gothique

hi there i dun agree that this only happens when one goes for contractors. I have shortlisted 2 contractors and they simply said that I can choose ANY tiles from ANY supplier that I want. And they will do the buying of tiles and laying of tiles. I think that be it ID or contractor, you should always check the selection of tiles BEFORE signing up... in my case I actually selected all the tiles and calculated the cost with the contractor BEFORE I agree to start work on hacking. Anyway BoonPin since you already signed up with your contractor... no choice lor. My personally recommendation is Soon Bee Huat at Toh Guan Road... cuz of the HUGE selection and mock ups. U can also go to White Horse at Sungei Kadut to take a look at the mock ups... those at Defu lane tend to be a bit smaller.. can go for Hup Kiong, Lian Seng Beng (or was it Heng) (cannot remember) etc. All the best to your reno!

Hello guys!! I haven't been posting for a while. But i would like to share that my experience with Patrick overall has been a positive one. The only thing is... I feel that sometimes we need to call him and push a bit because he is quite busy. Anyway, we are finally starting the reno some time next week. I can't wait! Also just curious, want to ask if you guys actually had to go to different suppliers to check out the tiles and must decide on what tiles you want to use BEFORE Patrick starts the hacking? Cuz that was what he told me to do... ask me to see tiles and tell him first. Lastly... once the reno started, did you have to add money here and there? Due to things that both you and Patrick overlook? Can share with me what are some of the "hidden" costs or would Patrick usually have already brought all the issues out on the table before he starts? Thanks!

Hi Mace! ahhaha... mine also $500 to hack wall. but to replace windows also need QP of $800. So altogether is $1300. so sad. but my cousin in law who is an ID says usually QP charge $500 for checking entire house. So i need to call Patrick and check. Anyone else got any experience with this QP thing? anyway... i wanted to start the reno liao... but no response from Patrick leh. then hubby called Mrs Quek.. she say that she got no time to respond yet... haiz, looks like patrick is really busy... i really hope i can start soon, but dunno how lah. like that. anyway she also mentioned that we can go Clementi to see partick's works. does it belong to anyone here in the forum? by the way is there any kind soul who wanna show off their beautiful home by done patrick to me and my hubby? I would love to be invited and take a look... and will return the favour next time too...

Hi hi.. What about this... give him a Friendly Wave and grin idiotically... That is what i did to my neighbour... n he waved back and then disappeared. ahahah... anyway, another suggestion is that u check with ur upstairs neighbour whether do they notice this man peering into their kitchens as well? if they say yes, you can organize MASS confrontation... another way is ask the opposite block man's neighbour if they ever got problems with this man... maybe he got some mental problem, u never know. i think blinds can only prevent the problem, but doesn't solve the underlying cause leh.

haha... just to share that my hubby feels embarassed to hug and kiss (briefly) in public... the most is just hold hands. but now he has changed... he can hug me in front of people and kiss me (quick one, like less than 3 sec type) in front of people... i tend to feel that it's due to me that he has changed. hahaha. anyway before and after marriage, i do notice that things have sort of changed. we are not so lovey-dovey when we are outside. last time, when not married yet, we stick v close to each other man. now, it's more like we have found a comfortable distance from each other in public. and give each other space to breathe, interact as "friends" etc.. and at home when we are alone in bedroom then we express our love in more intimate ways lor. hah. somehow i am very comfortable with this arrangement... even though now we are not so openly loving in public. but i feel that our love has deepen leh. Any comments?

wah liao... okie.. anyway we will just keep fingers crossed that no leakage occurs. so many things to worry about. can i just ask... anyone who used Ho Bee need to engage P.E.? I called HBD and they say it is OP (Qualified Person) to do some safety thing. And they said it's up to contractor to provide. I wonder if the pricing is standard or I can source for cheaper outside or what. I was quoted SG500 for windows and SG800 for hacking wall. That's just the PE Fee alone! not the actual windows / hacking itself...

Hey Phantom... er... can i also add... if that fails... man can also find a better woman... cuz sometimes its the gal who doesnt want to make the relationship work u know...

haha phantom u are a guy is it... i tend to agree with korea leh. cuz i used to have ang moh bf and they are really better with words than SG men. it is true. i got frenz with ang moh hubbies... and i do notice that they tend to be more verbal in appreciation and words of love. but i think SG men are more responsible towards their wives and work harder to provide for the family. and for myself i think that the way SG men express their love for their wives / kids. very practical, right? Not meaning that dun have romantic SG men. Have! But tend to be less lor... i think not surprising, given our reserved asian culture. so there are good and bad for both types of men! but ultimately i chose to marry Singaporean man. and i don't regret it! even though he take a harsh tone on me sometimes and he also shouts at me when he gets frustrated with me. i feel hurt but i know that he shows his love in other ways that i need to take time to OPEN my eyes big big and appreciate him.

hi yes i did consider about building a tempered glass screen but hubby thinks it will look like restautant / breadtalk. he doesn't like. and he thinks that it's wasted cuz there is a feeling of openness but no interaction between kitchen and dinning. i did think of the glossy paint... but i feel that it's funny to have 1 wall with glossy paint and the other 3 walls all tiles. Contractor said either I hack ALL and retile ALL or I hack ALL and paint all. haiz. anyway i think it's too late to change. cuz already more or less decided to have the open concept lor. one advantage is that our dining room will look bigger. also Hubby mentioned that since our living room and dining room got a sliding door, the smell will only affect our dining room and balcony. cuz we are going to air con the living room. so we will install sliding door to seperate dining and kitchen from living / bedroom. so not that bad for the smell problem, right?

hi gals i think SG men got a tendency to be quite harsh with their words leh. Anyway what happened is that when hubby shout at me for xxx reason, i will totally stop doing that thing. then when he ask me why, i just say. cuz you always shout at me / scold me if i xxx. e.g. whenever i eat ba kut teh, i dunno how to eat the meat until the bones are very clean... then he always scolds me that i never finish the food properly. then i would feel v hurt... cuz he scold me in public i am sure everyone can hear him. and i spoke to him saying that he should not do that.. but he always forget and keep scolding me. after a while, he realised that everytime he suggest eat ba kut teh, i will say No, I dun want to eat. then he will ask me why... after a while he realise that the way he speaks to me really makes a difference.

Hi all i am doing whole house laminted flooring except dining room and kitchen (i know this sounds weird... but dining and kitchen are next to each other and seperated by sliding door u see) i think it will make the house very "woody" and some people can accept, others cannot. Some prefer to have tiles and feel that whole house laminate is overkill. But if you see those angmoh magazines, actually it is quite common overseas.

hi for me, the prev owner already knocked the window which is the old fashioned type which I hate! but i cannot seal up the wall, reason is because the kitchen walls already tiled. and i don't have any extra tiles. so if I seal up the wall, 1. Plaster over. So 1 kitchen wall is without tiles 2. Tile up the new wall, but the other sides of the kitchen have diff tiles In the end i decide to go for open concept lor. No choice. cuz i think both ways also look weird... hahaha... but mum also warn me about the cooking. HDB flat, so cannot buy the chimney type of hood... so i am getting the Fujioh one, supposed to be stronger. Anyone else care to share?

Hi hi can i confirm? HDB Permit should be Free But haulage fee = must pay the Town Council? or pay the contractor? I was given "$500 Haulage to doorstep" by the contractor. anyone can enlighten me what it means?

er... for me and hubby, we save like crazy... but now all going to be wiped out by our reno. does that count as not spending money wisely? i see it as NO CHOICE... sigh

hi lin_stapler are u a diver too? certainly sounds like it...

of course I mind!! But maybe it's a matter of priorities... hubby and I have decided to forgo the carpentry and spend the money on changing the windows and boxing up the pipes etc... we got limited $$ to spend... so it's either or... haiz... at first we wanted carpentry to hide the pipes so that we can "open" up if got problem but now we just use gypsum to box up... cheaper...

For me: Malaysia - JB (of course! countless times!), Desaru, Segamat (to climb Mt Ophir), Melaka, Port Dickson, Ipoh, Cameron Highlands, Kampar, Penang, Kuantan, Redang, Tioman, Aur & Dayang, KL and surroundings (e.g. PJ, Klang, Genting) Indonesia - Jarkata, Batam (x 2), Bintan (x 2) Thailand - Koh Samui, Phuket (x 2), Khao Lak & Similan, Krabi & Koh Phi Phi, Bangkok (x 3), Udon Thani (x2) & surroundings (e.g. Nong Kai, Nong Han) China - Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Lijiang, Dali, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, Hong Kong (x4) and Macau (x2) Russia - Moscow and St Petersburg Japan - Tokyo (x 3), Osaka, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Kyoto Switzerland - Zermatt, Lucerne and Zurich Italy - Rome, Florence, Pisa, Verona, Venice, Milan, Aosta, Parma Australia - Brisbane New Zealand - Christchurch and Auckland Planning: 1. US 2. Isreal 3. Indonesian islands like Manado / Lombok Wah. Quite a bit. No wonder I am so broke.

wah Mace... then i quite Pei Fu you... can live with open piping and all that... I very "ngiau" wan... in fact the bulk of my reno planning is WHERE oh WHERE can i hide my pipes / trunking / wiring. I think Patrick was quite amused about that. Anyway, personal experience living in landed for 15 years, where all the pipes and trunking were concealed.. so far no problems that were serious enough for my pipes / wirings to be hacked out to repair. But then again, one of my frenz kena air con pipe leak shortly after he moved in! I guess we gotta take our chance!

Hello Er according to my dad who is a real estate agent... hacking a wall makes it harder to sell next time... but i dun care. i am going ahead to hack a wall anyway cuz i really want an open concept dining cum kitchen area!

Hi Nerraw, nope mine is not a new EA but a repurchased flat... it is already 14 years old. so i have to do quite major reno. it had been empty for 2 years! anyway i am glad that ur reno has went well... hope u can faster get all ur accessories and make it really personalized! no more pasir ris-ians around? only me, crystan and nerraw? hello, do share more about pasir ris as i'm quite new to the area... i would really like to know what good food is there around the area, and good places to shop, etc? I heard that the doctor in Loyang Point is quite good. Also looking to ask if is there any good and cheap hairdresser in pasir ris area? so that next time it's more convenient for me... hahah...

hi mace yeah thanks for the advice... i also think that i have to buy off the shelf. or do without it until i get my next bonus, then engage a carpenter to custom make all my shelves and cupboards. by the way did u guys box up ur sewerage pipes? i want to... and it's costing me freaking $1k to do it!! ahhhhhhh!

haha i think it's a bubble too but i bet that it will not burst until AFTER the 2 IRs open for a while.

hi all managed to clarify about the tiling. the alignment problem surfaces only when ur tiles are aligned very closely with 1mm grouting. the thicker ur grouting, the less of a problem is alignment. anyway patrick said that if the tiles are seriously out of line, they will call the homeowner to take a look before laying the tiles. and he also agree with u guys that it's a manufacturer problem. i think patrick is quite experienced and professional... albeit a rather serious and non-smiling person... haha. anyway hubby and i have had quite positive experience with him and 99% confirmed signing with him... u know ah... from the start I just had this feeling that we will end up taking Ho Bee... after going to 8 contractors, we still end up choosing Ho Bee. Hope that things turn out well and we are not wrong in judging him at face value that he is a good contractor. Very frank about the costs involved as well. We have a good feeling about this reno...

er... hello i just wanna highlight something here i think some of us treat ROM as "not yet married, still can back out" and some of us feel that ROM = married already maybe 2708soul must make her own distinction... but my feeling is, there must be a certain date (be it the ROM date or the wedding date) where u make a decision to commit. and once that decision is made, NEVER to look back and regret. if haven't past the "commitment" date yet. can still call off the wedding (and highly encourage to do so if u are not sure) if past the "commitment" date already, since already made the vow and decision, you should honour ur marriage vows and never look back on ur decision. anyone agree with me?

hi guys I am intending to purchase Daikin inverter system 4. Anyone have this system and got experience leaking? or anyone got positive feedback to share? thanks! *worried*