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Hello World!! So we embark on a whole new journey of RENOVATION after collection of our keys last Wednesday!! A home to call our own =), and a simultaneous butt-full of debt. Ah well, an exciting journey nonetheless. Here are some IDs we encountered: The authentic IDs who have absolutely stunning designs (but who also demand more moolah than we could part with) 1. D-Home 2. JQ Ong 3. Metre Cube And others we met up with: 1. Roman (spam) Professional guy, met up with him twice to discuss the renovation details. Gives constructive advice, but felt that he had some unconventional ideas although we found them somewhat difficult to visualise. Learnt quite abit during was discussions. Quotation was reasonable (perhaps slightly over out budget then), but I think we side-tracked when our soon-to-be neighbour highly recommended a cheaper ID. 2. JXXXX (SXXX Interior) A whole bunch of us popped by the shop, led by above-said neighbour. Very attractive pricing in the mid-20K range inclusive of lighting and carpentry work. Quite a few of us signed on, and we paid our first deposit to obtain our 3D pics. And this was when we realised that our ID was somewhat lacking in his artistic flair. And after a few meetups the general feel was that he played more of a salesman/middleman role. Things got far more expensive with further amendents, was seriously overquoted for some carpentry work; Also got sick of empty promised. So we thought we should probably re-consider our options. Back to ID-hunting. 3. Nicholas (Renoguyz) He was pretty highly recommended on Renotalk: quality-work, reasonable pricing; Some said he was odd. Conversation went from fish to flowers and finally to our reno requirements. Was told of some impracticalities in our previous design, renovation cost more likely to be between 30-40k instead. Hmm, probably can consider. So now it's still ID-shopping. Wondering if it's worth looking up Mr K (H2O) or Calvin Tan (PoshHome)... Hmm.

Hi guys! Decided to note down my reno journey here. My flat is a 4 room new flat at Punggol Spectra (we balloted for Sale of Balanced Flats) neighbors have already moved in since 2013. Gotten our keys on 21 Jul reno is in progress...... Our reno ID is: JASON FROM COSY LIVING (9366 1558) I will ignore all qns abt my ID contact from this post onwards. Actually a couple of forumers here also have their house done by Jason. Thanks to guojiawen's T-blog that I came to know about Jason. Jason's quote is very competitive (and reasonable) hence it's also part of our reason to choose this ID. We did go thru a couple of IDs and we went with our gut to choose this ID because we felt comfortable with Jason. So far... Jason is very detailed in his way of doing things he cares to explain theories and what not. Very responsive in Whatsapp and calls. Our theme is like a bit of cosy country (wife loves wood) + industrial (husband likes it the black pipes- if you know what I mean). Our budget is around 30k plus minus will only reveal quote after everything is finished (but it's around 30k-ish) We did not do anything to our common bedrooms except for the floors + installation of ceiling light + fan. Our house did not come with floors done by HDB we have decided to go with vinyl for the whole house and tiles for foyer area and balcony. Our floor plan: A highlight of our house will be that we have a tiny balcony (AKA smoking area) at our MBR. Very ideal for smokers. Ha-ha-ha. Our 3D designs: As you can see from this pic, for our MBR the whole wall will be our wardrobe area + TV console. If you can gauge from our floor plan you will know that for the left side of our kitchen where the sink + hob + fridge is at it's a very squeezy area. and between sink and hob is only a ipad air space and for our fridge it's only a small 600mm fridge. Will talk about my applicances + furniture purchases later on. For the right side, it' will be the preparation area. Very open and empty! The pictures are just a draft as we have not choose our laminates yet but the feel is there. As for the TV area, the feature wall is a full brick wall too same as my bomb shelter wall that you see. So it's 2 brick walls for me. Progess: Today the walls will be hacked to achieve my open kitchen concept. Tiles for foyer area and balcony area is already up.

Hi everyone!! Finally decided to start a t-blog after reading so much from Renotalk for the past 2 months! We only started planning for our renovation after we got our key in June 2014. Didnt realise that it really takes a lot of time and effort to plan for a reno and I strongly advise anyone who have not started planning to start at least 2-3 months before the key collection. We started off by deciding on the theme for our house. We browsed through many home design pictures on the internet which are of modern minimalist, scandinavian, industrial theme etc. They all look nice but none of the pics made us feel like.. OK! This is it! .... Therefore, we spent quite some time deciding on our theme. There were many changes to our initial ideas, themes and concepts along the way before we finally settled on Greek(Santorini) inspired beach theme. WX (my fiance) and I both fell in love with Greece after we had our holiday there in Dec 2013. I have always love the beach, the sea, etc... and WX proposed to me on a beach in Green Island, Cairns... so we both feel that a Greek-inspired beach home has a special meaning for both of us. There are also other reasons for choosing this theme, such as WX likes blue and I like green, and since we will be living together, our place will comprise of blue-green (turquoise), which also fits in our Greek inspired beach theme. Also, I love to have wooden furniture in the house and so beach theme is a good choice for us! In short, when this idea of Greek inspired beach theme came to our mind, both of us got very excited and we knew that Ok! This is it! This is the theme that we are looking for.

Hi, Need advice where to purchase rainshower set with adjustable height and joven storage heater. Thanks alot.

Hello everyone! Now that we've finally gotten our keys to our love nest, I've decided to start blogging about our reno journey! Wasn't too sure how helpful this will be but seeing how much insight & tips I got from the various renotalkers now happily settled in their homes, I've decided to give it a go If nothing else, it'll be a journal of sorts for us on this eventful adventure ============================================================================= {The One With The Space Planning Conundrum} Once we got our pdf floorplan from the HDB officer in late 2013, we started researching on #pinterest (helpful tags are #hdb #hdbrenovation), #renotalk, #homeanddecor, #squarerooms and #lookboxliving for ideas on using small space efficiently & creatively. At the time of selecting our flat, we weren't sure about the space needs of our home (Eg. 1kid or 2kids? Is MIL staying with us?) and the 4room seemed like a better fit over the 5room. Since we have gotten used to the vastness of my parents' EA, we know some hacking will be needed to open up the communal area for entertaining guests. To better visualize the amount of space we have, we decided to do a comparison using the images sourced on #homedecor & #squareroom: OPTION 1: Hack 50% of L-Wall in Kitchen, Hack 50% of Study Wall (To replace hacked portions with Glass) (all images taken off home&decor & renotalk) Pros (both): Increase in overall visual space, Cool air from aircon won't leak out, Maintains a clean look. Glass is quite affordable. Cons (both): Not really sound proof. No real improvement for interaction as we are still separated by glass (so weird to talk through glass). Dead-space behind the area blocked by opened glass door (which will be open most of the time I imagine) Somehow it felt safer to stick with what the majority went for and see if it fits us. Husband eventually put his foot down that he don't want to have to shout from his study to me in the living room. Ok so no glass. Even when I showed him these images. ESPECIALLY the ones with a black frame. OPTION 2: Hack 100% of L-Wall in Kitchen, Hack 100% of Study Wall Pros (for kitchen): Increase in dining area, Possibility for bar counter (which I've always wanted OMG! ), Fridge can now be in dining space for guests to help themselves while I'm cooking (I'm ok with glass sliding doors separating the wet kitchen from the hall) Cons (for kitchen): Loss of counter & storage space (which the bar counter can make up for so not really a con yay ) Pros (for study): Increase in hall area for interaction while still being in study area. Cons (for study): OMG WE GOT SO STUCK HERE!! Day after day, our conversation will revolve around this #holeinthewall conundrum. We know that we'll need that study to function as a bedroom eventually. So the design has to incorporate both our present and future needs. And that hole is HUGE. About 7feet wide. Husband is adamant about being able to talk to guests & watch movies from the TV WHILE seated from his table in the study. I'm adamant abt preserving the option for privacy with curtains or blinds (which will need glass right?!) Multifold doors look nice but when they are folded open, the combined thickness is such an eyesore and eats into the sofa space. Casement windows are also out as someone will knock their heads on the open window frames (duh). Sliding doors look the sleekest of the lot but they trap dust on the lower track and are difficult to clean. And half of the view will always be blocked. Oh Mai Gawd... I even roped in my brother into the discussion/debate since he's also collecting his keys within this year. The longer we got stuck at this #holeinthewall, the more unsure we were about approaching contractors for quotes. We can't even come to a conclusion, how're we supposed to tell the contractor what we want done??? I was not even keen to meet with any contractors at this point. We so so needed help By this time, my bro had met up with quite a few IDs/contractors for quotes and following his recommendation, we decided to meet up with one of them. We presented our problem to him and asked if he had any solutions before. Imagine our faces when he suggested "curtains"...... #winliaolor #myhouseisnotatheatreleh I think he panicked a little seeing our reaction haha! Then his kakia suggested building a halfwall using partition board, with a flap that can be swung open & downwards, airplane-tray-table style. So if we need to install glass in the future, we can just open the flap, slot in a glass panel, then close and seal the flap. But this idea sounds so... flimsy :/ Not fun to consider how glass might fall onto our heads while watching TV. That's when we decided to go for a second opinion... (To be continued)

Hello fellow Renotalkers, I'm new here though my husband already is a regular. I created a blog to document the joy and experience of building our home with my hubby but silly me, I had meant to place the content in T-blog but confused with the main blog platform also on Renotalk. Here are my first two posts. BLOG - CHAPTER 1: ID Search Months ahead of our key collection, we were contemplating whether to engage an ID or not. My hubby was very excited as he had been looking forward to start on our renovation project and he was very confident of doing up the 3D-drawings himself. I must say, he did some pretty decent perspectives for the home. But we still went ahead to get some quotes from ID first… ​Click to continue --------------------- BLOG - CHAPTER 2: Our 4RM BTO Space STEP 2: Space Evaluation (4RM BTO) Here's an overview of how our bare 4-rm BTO space looks like LIVING/DINING AREA We opted out of the floor tiles (living/dining/bedroom only) and doors option in order to get alternatives that suit our liking. View from our main door. ….. Click to continue Chapter 2 -------------------------- Anyone here who might be find this layout familiar? Guess most flats are laid out similarly these days. Moving forward, I will continue with my updates from here onwards.

Final Product my lovely wife and i bought a house back 2011, now i just can't wait for the day we will be getting the key. Our flat is near its completion and so i decided to start researching on renovation, heres our floor plan HDB floor plan HDB suggested layout My own layout Color code: red - cabinet blue - table yellow - sofa green - wardrobe orange - bed pink - fridge i designed this layout based on the following reasons: 1. we will be living with my parents so we only need 2 bed rooms 2. Suggested study room beside living room will not be constructed as we prefer bigger living space 3. we will make a suite by joining bedroom 2 & MBR, bedroom 2 will be walkin wardrobe + study room. 4. kitchen service yard will be hacked to make kitchen more spacious, windows will be installed at the service yard my bro-in-law is an ID so he will help us draw an autocad version of our dream layout and give us some advice for the arrangement of furnitures, material to use, design etc The design we're looking for is simplicity and ease of maintenance, something like Scandinavian

Got a brand new in box Ariston cooker hood (SL191) Local Warranty Price: $228 (Retail: $419) My lost is your gain. Interested parties call/sms 9oo 7oo 55. http://www.mayer.sg/index.php/produc...2-06-27-detail

HI everyone, Initially I don't intend to post another topic on asking about reasonable quote since there's plenty threads. But after browsing, I couldn't find any that's similar to what we wanted to do. So here I am posting, yet another similar thread, seeking advice if the price is reasonable. Below is 1 of the 7 id/contractor that we've met and considering to engage them. Some items are not included yet, still waiting for them to revise the quote (eg. granite top) Hope to get some opinion from you guys, especially for those who have done platform with storage in the MBR 1 General 1.1 Washing for whole unit (General + Chemical + remove debris + clean window) = $700 1.2 Supply and lay paper protection include clear rubbish for whole house = $150 1.3 Application of HDB permit = $0 2 Masonary 2.1 Fabricate cabinet base with tile skirting = 3.6m $300 2.2 Fabricate fridge base with tile finish = $150 3 Tiling 3.1 Supply & lay 600x600mm homogeneous floor tiles for living, dining & 3 bedrooms incl skirting = 61.1sqm $6,150 $3.40psf 4 Plumbing 4.1 Install water pipe for cold and hot water supply from citigas heater to common bathroom, copper = $320 4.2 Install toilet accessories for 2 bathroom = $100 4.3 Supply & install material to run sink inlet/out pipe = $100 5 Painting 5.1 Supply & paint whole unit including door frames Nippon = $1,600 7 Windows 7.1 Supply & install window at service yard = 3.84sqm $600 8 Doors 8.1 Supply & install 3nos of Veneer door c/w lockset and handles for all bedroom PE Veneer hollow core = $960 8.2 Supply & install door for both toilets PD Door = $640 9 Living Room 9.1 Design & fabricate shoe cabinet in laminate finish (full height), Glass finish = 900mmL $850 $94/100mmL 9.2 Design & fabricate settee in laminate finish = 500mmL $350 $70/100mmL 9.3 Supply & install mirror at foyer = 2.80sqm $350 $125/sqm (Most probably will buy own, might be cheaper) 9.4 Design & fabricate L-shape dining bench Storage + cushion & backing = 3150mmL $2,850 $91/100mmL 9.6 Design & fabricate suspended collapsible table with folding legs in laminate finish = 1200mmL $800 $67/100mmL 9.7 Design & fabricate TV feature wall in laminate finish (full height) = 2100mmL $1,500 $71/100mmL 9.8 Design & fabricate suspended console = 2100mmL $1,500 $71/100mmL 10 Kitchen 10.1 Design & fabricate cabinet in laminate finish = 7400mmL $2,950 $40/100mmL 10.3 Supply & install dish rack Stainless steel = FOC 10.4 Design & fabricate laundry cabinet = 500mmL $350 $70/100mmL 11 Master Bedroom 11.1 Design & fabricate wardrobe in laminate finish (full ht) = 4000mmL $3,450 $86/100mmL 11.2 Design & fabricate TV console in laminate finish Suspended console = 1800mmL $950 $53/100mmL 11.3 Design & fabricate platform with storage in laminate finish = 6.48sqm $2,350 $363/sqm 11.4 Design & fabricate headboard in cushion finish 1500mmL Full ht = $1,500 $100/100mmL 11.5 Design & fabricate 2nos. side drawer in laminate finish Suspended table = $500 12 Bedroom 2 12.1 Design & fabricate wardrobe in laminate finish (full ht) = 600mmL $550 $92/100mmL 12.2 Design & fabricate single size bed frame in laminate finish Pull out drawer = $800 12.3 Design & fabricate study cabinet in laminate finish = 900mmL $400 $44/100mmL 12.4 Design & fabricate study table in laminate finish, suspended = 4950mmL $2,900 $59/100mmL 13 Bedroom 3 13.1 Design & fabricate wardrobe in laminate finish (full ht) = 1500mmL $1,300 $87/100mmL

Hi All Expert, Could you kindly help me see through if this quotation is reasonable? I am very new in this and my flat is coming either late 2014 or early 2015. Demoltion & Hacking Works To provide labour and tools for the following hacking works: 800.00 To hack partial wall at Master Bedroom To dismantle door and frame at bedroom 2 Masonry Works To make good doorway between Master Bedroom and Walk-in Wardrobe. 400.00 To construct concrete hollow block wall at former door way at Walk-in Wardrobe. 450.00 To construct concrete shower kerb at Common and Master Bath. (Tiles to be purchased seperately) 600.00 To construct wall panelling with cement boards in cement screed finish ****. (TV wall only) 2,850.00 Carpentry Works (All cabinet interiors finished wfth white PVC finish, c/w BLUM soft closing hinges, unless otherwise stated.) Kitchen To design and construct top and bottom cabinets in laminate finish along Hob side. (L 2600mm) 2,380.00 To design and construct top and bottom cabinets in laminate finish along Sink side. (L 2100mm) 1,960.00 To design and construct full height cabinet with oven compartment in laminate finish. (L 600mm) 980.00 To design and construct top cabinet in laminate finish above fridge. (L 900mm) 460.00 To supply and install solid surface work top to bottom cabinet counters. (L 4700mm) 1,390.00 To supply and install coloured glass backing between top and bottom cabinets. (L 4700mm) 1,050.00 Walk-in Wardrobe To design and construct casement wardrobe in laminate finish. (L 5700mm) 5,320.00 To design and construct low heght cabinet with glass top and drawer with pigeon hole compartments in laminate finish. (L 1000mm) 750.00 To design and construct sliding door in laminate finish c/w mirror on one side. 1,200.00 Master Bedroom To design and construct bay window settee with storage in laminate finish. (L 2400mm) 1,230.00 Master Bath To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w solid surface top. (L 800mm) 690.00 To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w mirror on doors. (L 800mm) 590.00 Common Bath To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w solid surface top. (L 800mm) 690.00 To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w mirror on doors. (L 800mm) 590.00 Sllower Screens To supply and install fixed shower panel at Master Bath. 490.00 To supply and install corner unit sliding glass shower screen at Common Bath. 1,200.00 Door Works To supply and install semi-hollow doors in veneer finish to 2 Bedrooms. 760.00 To supply and install tempered glass swing doors at 2 Baths. 1,500.00 Option to install PO door at 2 Baths. ($900.00) Plumbing Works To supply and install stainless steel pipes for gas heater. 180.00 To install kitchen sink and tap with supply pipe and waste pipe connection. 180.00 To dismantle old basin and install new basin and mixer at 2 Baths. 240.00 Others To supply labour to paint whole unit's interior only, with ICI paint, Max 5 colors. (Minimum 2 coats) 1,100.00 To provide labour and material to lay protection board and plastic cover for renovation work. FOC To provide labour and material to do professional cleaning for whole unit after renovation, includes cabinet interiors, windows and doors. (2 trips) FOC Project management and site coordination services. FOC

Hi all, Appreciate if you guys can provide your comments and advice on this quotation by my ID. Thanks. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE (DESIGN AND CONSULTATION FEE $4500) FOC 1. Design consultation & space planning 2. Design proposal & perspective drawings (for carpentry areas only) 3. Selection of colour, material & accessories 4. Site co-ordination & supervision 5. Decoration advice A. MASONRY WORKS (MATCHING HDB TILES WILL BE USE FOR CONCRETE BASE) 1. Supply & construct 50mm ht kitchen cabinet base c/w side tiles finishing - $450 2. Supply & construct 01 nos 50mm ht washing machine base c/w full tiles finishing -$150 3. Supply & construct 01 nos 50mm ht fridge base c/w full tiles finishing - $150 4. Supply & construct 02 no shower kerb c/w full tiles finishing at both toilets - $150 B. PLUMBING WORKS (OWNER SUPPLY FITTING) 1.Supply labour to install 01 nos of kitchen sink cum tap fittings - $200 2.Supply labour to install 02 nos of instant heater -$200 3.Supply labour to install 02 nos of toilet accesorries ($80) - FOC 4. Supply labour to install 02 nos of handspray - $80 5. Supply labour to dismantle / install 01 no basin cum tap fittings - $100 C. PAINTING WORKS Supply material & labour to paint whole house interior wall & ceiling with Nippon / ICI Emulsion paint (6 wall colors +1 ceiling white color)(Premier) - $1,450 Option A - (ICI Wall Paint types to be select : Dulux All, Dulux Wash & Wear, Dulux Light & Space, Dulux Pentalie) Option B- (Nippon Wall Paint types to be select : Nippon Odourless, Easy Wash, 3 in 1 Medifresh, Vinilex 5000) painting of sewage pipe and metal door frame with gloss paint C. CEILING WORK (include air con U-box) 1. Supply & construct L-box cum cove light holder include false ceiling at living room/foyer and dining area - $2,000 2. Supply & construct L-box cum cove light holder include false ceiling at master bedroom - $750 D. GLASS WORK (standard shower screen 1800mm ht) 1. Supply & install 10mm tempered glass shower screen at master toilet (fix panel cum swing door only)(include stainless steel chrome handler) -$650 2. Supply & install 6mm tempered glass backing c/w nippon/ICI color spray between top and bottom kitchen cabinet (16ft L, 2ft Ht) - $950 E. PD DOOR 1. Supply material & labour to install aluminium Pd door at kitchen entrance (acrylic / glass series) -$850 F. CUSTOM-MADE FURNITURE ( External: Selected Laminate with Internal : Carcass in White PVC Finish ) HIGH GRADE LAMINATE TO BE SELECT : EDL & JENNINGS (up to 380 types of laminate design to select)(laminate price up to $55) Cabinet doors & drawers in ABS trimming finishing To supply Labour, Tools And Materials To Install : LIVING AREA 1. Design & fabricate full ht TV feature wall with laminate design (6 ft L, 8.5 ft Ht) - $1,320 a. Selected Laminate finish 2. Design & fabricate suspended TV console (6ft L) - $660 a. Selected Laminate finish b. internal carcass in white pvc finish 3. Design & fabricate full ht shoe rack cum partial display compartment (4ft L, 8,5ft H) - $1,040 a. Selected Laminate finish b.internal carcass in white pvc finish c. reinforce wood backing with mirror design KITCHEN AREA 4. Design & fabricate top kitchen cabinet c/w : (19ft L) - $2,090 a. doors in seleted laminate finish and ABS trimmings b. internal carcass in white pvc finish c .01 nos of stainless steel dish rack ($100) d. 01 nos of aluminium frame sandblasted glass ($100) e. supply labour to install kitchen hood & hod (item supply by owner) 5. Design & fabricate bottom kitchen cabinet c/w : (16ft L) - $1,760 a. doors in seleted laminate finish and ABS trimmings b. internal carcass in white pvc finish c. Full set drawer with BLUM silvergrey tandembox (S1 - $150, S2 - $180 - S3 - $220) - optional items d. S1 silvergrey blum drawers x 1, S2 silvergrey blum drawers x 1, S3 silver grey blum drawers x 2 ($770) -optional times 6. Full ht kitchen cabinet (2ft L) - $700 MASTER BEDROOM 7. Design & fabricate full ht casement door wardrobe Selected Laminate finish (7ft L, 8.5ft H) - $1,610 a. internal carcass in white pvc finish b. standard plywood drawer units c. standard shelves d. standard clothes hanging rod BEDROOM 2 and 3 (6ft L, 8.5ft H) - optional items 8. Design & fabricate full ht casement door wardrobe ($1380) a. Selected Laminate finish b. internal carcass in white pvc finish c. standard drawer units d. standard shelves e. standard clothes hanging rod Additional design 1 : wooden sliding door wardrobe ($130) Additional design 2 : aluminium frame sliding door with glass/laminate/mirror design ($420) MASTER BATHROOM 9. Design & fabricate suspended vanity cabinet (full set) (3ft L, 8.5ft H) - $990 a. Selected Laminate finish b. internal carcass in white pvc finish c. cresto solid surface table top d. clear mirror with cove light holder (fittings excluded) H. KITCHEN TABLE TOP (16ft L) 1. Supply material & labour to install cresto solid surface table top at bottom kitchen cabinet ($1200) - optional items 2. Supply material & labour to install imported INDIA granite table top at bottom kitchen cabinet ($2080) - optional items 3. Supply material & labour to install quartz table top at bottom kitchen cabinet - $2,240 Selection : Igalaxy, Icrystal, Icream, Imansory, Iearth, Izen, Iruby,Isapphire I. CLEANING WORK 1.Clearing of debris & haulage, supply & upload sand (by HDB Haulage contractor) - $350 2. Supply & lay corrugated paper for whole house flooring (by HDB Haulage contractor) - $200 3. Provide general cleaning for whole house (include chemical wash for bathrooms and kitchen) - $180 4. Provide final cleaning ($150) - FOC J. COMPLIMENTARY ITEMS ANTI SLAM HINGES / STOPPER FOR ALL CASEMENT DOOR CABINET PAINT FINISHING FOR ALL CARPENTRY EXTERNAL EDGE MISC ITEMS Remarks: No GST charges Above quotation not included Electrical work & Air con work 5 years warranty on workmanship & defects Total quotation (excluding optional items): $20,838

Hi All, Above is total a time consuming action required from hectic working adults like us. However we tend to rather absorb this additional task to our already stressful life in turn to save $ to engage the subject matter experts thinking we rather save the money for other things which need to be purchase upon getting keys! Now my question to you all out there is, how many have you all tried to do this on your own and yet realised there was oversight/overlooked detailed things due to lack experience and ended up paying more after the warranty period to get the renovation company to resolve your issues???????????????????? Would you have engaged the service before after going through the difficulties for NOT engaging one after your key collection and rushed into staring the RENO works???? Some defects list can go up to 80+ defects. Should one consider this a little investment for the long run? Defects here can be so detailed that we can realise them only after moving into your new home during rainy weathers such as where the floor leveling problem surfaces for an instance.

Our 5 rm BTO is now already undergoing renovation. Tiling works and wiring are in progress. Pardon me but let me do some back dating work here. Renovation is really more hectic than we though it would be! We'll let the pictures do the talking. Here is our floor plan. Very typical 5-rm floor plan. Had thought of hacking the wall between bedroom 3 and living room so as to make a, very popular now, semi-enclosed study room complete with glass doors and black frame. This would very much fit into the modern scandi feel. But then did away with it after consultation with our feng shui master. Decided to do away with the wall between our master and bedroom 2 instead! [bEFORE] [AFTER] Much space and light after. Didn't know how much space was the wall hiding! Since I am in the mood of hacking, why not just remove the hideous white plastic box with mesh-like PVC material covering the drainage in the master toilet. Somebody may like it, somebody don't. This was an inital idea that alarmed our ID a bit but then was accepted cause it fitted our design! Alright the picture doesnt do it justice. But trust us, it's a lot bigger with the damned box removed. The black stuff is preparation work for our overlay~~ That's the update for another time..

I've been marking down notes and learning the ropes from you guys in renotalk who made it possible by sharing your experiences. 3 years have passed. Now here is where we begin our renovation process. This will be a slow but comprehensive renovation as we wouldn't like to rush into things. Hope you guys will appreciate this compilation of the steps we took to build our home.

Finally decided to start my own renovation blog to jot down the little journey taken as my hubs and I build our first home from scratch. Collected our keys in March and then took a while to start the ID hunt, although we were not exactly very conscientious in this matter due to overwhelming work commitment and stuff. We met up with two IDs and then eventually decided on one when the other failed to reply to us. Renovations is ongoing currently (started two weeks ago), and we are looking at completion by Mid June. Floor plan as below. I will not be sharing information about my ID or detailed quotes until the entire renovation work is completed. Currently, the quotation given is around 45k for the entire renovation, excluding the electrical components, which will be handled by my FIL. Will update again when I can! Update: Renovation completed. Please see post #80 http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/65463-poq/page-2#entry861755 for ID details and review.

Hi all! After roaming renotalk t-blog for so long, it's time for some contribution. Like everyone else, after years of waiting, i finally got my keys. Below will be my floor plan: Next... Selection of ID time!

We just collected our keys! Can't wait to start our reno journey! Had been quietly following all the t-Blogs that inspired us a lot and now it is finally our turn to document and share this adventure with the fellow Renotalk peeps. So exciting! YAY! Here is the floor plan... P.S. This will mostly be the wife blogging, I hijacked my husband's RT account to blog.

Hello everyone, Like many young couples, my SO and I are really excited to get the keys for our future home. Since then I have been lurking around renotalk, absorbing experience and ideas shared by so many passionate homeowners. As I will be starting my renovation soon, I feel that I should share my experience here, to contribute a little back to this awesome community. My home is a 4-room BTO flat, located at the northeastern area of Singapore. As this is a premium project, it comes with HDB flooring and I opted for HDB door. Below is the floor plan and pictures of the living room. Typical 4 room BTO floor plan. Realised many of my new neighbours hack away the wall between kitchen and dining area. Decided against an open concept kitchen as both of us are too lazy/busy to keep our kitchen neat and tidy all the time. Recess wall in the living room. HDB should just fill up the recess area to make life easier for us. TV console will be placed here. Still thinking of ideas for dining area feature wall. Dislike the wooden skirting around the living area and will be asking my ID to hack and replace them with matching tiles. We have collected our keys in early March but the last month was spent rectifying the defects with HDB and sourcing for contractor/ID. Both tasks are long and daunting, and I am glad both of them have been sorted out. During the meetings with different contractors/IDs, I have these criteria in mind: 1. Must incorporate our fengshui beliefs into the design 2. Pet friendly as we have a dog 3. Scandinavian theme (love the clean and simple look) with splashes of blue 4. Keep within our budget 5. The contractor/id must be able to commit and take care of our project personally, as we both work late Finally found our chosen one and signed the contract over the weekend, journey should start next week. Next, shopping time for air condition, hod, hood, sink and fridge....

After being a silent reader of many reno t-blogs and many PMs exchanges for ID contacts, I have finaly (and reluctantly) decided to start a t-blog to document our reno journey, learning process, and sourcing tips etc with fellow forumers and future readers. Have taken too much good info from this forum and this is our small way of giving back to this lovely and helpful community in Renotalk. First and foremost, like any other reno t-blog, our floor plan. Right from the start, I knew there's some design flaw (oh well, it's HDB BTO, either take it or leave it) 1. There's no way to hack the kitchen to create open concept, and my wife have to forget about any kitchen island. 2. Placement of dining table gonna be a challenge (I actually use this as one of my key selection criteria to determine if an ID is giving much thoughts about space planning, or they are quoting for the sake of quoting only). Some ideas/themes that my wife and I like, and inspired after reading many pages of t-blogs and other online sources ....

Hello! I've been loitering in the forum for about 2 years now and its time for me to share my renovation process and document my first home renovation journey. Firstly, this is a Premium BTO named Compassvale Ancilla launch in March 2011. Fast forward exactly 3 years later and we've collected the keys to our first home on 5th March 2014. It was a long but fruitful wait. The main contractor's workmanship is commendable. We had only several minor defects and it was all rectified to our satisfaction. As usual, I shall start off with the original floor plan and some photos of the flat. Pls ignore the masking tapes and some uneven colors on the walls, some of the photos were snapped during defect rectification, lol. The living room view from the entrance The living room view from the window

Hmm.. I've read some of the t-blogs here.. So its time for me to contribute.. To share our experiences in this home reno journey. We collected our keys on 11 March 2014.. Signed everything & there goes our CPF balances~ Here is our floor plan.. Here are some pictures of how our house looked before the check.. This the 3rd week since we collected our keys but we have not submitted our feedback form to the BSC. There are so much to check and I wondered how to complete checking within 7 days. With the help with an ID, we finished checking & will be submitting the form in today. Now my house is full of masking tapes to show the defects. Our project is the developer’s first HDB project. While checking, my id was shocked by the quality of the work being done. We have slanted switches, uneven & rough walls, lots of gaps between top & bottom of wood skirtings, badly filled grouting, leaking toilet bowl, cracked floor tiles, missing window screws, all the windows cannot be opened smoothly and dent window frames, chipped walls, and many more.. Will post some photos on the defects later.

We (the husband and I) are starting our renovation in three days. After months of sourcing for ideas and IDs, we have chosen to work with a contractor to create a little cosy home that we have been waiting on for three and a half years. We are not doing any hacking as we need all three bedrooms. And due to budget, we are keeping all the flooring and toilet fixtures that came with the flat. Honestly, we think the finishings are ok and count ourselves lucky for that. So, our renovation will kick off with electrical works, followed by air con installation this weekend. First things first, the all-too-familiar floorplan:

Very new to this forum. So not very sure on what is the standard 5Rm BTO packages or any best quote that you guys might have. Below are what I got quoted for. Standard Flat Package Professional service Design Consultation & Space Planning Design Proposal & Perspective Drawings Selection of Colour, material & accessories Site coordination & Supervision Decoration advice Masonry Works Supply & lay 600mm x 600mm homogenous floor tiles c/w skiting in living area Supply & lay 600mm x 600mm homogenous floor tiles c/w skiting in dining area Supply & lay 600mm x 600mm homogenous floor tiles in household shelter Supply & lay 600mm x 600mm homogenous floor tiles c/w skiting at all bedroom Construct cement concrete base for kitchen cabinet c/w side tiling Construct cement concrete base for fridge c/w full tiling Construct cement concrete base for washing machine c/w full tiling Construct shower kerb in toilet area Plumbing Works Supply & install new inlet / outlet piping for washing machine Supply & install new inlet / outlet piping for kitchen sink Supply labour to install 1 no of kitchen sink & tap Supply labour to install 1 no of tank heater Supply labour to install 2 set toilet accessories Ceiling Works Supply & install false ceiling or L-box design in living area Supply & install false ceiling or L-box design in dining area Supply & install false ceiling at Bedroom Passageway Supply & install false ceiling at Foryer Area Painting Works Supply painting of internal walls & ceiling for the whole house using ICI emulsion paint Supply painting of all door I frames, gate, piping etc.. Other Works Haulage Works Clearing of whole house debris General cleaning & acid washing for whole house Floor protection for whole house Carpentry Carpentry Works Design & Fabricate a L20FT top & bottom kitchen cabinet in selected laminate finish c/w ABS Trimming internal carcass white PVC Supply & install L10FT GRANITE work top 1 no of frosted glass panel 1 no of stainless steel dish rack & tray 1 set of drawer c/w metal runners 1 no of cutlery tray Selected imported designer handles Selected imported hydraulic hinges FOC Aircon System 3 Inverter Hood, HOB, Sink and Tap Anti Slump for kitchen cabinet Additional Add-Ons To supply & install design full height shoe cabinet at bomb shelter in foyer area. L6FT ($2,280) To supply & install design full height feature wall at bomb shelter in foyer area. L3 ($1,140) To supply & install design full height feature wall for LCD in living area. L8FT ($2,800) To supply & install design suspended TV console in living area. L7FT ($1,400) To hack off existing wall to half in kitchen area ($1,100) To touch up existing damage tiles in kitchen area ($400) Additional L15FT kitchen cabinet from package ($1,800) Additional L8FT granite top in kitchen area ($1,140) To supply & install sliding door window in service balcony area ($800) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Standard Package : $20,800) Total quotation: $35,460 (Standard package + Additional Add ons) 7% GST: $2,482.20 Net Sum: $37,942.20 Not sure if can get cheaper with what I want? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hey hey I am finally starting a T-blog of my own! Have been an avid follower of this forum for a short while... Since October 2013? But this forum has really helped my fiance & I alot & we managed to learn alot about house renovation from here.. the basic technical knowledge.. like the difference betweeen laminate & veneer... quartz counter top better or solid surface better... etc etc.. So new home owners don't fret!! This forum will be your best friend with all the helpful people around! Heh heh... Well my fiance & I are just a simple young couple trying to make a life together in our small red dot... getting married soon, so we wish that HDB will quickly hand our keys over to us!! Ok disclaimer: I hope I will find the time and strength to continue to update as often as I can… ahhh nowadays quite busy.. So, here I am! Just for this space to be a record of our renovation journey & appreciate all advice given by all you renotalkers.. Thanks in advance lei.. hahaha...