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After 2 years+ of waiting, fiancé and I finally received our keys to our 4 room BTO flat on 7th June 2013 We weren't in a hurry to move in so we decided to take our time with the renovations; also because our wedding is in 1 December 2013 and we're afraid that finances might be a bit tight. But last week, we met with one interior designer (Spacious Planners @ IMM) and one contractor (the much recommended Mr K from renotalk), and fiancé and I started getting excited with the renovations and all. In the end, we might just start our renovations earlier and hopefully, have the house ready by November 2013 *rubs hands with glee* Here's the floor-plan of my little home which I call TCC - The Chews Corner

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)

Dear all, We have just gotten our keys to a new standard 4-room HDB flat. Totally clueless about reno quotation. Would appreciate any advice on the quotation below - is it reasonable or not? Thanks for all the advice. Masonry works – tiles range $3 psf and below Homogenous floor tiles **** and dining area (60 by 60cm) – $1950 Homogeneous floor tiles at passageway (60 by 60cm) – $525 Overlay kitchen floor tiles – $850 Overlay common toilet floor tiles – $480 Overlay common toilet wall tiles – $1350 Overlay master toilet floor tiles – $480 Overlay master toilet floor tiles – $1350 Construct kitchen base c/w side tile finish 19.5ft – $350 Construct fridge and washing machine base c/w tile finish - $200 Construct shower screen kerb at master toilet c/w side tile finish - FOC Construct shower screen kerb at common toilet c/w side tile finish – FOC Lay craftstone at dining area L8ft x H8ft - $2400 Lay level up floor level at 3 bedrooms – by client Laminate flooring works Lmainate flooring master bedroom - $975 Lamiate flooring bedroom 2 – $715 Lamiate flooring bedroom 3 – $715 Kitchen Kitchen cabinet top hung laminate finish 17.5ft- $2100 Kitchen cabinet bottom hung laminate finish 17.5ft- $2100 Granite kitchen work top black galaxy 17.5ft – $2100 Full height kitchen cabinet for built in oven in laminate finish - $600 Install dish drainer – FOC Install kitchen hob and hood – FOC Main Entrance Full ht shoe cabinet in laminate finish 3ft – $840 Living Area Full ht feature wall in laminate finish 6ft – $1680 Suspended TV console c/w flip up glass door in laminate finish 6ft – $900 Designated sette c/w storage in laminate finish 11ft - $1650 Master bedroom Designated 6” height platform c/w storage 90 sqft - $2340 Designated half-height cushion bedhead for queen size bed approx. 6ft x 2ft - $650 Walk in L-shaped sliding and casement full ht wardrobe in laminate finish 11ft – $3520 Master bathroom Suspended vanity in laminate finish 3ft – $360 Solid surface vanity top 3ft – $240 Storage mirror in laminate finish 3ft – $420 Plumbing Works Supply labour to install 2 set of bathroom accessories ($150) Supply and install tap, inlet and outlet piping and kitchen sink ($120) Glass work To supply & install a 10mm clear tempered glass at kitchen entrance. 3ft W x 7ft H $ 600.00 To supply & install 1 set 10mm swing clear tempered glass shower screen at master-toilet. (1 fix panel & 1 swing door) $ 388.00 To supply & install a 10mm clear tempered glass at master toilet entrance. 3ft W x 7ft H $ 600.00 False Ceiling 1. L-Box cw false ceiling Living & Dining Hall. ($900) 2. false ceiling at passage way. ($400) 3. L-Box cw false ceiling Living & Dining Hall at Master bedroom. (FOC) Window Grilles based on 3ft height – Lump sum $1200 To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at Main bedroom (SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at bedroom 1(SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at bedroom 2 (SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver **** room (SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at service yard (SMG 361)