Our Hg Sweet Nest

[HL85 0]

Hi everyone,

Finally after lurking ard here for so long, picking up ideas, and swooning at the beautiful homes of the other forummers, I have started my own t-blog to share my reno process and product with you guys, and hopefully to solicit some feedback from fellow forummers regarding some problems we met during the process.

Flat type: 4NG

Location: Hougang Ave 10

ID: A&D

Cost: Too high. Haha...

My layout is the typical 4NG old-flat type of layout, squarish and regular, but very boring at the same time. my mom is staying with us, and we have an extra bed in our study for my husband's grandmom. The whole 'concept' (if any) is by us, and my ID doesnt really have any input, since A&D is more of a contractor than ID. Some pix to follow, including a problem i met with which I hope you guys can help me out with!

[mwerkz 0]

Hi everyone,

Finally after lurking ard here for so long, picking up ideas, and swooning at the beautiful homes of the other forummers, I have started my own t-blog to share my reno process and product with you guys, and hopefully to solicit some feedback from fellow forummers regarding some problems we met during the process.

Flat type: 4NG

Location: Hougang Ave 10

ID: A&D

Cost: Too high. Haha...

My layout is the typical 4NG old-flat type of layout, squarish and regular, but very boring at the same time. my mom is staying with us, and we have an extra bed in our study for my husband's grandmom. The whole 'concept' (if any) is by us, and my ID doesnt really have any input, since A&D is more of a contractor than ID. Some pix to follow, including a problem i met with which I hope you guys can help me out with!

share share!

[HL85 0]

Hi, before i go into detail re my reno, i would like to ask how the TV feature walls of your homes are done; where are the sockets of the wall located? Cos the way mine is done - there is an 'opening' on the wall itself, closed with a magnetic catch, where the sockets are located. I am currently overseas for work now, so my husband updates me with pix, but as far as I can see, it is hideous. Pix below:

Pls ignore how the tv console is in strange colors. ID rec me that this will look gd, and agst my better judgement, i agreed, since he said that others have done it before, and i m gonna change the last drawer to black glass too. otherwise it looks SO weird, to say the least.

Back to the feature wall, so I wasnt very happy with how the sockets are done, and went ard to see how the other forummers' walls are fabricated. as far as i can see, i cant find one console where there is a 'box' like mine so patently on the front of the wall. it spoils the whole aesthetics, doesnt it?? why would i pay S$1200 - 1300 for a beautifully laminated wall only to be spoiled by that cut-out hole??

[Angel81 1]

Spam chop and congrates on ur new place!

Hmm... I tink it should be fine bah. After u put ur tv or hi-fi there, it cant be seen. Will you be hanging ur tv? I saw one of my fren's feature wall b4.. her wires are hidden at the back of the feature wall. But it's abit mah fan for her when she wana take out the wires etc though.

[Jessie 0]

congrats!

hope to see more nice nice pix

[HL85 0]

Spam chop and congrates on ur new place!

Hmm... I tink it should be fine bah. After u put ur tv or hi-fi there, it cant be seen. Will you be hanging ur tv? I saw one of my fren's feature wall b4.. her wires are hidden at the back of the feature wall. But it's abit mah fan for her when she wana take out the wires etc though.

Thanks Angel81, I dont know, i get really upset and frustrated when i see that hole. I was wondering how the other forummers did their wall w/o a cut-out when I chanced upon Prodigic's fantastic tv wall and console here: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?sh...1582&st=160 (hope Prodigic you dont mind me quoting your link here). THe sockets are below the console, so you get easy access to it, but yet dont see the messy wires and sockets when sitting or standing in front of the wall.. perfect!!

My ID insists that all his customers does it the way he did it for me but i dont think that is a valid excuse. i signed with A&D cos I read here that their carpentry is good, and i have no idea 'good' means such a way to hide the sockets... anyone else did their reno with A&D? how was your feature wall done?

[HL85 0]

Ok enough moaning abt my tv feature wall.. hope you guys can give me some advice/opinion..

meanwhile, pix of my kitchen, sorry if the pix are not so gd, we (my husband) are not professional phtgraphers la and the camera he's using is lousy..

We divided the kitchen into 2, one for cooking and one part for a dining area, sep. by a glass door. Fridge will be right next to the glass door.. hope it doesnt look strange.. we bought a Hitachi fridge and LG Tromm washer-dryer.. to be delivered this wkend..

Study room, not fully furnished yet. No carpentry, got 2 identical study tables with matching mobile pedestals (not in pix) from neighbourhood shop which my MIL is on gd terms with. Home office is very impt for us for the study needs to be very functional. We used wrought iron grilles for the corridor room/LVR for safety, and im pretty satisfied with my choice of grilles. simple and classy. when the grilles were installed though the workmanship is Lousy with strange particles/hairs stuck to the paint and signs of paint dripping on the grilles.. super unhappy they cost so much! apparently my husband said they sand it down, i will take a look myself when I return..

Moms 6ft sliding wardrobe. kept it simple..

Closeup of the laminate I chose. Really sweet and pretty, dont u think?

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5318/mbrwardrobe3tv7.th.jpg' alt='mbrwardrobe3tv7.th.jpg'>

MBR L-shaped wardrobe.. not much space.. so did L-shaped..

The other side of the L-shape.. ignore the stuff please... had 2 open-door shelves to act as my dresser, and next to it the the full-mirror cabinet door.. yes that mattress u see in the reflection is my Omazz 2-layer mattress from Robinsons.. think the final price after disc + rebates (we kept calling them to update the price when there r new promos) is about 3.3K.. Cant wait to sleep on it... have been having backaches sleeping on lousy mattresses.. cos we havent had time to buy our bedside tables, we are not putting the matress on the bedframe yet.. cos apparently once u fix the bed's location, u cant change it..

Edited July 23, 2008 by HL85

[HL85 0]

we're having our electrical apps delivered this wkend.. fridge, washer-dryer, fans, vaccum cleaner etc.. sofa delayed due to fabric being OOS/discontinued.. We bought a huge sofa too big for our LVR from King Koil cos it was SO comfy.. esp the daybed. acty we bought it just cos of the daybed.. a steal at less than $1.3K i think. the extra armchair which is too big for the LVR will be shifted to my Mom's room.. have to figure out how to arrange things..

Dining set, coffee table and side table are one customized set from Winter at IFC. it was beyond my budget i rem but i really liked it.. delivery in last Sat of Aug.. hope the shipment is defect-free and perfect! Cant wait to see the real thing.. it is wooden veneer with black glass top for dining and coffee table (rectangle, low, with drawers), and upholstered chairs in brown for the dining table..

we're delaying the TV cos of problems with the TV feature wall, so we will be delaying the SCV and broadband too. meanwhile will hv to watch tv in my mom's room with her 22" LCD Samsung tv which I got for a steal at $380 from an online seller (think shops selling at $560 or so) we're also sleeping on my mom's bed (it has an attached single bed) before we buy the bedside tables and get to the date to set up the bed and mattress.. the extra single bed which comes with my mom's super single bed will be shifted to the study as the extra bed for husband's grandmom, when our bed is set up..

Edited July 23, 2008 by HL85

[Angel81 1]

Thanks Angel81, I dont know, i get really upset and frustrated when i see that hole. I was wondering how the other forummers did their wall w/o a cut-out when I chanced upon Prodigic's fantastic tv wall and console here: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?sh...1582&st=160 (hope Prodigic you dont mind me quoting your link here). THe sockets are below the console, so you get easy access to it, but yet dont see the messy wires and sockets when sitting or standing in front of the wall.. perfect!!

My ID insists that all his customers does it the way he did it for me but i dont think that is a valid excuse. i signed with A&D cos I read here that their carpentry is good, and i have no idea 'good' means such a way to hide the sockets... anyone else did their reno with A&D? how was your feature wall done?

I see what u mean.. I tink Prodigic's sockets are good as well. So that means all wires are either inside the feature wall, or in the cabinet. Haiz, too bad ur ID din explain to u b4hand, if nt ur can amend it b4 the real thing is out. But dun worry too much bah, cuz I'm sure ur electronics will cover it.

By the way, is the glass frame and door very expensive? I would like to do that for my kitchen as well, but hb keep saying that it'll be very x.

Edited July 23, 2008 by Angel81

[kalista 0]

Spam chop

Congrats ... looks like you have completed renovation and furnishing. Beautiful place.

[junxian 0]

ur kitchen is

any floor plan?

[HL85 0]

ur kitchen is

any floor plan?

Thanks! I like my kitchen too. My floor plan is back home.. I am in US now.. will upload it together with more comprehensive photos when I return to Sg.. Our kitchen is typical of 4NG flats, longish, and we kept to a traditional layout in the kitchen cos of space constraints, since half of it is partitioned out for the dining table. The length of our dining table will be 'stuck' to the wall to maximize the walkway space on the right to the glass door..

[HL85 0]

I see what u mean.. I tink Prodigic's sockets are good as well. So that means all wires are either inside the feature wall, or in the cabinet. Haiz, too bad ur ID din explain to u b4hand, if nt ur can amend it b4 the real thing is out. But dun worry too much bah, cuz I'm sure ur electronics will cover it.

By the way, is the glass frame and door very expensive? I would like to do that for my kitchen as well, but hb keep saying that it'll be very x.

Precisely, I am really upset, thats why I hope any A&D customers can tell me how their TV feature walls are done.. I know several forummers had their homes done up by Thomas from A&D (he isnt my ID).. So sad..

Yes, the glass door and glass panels at the kitchen is expensive, cant rem the cost, its in the quote, its def under $2K, but over $1.2k (very big range I know). I will upd when i return, but if you look at the price of a glass shower screen, which is smaller than my kitchen glass, it already costs abt $800 (thats why i didnt install a shower screen - gd choice since no space anyway), so i guess my kitchen glass should be around $1200 - $1500 or so..

You should persuade your hb to install the glass, it will allow more light in (so you save on electricity), and its a classic, timeless look. Plus, there will be an incentive for you to keep the kitchen clean and tidy since its so visible from the rest of the house! Also for me, it is a neccesity to keep the fumes/oil from cooking in the kitchen out of the dining/living area, and I cant find any other feasible way to do so than to install the glass. It has a 'shopping mall' feel to it too! If you are gonna be staying there for at least 8 - 10 yrs, its a worthwhile investment. Just make sure the installation is sturdy and there is warranty on the glass and installation.

I hacked the storeroom right btn the kitchen and LVR which made the place so small and cramped, and used the TV feature wall (half of the wall is backed by a wall, half is just the wall itself) to mount the TV so that we can have a long sofa directly facing the TV front-on, instead of what most 4NG flat owners do, which is put the TV at the far end of the LVR near the kitchen side, and having to twist their bodies to face the TV when they watch it. Hope you guys understand it, but it will be much clearer when I upload the floor plan soon.

My husband's parents are staying in the same block, and they have this typical layout in the LVR, which I dont really fancy, so I am glad i was able to solve this issue. Just hate that cut-out hole in the feature wall

Spam chop

Congrats ... looks like you have completed renovation and furnishing. Beautiful place.

Thanks Kalista, most of my stuff are not in yet, cant wait to take complete pix and update everyone!

[Starscream 0]

Hey! More Pics

[BunBun 5]

IMHO, Prodigic;s feature wall is like a 3D cube so the socket wouldn't look good blending in with 3 D cubes since will stick out even more. But yours is considered neutral, so maybe you can try asking them to shift the 'cut out' area minus the magnetic catch below the tv console? Otherwise, your electronic items will cover that up nicely.

Btw, your place looks good too. Not all reno are perfect without hitches and glitches so dun worry too much, see what can be salvaged first so talk it over with your ID.