我家就是 易财二世

[purecat 0]

gratz purecat! why lost appetite, should be having a enormous appetite leh. cos a burden off the shoulders.

it was the sunday... when i found out about the mistake.. whole day i barely eat.

anyway lately because of the house, rush here rush there... hardly rest enough.

yesterday night compiling the list of items to touch up.... only slept like 1am and got to wake at 6am.

average per day only sleep 5 to 6 hrs..

renovating house is really tiring for owners.

but yes can change the hob means one lesser item to worry now.

[purecat 0]

One place that they often don't paint is the top of the door, which i think is quite sloppy practice. Makes it harder to wipe dust if there's no paint at all.

oh yah i didnt check this... ok the door frame painter is coming to touchup tomorrow... better remind Allan.

Thanks thanks for this coldflamez !

[purecat 0]

Good to know you got your exchange of hob !

thanks strawberry8. It's really a big scare over the weekend.. but am glad we got over it now !

[purecat 0]

Unfortunately, for color laminates, the joint lines are usually more obvious. White laminates will be even more obvious. Some will even choose to paint the joint lines.

I removed all the paint stains on the flooring, wall tiles, etc, with thinner myself.. hee.

Don't paste Post-It on the walls for too much. If not, the adhesive will be left on the walls. Then u end up having to spend some time to clean the walls too.

Yesterday, we asked the two carpenters ( the sup & the staff ) to come by our existing 4room flat ( since it is just blocks away ). show them our existing carpentry work.

One say this is not laminate and the other say it could be mixed with PVC ... I am like " Huh?? " Then they say it may be veneer....

but seriously I was quoted for laminate by my 4 room flat ID ( still kept the invoice ). This time cannot use them because the regular contractor friend who worked there is gone ( open a salon liao ) and the new designer quote us 70+k !

4 room kitchen was really veneer but rest of the cabinets and wardrobes were really laminate leh...

So I must really applaud my last ID... their workmanship is really superb... until current carpenters not convinced.

As for upcoming 5room... all cabinets / wardrobe were ok , some " chip off " portion during installation in kitchen were relaminated already. Now only left my daughter's pink wardrobe.

After i complaint , they told me they will blend and paint with pink grout lines.... well we shall see ...will try remember to take pictures tml to show the before and after ( hopefully remember )

Mickey... the post it for my case are still ok , it is the masking tape i used -> the paint came off .... but lucky they will fixed it. It is alot of effort to wash/ or clean with thinner yourself...for us, i paste post it around to ask them to clean up

Edited May 11, 2010 by purecat

[purecat 0]

Summary of thoughts as at 11 May 2010

Allan make all the subcon fall in at my place today. He told me he printed out my " rectification + outstanding for installation list " Total 4 pages ( i didnt realise that many haha ) and he took turn to explain to all.

1)On the wall the markings are equivalent to 2 booklets of post it pad stickers + some i done in masking tape because i ran out of post it pads. Though the bulk are really the painter no. 2 's poor skills n housekeeping. However painter no.1 ( whom we now know is the 头手 / supervisor ) is back today to remedy all flaws of his staff ( patch tiny holes, sand bumps / blisters /scratches + touchup....) my walls are so smooth n pretty now ... YEAH！

2)The yellowish grout lines ( as explained by Allan was properly due to the strong acid used to clean ) in kitchen were now fixed and back to white.

3)A few floor tiles which we complaint were removed and re-tiled.

4)All accessories were installed.

5)Main door varnished.

6)All glass panels to downlight installed.

7)TV Console "L box" display lights were up.

8)Paint touches corners of cabinets or kitchen walls were properly clean and removed.

as @ 12th May outstanding

1) Touch up door frames - done by the veneer door guy ( not the usual painting team )... apparently they use blended colour paints... and a fine brush ? ? ? amazing.. but pity them because i complaint the wall painting guys, so they use masking tape to achieve straight lines... end up, the door frame paint got lifted up !

2) White cement application for the few re-tiled portion followed by buffering ( or polishing )

3) Grout checking for cement touch up if need to.

4) Another round of cleaning ( cant imagine the dust in one day so long as reno not completed)

5) And they will try meet my standard of no obvious laminate joints by painting pink grout lines ( looking forward to this - they say will try fix on sat ? ? ?)

6) Store room FOC shelvings ( i presume also sat then )

All looking pretty good. Hopefully tomorrow can complete almost all works (minus sat works ) Will post review of Primework in a separate post later...

Edited May 11, 2010 by purecat

[purecat 0]

Bro in law come back yesterday along with a friend to consider Allan in their condo purchases. They joked that I can become a QC of main contractor ..... but still if it is your own place, it pays off to do more detail checks, then to detect problems only after you shift.

As friends who will be renovating will be checking out my blog later, thought below list will be helpful.

Summary List of Items to Check Before Handover

1) All plastered walls ( check for " tiny holes" after painting, in case it got chipped off for whatever reasons ) Corners that can be forgetten are the ceilings in the toilets behind the big fat pipes, or the pipes outlet area.

2) Wall & Ceiling painting works ( at the start, if possible ensure they paint a base paint . Ours we insisted Oil Sealer for false ceiling ( more ex though ), hence painter also use similar for the walls... it is " shiny " kind.... helps protect the walls we feel. Husband normally use it as well when he upkeep painting for our flat. Then normally two layers of colour paint. After which, check for uneven coat of paint ( do this in day time ! cannot trust my own eye sight in day n night ), crack lines , scratches, blisters, bubbles or excessive bumps. I have this perception about bumps and bubbles.. > when air gets in and expand , maybe the whole paint will come off in one piece later if not fixed ? More importantly it looks ugly ! Also remind your painters for better house keeping (keep carpentry works " clean "), especially touch up for wall corners touching wardrobe/cabinet.

3) Gymsum board - false walls ( I understand they can only use metal corners else may not hold the gymsum board in place. Suggest to get a " spray " protection onto the " metal corners " before the painter plaster and paint over the gymsum board. Even gymsum board is smooth, do go thru the ends which touches the wall to ensure plaster done nicely. Else your painting will see bubbles or holes.

4) Doors & Door Frames ( Ensure all locks work with the keys supplied , ensure the top of the door are painted ( i really forgot about this. THks to Coldflamez)Ensure the ends to the door frame near the floor are properly touchedup with plaster, ensure the frames are painted in a straight line. And we do encourage use of veneer doors over laminated doors. Because Veneer you can paint over in future. Hence more recommended for upkeeping condition )

5) Carpentry works ( Check thru the sliding doors, swing doors, ensure hinges work. Ensure all drawers open and do not " drop " ( our existing 4 room, one kitchen cabinet... sort of " drop" when open, hence if you put heavy things... u will see the concern.). Check thru the corners for accident chipped marks especially since the " BONE " of the carpentry work will be done in the flat and not pre-factory cut. If laminate, they can relaminate. If veneer, they will paste over the skin n paint it. Ensure all laminate ( especially corners ) are pasted properly. Ensure silicion joining walls n wardrobe are nicely done.

6) Tiling Works ( Most important is to check for hollow tiles especially on the walls ( kitchen & toilet ). Ensure they replace it to reduce fear of them dropping in years to come. Also if you drill toilet accessories into hollow walls, they may cracked. Inconsistent gaps can be fixed by " stealing grout ", it is not obvious with white cement. Floor tiling may be harder to check for hollowness.. but take off your shoes and feel. Some will feel like " cutting " onto your feet. This means tiles placed are uneven. Where possible check if that can be removed and re-tile. Some tiles according to Allan is " hunched back ". I dont know about this. If can take out, re-do, i will ask them to try.

Check for the skirtings (most easily forgotten corners) False walls should be patch with Skirting as well ( we forgot two areas in our existing 4 room ). In another words, the original wall will be tiled... after your false gymsum wall, it should be patch with skirting.. else looks very ugly. Check the ends joint with the wall for falling off plaster or white cement. This should be done before painting.

7) Windows ( Check the joints to the walls, ensure they are patched back nicely with plaster.)

8) Electrical Trunking Or Aircon trunking ( ensure the joints to the walls are either plastered nicely or silicion up nicely before paint works . Why ? in years to come, holes will be places where ants or other insects build their homes )

9) Step Down to Kitchen ( Check the joints of the floor tiles to the wall tiles.. ensure they dont cut )

10) Yellowish Wall Grout Lines ( ask for grout touchup or detailed cleaning )

11)Check all basins /sinks for leakages ( ie, let the tap run, then hand touches bottom of the pipe thruout )

12) Check all lightings to switches. Make sure it is connected per the way you wanted especially the down light. ( at electrical planning, we think about the no. of watts required for the brightness in room and also we dont want to waste electricity. If you are getting an ID, there is a possibility of minimising the no. of switches ( to save costs for you ) but you incur more long term electricity bills )

13) Check instant heater really give u hot/warm water ( Forgotten about this.. must check this later this evening )

14) Check your mirrors installed ( Ensure no accidental chipping at delivery + after installation. Poor Allan is going to compensate me a mirror as dunno which sub contractor go chipped off one of the mirrors meant for the toilet)

15) Check for unclosed Pipe holes in toilet ( Very odd but there are two holes to a main big pipes which ex owner used scotch tape to conceal in the past. So we have to get Allan's plumper to buy "covers" )

16) Check that after kitchen hood installed, make sure the lights can be on and the thing is working.

17) Accessories installation per your expectation ( Majority will leave to ID or contractor to decide. For us, we decide based on experience and practical reasons. If you are getting chrome fittings , ensure they dont come into regular contact with water. Else they will discolour or worse rust . Hence we go for stainless steel this time round. Where possible drill within grout line. )

What else ? if remember will add on to the list.

Anyone has anything to add... please let me know soon... because tonight I will make the bulk of the balance payment.. only holding a few k ( for final quality checks )

Edited May 12, 2010 by purecat

[whY 0]

After i complaint , they told me they will blend and paint with pink grout lines.... well we shall see ...will try remember to take pictures tml to show the before and after ( hopefully remember )

Hi hi,

Have they paint with pink grout line on your daughter's wardrobe already? Remember to take pic....

My wardrobe got same problem too. I am told that it can be done but it will be worst when the grout line come off

[purecat 0]

Hi hi,

Have they paint with pink grout line on your daughter's wardrobe already? Remember to take pic....

My wardrobe got same problem too. I am told that it can be done but it will be worst when the grout line come off

Hi whY

Yes they have done it. Very pleased with the result. Unfortunately I dont have a "Before" photo because it was already fixed when i arrived the next day after i complaint, they managed to fix it.

Basically they use Grout Plaster meant for Carpentry work ( I saw it and it is in brown colour , then they blend in a pink colour paint ( abit like those they use to paint the pipes or metal gates. )

I will go back to upload the photos tonight.

Btw it wont drop because it is paint. And Grout plaster is abit like those plaster for the walls. Hence I dont think they will drop unless u go purposely scrap it ?

Anyway it can be DIY I was told . ie over time thru wear and tear we can repair on our own.

[purecat 0]

Hi hi,

Have they paint with pink grout line on your daughter's wardrobe already? Remember to take pic....

My wardrobe got same problem too. I am told that it can be done but it will be worst when the grout line come off

Hi whY , sorry for the delay in uploading the photo. I am currently bz with packing for our shifting of flat.

Btw it will not be worst because the " black / dark colour " is actually the " thickness" or the " width of the of the laminate

Some people fixed this problem by painting the side of the laminate first before installation. Another colleague told me, his contractor use veneer corners to wrap round first , then laminate over.

Presume there is alot of way to fix this.

The only question left is, how lasting is this fix.

[whY 0]

Thanks purecat.

I may DIY or just live with it since my carpenter is not doing the touch up for me.

[purecat 0]

Thanks purecat.

I may DIY or just live with it since my carpenter is not doing the touch up for me.

I think you can just DIY then... it looks simple. Maybe checkout the DIY stores. They do give explantion over the products they sell.

[purecat 0]

Master Bed RoomToilet

Hi All, we are already living in the flat but some rooms really need some tidying up before the camera lolz... so will reveal room by room. Starting with the Master Bedroom Toilet.

Instead of doing a common shower screen & bi-fold door, we decided to go for a swinging temper glass door. This makes it easier to upkeep hopefully. We will avoid seeing water stained marks ( which cannot be removed ) on shower screens. And the " smooth", ceramics wall tiles are supposingly easier to clean than " rough " homogenous tiles . Cant imagine the scrubbing ... i actually had to use an old toothbrush to clean up the grout lines of my old flat. We chosen grey homogenous floor tiles, hopefully this is better than black ( old flat ), where over time, you will see white patches ( result from soap / detergent residue ) if you dont clean it properly. Grey will make it less obvious ? ( I cant believe how lazy i sound lolz )

The only bad thing is with the window & fat pipe placement, we have to raise the height of the shower curtain... hence the shower curtain looks abit short.... but still overall I quite like the turnout of the colour combination. Maybe next to get are black / grey towels ? Will check out in my upcoming Ho Chi Minn trip.

Toilet bowl- Soft close seat cover / basin fittings -Velin Brand

Joven Instant Water Heater

Stainless steel towel bar, knob holders, Glass Panel, Black Colour Toilet Bowl Brush from Ikea

Acrylic " Glass Looking " Mugs, Liquid Soap Dispenser, dish tray, Shower Curtain from Spotlight.

Mirror, two way tap, bidget spray & valve, Shampoo & Bath Foam Dispenser were from Sim Siang Choon

Airfresher Spray from Seng Siong Supermarket.

Edited May 28, 2010 by purecat

[purecat 0]

Princess's Room

Taking a theme of white and tones of pink. Not entirely complete room in terms of decor... There are zigsaw wall frames that need to go up one side of the wall later. Also still thinking if can improve on the net that we hang up.. but got to KIV this project for later ( since working on the living room "console area decor " ) And I think her room can declutter some more. Comments ?

Entering into her room - Before furnishing

Our own installation of the Ikea Round Mirror , "Crystals" Decor Stickers from Spotlight

White 3 Drawers cabinet from Ikea , which will double up as a dresser and also storage space for Daughter's drawing materials and VCDS / DVDS

Closeup of the toys on white cabinet

More toys. Idea came from daughter who was very glad with the aircon trunking because she can now a place to put her soft toys ( some was pass on from me . You cant imagine how many we already donated to the salvation army. But still left alot.

[purecat 0]

Princess's Room- continued

Tempered Glass BeanShape Study Table from Ikea, Red Chair from Vhive, White lamb fur from Ikea

Russian Dolls from Harbin Trip

More photos.

Bed Frame from Avanni, Sanrio City Comforter Bedsheet Sheet from John Little

When the night light is on.

Edited May 26, 2010 by purecat

[samgalz 2]

Princess's Room- continued

Tempered Glass BeanShape Study Table from Ikea, Red Chair from Vhive, White lamb fur from Ikea

When the night light is on.

I like ur bean shaped study table. am deciding what table to buy for my son and this might do the trick. How much was it? how abt the chair from vhive? What is the price like and is red the only colour?

wow, the night light power wor. It's pretty bright. ur princess can slp with this light on ah?