Ando Tadao

One year into the new place and we are still loving our home. Just sharing some of the lived-in pictures as things progress...

I did not proceed as the PE told me there are still plenty of restrictions (e.g. colour) and it really doesn’t worth the effort.

HDB officer’s information is accurate.

Since there is no way to verify it it was a manufacturing defect or installation fault, Hoe Kee eventually let me purchase a new sink at discounted price (around 30% off RRP). I didn't like the outcome but was acceptable. The "crack" on your sink looks normal, it was an inevitable outcome from the molding process. During installation your contractor should do a water pressure test to be sure.

Thanks for the kind words. You are right these lights are extremely hard to locate. There are 2 types actually, one type utilizes embedded led (threecubes sells them, lazada and taobao too), the other uses generic light bulbs (more difficult to find). Mine are e27 bulb version 4” size so I can fit with Philips HUE bulbs. I got them from Malaysia e-mart at Nuda Bestari. Around sgd 10 per light (no bulb). The official name is Surface mounted downlight, in Malaysia they call it milo-tin light.

Hi sorry I kept forgetting to take a photo for you. Yes it is concrete support and the carpenter has constructed wooden frame support inside.

My shelf width is 880mm with a depth of 340mm, I specifically requested 18mm thick planks. Based on my experience even with this thickness the planks will sag in 2-3 years time, when it happens I will turn the planks 180deg and counter the deformation.

Just put on 4 legs and it's good to go, around 15 mins including unpacking. Here's the link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.18ba2e8dk1R7Xh&id=557980653651&_u=j1m9o3paeb1b Thanks. You are right, it's pretty hard to maintain even for just the 2 of us. lol

Metal clinking was referring to the sound generated while cooking, it can be pretty annoying especially when it's facing the back of your husband during his "work" time. Noise from the back is far more annoying psychologically. Maybe if you can change the position of the work desk to the side instead of facing out then the annoyance could be reduced.

There are 2 types of sounds that travel/transmit furthest within a household, water slushing and metal clinking. I am not sure if the placement of your sink and stove is the best idea.

The solution to your needs could be architectural interior design. You need foundational changes in floor plan layout and structural ideas to transform spaces and forms.

Shorter tiles definitely yield flatter floor. But it all depends on your tolerance level. I for one does not care too much on the lippage as long as it does not hurt my foot. But some home maker requires a penny to roll forever. My contractor happens to prefer Hafary as he mentioned Hafary is pretty flexible in terms of excess return but SBH not. So I think it's all about relationship than quality.

Hope I did not create a panic over Blanco Silgranit sink No doubt Blanco Silgranit sink is a good product, Naya 6 is a good product, but nothing is perfect. So here's the first half of the story: My Naya 6 was installed in February, during the installation my plumber did a water leak test. Being a super careful person I did another water leak test 2 weeks later. Both test came out fine. 3 months past and one morning last week while I was cleaning my mug I saw a tiny yellow line on the left side of the sink, thought to be a stain initially I tried cleaning it off with detergent but without success. It was when I checked under the sink then I realized that was a six inches hairline crack with water seeping out. So I went down to Hoe Kee showing them the pictures and invoice, the staff then told me they will report it to the office. A staff called me the next day and arranged an onsite inspection. During the inspection we were told that there were many possibilities to the crack, e.g. installation, handling, etc. Of course these are not new to us, when more than one pair of hands in the process chain then all kind of theories or benefit of doubts will definitely surface. Although we stressed that there was no sign of impact or mishandling during the inspection, we are prepared to have to pay a certain amount of fee to have this situation rectified, for Singapore is not exactly a country where consumers are protected like in the State or EU, although there is a Lemon Law in place but somehow I see certain ambiguity within the clauses. Anyway we are still waiting for Hoe Kee's final disposition, till then I can only hope for the best. I see no reason to worry about Blanco product quality, but do pay extra attention and effort during receiving inspection, and doubt every single uncertainty. According to Hoe Kee if the sink has not been installed they will exchange without a question, and if possible, engage Hoe Kee for sink installation instead to avoid doubts on "installation mistake" or "mishandling".

Finally a side table that matches the house, at great price too! (SGD200 off Taobao, the seller was said to be one of the furniture CM to Muji) (Having some problem with my Blanco Naya 6, but that's another story for another day!).

Warped tiles are common, and the level of warpage is of course depending on the price and Country of Origin. In general you should expect a warpage tolerance of approx. +/-2mm for wood like tiles at 15 x 90cm. At worst case, the lippage can go as high as 4mm. To minimize this you should have a grout width of 3mm or larger, and overlap within 30% of the tile length. I have not heard a particular agent selling worse tiles, more of the manufacturer that matters. Spain and Italy produce generally better wood-like tiles, you should select from price ranges 4.50 onward for better quality and consistency. i have friends using tiles @ 6.70/sqft and even with 2mm grout width the floor remains flat.

Ikea BEKVÄM Step Stool, probably the best 24.90 spent, ever.

The Studlivedine room Is now functionally complete, with the addition of a dining table and bench. The dining table, although serves only 2 individuals most of the time, has to be at least 180cm long, as it doubles up as work bench at times. It should be functional, hence the shape will be simple and the structure must be sturdy. One could not imagined the level of difficulty to locate this no-frills oak dining table, most of the conventional furniture shops we went sell only fancy marble tops or cheaply made MDF panels. After months of searching, it came down to 3 final contestants: MÖRBYLÅNGA, Muji Natural Oak Table and Ethnic-Craft Oak Double Dining Table. MÖRBYLÅNGA would have mounted a tough fight should they come in 180cm variant with oak finish (only 140cm and 220 cm with walnut finish are available now), and after much consideration, Muji Natural Oak Table stood out as we planned to match it with another *cough* few *cough* Muji oak series in future.

The Empty Study It all began when my books started piling, on the floor, where stacks of books in curious formation turned my study into a labyrinth. Then there was this fine Sunday, over 29 degree Celsius; Woody Allen, lying uncomfortably on the floor, 2 inches away from "Kitchen Confidential", while I was furiously dusting away, said: "enough". So enough it is, I turned on my cellphone, rolled over to propertyguru, and started the beginning of the end. 3500+ books to be migrated, that was the mission, for I have already converted 500+ to Kindle. And quarterly dusting no more, I told myself; so, let there be doors. From this: To this:

Let there be light! As promised, I have now got my Philips Hue working in HomeKit. Doing a few demonstrations here like the usual "I'm home", "I'm leaving", turning on ambiance light, saying goodnight. Next is to get my hands on a HomePod to complete the setup.

Throwback – Traffic Pattern Back in design stage, one of the biggest consideration factor influencing my layout plan was the traffic pattern. I wanted to create a flow that is (1) non-intrusive to another inhabitant, and (2) minimum redundancy. The plan was to be able to access the study room from many routes, without affecting other activities, e.g. TV watching, dining, etc. It should be easy to unload and store groceries, books and clothes after shopping, and finally, a very smooth wake-to-work routine in the morning. To achieve that, I have placed the sofa and dining table in the middle of the house, creating pathways all round. Also the placement of the TV enables us to access different areas of the house without needing to momentarily obstruct a view. A new pathway was created to the study room to minimize travel distance after book-shopping and daily book loan & return routines from the sofa, at the same time enabling interactions between couch potatoes and bookworms too!

The sofa is in! Finally the tv is at eye level. We initially wanted the Delaktig series so desperately, and went down to Ikea immediately once they are on display. My my the real deal look super gorgeous! Unfortunately the aluminum essence doesn’t really match our overall theme, in the end we settled on the Flottebo. I hope there will be a powder-coated white Delaktig in future.

He meant the structural wall that is sticking out like a sore thumb in the living room. See measurement 5800 from the entrance. For TS, I believe there is a structural beam too at the same spot, running across your living and dropping down 40cm from the ceiling, yes? I would have use it as a pivotal TV wall, allowing the TV to swing 180deg between living and dining. If you would send me a copy of your floor plan I will draw and show you.

Let there be wifi. Wifi is up! Using M1 1Gbps broadband plan, Huawei ONT to Asus RT-1200G+ router, LAN out to Ubiquiti Unifi AP LR. Now every spot in the house has full bar with minimum 300Mbps wifi speed (checked with Speedtest)! The Ubiquiti Unifi AP LR was brought from Lazada. So far so good. Next is to have my Philips Hue working in full action!

Nice house. White and grey with wood essence would definitely look great on this layout! Downside is the limited (and wallet unfriendly) choice on furnishing but definitely worth the hassle. Good luck with the reno!

Curtain The blinds are up! That marks the end of the “hard” renovation, and the beginning of “soft” furnishing and decoration! The blinds were supplied and installed by U Curtain Service, operated by a lovely couple, who takes pride in their work and best of all, competitive pricing! (According to them though, as I have not gotten any second quotation from elsewhere lol) Contact: June @ 9138 1141 Facebook: U Curtain Service Singapore Review: I first enquired for their service before Chinese New Year but due to festive season June asked if I can wait until CNY is over before they could drop by for site assessment and quotation. So fast forward a few weeks and I have a nice couple measuring my windows, giving sound advices and lectures of life. I am not sure if their quotation was the lowest but I like the vibes and can sense that they are honest people who take pride in their work. In the end I signed for 4 roller and 1 venetian blinds. The installation was done by June’s husband, a nice uncle who has tons of ideas and invented many small gadgets to facilitate his work, e.g. a ladder with many customized slots and magnet to hold screws, corner protectors, position templates, etc. He was tidy, clean and meticulous, being very careful while drilling and kept dust to minimum. When he is in the mood he would even share his life stories with you. Overall, I find the products and services well worth the price. Recommended!