petunialee

For kitchen, I would still go with Interior Affairs if I wanted a European style kitchen. That's because the kitchen is a heavy duty usage (if someone in your family cooks everyday). A poorly designed kitchen made with sub-par materials means more work and more hassle later. I had a friend who was recommended a local contractor. Her kitchen was nice for 1 month. After that, drawers started to warp badly. Given the humidity in our climate, the wood has to be really well treated and of good quality or else, you may end up having to redo the kitchen within 2 years. That'll cost more.

Oven - Gaggenau Wet kitchen - brick and tile counter with those huge portable double gas hobs. Big fire and cheap. Dry kitchen - interior Affairs does lovely kitchens at 29 Tai Seng Ave Get dishwasher for yourself?

For surface dry skin which is oily underneath, the dry skin cells on surface block pores. You can lemon juice to exfoliate then wash normally. Just soak lemon juice onto cotton pad and apply to face. Then rinse and wash. Stay out of sun because Emon juice is a very strong exfoliator and it'll expose the new skin that will be very sensitive to sun. Unless you want lots a freckles, best to protect from sun.

Thanks for sharing your experience!! Appreciate!! I was such a sotong when I started this that I hope to document enough of the process to help those who build after me. Otherwise, one ends up paying too much for shoddy work.

I don't think so. There is a natural pause between one floor's casting and the next. They'll take a while after the casting to position steel bars, formworks... place more footings elsewhere on that piece of land before the next casting. Whilst the concrete cures, other work can and does continue. My castings (1st, 2nd and 3rd storeys) are spaced 2 weeks apart. That gives the concrete 14 days to cure. Given that the cement strength has been over specified, it should be ok to begin casting the next storey after 14 days. Hmmm... at least that was what I understood. The clerk of works (whose license is in jeopardy if the house does not meet govt specifications) seems to think this normal. What is your experience with this though?

Post 9 on house construction http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/12/hou...oam-nozzle.html

Posts 7 & 8 on house construction. http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/12/wat...orey-floor.html http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/12/why...e-so-small.html

You go girl!! End of the day, whatever you pay the archi, you gotta be comfy with him and trust him.

Post 6 on house reconstruction : http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/11/hou...s-all-over.html

Here is blogpost 5 on making a CCTV video of the public sewer line. If a public sewer runs through your property, please ensure that you do this before any soil works are begun. You need a pre-condition video and a post-condition video. http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/11/hou...irty-video.html

Here is the 4th blogpost on house reconstruction on managing the neighbours:- http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/11/hou...neighbours.html.

Here is my 3rd blogpost on the reconstruction of my house. I hope it helps. http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/11/hou...itary-ware.html

Here is my experience shopping for sanitary ware: http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/11/spa...-of-having.html

Does anyone know if Adamas house brand basins are robust? I pour boiling water into the basins once a week and dun wanna crack the basin. Any experience sharing of Adamas products is much appreciated!

The delays are occasioned by your architect and engineer then?

My previous architect (the crooked one) told me that metal roofs are more expensive. My current architect (the efficient one) tells me that the metal roofs are cheaper. I reckon that the overall costs of laying a tiled roof are greater because it requires some skilled labour over more days to install. Material costs are less but given the high labour costs in Singapore, I reckon it all comes up to be higher. I also think that builders like to recommend tiled roofs because they get to lay it themselves (especially if they have a permanent team to do concrete and tile and structure etc... Roof tiling is business that the contractor earns without sub-contracting to a specialized metal roofer. If you double layer the insulation, it should not be noisy... I don't think. And some of the houses at Sentosa Cove I am told, have metal roofs (high end ones like Kalzip that won't rust in the sea air). But hey... all my knowledge is theoretical at present. I can't say for sure until my house with metal roof is done and I move in. But I do know that it is cheaper.

Tiled roofs need a steeper incline than metal roofs, or they may let in water. Re-roofing is easier with metal roof after 15 years... just lay the new metal roof on top of the old one. No need to remove tiles. Metal roofs need proper protection or they rust. Unless they're aluminium. Metal roofs are lighter in weight and hence, the structural works need not support that much weight.

If all submissions are in order, the govt authorities are not slow. My BCA was done in about 3 to 4 weeks. Even when waivers are required, you will be informed within 2 weeks. If you have heard nothing from BCA... it may be that your archi is very busy... or he/she isn't quite on top of the project management? If yours isn't a state of the art... bend the rules... terribly innovative project, it shouldn't be difficult or long to get appovals done. Ummmm... if your archi is not on top of the BCA and URA application process, it is something to consider before things go any further. If you decide to change an architect, do note that you need to get him/her to sign and discharge all plans for use to your new architect... and sometimes, that can be a problem if he/she refuses.

This is GREAT!

500k all in to rebuild is not possible I dun think. But there are contractors floating around who dun have BCA. One assured me that he had but I could not find his company name so I dropped him from the tender. Another told me that his friend will lend him a registered name. That worried me because if things go wrong, who is liable? His friend? So odd.

Read about my house demolition experience here: http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2010/10/hou...demolition.html

I pour 1 kettle of boiling water (5 litres) into every floor trap and sink in the house. This neutralises all the cockroach eggs laid inside the pipes, and kills any babies. It also neutralizes the cockroach scent trails. Cockroaches nest in the pipes. Get them there with hot boiling water once a week. When cockroaches walk across a path, they leave a scent that other cockroaches follow as a signal that the path is safe. Where there is no scent, cockroaches feel unsafe and avoid... unless they are disorientated. This has effectively reduced cockroach sightings from once every week to none at all. It helps also that I leave no food lying around overnight. Everything is washed and put away.

Hmmm, how odd... All my friends had flat rate (even those not from industry).... about 7 families. In fact, one of the contractors that I interviewed does Design and Build Projects... where the contractor is the architect's client. If I engage an architect through him, I pay $15,000 flat rate for a semi-detached because the contractor takes over the quality supervision. But I found that a bit iffy because there is no check on the contractor. I would rather that the architect report to me directly. Usually the percentage is higher when contract amount is smaller. You can't run away from the number of drawings required so even as more luxurious materials shouldn't cause more drawings, less luxurious materials doesn't cause less drawings. The number of drawings are about there for a terrace or semi-detached. Timeframe etc for supervision can also be easily scoped. Again, it depends on what kind of client the architect assesses you to be. Mine actually commented that I had come across as a very demanding client (very picky), and so he layered in extra. I was just being kiasu because I had almost got creamed by my previous architect. My architect said that if he had known that once he had earned my trust, I would be so hands off, he would have charged less. I spoke to him recently (a little unhappily) after reading your posts (and realizing how ex he was) and he said that at the end of the project, he may give me a goodwill discount. I think he will... or I shan't recommend anyone to him at all!! Hmmmmmph!

Check out this thread. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34642

Yes! Yes! If got time, must do like Eileen. Wholeheartedly agree!!