Hi Everyone,

this is my first time joining a forum or a blog. i am totally new about RT or renovating anything. the trouble...i am getting my keys next week...and i know i am in trouble...After loaning $ for the COV of this unit...i m left with real hard core PEANUTS for renovating...as well as furnitures...

yes i am in deep deep deep deep ****....Unit i came to RT! From what i read...there are indeed miracles.

here is my sad story....i only have 15K budget to renovate house (take keys next wk). this unit is last renovated 5yrs ago. However, the tiles and kitchen cabinet are outdated.

my wish list for renovation:

- the basics (repainting+plastering+acid wash.....etc)

- change tiles for entire house

- build updated kitchen cabinet

- build msbr build in waredrop

- overhaul the 2 toilets

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it)

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago)

frankly i went to a bloody ID some days ago...and was told that without 20++K...i can forget renovating...i nearly wanted to go to ah long...untill i read RT.

Can you angels pls show me some light?

http://www.4shared.com/photo/0pTxF8Qc/my_floor_plan.html

(this is the original floor plan...which is not showing the missing store room.)

Based on your wishlist, here are the estimated costs (disclaimer applies):

- the basics (repainting +plastering+acid wash.....etc) ($1000 + $1600 + $300)

- change tiles for entire house (assume floor tiles for entire unit and wall tiles for kitchen & WC+bath, ($9000)

- build updated kitchen cabinet ($5000)

- build msbr build in waredrop

- overhaul the 2 toilets

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it)

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago)

the above items in red have already exceeded your budget. so you need to either set aside more budget or prioritize which is more important to you...

BTW, layout is quite good. huge typical 3rm kitchen.... PM me if u need more details...

Edited August 18, 201016 yr by neubie

Hi Everyone,

this is my first time joining a forum or a blog. i am totally new about RT or renovating anything. the trouble...i am getting my keys next week...and i know i am in trouble...After loaning $ for the COV of this unit...i m left with real hard core PEANUTS for renovating...as well as furnitures...

yes i am in deep deep deep deep ****....Unit i came to RT! From what i read...there are indeed miracles.

here is my sad story....i only have 15K budget to renovate house (take keys next wk). this unit is last renovated 5yrs ago. However, the tiles and kitchen cabinet are outdated.

my wish list for renovation:

- the basics (repainting+plastering+acid wash.....etc)

- change tiles for entire house

- build updated kitchen cabinet

- build msbr build in waredrop

- overhaul the 2 toilets

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it)

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago)

frankly i went to a bloody ID some days ago...and was told that without 20++K...i can forget renovating...i nearly wanted to go to ah long...untill i read RT.

Can you angels pls show me some light?

http://www.4shared.com/photo/0pTxF8Qc/my_floor_plan.html

(this is the original floor plan...which is not showing the missing store room.)

It may be better to hold on your reno plans and do what you feel is essential. This would help you save some money and you can still renovate when you are financially better off. Interest on reno loan is quite high. The following are some of my suggestions for your consideration.

my wish list for renovation:

- the basics (repainting+plastering+acid wash.....etc)

You can just give the wall a new coat of paint. If you engage someone to help you paint, it is also not very costly.

- change tiles for entire house

- build updated kitchen cabinet

You may want to keep the existing tiles and repair the kitchen cabinet, if it is defective rather than replace them.

- build msbr build in waredrop

You may want to buy wardrobe from Garage sale. Some of the offers are given at good discount.

- overhaul the 2 toilets

You may want to just change the WC or basin rather than everything in the toilet.

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it)

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago)

You may want to keep your items in shelfs rather than in a store room. Shelfs are a lot cheaper.

As for rewiring, you may want to consider adding additional powerpoints or lighting points to the existing wiring system rather than change it.

Hi Everyone,

here is my sad story....i only have 15K budget to renovate house (take keys next wk). this unit is last renovated 5yrs ago. However, the tiles and kitchen cabinet are outdated.

my wish list for renovation:

- the basics (repainting+plastering+acid wash.....etc)

- change tiles for entire house

- build updated kitchen cabinet

- build msbr build in waredrop

- overhaul the 2 toilets

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it)

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago)

frankly i went to a bloody ID some days ago...and was told that without 20++K...i can forget renovating...i nearly wanted to go to ah long...untill i read RT.

welcome! actually the ID is quite correct, 15k budget he nothing to earn le, so he chuck u away.

as yours is a wish list, it really is quite hard to do within 15k...changing of tiles for whole house and toilet is already very costly. My humble suggestion, do whatever is necessary first. i.e. if its spoilt, then do it. no point hacking away good condition tiles to put new tiles. (unless u absolutely hate the colour )

rewiring is not necessary if it was done 5 years ago, however, do get your contractor to check. sometimes electrician may use old wires to do other people's house.

actually with a tight budget, have to prioritise...cannot do everything but have to do those which are essential. For example, kitchen cabinets. Many old ones stink and the back of cabinets are actually homes for insects!

Hi Everyone,

this is my first time joining a forum or a blog. i am totally new about RT or renovating anything. the trouble...i am getting my keys next week...and i know i am in trouble...After loaning $ for the COV of this unit...i m left with real hard core PEANUTS for renovating...as well as furnitures...

yes i am in deep deep deep deep ****....Unit i came to RT! From what i read...there are indeed miracles.

here is my sad story....i only have 15K budget to renovate house (take keys next wk). this unit is last renovated 5yrs ago. However, the tiles and kitchen cabinet are outdated.

my wish list for renovation:

- the basics (repainting+plastering+acid wash.....etc)

- change tiles for entire house

- build updated kitchen cabinet

- build msbr build in waredrop

- overhaul the 2 toilets

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it)

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago)

frankly i went to a bloody ID some days ago...and was told that without 20++K...i can forget renovating...i nearly wanted to go to ah long...untill i read RT.

Can you angels pls show me some light?

http://www.4shared.com/photo/0pTxF8Qc/my_floor_plan.html

(this is the original floor plan...which is not showing the missing store room.)

Welcome to RT. With 15K budget is quite hard for yr wish list. I suggest you just get a simple wardrobe for the time being. Your floor plan is the same as mine and I also did simple reno which cost me about 28K. Maybe you can take a look at my RT thread. You can always combine salary with yr brother or sister if you have and go for reno loan from bank .

rewiring is not necessary if it was done 5 years ago, however, do get your contractor to check. sometimes electrician may use old wires to do other people's house.

i believe there are some old-school flats whose wiring is as old as the flat itself.... those AC wiring is mounted on wooden strips nailed to the wall

i believe there are some old-school flats whose wiring is as old as the flat itself.... those AC wiring is mounted on wooden strips nailed to the wall

Fully agree. When I was viewing for resale flat, I saw some are like that.

Fully agree. When I was viewing for resale flat, I saw some are like that.

hahaha, any idea where to get those MK round black old-school light switches mounted on solid 1" timber nowadays? bery the retro

My goodness....you guys prove to the world that love is all around.....many thanks for your kind advice and quick response. This is indeed time when i really need lots of advice....as we really know nothing about reno...

Ok! my bubble is burst.....sounds like my wish list is not attainable.

below are my scaled down dream list:

- the basics (repainting+plastering+acid wash.....etc) - Only repainting

- change tiles for entire house - change floor tiles for entire house, and have wall tiles only for toilet...is this doable?

- build updated kitchen cabinet - i will try my best to talk my empress to accept...the outdated cabinet....am i right that changing cabinet in future will be easier than tiles?

- build msbr build in waredrop - i think this got to do la hor....

- overhaul the 2 toilets - this one i think also cannot run

- build up a store room (ex owner hacked it) - this one cannot run also...

- rewiring (do you guys think its needed? since it was last done 5 yrs ago) - i hope that i can skip this one as well. (the wiring of my existing house...was done...in 1978 when my parents took over the house hahah...and its hardly giving us any problem at all....so i think this one should be able to survive ba)

Do you guys think its better? Do you think an inexperience person like me can skip ID and manage the contractors by myself?

Life is always challenging for people like us..our initial plan was to save like **** for 5 yrs so that we can have a decent house and reasonable wedding (in dec) and we dont wish to incurr more debts (i am already owing debts for my studies)...now come COV (yes,,,more debts)...i really dont wish to go into more loans....or my life will be worst than slave.

welcome! actually the ID is quite correct, 15k budget he nothing to earn le, so he chuck u away.

as yours is a wish list, it really is quite hard to do within 15k...changing of tiles for whole house and toilet is already very costly. My humble suggestion, do whatever is necessary first. i.e. if its spoilt, then do it. no point hacking away good condition tiles to put new tiles. (unless u absolutely hate the colour )

rewiring is not necessary if it was done 5 years ago, however, do get your contractor to check. sometimes electrician may use old wires to do other people's house.

actually with a tight budget, have to prioritise...cannot do everything but have to do those which are essential. For example, kitchen cabinets. Many old ones stink and the back of cabinets are actually homes for insects!

Hi Gimz,

You are right, i think i was dumb to tell him about my bigger than bull cart wheel $15K when we introduced ourself heheh....

frankly the kitchen cabinet and tiles are not the modern kind and the colour....are not what we like...haiz....my empress can tahan the tiles, and hate the cabinet. whereas i am the exact opposite

i will try to post the picture later ....to let you guys be the judge

Harros, welcome to RT!

When I first started out, my budget was about $20K. My renovation cost is now about $30K, excluding furniture and lights.

Like all the others said, do only the essentials first.

Whole house do laminate, cheaper than tiles coz less manpower and no need to hack. Kitchen floor tiles, spray paint (like gimz) or cement screed (like me).

Kitchen cabinet, see if can just change the doors to give it an updated look.

Rewiring if it's still the original HDB wires (like mine), better for you to rewire for safety purposes.

Carpentery will kill you,so I would advise against building the MBR wardrobe if you are tight on cash. Tell your empress can only have 1: Kitchen cabinet or built in wardrobe..

Show us your pics

welcome ALAN to RT. Yeap, love is all around here.

from your case, I think u can go contractor and not ID....if u can manage time, go sub contractor direct and coordinate urself like what gimz did. if not get a main contractor and he do coordinating for u. but design wise, u got to be clear what u want. like my case, i go main con. u might consider overlaying tiles then u save a little on hacking. but provided ur tiles can be overlay. talk to more contractors and compare prices.

kitchen cabinet, depending on ur exisiting one's condition. if condition is bad, changing is a must. if not, live with it. it definitely easier to change then tiles.

by rite, ur wiring can wait. mine 8 yrs old, contractor say no need to change.

prioritize is very impt for u rite now. good luck!

Maybe u can look for a contractor then see if can do within the budget.

Do essential stuff first. Maybe u can show us some present pics. IFor my place i wanted to change whole hse flooring, after budgeting, only laminate in 2 bedrooms, 2 toilets and kitchen tiles. Budget only 30K but now is more than 40k (exclude furnishing)

There are quite a few recommended contractors ard in RT, can check with the forumers

if have time and no $ (like me), can try to coordinate yourself actually. Provided like samgalz says u know what you want. Also depends on your job, can take leave easily..?

Personally i did sub-con quite a few of my stuff...yesh its really tiring and if you look at it on a job basis (i.e. change windows) u probably save just a little bit. But it all adds up!

btw, ur budget seems to exclude quite a lot of things...liek lightings, fans, air-con, sanitary, hobs...etc..

gotta budget also...all these are necessary as well....cannot run one.

if you ever need contacts for any subcon - carpenter, electrician, plumber, door maker, window maker, painter..etc...

just shout out here, im sure u will get some replies.

(all of us here have some pleasant and unpleasant experiences with those, if u consolidate all, u might just as well get an all-star team!)

plus, repainting is easy, even plastering, just be willing to employ some elbow greast and lots of sweat!!! When I got my first place, out of stubborness (and the shock you had to pay someone $3k to plaster and paint an EA), we plastered and painted the whole house, yes, including ceilings ourselves! It can be quite fun but very very tiring!

Think you have to convince your Empress to be realistic and practical... do what is within your budget first, then slowly add. Scrounge garage sales/on line sites for used furniture that are still in good condition (lots selling here) then slowly buy new stuff as and when you have the cash!