adrian_john

Heya Neighbours - Smartie, Booy and XiaoBB. Long time no pop by but glad to see that things are moving on well for homes! Booy, the sofa looks really comfy and will fit your colour scheme really well. It'll be great to just chill and lie on it and watch your favourite movies at home.

Dear All, Sorry I kept everyone in 'suspense' for almost a week. My apologies as due to the recent tsunami of work that's overwhelmed me for the past couple of weeks (I miss the days when I had more free time to come on RT! Ahaha!), I was unable to come online to RT for long periods and hence unable to post, altho' I did read through a couple of threads here and there. With regards to the kind deed done by Mr Yeak, what I meant to share last week was that (Pardon me for the loh-soh story): We were quite set to take up Mr Yeak for the job so was just waiting for his reply to some of my queries on his quote, and also making some changes. While waiting he suddenly SMSed me (abt 29 May) that he can't do the job. After this I managed to speak to him, and he shared his concern with me about potential logistical problem and but kindly said that he'd still do my job as long as I was OK with him spreading out his time between 2 jobs - e.g. he do hacking at Place 1 then come to my place, and same thing for other works subsequently. So I told him, yeah, that's fine and I said since my first appointment was on Friday (5 Jun), I'll also try to buy him time if possible to help him out. He also nicely told me he needed 8 weeks (and this is already factoring Just-in-Case time) and I told him, even though without any extension, I can give him that time and I was very grateful and touched by his sincerity in helping me with my job. So on Saturday (6 Jun), after I came back from visiting Preciousjam's place, I called him and he asked if I could make arrangements to view the place to take more accurate measurements. Which I set up and told him of the timings and fixed the date to pop by, which was scheduled for yesterday (10 Jun) so we could meet and I could sign the quote. However, unfortunately on Monday (8 Jun) he SMSed me and apologised and told me he couldn't do the job. I tried to speak to him to see if we can work out something, but he didn't pick up my calls and SMS and I just received a final SMS of rejection and apologies. Thus, needless to say, was left disappointed. However, I'd like to add that my post here is not to say anything negative. In fact, I think Mr Yeak is a great professional contractor anyone can engage and would highly recommend him to anyone. His commitment, sincerity, efficient project management, easy-to-communicate-with nature and quality of work (Based on viewing Preciousjam's house) is indeed tops! We really appreciate that he tried to help us despite his tight schedule, however we're just sad, particularly more so my wife, as she liked very much to have him do the job, that he could unfortunately not undertake our reno in the end and that we didn't have a chance to have a chance to perhaps have a talk to maybe find a solution.

Heya Aubrey, Nice to see your place all done up. Was just catching up and reading through the posts over the last week. Glad to know most of the stuff' sorted out and hope you haven't been chomping too much on fast food to relieve stress!

Hope the problems aren't anything major. But seriously, from looking at the pictures, everything looks pretty nice.

Things are finally moving along! Went for my 1st Appointment yesterday and signed my life away to HDB. Completion could've actually been earlier, but the Seller requested a little more time, as she could only move in to her new place on 25 July. So at least now, the Handover date's settled. Next immediate task is to settle which ID/Contractor to go with. I've narrowed it down (in no order of preference) to these 4: Andy and Ivette of Ideal Design Studio, Lawrence of United Team Lifestyle, Ah Soon and Mr Yeak. I've only one quote outstanding and that's Ah Soon's, he said he'll meet me by Tuesday, which is good since I'll be away for a short trip from tomorrow till then. Meantime, I'm also in the process of sorting out the 1st Appointment for the sale of my current flat. Trying to request for a mid-August date so that I'll have enough lead time for the renovation to be completed. Hope this works out.

Nice decal and Nice Chairs! Using your wardrobe as a reference, I fear that the WIW space in my MBR may not be enough to accomodate me and my wife's clothes and other stuff.... our current 6ft is already overflowing and we've taken up another 6ft in my current spare room....Headache!

Wah Roamca...looks like your moving in is really very eventful! At least the Loan Shark problem's out of the way. Was thinking maybe that's why your neighbour might be always ngeow or complaining cos' they just have negative impression of you guys based on these LS happenings so they find trouble to get you out or something. You'll never know what goes on in some minds of psycho Singaporeans! Nice to hear that Mr Yeak has been very nice to lend a hand with some post-reno support. I met him 2 weeks back and he's really a nice, easy going fella. I'm in the midst of deciding on my reno contractor and he's definitely one of them. Although I haven't officially hired him, he already has demonstrated to me something which has really touched me with his sincerity and willingness to help. I'll share more with you guys in abit. Heading home now.

With the new proposed MBR layout above, it'd mean unfortunately that I'll have to forgo the initial open-glass concept for the MBR bathroom. Also, with the change of entrance, the long vanity top will also be sacrificed and in its place a small suspended vanity top (subject to whether there is a need to hide pipes) and mirror cabinet. Did a simple sketch of the revised MBR bathroom layout below: Wifey says she would like to do up the MBR bathroom 5* Hotel style. Not sure how to go about this though....

Hi StreamRSZ, Thanks for the informative feedback. Really useful to consider. Your combo looks pretty good. I'm just wondering how to deal with the 4 bedrooms for mine. Not sure if having a System 4 and a Single Split would work better or a System 3 and System 2 (with 1 larger A/C unit for Living/Dining). Would you happen to know what's the biggest capacity compressor for a System 4? Is it 28000Btu? BTW, off-topic abit, noticed your nick and was just wondering if you were on the Stream Forum as well?

Just to share with all, also to Firestarter, this may give you an indication of the pricing. Went down to GC at AMK Ind Park II on Sunday to enquire about possible air-con combos. Since we have 4 bedrooms and also looking to have an A/C unit at the Living/Dining, the GC staff suggested to us the following options best suited to our needs: (a) Hitachi - System 3 and System 2 Inverter Combo - 3 X RAK25N5 : $2,699 - 1 X RAK25, 1 X RAK50: $2,229 - Upgrade insulation for both: $300 - Extended Warranty: $359 each. - 2 X Installation Surcharge: $85. (b) Mitsubishi Electric - System 4 Inverter and System 1 Non-Inverter Combo - System 4 MXY 4A28VA: $3,659 - System 1 MUAD18VA (18000 btu): $1,249 - Upgrade insulation for both: $300 - Extended Warranty: $359 each. - 2 X Installation Surcharge: $85. Still debating about whether to just live with a System 4 for just the rooms and leave the A/C out of the Living/Dining. The more frequently used A/Cs will be at most for 2 or 3 rooms; while the A/C will probably be the least used except in time of really warm heat waves like the past week.

@Familyof4 Thanks F4. I hope that this layout will work out and not be too cramped as I think it may on-site. On paper so far it looks OK, although space walking space at the bedsides is a little tight. I've also got to see if I can slot a foldable mattress somewhere for my little son too. Perhaps I could shift one side of the bed to lean against the wall and make more space. @Worldangel As this is a new layout, I haven't really actually got a quote for this as yet, but I will check with the contractors/IDs and share with you once I've got it.

Hey Roamca, Glad to hear that your problem with HDB's been solved. I think its about time they give you a break and stop being so ngeow (I was reading about the Officer saying rubber mat will burn - Rubber not fire-retardant meh? Geez!). Hope your neighbours also sleep in peace and stop bugging you too. Neighbours like these can be a real pain. Well, if you ever have more complaints then I think seriously speaking, HDB should see that the people with the problem is them and not you lah.

F4, I think Berries and Tien Hsia is not bad for Chinese Classes. I enrolled my Son into Tien Hsia (Was considering Berries, and may try it out once I shift) and so far he's made some decent progress in picking up mandaring by recognising words, and learning to also understand it from its English equivalent. Tien Hsia has small groups and their nursery courses involve learning words in more 'fun' ways such as through songs and actions. They also give chinese character cards every week for the key words learnt during that lesson. My wife and I realised that for Chinese, classes alone are not enough, you have to kinda do refresh/practice lessons every night, in more casual and fun ways with your child to familiarise them with the words/characters and help them remember. For us, its more important cos' we hardly speak any Chinese at home and we also don't wish to confuse them too much because our home is literally tri-lingual (English-Bahasa-Chinese). As for English, so far my friends and my sister who've tried Julia Gabriel have commented that the standard is not that good as it used to be and its kinda overrated and overpriced. Morris Ellen and I-Can-Read are also other schools you could explore. For English, another good way to teach and bond with them outside of classes is to spend time at night reading together.

The illustration by Rachel's really excellent! Very nice graphic! I love your disco lights too! Very dramatic feel and looks!

Hi Skyway, Great place you've got there at a nice location too. I actually attended kindy at Blk 103 when I was a kid and occasionally pop by for foodie indulgence at Block 85. The Private Balcony is really a great feature and makes the MBR more cosy indeed! Nice to see the reno progress is going on well! The colour combo and choice of laminates really looks great. Eagerly awaiting more updated pics!

I did another revised sketch up for the MBR taking into consideration the possibility of sealing up the current entrance to the MBR bathroom and relocating it, which means also extending the MBR entrance as well. This new layout kinda struck me during my discussion with Ah Soon. I showed him the previous MBR layout and he shared that I could have a bigger 2-sided WIW next to the wall where the current toilet entrance was. I thought about it abit and felt if I did a box up there, it may end up making my room look very blocky, so thought perhaps to shift it to the other end nearer to the window instead so that there's a differentiation of space. For privacy, was thinking perhaps doing the low-height cabinet with a tempered glass (haven't really thought of the treatment - could be left clear or with decals or frosted, or even have a string curtain hung above it) screen to give more privacy to the bed head area. To make the room not so cramped, was thinking maybe I could do the TV feature wall with a combo of both laminate and mirrors as depicted in the sketch below. Comments, comparison to Previous Proposed Layout and feedback are most welcome.

Phew! Glad to be back on RT again after a hectic weekend and Monday. Finally managed to "redeem" some Ah Soon Air Miles and meet up with him on Friday evening. Sadly, he lost all the stuff which we previously discussed so we basically had to walk through the whole job list again. But I guess this time's easier cos' I had alot of the drawings with me and could show him straight. He's supposed to get back to me today with the quote today, so I'm looking forward to that, but yet prepared to collect some more air miles. @Preciousjam Thanks for the feedback on Yeak. Looking forward to hearing more from the other Yeakers as well. I did ask him about being able to see some of his current work, but at the time I met him, he said he had only started one or two jobs so nothing to see as yet. I really appreciate your kind offer to allow me to view the ongoing work at your place. Do PM me your contact and when you'll be popping your place and I'll pop by.

Heya Asugama, Looks like your place is turning out really nice! Glad to see the progress! Very nicely organised kitchen and sleek living room! Great work with the cove lights and false ceilings too, I guess they really help to conceal the pipes as well as minimise the effects of the infamous 'Bishan Beams'.

Wow, realised I haven't actually been on the forum regularly, interacted with anyone or posted anything for 1 week now! I really miss it! Been hit with a heavy work schedule with lots of brain cracking and writing, so couldn't really spare the time to log on and browse the forum. But now that most of the big stuff's out of the way (for tomorrow at least since I'm on leave), I can finally get back to this forum! @Guy77 and Charemme Well, like I said earlier, my teacher was right lah, my art did suck back then. Until I went for a part-time art and basic graphic design course in Sec 4, which really helped me alot. I think it was better back then .. art was pretty hands-on, not so digitised as it is now. Erm, I don't think my sketches can help make me money lah... at most if I help people draw, maybe just treat me to a Ribena will do lah Some updates: As expected, I have accumulated quite a number of Ah Soon Air Miles after 1 week of flying on Ah Soon Airlines. But no worries lah. I'll just wait and see if he's able to get back to me hopefully by next Friday (First Appointment Day - Yay!). By then, should have an indication of completion date and the mad rush I'll hopefully not need to have for moving in to the new place and out of the old! During the past week, I also managed to meet up with Mr Yeak. He's also a very nice and sincere man and he reverted to me with a quotation pretty fast as well. Plus point about him is that he's very fluent in English, so communication is easier for me. His quotation was also pretty reasonable and worth considering. Just wondering if perhaps any of his clients would care to share with me some objective feedback on his good/bad points, workmanship etc. If details need to be discreet, then do drop me a PM. All feedback is greatly appreciated. OK, time for me to get back to surfing the forum... better enjoy free time while it lasts ...

I think we should never be misguided by the assumption that paying a higher price will allow us to be hands-off and still come away happy with what has been done and given by the appointed ID/Project Manager. I think Lawry's case is a very clear example of how high spending is negated by inefficient and sub-standard IDs and the sub-cons. In any case, I think renovations are very personal things. As individuals, we all have our pre-conceived ideas/concepts of what our perfect home should be like and also how efficient/seamless or trouble-free our renovation process should be. Reality is, renovation requires alot of your own personal committment and ownership on many levels - Ranging from the design process to materials selection, and most importantly the actual construction process. After all, it is your home and what you want or picture in your head, may not be what's churned out by the people you've allocated the job to. And you wouldn't want to be caught in a scenario where you didn't do anything and have to live with what's done when it wasn't what you had specified. IDs, Contractors, Workers and even us, nobody's perfect. We all make mistakes. Thus, I think when working with different folks, a key ingredient is always chemistry and more importantly alot of compromise, and open mind and heart, and a listening ear. Sometimes, we think we know it all, but sometimes these IDs/Contractors/Workers, can share very vital feedback and also give practical ideas/solutions too. Sometimes this results in us saving costs or not having to live with a mistake. Everybody has their own idiosyncracies and habits (both good and bad), but I think sometimes we have to see things in a bigger picture, moderate our own expectations and also give and take where required, to look more on the good side of things, rather than always harping on the bad (unless the renovation is a total disaster of course). Another thing about costs, we all know how much the difference can be when comparing hiring and ID and a contractor such as Uncle or Yeak. But to be fair and not hypocritical, we also can't expect that by paying let's say $20K less than an ID to have the exact same sort of services rendered by an ID firm. I mean, to put it in a day-to-day application, I can't expect a normal Mitsubishi Lancer to run like an EVO right? Even if the former could, it'd still mean spending more money on modifications. But sometimes the bright points of these contractors is that they can give us almost the same quality of work churned out by the IDs, just that the trade-off is that we have to make abit more effort on our part to bring it to life. This is where burning leave, spending more time/money and getting frustrated comes in. So in this sense, managing our expectations is important. From what I've seen, why alot of people choose uncle and are on the overall very happy with him, despite knowing the sort of possible problems they may encounter. I guess they also take into account Uncle's sincere and good-hearted persona, follow-up on quality and rectifications (even though sometimes it is majorly slow) and also the standard and quality of his work. His customers like Pet have also been very nice to return the favour by offering advice and feedback on how he can improve now that he is overwhelmed.

Aubrey, I read about your frustrations and really hope things are looking up on your end. I guess when time is the essence, its frustrating to encounter any hiccups. Hang in there man. You know, ironic or as unreal as it may seem, I read before somewhere that apart from the death of a loved one, moving house and renovation is actually the 2nd most stressful and draining event in one's life? Go easy on the Coke Zero and fast food! You still need to stay healthy to enjoy the wonderful new place.

Hi Roamca, Oh no, looks like with these sort of ngeow neighbours, there'll never be an end to things! Sad to hear also that you have a problem with even the higher management. My suggestion then is to throw the ball back to their court; and it has to be done face-to-face. All these people good at hiding behind walls, desks, e-mails and letters, but when come face-to-face, all cannot face up to the pressure and confrontation. Because really, you guys have done everything you can already.... If they still make it difficult then how? Have to go up to HDB HQ and MND level already. Maybe you can also look around your area to see other similar homes that have the dripping and trays to use as supporting evidence.

Hi Roamca, I hope you've managed to resolve the problem with the HDB. Actually, I was thinking, if the officer doesn't seem to want to meet halfway or compromise, the next step is to take it to upwards to a more senior person and explain your position and your efforts so far. Usually, in a typical kiasu singaporean way, some of the lower management 'Just Follow Law', black and white with no room for thinking out of the box. So my advice to you is to list all the time/dates/efforts you've take to solve the problem and highlight it to the officer's superior. I believe you've already done quite a hefty bit to solve this problem and there is already a ready solution in place, HDB also shouldn't be too ngeow with you on this. If you need advice on penning a letter or listing down some points to highlight to HDB, do PM me. I'll try to help.

James and Wendy, I can emphathise with you on stains caused by kids. Yes, you can try dish detergent like Mama Lemon/UIC to wash off the stains and try to avoid CIF if possible. But try not to make it too concentrated. Just pump abit on a wet cloth/tissue and place it over the stain for about a minute, then gently rub it off. If you have the Pigeon Biodegradable cleaner (The one that they use for washing baby bottles and fruits), its another more 'friendlier' alternative. But seriously, homo tiles are still way easier to maintain compared to marble.

Hi Roamca, Your home looks really warm and cosy and yet lively with the nice play of fresh colours and MBR tiles. Sad to hear about the neighbours complaining and the HDB officer's 'ngeow-ness' that isn't helping your settling in. I guess with high-rise living and living with different strokes and different folks, its unfortunate that there is sometimes a lack of give and take. I can emphatise with you because I have a neighbour downstairs who's been on our six for some years now regarding vaccuming in the morning. She complains that our quick morning vacumming of the living room (For 10 minutes only from 730 or 745am) is too loud, scrapes the floor and disturbs her from her sleep. When she first came to our house, we were nice and I even changed my vaccum cleaner to a quieter one. Few months later she came up again and complained so my wife went down to see and hear, realised the maid was vaccuming too roughly so there was abit of scraping sound (which wasn't very loud actually to be honest), but we decided to be nice and so we told the maid to be gentle and we changed to one of those silent Miele vaccum cleaners with a quiet gliding head. After some time, she came up again and complained again! This time she said she'd report to HDB if we vaccum again in the morning. We asked for her understanding, as we only needed 10 minutes each morning for the living room - Reason being, we have to vaccum and mop the living room floor before the kids wake up so that its clean for them to play on. Some time later we had a HDB officer visit our house and highlighted the neighbour's complaint. When we explained the situation, luckily he was actually quite understanding. It turns out that she works at some club/pub so works nightshift and only sleeps in the morning. So apart from our 10 minute morning vaccuming before 8am, she also complained that our vaccuming of the rest of the house around 9ish or 10ish disturbs her from her sleep. But I told the HDB officer that she's the exception rather than the norm in terms of her sleeping habits and also that I've changed vaccum cleaners to expensive, quieter ones in consideration so what else she expect us to do right? The HDB officer quite candidly also told me that he listened to the noise from her place personally, and he felt the vaccuming sound was not very loud... Oh well, so now it just status quo, and sometimes when we happen to bump into her in the lift they also don't look at us even though we nicely smile and say hello.