Umaisarah

I promise Ossify the ceiling plan, so here it is This option is proposed by the ID from Inner Room. (Some edits to the picture: the blue portion should just be a plain false ceiling, NOT reverse pelmet. My bad, forgot to change it.) The ID advise against putting cove lights because we want to have a fan in the living room. Based on her past experience, cove lights can make you giddy. My hubby wants cove lights at first but recently his friend told him abt the insects and lizards problem, so now he kind of come around to the idea of NOT having cove lights (yeah!) But we're worried if the lighting plan will be bright enough for the living room. For info, living-cum-dining room combined is about 6.7m x 2.5m. We dunwan to get lighting kit for the fan. What kind of light is usually for the downlights? Warm or white? Can we mix it up? eg corner-warm, middle-white? Comments, suggestions, advice, pls.

Finally able to post my floor plan pic here.

So I email e ID frm Inner Room if I can do a partial contract or buy her drawings but she nvr respond yet. I'm oso looking at other carpenters to compare price w MWG. Any recommendations? Got a quote fr Home Guide. Will post details later but after minus things I dun need now, it's within my budget. But I hv no confidence w e designer coz she's only 21 yrs old!!! Look so timid n soft. Altho she said there'll b PM to do site supervision, I think if hv dispute btw d two she sure lose one.

Hi Zhiz Let's continue our chat here Agree tt's its a tedious process to get the right ID at the right price. It's like finding husband or wife Must be able to click together, have give-and-take, communicate well. So far I have met up with one ID and one 'Project Manager' (I'm not sure if he's ID or contractor or what). What I like about the ID is that she really listened to my ideas and remember them. That shows she is willing to be flexible and incorporate client's ideas and try to make them work. Some IDs insist that their design is their best. Your idea cannot work or its not nice. They've been in the business for so long, they know what works. That kind of attitude really turns me off. The 'Project Manager' turned me off because he was trying to pressure me, by saying his best price only valid for that day. If I cfm some other time, it will be different price. I hate that type of tactic. It's not as if he's giving me BIG discount, just measly $500. A good and honest ID will let you take your time to decide, cuz this is a big investment, and you have to literally live with it for the rest of your life (or until you get a good price for your house )

Actually the ID I like is from Inner Room which IS the sister company of Rest and Relax Mbe I should ask her if she mind I use my own carpenter. She actually charge $1000 for professional services which include site supervision. Not sure if she also supervise if I get my own contractor?? Actually, what really make the price difference is the laminate for the bay window ledge. Inner Room quote me $2,362 while Metal & Wood quoted $900. You see how much I can save just from that alone? I'm not doing anything fancy for the bedrooms anyway, so don't really need an ID there. Just need a good carpenter who can build to spec. That's why I'm thinking to use MWG for the 3 common bedrooms, and engage Inner Room for Living and Master coz need to hv designer touch there, mah?

This info I got from another forummer. They sell the panels on per piece basis. Some panels are small (abt 20 x 20 cm) while others are very big. The one I like is $700 per 8' x 4' piece. And the ID from Inner Room told me the pieces come in unpainted, so hv to spray paint with your choice of colour. I did send the company email enquiry but they never respond. I think they only deal with IDs and contractors.

Need help!!Looking at e cost quoted by Inner Room, I'm thinking of hiring them to do living n mbr only. Then get MWG to do e rest of my hse. We save abt $10k if we do tt. But hb not keen cuz he said e company won't b happy we split like that. N odd to hv 2 contractors working at e hse at e same time. Can I get advice if this is normally done? Cuz I read some forummers hv done ala carte before. I still like to work w ID cuz later will need help w colour scheme n she can help choose materials for bedroom etc. Can I hire ID for her design 'brains' but e actual carpentry n othr work done by our choice of contractor? After all the ID still need to hire carpenter rt??? Appreciate advice n suggestions cuz I'm confused.

Some quick updates before I dash off to work. Met up with B&E group. Very disappointing meeting. Kelvin missed out on several important details. Quoted $21K, then we revised it downwards to $18K and then he gave a discount of $500 and told us the price is only valid for tt day. Verdict: OUT! Met up with Inner Room. Oh, what a difference in service and detailing. Mbe because she's a designer. She walked us through the entire house again, even though we had done it already the last time we met (unlike Kelvin). Showed us some samples of the materials she's proposing. Really liked her choice of materials and design. But when show the quote, quite sad. $30K with GST! Sigh....then we cut, cut, cut, down to almost $20K but some of her design ideas have to be shelved. Verdict: Would really like to work with her coz we click. Will post some more during lunchtime.

finally found one pic of a suspended loft bed that I can show the carpenter and ID! Suspended Bunk Bed Just hope the carpenter confident enuf to do it

Oh, I hvn't seen those, but is it safe to have suspended like that? How do they mount it to the wall? Must go check it out. Thanks for the tip! I saw a children's bunk bed at Furniture Mall selling for $1500 and it look to be of good quality, so I think $1400 is fairly ok. Do you remember where you saw it? We're looking for a low bedframe coz the mattress alone is already 14 inches thick!

have considered it but scared will not do it properly, or spoil the wallpaper.

Hi all Went down to Goodrich showroom @ Plaza Singapura yesterday to look at samples and get a quote. The designs I chose were mostly the latest ones and they were average $131 per roll. I asked them what is the cheapest roll they have and the salesgirl showed me samples at $16 per roll. They don't look too bad. So question is, what is considered middle range price? Is $131 per roll considered a high-end price or is it the average price? Goodrich also quoted me $300 per wall for installation and comes with 3-year warranty. If they don't do it, then there's no warranty. Anyone know of any freelance wallpaper installer? I only have about 3 walls to do. Kind of ex to pay $900 just for installation - it will probably cost more than the wallpaper itself! Also came across www.winkplay.com while searching the forums and am now considering using wall decals instead of wallpaper. Has anyone used Winkplay products before? Is it easy to use, and is it really as easy to peel off and replace as they claim in their website. Will it peel off after some time coz of the humidity etc? My house gets a lot of sunlight in so I scared the quality will drop over time. Same applies to wallpaper too, I suppose. Appreciate any advice or suggestions!

I aredi expect it so had budget abt $5K for it. Went to 4 diff places, got 4 diff quotes ranging from $4K-$11K! Really depends on fabric and material u choose. Mbe I choose only the nice and ex ones, LOL. ya lah, i v terrible, want nice-nice, but want to pay cheap-cheap Oso the quote include include installation of railings and tracks. J & S has several outlets, in Plaza Singapura, Park Mall, Tj Katong Complex, also IMM I think. Not sure if they are high-end, mbe medium-end?? The min price for their fabric is $29 per m. I thot, this one do one time, pay a bit more, oklah. Next time, buy cheaper material from M'sia then ask maid to sew

Ya lor....if u see the pics of my house, all have almost floor to ceiling windows and cover the entire length of the wall. Even bathroom must cover up! Altogether, J & S quoted me their best price of $5,800, with average fabric price of $35-$40. This quote is for: - day roller blind + nite curtain for living (planter window) - nite curtain for dining (balcony door) - curtains for 3 bedrooms - day roller blind + nite curtain for MBR - roller blind for 2 bathrooms Wanted to hv roman blinds for bedrooms but so costly and a few pple told me mtce-wise more difficult. So shelved tt idea. My current 5RM HDB also hv lots of windows but I only did curtains for living room. Bedrooms and study used vertical blinds. But I thot not so nice to have that at new place , it looks v cheapo and like in the office

Hi Merydith. Wah, your bedrooms look so big! I so jealous. Bedrooms at my place soooo tiny. can only fit bed and study table. Not much room to move around Fine for a 5-year old but once they grow up, aiyoh, will feel so cramped. Look fwd to more updates from you

My idea for the master bedroom, again using Series Supplies products. For this design to work, i need to hv a custom-made bedframe, or get one which is without any bedhead. Got sell in the shops, meh? Anyone used the Cocohusk panel? Is this more suitable for outdoor use?

Posting some drawings I made using Google Sketchup for my daughters' bedroom and for my master bedroom. In case, I don't get an ID The idea behind the 1st design is to save space and build the bottom bed on the bay window, and create a loft bed so that part of it can be above the bay window. But I'm installing a ceiling fan, so loft bed cannot be too high. Not sure if this design is stable coz the legs of the loft bed is offset to the left. any expert in engineering or physics can comment? 2nd design is with more stable legs for the loft bed. 3rd design not even sure if can be made coz the leg of the loft bed will be sitting on the bay window itself. May not be strong enough to support the bed with person on it. In the end, 2nd design is the one I chose, like the picture I posted earlier. Oso, the bottom bed is not fixed so can be move to another room in future.

Hi all readers of my blog I've drawn up 3 possible designs for my feature wall. It'll be abt 9' long. I'm planning to use wood and glass/mirror combination. I also like the panels from www.seriessupplies.com and want to incorporate them into the feature wall. The TV console is the same, 2 drawers at the sides, and a middle portion for the DVD player, SCV box etc. So, here's the 1st design which is the basic design. Wood in the middle, and glass/mirror at the sides. 2nd design using the Veneer Carved Panel in the middle portion and slightly bigger mirror/glass at the sides. The 3rd design is a bit tricky as it has a grille panel which is normally used as a room divider. My idea is to fix the grille against a dark tinted mirror so you can still see some reflection. The other side is a wood panel coz I need a fairly stable wall base for my TV to be mounted on. Anyone out there who has used Series Supplies product and can comment on the wood quality? The Grille panel is made of Medium Density Fibreboard. One carpenter told me that is the lowest quality kind of wood and so will be quite flimsy . Anyone know if this is true? The carved panel is made of high density fibreboard. I got the price for the carved panel at $700 per 8 by 4 feet piece. Is this considered expensive compared with laminate of same size? So, can I put this to a vote? Which design you like best? Tell me oso if you think all 3 designs are horrible Appreciate all feedback and suggestions!

Hi Porcupine! Yeah, my first fan I wish I can be maid free, hope to be in a few years' time when my daughters all grown up and they can do all the housework for me, By tt time, the other daughter can have her own room too, or convert the room to study cum chill-out corner. One of the ID told me my idea of bay window bed + additional single bed cannot be done because the room will end up very cramped . He suggested putting two single beds separately. We said ok, but now having 2nd thots coz the room will end up v cramp. May resort to bunk beds. But problem is the bunk beds sold here are so boring. Not creative. I found a few US websites that specialise in bunk beds and they've got some really nice ones. You should check them out to get some ideas. Simply Bunk Beds CSN Bunk Beds CSN has the better models and the beds look to be of better quality. What I did was to pick the one I like and ask one of the contractor to make something like that. Jason from Steel & Bamboo quoted me like $1,400 for it which is quite reasonable. This is the design I picked. I also liked this one. Like the groove design on the bed frame but not sure if the carpenter can create that look. I really like this one but it's too big for the bedroom. I was playing around with some designs using Google Sketchup. Will post them later.

Latest Updates Got a call from Alicia from House Plan who apologised that Douglas is on overseas assignment so she's taking over. Asked for an appt to meet her coz she has prepared the quote. Am planning to meet her on Sunday morning. Jason from Steel and Bamboo has also come back with a quote. Within my budget, but I think can cut down some more. Meeting up for 2nd appt on Sunday oso. More damages! Went window-shopping on Sunday but wind up buying 2 items, one very major. The first is a coffee table from Natural Living which closely matches the weave of my sofa. I got the sofa from them too about 3 years back. There was one with the exact weave but it was too big and bulky. The one I bought is just nice in terms of size and height, and cheaper by a few hundred $$. The other item is a king-size bed! We currently have a queen-size and was contemplating to 'upgrade' to a king-size. Went down to IMM to look at the Serta shop and after much discussion with hubby and salesman, we cfm purchase of king-size Sierra Hills mattress (no bed frame). Not sure if this was a tactic by the shop, but they had a sign which states original was like $8199 and they were offering at half price. Final selling price was like 55% off and I got 1 mattress protector, 3 bedsheets and 4 pillows thrown in as free gifts. Funny thing is, I found old RT posts from 2007/2008 where the mattress was going at almost the same price (but tt was for a Queen size). So this half-price sale was just a gimmick I think . Anyway, I think it's a fairly good deal for the quality. Now must find bedframe. Time to go 'window-shopping' again, keh keh

[edited for brevity and to give real company names] My Renovation IDol search continues These are the people I met onsite on 25th. By this time, I was a little more savvy, having read thru Renotalk (heh heh). In fact, most were from recommendations from RT posters. Kelvin, B&E Group Design and Contractor - referred to by my property agent's partner. - Very professional and polite - Quoted abt $18K - Supposed to requote and show some drawings based on onsite meeting Verdict: Shortlisted Jason, Metal & Wood Contractor - PMed me via RT - Quoted $16.5K but quoted for wrong dimensions for TV feature wall and console - Meeting again at their factory to observe workmanship and discuss specs and quote again Verdict: Shortlisted but will need plenty of handholding wrt design and specs Nick, Ideal House ID - recommended by a few RT posters - Didn't say much and noticed didn't write anything down during on-site mtg. Got photographic memory, meh? - No news (is good news...??) Verdict: ???? Mr Lau, Roheleton ID and Contractor - Another recommendation from a RT-er. - didn't say much at on-site meeting but look to be v experienced. Also own Closet Design. - No follow-up from him yet. Verdict: Maybe out leh if he never contact me by Thu..... Lastly is Cynthia from 1 Inch Square Design, another ID recommended by posters coz she can do 3D drawings even without confirm contract. Couldn't get in touch with her on time for onsite viewing on 25th but have emailed the floor plan and list of work to her. Meeting up with her on Sunday afternoon. So, that's the top 9 of my Renovation IDol search. Don't think I want to look for some more coz very tiring.... But today I going to IMM, so mbe can visit 1 or 2 more companies and see if anyone can give me good quote. So far, am getting good vibes from the ID peeps, but hv to look at their prices first.

[Edited for brevity and to give real company names] Our search for an ID/Contractor started in early Feb. Right now, we hv no preference for either ID or contractor. Having gone thru the posts on RT, I kind of know the pros and cons of ID vs contractor. Hopefully can get a contractor with some design background coz for things like the ceiling plan, TV feature wall and space layout for the MBR, I really need a designer to help think it out coz we hvn't decided yet. Unfortunately, so far, the 3 contractors I've met and discussed so far haven't exactly inspired my confidence. Hope to make decision by 2nd week March. Here's the people we've talked to so far, 1st batch is people we met before the onsite appointments on 25th Feb. (person names changed to protect their identity): Lennon, Rest and Relax Interior - Met at Expo. Pester us, so we give floor plan and list of specs. - Met again 2 weeks later. Didn't really read through our specs, and gave us wrong layout - Cannot give quote without measurements Verdict: Out Ali, - Contractor - gave on the spot quote of $17k - was very pushy, trying to get us to confirm because price valid only during CNY period Verdict: Out Douglas, Home Guide Design - Met up and gave floor plan and specs - Currently overseas and handed over project to colleague - Meeting colleague on 7/3 Verdict: Disappointing but let's see how next appt turns out Jeannie, Inner Room ID - Designer did a project for Renovaid, so one point in her favour (?) - Good 1st appt even tho we only comm through email - Meeting again this weekend Verdict: Possible, if price is right and she willing to listen to our ideas too PS: LOL, the word 'Classic' is censored again! Can someone explain this to me, pls???

Here's a link to the floor plan. Hope it works this time. I will post the picture itself next week. (ran out of storage space in my flickr a/c) My Floor Plan (go to D2 plan) As for my reno, here's a list of what I intend to do: Living/Dining: - false ceiling/L-box/Cove Light - TV and dining feature wall - wood deck for balcony - shoe cabinet (outside the main door) Bedroom 2 & 3 - bed and study desks for my 3 daughters Master Bedroom - main feature wall - TV console - work area (for me to use laptop and some paperwork) - bifold door for bathroom - wood deck for balcony Kitchen - cabinet above the washer area As you can see, very minimal work. I budget about $17K for everything, including wiring but excluding lights and accessories. Is this realistic? So far, I got two quotes between $17-$19K. Still a bit on the high side, I think. For covering my bay windows with wood top and cushion, one company quoted me $100 psf! Is this reasonable? I thought it's so ex. The ID's excuse is that I have a lot of bay windows. He kind of misses my point, which is his unit cost is already so high, tt's why total cost is very high.

Here are more pictures of my new place. Shot of the living/dining room from the passageway Shot of living room balcony from planter http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2763/439078...5f1553a4b_m.jpg Bathrooms. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2730/439165...74a8c6917_m.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/439160...fc51d582f_m.jpg The master bathroom is connected to the walk-in wadrobe but doesn't hv its own door, which means that if I'm using the toilet to do No. 2 and my husband needs to change his T-shirt, it's going to be pretty embarassing for both of us. Whoever designed this place obviously is a voyeur with all the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bathrooms.

Nope, my block faces the landed properties, so got quite unblocked views from most rooms. Actually, earlier last year, I fancied a unit at the block closer to the MRT. If I had bought the unit, I would probably be facing the toilet of the new condo once it's up!