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First of all, I would like to start by making a small introduction before going into our renovation details. We had just bought a 36 years old 3NG resale flat in Telok Blangah Drive. The flat was mostly in original condition, which was what we were looking for all the while. Besides, it was also due to the nice and quiet ambient, and amenities nearby. After the First Appointment with HDB, me and my wife discussed who shall we approach for our renovation. This is when we spend a lot of time reading reviews here and there, but there are too many ID companies with mix comments, which make us lost and confused. One of our friend had gave us a contact of her ID that previously renovated her flat, and this is where the whole story begins. After making an appointment with him, we met him on one Saturday afternoon. With the floor plan, we share with him how we wish our new home to be like. He understood clearly what we wanted and gave us the confidence that he could make it come through, our dream home. We trusted him, and that is why we did not approach any other IDs. Till now, our renovation had been started about a month, and definitely we had selected the right person to do it. He is our transformer, transforming a 36 years old flat to a condo-like 3 room flat. What else could I say? We couldn't be any luckier. PS: I've shifted my blog here instead from Community Blog as I think here is more appropriate for blogging our renovation details.

Was leeching on Renotalk T-blog for finding IDs with good reviews, and finally it is our turn to contribute! After pm-ing fellow T-bloggers for contacts of their respective ID (those with positive feedbacks), only 3 IDs were shortlisted as me and my wife are the "relax one corner" type and want the renovation process to be simple and fun. All the 3 IDs we met indeed basically are very sincere as they spent 2 hours explaining to us how our ideas can be executed and what are the practical problems we may face if we want to do it that way. Below is the summary of our gut feel about the 3 IDs: 1) For all the 3 IDs, they are very sincere and keen especially so when they didn't even mention or prone us about our budget 2) They are confident about their own work as they are comfortable with bringing us to their projects which are currently under progress 2) First 2 IDs are older and seem more experience, with more sharing on the practical aspects of the renovation. The third ID is young but able to provide quite alot of design ideas. 3) First 2 IDs are able to provide detailed breakdown of the costing in their proposal while there is a "package" component in the quotation of the third ID (which places him at a dis-advantage position as me and my wife don't like to see "package" element in quotation) 4) Finally we shortlisted the first ID we met as he seems to be the "strongest" among 3 of them (gives a vibe that he can manage his sub-cons and workers well), he mentioned that his workmanship is dependent on the quality of his workers (being honest and aware of the importance of his workers score points on my side), his is a family business (means he got a reputation to keep and therefore will have quality control), good vibe and rapport during all the 3 appointments, providing competitive quotation (the other 2 quotations are around 5k higher). In summary, we spent around 3 weekends before placing our trust and faith with the finalized ID on the dotted line. Attached below is our original floorplan and our intended renovation. According to our friends, we like quite "stingy" to the ID as our carpentry is quite minimum... haha.. but me and my wife don't have much requirement and prefer mobile furniture than fixed carpentry. The main feel we aim to have for our home is that of simple cosy feel complement with some "wood" furniture. The study area will be initially our "relax corner", where we can chill on cushions and bean bags, and watch korean drama on TV. Maybe when our future kids (aiming to have 3 or more haha...) become older, it can become a study area proper. Will be using homogenous tiles for living room and passageway, vinyl flooring for the study area platform and bedrooms. Quite excited as we will be choosing flooring with our ID this sunday. Hopefully can snap some pictures and share over here after that. (Finger crossed that our innate lazy bugs wont creep in) The problem we are facing now (as flagged by our friends) is that we have minimum storage space in our planning. Storage bedframe is out as I dont like to have things under my bed (due to a superstitious concern). Will need to devise solution for storage problem without compromising the "minimal simplicity" feel that we aim to have. Anything I missed out in the floorplan, pls do share with us the noobies. Cheers!

Hi, After I moved in to my resale, I realised that my cove lightings will short circuit sometimes. However, this was left behind by the previous owner. My ID's electrician told me to change all the original 10 T8 tubes to T5 to solve the problem. He said that maybe one of the T8 is damaged. However, it seems an overkill. Changing all T8 to T5 cost $200 - 400. Plus installation cost $150. Is there a better way to check and diagnose the problem? Thanks!

Hi I was quoted $350 for Baron single piece W-888 but currently out of stock country wide and need to wait for China to deliver by mid-end March.. Is this price decent? Arino Caprio was going at $299. Edit: Double checked and the Arino was going at $299. They offered me Inspire brand (Malaysian). Retail at $399 but offered me at $350 also. Are these as good as it can get for the prices?

Hi all, I am thinking of changing my current WC to Arino caprio WC with 3 water saving ticks. How is the flush? Is it strong enough to flush away the ' big ' business? Does anyone of you regret getting this WC? Thank you in advance for reading and answering to this thread.

haha. I suppose you follow hommage's fb.

Sorry to hear it. But to answer your question: they use duct tape to connect the insulations mostly. Industry practice.

Hello Peter73! Speaking to you again so soon! I think you have really done your homework! So I suppose my role here is just to CONFIRM the following with you based on whatever little experience I have so far... I did have to get 2x U-hooks for the 56" Elmark Aeronamics ceiling fan & for the 60" KDK ceiling fan (for parents)Yep, Tampoi Lighting Centre did offer a shorter-DIY-rod for the Elmark Aeronamics that I took up (5" rod-length compared the default 7" length) at the expense of a measly few more ringgit (sorry can't remember right now)From my own first-hand experience, my Elmark Aeronamics (with the longer 7" rod) DOES NOT WOBBLE AT ALL, even when set at the highest speed. One of the more senior-looking sales staff at Tampoi Lighting Centre advised us to:remind our ID/ contractor to fix the fan blades 1-by-1 onto the motor stem ONLY AFTER the motor stem has been mounted onto the ceiling.He said this will enable the blades to sit properly & the motor stem is allowed to balance itself out.From his experience, many Singaporean home owners pop by across the causeway thinking that the fan balancing is awry because their contractors piece the entire ceiling fan together on the floor, before bringing the entire assembled ceiling fan up for installation onto the ceilingLastly, you are right, our pathetic HDB ceiling height is so low that I have to be mindful of the ceiling fan... Which is why the 2" shorter rod is even more so significant... Thanks for your kind compliments on our new vinyl flooring! We love it too! :wub: Well, the biggest and most significant factor in choosing #Alsafloor from #Bilrich is definitely the VALUE FOR MONEY... And I don't say cost itself, and don't quote the price psf itself because, like you were already alluding to; I do not see any significantly outstanding aspects in either #Bilrich's #Alsafloor or #Evorich's HERF in terms of product quality and characteristic... To me they were essentially the same product, albeit with some relatively insignificant differences (e.g. panel thickness is 5" for #Alsafloor & 7" for HERF if I'm not mistaken)... Generally the aspects that I considered were: Warranty durationSound insulation propertiesWater/ Fire/ Pressure/ Strain/ Wear resistanceToxic emissions gradingColour varietyCost PSF (for newcomers, it means "per square foot")Again, in my comparison they were essentially the same product... One particular aspect stood out more than the others, and that was the cost PSF... Hehe.. (I am not able to recall the HERF rate.. But it was about $6.50 to $7 psf at one time, right?) Also, in case you missed them, I have included hyperlinks to my previous rantings regarding my vinyl flooring purchase... Post#42, Post#43, Post#282 & of course, the recent Post#314... Really hope I helped! CHEERS!

hi there, im also planning to get flooring from bilrich for my house too.. i also went to look for the super friendly May... and i understand that Bilrich has been in the industry for 20 years, but relatively unknown to most because they dont advertise as much as the bigger players here... but i personally feel that their prices are reasonable for vinyl flooring (even though i didnt get it at 4.50 psf), but what im assured of is the quality (made in france). Bigger players do not state where their laminate/HERF is from.. at least i know Bilrich sells the brand called ALSA flooring, and i can go direct to the website for more assurance about what we are paying for.

Hi Cadence 123, Do you mind PM mi the ID name? Because I am encountering some issue with them too. Because we trust the ID so much that some of the carpentry measurement he did not even give us and luckily I went on site everyday and spot the measurement mistake before the ID and now they are redoing my carpentry for me. But he has casually ask us to pay the 3rd progress payment which is 40%. And after this 40%, there is only 10% remaining and we are worried that he will go MIA after he collect this 40% and forego the little 10% amount. Want to hear more of your experience from you

FUN FACT OF THE DAY: DID YOU KNOW THAT LEONJENNAWONG’S VINYL #ALSAFLOORING HAS BEEN COMPLETED?? YESSSSSSS!! YEAHHHHH!! *hops on bed & jump jump jump.. OUCH. Hit my head on ceiling* Rub rub rub. HAIYO! I TELL YOU HOR. THIS #EDGAR HOR. Forget to take photos and send me lei!(and that previous sentence my friends, was probably my most Singlish-laden sentence in this blog so far) I was so anxious after #MayTing from #Bilrich emailed me to tell me that the vinyl #Alsafloor was completed!! So excited that I couldn’t get anything done in the office that day!! Laa laa laaaaa.... Too. Super. Happy. To. Do. Any. Thing. Else. Right. Now!! WOOHOO. Ok don’t talk so much, here’s a sneak preview first! Here you go! BOOMZ. (credit: Miss Ris Low) LIVING/ DINING AREA #ALSAFLOOR OVERLAY - In case you were wondering, the Elmark Aeronamics ceiling fan was removed for a while because it needed a bit of re-balancing.. Hehe… CLOSE-UP OF #ALSAFLOOR V03 EDEN OAK The #Bilrich workers' workmanship is so FANTASTICALLY AWESOME & SO UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!! :D When I stepped into my house I just kept going “OMG. OMG. OMG.”… And I jumped for joy just a little bit more for good measure too. Wahahaha.. Please, pardon my immense excitement. HEE. To show you just how good the workmanship is, I resort once again to the old saying of “a picture tells a thousand words”… Enjoy! JOINING-LINE BETWEEN #ALSAFLOOR & WALL-SKIRTING (this excellent finish was not just for this section, but for the ENTIRE house) SEAMLESS FINISH OF #ALSAFLOOR (FROM CORRIDOR PASSAGEWAY TO BEDROOM) & EXCELLENT JOINING-LINE FINISH AT DOOR-FRAME - THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PART OF THE WORKMANSHIP: Just look at the 'nooks & crevices' at the base of the door frame that the #Bilrich worker navigated so successfully... Also very nice flat & seamless finish from the corridor passageway flooring, leading into the bedrooms #ALSAFLOOR TERMINATING JOINT AT MASTER BATHROOM (called T-mould; made of aluminium & used to link the elevated vinyl floor surface to the other tiled floor surfaces) - And also, TAKE THAT to contractors out there who say overlaying the ramp at the bathroom door can't be done.. lalala.. Extremely clean & tidy finish for the ENTIRE house. SEAMLESS, BEAUTIFUL FINISH, AT LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE CORNER & SIDE. What can I say... What you see above in the photos is what you get. I scrutinized all the joining-line relentlessly for the entire house, and every-where-is-superbly-finished. Very very satisfied with #Bilrich’s work. Really right up there and I think there is no other standard higher than their level of quality. The quality of the overlay was great with no uneven-nessNo 'hollow' sensation when I walked on itClose scrutiny of the vinyl floor surfaces also do not show any scratches or defectsThe entire process was also finished in double-quick time, within the 2-3 days estimate provided by #MayTingThe bottom of the HDB doors were cut very cleanly to accommodate the raised flooringCFO & I are very happy & satisfied customers!! Special mention must also go to our favourite superhero side-kick #Edgar from #PoshHome who was there to supervise the entire overlaying process for CFO & I… Don't know what we would do without his help too... #MayTing from #Bilrich even found it in her to commend him, and tell me that #Edgar was very responsible in handling the work… I am genuinely happy for this young man… A bright future awaits him! #MAYTING FROM #BILRICH I think it's only fitting that I write a small section, dedicated to #MayTing from #Bilrich who consistently went out of her way to provide GEMS (Go Extra Mile Service) service to CFO & I! She was most patient through out the entire process & is such an efficient lady. When we finally decided on V03 Eden Oak, she even gave us some advice to make sure we knew that V03 Eden Oak, being the lightest colour in this #Alsafloor range, will offer a nice & bright feel that will contrast well with any darker colours, but will also show dirt more clearly.. On top of all that, our impression is that her service is genuine with no hidden agenda/ costs involved. Doubt that we will have much more interactions with her now that the flooring is done… Which is a pity.. If any of you guys drop down to #Bilrich, do help us to say hi to her! Lastly, just a recap that #Bilrich is no longer offering the $4.50psf price anymore.. Though there have been some promotions on their facebook page recently if I recall correctly... LOVIN' OUR VINYL FLOORING RIGHT NOW!! HEHE.

Andy just installed my door and window today. . The workmanship looks good plus Andy is fast and efficient. . Price is reasonable too. . Much cheaper than what my ID quote for sure..

Hello PTopaz! Always a joy to have you here.. Hehehe... Thanks so so much for your kind comment.. Sure will give you more detailed review after I start using it!! You may take reference from the stone sinks found at Hoe Kee (near Paya Lebar MRT station).. The sink I got some TaoBao is not as smooth & as white-coloured as the one that CFO & I saw at Hoe Kee unfortunately. The TaoBao sink has more of a cultured-stone kind of feel to it... Hi hi Peter73!! I'm glad you are enjoying my blog so far! HEHEHE Sorry I'm not terribly certain if there is in fact any difference between the local set & JB set at all... I didn't go and find out much about the local set because the JB set already looked so 'complete' and I felt so assured about the purchase.. (again, here's hoping I don't shoot myself in the foot here) But what I know is that warranty is only valid in Malaysia, so in the event of any problems (touch wood! touch plenty of wood!! HAHAHA. ), you'll have to liaise with the Malaysia-based agent wor... Even though Elmark is a Singaporean company. *shrug* Yeah I know, weird right... Everything else (rod-length, mounting U-hook, remote etc.) should be the same. This Elmark Aeronamics definitely has a narrow & strong-wind sensation... This is relative to the wide & gentler wind generated by the 60" KDK fan that I bought for my parents... Anyway, regarding the weak wind speed that you experienced.. I'm certain it's not because the Elmark Aeronamic uses a DC motor... If I may, I actually suspect that when you were testing out the Elmark Aeronamics, the retailer had the fan on the 'reverse-rotation' mode... Now, in this mode; in contrast to pulling in air from the top & blowing it downwards like a conventional ceiling fan, the fan actually sucks air up from underneath (where you were probably standing) and pushes it up against the ceiling and outwards.... Which should be the reason why you didn't feel the directly-in-your-face-type of breeze that I am experiencing.... This is a setting that can be corrected just by pressing a button on the remote... Heh heh... Hope I helped Peter73!!

Photo of YALE YDR323-G The remote comes with a wall mount as well. Approx. 12 x 7.5 (cm)

Like everyone else, I've fallen madly in love with brick walls. So during conversations with IDs initially, this was always a must have. Finally, I'm seeing it come to life! At first a red brick wall was proposed but we decided to keep this monotone and went with chinchilla grey bricks. The feature was supposed to be in the recessed area but in the end the placements of sofa and tv with reference to the feature wall would have been very odd so the ID opted to fill in the recess, and extend the brick wall to cover the whole column. And at no extra cost! And for those who have done craftstone, you know that this is no small discount! So I'm very thankful. Here are some pics: Doing up the false wall and reinforcing it to take the weight of the tiles as well as to cater for my doing a wall mounted tv in the future. This partition material isn't the normal flimsy gypsum board they use for partitions and false ceilings. I knocked it a bit and its very sturdy stuff. Halfway up! Recessed plugs for the electrical/ Cat6/ and speaker cables. Hidden! Awesome!

Congrats!

8 compressors? All single unit system?

Hi Raydon, can I know which forwarder did you use to ship the TB loot? How much was the shipping cost to ship 0.86 cbm of stuff? Thanks for sharing

I bought from Heritage for W888 and basin is $380 in June. Thought was a good deal Bought from Irene Chong. Also thought she is good.

Air Cons MBR Bedroom Living room - notice that the cornices is cut away for the FCU Shower screen also up. Common bath MBR

Care to share if the corner of the L shape wardrode has space for putting clothes or it's wasted?

Premium fee for 2nd susidiary hdb flat yet not a resale levy? Whats that? Payable by cpf? Couldn't find any information on this. Any advice? ?

Hi, my renovation contractor suggest using L-box at the ceiling perimeter/ edge with LED downlight instead of cornices. As the L-box width is 1 feet or 1.5 feet width, I afraid that it may make the overall ceiling look lower? Any comment from owner with L-box ceiling? Thanks.

kuche all working good!! am using washer, dryer n oven from kuche. the washer & dryer are those very basic kind. each have those pre-set programmes for different types of clothes, which i don't really know how to use and what they can do .... after trying out afew programme i'm sticking to washer: standard 30 oC & dryer: 90 mins (for thick material like jeans) or 60 mins (eg normal thin t-shirts). i thot my first oven usage is to bake some cakes ... but no! hahaha my first attempt with the oven is to bake chicken drumstick! the feedback for the chicken is good, the meat is tender and the skin is crispy

Hi, would you guys consider to get a top/highest floor unit? Have heard that top/highest floor might suffer the heat from above. Anyone care to share some experiences? Thanks.

just pm u the price

You got a very good ID, one that is hands-on and thinks for you.. The painting of the door..alerting u of sales... Lucky u!

Your place is similar to mine. For your MBR how did you cover the hole for AC? Did you first seal it up with concrete then do a box up? Also you going to AC the hall? I am looking for idea to run the pipes and conceal with with box up. If possible I would love to see picture of the AC box up. Thanks.

Hi guys I found a gd contractor who showed me his finish unit and price was really great..Pm me and u can consider him.. PM me..

Majority of the glassworks are done up. Painting have been in progress and now mainly are the installation of the lights and carpentry. Installation of the toilet WCs and sinks will be sometime next week, so would be the same for the doors. Have also chosen the metal gate today which will be delivered the week after next. In the meantime, all aircons are up! Pics of the glassworks Kitchen lightings Sliding glass door separating kitchen with balcony View of glasswork when doors are closed View from balcony towards living and kitchen Paranomic view from entrance