We didn't like the glossy effect, so was very specific to our ID that it had to be matt clear coated.

This is how it came out:

For the kitchen, same thing. And we cook quite a fair bit, so far so good (other than the cracks/fine lines).

The coating they used is this:

http://www.buildersmart.com.sg/store/index.php/chemical-products/davco-liquid-water-repellent.html

Hope this helps you!

Thanks, Tessina! I will ask my contractor about this. He may just ask me to pay for the coating material.

Your bathroom is gorgeous! Where did you get that mirror?

Happy new year, everyone.

Here are some pix taken yesterday afternoon.

Plastering works:

Spotted two slightly protruding bits of one wall. Pictured below is one. Will tell Alan about this when we see him in person.

We've finally nailed down a date and time to meet. Alan suggested Saturday morning and that's fine with me, since I cannot take time off work on Thursday and Friday.

Not sure what defences he will be pulling out when we meet. So far he's been reluctant to do anything extra (starting from the drain hole episode) and he has yet to rectify anything although he said he is open to it.

We really hope these wall issues get rectified before the painters come in.

Anyway, our bathroom hardware + kitchen sink and mixer were delivered yesterday. Everything you see here is from Hupfarri @ Changi Road. We had called them up 1 day after our purchase to ask for an exchange of 1 bathroom sink, and they were happy to comply. Everything went smoothly.

We've yet to check if the kitchen sink mixer is of an appropriate size for the sink. They were displayed separately at the showroom. Hope the sales people will be ok with us bringing it to the shop for an exchange if we have to. We've yet to purchase other accessories.

Instant water heaters have also been purchased: 707 Princeton and Mistral (Full Copper Inner Tank). No space for a rainshower whatsover.

Edited January 1, 201412 yr by inthechouse

Maybe it's time to finally post a few photos of what we deem to be our inspiration. I don't think we can fully achieve this look (due to myriad reasons) but one can always try.

Question: Is it really ok to use a faucet without a WELS rating? One of the three faucets we bought has zero rating. The salesgirl said it will work fine as long as we get our plumber to do something to the valve.

Maybe it's time to finally post a few photos of what we deem to be our inspiration. I don't think we can fully achieve this look (due to myriad reasons) but one can always try.

Been looking forward to your mood board pics, and it's really nice and scandinavian as expected! It's amazing how something as simple as cushions and a throw can make your sofa (and by extension your living space) that much more cosy.

Been looking forward to your mood board pics, and it's really nice and scandinavian as expected! It's amazing how something as simple as cushions and a throw can make your sofa (and by extension your living space) that much more cosy.

Thank you, vicx1234. You're right, it's pretty amazing. But that makes it all the more difficult to find the right ones. We've been shopping for a sofa and cushions for a long time coming, but nothing has caught our eye. We're not going for the high end range, and apparently nobody makes 1.8m-wide sofas anymore! Size is imperative here, because our living room is long, not square. There's a shop in AMK that offers custom-made sofas at 900-1K, as opposed to the 1.6-1.9K quoted by some places in Tai Seng. But the guy does not have a showpiece for us to sit on/sink in... so we're a lil hesitant about it. There are also quite a lot of nice cushion covers available online, but we'd really prefer to have a touch and feel before buying anything. So search goes on.

Went back to Hupfarri yesterday to exchange a tap. They were happy to do so as long as the item is in its original, pre-sale condition.

Spoke to a relative who has some knowlege/background in construction about the slanted wall. The only way to fix the situation would be to take out the skirting and L strips, then add cement, make the walls parallel, and redo.

When people say that HDB walls are not straight, they mean the THICKNESS is not uniform. That doesn't affect newly hacked doorway openings. When the thickness is not uniform, you see a slant/wavy wall when you stand in between the doorway and stare at the side of the wall itself.

As for the opening which Alan's workers hacked, which is seen from the front of the wall, the 2 walls should definitely be parallel to each other.

Do take note of this if you're thinking of hacking a new doorway.

We'll be meeting Alan tomorrow morning. Then we'll update again.

Thank you, vicx1234. You're right, it's pretty amazing. But that makes it all the more difficult to find the right ones. We've been shopping for a sofa and cushions for a long time coming, but nothing has caught our eye. We're not going for the high end range, and apparently nobody makes 1.8m-wide sofas anymore! Size is imperative here, because our living room is long, not square. There's a shop in AMK that offers custom-made sofas at 900-1K, as opposed to the 1.6-1.9K quoted by some places in Tai Seng. But the guy does not have a showpiece for us to sit on/sink in... so we're a lil hesitant about it. There are also quite a lot of nice cushion covers available online, but we'd really prefer to have a touch and feel before buying anything. So search goes on.

For the shop in AMK are you referring to Ho S00n Lee sofa maker? For the price differential, sometimes it may make sense to take that leap of faith depending on how positively you view their existing portfolio of work. Have you checked out their FB page? Workmanship looks pretty good from what I can tell from the photos. Of course, if you can get the opinion of fellow forummers who have had prior experience with them, that would be best.

But you're absolutely right about touching and feeling your purchases before you buy, nothing beats the feeling of sitting on something and going 'ahhh' knowing that the comfort level is just how you want it. I'm not sure if this would help, but I assume that they have some furniture foam and fabric lying around - you can test the firmness of the foam, and feel the smoothness of the fabric and go from there I suppose?

For the shop in AMK are you referring to Ho S00n Lee sofa maker? For the price differential, sometimes it may make sense to take that leap of faith depending on how positively you view their existing portfolio of work. Have you checked out their FB page? Workmanship looks pretty good from what I can tell from the photos. Of course, if you can get the opinion of fellow forummers who have had prior experience with them, that would be best.

But you're absolutely right about touching and feeling your purchases before you buy, nothing beats the feeling of sitting on something and going 'ahhh' knowing that the comfort level is just how you want it. I'm not sure if this would help, but I assume that they have some furniture foam and fabric lying around - you can test the firmness of the foam, and feel the smoothness of the fabric and go from there I suppose?

Oh! Thanks for the lobang! I was actually referring to S&C Furniture. But I googled Ho Soon Lee after reading your post, and yes, the pix look good! Will probably ring them before dropping by sometime soon.

Hi,

We're now deciding between Legrand and Schneider switches and powerpoints. Was trying to look for photographs online but couldn't really find pictures of the powerpoints.

Any of you guys using these brands? Hope you guys can share some photos and reviews!

Hi we are using Legrand which is not bad. However if you plug in a multi-socket adapter, then it becomes hard to reach the on/off button. Will take a photo and post on my tblog soon.

BTW, we saw the Schneider switches at HomeFix and they are gorgeous! But I think they are also pricier. Saw a friend's condo using this.

i'm using schneider. pics here:

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/51546-home-northeast/page-5#entry782125

Edited January 4, 201412 yr by retchlow

Hi we are using Legrand which is not bad. However if you plug in a multi-socket adapter, then it becomes hard to reach the on/off button. Will take a photo and post on my tblog soon.

BTW, we saw the Schneider switches at HomeFix and they are gorgeous! But I think they are also pricier. Saw a friend's condo using this.

Thanks, Makanology!

i'm using schneider. pics here:

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/51546-home-northeast/page-5#entry782125

Legrand is a bit rounder, right?

makan posted the pic here:

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/58479-loft-iklektic/?p=834557

Today's update:

1) Met Alan at the flat in the morning as agreed. Saw that the slanted wall in question was being rectified. Awesome! So that argument over text was totally unnecessary after all?

2) Seems like whoever who had punched that wall in the hollow block sink support wall in the kitchen did it wrongly. The plumber, who was present, said he has to punch new hole(s). Sounds familiar? Anyway, we asked Alan about the existing hole, and he answered grumpily that he will replace that very tile.

3) Found water stains in the ceiling of my master bathroom. Eeks. Rang the town council office and the matter is being looked into.

4) Spotted uneven plastering in the corner of the ceiling of my master bathroom. Told Alan about it and he said he will look into it.

To be continued....

Edited January 4, 201412 yr by inthechouse