My Renovation Journey

[phantommist 1]

Day 48 - Cabinet and Wardrobe

Finally, the carpenter is here to install the cabinets and wardrobe. First the area is cleaned, then the carpenter install the frame of the cabinets and wardrobe in my kitchen, bathrooms and bedroom. next they start to drill holes for the Hob, basins, drainage, etc. Then, time to stick the laminates onto the frames. Lastly, the doors and drawers are fixed onto the cabinets and wardrobe. Sounds easy? Actually, its hard work. Next up to wait for the quartz top and glass panels to be up.

Things that i learned.

- We have to know what we want in order to articulate to the carpenter. Otherwise you definitely be lost be it design, material, configuration and how close it is to the theme of your place. You need to know how many drawers you need, as you ask for more drawer later during the reno, you may need top up.

- Discuss with the carpenter on the exact height of kitchen bottom cabinet and size of each compartment, bottom cabinet is usually around 800mm high and 500mm++ depth. Top cabinet is usually 300mm++ depth. Mine is about 450mm width for each compartment.

- For the kitchen cabinet, you need to decide if you need the cement base. I did for mine.

- For the bathroom cabinets, you need to decide if you need to have it suspended. usually if you choose wood type, better suspend to prevent cabinet from being damaged.

- For the doors, you need to decide if you want to have handles, what kind of handles, sliding or swing doors, transparent or frosted disk rack panel, etc. Sliding door are more expensive but good if you don't have enough space. My bathroom cabinet don't have door for part of it because the WC is next to it. So need to consider the usage practicality too.

- Need to consider how to position the handle (those horizontal or vertical type) so that the handles don't affect the opening of 2 doors at the same time.

- You may also want to consider those internal laminates that are water resistant and mould resistant, not the olden days white colour type. mould spots tend to form in our humid climate.

- Get the ID/contractor/carpenter to provide the rate if you need to add or remove the dimension of the cabinets and wardrobes. It can be anywhere from $100 per foot run and onwards. Meaning to say if i need 10 foot for top cabinet and 10 foot for bottom cabinet, it will cost you at least $2k based on $100 per foot run. This is for transparency and safeguard both side's interest. Some may quote you for full-height rate. It is best to be around during the measurement so that all the positioning and the dimensions are tied down.

- As far as possible, get the carpenter to provide ABS trimming so that the edges of the doors are not sharp to touch.

- If you are using laminate for the cabinets, try to choose materials that are smoother, rather than those that look like real wood. imagine the dust and oil stain (in kitchen) that got stuck there!

- I got the carpenter to provide BLUM hinges. If you don't like BLUM (Austria), i read that Hettich (German) and Salice (Italy) are also good. However, a word of caution, no matter how good a product you buy, if it is treated roughly or not maintained, the best product will still malfunction. For BLUM, please read <http://connect.blum.com/files/brochure/BRO007_CleaningMaintenanceManual_ZZ.pdf>. Further below i have included the photos of my hinges. Finding out why there are 2 different hinges for the same door. The bigger sized one is for the dish rack.

Update: One hinge is for soft-close. Another is without. Carpenter recommended not to have both soft-closing else the soft-closing will really be stiff when you push it.

- Make sure you settle the city gas piping (if you are using city gas), water piping, painting 1st layer and wall tiling done before the cabinet and wardrobe installation.

I will add on once i recall more learning points.

Edited December 23, 2016 by phantommist
Add clarity on the cabinet hinges.

[niel85 1]

On 14/12/2016 at 10:16 AM, phantommist said:

Are you doing your renovation now too? 

yes i am! target to move next year March 

[phantommist 1]

On 12/27/2016 at 2:40 PM, niel85 said:

yes i am! target to move next year March 

Cool. Let me settle more of my stuffs before i find time to write more. Almost ready to clean the house once more before receiving the furniture! 

[niel85 1]

On 02/01/2017 at 0:08 AM, phantommist said:

Cool. Let me settle more of my stuffs before i find time to write more. Almost ready to clean the house once more before receiving the furniture! 

will patiently wait for that! 

[doctor123 1]

Hi phantommist, don't mind sharing your type of house and your reno cost? I'm looking to start my own journey this year. Your detailed explanation and learning points have helped tremendously! Thanks!

[phantommist 1]

Finally got time to write.

@doctor123 It is a 5I.

On water piping, taps and bathroom accessories

Due to the age of the flat (more than 15 years), i have decided that we should replace the water piping for the whole house. For hygiene purpose mainly. Need to run through how the piping is run through the whole house, especially for the points for all the outlets, e.g. washing machine, dryer, WC, basin, sink, water heater, shower points, etc. 

For mine, it was a 2 stage installation. First session was to install all the pipes with the necessary outlet points. Here, the simple outlet like the shower tap and WC connection was done. Second session then to install the sink, basin, etc and then connect up the water point for those not done in the first session. You need also make sure you get your bathroom accessories delivered before the second session so that they can help you install.

I got SUS304 stainless steel for all my taps, basket for bath bottles, towel bar, etc. Hope that this will really reduce chance of rust or corrosion. If you prefer durability, try to get those baskets that drill/screw 2 or 4 through the basket and directly into the wall and not those that drill 2 screw into the wall and hang the basket. You will thank me after long term usage of pressing that shower and shampoo pump bottles. For the toilet paper holder, found the ceramic type in Hoe Kee. Didn't really like the stainless steel types where the cover is sharp no matter which model i see. If you want to get the ceramic type like me, try to get those that just need to drill and screw 2 or 4 (depending on model) to the wall and not those that need to create a indent in the wall (your contractor will charge you for this).

Tip for future ease of maintenance. Try getting the installer to install a switch before all the outlet so that you can cut off the water supply to that point if you need to change the tap or do some serious work on it. The switch may look similar to this - sample image of the switch. My installer was good. He even helped me do a 2 way switch in between the WC and bidet spray. In this way, i can ensure that when the water is filling up the WC, i don't need to worry that long term water pressure on the bidet spray head will spoil it. And when flushing, if we don't see any water, you will be forced to turn that switch to save the bidet spray.. haha..

Make sure you sight the installer put the silicon all round the side of the kitchen sink and the bathroom basin. Don't want a leak and damage to the cabinets. My installer gave me 2 choices, transparent type and the white colour type. When asked which is more lasting, he replied the transparent type. Anyone can advice? Mine's done so i just want to learn more.

Also check that the water mixer tap work as intended. You don't want cold water to flow out when you swing the tap to the hot side.

Last thing, although very minor but this could be a pain for those very particular about design. For the washing machine outlet, please check if the outlet is left or right side so that the contractor can tailor the drainage hole for you.
 

[phantommist 1]

On Gas or Electrical cooking

Was reading around and needed to decide which mode to use for cooking. Do i use the traditional way of gas cylinder or use the more fuss-free town gas or even use the modern induction cooking? My main consideration was the ease of maintenance, cost of usage and of course the "wok-hei".

For gas cylinder, cost wise is about $33 per tank. likely we are going to finish one in 4 month or longer since we cook probably up to 3 times a week plus alternate day of boililng water. Gas is a primary fuel source hence should be generally cheaper.

You have good cooking control since you can control the amount of gas to burn. 

Maintenance wise, i need to consider the storage area which could become oily, dirty and don't think i won't invest time to clean it. Lastly, although the tank are typically designed to withstand up to 9 times the spec pressure, i still think it is not nice to have a 'gas bomb' at home.

For town gas, cost wise will be a pay as you use model. about $0.1761 per KWh (Feb to Apr 17). As our cooking habit as above should be quite low for now, cost should be quite close to cylinder. Do note the fact that SP tend to 'over-estimate' your usage and charge you more, though they do 'reimburse' you back the following month when the actual usage figures are confirmed. Don't really like the charging model but you don't lose much if one can pay by credit card and get some rebates. Gas is a primary fuel source hence should be generally cheaper.

You have good cooking control since you can control the amount of gas to burn. 

Maintenance wise, nothing much. Just make sure noone hack or whack the pipe and you should be good to go for years to come.

For full electricity cooking, cost wise, i think it's the most expensive of the lot since it is a resultant 'energy' from the gas source. Induction cooking is efficient in terms of energy use but when you look at how the electricity is generated, at about 40% efficiency at most, in addition, transmission lost because of "Power = ( Current x Current ) x Resistance x Cos Theta" formula where there will always be resistance on the transmission lines, i can see why electricity is more expensive (more than 15%) at $0.2020 per KWh (Feb to Apr 17).

Hear that food cooked with this tend not to have the 'wok-hei' since you cant really use a iron wok. Plus one may need to look at the hob specification if the output is high enough for your cooking. One thing good about induction is that usually this heats up faster and the heat is distributed more evenly. You can even program the induction hob on the exact temperature you need.

Maintenance wise, pleae wait for the cooking surface to cool down before cleaning to avoid being scathed. You also need to ensure your cooking pots and such is induction-ready (iron or steel elements) else you can cook with it.

With this, i decided to use town gas. Considering again for safety reason, i use town gas only for cooking, didn't extend it to water heating for shower. If it is safe, why does SP require the water heater to be installed in well ventilated area, like near the window? 

I decided to use storage tank heater so that if your usage is low for now, you just need to heat up the water once and the hot water should last for a while like half a day. Do remember to switch the storage heater off else it will continue to keep the water warm and consume electricity!

Back to the town gas. Since the flat is used for sometime, decided to replace the whole gas pipes. You can either call up SP to book the appointment or 'authorise' your contractor to install on your behalf. Do provide the account number. For town gas installations, you will need 2nd appointment to connect up with the Hob.

Tip: if you are getting a resale flat. Try to get the seller to terminate his account with SP on the same day or so as you getting a new account so that the supply for water, gas and electricity don't get cut.

[phantommist 1]

On Lighting, Electrical wiring and Switches

Having the freedom to specify your lighting needs can be challenging as well. Previously mentioned about the spacing between each lightings, colour temperature as well as the strength of the lightings, i have planned for boxed up downlights at the side of the living room plus a ceiling light to ensure even lightings. For the bathrooms, the lights that i purchased is more closed up to prevent moisture from entering the lighting area. Not sure about quality, my 18W downlights are about $12 each (Taiwan Epistar), 24W ceiling lights about $25 each. Dining lights (3 columns type) about $60. Definitely didn't buy from Balastier or Paya lebar or Geylang area. Almost fainted when the same downlight cost $30 or same ceiling light cost $80. Yafen seems cheap but in the end still prefer taiwan made ones.

Since i'm being charged per point and not per switch, i split the lights into zones of about 2 lights per switch for all the downlights and 1 light per switch for all the ceiling lights. Say if i'm watching movie or just reading a book at the sofa in the living room, i can just switch on the downlights at the sofa area. More condusive for the eyes isn't it. Only need to switch on all the lights when having gathering or activities. ceiling fan in the sofa + TV area to eliminate the need for a standing fan. Plus ceiling fan is really cooler basing on the convection theory. So in the living room and dining room, i have a total of 15 lights and 1 ceiling fan that uses 12 switches (include 2-way switches). The 2-way switch was for the lights on the path from main door to bedroom, switch on when i'm at the door and switch off when i'm at the bedroom or the other way round. My parents thought i am crazy. haha.

For the switches, my contractor gave me Legrand which is supposedly a mid range product. My requirement to him was the buttons for the switches must be large, reliable and durable. Maybe thats why i didn't receive Schneider ones.

Please get the pricing before hand for everything from, number of light point, fan point, hob point, hood point, in-built oven point (15A?), fridge point, air-con point (20A?), 1-way switch, 2-way switch, 3-way switch, 1-gang switch, 2-gang switch, 3-gang switch, 4-gang switch, 1-gang socket, 2-gang socket and so on. imagine i got a shock when he told me a 2-way switch for the storage water heater is $300! Also, i don't know what is the difference when they have 2 different pricing for wiring without HDB check and with HDB check. Cannot be just because HDB don't allow certain hiding of cabling right?

Check that all the wiring includes ground as some electricians only install 2 wires to save cost. 

Discuss how to hide the cables before actual work starts. If you want to hide all cables, you might end up with more $$ spend on the box up. If you like me, prefer easy access for maintenance, just do the trunking as efficiently as possible can already. Nag at them to do the trunking properly and before the 2nd paint layer session.

Must insist that the wiring is done in such as way that when one light blows, the rest of the lights will continue to work. 

Check that the Cat 5 or 6 cables are as promised as this will affect your home network performance. I got the benefit of borrowing from friend to test the Ethernet points after the installation. Check where you want to put your wireless router to have maximum network performance. For mine, after staying in for a week or so, think i need to install a access point as towards the end of the bedroom, away from the main wireless router and after about 2 walls, WiFi is weak. Fortunately, i planned a Ethernet point at the bedroom door area in case i need.

[phantommist 1]

On Window Grilles

After this renovation, i realised that i can actually liaise and replace the window grilles on my own. so simple and the price is way cheaper! How i found out was that the window grill on the bedroom window leading to the aircon compressor platform broke after the renovation completed, i asked for quotation from a few supplier and replaced it at $150. Some quoted $250 as they have minimum order so i discarded them. Of course, if your renovation contractor charge you very close to the supplier price, it's worth it to pay for the trouble.

On Curtain

I learned that one need to be more specific with the requirement. I just told the curtain guy that i wanted the curtain rod to be as high as possible but didn't realise until they installed it touching the ceiling. Now, when taking down or putting back the curtain, have to stick the curtain strap like sticking ATM card into the slot. Finger totally cannot go through. Minor problem but hopefully its useful to you.

I paid about $1150 for 3 full length black-out 100% curtain, 1 full length 70% curtain, 1 full length day curtain and 1 roll down curtain (for the window leading to aircon compressor). All using wooden rods and top-tab (aka cafe) curtain. Day curtain is using plastic clips.

[phantommist 1]

On Furniture 

This is another headache. Where to buy and what to buy.

Bookshelf - There are many shelves that claim to be bookshelves but they will sag after some time, even though they claim also to be solid wood. Look at the edge of the wood if you can. Solid wood and compressed wood look very different and their tensile strength are also very different. No doubt teak or other high density wood are stronger, price you are willing to pay is to be considered too. Don't try buying bookshelves that are more than 1m wide per compartment as this increase the chance of sagging even with the strongest wood. Lastly, i prefer the shelves to be built using either screws or nails, and not staple.

I prefer less dust so i got book shelves with swing door with some glass panel. Just need to wipe the outside and put hippo or charcoal to absorb moisture within the shelf.

Display shelf - Have not bought yet. Still looking around.

Coffee Table + TV console - Not easy to find both in pairs to sync the colours and design. Places like HM, courts, Novena, IMM and etc sells so expensive. Wanted the TV console to be at least 500mm in height, about 1800mm in width and the compartment can be customised and allow a AV receiver like Denon, Marrantz or Pioneer type to fit in. As i wanted the bottom to be either fully flushed to the floor or having a gap of about 100mm in case i get iRobot or equivalent to relieve me from the vacumming. Got both at $1200.

Sofa - I'm fussy about this one. As i don't like the look of old leather stretching and the headache of checking if the sofa has genuine full leather (not top grain and not synthetic). In the end i chose a sofa with cloth fabric and removable to allow washing. 

As i also prefer the sofa to be about the same width as the TV console, the sofa should be about 1800mm wide, aka 3 person sofa. The middle of the sofa has a leg to support the weight to prevent breaking at the middle. If your sofa is wider than 1200mm or is L-shaped type, better check that there are enought support legs. Got mine at about $850.

Dining Table set - Originally wanted a teak wood dining table set because i wanted something tough and yet look country enough. Thought Rose wood to be too dark for country even though rose wood is beautiful. Saw the rain forest wood aka Suarwood and fell in love with it. Good thing is that the table has a darker tone in the middle and lighter tone at the side while the table does not have standard shape. something like that but i didn't buy from here or endorsing this website. Found a place selling quite reasonable price but need to let the wood acclamatize at my house. Feels heartache that the wood cracks at the side and have some white spots even though it will be fixed after 6 month acclimatization period. For the same table if acclimatized, will be double in price. Hopefully it will be all good after June.

Shoe cabinet - Wanted a lourved shoe cabinet to allow airing of the shoes. Went quite a number of shops and the prices are like $200 to $300 for 1200m height ones. Most charges delivery of $30 to $50. Most of them have the same construction with screws at the back. In the end, found on local website for $130 with delivery. Exactly the same thing but way cheaper. haha.

Bed and bedframe - There are many technologies concerning beds. Many different types of spring technologies and then there's latex mattress. Felt that the 3 S's (Simmons, Sealy and Serta) are so expensive. As i wanted the bed to have good back support, minimise movement to the other person when you turn sides and not too thick, the pricing from 3 S's are like more than $3k. Saw brands like seahorse, 4 stars or even englander, price very similar. 

Think some brands, e.g. Sealy, don't not have consistent model names, like different brands sells the same thing but with different name and slight difference in the configurations. In this way, one cant really compare apple to apple. 

In addition, feels that the comfort test is just a scam since the comfort feel mainly come from the top layer which is not exactly the mattress proper. Most of the time we are in air-conditioned malls or shops, how to test if its not too warm in Singapore humid weather? Some people say Tempur is really warm and not suitable for Singapore weather unless you are always sleeping in air-con room but you won't know until you really sleep on it to test. 

In addition, there is very little information on what exactly is inside these mattresses. In the end, i turn my search to latex mattress. Ignoring the tech talk about between dunlop and Talaly processes, i got a medium hardness latex mattress with very small amount of top comforter. Good for the back, good for the pocket. Got it for less than $3k when there was 20% discount during a new branch opening. So far so good sleeping on it.

Most brands would want you to get a bed from them together with the mattress but you can choose not to if the design don't suit your taste. I got mine from another shop. A tip. Either get a bed frame with full plank underneath the mattress or top up money to get the full plank. Most brands will void warranty when they see slit type of support underneath the mattress. But then, after reading the terms & condition of warranty of bed mattress, i think the chance of warranty claim is close to zero. 

Another tip. If you prefer durability of your bed frame, try looking for bed frames with more support legs in the middle of the bed to support that heavy mattress, esp if you are getting a latex bed.

For ease of getting on and off the bed, you may want to consider the full combined height of both the mattress and the bed frame.

From my own family's experience, having a bed frame that has "leg board" (as opposed to head board) might cause some bruises when you walk around the bed, sometimes kicking the end of the bed in the process. I got a bed frame which only have head board but the leg side is empty.

Do consider if you need that 15 inch mattress as i think its more of a want than need since i cant appreciate how a thicker mattress is "more comfortable" than a thinner one like 6 inch ones. No matter how one bounce on the mattress, i don't see the mattress depress much, maybe a two to three inches at most? Do share on your experience (no sales person please).

Storeroom rack - After considering the options provided for steel rack, plastic rack, etc, i got a painted steel rack with rubber sole, plywood plank and boltless design. Chosed plywood because i read that MDF/HDF might emit some gas that is not too good for health. I think acrylic is fine too. Both plywood and acrylic should last a long time.

Dressing table - decided to stick to a teak wood table with drawers. Beautiful but expensive. 

Thats all for my braindump at the moment. Do share yours so that i can learn too.

Edited February 28, 2017 by phantommist
Putting Appliances in another post.

[Chubbyfat2 2]

Wow, you really have a detailed journey post about your home renovation ! It really helps alot when most us here are struggling about renovation process hahahah

[phantommist 1]

Chubby, glad that it helps you. Do PM me if you have queries. I will try to help with what i know.

[blubugs 2]

Hi phantommist, thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. Your preference in certain areas are quite similar to mine (prefer easy access and easy maintenance, L box with down lights, ceiling fan to eliminate standing fan etc). I am in process of buying a (also) resale unit. 

1) If you don't mind, can you share where did you buy your lights/down lights, taps/bathroom accessories, TV console, sofa and bed+bed frame?
2) Reason for your choice to install glass back splash in kitchen? Any risk of breakage/crack? Is it easy to maintain?
3) Any problems with your homogeneous tiles so far? Are the grouts in between tiles easy to maintain/clean? 
4) Any reason need to "acid wash whole house to remove stains TWICE"?
5) I liked the idea of 2-way light switch at main door and bedroom. How do you put that on contract?
6) Looking back now, what are the things that you would have done differently or regret not doing?  

[Dragonia 0]

Hi phantommist,

Can I know how are your dealing with the ID like?

Is the ID good? Helpful, etc?

[phantommist 1]

On 8/2/2017 at 10:14 PM, blubugs said:

Hi phantommist, thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. Your preference in certain areas are quite similar to mine (prefer easy access and easy maintenance, L box with down lights, ceiling fan to eliminate standing fan etc). I am in process of buying a (also) resale unit. 

1) If you don't mind, can you share where did you buy your lights/down lights, taps/bathroom accessories, TV console, sofa and bed+bed frame?
2) Reason for your choice to install glass back splash in kitchen? Any risk of breakage/crack? Is it easy to maintain?
3) Any problems with your homogeneous tiles so far? Are the grouts in between tiles easy to maintain/clean? 
4) Any reason need to "acid wash whole house to remove stains TWICE"?
5) I liked the idea of 2-way light switch at main door and bedroom. How do you put that on contract?
6) Looking back now, what are the things that you would have done differently or regret not doing?  

Hi,

I hope I'm not too late in replying. My lights are from circuit road one of the shop there selling mostly China stuffs. You can try GR link, PohJoo, Poh seng, hoe kee superstore. Furniture are from castlery, wihardja and forty two. But do know what you want and ask around. 

Glass is usually easily broken but as we are using tempered glass and that it's all the way at the wall, it's quite low chance to reach it, not to say break a tempered glass. Maintenance wise just wipe it will be OK. Do note if you take transparent, there will be a hint of green since glass has some green tinge. 

So far so good for the tiles. My grout lines tend to get dirty in one of the bathroom because the air flow is not that good. Try not to use colored one as the color may fade soon. I'm trying magicclean to reduce need to brush them.

Acid wash for the first time is just before carpentry work to provide a clean floor. Second time is before moving in. Actually their acid wash kind of BS as I don't think it's clean enough. A lot of cement dust on the floor still.

For your electrical wiring, you must know where to put, what you going to use it for and how many. For a start them to quote how much for 2 way switch for normal ( light) and for high power ( water storage heater) one. It's better to have a transparent pricing to avoid future doubt.

Looking back, there are quite a few things I thought could have done better, like the location of switches, choice of toilet floor tile color, etc.