PNC

My almost- finalised quote ($32,100): 1 Whole house hacking walls & floor tiles except store room 2 To supply & lay 2 toilets wall tiles up to ceiling height 3 To supply & lay 2 toilets flooring 4 To construct 2 no of shower kerb in toilets 5 To supply & install 2 set of 10mm tempered glass shower screen 6 To supply & install 2 no of aluminium bi-fold door at toilets 7 To supply labour to install 2 WC, basins, storage heater & bathroom accessories. 8 To supply & install laminated vanity cabinet for 3 ft in master toilet 9 To supply & install granite top for 3 ft in master toilet 10 To supply & lay kitchen wall tiles up to ceiling height 11 To supply & lay homogenous kitchen flooring 12 To construct cabinet base only 13 To connect in/oulet piping for sink 14 Waterproofing for kitchen, 2 toilets flooring 15 To replace stainless steel piping for kitchen & 2 toilets 16 To run 3 hot pts for shower & master bathroom basin 17 To construct low wall come with tiling finish at behind sink area 18 To construct construct concrete sink support for 5 ft 19 To supply & install laminated kitchen cabinet for 17 ft 20 To supply & install solid surface top estimated for 12.5 ft 21 To box up existing drainage pipe at kitchen with laminated doors 22 To demolish existing L shape wall c/w patch up at kitchen entrance 23 To erect new hollow block wall at kitchen entrance 24 To dismantle existing kitchen cabinet 25 To supply & install 10mm tempered glass swing door at kitchen entrance 26 To plaster one wall between dining & bedroom 3 only 27 Whole house painting ( ICI pentalite ) incl. doors, frames & pipes 28 To dismantle existing wardrobe in master, study & guest room 29 To supply & install laminated casement wardrobe for 6.5 ft in MBR 30 To supply & install laminated casement wardrobe for 6.5 ft in s/room 31 To dismantle existing air-cond trunking in 3 bedrooms 32 To supply & lay homogenous flooring ****,,dining & 3 bedrooms come with skirting 33 To supply & install homogenous flooring at balcony c/w skirting 34 Wiring cost estimated for 35 To box up existing drainage pipe at balcony with partiton board 36 To supply & install false ceiling at foyer only 37 To supply & install L box at livng hall ( entire 4 sides of wall ) 38 To supply & install false ceiling cum cove lights for 2 walls at dining 39 To supply & install 3 no of solid nyatoh doors at bedrooms 40 To box up existing drainage pipe in master bathroom 41 HDB permit fee 42 Haulage & debris disposal 43 Acid washing for whole house walls & floor tiles 44 Floor protection during renovation 45 To box up chimmy top with laminate finished 46 Additional charge for toilet tiles & floor tiles Quite happy with Mr Yeak as he's quite pro-client. He makes recommendations based on what's nice (aesthetic) and tries to dissuade us from making 'bad' choices for the sake of saving $, even to the extent of lowering the charge. Submitted our selection of tiles on Sat. As it turned out we chose tiles above budget. For the budget conscious- be careful of bursting your budget with the recommendations from LSH sales asst- but the tiles do look quite good. Almost wanted to rechoose tiles but because of looming deadline Mr Yeak struck a compromise with us- which we appreciate.

Hi Rondy, How was your overseas trip? I'm startin on 17 May- so your friend's job and mine will overlap- my house should take 6-7 weeks.

Yep, the lighting budget has just grown- after taking into account installation of downlights/ maybe cove lighting and non-conventional pendant lights. It seems that lighting really plays a difference and moer hsould be invested in those areas- just hope to get some good deals... Major purchases - WC/ basin/ mixer, shower mixer/ head, bathroom acessories x 2 - Kitchen hood and hob - hubby wants a chimney - Kitchen sink and mixer Please let me know if any of the forumers mention they found a good deal (eg: special promo) on any of the items above...

I once bought a few paintings for my parents from Tan Boon Liat Building- there are 2 shops- one sells all sorts of stuff, run by a father and son- think the son's name is Murkesh (More cash) and dad's name has a similar play on words. He claims they got the paintings from China- where Ikea gets them (but may not be SG Ikea)? Quite Cheap, $50 for a 100+ by 50 cm painting (guessing the dimensions) but not much stock- maybe in May will have more... It's on the first floor. The other one is next to it- selling country inspired items and paintings but the colours tend to be pastel/ washed out... There was a uncle at Holland V (it's above the food court where the windmill was/is) who said he could do a house visit and then be commissioned to do paintings- but those cost more than $300...

Have settled on using Mr Yeak as my contractor. But it wasn't easy. Made an appmt with him to meet on Apr 17 but then on Apr 14 he sms-ed me to tell me he couldn't take my job- i actually got quite mopey after that- felt we didn't move fast enough to grab him- too cautious. In the evening he told me he had reconsidered and did not want to disappoint me so took on my job- which at that time was about 1 month away. So yay! will be meeting him next Sat to sign and choose tiles In general, his quote is cheaper than the other quotes I received and so far it looks like I may be able to stay within my budget for reno! However, the lighting, toilet and kitchen fixtures are threatening to destroy the boundaries of my budget... But the more I think about the reno, i get excited at having a place to call my own- my design (though it may end up being really simple) and not a 'hand-me-down'. Am even thinking of adding on false ceiling to LR & DR and plastering the walls- just for aesthetics rather than practicality.

Am trying to find such a shop around the Queenstown- Bukit Merah - Holland V area- anyone knows if there's any? no choice then will make a trip to Balestier... Looking to prime & paint my metal gate. Does anyonw have experience with removing rust and repainting the standard issue HDB gate? (abt 10 yrs old flat)

Yes it's the actual item- how do I know if it's water based varnish or oil based? Have looked around the HomeFix- don't think I saw Osmo- is it sold there? I also have a pale coloured watermark on my dark wooden chest- any idea how to get rid of it or just do as above?

@Jaskel> so philosophical... so did you consider both and what was your final decision? For me, Mr Yeak mentioned doing a cement support for sink (L shaped counter) but somehow he'll use carpentry to ensure it's seamless My aunty's house suffered from quite a bit of warping at her sink (think maybe she used a laminate) so really don't wish for that to happen to my place... A colleague of mine's entire counter is made of cement, with granite looking tiles and no cabinet doors (like a shelf)- to give a very raw feel- but i think it's a bit messy for my liking as I prefer items to be concealed...

So excited! Going to become a Yeaker!!! Reno starting May 17!! Thanks Upnorth and Rondy! Btw, Rondy, can you share with me your lighting plan? Trying to figure out what to do with my space- you can pop by my blog to see the floorplan...

What are the pros and cons of concrete? Wood spoils more easily but even with a solid surface top to protect it?

My Floor layout and some annotations Undecided about kitchen- whether to have a L shape with sink protruding or galley style to maximise storage (ie instead of paying for top cabinets, place the cabinets along the empty wall. then more countertop)

Visited Upnorth's place on Sat- Mr Yeak arranged last minute ") It is really very sui sui Thanks Upnorth for opening your house to us- think my dad feels more at ease about me using Mr Yeak as contractor... Just to check- the spacing between the wall tiles in the kitchen is very small- there's grout right? My dad was wondering whether there's space for contraction and expansion?- was it a concern?

Does anyone know what is involved to make a light coloured piece of furniture darker? What is the wood is treated / 'finished' already? Is sanding required before varnishing? initial colour Desired result

MY MBR - king size bed and teak furtniture... May try to varnish the bedside tables to make them darker.. A TV used to reside there: Wardrobe, still in good condition but look dated MBR Toilet - fortunately, no huge pipes here- just in the Common toilet shower area.

My walkway to rooms- had a painting at the end, but the 3M hook came off the wall Common Toilet has a drainage issue, water collects in a pool in the shower area as there is only one drainage point (below the sink) Spare room- has gone through various looks, preparing it for the move... Study/ Dresser area- can't fit the dresser into MBR due to layout issues