leechaorui

I found an article on bamboo flooring. Hope it is useful to those who wish to use it. Besides Star Bamboo, I also found another website of a bamboo supplier. In it, you can find more picutres of bamboo flooring being applied. http://www.tigerbamboofloor.com/?gclid=CPu...CFcItpAodknBgAQ Another website with more pictures on bamboo flooring : http://www.bamboohardwoods.com/gallery2.asp?url=CT# A little known fact: bamboo is technically not a tree at all, but a grass that includes over 1,000 species. Even without planting, bamboo naturally grows back, and it reaches maturity in only four to five years. These qualities make bamboo an excellent, forest-friendly source of wood for flooring. Bamboo flooring may be new to North America but there are already several importers. Almost all bamboo imported to Canada and the United States is grown and manufactured in China though, it can be found in all of Southeast Asia. Bamboo flooring is durable, and has a warmth and beauty that makes it especially desirable for flooring. Though there are many species of bamboo, only some are suitable for making flooring. Moso, for instance, is a common choice that reaches 40-50 feet high after just one year of growth. In another three years, the reeds are mature enough for harvesting. After harvesting, the bamboo is dried in the sun and then cut into strips that are shaped and planed. From these strips, bamboo flooring is made through a process of laminating and staining. The two main colors available for bamboo flooring are natural (a light woody color), and carbonized (an amber shade). There are also other color variations depending on the staining method. Bamboo flooring has many remarkable qualities that make it equal to or better than many other “wood" flooring options. It is as hard as hard maple, and has been confirmed as harder and more stable than red oak. Maintenance for bamboo flooring is no different than for other pre-finished wood floor products -- frequent sweeping or vacuuming, spray cleaners, and occasionally mopping. Environmentally, the impact on world forests would be dramatically lessened if bamboo flooring were more widely used. When considering bamboo flooring, it is important to know that not all bamboo is equal. Nor is all bamboo processing equal. Some discount or wholesale companies are already selling immaturely cut bamboo for bamboo flooring. The result is low-quality, cheap bamboo flooring that won’t last. Timing is also important in processing bamboo. If it is not treated within three days after it has been cut, the bamboo can easily mold, making the resulting flooring look bland and dull. Be sure to confirm that the wholesaler you deal with is knowledgeable and can assure that their bamboo and processing methods are of high quality.

I think bamboo flooring looks nice. So far, the discussion on bamboo spoke only about the pros such as nice look, go green, etc// However, there are some cons to it too. It cannot come into direct sunlight for prolong period. It may suffer from de-colouration. If you really want the good quality bamboo, you will have to go for the weather bond ones which could be used outdoor. Cheers.

Hi, I am planning to reconstruct my house and would be signing the contract with the contractor soon. Before that, I would like to find out about the installation of rain showers for 3 bathrooms. My queries are: a. What is the estimated cost for a fair quality product that requires minimal maintenance? b. What type of water heater to use (instant water ok?) c. Is rain shower more of a fancy rather than useful? d. What type of rain shower head to install (round or squarish type)? e. Does installation of rainshower requires specialised expertise? Thanks.

Yeap, I want the contact too. How much did you pay for your bedroom wardrobe to give me a sense of the cost of this particular item. Looks very nice.

Yes, heard about the TV facing the bed thing too. Was also informed that it is better to have fewer electrical gadgets in the sleeping room.

Hi Wuga98, I plan to sign the construction contract with my contractor next week. Will consult you and share with you on the price and design of my place before I pen the contract. Thanks for the advice.

Yes, agree. If you do not need the place too urgently, I think out of goodwill, you can let them stay for another month.

Thank you. Very useful information. How much does it cost, don't seem to be able to find the price.

So far, my experience is positive with vhive. However, I feel that the quality of their furniture is not very good. Again, I think the new furniture don't last unlike the yester-years furniture.

If you can spend more money, you can try to build an open air well, provided that your house is longish.

My neigbour is trying to sell his leasehold 999 intermediate terrace house at Kovan area. I think the land size is about 1,800 sqf. Currently, it is single storey and the place is good for reconstruction, you can build to 3 storey or 2.5 storey. Building 4 to 5 good size bedrooms (all bedrooms at least same size as HDB Master bedroom) is not a problem. He has an agent serving him. If you are interested, I can connect you with his agent. BTW, I am not an agent and not sure of his asking price.

Can moderators help to create a section for pple doing A&A, reconstruction and erection of landed houses? Seem like there is demand for knowledge sharing in this area.

My neigbour's house was affected by road widening and he has to shift his fence inward. Although the govt has not widened the road, all the houses that are along the road will have to shift inwards when they do reconstruction.

I think this will constitute tax evasion on the part of the company and IRAS can go after them. If the company becomes insolvent before the work is completed, it will not be good for you. In any case, get the company to purchase a performance bond so that if the company go bust, you can still get back the contract sum and get another builder to carry on the work. Check out several builders' pricing and quality before signing on the dotted line to award the contract. The one that set up a company to evade GST may not be cheaper than another which pays GST. When the contractor buys materials, beams, metal, sand, cement, titles, pipes, etc..., they have to pay GST for them and the cost will still be passed on to you. At the end of the day, you still cannot avoid paying GST entirely. Lets hope that the govt will waive or reduce GST in the light of the economic crisis.

Wow... I am impressed. You mean people can do DIY for capentry work? I thought that there is a certain level of skill and machines are needed. Anyway, hope that the mod can help you and I look forward to learn from you.

I think it is unavoidable. However, you can source for cheaper and high quality materials for lower prices.

The psf price for rebuild can range from $170 psf upwards to $300 psf depending on the materials you used. If you build 3.5 stry, you will probably need to do erection. $700K seem like a reasonable price if it includes all cost (excluding lighting, furniture, etc.). You may want to share the quotation on what it includes here. Cheers.

Hubber is right. Maybe, we should all get together to discuss the strategies of rebuilding our house and to share notes/ design plans from contractors. At least, with more ideas, pple would know better what we are getting. Cheers.

Very beautiful house. Nice big balcony, Will be good if you use the planter area for planting. Can add some greenery to your house.

I have just rec'd the utilities bill for my terrace house. The refuse charge is $18.46. Just wondering whether different types of landed house attract different rates of refuse charges. As for repairs, so far I have only changed taps and do some minor repainting work on my own which cost less than $200 a year. The largest item was changing the roof of which comes with a warranty of 50 years. I changed my roof for $7,500.

Suggest that you get a bank to do a valuation of your house. From the valuation, you will have a better idea whether you are selling at the right price. Single storey houses are very popular with the richer folks because many of them are buying to rebuild to their ideal house. Generally, foreigners such as PR cannot buy landed property but they can sought permission from the government. Those foreigners who view your place and are not sure if they can afford the price are unlikely to be very rich and I doubt they can get approval easily.

I moved from my Bishan flat to a terrace about 5 years ago. My parents have their own apartment and stays with me during the weekdays and return to their home in the weekends. I took the maximum 80% loan 5 years ago and have just managed to redeem the loan in June 2008. In buying a house, there are two main cost categories. One is intial outlay (downpayment for the house, legal fees, stamp duty, etc.) and the other is the ongoing cost (eg. monthly loan instalment, upkeeping cost, etc.) I think the financial consideration in buying a landed property is similar to an apartment. Take note that you will need to pay a stamp duty fee of 3% on the transacted value of the property. Besides this, you will need to pay for legal fees and arrange your own bank loan. I took up the fixed rate bank loan, some may prefer the floating rate loan. Each has its own pros and cons. Property agents normally don't charge you any fee or commission for buying a landed property. If you plan to rebuild your own house in the near future, buy a run down place because it is cheaper. If you prefer more luxurious living immediately, go for those newly built by housing developer. You can still choose something in between, depending on your budget, housing type and choice of location. Generally, bungalows are more expensive and terrace houses are cheaper. Other factors affecting price will be the land area, the build up, renovation, etc.. On hindsight, I think it is important to be more conservative because the ups and downs in economy can be quite erratic and this impacts employment and business stability. I feel that one should not have a loan tenure that is more than 10 years. Preferably, one should be able to redeem the mortgage loan in 5 to 6 years. However, this is only my view and I know that there are also others who are comfortable with a 20 to 30 years loan tenure and use credit more easily. I guess it is a matter of perspective, each perspective will have its own merits and sacrifice.

No problem, it is a pleasure to lend assistance to one another. I have just redeemed my housing loan, therefore, no need to purchase mortgage protection. Mortgage protection is basically a decreasing term insurance policy on your life and can include your spouse's life as well. The bank usually require its customers to take up mortgage insurance policy to protect its own interest and the interest of the customer. In the event that the customer pass away or suffer from permanent incapacity, the insurance policy will pay up the outstanding loan amount. Hence, the quantum of insurance is determined by the amount of outstanding loan. In short, the insured value is the amount you owe the bank. If you want to know more about mortgage packages without obligation, you can contact Paul Ho at 91453863. He is a mortgage consultant and has good knowledge of the market. Basically, he will help you source for good packages based on your needs and present it to you. You do not need to pay him anything for his work and he is renumerated by the bank for bringing business to them. Take note that banks are less willing to lend and can be quite stringent with credit evaluation. If you are planning to commit on a house, it is more prudent to ensure that you can get a bank loan approved before signing on the dotted line.

I am only expressing my experience and opinion and this may not reflect the experience of other landed homeowners. Will try to respond to some of the queries below. Dear hihihi, Concern about high property tax So far, I think property tax is quite affordable. My property tax per year is $200 per year. Some other landed properties have higher taxes. I know of one bungalow owner. He pays about $1,500 of property tax a year. As long as the property is owner occupied, the concessionary tax rate is 4% of the annual value. BTW, the annual value of landed property computed by IRAS is quite low compared to condos. Dear Diavonex, Expensive to repair roof leakage I just replaced my 1,100 sqft roof six months ago at the time when the construction cost is very high. It cost me $7000 inclusive of 50 years warranty on roof tiles, insulation against heat, replacement of faulty supporting wood structure. Although the one time cost is quite high, the average cost depreciated over the years is quite modest. Corrosion of fence For fence, my place uses red brick wall. So far, it seem like it can last forever. For those people who use metal grills would have to use those that are rust proof and regularly paint it (about once in 2 years will be good enough). Maintenance of electric gate I did not use electric gate. Hence, not sure of maintenance cost. A manual gate works fine for me and it is maintainence free except for the once in 2 years painting. So far, I have not painted the gate for the past 5 years and there is no problem with rust. Fine for not cutting grass regularly For cutting grass, the govt doesn't care about the length of grass if the grass is grown within your premises. If the grass is outside your house, you can contact NParks to cut the grass if you feel that there is overgrown. NParks will maintain the external garden area for you FOC. I prefer to grow herbs in my garden and outside area. So far, no problem with grass issue except for the occassional growth of weed which doesn't bother me much. Painting for 2 storey terrace Yes, a 2 storey terrace will cost more to paint. If you have got cheap lobang, I think it probably cost less than $3000 to paint. To maintain the facade, homeowners can use weather proof paint. It should last for about 5 years. Dear Fanguojun, Cut down utilities bill Because I don't use air conditioner in my place and substitute it with fans, it brings down the cost quite a fair bit. In addition, the design of the house that allow more light into it can also cut down the use of lights. So far, I think my utilities bill is already quite high compared with some of my neighbours. Those who maintain big koi pond, air-conditioned the whole house with high ceiling, I think the utilities bill will skyrocket. Hope it answers all your queries. Cheers.

I have been staying in a landed property for 5 years. Depending on your location, some are quite ulu and you will need a good security system and your own transport. Besides location, the condition of your house also matters. Is your house a green building? Some houses have solar panels, etc... to reduce electricity bill and others have high ceiling with a few more trees planted in the garden, providing shade and reduce the need for air-con, etc... Let me now go to the specific question. Pest Control? If you are referring to rats, lizards, ordinary ants, etc... The best control is not to leave food exposed in your house. This tend to attract unwanted visitors. If you are referring to termite, a one time fee for 5 years protection cost about $4000 to $5,000. Refuse charges. Can't remember the exact figure but I think it is about $18 per month. SCV charges. The first time laying of cable into the house cost about $2600. I am not sure of the exact figure. You can try MIO plan with TV package. The additional TV package cost $15 per month. It is a cheaper option. Alternatively, you use antenna and you need not pay anything except for the government TV licence fees. The link shows the more details on SCV connection. http://cabletv2.starhub.com/portal/site/Ca...000464114acRCRD PUB Bills My place is 2,500 sqft with 3 rooms. Monthly bill inclusive of refuse disposal is about $220 to $250 per month (with my maid wasting lots of water and electricity). Without a maid, my utilities bill was $120 to $150 per month. I don't have solar panel at home. Some of my neigbours collect rainwater and use it to wash the floor. They told me that their bill per month is about $100 for a family of 6, size of house is about 3000 sqft. Security Network I don't have a security system network. A system would likely cost about $5000, excluding maintenance. My neighbourhood is very peaceful. I went with my family for a 2 weeks holiday, forgetting to close the gate and left the door open, nothing happen. Guess I was also lucky besides being in a safe neighbourhood with friendly neighbours. Hope this help.