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ilkl

5-Room Resale (Light Industrial) Learn & Share

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10 hours ago, ilkl said:

I will let the boss know.

 

Will do a post about it once it's installed. Expecting it to be in within next 1-2 wks.

We're not doing a kitchen backsplash at the dry kitchen, leaving it as cement screed. But may consider adding on either glass or kompacplus backsplash if budget permits. See how la...

thanks! we are thinking of installing the grass on the wall too. thinking should install on plywood first before install it on the wall ornot.

kompacplus backsplash will be **** nice! we are thinking of installing it as well. hehe

 

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Tiles, Tiles, Tiles
Because we are such cheapos and are doing vinyl and cement screed overlay, we actually don’t have that many tiles to choose for, only 1. Service Yard Floor, 2. Both Bathroom Floors, 3. Master Bathroom Wall, 4. TV Feature wall bricks

I shall not bore you with too much details on our tiles selection, since it’s a pretty standard go-Hafary-and-get-overwhelmed-by-choices-there-and-eventually-choose-some-tiles right of passage that everyone went through, save for one interesting exception:

Special Request
We saw this tile arrangement for shower area and we absolutely love it! :wub:

large_07.1-tiles.jpg

They even featured it on their Instagram page! Me likey even more! :wub::wub:

large_07.2-tiles.jpeg

But interestingly the tiles (code: PTR ITL GR RT36, from Italy) do not come in such tiny random sizes, and the Hafary staff confirmed that it was only sold in large sizes of 30x60cm or 60x60cm. At $7.30 psf, this also meant a significant top-up from our ID’s original quote of $3.20 psf for tiles.

large_07.3-tiles.jpg

Even as we entertained the idea of our master bathroom looking like this, our ID told us his tiler cannot possibly cut those large tiles into smaller pieces with nice straight cuts – this can only be done in Hafary’s factory with their big tile-cutting machines. He asked us to look around for smaller tiles, but none of those stirred up the same feeeelings we had for the previous tiles. :wacko: There are those resort-like textured tiles which we think are great too, but since we can’t agree on who is going to be the one to scrub off the soap scum and mould from the bumpy surface, for marital bliss’ sake we opted for smoother tiles. We then decided to consider 15x60cm tiles with similar stone-like patterns and shortlisted this CW05. At $3.00 psf, we thought it’s cheap, cheap la! The Hafary staff also mentioned they can cut the tiles into half (7.5x60cm) for us if we felt it wasn’t small enough. We said ok then, thinking that we can try a normal staggered pattern (second pic below).

large_07.4-tiles.jpg 

large_07.5-tiles.jpg

I spend the next 1-2 days staring at the Instagram picture… and thinking about why tile arrangement looks so awesome. Then idea struck! Why don’t we ask if Hafary can cut the 15x60cm tiles into 5x60cm and 10x60cm? My reluctant ID said he will check, but the good news was, yes, they can do it! :thumbsup: We just need to top up a small amount to cover the tiler’s extra labour to stick the small tiles. And because we are cheapo, we just stick them on one wall only to act as a shower feature wall. Here’s the result (sorry photo quality not very good – backlight is a pain in the butt)

large_07.6-tiles.jpg

Not as great as the Italian $7.30 tiles, but considering it’s half the price, not bad la! (the husband/boss likes it very much so that’s good!)

My mother-in-law reminded me to do a step-down at the toilet area instead of the typical shower kerb as she said it’s not-so-nice looking, difficult to clean, and not child-friendly. Since we decided to hack away the floor tiles in the bathrooms, I told my ID of this requirement and it was promptly done. The shower kerb would’ve cost us $150, and the step-down was an additional $100 (so total $250). Looking at the end result, I’d say it’s money worth spent.

large_07.8-bath-floor.jpg


Unfortunately, we couldn’t do a step-down for our service yard because the floor is originally level with the kitchen, so the tiler erected a kerb for us. The glass door will go on top of the kerb. I honestly don’t like the kerb but in this case bo pian lor.

large_07.9-service-yard.jpg

 

Edited by ilkl
 

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Going Green - Vertical Garden
If you noticed from our floor plan, there is a hindrance to achieving a fully open kitchen, namely an Unhackable wall. 

large_08.1-unhackable.jpg large_08.2-unhackable.jpg

Coming soon to a theatre near you... I jest, I jest.

This means no island, but a peninsula instead. (But for convenience sake, we shall still call it an island). My initial idea was to dress this wall with some texture, using craftstone:

large_08.3-craftstone.jpg

large_05.1-3D.jpeg

But the husband aka boss wasn’t too impressed with what he saw on the 3D and with the real craftstone. He thought we should use the same bricks for the TV feature wall but I didn’t want to repeat the same bricks as I felt it will steal the TV feature wall’s thunder. Either way, we were both doubtful about this wall, but then I came across this online:

large_08.4-Green.jpg

I loved the idea of having greenery in the house and this was the perfect wall to have a vertical garden! But I have absolutely zero experience in gardening, so I thought we should do fake plants for easier maintenance, but I too did some research on real vertical gardens. The boss also liked the idea very much, and said he would prefer real plants.

I shortlisted 3 companies which specialise in Vertical Gardens and picked Vertical Green (website here) because they have done many projects and seemed to have the best system around. They also offer a maintenance package in case really #greenthumbfail. Fellow renotalker @Ks Toh also engaged VG for his vertical garden and I sounded him out – he was very happy and proud of his vertical garden. Check out his t-blog here:

The vertical gardens in all Innisfree outlets are done by them, so if you are curious, you can go check out Innisfree!

There are two types available – tank and tank-less.

large_08.5-VG.JPG

large_08.6-VG.jpg Example with tank.

The tank-less system needs direct water connection, while the tank requires manual top-up of water every couple of weeks. The system is designed to be as hassle-free as possible, just need to top-up liquid fertiliser and do some pruning every month. Since we are taking into account the vertical garden during our renovation, we are going for the tankless. We must supply VG with:

  1. 2 x 13A electrical points for their timer etc
  2. Lighting points for the indoor growth lights (which they will connect to their timer)
  3. Water inlet & dummy pipe
  4. Outlet connection for drainage

They will install the ‘hardscape’ first, and planting is done only after all dusty works have stopped – means right before moving in. 
Even though my ID had no clue about vertical gardens when we first mentioned to him, he is more than happy to co-ordinate the required electrical works and plumbing with the VG guys. Thumbs up to him!

If you are wondering about the price, it is certainly not cheap! It’s about $750 per sqm, and be prepared to add a few hundred bucks more for the tank or drainage tray (for tank-less) and growth lights! There are other cheaper options available such as doing an artificial grass wall, or a moss wall, or artificial plant wall but personally I feel this is something quite unique and the plants can also help to reduce VOCs in the air. Plants + Industrial combi is quite nice and I’m really excited about having my own garden in the house!

Edited by ilkl
 

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Growing Herbs
Some of my friends who knew about my vertical garden asked if it can grow herbs. Sadly, no, because herbs actually need more sunlight and the VG system is designed for indoor plants which thrive on less light.

So how does a gardening noob with some interest in gardening and yet is a lazy bum grow some herbs? By getting this Smart Herb Garden by Click and Grow from Amazon instead. There was a big discount during Black Friday so I just bought this to try (US$30 plus Amazon free shipping, comes with 3 Basil cartridges). Just plug in and remember to top-up water (there is an indicator). The capsules contain NASA-inspired “smart soil” with embedded seeds which will begin to sprout once the LED lights are turned on. It really works! (My friend is growing them for me on her office table cause I got no space at home/work)

large_09.2-herb.jpg


The official website has a lot more variety of plant types and best of all is, free shipping to Singapore for purchases above US$50! Use this link to enjoy 20% off first order.

Since the 3-plant Smart Herb Garden seems rather successful, I’ve placed an order for the Smart Garden 9 which will only be available in August 2017 onwards. That way, I can grow salad and herbs at home! Eggsciting! :dribble:

large_09.3-herb.jpg


If not convinced, I suggest searching YouTube for Click and Grow reviews. Quite a lot of video reviews there. Don't say I bojio!

 

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20 hours ago, sonsofliberty said:

Really like the sahed of blue and red on tyour wall. 

Err, that's the original wall colours and we're not keeping it - will paint over soon!

 

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On 25/02/2017 at 7:12 PM, ilkl said:

Growing Herbs
Some of my friends who knew about my vertical garden asked if it can grow herbs. Sadly, no, because herbs actually need more sunlight and the VG system is designed for indoor plants which thrive on less light.

So how does a gardening noob with some interest in gardening and yet is a lazy bum grow some herbs? By getting this Smart Herb Garden by Click and Grow from Amazon instead. There was a big discount during Black Friday so I just bought this to try (US$30 plus Amazon free shipping, comes with 3 Basil cartridges). Just plug in and remember to top-up water (there is an indicator). The capsules contain NASA-inspired “smart soil” with embedded seeds which will begin to sprout once the LED lights are turned on. It really works! (My friend is growing them for me on her office table cause I got no space at home/work)

The Smart Herb Garden works. I had the plain white original version as I was one of their Kickstarter backer. Sadly, not all their herbs / plants can grow well in our climate.

 

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Just saw your kitchen layout. I don't think that putting your wet kitchen with the laundry area is a good idea. The clothes will really soak up the oil and grime and it might be troublesome to always bring out the clothes or keep them when you cook. Since your kitchen is quite large, you might want to consider having a separate laundry area too. 

 

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19 hours ago, floppy said:

The Smart Herb Garden works. I had the plain white original version as I was one of their Kickstarter backer. Sadly, not all their herbs / plants can grow well in our climate.

Ooh, which ones didn't grow so well? Do tell so I can avoid buying those.

17 hours ago, fi5hbone said:

Just saw your kitchen layout. I don't think that putting your wet kitchen with the laundry area is a good idea. The clothes will really soak up the oil and grime and it might be troublesome to always bring out the clothes or keep them when you cook. Since your kitchen is quite large, you might want to consider having a separate laundry area too. 

Wow a lot of ppl seemed very concerned abt my service yard becoming my wet kitchen. To be honest, I really don't cook much so think it should be fine. Plus too late to change already :s

Edited by ilkl
 

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On 25 February, 2017 at 7:04 PM, ilkl said:

Going Green - Vertical Garden
If you noticed from our floor plan, there is a hindrance to achieving a fully open kitchen, namely an Unhackable wall. 

large_08.1-unhackable.jpg large_08.2-unhackable.jpg

Coming soon to a theatre near you... I jest, I jest.

This means no island, but a peninsula instead. (But for convenience sake, we shall still call it an island). My initial idea was to dress this wall with some texture, using craftstone:

large_08.3-craftstone.jpg

large_05.1-3D.jpeg

But the husband aka boss wasn’t too impressed with what he saw on the 3D and with the real craftstone. He thought we should use the same bricks for the TV feature wall but I didn’t want to repeat the same bricks as I felt it will steal the TV feature wall’s thunder. Either way, we were both doubtful about this wall, but then I came across this:

large_08.4-Green.jpg

I loved the idea of having greenery in the house and this was the perfect wall to have a vertical garden! But I have absolutely zero experience in gardening, so I thought we should do fake plants for easier maintenance, but I too did some research on real vertical gardens. The boss also liked the idea very much, and said he would prefer real plants.

I shortlisted 3 companies which specialise in Vertical Gardens and picked Vertical Green (website here) because they have done many projects and seemed to have the best system around. They also offer a maintenance package in case really #greenthumbfail. Fellow renotalker @Ks Toh also engaged VG for his vertical garden and I sounded him out – he was very happy and proud of his vertical garden. Check out his t-blog here:

The vertical gardens in all Innisfree outlets are done by them, so if you are curious, you can go check out Innisfree!

There are two types available – tank and tank-less.

large_08.5-VG.JPG

large_08.6-VG.jpg Example with tank.

The tank-less system needs direct water connection, while the tank requires manual top-up of water every couple of weeks. The system is designed to be as hassle-free as possible, just need to top-up liquid fertiliser and do some pruning every month. Since we are taking into account the vertical garden during our renovation, we are going for the tankless. We must supply VG with:

  1. 2 x 13A electrical points for their timer etc
  2. Lighting points for the indoor growth lights (which they will connect to their timer)
  3. Water inlet & dummy pipe
  4. Outlet connection for drainage

They will install the ‘hardscape’ first, and planting is done only after all dusty works have stopped – means right before moving in. 
Even though my ID had no clue about vertical gardens when we first mentioned to him, he is more than happy to co-ordinate the required electrical works and plumbing with the VG guys. Thumbs up to him!

If you are wondering about the price, it is certainly not cheap! It’s about $750 per sqm, and be prepared to add a few hundred bucks more for the tank or drainage tray (for tank-less) and growth lights! There are other cheaper options available such as doing an artificial grass wall, or a moss wall, or artificial plant wall but personally I feel this is something quite unique and the plants can also help to reduce VOCs in the air. Plants + Industrial combi is quite nice and I’m really excited about having my own garden in the house!

Real plant is the way to go! it will help to cleanse your air!

Indoor plant is not that difficult, but you need to put in a little of maintenance work.

not more than an hour a week.

I'm sure you can grow herbs, by installing Red/Blue plant LED lights above your vertical planters.

I'm sure Vertical Green can help you instal!

 

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Hi, u did your bathroom tiles in staggered? Didn't your ID inform you about the problem? Because tiles are not 100% flat. Therefore you will feel the tile edge when rubbing against the tiles.

 

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