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hi, i recommend instant water heater. i used to have the tank water heater, it required some time to heat up before you can use.

Any Strathnore community fb or forum we can join? Tot it may be a good platform to share info.

Unless you happen to be a HDB registered renovation contractor, I am not sure if you can DIY any renovation other than really minor stuff. This is what HDB website says: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/HomeRenoApplyPermit?OpenDocument

The electrician quoted us the following prices. Is it considered expensive? New lighting/fan point: $60 each 1x13amp socket outlet: $70 each 2x13amp socket outlet: $75 each SCV/Lan point relocation: $90 each Phone point relocation: $60 each Install track light: $30 each Install light: $15 each Install fan: $60 each Shift light point: $45 each Black PVC piping for living room: $150 Conceal trunking for TV cable: $100 We were quite stumped when we got to know it costs $1790 to fix the electricity for the whole house.

Finally my last shipment from TB. A total of 15 parcels!

Totally agree with you Bianzi & Songz... I am very sorry to hear about bad renovation experiences especially when you think about the fact that renovation is definitely not a small expense.. I'm also at a loss because I really cannot comprehend why, given that I have such good rapport with both #CalvinTan and #Edgar!! CFO & I still maintain our relationship on a professional basis (with the exceptions of some ridiculous jokes between us hahaha) in case we have some major conflict that nessecitates this kind of approach.. I still firmly believe, (as I have posted about before too) that the chemistry between the home owner & ID is the most important factor before you engage him.. and this theory has been proved right on more than one occasion during my maiden renovation experience so far with both #CalvinTan, and the failed ID contract that CFO & I rescinded (and lost SGD1000 to the life-school-of-hard-knocks in the process).. There are times when some works is done, and you either have to trust your ID, or you don't. Making reference to another chapter in my personal tuition fee in the life-school-of-hard-knocks again; I take my own personal experience at engaging a SGD5,000 bridal videographer/photographer package that has all the gadgety stuff I LATER FOUND OUT I DON'T NEED. We later found out unfortunately, that for the basic services that CFO & I wanted (no gatecrash video editing for showing to guests etc etc), the market rate was only about SGD3,000.. It should be no surprise when I tell you that this was because we signed up with the very first bridal studio that we sat down with. To date, the carpentry is so close to completion & from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely have no problems with carpentry workmanship at all.. In fact, I have a couple of friends doing renovation right now also (same age ma..) and their respective ID/ contractor's carpentry skill is definitely worse. E.g. Think peeling laminates, deeply scratches drawers & carcass etc. Which brings me back to communication.. Or the lack of it.. As with all working relationships, communication is key. I have advised my sister & cousin recently, that it's important to have clear understanding right at the beginning on certain things.. Like what exactly will the ID do for you, and what will he not do for you.. That way you will not come to a stand-point later during your Reno journey when you are unhappy with your ID because you had the thinking "all-along" that that was his job and not yours.. Lastly, back to the earlier point made that there is no 'perfect ID' in the world, there WILL most certainly be misunderstandings.. For me what's important is the follow up of the ID, and the effort to settle the issue amicably.. Also note that when I say 'follow up of the ID', we are all assuming that it is always the failure on the ID's part... That being said, I really sincerely hope for Yip Gamtz & his wife that the renovation quickly gets fully completed soon without any further hitches... I hope my long post helps people to look at things in perspective, & to realise that my posts are really my own experiences with #CalvinTan, whom I can click with pretty well... We are all different people with different personalities, and the working dynamics from ID to ID (for us home owners) & client to client (for them) are vastly different. Thanks.. P.S. It might be my interpretation of the sentence posted by others, for which I am truly sorry about the words below... but it's not the first time & probably won't be the last time, that people have accused me & this blog of being a scam blog. It is not in my nature to intentionally offend others but I thought that it has to be said, seeing as I know who I am and what I'm doing, that it's quite clear that you do not have enough facts to be making such remarks.. I yearn to post more of my personal experiences to share and record more of my renovation/taobao-purchasing etc experiences (albeit a bit tardy.. Sorry.. ) here and to help fellow Renotalkers along the way instead of posting such depressing rantings... If I misinterpreted the sentences & this is a case of me being too sensitive, I'm really really sorry in advance..

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!

For renotalkers who are asking for contacts of the contractors for my hse, I'm sorry that I don't have them as they are contracted by my id. I feel it's not ethical to disclose even I have them. I believe most contractors who are in the biz long enough should have some quality in their work. The key is the design and someone to supervise. This is why I engaged an id. Most of us can design some way or another, either taking ideas from magazines or thru the things we see in our daily lives. But I don't think so one has the time and in depth knowledge on carpentry and construction especially when there are problems. It's because of this that's why we engaged KT, not just because of his design, not just because of his willingness to do something different, not just because of coming up with 30+ iterations of the 3d drawings, but for his patience and resourcefulness when there is a problem. I've seen projects whose 3d drawings looks **** impressive but the end result is nowhere near it. KT has a reputation to upkeep so he will meticulously ensure his work is good. The only thing he can't help is money. Hope everyone who visit my blog see it from a design perspective and not from a I can save some money perspective. Thanks.

well said!

To those who are asking me for the quotation of my reno, i feel it's not relevant to share it cos everyone's concept, design and needs are different. Unless you are intending to renovate your place exactly like what i have if not there is nothing to compare. To be frank, i don't even have a finalized quotation even now as we have made a lot of changes along the way. We decide to proceed with the reno first. Like what my ID said, if you appreciate design then you will not talk about cost or discount. There is a price to pay if you want to be different. A lot of the interesting reno i've seen in magazine cost around 70 - 90k to do so mine is no different.

Hi sherting, I don't have much update on the house actually. Hahaha.. But here are some other stuff in the house to show. A mistral fan which I saw in courts. I super duper like the look of it the moment I see it . Yup! I bought it because of the look. Hahahaha... Cost around $80+. Cannot remember the exact price. Magazine rack from Muji. I can't find it in Muji Singapore. And I bought this and carry all the way back from Muji in Taipei. Cushions from Comfort Design Singapore. I saw this in Taipei 101. Find it cute. Heehee.. Bought the display set as it was the last piece there. Lastly, more drawings on my chalkboard wall.