My First Home: The Bachelorette Pad Edition

[bie18 3]

12 hours ago, jayr said:

hey bie18, really like your ideas! the colour schemes you chose in particular are all beautiful, hope to see more updates when your ideas get realised. could you please share your contractor's contact with me through pm? we're also looking to renovate our house soon. thanks!

Hi jayr.  My reno just started, so am not ready to recommend my contractor, sorry! Thanks for visiting n i hope u stay around

[bie18 3]

On 1/4/2017 at 9:46 PM, Lazyfatcat007 said:

Update more!!! I've completed my reno so now can only make myself happy by spying into others' reno... as well as archiving the good ideas! 

Hi there!! I think i read yr t-blog last yr when i was searching for ideas. Love yr idea of building racks within the window frame for plants. Did u ever get round to it? Also, i think i will be getting the same toilet bowl as u! What won me was when the guy at Wasser said he can change the flush mechanism to gerberit for a $50 top up! That would still be way cheaper than the $350 treo one piece toilet bowl tt i was eyeing before.

[trcd 13]

1 hour ago, bie18 said:

I was raring to start shopping months ago, but had to wait cos there would be no space for the new stuff in my current space. Finally got to start in late dec/ early jan, with my custom-made platform bed, followed by cooker hob and hood as the first major purchases. Also chose my fridge at courts toa payoh when i had to go to hdb hub to collect my keys 2 wks ago! Will write more abt those appliances in a separate post.

Sneak peek of my custom-made platform fm here: https://www.facebook.com/pnrcustom/.   It is made up of individual boxes which can be taken apart and moved to another room/house. The two boxes at the bedhead area are 90cm by 60cm while the rest are 60 by 60 cm. The middle box at the end of the bed is a drawer. The configurations can be customised to yr preference. Price is 2k plus. I am planning to sleep on it with just a futon mattress, jap style, instead of a thick mattress, so i can easily open up the boxes whenever i want.

 

Interesting concept, @bie18 ! Surprised that P&R are going into custom-made stuff! Are the individual boxes easy to dismantle?

Which hob did you end up purchasing? Actually you can start shopping and request for the items to be delivered at a later date!

I've attached a photo of my kitchen tiles on my t-blog (did not want to clog up yours!). Took the photo earlier, with lighting from a 28W LED  

[bie18 3]

18 hours ago, trcd said:

Interesting concept, @bie18 ! Surprised that P&R are going into custom-made stuff! Are the individual boxes easy to dismantle?

Which hob did you end up purchasing? Actually you can start shopping and request for the items to be delivered at a later date!

I've attached a photo of my kitchen tiles on my t-blog (did not want to clog up yours!). Took the photo earlier, with lighting from a 28W LED  

Yeah, P&R started branching out into custom-made stuff not too long ago, towards the last few months of the year. The boxes are screwed together, so I just need to unscrew to dismantle. The few contractors I spoke to about making a platform only offer built-in options. The other option I was considering was systemind, which similarly comes in boxes which can be taken apart... but it's much more expensive!

Thanks for taking a close-up photo of yr tiles! I can see why you thought they look similar to mine! Similar colours though the line pattern is a bit different. Can't wait till my tiles are installed.

I went to Hoe Kee to get my hob and hood 'cos people say the prices there are reasonable.  Decided on a Mayer gas hob with a ceramic glass surface (this one: http://www.mayer.sg/products/hob/mayer2013-07-18-04-10-12/hob2016-02-24-09-04-25-detail).

Was aiming for the rinnai hob at first ('cos of the inner flame), but the sales guy recommended Mayer instead (i can't remember exactly why... but must hv been very persuasive!). Ended up getting a Rinnai hood though (this one: http://www.rinnai.sg/product_details.php?product_id=103. ) Saw a renotalk post about it I think, and was won over by its sexy curves (plus the great suction power... excellent for all the sambal frying I intend to do once in a while). Total cost was $900+,

 

Edited February 3, 2017 by bie18

[bie18 3]

Hope some renotalkers can help with the following questions. 

1) my main contractor will be doing whole house rewiring as part of the reno. I assume the standard material they will use is pvc casing for the wires. If I want to use metal conduit pipes instead, will i be expected to to supply them myself? (Just like i am expected to supply all lights myself).

2) any recommendations for decently priced track lighting in Sg? (I am planning to go to JB to looksee, but a bit worried abt installing non-sg safety certified electrical stuff in my home, so am still considering whether to just get em in sg)

 

[fifteenmay 40]

59 minutes ago, bie18 said:

Hope some renotalkers can help with the following questions. 

1) my main contractor will be doing whole house rewiring as part of the reno. I assume the standard material they will use is pvc casing for the wires. If I want to use metal conduit pipes instead, will i be expected to to supply them myself? (Just like i am expected to supply all lights myself).

2) any recommendations for decently priced track lighting in Sg? (I am planning to go to JB to looksee, but a bit worried abt installing non-sg safety certified electrical stuff in my home, so am still considering whether to just get em in sg)

 

for no 2, i bought lights from lightings.sg at jalan bersah before for my first flat 6 years ago before taobao existed.  quite a lot of choices and reasonable pricing http://www.lightings.com.sg

[trcd 13]

3 hours ago, bie18 said:

Hope some renotalkers can help with the following questions. 

1) my main contractor will be doing whole house rewiring as part of the reno. I assume the standard material they will use is pvc casing for the wires. If I want to use metal conduit pipes instead, will i be expected to to supply them myself? (Just like i am expected to supply all lights myself).

2) any recommendations for decently priced track lighting in Sg? (I am planning to go to JB to looksee, but a bit worried abt installing non-sg safety certified electrical stuff in my home, so am still considering whether to just get em in sg)

 

I find Ch*n Hu*t quite reasonable and there is also some room for negotiation.

Are you getting track lights for the whole place?

I have heard of many who purchased from Malaysia and they turned out okay. I would think as long as you do not overload your outlets, there ought to be lesser risks. There are also members who get their lightings from Taobao. I was quite hesitant to deal with the problems (damage in transit, or its failure, or electrical risks) so I got my lightings from local shops and an online european lighting store.

From SCDF:

Fire Safety Advisories to Prevent Electrical Fires:
Never overload electrical outlets with electrical appliances;
Always switch off appliances when they are not in use;
Check the condition of wires regularly. Frayed wires or cracked cords should be replaced or repaired immediately;
Do not run wires under carpets or mats and keep wires away from hot surfaces; and
Use electrical plugs which carry the SAFETY Mark. 

[fi5hbone 8]

@bie18 your hob super swee lei!!

[jayr 0]

On 02/02/2017 at 10:01 PM, bie18 said:

Hi jayr.  My reno just started, so am not ready to recommend my contractor, sorry! Thanks for visiting n i hope u stay around

hey bie18, no worries, hope your reno is coming along well! 

[bie18 3]

Reno works started again last Fri, after the CNY break. Saw the tiling uncle at work alone on Saturday. Then the next time I managed to go down to see the house was today, after work. Discovered some mix-ups, and immediately contacted my contractor (e.g. wall tiles laid in a different pattern than agreed, they didnt leave enough space behind the new L-shaped sink area for my washing machine to slot in) Thankfully, she went down to the house a couple of hours later (i.e within today) to rectify or else I would have been more upset.

Will meet her tmrw at lunchtime to discuss the tile issue. Essentially, they were laid in a regular pattern, but i prefer the staggered pattern. She said something abt the possibility of the tiles "bending" or appearing uneven if laid in a staggered pattern. Anyone knows what that means? The tiles are 60 by 30 cm.

Example of staggered pattern:

In any case, will try to lay them out on the floor to see which looks nicer. She apologised for not checking with me first before tiles were laid, so that's something. And at least i like the tile work in the other bathroom. A sneak peek below. Will try to take a clearer photo tmrw.

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by bie18

[fifteenmay 40]

1 hour ago, bie18 said:

Reno works started again last Fri, after the CNY break. Saw the tiling uncle at work alone on Saturday. Then the next time I managed to go down to see the house was today, after work. Discovered some mix-ups, and immediately contacted my contractor (e.g. wall tiles laid in a different pattern than agreed, they didnt leave enough space behind the new L-shaped sink area for my washing machine to slot in) Thankfully, she went down to the house a couple of hours later (i.e within today) to rectify or else I would have been more upset.

Will meet her tmrw at lunchtime to discuss the tile issue. Essentially, they were laid in a regular pattern, but i prefer the staggered pattern. She said something abt the possibility of the tiles "bending" or appearing uneven if laid in a staggered pattern. Anyone knows what that means? The tiles are 60 by 30 cm.

Example of staggered pattern:

In any case, will try to lay them out on the floor to see which looks nicer. She apologised for not checking with me first before tiles were laid, so that's something. And at least i like the tile work in the other bathroom. A sneak peek below. Will try to take a clearer photo tmrw.

 

The mosaic tiles looks nice! 

Hmm.. If u like the staggered pattern,see what ur id can do to resolve it. To me the staggered patterns has alot of lines and the flow isnt there. But its yr house and u do what u like! 

[nerrad 7]

staggering pattern is definitely doable. it's just more troublesome to lay.

[bie18 3]

On 2/3/2017 at 8:03 PM, fifteenmay said:

for no 2, i bought lights from lightings.sg at jalan bersah before for my first flat 6 years ago before taobao existed.  quite a lot of choices and reasonable pricing http://www.lightings.com.sg

Thanks for the recommendation! My contractor mentioned the same shop. She says she doesn't get commission from them, but have heard her other customers say that they charge reasonable prices. Will check it out.

[bie18 3]

On 2/4/2017 at 1:37 AM, fi5hbone said:

@bie18 your hob super swee lei!!

Thank you! My main concern is that it should be long-lasting and easy to clean! Looking forward to doing lots of cooking on it. 

[bie18 3]

7 hours ago, nerrad said:

staggering pattern is definitely doable. it's just more troublesome to lay.

Yeah, i can't help but suspect that is the real reason the tiling guy chose to do straight design and my main contractor was trying to find excuses. But so far my main contractor has been honest and upfront, so will give them the benefit of the doubt and discuss the matter further with them before deciding whether to ask them to re-do the tiling.