Jump to content
Find Professionals    Deals    Get Quotations   Portfolios

Norman Ng

Members
  • Content Count

    42
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    8

Everything posted by Norman Ng

  1. If you don't keep any wet things in the closet like mops and stuff, it shouldn't be any more humid than outside. I actually thought about installing a fan before but honestly I haven't felt like I needed it during my 2 year stay here. Everything is nice and dry in there for me.
  2. Hi Emorcen! Congrats on your new home! Honestly I have personally not had any problem with humidity although I've had people tell me that that is the exception. I'm not sure if it's because I'm at a relatively high floor or something else. I find that I do turn on the AC quite a bit and the cool air tends to linger in there so maybe that helps. Do you find your shelter to be hotter/more humid when you walk in most of the time?
  3. I have 2 air conditioning units installed only because the price difference is not great between one unit and two. And it gets pretty warm in the gaming room as my computer gets going powering my games. But it gets quite cool in the evenings and the flat is small so it doesn't take much to cool it down even if you have one installed, especially if it's in the room that you sleep in.
  4. Hi hetvliegen, congrats on getting your new home! When I got my 2-rm flat, the only floor plan that I got was the one on HDB's website. Is your flat the Type 1 or Type 2? Not sure what additional information you are looking for but I will do what I can to help. Mine is the smaller Type 1. All 2 room flats are slightly differently though, depending on when they are built.
  5. A new addition to the Mancave. I found the old map a little small and underwhelming. This beautiful wooden map really turns this section of the living room into a feature wall, and reminds me that the world is a lot bigger than we are made to believe during this Covid travel restrictions. Stay safe everyone, and keep positive!
  6. Thanks for the suggestion pete! I had a look at their lineup and they look nice. The price range is a little out of my budget though. I got this table off carousel for about $100, sawed the legs short and I'm all set! Live within your means as they say!
  7. What mmoh said is correct. Dust will still settle somewhere, be it on the books or whatever you put on it. So it depends on your tolerance level with dust. I find that it’s not so bad for me if I keep all the windows closed when I’m not home. A quick dusting once in a while should do the trick. If I remember correctly, this was my second or third attempt at balloting before I got an invitation to select a flat. I really wanted this unit as it is really close to my girlfriend’s place and it is working out really well. There’s a huge luck element in the equation though. So keep trying!
  8. Hi Guna, thanks for your feedback! My Fxxk it attitude is because I'm poor and need to save money, and also because sometimes if you want something done right the way you want, you gotta do it yourself lol. Yes I find that sometimes my place can look a little cluttered if I don't curate and tidy my things. It's always a compromise between form and function. Especially since I am using an open shelf concept. I'll do my best to answer your questions. 1. Did you choose type 1...or were the type 2s fully booked? I would have of course wanted the Type 2. I have been to the showrooms and I find that 45sqm seems just right for 1 person. But when it was my turn to choose a flat at my estate, all the good Type 2s have been taken. There was one type 2 avail but it was at level 3 and was looking out at the rubbish dump. I seriously thought about taking it, figuring that if I kept the windows closed I can still enjoy the larger space of a Type 2. But I'm glad I didn't - the place I'm at now is at a high floor with a great unblocked view and I don't regret it one bit. 2. I understand the bath/toilet comes with tiling but you mentioned overlaying kitchen tiles? can we opt out of wall tiles for kitchen? I don't believe you can, because both the kitchen and bathroom are tiled as they have to be certified waterproof to HDB standards before handover. Reason being that if it's not waterproof, the water may seep into the concrete and down to your neighbours below and is a huge liability issue. 3.again regarding the toilet...from the floor plans the walls look like they are non-structural so does that mean it is possible to hack the walls away to reconfigure the toilet after 3 years(maciam my attached pic)? Ya so for the same reason mentioned, you cannot hack any part of the toilet wall. There are also water and sewage pipes running inside and along the structure and you don't want to mess with those. the Only thing I think is hackable for the Type 1 is the false wall with the sliding door.
  9. Looks like it could just be siliconed on the walls and tiles. Is there a way for you to see the inside of it? Bear in mind though that if you were to remove it, there may be a 'shadow' of the shelf on the walls and tiles from the difference in discoloration, so you probably need to do some touch up.
  10. Do you have a picture of it? Maybe that will help us evaluate the sitauation better.
  11. I think your configuration is just a little different from mine. My kitchen is squarish. I think your bedroom and living room may be more spacious than mine, although the lines are different. Will PM you my contractor details.
  12. The latest addition/change in my living room is to get rid of my coffee table and to use a permanent dining table instead. It's a smallish table from IKEA, very minimalist that I like. Also changed a single seater couch to a 2 seat Muji living/dining chair configuration. Since the Muji chairs are a little lower, I had to saw about 10 cm off the legs of the table to make the combo more comfortable. I like the configuration a lot. It gives me a place to eat, work and entertain guests without having to wheel the expandable table out every time. The Muji chairs also tuck nicely underneath when not in use. So far the house is holding up well after about 1.5 years. Some little repairs and upkeep needed, nothing major. Hope it stays that way! Hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy during this trying COVID times. As you can see I got a little companion to ease the pain a little haha.
  13. It was only about a hundred something dollars, shipped from Amazon US when they did international shipping for free. Sadly no longer.
  14. Hi Lov8, thanks for the compliments. The jigsaw I use is from the Milwaukee line, like the rest of my tools. I got the WorkX Pegasus Work Table to use it on. It was avilable from Amazon some time back. The Work Table was from Amazon, I believe. The jigsaw was from eBay since I think it's impossible to find in Singapore. Hope this helps!
  15. They are throws from IKEA. You can find them here https://www.ikea.com/sg/en/cat/blankets-throws-20528/ They help a bunch as you can just remove them for washing and they protect the original fabric of the furniture.
  16. Wow I don't keep such detailed accounting of my spending, unfortunately. The flat itself is about 112k and the reno is about 14k. The furniture and other accessories I estimate to be about 15k. It's really hard to go a full cost analysis on what I spent since there are many small items and trips to IKEA, but that's a rough estimate
  17. Well also need to bear in mind that I did not engage an ID who will definitely jack up the price for their services. I did all the planning myself and just got the contractor to execute. Plus yes my carpentry is minimal and my I have not included the furniture, etc.
  18. Hi dandan, thanks for the kind words. Actually what I have already discussed are most of my major DIY works around the home. You can always start small with simpler projects and work your way up. Like a plant stand or something
  19. Hi dounts, yes there is an initial cost to get all the hardware tools, work bench and accessories associated with doing DIY. I cannot put a dollar value on the exact amount of money saved but what i found most useful was the ability to customize furniture to the exact specifications of the various nook and crannies around my flat. And yes it does take quite a lot of time, especially since I was such a novice when I started out. Sourcing for materials can be a pain too, so I used quite a few ready made IKEA furniture and just modded them. The DIY culture is definitely a lot more lively in other countries, where they have space to have a mini workshop in their garage or something. So definitely depends on your interest, I have modded some furniture to fit exactly my flat that are not available anywhere
  20. My woodworking experience is close to zero besides what I learnt in secondary school. I learnt most of what I know from YouTube All I got were some basic tools like a jigsaw, orbital sander and a power drill. Honestly most of my DIY stuff are simple mods and customizations to fit certain spaces in the flat. Like my kitchen pantry is basically an IKEA hack of the IVAR system. I combined the shallower 30cm IVAR shelves with the deeper 50cm shelves to make the pantry. I then painted the frame black and recolored the shelves with a waterproof almond varnish. 50cm is a little too deep for the upper shelves as you cannot reach deep inside, and I find 30cm is a too shallow and unstable. My customized pantry will also allow it to follow the shape of the kitchen windows as you can see. The arcade table is also customized, so that I can store the foldable dining table underneath. I have since also made a little planter ledge by the window frame for some greens Easy project, just have to cut a plank of pine and lay across the top of the kitchen counter and the pantry. It's also treated with the waterproof almond matte varnish since it's likely to get wet around there. A small fence along the length to finish the project. Another mod of the IKEA Elvarli system in the bomb shelter. Actually ryanyth, I wanted to get the vendor for your wardrobe setup - Smart Home I belive it was. But they response and communication is quite atrocious, to the point that I gave up and just found my own solution. I like the Elvarli system as you can adjust the shelves as needed. I found a way to install the corner shelves too, as the original Elvarli does not have the option for corner shelves (you can see from the photo). The left part of the system (the tools section) is customized with a length that fit that side of the room. The shelves are Ivar shelves cut to size. The right side where my clothes are are original Elvarli. The Elvarli bamboo shelves are expensive ($40 a shelf!), so I save quite a bit of money by using the pine shelves on the left side also. Some simple DIY allows you to accomplish little projects around the house without calling in the handyman. You also understand your home a little bit more, and most importantly it can be fun!
  21. Thanks aldo! Actually it was his blog that has helped me quite a bit because it really detailed the entire process. Yes I had a hard time finding references and inspiration for 2 room flats and it has been quite a learning experience along the way. I was already halfway through the reno when I thought of doing a blog myself to help other 2 roomers in my situation, so I just waited till everything is done to better organize my posts. One big advantage of a singles flat is that you don't have to argue with anyone about renovation, and so you have a free hand to fulfill your vision
  22. Wow thanks Ryan! I’m new to this blogging thing so am still trying to figure everything out. My thoughts still not very organized haha.
  23. My flight sim console is the centerpiece of my gaming space ? The components are made up of bits and bobs I have collected over the years. The table space is pretty much taken up as you can see, so I have installed the mouse and game pad platform from Obutto to play regular first person shooters or strategy games. And yes the seat is installed on a custom made platform that I cobbled together from IKEA stuff, and it included a side console on the left for my throttle quadrant and such. Draped over the seat is a vibrating cushion for haptic feedback from some flight sims so you can actually feel vibrations from touch downs and such. And of course the VR headset for immersion - very important! The seat can be uncomfortable for long gaming sessions so I’m looking into how to improve it lol. yes I bought a ship on Star Citizen also but not sure if it will see the light of day. The optimization is pretty bad at this point too. I have other games to keep me occupied I’m not really familiar with your avatar so i suspect we play different genres of games haha.
×