A Long Wait For The West

[snowblind 1]

Hi All,

This will be dairy of building my own home which I have waited almost 5 years since getting married. I hope to record down all happenings in new house. I would like also share the knowledge I have gained reading this forum for 2 years and learn more things in this journey. First up is the pic of my 4 room BTO floorplan located in Boon Lay.

Been an active reader in various forums for almost 10 and I just learned how to post pics.

[snowblind 1]

Added my long time desire. A sound system that I read up a lot on and fitted my budget. But looks like I still need to spend more for wires and stands.

pioneer platinum 923

Samsung 60' TV 6300 something series. Smart without 3D

Edited October 11, 2013 by snowblind

[OceanEleven 203]

60" is delicious. Any price for reference?

[snowblind 1]

Got it at 2599 at mega discount store 1 mth back but have not collected. Will check out the price before collection as electronic price drops quite fast. Also bought a hitachi fridge which is too big and a lg washing machine which is an old model. Might be changing that for a newer samsung model. More pics will be added tonight.

[OceanEleven 203]

There is no such thing as fridge is too big. Mine is those 500L up type and barely enough sometimes.

And no, we are no heavy cookers.

[snowblind 1]

Too big for the tiny kitchen we have. Seems to sticking out no matter where its going to be placed. So we have chosen a spot where we might not be tripping on it....I think.

[snowblind 1]

So anyway abit of history of my wife and myself. We got married dec 2008 and have lived with my parents for almost 5 yrs. So our current room is almost like a small house with queen bed, 4 door wardrobe, tv console, tv ps3 speakers laptop tablets.......and a steering wheel setup for my gt5.......and a recliner sofa. And a bookshelf.

So while eagerly waiting almost 3 yrs for my 4 room bto, the main theme was decided.......no clutter. We collected the keys 2 weeks back and so far done nothing except submit faults to hdb.

And after seeing the house, we realised that clutterfree might not be possible as the bomb shelter is going to be a prayers room leaving no other storage area. Current plan is to join the masterbed room and 2nd bedroom. And we might be breaking down the kitchen wall for open concept type of design.....mainly because the 6 seater dining table we have purchased is abit big.

Next up, I will listed the ID and contractors I have met and what I have learnt.

[snowblind 1]

I have had casual chats with quite a number of ID and contractors. But the serious scouting started a month before I got my keys. I was fixed on one contractor who had done up one of my friend home. But I looked ard to get a rough guide on prices and ideas.

1. Friend's recommendation contractor - Had done up my friend home without any problem. Good followup service for any issues. Listed price by per item and no hidden cost visible. But forgetful and doesn't take down notes. Had 4 quotations from him with something missing or not added in. Flooring cost very high at 4k just for labour.

2. ID near my place - Very professional with proper shop and prompt quotation. Price on the high side so didn't follow up.

3. Another ID near my place - Very beng feel and alot of repeated phone calls to my wife on things which they had already taken note of. Quotation high plus some discount added at the end. Didn't feel comfortable with them so no follow up.

4. Contactor who hung ard by BTO - Very elvis type of flashy old man. Didn't like the way he wanted things done. More like a mass market type of contractor who relied on same type of design for all his jobs.

5. A aunty contractor shop near my place - Went her shop to get a quotation not expecting anything. Was pleasantly suprised with her quotation which included everything and cheapest by far. But I didn't follow up until yesterday as I was fixed on my fren contractor. Will be calling her or her husband down on friday for onsite measurement and ideas.

Still not decided on the contractor yet but that aunty shop is leading. What I am glad is I went to a few different places to get quotes andmost iimportantly didnt overlook the aunty shop because it was simple and old fashioned. Cheers

[snowblind 1]

A small update on the contractor selection. The Aunty's husband came down to take measurements. I was impressed by his free drawing and advice. Doesn't really give creative solutions but his experience can be seen. As long as his quote doesn't shock me, I should be taking him.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/105022834@N02/10206547843/]reno uncle free hand[/url

Need the experienced folks advice, how long does it take to apply and get the permit for wall hacking? And also going to order in my taobao list soon. Wat is the max i have to wait? Most of my reno lights and vanity tops are going to be ordered from there. Thanks

[snowblind 1]

More than 2 weeks since I have got the keys but nothing much have been done except buying almost every electronic and furniture for the house. Not much faults except for some broken levers and my badly dented bomb shelter door. Told them to change but end up the tried to hammer back into shape and paint over. Not good enuf so going complain to hdb. See the pic of their patchwork.

Advice needed on wallpaper and curtains. Got quoted 380 for big roll of korean wallpaper enuf for my feature wall and dining wall. Is it reasonable or possible to get better price? Quoted 1000 for curtains for whole house, 3metre hall, day and night curtain plus 3 room cutains ard 2metres. No idea if the price is good. Pls advice.

bomb shelter door dented

[Makanology 29]

The dent is not acceptable. Best to get HDB replace a new door for you

[snowblind 1]

Went for a joint inspection with hdb folks for the bomb shelter door on Wednesday. Latest update is they will be changing the door to a new one. Have alsp signed with the old couple contractor for renovation. Hope the fact that they have been in business for many years is for a reason. Unfortunately my reno can't start till the permit for my wall hacks is approved and floor tiles chosen. And my taobao shopping list of lights and vanity cabinets is expected to arrive only mid nov.

For those using gas heaters, how much did ur plumber charge for fixing up the water connection? Mine seems quite ex at 650.

[aska 0]

Hi snowblind,

mind to share your contractor contacts and also your friend's contractor contact?

Thanks!

[snowblind 1]

Hi Aska, I prefer not to give out the contact for now. The reason is my friend's contractor was quite slack in his response to my requests. Total received 4 quotations, except for the 1st once, the rest had either missing items or items not removed as requested. He basically lost the deal as I was ready to sign with him.

As for my current contractor, I took a gamble on the vibes I got from her as well as the crowd in her small shop. Apart from that, I have no idea how the workmanship is or if the progress will be painless. Once the reno starts and I can judge the work, I will update accordingly. Trust me I am saving you the troubling of wasting time on recce for contractor. Cheers bro.

[snowblind 1]

Went to select tiles at white horse ceramic. Chose 3 tiles for the hall in grayish tones but feel not satisfied with these. Any other shops to recommend?