of regret taking up this contractor who seems to be playing the "disappearing" game whenever i post any questions regarding their work. in fact, when we got married and buy a ready made wardrobe from neighbourhood furniture shop, the finishing is so much better than a customised one. And still holding up really well for 4 year's use. My best buys so far for this renovation is the song cho kitchen cabinet set and minimise my risks with this contractor. i mean, i can accept less than optimal workmanship, no choice already since our judgement is off for contractor. My advice for those going for renovations is to consider carefully your ID or contractor choice. If don't want to take risks, minimise your carpentry. And after laying the mbr bathroom tiles, we measured the bathroom width against mirror length. Guess what? They are so smart to cut mirror and fix the frame to the length before overlay. I shall wait and see how they are going to fix that.
  9. Lock advice from start of defects rectification with bsc until now (start to midst of reno) we were told to get a lock (number lock or padlock) just for the gate. I've considered the advantages of number lock, but when i tried to buy one from those "barang barang" shops, those available are those thin ones for luggage. One look at it you'll know it's too filmsy and offers weak security. If depend on it, i think i might as well choose to leave my door wide open. so i got a thick and sturdy yale padlock and left the key with bsc.. all went well until reno took over. And i was advised to get a number lock because of the difficulty in passing keys around different workers working on different days. therefore I needed to get a number lock, had a hard time running all over the place before i found this thick, secure and affordable yale number lock combination. End up contractor say some of their "uncle" workers dont know how to use my very secure number lock. -.-!! And they produced one of their own number lock. moral of the story, just check with your ID/contractor if they have their own to loan you to avoid getting stuck with 2 locks. More updates Contractor told us last night my cabinets are ready for installation today!?!?!?! and I haven't do electrical works, aircon, windows and painting yet. That's the troublesome part about doing coordination by ourselves. Because contractor's officr have no space to store our cabinets, all are parking nicely at my house now. Raw and loose pieces. Looks ugly and raw by itself and makes me wonder if the actual product will look off and funny or not? According to hubby, the altar looks huge and grand.. and me, looking at the photos, i can hardly stretch my imagination to visualise. I just hope we wont regret our choice. This is our breakfast counter corner. Good for early morning or late night maggie mee cooking, no need to balance hot bowl of maggie to dining hall. Some storage for us beside the breakfast counter. I hope the measurements balance up nicely, keeping fingers very crossed. Wardrobe looking all funny. Not so sure about this 6ft wardrobe will meet my clothing demands. To be honest, this configuration will need some getting used to
  10. Congrats on the completion of reno and start of new life in your lovely house. Have thoroughly enjoyed your blog and the walk through of reno journey
  11. Today sent hubby down to meet up with electrician to final confirm on our electrical needs. When i was there last week, it seems like work come to a stop because carpentry not here and waiting for toilet tiles to dry. was pleasantly surprised to find that progress is quite consistent and looks neat. Shall highly recommend my contractor when everything is completed if all goes well. photos lightly adjusted for even brightness, colour trueness maintained to best ability (i am not expert in adjusting/photo taking) Happy that the base is taking shape song cho said cabinets will come in mid july (keep changing between mid june/july, confused) highly recommend david's (songcho) service. Patient and professional and important he knows his work really well. One big plus point for him, he can maintain composure and professionalism even under pressure. Kudos to my dear hubby for painting the common bathroom door frame so neatly. I had requested contractor to help, but he need to charge $55 per door. My singapore brand paint only cost $15, labour is FOC and saved ourselves $275. Happy max.
  12. @Machalat yes, agree on the part many salesman are quite myopic and prefer to close their own doors on businesses delivered to doorstep. Just keep my fingers crossed and pray for better luck
  13. first headache having heard from friends abt how headache it is to liase with IDs or contractors and get them to fix stuffs / rectify problems. And how initally sales talk everything can and actual work everything cannot. I didnt think it could happen to me too. somehow, as the days roll by and the flat left vacant, my service yard kena alot of lizard ****, decorating the half wall on which my yard window tracks would sit on. Having a guts feel the window guy would act blur and just dump the track on, I watsapped him to remind him to get his guys to clean off first before installation. He voice messaged me so fast to say there is no such service. OMG. Boiling inside already. There are so many ways to tell a story nicely. He could have said he isn't confident his staff could get it cleaned up to my standards. Of coz i would definitely consider cleaning it myself up to my standards. Not happy already inside. haven't even start work already confidence shattered. All these nonsense makes me feel like one of those difficult demanding customers. But is making standard requests also deemed as demanding? Like if i go buy hp screen, and request staff to apply it on for me, don't tell me it is acceptable to pass my hp back to me to clean surface first before they start work. Edited: we are both talking about different things altogether. I was talking about the **** sitting on the surface where the track will sit, and he is imagining my whole service yard is covered with lizard waste and me asking him to clean up the whole yard *face palm* where got so unreasonable one? I just wanted a smooth surface to endure the track sits properly and securely (not too demanding right?) the problem with contractors is they don't bother to explain themselves. I tried to clarify and ask directly if dirt or no dirt just put the tracks on? And he just gave me a yes -.-!! Who wouldn't fume at such a reply? Anyway, my yard windows are professionally installed, and we are happy with it.
  14. I remember very clearly in 2013 upon invitation to flat selection our elation and excitement. I told the HDB officer we didnt want any skirting at all (because i dont like anything wood on the floor) so when we visited a close friend's house, and saw how skirting completes the look of their flat. I was literally stabbing myself inside coz i opted out of the skirting. Fast forward to key collection, and door opening, i was like HENG ah!!! Got skirting despite us opting out of it. Then after hearing about some issues that come with skirting, like when mop floor, water may kena and rot the wood over time, i think, suay ah!!! Why install that skirting. Now we gotta fork out money to replace it with tiles. This is a one time pain thing, because once my carpentry is up, i want to replace also cannot. Glad that we decided to opt for tile skirting, coz i feel hdb skirting is really lousy and uneven . so happy to see it off the wall. And our toilet tiles are up, looking very nice. Glad that i insisted on marbles tile. today water storage heater installation also up. Other than that, nothing much already. We chose the smallest capacity storage heater at 40L and the tank is massive! Once up on the wall, our toilet size shrank to look like a tiny cubicle. However, no regrets because sidetrack story we welcomed our bundle of joy in early 2016 and you know how confinment rules say, no bathing, no washing of hands, no fan. And being OCD, after every toilet visit i must wash my hands with soap and water. And to me, being half believer whether or not the old folk's "pain" will strike or not, i decided to take the short cut and wash with normal tap water only. And, it's really no joke, both hands feel so numb and cold, like i have been holding onto ice for hours, the biting sting of cold that is on my palms. After which, i on my instant heater to max heat whenever i wash my hands and feel slightly better. Till now, sometimes my hands somehow have a memory effect, still feel the sting and numb occasionally. Opps.. so, i thought a storage heater will give access to hot water from the basin tap when i need it, without having to mess with the shower. Cannot have everything, want bigger bathroom or convenience?
  15. Thanks for replying me. Any photos? Becoz now i am also pulling hair out over trunking. Am overlaying the bathroom too
  16. Hi! Do you think you can share with me how the aircon trunking run to the other side?
  17. And it gets more busy and confusing initally we scheduled for contractor to come in for final measurements on 21may, so that work may start. End up contractor got a tyre puncture on route and have to reschedule to 1st june, which means project delay by a week. Song cho also called me to say my kitchen is set to arrive mid june, and he needs my base to be up. Erm.... i havent even got my hood yet. End up last min i got a techno from harvey norman for $350+$95 for added warranty. Having buy so many added warranties in my life, and my purchases lifespan outlast all the warranty makes me highly doubtful it is a value added purchase. However, becoz it is a slim hood and concealed by box up, i start to worry about ease of replacement and thought it'll be easier to get the warranty than worry about it for the next 5 years. We have also settled the lighting part, much as i would love to go into JB and get everything at 3 times cheaper, the logistics just couldn't make the cut. No car and unfamiliar with the route. So we paid like 3399 for lightings for the whole house (3 fans with light $1500) vs my friend who got lightings + toilet accessories and including sink and rainshower for like SGD $2000. And her whole house is full of spot light, +2 crystal lights vs us, no false ceiling and we have like 6 exposed lightbulb with holders. As the days went by and we are still taking baby steps make me anxious and just want to confirm my lightings because that needs to go up first. Next, contractor will liase with the window grill guy and settle window grills, yard sliding windows, change kitchen lourve window to single fixed panel, one heavy duty kitchen door and 2 toilet doors. I liked the lourve toilet designs seen on another blogger's blog, but it costs like $399 per door! Omg.. much as we would love to choose the prettier option, sometimes the only choice is between which is the more important item. On the previous post i was still talking about sink or no sink in service yard. It is final that there will be no sink, becoz of the problems that will come up in future. For a sink to be there, there must be inlet (water supply) and outlet (drainage) which either share with washing machine or hack a hole and drain in common toilet. If share with washing machine, the pvc pipes will need to make a few right angle turns and in time to come may collect dust and debris at the right angles and hinder output. Worse, the debris choke up the drain and i will have the pleasure of a jolly good time facing bubbles from that hole. If i drill a hole in the wall, first it is illegal. If kena caught by hdb, i have to face penalty of $5000 which by the way, is the price of the antique sofa i was eyeing. 2ndly, i wouldn't dream of drilling that hole, because my mum's house has that hole which is **** ugly, and it become a playground for roaches to travel conveniently between two rooms. Finally, to realise my dream of a hotel like bathroom, we decided to overlay the MBR toilet and hope the $$ damage wouldn't be too bad. Work is shall be commencing on monday and we are arranging for deliveries and electrician meeting tomorrow. Will be able to start posting photos on my next post alr
  18. And it gets more busy and confusing initally we scheduled for contractor to come in for final measurements on 21may, so that work may start. End up contractor got a tyre puncture on route and have to reschedule to 1st june, which means project delay by a week. Song cho also called me to say my kitchen is set to arrive mid june, and he needs my base to be up. Erm.... i havent even got my hood yet. End up last min i got a techno from harvey norman for $350+$95 for added warranty. Having buy so many added warranties in my life, and my purchases lifespan outlast all the warranty makes me highly doubtful it is a value added purchase. However, becoz it is a slim hood and concealed by box up, i start to worry about ease of replacement and thought it'll be easier to get the warranty than worry about it for the next 5 years. We have also settled the lighting part, much as i would love to go into JB and get everything at 3 times cheaper, the logistics just couldn't make the cut. No car and unfamiliar with the route. So we paid like 3399 for lightings for the whole house (3 fans with light $1500) vs my friend who got lightings + toilet accessories and including sink and rainshower for like SGD $2000. And her whole house is full of spot light, +2 crystal lights vs us, no false ceiling and we have like 6 exposed lightbulb with holders. As the days went by and we are still taking baby steps make me anxious and just want to confirm my lightings because that needs to go up first. Next, contractor will liase with the window grill guy and settle window grills, yard sliding windows, change kitchen lourve window to single fixed panel, one heavy duty kitchen door and 2 toilet doors. I liked the lourve toilet designs seen on another blogger's blog, but it costs like $399 per door! Omg.. much as we would love to choose the prettier option, sometimes the only choice is between which is the more important item. On the previous post i was still talking about sink or no sink in service yard. It is final that there will be no sink, becoz of the problems that will come up in future. For a sink to be there, there must be inlet (water supply) and outlet (drainage) which either share with washing machine or hack a hole and drain in common toilet. If share with washing machine, the pvc pipes will need to make a few right angle turns and in time to come may collect dust and debris at the right angles and hinder output. Worse, the debris choke up the drain and i will have the pleasure of a jolly good time facing bubbles from that hole. If i drill a hole in the wall, first it is illegal. If kena caught by hdb, i have to face penalty of $5000 which by the way, is the price of the antique sofa i was eyeing. 2ndly, i wouldn't dream of drilling that hole, because my mum's house has that hole which is **** ugly, and it become a playground for roaches to travel conveniently between two rooms. Finally, to realise my dream of a hotel like bathroom, we decided to overlay the MBR toilet and hope the $$ damage wouldn't be too bad. Work is shall be commencing on monday and we are arranging for deliveries and electrician meeting tomorrow. Will be able to start posting photos on my next post alr
  19. What is this thing? Installed by electrician? Also, u got lobang for piano? Thanks!
  20. Hi d3n! May I ask where you get your toilet door and room doors please? thanks
  21. I have no idea too, the best is to call up hdb for accurate advice. Sorry about it.
  22. Hi... I think ours is auto approved. Don't remember getting any 2nd letter of HLE. But we did get some sort of letter from HDB one month prior to getting keys.
×