mach

Hi, Has anyone here engaged an electrician/contractor to conceal the OpenNet cabling in their false ceiling? I have completed my renovations last year, but it is only now that OpenNet is scheduled to install the cabling in my block. OpenNet contractors will only run the cables with trunking but I want to have the cable run through the false ceiling, and I have to get my own electrician to do so. Still looking for a one who can do the job. Any recommendations?

Hi Kitchen Matters and Strata, Thanks for sharing your experience and advice!! I am leaning towards the FE811 now. I'll be checking out the prices from different places first before buying, since I still have about more than a month to go before I need to buy it. When I was at Harvey Norman, I was pleasantly surprised when the salesman who introduced the product to me quoted me a price that is lower than the displayed price of 899. I had not expected that as I had not tried to bargain at all since I was still in the exploratory stage. Cheers.

Hi, We went to Harvey Norman at Millenia Walk, intending to find out more about the Bosch HBN 331E2J that we had in mind. We shortlisted this model as it fits our budget (around 6 to 7 hundred plus), and is the only model within this price range that has an electronic timer. We thought the electronic timer would provide more versatility in programming cooking time and starting time. However, the salesman recommended the Brandt FE811XS1 instead - reasons being: - Bosch ovens do not have the cooking mode of top and bottom heat plus fan. This mode is important for baking cakes. - The oven door of the FE811XS1 is more sturdy than the HBN331E2J (when you try to open the door of the HBN331E2J, it feels very soft and easy to open) - The FE811XS1 timer can be set to a longer cooking time (vs other brands using manual timer), and the temperature can be set higher (vs other brands) - FE811XS1 is made in France vs made in Turkey for the HBN331E2J Can someone comment whether the Brandt is indeed a better buy (for about 100+ dollars more)? Especially on the point of Bosch ovens not having the cooking mode of top and bottom heat plus fan. Is this really a disadvantage of Bosch ovens? The only disadvantage of the Brandt for us is that it does not have an electronic timer. Thanks.

Hi, for return customers of Master Long, you have a discount of $100.

Hi ywtlhc, Thanks for sharing. This looks neat. I'm not sure though if this is the same kind of design that my ID was trying to describe to me or if he was refering to something else. Do you mind sharing just an approx price range for installing such a mirror? Thanks.

Hi, My ID recommended doing a slide-out mirror for my wardrobe. Apparently, the mirror can be neatly stored when not in use by sliding it into one side of the wardrobe, and pulled out for use when necessary. Problem is, I have not actually seen any pictures of such a mirror, and also do not have any point of reference for what should be a reasonable pricing for this. I suspect that I have been quoted too high a price, but do not know the market price to really evaluate. Does anyone know if there are any websites with such pics or know what the approximate pricing is? Thanks.

Hi, As I am researching online for reno info for my HDB resale flat, I noticed that cove lighting is very commonly used nowadays. Most of the portfolios on the ID websites would have this. While I personally love the effect with cove lighting, my fiancee is not in favour of it because it would collect dust and dead insects etc. I am trying to convince myself that aesthetically, the use of false ceiling and/or L-box would also be good even without the cove lighting, but have not been able to find many pics online on designs w/o cove lighting.. sigh.. I have quite a number of questions here and would appreciate any advice given. 1. If you are one of those with cove lighting, how often do you clean the fixture? 2. Getting a contractor to do the false ceiling/L-box seems to be cheaper than getting it done by the ID. However, since I will already be having some carpentry work done by the ID (feature wall, divider, wardrobe), if I were to engage a separate contractor for the ceiling, I am concerned about the "interface" or joints or gaps between the false ceiling/L-box and the top of the feature wall, divider, wardrobe. How would I be able to ensure that everything fits nicely? Or it is advisable to just have the ID do everything? 3. Do you feel that having a whole piece of false ceiling in a HDB flat (which has a lower ceiling compared to condos) makes the place looks more enclosed? Thanks in advance.

Thanks. I have quotations from 2 IDs so far for my HDB 4-rm resale flat. One proposed their standard packages plus additional quotes on the carpentry and stuff. Since the laminate flooring was part of the package, I have no way of knowing the price and I am not inclined to take up the standard packages. The other quoted me: To supply material/ labours to overlay laminate flooring c/w skirting: $1300 (for master bedroom), $1200 (bedroom 2), $1200 (bedroom 3). This seems very high when I try to divide the cost over the floor area which I try to calculate myself based on the floor plan. Even if my estimation is a bit off, how big can HDB bedrooms be?! I am thinking of the option of getting the laminate flooring elsewhere on my own, but wanted to be sure that there are no other "hidden costs" when I read about the $4-5 psf average price being shared in the forums.

I understand that there will be some "wastage" when installing laminate flooring. ie. if the total floor area to be fitted with laminate is 500 sq ft, the actual amount needed is going to be more than 500 sq ft. What would be a reasonable estimate of the total cost of installation (including wastage)? I mean, do we take the floor area, multiply by the price per sq ft (say $ 4.5 psf) and then multiply by another factor? My ID quoted me a price for each of the bedrooms, but I suspect that it is a little too high.