Minicasa In The Sky

[sunsetsky 0]

Hi to all fellow "renovators",

Thought i should try to blog on this somewhat harrowing experience.

First of all, we were forced to move due to SERS/enbloc, to a seemingly smaller 4room flat, further from the neighbourhood central.

This is the floorplan, typical of most new flats, except that you can walkthrough the common toilet to the rest of the flat.

Our block is a mixture of 4 & 5 room flats and we got our keys around mid june and have to clearout by mid oct.

With HDB counting down and budget constraints, I shortlisted three contractors that are often used amongst renotalkers. And we went with the one that we were most comfortable with.

[sunsetsky 0]

As there will be two generations under one roof, most themes such as open space kitchens/Scandinavian/minimalist are all forgone. The objective is to have a future-proofed functional living space, with lots of storage at best value price-tags.

However, these are some ideas that I liked, which might be workable

Edited July 18, 2012 by sunsetsky

[mikeyong500 4]

Hello sunsetsky!

Welcome to Renotalk T-blog!

Await your reno pics!

Have a smooth sailing renovation!

,

Mike

[sunsetsky 0]

Some more ideas. obviously the bathtub in the library is impossible unless i win the Toto this friday

[sunsetsky 0]

Thanks Mike.

[sunsetsky 0]

Although I did some space planning prior to getting the keys, but when I step in and saw the actual place,

somehow those planning can only serve as a rough guide/idea for the actual renovation.

Time for a quick tour & my reality check

Living Room

Kitchen

The kitchen is about one third of our current kitchen, so the cook will have to get rid of her treasures amassed over the decades.

Service yard

The angled clothes rack destroyed my secret hopes of best view windows(that can be pushed out and also all windows to one side).

And my grand ideas for idyllic Sunday afternoon tea/bbq at the service yard vaporized with the wonder twin pipes and bi-fold door.

Edited July 18, 2012 by sunsetsky

[sunsetsky 0]

Common Toilet

I don’t know why but I just can’t stand the supposed space-saving partition and PD doors.

I can’t think of why anyone would want to bath whilst someone else is in the toilet. Maybe it’s catered more for big families? No offence intended.

Don't mind the tapes on the floor, those were my defects marking

MBR

My parents complained about the smallness of their room, which is funny actually, coz it’s actually bigger.

It's just that now there are aircon & bay windows and the "west-sun wall", plus they don't want their bed in certain spots,so become "very small".

[sunsetsky 0]

Tiny rooms

The actual wall is much shorter so it affected my “planned” tv-storage wall

Hallway from Living Room

Dining corner

Here because the kitchen & service yard are too small

HouseHold Shelter(HHS)

Treasure your “complimentary” tiles coz I called the haulage company and the kitchen floor tile costs $4 per piece …. Luckily I don't need it for my cement base.

Edited July 18, 2012 by sunsetsky

[sunsetsky 0]

Here are my original plans mostly based on floorplan given. Please excuse my messy writing/sketches.

Overall plan

For kitchen

Right wall of kitchen when facing service yard

Left wall of kitchen when facing service yard

The kitchen being my mom's domain, I got her to sketch out where she wanted her workzones(after weeks of nagging, of course),but i persuaded her to put the hob on the left wall.

Actually I thought it should be more logical to have the kitchen sink on the left, next to the window(can enjoy the breeze?) and the hob on the right wall(no window, can keep the flames alive). But that was vetoed due to ancient plumbing problems of relocating the sink pipes.

The kitchen cement base is required because my parents like to wash the kitchen floor with buckets of water. Whilst the cement support for kitchen sink is to avoid the potential horror stories.

Hey, someone actually posted photos of shrooms growing out from underneath their sink/cabinet area,

Edited July 18, 2012 by sunsetsky

[sunsetsky 0]

[reserved ]

[theitsybits 0]

hello neighbor!

great view! *envies.. have you started reno already?

[sunsetsky 0]

hello neighbor!

great view! *envies.. have you started reno already?

yes, just started on monday, so I thought i better get my mini blog up to speed, before inertia sets in or i get too busy to start.

Your place is so nice, i don't mind trading with you lol

[sunsetsky 0]

As mentioned above, my renovation has just started on Monday.

I’m guessing more or less the usual order of renovation is:

1)Planning

2)Selection of materials

Flooring (fastforward 1 step)

3)Purchase of items required for wetworks eg: sinks

4)Floor & door protection

5)Wetworks6a)Outline of required Electrical work

6b)Measurement for carpentry works [almost done]

7)Aircon trunking [kiv]

8)Electrical works half done

9)Painting[done]

10)Plumbing done

11)Carpentry<<<halfway?

12)Aircon units[kiv]

13)Cleaning

14)Checking for defects/required adjustments

15)Handover

Moving in

My current problem is the Daikin System 3+1 aircon that I wanted to install, or to be more precise the window that opens to the aircon ledge.

This is my take on the current situation, which I am unable to resolve cost-effectively

The window frame can only be hacked out of the wall ( if only this wld help increase 2cm in window opening height)

To resolve this,

1)I have checked using the alternative brand of Mit.E but it still involves either removing the legs permanently off the Sys3 compressor unit or taking out the compressor casing and putting them back when on the aircon ledge.

The problem is there is no way I will know if the warranty will be in force, until the situation called for troubleshooting/repair servicing.

2)I have tried checking for Daikin system 2 +1 but the aircon installers seem unwillingly to take the job since one quoted me the cost of installing Mit.E. system 4 and the other never replied.

3)Other alternative brands such as Mit.Heavy Industries but I was advised that it's relatively noisier than the rest.

In an attempt to not stress myself out, I have decided to KIV my Daikin Inverter System 3 +1 aircon plans for the moment. Maybe the window frame will expand

Edited August 16, 2012 by sunsetsky

[MiKEE 0]

Ur pic is funny...y so big n y so small...hee

[casa 0]

Welcome to Clementi Ave1

Hope to c your reno pics soon

So u stay blk 416??Quite hi floor