macbart

Hi Pinkpetter, At least we didn't say the same thing. I was thinking all white. My wife's the one who figured it would be nice with some burgundy. It does look ok. But I guess if anyone is at the basin, it won't be easy for anyone else to pass through to the other side. I have some picture from yesterday and a short video clip of our carpenter putting together and installing an S2 drawer. I'll post the pictures later, but I'm not sure if I should post the video. Oh dear. Perhaps the first time it's hot enough, make sure you keep one of the remotes so you can use it in future. The full-height windows? That's something that drew us to that block. But... as we've discovered, it's not always a blessing. We wanted to change all of them to white power-coated casement windows with green glass and the grilles to white horizontal bars. But HDB said we can't change the windows cos it's contrary to current reno guidelines. What's worse is that the current windows are not all the same! On one side, we have bronze framed sliding windows in the living room (tinted glass) and the bedroom (frosted glass) and on the other side, we have bronze framed casement windows (tinted glass) for the other two rooms and the white powder coated casement windows in the kitchen and white powder coated louvred windows in the bathroom (we were allowed to change these). We're changing all the window grilles to horizontal bars (bronze for the bronze windows and white for the kitchen) and changing the glass of the windows in the bedroom to match the ones in the other rooms.

Oh well, I hope you get over the disappointment in time. Meanwhile, try to enjoy the fact that your home is looking good overall, despite some hiccups here and there.

That's true. I didn't think about saving on the shower screen. That was her pick, as were the wall tiles for the kitchen. The remaining drawers will installed tomorrow hopefully, I'll be able to take a few decent shots that give an idea of the overall feel. What? Why?

Hi Alamak, yeah, it was partially open when we went there three weeks ago. But even that was useful. They said the rest of it should be done and ready by December, so I'm sure it's as good a time as any to visit now.

Go to the showroom! I would recommend it for anyone planning a kitchen, even for those not intending to get any Blum products. We gained useful info about planning our kitchen layout (in addition to learning which Blum products would be suitable). The staff are very helpful. Plus, there's a section with kitchen units of different sizes on wheels that you can move around and arrange in different combinations to get an idea of what your kitchen may look like and gauge space etc.

The carpenters installed my kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanity cabinet today. And you're right... the ABS is on the doors, not the the frame.

Awww... I hope you're still able to. But I can understand your disappointment. My wife and I are targetting the same thing and will have friends over on Christmas Eve. But it will be tight cos our handover will be the weekend before Christmas, which leaves us just four days to move in, unpack etc. Our worst case scenario is go ahead with the planned Christmas Eve dinner there with friends, even if we aren't able to move in by then. The kitchen will be fully functioning and there should be no reason not to meet there. Hmmm... that sounds strange. Isn't ABS normally listed as part of the quotation for carpentry?

I went to Excel Hardware at North Link Building a week and a half ago to ask about the system. It's not drilled/screwed into floor or ceiling. They have bolts at both ends that can be adjusted (tightened) to fit the space. The advantage, of course, is that if you decide to change the layout or move it, there's no damage to floor or ceiling.

Hi Pinkpetter, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was wondering if anyone other myself would like it. The bathroom is rather long (about 3.9m). I like that about it. But it's not very wide (just 1.1m). My wife is the one who picked the colour for the bedroom. She wanted a darker shade of purple. But looking through the colour swatches, she couldn't find the right (darker) shade. So in the end, we settled on Purple Ash. BTW, I'm glad the whole air-con saga has been resolved.

When the renovation began on November 12, the handover date (as scheduled by Andy) was December 19 & 20. This was despite having nothing scheduled for the preceding five days except touch up on a couple of days. Since then, as is usually the case, several jobs were rescheduled, resulting in the change of the date for installation of the laminate flooring by a week (from December 7 to 14). But cos Andy left several days blank in the final week before handover, the handover date is still targetted to be December 19 & 20. We haven't set a date to move in, but all along we were hoping to move in by Christmas (we're having friends over on Christmas eve). The one thing that won't be ready in time is our wardrobe. Opsh will need at least two weeks from the day they install the pelmet for the door (day after tomorrow) and measure the space. But we're ok with that. We'll just have to live out of boxes for the first few days.

it's good if the deliveries are on time or early. I as amazed. We actually went there prepared to spend several hours waiting. I brought my MacBook (planning to connect to net tethered to my iPhone) and my wife brought a book. In the end, I didn't use it at all! Well, except when my wife surfed during lunch. I would say we're probably about 80% done. Painting of door frames, gate and railings took place today. Tomorrow will be kitchen cabinets and vanity cabinet. Thursday will be window grilles and shower screen. Opsh will be in thursday to install pelmet for the wardrobe door. Laminate floor will be installed on Monday. After that it's the solid surface for kitchen and bathroom, connecting of hood, hob, oven, sink and basin... and the wardrobe will be the last thing. Hmmm... I guess it's more like 70%?

I was wondering that too. Thanx for the info. I think we'll go check it out too.

Day 24 Saturday, December 5 turned out to be "delivery day". Zixiang from Viborg Trading was supposed to come over in the morning with the Blum hardware I'd ordered for our kitchen. Ikea was scheduled to deliver our purchases from the previous week some time between 10am and 2pm. Mayer said they would deliver our hood between 12-3pm. And finally, Mega Discount Store would deliver our Brandt oven and hob between 2-5pm. I was hoping the first two deliveries would be early and the Mayer delivery late, so that we'd have time in between to go to Bukit Timah Shopping Centre to check out the Opsh wardrobe system and have lunch before returning for the other deliveries. As it turned out, Zixiang arrived at 11am, when it began raining. And since he didn't bring a trolley, I had to go down and help him carry the stuff to our flat. I didn't realise drawer runners, sides and hinges could weigh that much! Anyway, everything was up... until Sam, our carpenter went over on yesterday and checked the stuff... and pointed out that the fronts for the i3 and i4 inner drawers were missing. A phone call to Zixiang later (with him checking, realising he hadn't delivered them and apologising), Viborg delivered those directly to Sam's workshop in Sungei Kadut. Here are the Blum parts awaiting installation on Wednesday - five S2, one S3, five S4, five i3 and two i4 tandembox drawers (all silver-grey, 30kg load), four 107-degree hinges with mounting plates and two blumotion for hinges, three 155-degree zero-protusion hinges with mounting plates, with two blumotion for 155-degree and 170-degree hinges. Total cost = $1078. Oh, and that's the Mistral wall fan that will be installed in the kitchen. By 11.30am, the Ikea delivery folk had arrived with our stuff - two white Billy bookcases (80 x 202cm), four doors for the book cases, one white Billy book case (80 x 106cm), one Malm chest of six drawers (birch veneer), one white Expedit shelving unit (to be used as TV console), one Giman kitchen island ($20 for As-is section - I'm planning to shorten the height and use it as a dining table), one Galant table top ($80 from As-is section), with the Galant frame and four legs, and several other smaller items (all in that white sack). Mayer had called earlier while Zixiang was there to say they'd arrive in about 45 minutes to an hour. By 12pm, they'd been there and delivered our Delizia Krea 90 hood (to the left of this picture). We purchased the brooms etc when we had lunch at Tiong Bahru Plaza, ready for us to clean up the place next Satruday. The rest of the stuff in this picture include the basin, basin mixer and rain shower set and a few more lights. And finally, while we were having lunch, Mega Discount called to say they'd be over in 30-45 minutes. We had just enough time to finish dessert and coffee and head back to our flat... where the delivery folk were waiting with our Brandt oven (FE611XS1) and induction hob (TI607BU1). With everything delivered early, we went over to Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, where we ended up signing up for a 10-foot Opsh wardrobe. It was a really fruitful day!

Ceiling Fans We wanted fans with a single light in the living room, bedroom, entertainment room and study. Initially, we were looking at the Fanco F707 (54-inch) or the Amasco Empire (56-inch). But upon extending the measuring tape 54 inches and holding it centred below the fan points in each of the rooms, we realised that while it would be ok for the living room, fans of that size would dominate the other three rooms. It looked like something between 44 to 48-inches would suit the rooms better. We also decided that we wanted to have regulators for each of the fans cos in my wife's experience (and based on feedback from a few friends), remotes tend to get spoilt more easily and cost quite a bit to replace. Plus we didn't want chains dangling from the fans. Based on these requirements, we settled on the Fanco FFM3000 and bought four of them at Royal Fanco (Jalan Besar). Day 23 The installation of ceiling fans was scheduled for Friday, December 5. Steven, a friendly ceiling fan specialist (that's what it says on his card), arrived at about 11am and gave an estimate that it would take between three to four hours to install the four ceiling fans. After putting in three bolts in ceiling for each fan, he installed the the mounting brackets, connecting the wires. He then assembled them, one at a time, before dangling them from the safety hook by the safety cord (a steel cable) Once he had each fan on its mounting bracket, Steven installed the lights. Before finally connecting the regulators to the fan switches. And about three and half hours after he'd begun, we had four fully-functioning ceiling fans The one thing I was wondering about is the gap between the rotating part of the fan and the light fixture. I thought it would be much smaller. But the spacer bolt that was included with the kit leaves a bit of a gap. And it's not the most visually pleasing look. But I guess it does make it easier to reach in and clean it. Oh, and while Steve was working, the door folk came in and changed the three room doors. They were very fast. But er... I didn't take any pictures. Will have to remember to do that in future. Then, the guy who handles the bathroom door came over and installed it. It's just a basic bi-fold door (with plastic sheet still cover the panels). I'm wondering if we should have spent more and got a nicer door to go with the rest of the bathroom. I guess it's a bit too late for that now.

Desmond, who installed ours, took me through the maintenance routine. We're supposed to oil the seal every three months, use a bottle brush to clean the part below once every three months, remove the stoppers on each side to let the hopper open all the way back, so there's access to the little space below... and clean that once every seven years. He said the seal should work well for 14 years, after which, it can be replaced and last another 14 years. And according to him, it's not rubber, but a patented synthetic material. FYI, when I open the chute hopper, there is a slight "pull", similar to when you pull two magnets apart. But it's not so strong that it requires a lot of force.

Hey, welcome to RT. It's good that you have an early start in planning for your place. You won't have to face the rush that we faced in getting quotes from different companies and choosing one within a month, so that the work could begin with enough time to meet our target of moving in to our new place before Christmas. BTW, don't be shy about being an ikea fan. I'm one too.

The Maxden rubbish chute costs $450 (includes installation). Ours was scheduled for installation after the acid wash of the place. The old one was removed during hacking. Based on instructions from they guys from Maxden, our contractor got the tilers to make sure the hole left for the chute was 35cm by 35cm.

The kitchen looks great. It's a shame about the drawers not being deep enough cos of the allowance for the bone between drawers. Is it too late to change the layout slightly? Perhaps remove the top drawer (and bone) for a couple of the cabinet units so that the "middle" drawer is now deeper, going all the way to the top? If that's possible, you could perhaps still have space for your larger pots and pans, and for the taller jars etc.

Ah ok, so the rubber underlay is in addition to the foam underlay. Ok, I understand now.

Hi Butterfingerzz, hmmm... doesn't laminate flooring require an underlay? I didn't know it could be done without it.

Day 22 continued Here's the living room as it looked on Thursday, December 3. Work still to be done: ceiling fan, light over dining table, window grilles, veneered flooring, curtains, painting of railings, general paint touch up. This is how the bedroom looked the same day. The purple is actually slightly darker than how looks in this picture. Work still to be done: ceiling fan, new door (rehung to open the opposite way), window grilles, curtains, veneered flooring, wardrobe, painting of door frame and door, paint touch up. And this is how the entertainment room looked. Work to be done: window grilles, ceiling fan, veneered flooring, curtains, new door, painting of door frame and door, hang Glansa light in the right corner. Of course, the entire place needs to be cleaned as well.

Hi Doremon, I'm no expert when it comes to reno, so I'm just thinking out loud over the following: 1. Cement base - we're paying $200 for the 50mm cement base for the kitchen cabinets, refrigerator and washing machine (total of about 21 ft). I dunno if our quote is really low or if your $480 is high. 2. Casement windows for balcony - I dunno about the size of your windows, but we had two sets of casement windows installed in the kitchen (white, powder coated, with green glass). The total was $580. 3. For the kitchen cabinets, you probably wanna check on what's included as far as interior fittings, drawers etc. And find out how much more it will cost if you want extra drawers etc. 4. Same for the electrical work. Is there a limit to the number of points included for the quoted $900? If there isn't, the price is excellent! I think we'll end up paying about $2k for electrical work, mainly cos of all the new points and shifting of existing points. Anyway, with the comments/advise from others here (who probably know lots more), I hope you're able to get the reno started soon and completed in good time. I hope everything turns out to be smooth.

Hi annjoy, It's good that you realised it early enough, and that you have an ID who's cool about it. I hope everything goes well with your reno and that you get the cosy home that you want.

Day 22 Wow, it's been such a busy time, I didn't realise till a few minutes ago that three weeks have passed since hacking began and yesterday was the 22nd day of the renovation. Painting was originally scheduled for last Saturday and Monday, but the painters only came in Tuesday and Wednesday... and weren't able to finish. They've done a fairly decent job with the walls and ceilings, but will need to return to paint the door frames, doors and railings (in addition to touch up). With most of our walls painted Sail White, this stands out like a sore thumb. I guess we'll either have to get the painters to paint this white when they paint the door frames and railings (or get the electrician to change the cover?). Once the ceiling was painted, the electrician was in on Tuesday to install the lights (most of them) and the power points and switches. Most of his work was ok, but there are a few things we'd like him to fix. For example, notice anything strange about these lights on the ceiling? Instead of placing them where we'd marked the ceiling (with post-its taped to the ceiling), he put the nearer light midway between the walls. It may look ok now on its own. But if you stand in the living room and look in, it's very obvious that's not aligned with the other light. Worse still, once the tall kitchen units are installed along the wall to the right, it will be painfully obvious that the nearer light is too close to the right side and much further from the left. We've asked Andy to get the electrician to move it in line with the other light. With painting on Tuesday and Wednesday and the new rubbish chute hopper scheduled to be installed on Thursday afternoon, Andy arranged for the acid wash to take place after 6pm on Wednesday. However, when I went to flat on Thursday afternoon, the man who was cleaning up was still working on the kitchen. Apparently, he only started at 1pm on Thursday! At about 3pm he moved on to the bathroom and then a further hour and a half later, he began work on one of the rooms. He'll apparently return on Wednesday to work on the other two rooms and the living room. I've gotta say that while Andy was surprised that the guy took so long to clean up just the kitchen, bathroom and one room, I feel he was very thorough. And the kitchen floor tiles finally look like they're supposed to. The main work yesterday began when Desmond from Maxden, arrived to install our new air-tight rubbish chute. It's something my wife was keen on making sure we had, especially since we're on the second floor. That reinforced bit serves two purposes. Firstly, it will help to keep it from being dented easily by projectiles launched from above. Plus, it's a counter weight that helps to keep the chute closed.

I'm hoping it works out well. I've got ikea laminate flooring in the living room of my current place (which I installed myself eight years ago). It's still ok. I figured we could install the ones we bought during the sale ourselves too, but my wife doesn't want me to do it. She thinks it's too much work. I feel that while it is hard work (the sawing to size), it's enjoyable and we can get it done in one weekend. Anyway, I've arranged for the installers to do it... and I'm pretty sure they can do a better job than I can.