Major Overhaul For Our Tiny Crib

[LynZie 0]

Hi all,

I have been a passerby on this site for a few months now,, checking out blogs n forums n scooping ideas.. Finally, I've decided to set up a blog on my or rather our journey to our new home.

To cut the story short, due to family financial structuring and hopefully better financial management in the long run, husb n I decided to downgrade from our 5I to a 3I. Major decision it was taking in consideration that I'm now into my 8th month with our 4th child.. The space constrain for our kids..the furniture that had to be cut down to accommodate our new crib n blah..blah..blah.. But as husb always put it, we should be grateful that we have a roof over our head to shelter from the sun n rain.. He grew up with 3 other siblings in a single room flat so I guess that added to his reasoning.

Anyway, it was a rush2 thingy for us.. Thankfully, the new buyer for our old flat allowed an extension of 2 mths stay when our new flat seller was unable to allow us to renovate his place b4 we officially get the keys. Even now, we are putting up at my mum's place(which is just a block away) n of course our stuff in a storage place. Sourcing for IDs was also rushed as husb was busy with work n we couldn't be too bothered to compare much.

Didn't really go for the cheapest quotation but rather with an ID we felt we are comfortable with.. Of course we can't say much since we dun have that many IDs to select from..hee..

So, we collected our keys on a Friday, 23rd March 2012 n hacking started on the 27th.. Major overhaul it had to be as the flat was really badly maintained. That wasn't our issue anyway as we were looking for a unit in that particular estate n we knew we would need to renovate much for units in that old estate.

Ok.. My intention of this blog is for less words n more pics but my intro is like a composition already... So, let the pics do the talking..

Finally managed to figure out how to upload the pics...hee.. So, here are the before pics

[LynZie 0]

Following pics includes the 3d drawings of our ideas n tiles selected..thou there seems to be some mixed up between the colours of tiles for our WC n kitchen.. But, after much consideration we just went ahead as to not wanting any delay in the whole process.. Some pics r also of the progress done to date that is about 2 weeks after the reno started ..that includes kitchen kerbs, floor tiles n wall tiles.. WC n bathroom floor tiles n wall tiles.. Utility room floor tiles.. Living room floor tiles n hacking of partial wall between living room n kitchen..

I'll be peering thru my mum's utility room window every morn to check if my unit's window is opened.. If it is, then my unit is being worked on.. Keeping my fingers crossed that the reno will go n be completed as planned.. Will be meeting up with my ID this sun to check out lightings, kitchen n bathroom accessories.. Will keep updating if there's any progress on the reno

[Edlyn 0]

Wa, your unit is super original condition and really badly maintained. Going to be a big transformation ya. All the best.

Wa, you very gunho.....it took me months to decide on ID/contractor and eventually went w a contractor that is a friend's friend after approval from wifey(who prefer ID with nice 3d dawing). Sometimes, it makes it easier when you know them so can be a little flexible....and not so calculative. I consider myself lucky cos my contractor handles 1-2 job every time..... he say can focus better.... hahaha maybe no business, who knows....so far responsive and pretty knowledgeable.......

LED is not really expensive as what many ppl thought..... i got my LED MR16 downlight for $19, it is CE & ROhs approved and it is wide angle too, about 280lumens and running at 4W. I also replace some of the halogen bulb chandaliar that is 50w each with the 4.5w ones, imagine having 3 x 50w running, gosh it hurts my pocket every month.

My 5m LED strip single color is only $60 and the RGB type is $90 with remote..... so far, i prefer the rgb type because it is brighter and more flexible.

Looking forward to see more pic.......

[ayazumi 0]

Congrats in getting your new home. Must be a tough decision for both of you to decide on the downgrade. Nevertheless, it is also a wise choice. Always plan ahead of your financial before you make any purchase, especially on house, something that you will need to stay for long term. Having six people squeezing in a 3I might consider small for now, but we all know that kids will never stay with us for long. If we get a big house now, and stay for another 20yrs, when the kids grow up, they want to move out and stay on their own. By that time, we are old and have no more energy to do renovation and moving house. That is why most elderly will still continue to stay in big and lonely homes because they find that moving house is a hassle to them. You both have made the right decision. 3I is almost similar to 4-room flat. With the extra utility room, you can make that as a spare room for the kids. And you chose somemore near your mum's place, which is a wise choice. At least there is someone helping you to take of your children. I also stay 2 blocks away from my parents. Daugthers always prefer to stay near their parents.

Good luck for your renovation. Do update more renovation progress.

[LynZie 0]

Wa, your unit is super original condition and really badly maintained. Going to be a big transformation ya. All the best.

Wa, you very gunho.....it took me months to decide on ID/contractor and eventually went w a contractor that is a friend's friend after approval from wifey(who prefer ID with nice 3d dawing). Sometimes, it makes it easier when you know them so can be a little flexible....and not so calculative. I consider myself lucky cos my contractor handles 1-2 job every time..... he say can focus better.... hahaha maybe no business, who knows....so far responsive and pretty knowledgeable.......

LED is not really expensive as what many ppl thought..... i got my LED MR16 downlight for $19, it is CE & ROhs approved and it is wide angle too, about 280lumens and running at 4W. I also replace some of the halogen bulb chandaliar that is 50w each with the 4.5w ones, imagine having 3 x 50w running, gosh it hurts my pocket every month.

My 5m LED strip single color is only $60 and the RGB type is $90 with remote..... so far, i prefer the rgb type because it is brighter and more flexible.

Looking forward to see more pic.......

Hi Edlyn.. U said it rite.. The original pics depict how bad the condition was.. Previous owner was single n rooms were occasionally rented out..he decided to sell when he became blind n thus that further explains how the condition of the unit deteriotes..

Time wasn't on our side so we can't really be that bothered to recce much on IDs. In fact, we only managed to get 3 quotations as we were slacking initially with other family affairs. We only decided on our ID during the last week b4 we got our keys. So far so good.. Our ID provided sound suggestions on top of our existing ideas. Reno works on our unit seems to progress gradually. It would be great if we could move in b4 the initial estimated completion date.

Btw, can I check where u got ur lights from? Husb did mentioned getting LED which he dun have much info on n I would prefer simple, fuss-free items which r also preferably light on e pockets.

[LynZie 0]

Congrats in getting your new home. Must be a tough decision for both of you to decide on the downgrade. Nevertheless, it is also a wise choice. Always plan ahead of your financial before you make any purchase, especially on house, something that you will need to stay for long term. Having six people squeezing in a 3I might consider small for now, but we all know that kids will never stay with us for long. If we get a big house now, and stay for another 20yrs, when the kids grow up, they want to move out and stay on their own. By that time, we are old and have no more energy to do renovation and moving house. That is why most elderly will still continue to stay in big and lonely homes because they find that moving house is a hassle to them. You both have made the right decision. 3I is almost similar to 4-room flat. With the extra utility room, you can make that as a spare room for the kids. And you chose somemore near your mum's place, which is a wise choice. At least there is someone helping you to take of your children. I also stay 2 blocks away from my parents. Daugthers always prefer to stay near their parents.

Good luck for your renovation. Do update more renovation progress.

Thanks Ayazumi! Indeed a tough decision but hopefully it's for the best in the long run.

Our 11yo girl also refused to sleep in her own room at our old flat so for now she would be happy to squeeze sleeping with her brothers.. Our utility room will be made into a study room for now n if the need arises in the future, it can be converted to a mini bedroom when she decided she needs her own space n privacy. Told husb that hopefully this will be our last home as I really can't be bothered with the moving anymore.

It's indeed a challenge to effectively make full use of the small space we have when we r used to having the luxury of a 5room space. Thus we like the idea of having mostly light colours from tiles to kitchen cabinets n walls to make the unit appear bigger. Since there is no storeroom, we would have to make use of any space available in our kitchen cabinets, built in wardrobe n storage bed. Due to lack of storage space during the reno period, husb threw away our usable, but with minor defects like small tear n slightly peeling headboard, storage bed frame only to get the same design storage bed frame again..like duh... Lucky it's not that expensive.. If I'm an outsider, I would think that he's crazy..haha..

This is one of e storage space we hope to chuck as many stuff as we can..say like vacuum cleaner, steam iron, ladder, husb's toolbox n what-not

[LynZie 0]

While walking towards my mum's block after sending my boys off to school, I heard loud knocking noise. There r a few units in my own block doing up renovation works. To my delight, I looked up n saw workers knocking off e windows at my utility room. So I guess they r doing up the windows for today. Will have to c the unit later when husb comes back from work

Edited April 16, 2012 by LynZie

[ayazumi 0]

Which area are you staying? Looks like the buildings are newly painted and clean.

[tankee 0]

Wa, your unit is super original condition and really badly maintained. Going to be a big transformation ya. All the best.

Wa, you very gunho.....it took me months to decide on ID/contractor and eventually went w a contractor that is a friend's friend after approval from wifey(who prefer ID with nice 3d dawing). Sometimes, it makes it easier when you know them so can be a little flexible....and not so calculative. I consider myself lucky cos my contractor handles 1-2 job every time..... he say can focus better.... hahaha maybe no business, who knows....so far responsive and pretty knowledgeable.......

LED is not really expensive as what many ppl thought..... i got my LED MR16 downlight for $19, it is CE & ROhs approved and it is wide angle too, about 280lumens and running at 4W. I also replace some of the halogen bulb chandaliar that is 50w each with the 4.5w ones, imagine having 3 x 50w running, gosh it hurts my pocket every month.

My 5m LED strip single color is only $60 and the RGB type is $90 with remote..... so far, i prefer the rgb type because it is brighter and more flexible.

Looking forward to see more pic.......

Hi Edlyn,

Where did u get your LED from?

[tankee 0]

Hi Edlyn.. U said it rite.. The original pics depict how bad the condition was.. Previous owner was single n rooms were occasionally rented out..he decided to sell when he became blind n thus that further explains how the condition of the unit deteriotes..

Time wasn't on our side so we can't really be that bothered to recce much on IDs. In fact, we only managed to get 3 quotations as we were slacking initially with other family affairs. We only decided on our ID during the last week b4 we got our keys. So far so good.. Our ID provided sound suggestions on top of our existing ideas. Reno works on our unit seems to progress gradually. It would be great if we could move in b4 the initial estimated completion date.

Btw, can I check where u got ur lights from? Husb did mentioned getting LED which he dun have much info on n I would prefer simple, fuss-free items which r also preferably light on e pockets.

Hi Lynzie,

Yes, the usage of glass and light colors walls will make the place feel bigger. My current place has no store room too. So make sure u have a cabinet that is tall enough to hide your iron board if u want to keep it out of sight too.

[LynZie 0]

Which area are you staying? Looks like the buildings are newly painted and clean.

It's at boon lay.. Been my childhood playground n husb's working nearby.. Dun wanna relocate elsewhere n disrupt kids school as well n like u said, being nearby mum's place is a bonus Not sure when was the last the painting was done but this is really an old estate with aging population

Edited April 19, 2012 by LynZie

[LynZie 0]

Hi Lynzie,

Yes, the usage of glass and light colors walls will make the place feel bigger. My current place has no store room too. So make sure u have a cabinet that is tall enough to hide your iron board if u want to keep it out of sight too.

Hi Tankee.. Have to make do with whatever effect possible to get that bigger feel.. It is indeed challenging for a small unit without storeroom.. Hope we can manage to keep stuff out of sight wherever possible

[LynZie 0]

Managed to drop by our house to check out the progress.. Windows up w/o grilles yet..

Our future nite view..

[LynZie 0]

It has been a tiring day today..decided to meet our ID since husb's not working.

Met her at Tradehub 21.. A one stop shop for lightings, kitchen n bathroom accessories.. We went with intention to compare the prices from the limited places in IMM that we have recce. In the end, we got all the stuff from needed there n then...of coz with a higher price tag.

Our words of consolation to each other were..we dun have to waste time to get stuff from different places n arrange differing delivery timing.. Just dun have the time n energy to roam around much with husb mostly free only on Sundays, 3 kids in tow n me with a heavy tummy..

Cost of so-called laziness : approx 2k for whole house lightings including downlights & 4k+ for bathroom accessories, kitchen sink n tap n cooker hob, hood n oven from a local brand Hobz.. Personally, I find e brand name kinda chic but I have never heard it b4. Initially, we thot of getting either the delizia or ariston package from Mayer which we saw previously. No point thinking much now.. Just hoping the Hobz hob+hood+oven can last us long..fingers doubly crossed. Only consolation is the glass hob comes with a lifetime warranty. Saw rinnai hob but was told warranty was only for 2 yrs The store was having a promo package of getting free gifts or cash disc if we meet the purchase amount for 3 categories ie bathroom, lightings n curtains. We intended to have roller blinds instead of curtains n husb thot the ready made ones at Ikea might not last us long so he said no harm getting a quotation. However, the lady i/c was not in yet so we thot we might just come back another time.

Managed to settle at the store by slightly after lunchtime n the kids n even husb were complaining of hunger. So, we headed to IMM for lunch b4 meeting our ID again to purchase our aircon.. Already had our choice of aircon in mind.. Panasonic system 3.. Like e slim looking with greyish front. The best price we saw previously was at All Best.. But we headed to GC first since our ID was already waiting there. They were offering at $2378 if I remember it correctly.. But with the bracket n husb upgrading the insulation piping n taking up e servicing package..total damage set us to almost 3k

Got to rush to husb's family gathering at hougang in the heavy rain thereafter when we got a call from our ID who informed that husb left his sunglasses there.. Had to be his fav so we headed to the store again after the gathering n so it happened that the curtain lady was around. Another damage to the pocket of 2k but since we met the promo criteria..we got a disc of $300.

Total damage of the day for only 2 stores was slightly more than 10 grand!

Husb n I promised each other that we wun talk abt what we have spent n not to check out prices of the stuff we bought anymore to save any heartaches.. But I had to to mention to him that I just bought a water spray for my mum few days back to replace the old one at only $10.90 from a neighbourhood store when we had selected ours at $35.. We could have gotten 3pcs n keep 2pcs as spares..

Well, what's done cannot be undone. We have relieved ourselves of getting whatever is needed for the new home n on a good note, our ID advised that tentatively she can handover our home by 26 or latest 28th of the month... We were expecting only to move in by 2nd week of May as initially were told it would take abt 6 working weeks to complete our overhaul reno. So now, we should be able to move in hopefully by this mth end! Now, I'm anxiously counting down to the next 2 weeks.. Wee!!!

No pics taken for today..husb did asked also as to why I didn't take any pics.. But it was mind boggling already choosing the stuff at the store with the many choices n designs..

Will be visiting our home tomorrow n will snap2 then.. Our ID informed that today was plastering day.. Hope to see nice levelled walls tomorrow

Edited April 16, 2012 by LynZie

[LynZie 0]

It has been a hectic weekend trying to get the stuff we need for the new home.

After the splurge done on sat, we took it slow to enioy our Sunday. Managed to visit our home to find some plastering done for some walls