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DAY 50 Works: --Grind and polish marble flooring and in master bathroom, floor and walls --Installation of stainless steel backing at sink area Finally, the cardboard flooring protection has been removed, and general cleaning done for the entire house...looks so much better without the mess However, still feels so dusty and dirty. The white tiles and grouting seems to dirty so easily...just walking around already "blackened" the floor I engaged Jin's Brother as its their specialty, they claim to use premium grade Italian diamond powder which gives a better and finer finish. There are cheaper ones using China powder though. They came at 9am and took the whole day to complete. Before - living and dining area marble dull and scratched Before - master bathroom

DAY 44 Works: --Installation of PD door --Mirror measurement Though I wouldnt mind letting Henry take care of the bifold doors, marble polishing and mirror at dining area, given that he has provided good work and services so far, but the quotation he gave me wasnt exactly that competitive as the ones I managed to get...if it was only tens of dollars of savings, I would have given the job to him to save me the hassle. He didnt mind at all when I eventually decided to engage my own contractors for the job at a better price In the end, I decided to go for PD doors as it looks sleeker, and slimmer in profile, no bottom track, and can swing all the way out 180 degrees. PD doors are ready for installation after the painting work yesterday. Measurements were taken 1 week ago. Common toilet Drilling Siliconing Completed Kitchen Back Entrance Yard toilet -- a bit of a headache here as to where the door should swing, could have chose for it to swing out into the yard, but the wind would blow it shut, and the other side, it would protrude out. Mirror measurement was done later that day..will take another 1-2 weeks to be ready. Next, acid washing and general cleaning will be done before handing over

Hi Deepwhite, How is your renovation going so far? I got my LED lights from this shop Continental Electronic Enterprise located at basement corner of Sim Lim Tower. You can google for the address. Its the cheapest I could find there...a variety of LED lights and colours, and comes with double sided tape, so can peel and stick on. They do wiring for you as well included in the price..but got 7% GST ), I didnt go for the normal adapter that plugs to the wall socket, but got another type( a small box ) thats hidden up in the false ceiling, and got the electrician to lay the wirings and connect to the wall switch.

DAY 43 cont Plumbing: --to reinstall the 2 basins which were not level --install rest of WCs and basin --install bath room accessories --install kitchen mixer tap --install dishwasher, and plumbing for under sink -install Welmi kitchen rod Yard toilet basin rectified and levelled Dishwasher and mixer tap (covered ) installed. The dishwasher was problematic, and had to be shifted in and out many times as the pipes were in the way and prevented the dishwasher from going further into the cavity. It was a tight and difficult corner to work as well, and had to prevent the washer from being damaged all these while. Welmi kitchen rod - had to do it 3 times to get it right as I didnt like the position ( you can see the patched wall near the support plug ) Must comment that their work attitude is very good ..very accomodating, and smiley even though you know they are quite tired :paisay: Carpenter was there to do finishing touches

DAY 43 cont Next, my under cabinet LED lighting --Expensive costs about $137 for the LED and adapter --Advantages: Safe as no heat produced, durable, long life span of 100,000 hours..no need to change bulbs anymore, bright, and energy efficient - less than 5W! I think its quite worth it in the long run, and nicer too Photos taken without flash LED off LED on -- bright enough, so can save by not turning on the PLCs liao unless needed What the LED looks like

DAY 43 cont Shopping for switches: At Choo Chiang Legrand Mallia vs Clipsal C-Vivace Front view Profile view In the end I decided to go for Clipsal as it goes with my decor...somehow the Mallia doesnt look that sleek or streamlined, but I chose legrand dimmer as its nicer and has switch and dimmer control together...was also was contemplating the Clipsal E3000 series with LED, but price a bit exorbitant..below are some of the prices for reference (not inc of GST yet) Note: 1. LG mallia silver colour more expensive 2. LG Mallia comes LED ready , so to add LED lights, you need to customise and, add $2.30 for green led, or $2.80 for red colour 3. Clipsal E3000 is more expensive for the white ones

DAY 43 cont Painting: - replaster cracks on walls - repair spawling concrete on ceiling and master bedroom bay window - painting door and door frames using Nippon Bodelac 9000 - yard and kitchen using Nippon Teflon paint - patch up holes in ceiling after lighting installed Bedroom door painted - one of the painters Common toilet door frame painted..also switches replaced Electrical: - replace switches - install lightings - connecting the kitchen appliances...oven, hood, dishwasher and induction hob Switch and socket installed Before - lights in dining area. Thats Henry in the kitchen having a discussion with Tek, and plumber After - new track lighting, using the Legrand Mallia dimmer

DAY 43 Works: --Everybody coming together..electricians, painters, plumbers, carpenter to finish up Now for the LG solid surface, lets see the profile of the backsplash and the very neat and nicely done siliconing the LG guy has done..must give credit where its due however, the supposedly seamless joint cannot escape my eagle eyes I highlighted to Henry, and he will be getting the LG guy to rectify...apparently they worked overtime that day because wasted an hour waiting for the sink to be delivered.

Hi mwerkz, Will be continued in the next chapter I understand that it comes in 6 ft slabs, anything bigger will require joining.

Hi Deepwhite, Yes..I am pleased with the work so far, considering that I am quite fussy His quotation is reasonable, as I compare item to item with other firms. And most important of all, he has a reputation for being responsible and trustworthy, and so far, he has not proven me wrong. And I engaged my own contractors to polish the marble, and install the new doors...he was okay with it. Do check out my blog...my renovation is almost complete, and am quite happy with the results. Do share photos of your completed renovation.

DAY 38 cont Then the solid surfaces were clamped to hold it steady, so that the gap can be filled with the joint adhesive. See the plastic bag in front to collect the overflow. then the excess silicone was scraped from the sink Trimming and polishing was done after setting of the joint adhesive. Final result -- zero reveal of the sink accomplished

DAY 38 cont The sink cut out wasnt aligned properly to the cut out on inspection, it was 5 mm off position to the back. Back portion..showing wood underneath Front portion, top overhanging the wood That means my sink position needs to be shifted backwards...after all the measurements The sink finally arrived, and the workers are back to work. Trimming the wood to fit the sink into its new position Drilling the hole for the mixer tap Applying the silicone on the sink

DAY 38 Works: --Installation of LG Hi Macs solid surface Finally after almost 2 weeks of waiting, my solid surface is ready for installation..the rest of the contractors are on hold till the top is installed. It came in 2 pieces... Fitting the pieces Space between the 2 pieces, and the hobs' cut out Sink cut out The sink was taken away by the LG people after the manager's visit...so its the 4th time they came in total However they forgot to send the sink together with the top, the guy called up and was told to wait for the sink to be rush over in an hour's time , you can see the workers whiling away in the yard area... Opportunity to take more pics

Thanks, Byr Stay tuned for the completed works

DAY 37 cont The 1 mm thick ABS trimming --makes it look even better than the std 2 mm ones, and comes in matching colours too Blum hinges and blumotion clip installed Price is $2.30 for hinge, $2.50 for the clip on blumotion, sold separately.. I used the BLUM 500mm full extension runners, and it costs $47.89 each set...7% GST not included yet in the prices. BLUM prices are controlled, unless you are getting " a lot", you may get a discount. Coming back to LG, the manager in charge and his 2 executives came, that was about 5 days ago...this is the 3rd time that LG people had to come for measurements. I was wondering if it was so difficult to get a zero reveal for the sink?? and feel a bit pai say...maybe the other clients just leave it to them to do with no particular requests? Nevertheless, the manager was very nice and friendly. He took careful measurements, and said he will try his best to give a zero reveal for my sink, but give an allowance of maybe 1 mm...ok, thats acceptable. I had some queries and this is what I found out about LG solid surface top: 1. Very high acrylic content, so stronger and more durable unlike the cheaper higher polyester content ones. 2. Non porous surface, so stains will not seep through 3. Antimicrobial -- use by a lot of food outlets,.. even better than granite 4. Fire rating class 1 -- will not burn 5. Will not yellow or discolour-- thats what I wanted to hear for my white top 6. Heat resistant 7. Chemical resistant 8. Can be polished to look new again... costs about $20 pfr 9. Can be repaired 10. Seamless So after they left, I was thinking my solid surface should be perfect

DAY 37 Works: --Stainless steel backing up The stainless steel backing is installed. Its 0.9mm thickness.... A cursory look at the workmanship ( do note its not cleaned up yet...theres dust and glue around ): Closeup of the laminate joints Even gaps, straight lines Closeup of sink cabinet corner - as 1mm thick laminate is used, Ah Bee took the initiative to touchd up the corner joint to enhance the looks ,otherwise a dark line would show.

DAY 26 cont Sink cabinet cabinet rectified...cut out holes for the water pipe Closer look From the top Heres the Rubine stainless steel sink L580 x W450 x D200mm, 1.2mm thickness. Its the biggest single bowl to fit my cabinet. I have to maximise my sink space..so this one gives the biggest volume ( Bowl size is L540 x W410mm ), and more usable space than the rest. Bought from Poh Joo at $290 (no gst ) The LG guy came... and I gave him my requirements, paritcularly, the countertop must flushed with the inner edge of the sink..that is, zero reveal. (Positive reveal means the sink edge showing, or negative reveal meaning the solid surface overhangs so the sink edge is covered and not exposed ) He said that there will be a min of 3- 5 mm allowance.. I gave him the paper cut out of the sink and ask to do the best he can. So got to wait another week for the solid surface top to be ready.

DAY 26 Works: --Kitchen top cabinets up --LG guy re-appointment The top cabinets are finally up and its looking good Lower cabinet drawers - they have rectified to give me 2 deep drawers Perhaps you can see the smooth glossy finish in the reflection I have to comment that all these while Ah Bee has been very friendly and willing to help out in the rectifications or adjustments...so I am definitely very pleased with his attitude and helpfulness, in view of my fussiness, and attention to details

Hi lushbelle, Thanks ...it so much better than the old door. As a package with the reno, I got it for $800 for a 12mm thick tempered glass. The glass guy is also doing me a favour by putting in frosted sticker strips for the door to prevent accidents for humans and my dog as well...he cannot do anything fancy, so just horizontal stripes which is fine....also includes the aluminium pelmet which is still not up yet.

DAY 25 cont Tiling of the skirting around the dishwasher and sink cabinet - the cavity will be a rectangular box. Close up of skirting - Laminated wall flushed with skirting The sliding glass door was installed yesterday...I decided to use a 12mm tempered glass instead of 10mm..feels sturdier as its quite a big piece of glass, needed to top up $120 Henry is way too efficient ...I would have preferred it installed later to avoid any accidents With the lower cabinet and cut outs prepared, Henry has made an appointment for the LG guy to come. We would have waited in vain had not the tiler, Ong, told us that LG guy had come, measured and left half an hour earlier. We were punctual, LG was early for the appointment. How strange...hmmm....does he know exactly what I want for my top? Or is it that they just do as they think fit..or perhaps clients just accept what they make with no specific requests? Henry called the LG guy, conveyed my requirements to him - zero reveal for my sink, 1. 5 inch drop flat front, 2.5 inch backsplash with curvature 6mm. He agreed to come another day to take measurements and discuss with me, after hearing that they will have to redo if its not to my specs. Stainless steel man came and made measurements.

DAY 25 cont Dishwasher cavity dimensions satisfactory..bigger by about 3mm form my specs, but its good enough The ribbing below is taken out from the dishwasher cavity Sink cabinet - initially wanted to build a base, but because I want the dishwasher cavity side walls straight to the floor, the carpenter suggested this, which will be siliconed and waterproofed before tiling. He assured me it will be waterproof and there wont be any water seepage into the base Closeup view of the base Sink cut out requested to move as to the front as possible Hobs cut out- separated by 10cm space, and move to the front as possible

DAY 25 Works: --Installation of cabinets --Waterproofing and tiling the sink and dishwasher cabinet area --Installation of sliding glass door --LG solid surface measurement --Stainless Steel backing measurement The cabinets arrived late yesterday, and installation has already begun. The carpenters have managed to salvaged the cabinets by trimming down the height, and getting rid of that piece of laminated wood ribbing just above the dishwasher to achieve the desired height. Correct height about 88.7 cm Lower cabinets installed

Hi mjk, I got my Blum from Shanghai Tong Lee...in fact, I got most of my other hardware there as well The service there is excellent, and Hoe who attended to me, has the patience and time to answer my many queries. As for prices, I cannot remember off hand, will check and post it ihere in this blog later. Its worth the money if you are looking for anti slam system...fyi, Blum gives lifetime warranty.

Hi Sporty, Very nice and cosy place you have got there! I have got a grey sofa as well Btw, didnt get to see the basin and toilet you got leh? May I know how much u spent ?

DAY 22 Works: -- Installing the lower kitchen cabinets Ah Bee finished installation of the lower cabinets including the sink area, but not the doors yet. Next, I had to check the dishwasher cavity .... took out my measuring tape, ALAMAAK! Salah!!.... bigger by about 1 cm from my specifications , then checked the height ...OMG...92.5cm! ( will be almost 94 cm when solid surface installed!) TOO HIGH! Apparently Ah Bee went to add further allowance on top of my specs thinking its the dimension of the dishwasher ( usually they are given the dimensions of the appliances ). Eventually Henry called to inform that the cabinets will need to be taken back to factory and redone Ok, so got to wait for another few days..... ---to be cont---