If ID or contractor brings you to tile supplier, the supplier normally gives him a cut. That "cut" can normally be given to you only if you go direct. Same applies for many other suppliers.

If ID or contractor brings you to tile supplier, the supplier normally gives him a cut. That "cut" can normally be given to you only if you go direct. Same applies for many other suppliers.

Agreed on this part but ID/contractor have to earn a living. By cutting them out on numerous parts, we may be saving bits and pieces but may jeopardise the overall renovation.

In our case, we are only tiling the toilets and kitchen, so the cost and "cuts" are not that extensive compared to living room and bedrooms.

Agreed on this part but ID/contractor have to earn a living. By cutting them out on numerous parts, we may be saving bits and pieces but may jeopardise the overall renovation.

In our case, we are only tiling the toilets and kitchen, so the cost and "cuts" are not that extensive compared to living room and bedrooms.

Totally agree on that as long the differences is not really that big till I get the "CHOP CARROT" feeling.

Our ID, Mr. Foo is very kind to accompany us to select tiles. Given it was a Sunday, we really appreciate his advice and assistance,

We went down to Hafary at Balestier spent about 2 hours and selected all the titles we needed.

Luckily we are not too fussy and thanks to Mr. Foo for his input on the combination.

We kept things simple, nothing too fanciful or outrageous, one that come last for years to come.

Kitchen Floor

The kitchen floor tile looks farmiliar..i think I selected it too.

Hacking of Service Balcony

Hacking of the walls at the service balcony done and completed. Now the kitchen will look airier and more spacious.

Before

After

Edited February 24, 201412 yr by OceanEleven

Great idea on hacking the service yard wall down.

Always don understand why they come out with the wall design in first place

Great idea on hacking the service yard wall down.

Always don understand why they come out with the wall design in first place

Yup, if cooking, the fumes either escape to the living room or to the service yard. Given these choices, the viable one is definitely the yard.

Most folks don't cook everyday or wash clothes everyday, cant fathom the need to "tear" out one part of kitchen and make it into a designated service yard.

Yup, if cooking, the fumes either escape to the living room or to the service yard. Given these choices, the viable one is definitely the yard.

Most folks don't cook everyday or wash clothes everyday, cant fathom the need to "tear" out one part of kitchen and make it into a designated service yard.

Probably designed for my mom's generation - they cook every single day....

My present parent's place doesn't have service balcony....so on rainy days, be prepared for fishy or stir-fry of the day smell on clothes coz they are drying close to the cooking fumes. We have had to move the clothing to the living room instead to avoid the fumes during rainy seasons.

Since most of the service yard wall has been hacked, why not hack the upper portion too? That upper portion is unlikely to be a structural beam. With the entire wall removed, the kitchen will look more airy and spacious.

Since most of the service yard wall has been hacked, why not hack the upper portion too? That upper portion is unlikely to be a structural beam. With the entire wall removed, the kitchen will look more airy and spacious.

er...for my place, I was told that to hack the upper part of the service balcony needs PE certification and costs a few hundred dollars, plus long approval time. Is that true or can I just hack?

I dropped my idea of hacking into the service yard due to what I was told.....

Since most of the service yard wall has been hacked, why not hack the upper portion too? That upper portion is unlikely to be a structural beam. With the entire wall removed, the kitchen will look more airy and spacious.

It is more of a structural and beam issue. And yes PE will get involve, HDB will take a long time to have an answer. The answer does not means approval as well.

Anyway, the 2 sides will be covered with top hung cabinets, leaving only a small portion of the beam exposed, making it a good place to hang a clock as well.

To hack the upper part of that wall, you will need PE certification. HDB responded positively within days so my service yard wall was hacked. Btw, the upper portion of my wall is not a structural beam. It should be similar for most HDB units built in the past decade or so. Whether it's worth spending the few hundreds for PE endorsement is down to each individual's budget and objective. For me, it's not an insignificant sum but I still went ahead as I wanted a spacious look and I only have top hung cabinets on 1 side.

just be careful my friend also wanna hack e top part, hack halfway inside got pipes :S

HDB provides a set of electrical and plumbing schematics for new units so you will know where the pipes/wires are. At least for units with that service yard wall, water&gas pipes/electrical wires are unlikely to run across that wall.

Edited February 25, 201412 yr by looneygas

Agreed on this part but ID/contractor have to earn a living. By cutting them out on numerous parts, we may be saving bits and pieces but may jeopardise the overall renovation.

In our case, we are only tiling the toilets and kitchen, so the cost and "cuts" are not that extensive compared to living room and bedrooms.

True, but I prefer everything to be disclosed upfront and not hidden. For me, it is ok for the ID or contractor to charge more for workmanship, or even consultancy. But not ok if, having already agreed to pay the ID or contractor for his work, I buy things e.g. kitchen appliances worth $10,000, to find that a percentage of that amount went to my ID or contractor again (without my knowledge). If disclosed upfront, it is ok with me as I have the choice to make a decision.