Umaisarah

MORE CARPENTRY Study table and cabinet in eldest daughter room. Very basic and simple compared to her sis' bedroom. Remember this Google sketchup I did for one of the bedroom? Well, it's finally going to be a reality, albeit with a few modifications. Below photo just shows the bay bed and the pigeon holes. Loft bed and study table not up yet. Quite excited to see final result Workers had tuff time trying to bring the loft bed (which was in the living room) into the bedroom. In the end they had to take down my common bathroom door to get some space. Sorry for all the shadows in the photos. Taken with my iPhone so no flash, and it was late afternoon so not enough light. Will bring better camera next time

Yah, I really like the way it turned out. Got the idea from a magazine. Though I thought the joint was quite visible. But my ID assured me it will not be so once the carpenter has done the touch-ups. I hope so.

RENO PICTURE STORY, CHAP 5: CARPENTRY On to the bedrooms. Worker gluing the ledge for the laminate. Right picture shows the slanted ledge. What is wrong with this picture? Any guesses? Give up?? Two things wrong: 1. The ID and carpenter did not leave a gap btw the ledge and window for the curtain 2. The ledge before the slant is unlaminated. This was the same situation for the other bedrooms with the slanted ledge. Me and DH not happy. I called up curtain guy and he also not happy. DH insisted that the carpenter cut off 2 inches from the edge for the curtains. And I insisted that the whole ledge be laminated. Argue2 a bit but DH and I held our ground. ID request that the additional laminate be done later, but the edge has to come off now as curtains will be up next week. Will check tonite if its done already.

RENO PICTURE STORY, CHAP 5: CARPENTRY The major part of the reno has finally started. Just a recap of the carpentry work I had done: 1. Bay window ledge for 4 bedrooms, with slanted ends for lounging and reading books 2. TV feature wall and console for living room 3. Veneer L Box for living room 4. Bay bed and Loft Bed for Kids Bedroom 1 5. Study table and cabinets for Kids Bedroom 2 6. Study table and TV console for Master Bedroom Work was in full swing when I dropped by yesterday afternoon, contractor assigned 3 workers since they were late already (supposed to be delivered and installed last week). One was gluing the laminate on the window ledge. The other was hard at work on the TV console and feature wall, and another was fixing the beds and study table. Some in-progress pictures below: Feature wall and TV console. That big thing leaning against the wall nxt to the console is the loft bed. Veneer L box, with the stucco wall and bling-bling dining light in the background. Close up of the stucco wall. Still need to paint and lacquer to give it a little shine.

Yesterday was a chaotic day. Decided last minute to take the afternoon off, and good thing I did cuz had to make a few quick decisions on the spot. What was done yesterday (and u can see why it was chaotic!) 1. Stucco wall for the dining room 2. Carpentry installation (bay window ledge, TV feature wall and console, study table at master bedroom, study table, bay and loft beds in the kids bedrooms) 3. Final round of electrical works, including switches and sockets I got tired just writing all that down On to the picture story!

Thanks, thanks! Mistake to have it installed before reno was over. It's now back to being dirty and dusty

RENO PICTURE STORY - CHAP 4: DECKING OF BALCONY Decking of balcony took place yesterday. The men took only 1 day to finish, even though they came late (12 nn instead of the agreed 10 am). Job done was pretty good, the varnish or oil used for the bamboo planks were darker than what I expected, and which I preferred, so am happy abt how it turned out. But let the pictures tell the story Living Room Balcony Close up These are strand woven bamboo planks on a chengal base (which u can't see). Doesn't require regular re-staining like chengal, but would need oiling for good maintenance. It has a matt, non-slip surface. Master Bedroom Balcony Pictures of some more lights which were installed last week. My MBR Hanging Light - personally chosen by Dear Hubby who wanted a moon in the bedroom. This was the cheapest of this type of light in the size that we wanted (abt 35 inches diameter). A shop at Balestier was selling a slightly bigger one for $290. We got this for $190 at a shop at Jln Besar. And finally my Ice Cube light in the passageway. It's supposed to be in a pair but the 2nd one didn't get installed cuz the guards chased the workers out at 2 pm last Saturday! There's also an Ice Cube in the Entrance Foyer.

Eh, sorry Ngunadi, I didn't notice your question. I visiting their shop tmrw. Will ask David.

Found it! This is what I hope my dining set will look like after varnish and upholstery. Just need to convince my hubby to go for full upholstery (Picture copyright www.julian-bowen.co.uk)

Oh! Oh! I found it! What my dining set will look like after varnish and upholster. I think it looks real glam and will go nicely with dining lights, no? (picture copyright www.julian-bowen.co.uk)

Not sure if you have considered bamboo as an option. They do have a strand woven type which is more durable and suitable for outdoor decking. I'm doing mine with bamboo, in fact they're installing it right now as we speak I'm going down later to inspect and take pics to update my blog. Bamboo more eco-friendly as u don't chop down trees which takes years to grow back. You just need to oil it regularly to maintain the colour and lustre. But drawback is tt it comes in only 1 colour. Chengal advantage is that you can stain it to what colour u want, but then you would need to restain it often to keep the colour. This can be quite a hassle, not to mention expensive. Either case, bamboo vs chengal, the lower base is still made of chengal cuz it's the one of the hardest of the hardwoods. But tt's only my humble opinion. Chengal is a more popular and durable choice than merbau. WPC looks good but will feel 'fake'. It's like laminate vs solid wood

Err....where u get $380 from? It's actually $210 per chair for varnish + upholstering the seat. $180 if varnish only $275 if varnish + upholster the whole chair. I did go to Sungei Kadut last weekend. Went to Mode Studio, and Zen. The chairs at Mode were very modern looking, didn't fancy any of them. Zen had more in the style I want but the chairs looked more or less like my current chair. What is the colour of the table in the drawing? Is it black, black brown or walnut-brown. Not really clear leh..... But I like the chairs, but without the arm rests. Quite fancy-looking....

No no not e chairs. I'm keeping them. I'm giving away my sideboard.

Oh there was a similar question in another thread. Linking it here. I bought mine at The Mirror House. You can also try the Wholesale Teak Company. They are opening their doors again for another round of sales this weekend

Sorry hor...somebody already chope leh...

Okay, pictures here David from Barossa Furniture told me that a similar sideboard will cost abt $1.6k in the shop. Pictures of my chair, in case anyone's interested Side view Back view Sorry for the poor quality, taken w my iPhone.

Oh, forgot to mention that the shelf would not come with the pull-out stool. I can do without it

Final answer 1. Varnish table in dark walnut $480 2. Varnish chair in matching colour and upholster seat area (not sure what colour yet) $210 each 3. Total price $1,740 4. Dinner with the family Priceless Hubby dun want to varnish the sideboard cuz we're already giving it away. I told him we can varnish it and sell it off for like $600 or something. Anybody interested?

I didn't get my dream dining chair, but I did get my dream bookshelf! While at Park Mall, I spied a bookshelf that had a similar design to the one I had in mind. The shop was Air Division, whch I remembered from Home & Decor mags, sell some pretty expensive stuff. Anyway, I braved myself, stepped in, touched and felt the bookshelf then subtly checked the price. Okay, not as expensive as I thought it wld be. After 25% off, it was about $2.3K. Then I saw another shop at the basement, Nakim Home, and after a few enquiries, discovered they do custom-made furniture. So I showed Alex, the owner, a design of the bookshelf which a kind soul had done up for me, and after punching some nbrs, he quoted me $1,800, in solid teak wood in dark walnut finish. Now, I've asked about 3 carpenters previously to quote the bookshelf for me, and the cheapest I got was $1,500 but that was for solid ply and laminate finish. So, I figured I'm getting a good deal for $300 more but in teak wood. So, I confirmed after a feeble attempt at negotiating the price. Good thing is that it'll take 8 weeks for Alex to do the shelves so I hv abt 2 months to save to pay for the balance I'm so happy about the bookshelf

330 sq ft??? did i hear that correctly? But where does his parents and sisters and tenant live?

Some updates to share on my dining chair adventure. So I had 3 options basically. Option 1 - varnish chairs only Option 2 - varnish + upholster Option 3 - buy new chairs I already had a quote for $1,200 previously from Furniture Reborn to varnish my table + 6 chairs. So I thought better get 2nd opinion and another quote. So, I did a little googling and came across this furniture company Barossa Furnishings which also specialises in furniture repair and restoration. The owner David came down to inspect the goods, agreed that it's a good idea to upholster the chair and said he wld quote me. Abt 10 minutes after he left (superfast!) he quoted me via SMS $480 for the table and $275 per chair for upholstering and varnishing ($180 if I only varnish). And he would do my mouldy sideboard for $400. So, if I do the maths correctly, his quote is $1560, abt $360 more than Furniture Reborn. I contacted FR too but the guy sounded blur when I said I wanted to upholster. Said he wld come back to me with price, but so far quiet. Then, I shared my idea with DH on upholstering and he made a face. Didn't like the idea (arrghhh ) But then he also said he not fussy as long as the chairs are easy to maintain (ladies, does this sound familiar....???) So as compromise, I plan to just cushion up the seat. The chair's design is still pretty good and classic, even though it's a pain to sit on it Barossa quoted me $210 to just upholster the seat area. Spent the better part of the afternoon tdy looking at furniture shops. First stop was at The Life Shop where I asked abt the Sawa Chair. Bad news, fans! They no longer carry it They had one unit in the warehouse and it looked to be in a sorry state. Going for abt 50 bucks frm original $350. The salesgirl said she can re-order frm the factory but it'll take a few months. Talking abt Life Shop, I remembered its glory days...but now it looked quite pathetic. My fear is that it'll go the way of Barang2. Sigh.... Next stop was Evov Living at Balestier which was nearby Life Shop. Saw dining chairs which were pretty unique but the sales guy was kind of discouraging saying that somebody else was interested in the whole set and is coming by tmrw to buy it. Final stop Park Mall and my fave shop Natural Living. Confirmed delivery date for my bed and coffee table and looked at their dining chairs. They had a better-looking version of my current dining chair (costs about $400++) and when I asked, they said they had dining chairs with the same type of weaving as my sofa set. Showed me some pictures in a catalog and they looked good and will match the rest of my furniture. Sales guy said he can sell it to me for $300 a piece, down from $500. Made a call to my MOF but he said has to think abt it cuz he hasn't seen the thing. Sigh... so much for not being fussy Anyway, cut very long story short, I'm going for the varnish+upholster. With a new varnish tt will match the table, it's going to be fab! It's also the 2nd cheapest option. Made an appt to see David down at his shop on Sun to see his workmanship and hopefully cfm the order.

Agree, agree, must change table to darker colour. Mbe a dark walnut. As for chairs, looks like i'm going for upholstering, but not the whole chair cuz my hubby not too keen. So to compromise, I'm only doing the seat part cuz tt's very uncomfortable rt now. so at least with padding, more comfort. The back of the chair is actually quite nice, so it'll be good to keep it intact. But most definitely need to varnish the chairs as well. Hv more updates of my dining chair dilemma in my blog

Current colour is dark brown, but I'm planning to make new cushion covers, mbe in yellow ? or just plain white or khaki? I'm just thinking that the last quote I got to varnish the table (+6 chairs) was $1,200 If I do the maths, I might be better off just buying a new dining set

who are you calling arrogant? Yah, they want to take part in the selection process, but not in the FINDING process. LOL

Oooh! Do you remember how much the chairs cost?