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i love looking at yourb efore and after photos , just goes to show from inspiration to reality , dream come true! congrats!

Hi BenTen, My ID is http://butterpaperstudio.blogspot.sg.

Some thoughts... I am sure at this point, many have noticed that we took the unconventional route of not engaging an ID... We chose not to have an ID coz to find a good true interior designer with original designs that are centred ard our ideas will cost a bomb... Probably around $4k onwards... ( we have ID frens) And if we choose to work with those ID's from the run of the mill "interior design" company's who are actually 3rd party contractors (as in they engage sub con and then charge u a bomb coz need to mark up prices), they are just going to feed us with recycled generic designs that high chance they used before and present to us in the color that we like or want... And i really wanted to make this home uniquely ours, thus we chose to work on our ideas our way... Honestly many things caught our eyes... One of which that was on my want list were louvre doors for everything... Very french... But because i am such a practical person and anal about dust and cleanliness, the idea has to be scrapped... We like the barn doors too but S said that it will eventually go out of style n we will be stuck with them... True.... We wanted a mini walk in wardrobe but due to the layout of the master and also for practical reasons such as dealing with mildew and dust as it is close to the bathroom, that has to be bid adieu too... Then we saw this "pole system" wardrobe from one of the expo exhibition... Look so nice but one of my colleagues told me that its a bit difficult to manage as you cant really maximise yr closet space as things will be falling off yr shelves if you push them too deep... Another idea to say bye2 to... Those cool looking ceiling fans caught our eyes a long time ago, but when we felt the air that it circulates at a fren's place, we thought it was not worthwhile paying such a premium for something that wont serve its purpose well... The vinyl flooring i mentioned earlier, we were so sure we were getting it coz we liked how it makes a room feel and look... But recently, my helper pointed out to a small bulge on the vinyl floor at my aunt's place right outside the bathroom.. And hers didnt come cheap and she lives alone but still can have issues so i scrapped that idea for our home... Maybe only the rooms... Eheh.. Still like it leh... S wanted shower screens and have even derived a solution to make it streak free but after reading about cases where the tempered glass shatters in new bto homes... The idea was scrapped... I was secretly very happy coz i honestly saw no point in having a wet and dry bathroom area if people cannot use the sink without splashing water all around... (Rolling eyes at S.....) Which brings us to having a vanity cabinet below the sink... Wooden ones will warp eventually due to all the moisture and water dripping all over... Wont be a pleasant sight after a while...So we left the bathrooms as they are until its time for a reno... If we live here long enough... Why i kept my kitchen cabinets to a minimal is so that i wont be a hoarder... No space so forced to throw out stuff instead of hoarding all the unwanted stuff.. (Hope this works...) I chose to overlay my kitchen coz i feel that the hdb tiles tend to absorb spills and stains easily for the matte ones like the kitchen..So juz went ahead with it since we already engaged the contractors for the hacking of the walls.... We actually also wanted a built in full height shoe rack beside the bomb shelter but because of a ceiling beam there and also the width that we have due to another wall beam, we put it hold coz we want to minimise the storage look and keep the whole place looking airy...besides the width that we have may not be able to hold a size 9 or 10 men very nicely.. Have to figure a way to keep all that shoes the men in my household possess.. Yes they have more than me... So that were some things that were originally on our plan that we ditched... We were glad we had our full say in this coz then we can blame no one but ourselves if something didnt go as planned...

Welcome Simon! If you refer to post 1 and throughout the thread, you can see 3 reno completed 2-room units (2 BTO + 1 resale). Or feel free to throw in your ideas here and see any comments to your idea from the readers of this thread.

"Almost Perfect" Laundry System Part 2 -- The Performance and Process Performance -- Front-Load vs Top-Load Front-load is better. We had been using top-load all these years and now we knew why those who use front-load swears by it. The clothing comes out much much less wrinkled. Performance -- Dryer for extra straightening effect. When you combine it with a dryer, the result is even better. This is because the heat from dyer straightens the clothes further. Is it not good enough to wear? Ok, this white school shirt may not look that good on photo, but this is so much better than what's coming from a top-load (I did take a picture but just couldn't find it). And trust me, it is good enough to wear to school already. After you put it on, 5 minutes later, they all look like this right? The "Perfect Laundry Process" Washer --> Dryer --> EZ Bella for assistance to put them on hangers --> Wardrobe There! If you still don't think it is awesome, just think about it: No more laundry racks of any kind around. No more clothing out to dry. No more messy and wet laundry area. And the most awesome -- no more ironing! Is it not the perfect system? Perfect System Ruined "You need to iron my shirt, it's a little crumpled. I put it in the laundry basket." "Ok. But why are the rest of the clothes here?" "Well, since you are ironing, might as well do it all." What??!! She couldn't stand it that I was out of the picture with this Perfect Laundry Process, she had to create some excuses to make me do work. The process is perfect. It's just ruined by pure, unadulterated jealousy.

Plumbing Part 2 -- Fixing the basins and pipes The company that my ID engaged for doing the plumbing work was quite a big company. So I requested for a different group to come down to fix the issues. They sent down a guy called Ah Meng, late 30s? He worked alone and fixed the tilted washbasin in the common toilet. He also put in valves (mistakenly called them switches) below the washbasins and shower heads. Something I thought was a standard but then they made you ask for it. ----------------------- All cold water pipes leading to faucets SHOULD be fitted with a valve. If not, when you need to change the faucet or when it breaks, you will have to run outside to switch off the main supply to the entire house. Hot water pipes only requires a single on/off valve next to the exit point on the hot water tank. ----------------------- At the same time, he also helped to put in the rest of the racks and hooks to the wall. All went well without a hitch. A second group came later in the week to change the pipes. Before After Other than just look 'nicer' it also fixed another issue: Hot water pipes should be at the bottom and on the inside for safety reason. How do I know this? The bunch that installed it told me. And yet, they still installed it with the hot water pipe running 'outside' (see the Before pic). This second group was also a bunch of young guys but they did a much better job.

SOURCING KITCHEN HOB & HOOD Buying the right gas hob is important as we will cook often. The gas hob should comes with a good size for our kitchen. It must have an easy-to-clean design – a flat surface, free of dirt traps. I have seen people from renotalk buying EF, Fujioh, Tecno, Electrolux. I have seen people from renotalk buying EF, Fujioh, Tecno, Electrolux and I will do research to find out more. However, my fiance set up his mind after hearing my research on the Bosch. He is that kind person that you have to standardize all the brands for electrical appliances. Tempered Glass Hobs v.s. Stainless Steel Hobs We find tempered glass looks really good. The only concern that we have is the shattered glass. I have shortlisted the hobs below. 1. Serie | 4 PBD7331SG: 78.5 cm Black Tempered Glass Gas Hob This model uses Schott Glass- a thermally toughened (tempered) float glass. So the shattered glass may not be an issue. The salesperson also shared with us the concealed holes which can prevent the food drips into the gas pipe. It is also easy to maintain and clean. The tempered-glass gas hob: offers you a sophisticated design that is easy to clean. Flame wheel wok burner and 4.5 kW: for excellent cooking, especially for Asian style food. The large 230° knob rotate angle: enhanced flame control. The practical high-end pan support system provides the optimal support for various pans/woks. Enhanced safety gas valve: safety valve system will cut off the gas automatically when the flame unexpected goes out. Dimensions of the product (mm): 150 x 785 x 450 mm Appliance material: Tempered glass & Pure brass 3 Gas burners Center burner: 1.7 KWLeft & right burner power: 4.5 KW New high efficient burners All direction air intake mode Control knob with electric ignition Precise flame power adjustment & Preset of town gas (10mbar) Flame failure safety device Hobs and hoods are usually offered as a pair in packages. So I found one hood which suits our needs. Slimline Hood vs Chimney Hood The chimney from the hood to guide filtered fumes out to higher location to prevent them from directly blowing when you are cooking. Slimline hoods are designed to be slim to maximize the space in the kitchen. Although they are as powerful as chimney hoods, they do a pretty decent job. 2. Serie | 4 DHI923GSG 90 cm Stainless Steel Slimline hood The telescopic cooker hood: Hides into your cabinet for a sleek kitchen front Extraction rate: 420 m3/h to ensure optimal kitchen air quality Halogen lighting: For optimal, energy-efficient illumination of your hob Max. extraction rate according to DIN/EN 61591:420 m³/h 3 speeds 2 x 28 W halogen - energy saving lamps 3. Serie | 2 HBN331E2J Stainless steel 60cm Built-in single oven V.S Serie | 2 HBN331E1K Stainless steel 60cm Built-in single oven This is the first time we are buying an oven. I am very excited and can't wait to start learning baking and grilling food. With so many brands available, it is so complicated to choose one that suits us. We were introduced to 2 ovens but we can't tell which one is better. I've seen more reviews on HBN331E2J. There is no much difference as both has the hot air, flap door and energy efficiency. The only difference I spotted for HBN331E1K is that it comes with eemovable oven door for easy-cleaning and the oven cavity with removable rack supports There is this website, Intraix showing the 5 factors you should look out for when you choose an oven: Space Oven Timer Ease of cleaning Oven Modes Special Features

SOURCING KITCHEN SINK Finally we can move on to shopping after finalizing our contractor! It is important that to start early to shop for the items below as we need to provide the dimension to contractor before they can start renovation work. If you start early, you will have more time to look around without pressure! Shopping List: 1. Kitchen Sink 2. Kitchen tap 3. Hob 4. Hood 5. Oven 6. Fridge First stop: Hoe Kee Hardware Pte Ltd   8 Genting Rd, 349472 We visited Hoe Kee at Genting Rd during Saturday. The aunties served us are good and not pushy. They also allow us to see around freely. The good thing is they offered kitchen bundle promotion! Our kitchen wall is about 3500mm. We need to cater the space for fridge, kitchen hood and sink. My mum suggested to buy a big single bowl of sink instead of double bowl sink. The smaller bowl is a bit reluctant as we will end up to use it as a rubbish bin. Silgranit Sink v.s. Stainless Steel Sink After researching online, I think that I'd like to look into a silgranit sink instead of a stainless steel sink. Silgranit sink is very low maintenance and looks good! It resists scratching and cleans up like a dream! Top Mount Sink v.s. Under Mount Sink I think we will opt for top mount as it will prevent water leakage to the kitchen cabinet due to poor workmanship. Rock Grey v.s. Alu Metallic These are the 2 shades of grey that we love. However, our friend who has a black sink will experience the cloudy spots around the sink. The darker colour of sink may have more maintenance issue. Single Bowl Sink v.s. Double Bowl Sink My mum suggested a large single bowl instead of double bowl as the smaller bowl will always end up putting wet garbage. Single Bowl Sink Double Bowl Sink Pros A single, deep basin means you can easily soak or wash a big pan or prep large quantities of food. Pros Two basins allow you to perform separate tasks, such as cleaning dishes and preparing food, with ease. The idea is that you can clean up in the large basin and prep in the smaller one. Dual basins also come in handy when you are washing items you don’t want to put in the dishwasher (soap in one basin, rinse water in the other). Cons Rinsing vegetables while soaking a large casserole dish requires a bit of juggling — as does hand washing and rinsing china or stemware. Cons A smaller basin makes it harder to wash and soak large pans. We have shortlisted these 3 designs and will seek advice from our contractor before we decide to go for single/ double bowl. Any one has any suggestion to share? BLANCO PLEON 8 $465 (as of Mar 2016) BLANCO NAYA 6 $359 (as of Mar 2016) BLANCO NAYA 8 $399 (as of Mar 2016)

Plumbing -- Horrible Plumbing! 5 days to move and we hit problems. One of them is plumbing. How to run a pipe? Shouldn't this issue been dealt with like... thousands of years ago? Whenever I see a few young men storming into the house and work in frantic paces, I can't help but worry that something would go wrong. Why am I so right? Bent, twisted and unceremoniously mutilated!! How should it be done? Here's a look at the piping work in my rented condo: Pipes are aligned horizontally and vertically. How to negotiate a bend? Use an angular connector! I am so glad good work like this is not hidden. Do take a moment to appreciate this display of splendid and meticulous workmanship. Something to show my ID and his plumber. And to add, I am furious at my ID for thinking that was acceptable work.

that's not a bad idea! i think it's already fire-rated - original BTO door from 2002. how to relaminate? i don't want to ask my contractor now cos we plan to do it a few mths down the line after we've saved up money once again... can just contact any carpenter or door specialist i guess?