12 hours ago, cfengnet said:

Hi, do you mind pm me how much you spent on the reno? Trying to get a feel of how much to be spent soon. 

Cfengnet i have PM you the information. It can only serves as an idea because quality of products used makes a difference. I had a lot " extras " which probably have other options but aesthetic appeal wins over so some items I am more willing to buy for it .

Some of you have PMed me asking how it is without a gate in a HDB. I will elaborate a little further on this decision of mine. We decided to give it a try without the gate as we find it redundant for us since we have a habit to not lock the gate. As some of you have said, it acts more like a deterrent but then again some homes has been broken into even with a gate. We are a little more vulnerable since we are those unit with only  1 neighbor across us and hardly anyone walks by our door so I guess we are really taking a chance here.

So there is not right answer in this case but we decided to go ahead and if we really find it is not suitable , we can always add on the gate. Right now, i am using the Samsung Digital lock and also a camera in the house to watch both my dog and intruder, if any

 

Went to Hock Siong a few months ago while looking for dining chairs but couldn't find what I like. But see what i found? A shiny laughing Buddha, it looks so happy that I just have to have it for $3  It is now sitting on my dining table in its finest glory next to some display flowers from friends of mine

Love the door without the gate!!! Hmm. Makes me so tempted. Haha.

Have you considered getting a digital peephole viewer for extra security?  Those are so affordable and useful IMO! 

Your dining area makes me want to buy a resale flat. Maybe for my next place.  

congrats again and enjoy your new place!

 

OMG your door looks mag! The texture and design! Makes me tempted too! The digital lock looks amazing too! Glad you "talked" me into buying it too!

Edited March 9, 201610 yr by sapphire89

Hi Luxexplorer!

I'm so excited to see someone with a no-gate door since we have also decided to do away with ours.  Your door looks gorgeous, so it's really encouraging

Congratulations on your lovely home!!! So unconventional to not have a gate, salute! Also loving the look of your toilets, so nice and bright and clean 

On 3/8/2016 at 8:45 PM, bykaraanne said:

Love the door without the gate!!! Hmm. Makes me so tempted. Haha.

Have you considered getting a digital peephole viewer for extra security?  Those are so affordable and useful IMO! 

Your dining area makes me want to buy a resale flat. Maybe for my next place.  

congrats again and enjoy your new place!

 

Hey Bykaraanne! Long time no see  I am also loving the gate-less door but now I have make a habit to look through the peep hole before opening the door just in case someone is hiding outside.. haha. I am still considering the digital peephole; seems like a really useful gadget but it looks quite big so unsure if it will spoil the look of our main door. Also different people has been giving different reviews about the battery drainage so I am still sitting on the fence. Personally I think it is a great technology as well. Currently still doing some research on the different brands for this item.

You know I had to sacrifice one bedroom for this 2m dining table hor..but because I bought it back when my home was 1200 sq feet and now it is 700sq ft so bo bian. Really love it especially when throwing party at home. Over CNY, it was perfect because can have 1 steamboat pot and 1 BBQ pan going at the same time.
So you have finished decorating your whole place? 

Edited March 10, 201610 yr by Luxexplorer

15 hours ago, gallopingpenguin said:

Congratulations on your lovely home!!! So unconventional to not have a gate, salute! Also loving the look of your toilets, so nice and bright and clean 

 

20 hours ago, Rynaed said:

Hi Luxexplorer!

I'm so excited to see someone with a no-gate door since we have also decided to do away with ours.  Your door looks gorgeous, so it's really encouraging

 

15 hours ago, gallopingpenguin said:

Congratulations on your lovely home!!! So unconventional to not have a gate, salute! Also loving the look of your toilets, so nice and bright and clean 

Thanks for the compliments and swing by to have a look at my new home

Rynaed, it was also love at first sight for this door. We have requested to leave it unvarnish to achieve a raw look even though we feel it still look very "finished". Down the road, i guess we can have it varnish to a darker color.

Gallopingpenguin, the toilet is one of my favorite area. I absolutely love to do all my business there. Haha! Only such a pain to regularly maintain the shower glass door. Love your kitchen and now looking at it, I would have love the shaker style.. LOL

Edited March 10, 201610 yr by Luxexplorer

10 hours ago, Luxexplorer said:

Hey Bykaraanne! Long time no see  I am also loving the gate-less door but now I have make a habit to look through the peep hole before opening the door just in case someone is hiding outside.. haha. I am still considering the digital peephole; seems like a really useful gadget but it looks quite big so unsure if it will spoil the look of our main door. Also different people has been giving different reviews about the battery drainage so I am still sitting on the fence. Personally I think it is a great technology as well. Currently still doing some research on the different brands for this item.

You know I had to sacrifice one bedroom for this 2m dining table hor..but because I bought it back when my home was 1200 sq feet and now it is 700sq ft so bo bian. Really love it especially when throwing party at home. Over CNY, it was perfect because can have 1 steamboat pot and 1 BBQ pan going at the same time.
So you have finished decorating your whole place? 

Haha, I've always been here. You guys just miss my comments.

Anyway, mine was a $58 one from TB, and runs on Lithium battery. $58 (+ shipping) gets me 2 batteries, 8GB microSD card, and the peephole itself. If you need a pic just let me know, I'll ping you on how it looks on my door. I do know there are some where the front peephole looks like yours though, so not as big and squarish as mine does. 

I LOVE these big solid wood pieces. IKEA just brought in one and seriously I've drooled over it for ages. I couldn't sacrifice one bedroom if not I would definitely have a full dining area! It's the best for entertaining, so I totally agree with you!

Yes, I recently posted pictures of my office. though I must say my shelves are still lacking (hopefully a trip to London would help me with that!) but I guess unless I go to the US I won't be 100% happy with what I find here (everything pretty is so expensive it's ridiculous). 

And!! Go to Daiso, get the melamine sponge (they have it in stick form, or just get the bigger individual pieces) and clean your shower screens with those. They work a CHARM on glass shower screens and leave them streak free and sparkling. I use it every week on them. 

Either use plain water or spray some white vinegar solution and wipe down with the sponge. Works wonders, trust me. I use the sponge for my sinks, taps (they will SHINE) and the stick for my WC as well. 

Edited March 10, 201610 yr by bykaraanne

On 3/10/2016 at 10:31 AM, Luxexplorer said:

Rynaed, it was also love at first sight for this door. We have requested to leave it unvarnish to achieve a raw look even though we feel it still look very "finished". Down the road, i guess we can have it varnish to a darker color.

4

It definitely doesn't look like it needs any varnish or paint.  I love that color of wood; it's just so warm.  I was originally hunting for wood tiles in that exact tone, but unfortunately, all the ones we found were way out of budget or just not quite right.

Yeayyy for no gate will show this to my hub and try to brainwash him no need to use gate 

Actually we already agree no need to use gate but then because our flat near the lift so it's dilemma now 

 

23 hours ago, Rynaed said:

It definitely doesn't look like it needs any varnish or paint.  I love that color of wood; it's just so warm.  I was originally hunting for wood tiles in that exact tone, but unfortunately, all the ones we found were way out of budget or just not quite right.

I know exactly what you mean about the tiles. I think that is where we spent the most time on and went to the showroom numerous times. Found something nice, out of budget. Those within budget and I really did try to like them but always something wasnt right, texture too rough, colour or the distress wood just doesn't seem real enough. Eventually we realized that is all about compromise so we paid for what we liked and tried to cut down on other areas. Afterall the floor space s the biggest item in the entire home and it is the basis of the design.

All said, I am glad the renovation is over and now enjoying those items I have agonized over.. LOL

 

On 3/10/2016 at 9:12 PM, bykaraanne said:

And!! Go to Daiso, get the melamine sponge (they have it in stick form, or just get the bigger individual pieces) and clean your shower screens with those. They work a CHARM on glass shower screens and leave them streak free and sparkling. I use it every week on them. 

Either use plain water or spray some white vinegar solution and wipe down with the sponge. Works wonders, trust me. I use the sponge for my sinks, taps (they will SHINE) and the stick for my WC as well. 

Bykarrane, can you PM me the photo of your digital lock please? At the same time, the Daiso sponge is it the blue one? Think I bought the wrong one which is white colour. The stick also no stock because will be perfect for cleaning my windows

23 hours ago, pankponk said:

Yeayyy for no gate will show this to my hub and try to brainwash him no need to use gate 

Actually we already agree no need to use gate but then because our flat near the lift so it's dilemma now 

 

Pankponk, being nearer to the lift wouldn't it be better since it is much harder for someone to break in. He/she has to be really fast hand & fast leg as it has lots of traffic? Actually on this topic, I am curious how easy it is to break into with these digital locks in the market nowadays? Anyone has any ideas about this?