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snoozee

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Posts posted by snoozee

  1. Posted

    2 hours ago, leechaorui said:

    Hi Snooze, for a 3.5 storey building that maximise the height permissible by building control authority, does it mean that the attic floor cannot be served by lift, given that there is an overhead requirement of between 3.4m?  How much floor space is required to be set aside for the development of the lift (assuming the lift size mirrors those of HDB flats). 

    Write in to URA to enquiry on how much allowance they will allow for the lift core to exceed the building envelope. For PV panels, anything below 1m above the envelope is allowed. So chances are URA will allow for the lift core to exceed the envelope by maybe 500mm. 
    Different lift suppliers have different overhead requirements. For mine, the requirement is 3.2m if I didn’t remember wrongly. 
    HDB lifts are HUGE compared to what is needed for landed housings. Landed houses usually just need a 3 to 5 pax max lift which is big enough for a wheelchair and additional pax together. Lift core dimensions again differ between suppliers. But a safe gauge will be at least 1.6m by 1.6m INTERNAL clearance. Again check with lift supplier to confirm exact requirements. There is also the issue of lift pit as well so this is an additional depth which needs to be excavated below the ground level. Too deep a pit (more than 1.5m) and you will require ERSS which will add on to your cost. 

  3. Posted

    if you sell durians, would you say your durian is lousy or someone else's durians are lousy?

    technically the sales guy is not wrong, but it all depends on how you configure the APs. if you use the public wireless at SG at shopping malls, do you encounter needing to switch to different SSIDs while walking around? No right? It's all about how the configuration is done and most enterprise APs are configured to have seamless handovers between the APs. To have seamless handover, all the APs must be configured to a single same SSID. There are configuration settings which can be done to provide for seamless handover between the APs once you move out of range. For my own house, I can stream a show on my mobile phone while walking from my 1st level to my attic without losing connection at all. I'm using a HP Enterprise wifi setup at home.

    Since you are planning for wired backhaul for your wifi, then there's no need to buy mesh equipment and then use as a AP. why pay for functionalities which you are not going to use? Mesh wifi is more for big apartments where line of sight can be obtained for each node and the owners does not want the inconvenience of drilling and laying cables for wired backhaul. But for landed houses, it don't work well since each node may not see each other and the bandwidth will suffer as a result. 

    The Singtel ONR is more convenient for basic users who don't have complex setups. It also results in a double NAT issue when user has his own router put in place. I will be jumping ship elsewhere once my contract is up with ST. ST used to configure bridge mode for their ONR so that advanced users can use the ONR as a ONT, but they have stopped doing this already. Technically their ONR can be used for a mesh setup (they provided a mesh AP when I signed up previously) and I believe should work with APs as well. But the problem is their ONR is locked down so there's no way for end users to reconfigure certain settings and in the event of the need to do troubleshooting, it's almost impossible. That's why a ONT which simply passes the internet WAN IP over to the router is better since we can configure our own router to how we want to use it within our network rather than being forced to follow what ST feels is the best configuration.

    Anyway if your SH contract has not expired when you move to the new place, you may or may not need to pay a relocation charge to bring the connection over to the new place. I believe officially there is a relocation charge when moving homes but SH waived it for me previously when I did my relocation of the services.

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    I was trying to reconcile your floor plan to your photo and couldn't. Realised that you just took the photo off the web and it's not your house.

    Anyway, what ISP are you getting? Singtel nowadays give ONR which is a router itself.

    are you planning to use wired backhaul for your Level 2 and attic? If you are not using, then you will have performance issue. Any mesh or wifi extending systems will require line of sight to work properly. Without line of sight, the wifi signal will have a big loss when passing through walls/concrete floor slabs and your mesh system will fail.

    It is best to use wired backhaul for all your wifi access points. Also where you are planning to place the router on the mezzanine will not work well. Wifi signals usually are cast is a certain optimal direction and not 360 degrees. So you will end up with dead spots/zones if you choose to mount the wifi there. It would be better to mount the access point on the ceiling of the mezzanine so that the signal will cast downwards and provide coverage for both mezzanine and level 1 at the same time. For best coverage, always place your wifi access points on the ceiling and facing downwards. This will enable the wifi signal to cast radially down and outwards to increase the coverage area.

    Looking at how much the netgear set costs online (about 1500), I think it will be cheaper that you buy 3 or 4 wireless access points from ubiquiti and another router if needed. This should give you better performance at a lower cost as well.

  5. Posted

    As mentioned, don’t pay the subcontractors directly. You are not your builder’s bank account. if subcontractors send bill to you, tell them to send back to the builder instead. Any payment you made should be based on progress claims by the builder and supported by evidence of work done on site. 
     

    changing a builder is not as straightforward as you changing a renovation contractor. There are items which the builder need to certify and submit to authorities and a new builder may not want to take this risk at this late stage of works. Moreover you need the architect and PE to submit stuff to authorities as well and you are kind of stuck since these two consultants are under the builder’s payroll. 
     

    I would suggest you take a look at the contract signed between you and your builder. Seek legal advice if needed on what you can compel the builder to finish and any financial penalties you can claw back from the builder. Unfortunately since this is a design and build project, I would think the contact will likely be skewed towards the builder. I hope you have also keep all the documentation of payments and receipts as you may need them to support your case. 

  6. Posted

    why did the SP testing fail? Why is SP testing cannot be done again due to safety? What kind of safety issues? Has these safety issues been rectified?

    DO NOT pay the contractor anymore especially directly to their sub-contractors. Any outstanding amounts between the builder and their sub-contractor is between them and you shouldn't be involved. Return the invoices from the sub-contractors back to the builder and do not get involved between their issues. I also hope you have receipts from the builder for all the payments you have made to them thus far. No GST is just a myth since the sub-contractor's invoice will already have the GST factored in as their supplies is likely purchased from a GST registered company. Just that the amount will be lower since the mark up from the builder is excluded. But again I reiterate, DO NOT pay the sub-contractors directly.

    Did your contract with the builder come with a LD clause? If yes, you can possible use this on them to claw back some of your rental cost due to their delay.

    How much work is outstanding before TOP can be applied for? Do you have the direct contact of their architect? Cos the architect will need to submit for the TOP application and others as well. So this is just in case you need to get the architect to continue to see through the project should the builder decide to abandon the project.

    Important thing now is whether work is still being done on site so make some effort to go to the site everyday to check for progress. If there's still signs of work being done then maybe still not that bad. I'm not sure how fast the builder promised you the project can be completed but delays seems quite common nowadays likely due to lack of workers. One house near mine has been undergoing A&A works under a famous ID company and it's been 18 months since work started and work isn't finished yet as of today.

  7. Posted

    14 hours ago, petetherock said:

    It's not that illogical - with time the seals will deteriorate and water seeps in.. the lamps are in a casing and the water doesn't cover the entire lamp. Also it's a 12V system, so you won't get zapped to death..

    However, with time those lamps will need replacement, the plastic and the mounts deteriorate in the chlorine... not cheap, but that's all part of the wear and tear running costs of a pool.. 

    UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_216d7.jpg.05ea7bb0f93d881364786fe85ae33a5b.jpg

    That's the old transformer, and the new one:

     

    UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_216d5.jpg.9271960833cbb6be45e3e09613bad5bc.jpg

     

     

     

    question is where are these transformers located? output is 12V but still requires 230V input. if the transformers are located somewhere outside the pool then will be safe.

  8. Posted

    On 11/1/2022 at 8:17 PM, petetherock said:

    So recently the lights went out on my pool, I thought it might be the timer, but it turns out that the transformer was kaput.. and one of the bulbs was gone too..

    The cables inside the pool had also deteriorated due to the chlorine..

    So I had to fix all that, plus change the cover on my DB (which broke) and the bill came up to almost $800... 

    So these are some of the ongoing costs... along with regular maintenance, and chlorine bills...

    The pool guy suggests using the lights for an hour or more a night to keep the moisture out..

    your pool guy's advise doesn't make sense. "turn on the lights to keep moisture out." I would think any light fittings installed underwater should be installed in a waterproof casing and water should not be able to get in at all. If water can get into the light fitting, then your entire pool would not be safe since electricity could pass through water and you can get electrocuted inside the pool.

  11. Posted

    Big supplier like choo chiang marketing will have the stuff with outlets in many areas. Price is not the cheapest though. If you can find time between 8am to 5pm on weekdays, then kelantan lane in Jalan Besar area next to DSC clinic have a supplier. Else Verasamy road nearby will have many suppliers like Kim siah or Albert Hoo including Choo Chiang. 
     

    DB cover usually need to use with the same model base and sold as a set. Can’t really mix and match. So if you want to replace need to replace everything including the base which will mean you need to power down further up the line or even from the main incoming just to be safe. Neutral and live wires can cause short if touched even if the MCB is turned off. Need to shut down the main incoming breaker to cut off the neutral connection as well as the 3 phases to really cut off everything. 

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    the timer module can fail after years of use. there's no user replaceable part inside.

    you can try to bypass by flipping up the cover and pull down the switch from Auto to I. if doesn't work, you can try to swop the timer module with the one on the right side. you need to open the DB cover and then disconnect the wires connected to the timers. remember to turn off the breakers first and confirm there's no electricity flowing by using a test pen. once the wires are disconnected, make sure the wires do not touch anything as you can cause a short.

    if confirmed timer failed, you can buy a new one online or from electrical component suppliers.

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    7 hours ago, leechaorui said:

    Hi Snoozee,  followed your navigation to URA website.  There is nothing on Road Reserve.   Got the following info.  

    GROSS PLOT RATIO (GPR)
    GPR of landed houses is resultant of the allowable building envelope
     
    BUILDING HEIGHT CONTROL
    Maximum 3 storey
     
     

    road reserve won't be on URA site. need to buy the plans from SLA.

    your house should be on a location which is governed by plot ratio and building height since you see the above information. basically can rebuilt to 3.5 storey house max.

  14. Posted

    3 hours ago, leechaorui said:

    Hi Snoozee, I am not sure of plot ratio.  So far, I noticed that the houses surrounding me could build to 3.5 storey.  I doubt that my house would be worth $10m.  That is a lot of money.  I can see your logic that even with rebuilding cost sunk in, the value of the house can still appreciate further and more than the construction cost.  Thank you for your sharing.

    search online for URA Space. then select Check Control Plans. On the top left hand side, click on Filter and turn on the Landed Housing Area filter.

    after that you can go to where you house is located on the map and see if it falls under any red areas. If it does, then your area should read 3-STOREY MIXED LANDED which indicates all types of landed housing up to 3 Storey plus attic.

    if your house area don't fall under a landed housing zone, then you will need to go back and check the URA master plan. You can go back to the first page of URA Space and select Explore Development Site then on the top left side, click on Layers and select Master Plan Approved Amendments. After that go to where your house is located on the map. if your house is marked with beige colour and nearby with the number "1.4", it means your house is governed by plot ratio which usually indicates can built up to 3 storey plus attic as well for a single landed dwelling.

  15. Posted

    your area is a 3 storey landed zone or one that is governed by plot ratio hence will fetch a premium over houses in a 2 storey landed zone since there is a potential to build bigger houses with the additional storey.

    based on the data you provided, old houses are being sold at a cost of about $1400psf and new houses at about $2500psf.

    The price variations will depend on who actually bought the houses as well as the potential of the land. for the $27M house, if it was bought by a developer, there could be a potential to built into a cluster house (if the land is big enough) or into multiple semi-d or terrace houses. I'm not sure how huge this piece of land is, but assuming $27M at $1400 psf, the land size would be about 20,000sqf. Assuming the land size is 20,000sqf and there is enough frontage, the developer could build 8 units of 2500sqf semi-d on that plot of land as each semi-d needs to be at least 200sqm in size. with each semi-d being sold at $2500psf, each unit can be sold at $6.25M which will net the developer $50M. After factoring in construction costs, stamp duties, etc, there is a potential profit of maybe 10M for the developer.

    now back to your house. Assuming your house can be sold at $1800psf, which is about $10M, would you flip it now for gains assuming you have reached your MOP? since brand new houses are sold at $2500psf, if you rebuilt your house and sell it, it can potentially net you $15M. So even if you spend $2M to rebuilt it, there is a potential gain of $3M. Is this enough to entice you to flip the house since $3M will likely be able to give you a very nice retirement? Your net gain is likely to be more since I don't think you bought the house for $10M in the first place.

    Now, even if you don't do anything now, with inflation and land price appreciation in the future, you would still be likely to be able to sell the existing house for $10M or close to this figure. There are only about 80K landed houses in Singapore and not all of these 80K of houses are freehold as well so even if there is recession in the (near and far) future, we are unlikely to see big corrections in freehold landed house prices.

  16. Posted

    then you need to ask yourself what is deemed by "attractive".

    your 2M estimate based on less than $400psf is because of the calculation of 3.5 storey. based on 2000sqf foot print, the potential built up for 3.5 storey is almost 7000 sqf hence the cost. I think most design and build contractors will exclude all those items. But if you go through an architect to project manage for you, these items can all be part of the tender requirements so contractors will have to quote for them as well.

    whether a semi-d or detached will be of higher value will depends on your location. you can do a quick search for any properties currently being sold around your area and see how much they are being sold for. comparison criteria would be houses with same number of storey with similar land size and age.

    construction cost is always going to go up due to inflation and such. So if there is a compelling reason now for you to rebuild and this reason will still be there 5 or 10 years down the road, then you might as well do it now rather than later. at least you will have more years to enjoy the house by doing it earlier.

    I would suggest you discuss with your partner on what are your long term plans esp the lifestyle after retirement. I think most of us who have kids would like to have at least one kid eventually staying with us even after they get married even though the kids may think otherwise. So if you rebuilt your house to a 7000 sqf house but end up only 2 pax staying there, would you want to stay in an empty house? or are you contented with the size of the current house which may still be big for 2 pax but still manageable. But if the house is going to be your home till you grow old, does the infrastructure allow you to move around easily? we all will grow old and if unfortunately if our legs decided not to work well in future, will we be able to climb up and down the stairs daily if there's no lift in the house?

    There can be 1001 questions to be asked but these can only be asked and answered by you and your partner. In short, the answers to your plans 15 or 20 years down the road will give you the answer to whether to take the plunge today to rebuilt the house.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    7 hours ago, leechaorui said:

    Don't plan to flip but if there is a good offer that comes along the way, I may sell the property.  Not a big family and the current small living space in the house though tight is still tolerable. 

    The contractor who does construction work opposite my house shared that construction cost is facing constant upward revision due to inflationary pressure in raw materials, wages and services cost.  As the family is not big, I don't plan to maximise the ground floor area, probably can use about 2000 sqft of land out of the 6000+ sqft of land to build upwards. 

    Not sure of budget required to rebuild and if rebuilt, I am also undecided on whether to construct semi-detached or detached.  In any case, prefer not to take construction loan or bank loan to do construction if I can help it.  Another concern is my neighbour may also rebuild and given his land size of close to 6300 sqft, he could potentially construct a very big house. If I construct a smaller house, the visual contrast between the 2 houses could be very great.  One could look very grand while the other could appear quite mickey mouse and small.

     

    I thought renovation such as a new rebuild would still be able to add quite tremendous value to couples. 

    if there is an intention to flip, then you need to plan out your timeline. landed houses prices will usually go up in the long run. back in late 2000s, an inter-terrace can be bought for 700k+. When the property prices spikes through to 2014, inter-terrace prices were averaging for around 2M. Even though prices came down by about 10% (experts were harping 20% drops) after 2014 till 1st quarter 2017, the prices are still way higher than late 2000s. Today, an inter-terrace starting price is from 2.5M up. My reference is around where I'm currently staying and all based on old inter-terrace houses which are at least 30-40 years old. Also remember that if you sell high, you will also need to buy high if you plan to buy another landed house after you sell your current one. Of cos there's always the option of downgrading to a condo in future if your kids decide not to stay with you and your spouse after they get married.

    at this point, tender prices are about 30 percent higher than back in 2019. you can see the cost of raw materials (BCA data) from the table below.

    if you are planning to have a house with 2000sqf foot print, potentially you can have about 5000+sqf built up for a 2.5 storey house. assuming 5000sqf at $400 per sqf, you are looking at a construction cost of about $2M.

    don't worry too much about what you neighbour might do in future as that is beyond your control. design and build your house to your own personal requirements and preferences. nowadays developers usually max out the entire site to build huge houses and if yours has lots of greenery, it can become a unique selling point also. Do note that if you are intending to convert to a detached house, you are also bound by a site coverage ratio of 50% (40% if within GCB areas). So if you detached your house from your neighbour, your neighbour if he choose to rebuilt will also need to redevelop into a detached house and thus will be bound by this site coverage ratio. As such, you are unlikely to have the huge house and mickey mouse house issue.

    I think what Pete is trying to say is that if you are planning to flip in the near future, don't spend too much on doing renovations (A&A) as it doesn't add much value to the existing house. rebuilt is another thing on its own

    2022-09-06_8-17-03.jpg

    • Like 1

  20. Posted

    On 7/16/2022 at 2:39 PM, Topline said:


    Thanks, Snoozee. Very helpful pic. Does this allow you to change ceiling fans in future? The studs would be buried high up inside false ceiling?

    yes of cos can change in future. the studs will end just below the false ceiling, enough for putting in the nuts to lock the ceiling fan bracket in place. That's why for this you need to confirm where your false ceiling will end as well as where your fan location will be. cos once confirmed, it will be there forever unless you want to tear down your false ceiling to change the fan position.

  21. Posted

    for CCTV, you are in charge of your own security. Anything happens you can review your CCTV footage provided the recorder isn't damaged.

    for security companies, usually motion sensors are installed in/around the house. When you go out or retire for the night, you need to punch in a code in the control pane to activate the service. Once activated, if the sensors detect the presence of persons when there's not supposed to be any, alarms would be sounded. Their command center will also receive the same alert and then you are likely to be informed about this potential intrusion immediately as well.

    so to say, for CCTV, it's more of a deterrent (when the CCTVs are in plain sight) to prevent any intrusion whereas for security company services, you are paying for someone to look out for you and inform you immediately in case anything happens.

    Different security companies have different scope of services so best is you contact them and find out more.

  23. Posted

    2 hours ago, Topline said:

    Hi, can I check with those of you with metal roof, how do you mount a ceiling fan in the top floor? Understand they cannot be mounted on false ceiling but there is no concrete slab above for metal roof.

    Tell your contractor that you are going to mount a ceiling fan and you need to confirm the exact position where the fan is going to be installed. Your contractor should then weld another piece of beam onto the main metal roof’s beams and then install the studs or bracket for mounting the fan. You CANNOT mount the fan onto the plasterboard ceiling or frame for false ceiling as this will not be able to take the lid and vibrations from the fan. 
     

    Referring on my photo. Circled in yellow are the main steel beams/purlins for the roof. Circled in red is the additional beam where the studs for the fan is secured to. One stud can be seen in the middle of the photo as the other one is blocked from view by the wiring conduit.

    4FC98566-9F9C-48A3-9825-05A74B32A499.jpeg

  24. Posted

    16 hours ago, Topline said:

    Hi guys, i intend to get Hikvision CCTV cameras for my place and am now looking at the intercom/ gate system. Do you know if it is possible to link and view the Hikvision CCTVs to another brand of intercom monitor (indoor unit) (eg. Panasonic, Aiphone)? Ideally, besides viewing the CCTV thru app, i tot it would be useful to be able to view thru the intercom monitor too.

    search for "hikvision all in one indoor station"

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