leechaorui

Very nice reno. So different from the original condition. Congras to a great job done. Cheers!

I guess that you are staying in a landed property. If you wish to install a toilet on the second floor, it is doable but expensive. Get a contractor to quote for you. If you are staying in a Condo, I think the idea of installing a toilet on the 2nd floor when there are none in the first place, is totally out of the question.

Look forward to see your design.

It it bothers you on whether to rewire, then go ahead to rewire the house. You can change to nice switches, lighting points, etc... at locations convenient for your needs. I guess after rewiring, this thing about whether to rewire will not bother you again. Cheers!

You may want to post this ad in pets forum such as: http://www.petschannel.com/forum/?page=home http://pet.sg/forum Hope this is useful for rehoming your beautiful dog.

If the company is a GST registered company, the company will need to charge you GST. Sometimes, the quote may not include GST. To be clear, you can ask the company whether it includes GST.

You can try contacting the shop to explore if they would agree to a trade in of your existing mattress with the Napure 300. Worse scenario, give away the mattress and get a new one. Sleep is very important because you spend a number of hours recuperating and resting your mind. A good mattress enables you to have that good rest. Cheers!

I don't think contractors earn that much. They have their own cost and they don't earn all that you pay them. A large part goes into paying for supplies, workers, govt levies, charges, architect's fees, etc... as well as their office expenses. I have spoken to a number of them. They have to drive big cars to give the outward assurance to homeowners that they are not fly by night. Actually, many of them also suffer from increasing material fees, government fines eg. dengue, workers working beyond normal work hours, etc.. and homeowners paying them late, increased govt levies on workers, workers' turnover, etc... It is not a bed of roses for contractors. It is also not a bed of roses dealing with poisonous office politics. Life is not easy, though some are born lucky and some live a more blessed life with good lucks following them whenever they go. Cheers and have a good weekend.

Hi Lily, I will contact you in the weekend. The existing structure may not be strong enough for use as a balcony (ie for people to stand on it). This has to be checked first. Do you have the engineer's structural plan of your house?

Hi Wind30, I think this is quite minor. You can give chance to the contractor,if you wish. Cheers!

In general A&A involves minor works to an existing landed house while reconstruction is a proposal to replace a substantial part of the house by construction. The distinction between A&A and reconstruction depends on the extent of work proposed. Substantial means 50% or more of the follow factors: (a) GFA (Gross Floor Area): Amount of new GFA added compared with existing. (b) The removal and replacement of existing external wall with new walls or the construction of new walls. © Structure elements eg. columns and beams, slabs : The removal and replacement of existing column/ beams/ floor slabs or the construction of new columns/ beams/ floor slabs. In addition to (a) and ©, the proposal is considered reconstruction regardless of whether the works exceeds 50% of the existing building when there is an increase in the storey height. (ie changes in the roof involving an additional storey) and change in housing form eg. from a semi detached to a detached house. The processing fee charged by the authorities commensurate with the amount of processing work involved in evaluating the proposal. The processing fee for an A&A proposal differs from that for a reconstruction which is based on new erection rates. You can check out at URA website or office for the Circular No. URA/PB/2005/19-DCD dated 22 July 2005 for the current fee schedule. Alternatively, you can call URA at their DCD customer hotline at 62234811 to make enquries. Overall, my view is submission fee to the authorities constitute only a small fraction of the total cost of constructing your house. This should not be a major consideration factor. What is more important is whether you will feel happy with the A&Aed or reconstructed house after the work has been completed. If you are going to feel that A&A will not satisfy your needs substantially, my advice is to go for reconstruction or even erection. I know of people who do A&A and tear down the place for erection after 2 years. To me, it is expensive to invest a few hundred thousand and "enjoy" the renovation for only 2 years. Just my view. Cheers! P/S: For CPF usage, it depends on your case. Better for you to call CPF directly to check. The CPF staff are very helpful and you can have a conversation where they can answer your queries.

It depends on the size. If it is private landed housing where the gate is used outdoor, I think $950 is quite cheap. In any case, the price of raw materials have also risen substantially. You can always get another 2 more quotes to compare prices before deciding.

Hi Lily, (1) To construct a simple shelter is not difficult. A contractor will be able to do the job. There are different types of shelter and depending on sophistication and design, the price and construction method varies. You may want to design your car shelter to match your house design and construct the shelter such that there are no poles at one side of the shelter so that there won't be obstructions. (2) Not sure what you mean by creating a balcony at 2nd level by opening an entrance. This may be an A&A work because it may involve putting up structures to support the balcony. For this work, I think you will need to get approvals from the authorities and this would involve seeking help from QP (Qualified Persons) to design the structure. (3) If you are using tile roof, it should not be difficult. However, you may just change the roof it your roof is a very old one. Cutting a hole on an old roof may have further consequences of inviting leakages later on. I find that it is best not to meddle with an old roof that is serving you well. If it is a new roof, get the original contractor who put up the roof for you to help you with drilling the hole. At least, when there is leakage, someone is wholely accountable. There are quite a number of architect firms and contactors around. If you wish to consider using my existing contractor who is presently constructing my house, you can pm me with your hp number. Before that, think about whether you want to create the balcony because this would be the most costly. If you don't need the balcony, you probably only need a household contractor to help you with the renovation work. Cheers!

Thanks. Tried calling them but nobody pick up the phone. Anyway, I am posting Kong Tai's contact here for those who wish to reach them. 504 Jurong West St 51 #01-221 Singapore 640504 Contact : 65658924

Since you are renovating the toilet, it is quite normal to change the WC too. This should be part of the contract for the works. If it doesn't, you can negotiate with the contractor for a good price to install the WC.

Certain fees such as architect's fee, submission charges, upgrading of electrical works are similar for A&A and reconstruction. With reconstruction, you actually plan the building to your taste and you could have planter boxes at the balcony areas to fence off direct sunlight and probably a bigger plunge pool, higher ceiling, more bedrooms, bigger toilets, etc... In this way, you will be able to build your house to your taste and you need not be constraint by the A&A requirements of not allowing more than 50% change to the facade. Cheers!

Very nice reno and very clever design as shown in your 3D pictures. Kudos to you, thirdrockdweller.

Lizards come when there is a food source. There may be ant nest, etc.. U can try this. Remove all food source. Clean the place up thoroughly. Spray insecticide in the room and corners and closed the windows and doors. Lizards will find your place inhospitable and will not want to come in. In addition, set lizard traps (can buy those that use glue) to remove those lizards who are die hard fans of your room. May have to repeat this regularly to stop the lizards. If this still doesn't help, you may need to call in pest control team to assist you.

A friend share this formula to slim down. Only applicable for healthy individuals. Morning: Drink a glass of water, go for a half hour jog. It is continuously jogging that matters more than the distance you cover. Have 1 piece of wholemeal bread with one piece of ham and one egg. Work in the day, drink plenty of water. Can do stretching exercise during lunch break. Only drink water and if you must eat, take fruits and some meat/ vegetable but no carbo and sugar. Dinner: Skip for 15 minutes, sit up and do stretching exercise for 15 minutes. No food beyond 8:30pm, only veg/ fruits for dinner. Sleep before 10:30pm. After one month, you will notice that you have slim down. I tried the routine for 1 week and it works great for me. However, I did not continue but my weight has somehow also become stable, as long as I don't over eat.

Will there be a good discount if I purchase 13 KDK fans?

Wow... Professor, I am impressed with your layout and 3D pictures. Very impressive. Look forward to seeing more pictures and learning about your reno journey.

I am not really a strong believer of FS because I think FS Masters can mis-calculate as there are many variables involved. In addition, FS Masters who are commercial may tell us things that we like to hear. These words may be uttered to please us but there is no real truth in them, either because the FS Master doesn't know the truth or just plain lip-service. I think besides FS, personal karma, personality, how we communicate with others and hard work will also influence one's fate.

Hi 15May, nice choice of layouts. Like your hubby and you, I prefer layout 3. There will always be a use for the vacant bedroom. I am also having a headache on how to layout my own floor plan. Look forward to see your 3D pictures.

very useful. Thank you.

Congratulations on your new home. Applause to you. Very nice 3D pictures that you have created. I wish I know the skill on how to do it.