The Best Journey Always Leads Us Home

[Ely1 0]

Hi Ely,

Been following your blog from page 1 till now since this morning. It's been a fun read, not to say informative and helpful.

I am also a new home-owner like you, and me and my partner are as impulsive as you and often got carried away with our purchases.

After reading through like 14 pages of your blog (will continue to finish reading them after I reply to this post), I find that me and my partner have too much in common with you. Our interests, our likes, and our behaviour - are very similar (except that I do not have such deep pockets like you)!

For the reno of my house, my ID were also merely just following my instructions. Me and my partner have strong opinions of what we wanted and the ID did not have the chance to display his creativity because we had already what we wanted in mind! RIght down to customised cabinets and cabinets, I would draw out what I wanted, take photos of what I saw and asked my ID to customise to my needs. Bascially, both you and I should have got ourselves a contractor instead of an ID because we what we wanted in our minds!

Me and my partner would spend our weekends shopping for household items and furniture, as we found it to be a very enjoyable experience. However it does put a serious strain on our wallets as we did not spend wisely - we buy on impulse and on the asethetic feel of the item (love metallic, and chrome items - brabentia bins, wmf kitchen accessories are our fav, have a soft spot for nice lightings and designer furniture too), ignoring the fact that we have basically no use for the item!

We have overspent on our budget, and left with quite a number of items that couldn't fit into our house, ranging from wall clocks, wallpaper, kitchen accessories, lights, floor lamps etc. Thats really a big waste of money.

Frankly speaking, I think all first-time homeowners are 99% like us, so no worries!!!

I have been wanting to write a blog about my house-hunting and home-building journey, but can't find the time to do so.

Meanwhile I will just follow your blog and will look forward to your new updates!

If you are organising a house-warming or house visit, please do invite me! Can't wait to see your house!

Hi knownothing,

Thanks for stopping by and showing such interest in a comparatively dull t-blog - there are no exciting show-and-tell sessions like many have, except my mindless rambles

I'm glad we're not alone in our impulsive buying. As you can probably tell, I'm a shopping whore and a slave to designer chic. Ohhhh, our pockets are not deep at all. They are more like skinny cigarette pants' pockets rather than cargo pants' ones. Have to really squeeze in two fingers while holding my breath - totally not glam. It's probably why I turn to online shopping more - *some* savings to be made

If we share that many things in common, then I'd INSIST that you come over during the RT housewarming! We're always open to making new friends, and sharing so much in common is definitely a good start. If you can make time, do start a blog too so we can see all your purchases!

Like you, I find myself with purchases I don't know what to do with! All form, no function! haha The reason why I ended up designing the whole place myself was because I was kinda forced to - I did have a 27-page inspiration BOOK, but we started with selecting tiles, lighting points, etc without 3D designs. I never posted my 3D pics because they're a little embarassing, but will do so once I have pics of my place - it'll show you a better idea why I never posted them. They're not detailed and pretty like everyone else's I've seen here, and everything is inaccurate. In fact, there is so much deprecancy between the final product and the 3Ds that were basically redundant. In fact, we only used the 3Ds to indicate laminate choices as a guide for the carpenter. That was probably the ONLY use we had for it.

Meanwhile, the updates will take longer than promised. We can only move in next week. Too many mistakes - the taps are not working, the glass doors are not up, the entire granite top has to be redone and refitted, mirrored vanities are not up, holes were not cut for the master bath's tap, BLUM system for dishrack is not here yet, things have gone missing and needed replacing - backsplash broke upon installation, shower shelf broke during installation, shower arm brackets were missing, light bulbs missing, switches were missing/miscalulated, T5 lights were wrongly calculated and needed to be replaced by some 2ft ones, even my Sony 3D glasses are missing!! The furniture from Hommage is wrongly made, and one side table needs major fixing.

I think I've now gone to a place where I'm completely ambivalent. The carpenter blames the ID, the ID blames the granite guy, the plumber blames the granite guy, the granite guy blames the carpenter. Everytime I'm told of a new mistake, I just nod and say "Okay". The Husband has become passive-aggressive so the ID doesn't dare to deal with him. We took leave yesterday for nothing as we couldn't do anything. Once I started on a cupboard, the island hood had to be installed, so I move to the dry kitchen, and the granite guy is there. The whole house is just filled with stuff we cannot unpack and assemble. Once we start cleaning, someone is drilling and whole mess is made.

I guess I'm also a lot more understanding. I feel that it's natural mistakes are made, and it's not *all* the ID's fault. He tries his best but there is only so much he can control. I was there when he insisted the granite guy installed the tops on Tuesday, but they simply didn't turn up till Thursday. All that scurrilous phone call exchanges I overhear doesn't help anything or speed anything up. I simply just sigh and say my acquiescent "Okay".

So, another week. More than a month's delay. Did I mention the sub-title for my T-Blog is "A Fraught Adventure"? Oh, the irony!

THE POSITIVE THINGS

- Island hood was installed (though I had to pay for it)

- KEC came by as promised and set up the HTS properly. It was the highlight of my day

- New couch to arrive May 24, wallpaper to be installed next Friday.

- Still winning that bid on the art piece!!

- Ely

[hafiizh 0]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, been MIA the last few weeks. But congrats to your moving in! Also waiting pictures like the rest of us hahaha.

C'mon ely your house would be one of the highlights of the Renotalk house tours 2011. We'd all like to visit to admire your purchases and tutorial on importing goods And RB and yours definitely would be an audio visual treat don't you think?

[Ely1 0]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, been MIA the last few weeks. But congrats to your moving in! Also waiting pictures like the rest of us hahaha.

C'mon ely your house would be one of the highlights of the Renotalk house tours 2011. We'd all like to visit to admire your purchases and tutorial on importing goods And RB and yours definitely would be an audio visual treat don't you think?

Hi Hafiizh,

Nice to hear from you again!

I think too many of you have unrealistic expectations of the house - it REALLY isn't outstanding. All very boring and normal, really. Well, when you come by, you'll find that it looks like any other home you've seen and definitely not one of the highlights on RT (from the top of my head, I can already name several).

Will definitely conduct seminar on online shopping during RT housewarming - Powerpoint presentation, take-home notes and Q&A sessions and all~ My HTS is nowhere near the awesomeness of RB's - he has a projector FFS! Our is actually quite an entry-level system. Inclusive of the TV and media player, it's about $7k - remember we got lots of stuff second hand. The real audiophiles have amps that alone cost $10k! Bedroom's "system" is only $1.8K (with TV). Even the KEC guys commented that ours is a very basic, entry-level set up. It'll suffice for us though. We even scrimped on cables (from Audioquest's S$190 for 3x HDMI cables to eBay's S$30 for 4x Gold V1.4 ones haha!).

Here's a preview of the art piece I'm going to get :

- Ely

[El LoCo 3]

Sorry to hear abt all the hiccups, but it'll make the end result even sweeter for u and yr husband. Looking forward to see yr hse in flesh soon as I believe a home is reflective of its owner and I'm sure it'll be a beautiful one

[Ely1 0]

Sorry to hear abt all the hiccups, but it'll make the end result even sweeter for u and yr husband. Looking forward to see yr hse in flesh soon as I believe a home is reflective of its owner and I'm sure it'll be a beautiful one

Haven't heard from you for some time El Loco - welcome back!

Thank you for your comforting words. I certainly hope so - it's more than hiccups, more like a perpetual heartburn that even the strongest antacid can't remedy.

You're right about how homes are reflective of their owners - that's why we're so interested in seeing other people's homes. Like an insight into a person's personality, and every one is so distinctly different with our personal individual nuances and style. I definitely had my share of it when visiting 55 homes!

You're, of course, welcome to the RT housewarming come June

- Ely

[footprint 0]

Er, seems too much of hiccups that now already feel sian hor.

The painting nice! Got to see in real then will know if it's what it is like.

That's the "fun" part getting online, without the chance to see n feel in real hor.

[Ely1 0]

Er, seems too much of hiccups that now already feel sian hor.

The painting nice! Got to see in real then will know if it's what it is like.

That's the "fun" part getting online, without the chance to see n feel in real hor.

Yeah, I was complaining to May Dream yesterday about how "sian" I feel. Sigh. Any more sian I'll probably become catatonic.

- Ely

[Caraval 0]

Hi Ely,

My reno progress is about the same as yours and similar to you, mine is also (almost) completed! Moving in in about 1-2 weeks' time. It has been a joy following your blog - I just bought my own piece from Jon Allen too, eagerly anticipating it - thanks for the intro.

Will continue to visit to see your completed photos.

Enjoy your new place! I know I will too

[knownothing 0]

Hi Ely,

Sorry to hear about the hiccups for your reno, but you are not alone!

Mine has exactly as much problems as you do - from wrong placement of switches to wrong laminates used.

Its really a stressful journey - I have to pray and hope that nothing goes wrong everyday when I check on the reno progress(but most often than not, my prayers aren't answered...haha).

Looking forward to the completion of your reno and hope to learn more from your blog, especially tips on online buying!

PS: Just found out I got the same mattress as you do! Haha

Edited May 17, 2011 by knownothing

[boyblunder 0]

Hi Hafiizh,

Nice to hear from you again!

I think too many of you have unrealistic expectations of the house - it REALLY isn't outstanding. All very boring and normal, really. Well, when you come by, you'll find that it looks like any other home you've seen and definitely not one of the highlights on RT (from the top of my head, I can already name several).

Will definitely conduct seminar on online shopping during RT housewarming - Powerpoint presentation, take-home notes and Q&A sessions and all~ My HTS is nowhere near the awesomeness of RB's - he has a projector FFS! Our is actually quite an entry-level system. Inclusive of the TV and media player, it's about $7k - remember we got lots of stuff second hand. The real audiophiles have amps that alone cost $10k! Bedroom's "system" is only $1.8K (with TV). Even the KEC guys commented that ours is a very basic, entry-level set up. It'll suffice for us though. We even scrimped on cables (from Audioquest's S$190 for 3x HDMI cables to eBay's S$30 for 4x Gold V1.4 ones haha!).

Here's a preview of the art piece I'm going to get :

- Ely

Swee Swee, nice painting.

Check this artist out. 3D painting. Its a different kind of art though, not abstract. John wassenaar from holland. I saw some of his art pieces. SUperb!!!!!

This image was taken by my iphone, so it may not do justice to his work.

[May_dream1 14]

The more you don't show your pic, the more it seem like a mystery that we know it will be super fantastic. Come on! You spend nearly 100k, right? So how can it not be super georgeous?

[Ely1 0]

Hi Ely,

My reno progress is about the same as yours and similar to you, mine is also (almost) completed! Moving in in about 1-2 weeks' time. It has been a joy following your blog - I just bought my own piece from Jon Allen too, eagerly anticipating it - thanks for the intro.

Will continue to visit to see your completed photos.

Enjoy your new place! I know I will too

Hi Caraval,

It's been a while! Glad to know you're still lurking about Which piece of Jon Allen's did you get? His work is pretty amazing!

Come over in June, I say. Will be nice to meet like-minded people

- Ely

[Ely1 0]

Hi Ely,

Sorry to hear about the hiccups for your reno, but you are not alone!

Mine has exactly as much problems as you do - from wrong placement of switches to wrong laminates used.

Its really a stressful journey - I have to pray and hope that nothing goes wrong everyday when I check on the reno progress(but most often than not, my prayers aren't answered...haha).

Looking forward to the completion of your reno and hope to learn more from your blog, especially tips on online buying!

PS: Just found out I got the same mattress as you do! Haha

Yes, very stressful. I slept the ENTIRE day today. Super, super tired.

Was it the super plush pillowtop that won you over? My next choice was the Serta but too lazy to go to Marina Square haha so just bought Dunlopillo. Their delivery is a nightmare though. Waited 12hrs for them~

Now when I lie on it, it doesn't seem as plush and felt I should have gone with the Serta but oh well. Maybe it was the plastic wrap...

- Ely

[Ely1 0]

Swee Swee, nice painting.

Check this artist out. 3D painting. Its a different kind of art though, not abstract. John wassenaar from holland. I saw some of his art pieces. SUperb!!!!!

This image was taken by my iphone, so it may not do justice to his work.

Oh wow,

That's fantastic! Really, really nice and kitschy! Not sure where it could go in my home though. Already a smorgasbord of colourful Bali girls, omnious elephant, metal art, Zen monk, pop art Chihuahua, Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn, hand-drawn canvas...

Here's the one with Maxey:

Thanks for the intro, will definitely look into it and FIND a spot for John Wassenaar.

- Ely

[boyblunder 0]

Oh wow,

That's fantastic! Really, really nice and kitschy! Not sure where it could go in my home though. Already a smorgasbord of colourful Bali girls, omnious elephant, metal art, Zen monk, pop art Chihuahua, Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn, hand-drawn canvas...

Here's the one with Maxey:

Thanks for the intro, will definitely look into it and FIND a spot for John Wassenaar.

- Ely

Ely, u go to ebay to get ur paintings too??