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Hi all, I've been silent reader all this while and I must agree this is really a very informative reno forum! And yes, I am another Alanist. Hehe.. I've collected my keys in early Dec'13 and my renovation started in late Dec'13. Till now, my renovation is almost completed. I must say that I am quite lucky as there wasn't many hiccups in the process of renovation. When there is minor hiccup, Alan is usually fast in doing rectification. I usually do site visit like once or twice per week. I enjoy working with Alan and his team of sub-cons. I have talked to his tilers, electrician, carpenter and his Bangladeshi painter. They are all very friendly and soft spoken (especially Ah Gui, the carpenter). Ah Gui was telling me I was his fastest client. Usually carpentry discussion takes like 1.5 to 2hrs. For my case, it only take less than an hour. Haha! Ok, before I go on further, let me share with you my floor plan and the original state of the house. Floor plan: Living room: Kitchen: Master bedroom: Master bathroom: Common bathroom: http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c297/Bashful2014/48352C05-7FA6-452B-A1B3-3066C1FCCFD1_zpsforgoccc.jpg Bedroom: http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c297/Bashful2014/4D3A2E2F-7746-4EB6-9110-F3EAB6AB102D_zpszt4vynke.jpg Following is the renovation plan. I have quite a lot of hackings and wall building. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c297/Bashful2014/36DBE00D-2191-466B-A9C5-ACED400CFD61_zpsgg721vkm.jpg And that's it for now. I will try to post the renovated photos ASAP. I am still doing the final cleaning up. Stay tuned...

Hi guys, just wanna recommend this interior designer who is a friend of my friend that did my house recently. i can tell you she can really turn your HDB into something you have never seen before. she is just free lancing so i believe her fees are relatively lower than those interior design firm, you can check out some of her works here: http://*spammer advertising on freelance interior design.wordpress.com/ it's some pretty amazing stuff! very raw and industrial but not over the top. will post pics of my house once its done, so far i'm loving it so i think she deserves some publication! haha. anyway you can find her contacts in the website i believe. cheers!

First of all, I would like to start by making a small introduction before going into our renovation details. We had just bought a 36 years old 3NG resale flat in Telok Blangah Drive. The flat was mostly in original condition, which was what we were looking for all the while. Besides, it was also due to the nice and quiet ambient, and amenities nearby. After the First Appointment with HDB, me and my wife discussed who shall we approach for our renovation. This is when we spend a lot of time reading reviews here and there, but there are too many ID companies with mix comments, which make us lost and confused. One of our friend had gave us a contact of her ID that previously renovated her flat, and this is where the whole story begins. After making an appointment with him, we met him on one Saturday afternoon. With the floor plan, we share with him how we wish our new home to be like. He understood clearly what we wanted and gave us the confidence that he could make it come through, our dream home. We trusted him, and that is why we did not approach any other IDs. Till now, our renovation had been started about a month, and definitely we had selected the right person to do it. He is our transformer, transforming a 36 years old flat to a condo-like 3 room flat. What else could I say? We couldn't be any luckier. PS: I've shifted my blog here instead from Community Blog as I think here is more appropriate for blogging our renovation details.

Hi fellow Renotalkers, I have actually been silently browsing through the renotalk forum for quite some time now, soaking in ideas and getting information and tips on what to do or not do during reno, and also what to buy and where! Having learnt alot through the t-blogs and posts here, I figure I should also share our renovation journey and perhaps some things experienced along the way. Perhaps 1 or 2 of you may also take something away, be it an inspiration or a practical lesson. Our story begins on the 14th of April 2013, when I successfully proposed to my then gf, now wife (who shall henceforth be affectionately referred to as "E"). Having successfully sealed that part of the deal, we set out looking for a place to call home, which as a lot of you know isn't the easiest thing in the world. Some of the factors we considered were as follows: - Near to either E's or my parent's home (easy for childcare needs in the future) - Within 0.5 km of an MRT station, especially on the North East Line (so that E can get to work easily) - Size of the apartment must be at least 1100 sgft (E grew up being used to lots of space at home) - Toilet must not be in the kitchen! - A yard area separate from the kitchen - Preferably North/South facing (so you don't get the evening sun) - Has to have sufficient natural light! We didn't want to ballot for a BTO because that would mean we would have to wait very long for our unit, but we were willing to do so for an EC. In particular, we tried balloting for some return units at The Topiary, but after umpteen failed attempts at balloting for 4-rms, 3 rm dual keys, we decided to look at resale flats instead. Plus, it's easier on the pocket. Our search was narrowed down to the following locations: - Upper Boon Keng opposite Kallang MRT (superb location for both private and public transport; flats which just finished MOP; but friggin expensive for a HDB) - Serangoon Central (great location but relatively old flats; expensive as well) - Potong Pasir (again, great location but the oldest flats out of our shortlist) - Sengkang (not as busy as Punggol, and valuations seem to be the cheapest here. Flats are also bigger) For those of you with more money and want to buy a HDB, you should really consider Upper Boon Keng and Jalan Membina in Tiong Bahru, but that's just my opinion haha. We viewed over 20 flats before we stepped into our current home. In fact, we put in an offer for 2 other units before this one. The first unit that we liked had a condo style layout on a high floor, relatively close to Sengkang MRT. BUT, the owner was then asking a COV of 100k (crazy!!). I think it was because he had marble floors through the living room and real parquet elsewhere. We put in an offer which was slightly in excess of half that amount, but was rejected. On hindsight, it was good that he didn't accept because that would be an insane amount just to pay for COV. The second unit was a fair bit away from the MRT, but the layout, space and facing was just superb. We put in a bid for less than their asking, but was quickly told that somebody offered them their asking. A bit of regret felt on not being able to get this unit. We were starting to get a bit tired and exasperated with the search when our agent suggested another area in Sengkang which we had not personally scouted in Prop*rtyG*ru, and we went down not expecting much. You know that feeling where you step in and feel so comfortable that you know it's home - that's the feeling that we got when we first stepped into our new home. It also helped that the former owners were very warm and nice people. We sealed the deal that evening when the owners accepted our COV offer which was a bit less than their asking. It isn't by any means the perfect home in terms of fitting all of our criteria, but it certainly comes close to it. Sorry for being long winded, so without further ado, here's presenting our floor plan: Uploaded with ImageShack.usTo be continued on my next post..

Very happy to have my own place, shifted in quite awhile & decided to share some of my excitement. Its typical floorplan of a new BTO. Details: Where: NE of SG Level: 13th View: Can see till JB but not for long bcos of the new development coming up, boo hoo hoo.... Wind condition: Year end very windy Satisfaction level: 10/10

Dear all I have been following renotalk for more than 2 years and finally it's my turn to write down my experience. In May this year, I saw a nice ad with full pictures of the unit on sale. Immediately I was attracted by the location, upkeep of the house, layout......everything. Decided to get it at second viewing and was even willing to extend 3 months after completion cos a unit like this is hard to come by. 6 months went past and finally started Reno on 14 Nov. Will write down my Reno journey from doing just the toilets and kitchen till now basically rip off everything (except the windows) and redo. From modern theme to Scandinavian to industrial. Before I start, I need to figure out how to post pictures. Can I post using ipad?

Hi! We have been on this forum for over 3 years and have learnt a lot thanks to the generous sharing of information and ideas here. Now that our very own first home will be ready soon, it's time to give back. Our home is a 4-room unit in Punggol Emerald that was launched in April 2010 together with Punggol Waves. At the point of writing, some of our future neighbours have already collected their keys and commenced renovation works. Even though our PCD is still stated as 4th Quarter 2013, our block still has quite a bit of work to do and as the title suggests, we are looking at a more realistic moving in date of March to April 2014. In terms of the unit layout, we are really pleased that the kitchen is large by today's 4-room BTO standards as we are looking forward to finally hosting dinners in our home. On the other hand, this means the living room will be smaller but we feel the area distribution is balanced. The only gripe is that due to the way the Main Bedroom and Bedroom 1 are placed, the available options to hack or combine the 2 rooms are limited.

Hi Everyone After checking out all your wonderful Reno Blogs (and helpful tips on TaoBao purchases etc), I'd like to share a bit of our reno progress as well In September last year, after lots and lots of searching for the right unit, we decided to plonk some of our hard earned money down on a 2 bedroom condominium. Well.. as they say these days, condos aren't getting any bigger or cheaper – so I shall theme our reno blog as 'renovating a condo on a budget but hopefully it doesn't look cheap' haha. I think the HTB and I are two people who feel that a nice home is important, but we shouldn't go overboard to pay overboard for fancy fixtures where possible. That's why when I discovered how to 'Tao Bao' shop, I was quite excited! (But more on the TB stuff later) I am seriously quite a shy person (to outsiders, the HTB will beg to differ ;p), so I'm not too used to sharing stuff online, this would be one of the first times actually! So, we got our keys (finally) after T.O.P on the first week of October, here are some pictures of the bare unit (after we excitedly went up to check it out!): Master bedroom The unit has a large balcony.. which is quite a headache to furnish and landscape actually! Cos there's very little coverage/ceiling, and a VERY big planter box. But I love the view and despite the noise from the traffic below, I think we can still bear being out in the Balcony next time for a bit..

Finally starting my own t-Blog! Have learnt a lot from fellow renotalkers and enjoyed reading abt all the reno journeys! Hope to get some suggestions/opinions for my reno as well! Home is a 5I flat in Jurong West. Bought it 6 yrs ago and did minimal furnishing so now we're ready to do a major overhaul! So excited!! We do not have a specific theme.. Initially wanted a modern resort look but we felt like we have some decor items which may look out of place so we started leaning towards: industrial / rustic / mid-century ... Simply put: ROJAK! Lol Thankfully, my other half and I have similar tastes so it's not so bad.. Both of us love ethnic decor stuff hence the title of this blog.. Ethnic Chic. Will be having some balinese, indian, peranakan touches and we also have some antiques like the gramophone, steel trunk, some vintage posters.. So we just have to see what fits. Most importantly, we want the house to look spacious and bright, has to feel cozy, giving us the feeling like we're relaxing in a villa. Okay now on IDs/contractors. We have approached at least TEN of them. Will comment on some: 1) Chew Interior Too ex! I don't need my home to look like a showroom! The ID was also quite reluctant to give ideas and had the yaya papaya attitude.. Maybe we looked like we couldnt afford his services?! -.- 2) Add S p a c e (met at expo) A lady attended to us and kept pushing to sign up a package as there were only "3 slots left". BS! 3) Unimax Creative (met at expo) We spoke to a lady then halfway a guy joined her and started giving "creative" ideas. But they never got back to us on the quote. Waste time! 4) Rezt & Relax (met at expo) Spoke to a soft-spoken lady. Never got back to us too. Waste time again! 5) Ciseern (expo) Asked us our budget. Told him 35k. "Oh not possible". ?!@@@? We walked off. 6) Inspire by D'Trenzo (recommended by friend) Quote was not bad but we felt that they are more specialized in modern designs and would not be able to achieve the look we want for our place so.. Dropped. 7) D'zign Station Met up few times and even went to check out ID's other completed projects. Quote was not bad too. Almost wanted to sign up till we saw the 3D drawing. Felt that ID either did not understand what we want or he forgot. Dropped. We got tired of sourcing for IDs but thank God there's Renotalk! Quite interested to go for the famous Alan or K but was afraid they might be too busy and hiccups will arise. Then I came across June's and Stinz' blogs.. Love what the ID did and met up with him. My other half was not comfortable with the fact that this ID works from home and he's quite young.. But when we stepped into his house and started discussing, the other half was impressed! I just gave the "I told u so" look. LOL Alrightey then! Sorry for the long story. Let me figure out how to post pix then I can post my floor plan on the next post.

After months and months of reading the various t-Blogs on Renotalk, I finally managed to get down to starting my own t-blog to document my renovation process and journey. My apartment is a ground floor unit with a huge patio and the reason i bought it is (besides the location) is actually the big patio that I could make use of for hosting dinner parties since space is a luxury these days. Oh well, if given a choice obviously I wouldn't get a ground floor unit given it's potential privacy issues. Below is the original layout of my apartment: I got the keys to my apartment during mid-June and the renovation started on 5 Aug.. phew! I actually spoke to a few Interior design firms before choosing my current firm as I feel that the designer is able to achieve the look i want. My last experience with another ID firm wasn't good at all but that doesn't deter me from choosing to use an ID again. I'm just more cautious this time round , hoping that my ID is able to deliver what was promised! keeping my fingers xx Many people actually asked me why am i doing such a major renovation when the apartment is actually pretty much done up. The reason is becos im really tired of shifting around for the past few years... i think my record is 4 times in the past 6-7 years.... really very tiring! Therefore, i wana make my apartment a place i could call HOME . Given the new property measures, it's impossible for me to sell my apartment for the next few years so i might as well do it up to my fancy and park myself there for the many years to come

Hello renotalkers! I have benefited from this forum immensely and it's about time for me to pay it forward. I bought a resale apartment and obtained the keys only in late July. It's a 1 BR, only 52 sq metres (560 sq ft) in size. I was drawn to this space as it was relatively square-ish, not many bay-windows, no balcony, 2.9m ceiling height and floor to ceiling windows in the living room. Knowing that size was a limitation, my challenge is to make the space feel bigger than it is. The original floor plan (ignore the PES - the apartment does not have any PES) This was how I envisioned the new layout Red lines indicate the walls which I wanted to knock-down Blue line is where I would like the new wall to be erected Yellow lines is where I envisioned a concrete plaster appearance Besides the challenge of opening up the space, I wanted to keep the budget low and time-line relatively short, yet achieve a specific industrial look. I'll be dedicating quite a bit of my blog on how I kept costs low while maintaining decent quality. That means I will describe my thought process for contractor selection, material selection, purchasing from taobao etc Hope new home owners that plan to renovate will benefit from my blog. I shall post the before pics soon and some interim pics as reno is currently on-going. Happy reno-talking! EDIT: I realise that it is very cumbersome to go through an entire thread without a contents page. So I have compiled the links here 1. My thoughts on ID vs contractor. All home owners struggle with this question and meeting IDs/contractors can consume a lot of time and effort. 2. How I shortlisted and chose a contractor. The key considerations which led me to chose among the shortlisted contractors. 3. My taobao shopping list. With all the links from taobao sellers which I bought from. 4. My before pics. Demolition pics if you're into that sort of thing. 5. General Info on shipment of bulky taobao items to Singapore. 6. Since it's very difficult to estimate how many cubic metres each item is and the shipping charge is based on cubic metre, I came up with a way to estimate total cost of the bulky taobao item based on my first shipment when I purchase through peeka. 7. Some chinese keywords for shopping on taobao. Although taobao is cheap and therefore tempting, there may be instances of dissatisfaction. To provide a balanced view, Another poster's negative experience with taobao items. How I minimize risk of purchasing low quality items on taobao. 8. Info on the fibreglass concrete panels in my living room. 9. A guide on choosing paint colours for your wall. 10. Kompactop final pics 11. Info on artificial turf for balconies/planter/baywindows 12. Final pics - after 6 months of living in my place, this is more or less the final look of my place, though it tends to evolve with time (and clutter). To be included at some point.

I have some extra light bulbs that i bought from the US. Selling for $28 each. Local shops like Foundry and Grafunkt are selling at about $40 each. Squirrelcage Dimensions: 6.3 cm x12.7 cm Quad loop Dimensions: 6.3 cm x 12 cm Tesla Dimensions: 9.5 cm x 13.9 cm This is my dining table lights - works well with the &tradition lamps.

Hi! I've been lurking around the forum and t-blogs for information for my new place and figured, now that I'm halfway through (maybe more 1/3 way) my own renovation, its time to share my story too. Here's my original floor plan My place is a resale condo and this was the only floor plan I could find of it. Its abit oddly shaped in the living room and my HTB and I really wanted it to be spacious feeling. Its just going to be him and me and my dog. Its our first place together and we're really excited. There's that huge patio too, that we love (and am pretty sure my dog will love too) We spoke to some people and finalized on our interior designer. He's a really interesting person but thats another story altogether. Anyways, here's the floor plan that we have now. Thats it for now. I'll try to upload some pictures we took before we started hacking everything down later on today. Thanks for viewing! I'm so excited I've been making my poor colleagues listen to me go on about the renovations and every decision that we've had to make so far. I think they're tired of it. So this may be a better place for me to share.