lachesis

dbl post...

Hi Osol, Er, the screen is meant for insects. Sorry, but am not sure if it can withstand a cat's claws.. or chewing. In our previous place, we had lots of built in furniture near windows, and since we don't like grills, we had to keep the windows closed all the time so the kitties could be safe. Here in the new place we don't have any furniture near windows so we can open the windows to let in air. Closed windows might be the safest way to keep kitty in, esp if kitty is used to venturing out. Good luck!

Hello everyone, It's been 5 weeks since my post on the cockroach problem, and we are happy to say it seems to be under control now. After clearing out all their favourite places, getting pest control to come down, we only saw maybe 1 or 2 and it's been okay since (touch wood). The most effective measure, I must say, was the magnetic insect screen (netting) we put up at the kitchen window and common bathroom window. Here are some pix - in the day you can barely see the netting at all! Kitchen window - 1 big panel (left), 1 small panel (right) Kitchen window - left panel, different angle Common bathroom window - it's a bit dim even with the light on as the sun is really bright It has not only kept out cockroaches, but other flying insects too! I know for a FACT it works against cockroaches, because one morning, I lifted bottom right corner of the net to push the sliding windows close (we were leaving for work). A cockroach took the opportunity to try to crawl into the house. I got a shock when I saw the cockroach, so let go of the net which snapped back into the place. When I lifted the net, the cockroach boldly crawled in. Killed it by squishing it with a tissue. If I hadn't lifted the net, it would never have been able to come in at all. The screen cost us around $300 (the total area was smaller than the minimum size), but it was WORTH EVERY CENT. It has been so effective, we didn't even sign up for the yearly package for pest control in the end. The service was very good - their technician even advised against wasting money on a yearly package as our place is very clean. The weather is blazing hot these days, and we're thankful we decided to put an aircon unit in our dining/living area. We'd almost left it out to save cost. So all's well in the EA in Bishan. Only sour point - had a major run-in with BOSCH over a trivial matter of our fridge door handle. You can read about my blood pressure raising conversations with BOSCH in my other thread. Warn your friends too!

Hey everyone, Buying based on friend's recommendations may not always be the best way to source for products. There are many new models on the market, some could be quite good but no one has tried yet. In our case, the problem was not even the fridge itself (thankfully). It was a door handle, and only ONE of two door handles at that! The left one handle has been working fine since Day 1, and still is. The damaged replacement handle is also working fine as at today. In any case, whether it's MIC, assembled there, partially assembled there, their after sales service completely broke down. There has been update since the my first post there. Their Manager of Customer Service, David called me on Friday to apologise, and said they would rush the parts over by DHL, which will take about 3-4 working days. It should be in by mid-week, which is when he'll call again and make arrangements for it to get fixed. He assured me that my case was an exception, not the norm for them in terms of customer service - I sincerely hope so. He also assured me they are looking at their internal procedures. I can only hope this translates into better case management and that no one else gets the run around like this. I'm sure I popped a few blood vessels talking to their staff on the phone. Stay tuned for how this turns out.

Hello everyone, As a cautionary tale to all, I have to share our experience with Bosch's after sales service. We're generally happy with their product. Bought a fridge (side by side model KAN62V00-02, see pix of the fridge in our t-blog, washing machine (WAS28444) and oven (HBA23B550J) in Oct last year. The fridge is working well, as are the oven and washing machine. There was only one small problem (or so I thought) - the right door handle on my fridge started squeaking whenever we open the fridge. This started in Feb 2011. This small little issue has since exposed how incompetent and unprofessional the after sales service is at Bosch!! Here's the chain of events: 19 Feb 2011 Bosch technician Mr Chan comes to investigate. It's a new model, and the first time they have come across it. He tightens the handle. The squeaking stops. Good and polite service by Mr Chan. 28 Mar 2011 The Bosch technician Mr Chan comes by again as the handle is squeaking again only after 4 weeks. He tightens it again, and suggest that if the sound comes back we should consider getting the whole handle changed. 29 Mar 2011 (the very next day!) The handle is squeaking again. 30 Mar 2011 I call Bosch to tell them about the problem again. I speak to Edmund (sounds a bit blur). Bosch says the parts will take about 2- 3 weeks to come in as they have to order it from Germany. 2-3 weeks later, sometime mid April I call to ask about the parts. I speak to Jasmine, who says they're not in yet, and to wait another 2-3 weeks. I'm also told that Edmund has quit. 28 April It is now ONE MONTH after I called to ask for a replacement handle, and 2.5 months since my handle first started to squeak. This time I speak to Jessie. She says the parts aren't in yet, but will call me back before the end of the day with update. SHE DOESN'T CALL BACK. 29 April Jasmine calls me to tell me the parts are in, and that I CAN COME AND COLLECT THE PARTS FROM THEM. OMFG .... collect the parts from them!?!?!? :jawdrop: How can I, the customer be asked to come and collect parts? This is for a fridge handle! Am I supposed to fix it myself?!?! From my subsequent conversation with Jasmine I realise that there is no proper record of my case. My name was recorded wrongly. They keep calling me "Patricia". There was also obviously no record of what the problem was. I had to explain the case to FOUR different people (Mr Chan, Jasmine, Jessie, Edmund). In between, Edmund and Mr Chan had since resigned. There was no proper handover or follow-up for my case. Jasmine had no idea it was a squeaky handle, and it was only the right side. She asked if there was a malfunction, and then later even said she'd recorded that both handles are making noise! Jasmine also said to me that there were a total of five parts. How can I, the customer, be expected to know how many parts there are in their fridge handle? I wrote them a nasty e-mail where I said "I state for the record - the RIGHT door handle on my fridge is squeaking, and it needs to be replaced. It's THAT SIMPLE." NO one from customer services replies. Only their marketing person replies to say sorry (we met a nice marketing lady at the showroom, looped her into the e-mail too). Jasmine then said she could arrange for the technician to come by on 3 May, between 10am and 2pm. I asked for him to come between 10am and 12noon, as I had to be back in the office after noon. I also reminded them to ensure that their technician has all the necessary parts and tools to fix this once and for all as the hubby or I can't keep taking leave to deal with this. Jasmine said her technician would call me on the morning of 3rd May to confirm the time. 3 May 2011 No suprises on 3 May. No one calls to confirm the timing. I have to call Bosch at 10am to ask what time the technician is coming. This time I speak to Cynthia. She says the technician is coming at 11am. The technician Alvin comes on time. BUT, he shows up with only his document bag (no parts in sight). I ask him, you brought the parts. He asks me "What parts?" I say "For the door handle!" And as I rant about already explaining to his office, he asks to come in to take a look. After looking at the handle, and opening the fridge a few times, he asks to let him remove my vegetable drawer so he can check the model number! Meaning he doesn't even know what model it is! He then says he will go down to his van to look for the parts. I call Bosch and speak to Cynthia again, who sounds exasperated that Alvin doesn't know what is happening, and assures me she will call him and talk to him. WTH is going on??? Alvin comes back with the handle and fixes it up. When I go over to try it, I see that the corner is damaged! OMFG... they really know how to add insult to injury! Now we have to order a NEW HANDLE which will take god knows how many more weeks, and we'll have to take leave again to get them to come over to fix it! Even if this was a new model, they really should have spare parts of hand, instead of ordering the spare parts one at a time from Germany. If they are ready to sell it, they should be ready to fix it. It's obvious people in their Service & Warranty section don't talk to each other. They don't record customer's instructions properly, they don't brief their technicians properly. I called them back to relate today's experience. This time I spoket to Jasmine. They explained that they don't open up such parts as customers may ask why the parts have been opened up already, and whether they are new parts or used before. Instead, they're okay with bringing damaged parts to a customer's house! So, Jasmine says they will order the new handle on 'urgent' basis (i.e. 10 working days or so). I gave her a lecture on keeping customers updated and briefing her technical staff. I expected a lot more for Bosch. First in terms of the quality of the product, and second in terms of service. Can you imagine what it'd been like if it wasn't just my door handle? What if it was a vital component of the fridge? Am I supposed to have made do without refridgeration for 2.5 months?? So fellow forumers, be wary of their after sales service. If you should find yourselves having to deal with their Service & Warranty section (hopefully not!) , play it safe, drop them e-mails to document all conversations with their staff. Obviously no one keeps records. Stay tuned on how long they take to rectify this situation. I'll probably only get the new fridge handle after National Day. **edited to fix link to t-blog

Hey Jaskel, Wow, your place looks awesome. Especially the LED in in the solid surface - I remember you telling us about it when we were doing our kitchen! Love the designs in your false ceiling too.. funky man! Can't wait to see the real thing

Four months on... It's been four months since we shifted in. No major issues - our flooring popped due to expansion and contraction but the QS guys were extremely prompt and efficient. (See my other post in the Quickstep thread). Minor rectification work had to be done as well, but these have all been settled. The place is really windy, in fact TOO windy! Was drying towels on our tekko in the kitchen - the wind was so strong the whole tekko fell off the holder. I hate cockroaches! The only real problem we had was a COCKROACH INFESTATION!!!! Only after four months, we found a group of them hiding in our upper corner cabinet, which only has tupperware in it. They laid eggs on the tupperware. They also crawled into our stove!! Of all places!! They hid inside the metal box under the knobs and laid eggs there too! Imagine our horror. No wonder we found a lot of cockroach poop in the cupboard under the stove - it'd been falling out through the holes in the bottom of the stove. OMG. There was even a dead cockroach in the stove - when I finally got it out through the venting holes, I found out it was... headless... *faint*... No wonder we'd always find at least one or two live/dead cockroaches in the kitchen every day. We cleared out the cabinet, cleared out the inside of the stove, and just decided to call pest control. Pretty good service even on a Sunday- they came down, sprayed the drainage holes and skirtings in the whole house, put gel baits in all the kitchen cabinets poison baits in other cabinets. Kudos Town Council I also wrote to the Town Council to get them to spray the bin chute and the roof. To my surprise, they were VERY responsive. They sprayed chemicals in the bin chute, and reassured me that they flush the bin chute twice a week. I actually got two e-mails from two different people and a phone call from the guy managing our block. I was so impressed I sent them a nice thank you e-mail, complimenting them on their service. Two days later, someone came by to drop off a little package from them - a little present to thank me for my compliment! Heh heh! Although it was just a post-it pad, thank you card and luggage tag, it was a nice gesture. Hand delivered too! Anyway, here are photos of our house warming gift from Jaskel Thanks dude - a LOT of people like it. By special request, here are photos of our kitchen corner drawers. According to Jaskel, only Blum does these corner drawers. A look at the interior of the drawer. It's arrow-shaped, but really spacious! Love the cutlery trays from Howards Storage.

Hey guys, So sorry! Haven't logged in a while. Titan and I both very busy at work. Cleared the box Yuene - hope we didn't miss it! Ne0 - nice to hear from you! hope you're all settled in and enjoying married life!

We moved in four months ago, and so far no problems with our QS Largo flooring. Love the colour and feel, and the grooves feel nice too. Just before CNY we did have a bit of an issue though - the planks in the dining area were 'popping' up, like there was a swollen area that would . It started as a small area of about 1-2 square feet, but the area grew bigger daily, to double the size. We called QS, but since it was too close to CNY nothing could be done. We arranged for a date after CNY, and told them that they had to make sure the workers came prepared with extra boards, extra skirtings and all the necessary tools so that the issue could be fixed in one sitting. On the appointed day, the guy who delivered the materials was EARLY. Then, the team of 3 workers came EARLY too! They were also very professional and friendly, and explained that because of the large area (living and dining combined), the expansion of the boards slowly pushed all the boards towards the dining area which is why the area 'popped' up. For smaller areas this is less of an issue, as there is an allowance for expansion under the skirting. They removed the skirting, trimmed the boards with chisel and hammer, and within about 3 hours they were done. They swept up the place and the area looked as good as new. Kudos to the sales guy who's handling our account, and the installers.

Hee hee.. Thanks Kor. Can't wait to see pix of your place all done up too!

Hi hi. Thanks! Can't this coming Tue - next Tue?

Hey Kor, Glad to hear you're back home. The reno is moving along nicely! Eh - don't scratch any scabs! Your cheetah spots will be gone before you know it. Calamine lotion will help with the itch.

Hey Gals Mama, Yeah, the Buddha is pretty recognisable. Hee hee. Found it a a shop along Serangoon Road - just had to get it

Hi Yuene! Nice to see things are shaping up - love the orange kitchen backsplash, and the colour of the study! Also like the light you got for your WIW. Also love how you recycled your old TV/PC bench into a seating bench. Very creative What colour will the velvet curtain in your WIW be? $4 meatballs on Tuesdays!?!? Count me in!! Love the Ikea meatballs... and the fried chicken wing... dammit now I'm hungry. Hope your bedframe comes in soon!

Hi Dr.A, How are things with you? Yeah, pretty much settled in and enjoying the new space. The kitchen top is Corian. When we were shopping for solid surface (SS), noticed that LG pricing is almost similar so decided to go with the longer established brand. White is actually not that difficult to maintain. Just keep it dry (the hubby is VERY particular about this - will wipe the SS very time we use the sink!). The other MAGIC WEAPON is Magic Clean's 'Stain and Mould Remover'. It's super powerful, b'coz it has bleach in it. Tried and tested - it could remove tumeric stains from the white SS. Thanks for the compliment on the tiles. Especially like the MBR Bathroom ones - they feel very resort-y. Heh heh. Not much by way of hidden costs - but total reno and furnishing cost a pretty penny. As the hubby likes to say "You pay peanuts you get monkeys", so you pretty much get what you pay for. Sprung for quality stuff since we're gonna be staying here a while.

Yeah, it's been so quiet in the house of Ne0. Hope all is well - take care dude!

Thanks! Colour scheme was entirely our choice. We went for a woody theme throughout the house, and we chose light woods for that light and airy feeling. For the cabinets, Jaskel had suggested choosing contrasting colours, but we decided to go with close shades from the same family of colour/laminate for a subtle feel. Glad we stuck to it - it turned out really nice. The kitchen cabinet colours are so soothing on the eye, coupled with the glass backsplash and white Corian top, it all goes well together. Plus, the workmanship of the carpentry is very good, which just makes it all the nicer to enjoy. It's also practical and functional - we cooked a full X'mas dinner last week - so it doesn't just look good. I LOVE my kitchen!

The End of the Journey It's been eight months since we first started our journey - getting an agent, looking for units, then looking for a contractor, doing the reno and finally moving in. PHEW! Despite being second time home-owners, there was still a lot to learn! In no particular order: i. Ceiling fans – tricky if you’re doing false ceiling. False ceilings lower your fan, so depending on how tall you are, you may want to cut a hole for the fan. Ceiling fans also need a minimum height clearance to be effective. ii. Tiles – texture is nice, but can trap dirt. Light tiles are prone to water marks. May seem like common sense, but easily forgotten when you get carried away looking at tiles in the tile shop. iii. Glass selection – bronze tinted glass with white spray paint on the back ends up looking muddy. Stick with bronze mirror for that bronze shine. iv. Design of kitchen cabinets – beware of having too many drawers. They may look nice on paper, but think of practicality. There’s no point having drawers so small you can only fit a dinner plate. v. Aircon – running of pipes for gas and water – run them separately so your trunking isn’t so huge. We ran our gas pipes in the false ceiling. Water pipes were run to the nearest bathroom. Thankfully our reno journey was relatively smooth. The only issues we had were delays – firstly of the hacking no thanks to HDB, then for carpentry as we had a LOT of carpentry and some slightly more difficult designs. We’re glad our issues were not serious ones like bad quality or wrong designs. In fact, the quality of the carpentry is very good. Overall we were very happy with Jason’s level of professionalism and service. He was with us every step of the way. Things got a bit tense nearer to handover when the carpenter could not deliver on time. However, Jason never once lost his temper or composure. He must be the most patient and even-tempered person we know! He also provides good advice – if something we want to do is not practical, he will usually highlight it to us. The layout and design of our house was mostly our ideas, but Jason really helped us bring it all together. He understood our tastes and requirements and was able to help us materialize our concepts successfully. We’d highly recommend Jason if you’re looking for a contractor (he’s not an ID, though his sense of design is good!). He’s reliable and responsible, though you have to give him room to run your project for you (i.e. don’t micro-manage!). When we started our journey, Jason was our contractor, the one we could click with. After four exciting months, he is now more of a friend. Thanks for everything Jason.. and Alex too of course!

Thanks!! It's still a bit surreal, but now I just love coming home and enjoying the new place.

(cont'd...) The Common Bathroom Kept to the brown woody theme. Moved the shower area away from the WC so that it's not always wet. The darker brown tiles - at WC and shower - have a fabric-like texture. Chose a two-toned colour scheme for simple but interesting variety. The Master Bathroom Went for a complete different look from the common bath. We'll be spending more time here, so wanted to really spruce up the place. Went with a simple beige/cream look for the dry area and a more exotic resort feel for the shower area (with Antracite and White Nigara tiles). A strip of bronze-toned mosaic separate the two. Simple box up for the Hansgrohe Croma shower pipe also houses the LED lighting and solid surface 'shelves' for our toilettries. The Vanity Cabinet which was built into the extra space created by extending the master bathroom. LED lighting provide illumination. The mosaic just below the mirror adds colour.

(cont'd...) The Study Good sized worktop for both of us and our Herman Miller chairs The purple sofa was brought over from our old place (how small it looks now!), so this room has a purple wall to match. Squeezed our guitar amps in the corner. Study Bookcase/Closet Managed to fit all our books, board games, PC games, photo albums etc in here. The Master Bedroom Our platform bed faces the 15 feet pole-system wardrobe. Installed a full height mirror so we can make sure we look spiffy before leaving the house. Replaced MBR bathroom door with a tempered glass one. Love the sandstone headboard - looks like pieces of chocolate! Has LED lights on either side for night reading. More photos coming up...

(cont'd...) The Kitchen Went for light colours throughout to get the light and airy feeling. Love the little shelf above the washing machine for the rice cooker and hot water - leaves the counter top free of clutter (an idea we brought over from the old place). The tall unit houses the microwave, built-in oven and larder. Widened the kitchen entrance for better flow and openess. Glass sliding doors are handy for keeping fumes in and naughty cats out! The Guestroom Pretty bare for now - just a sofa bed we inherited, the exercise machine and the cat tree. Chose vibrant green for the wall- so refreshing. Guest Wardrobe More photos coming up...

(cont'd...) Dining Room The Dining set was also brought over from our old place. We just got it revarnished, and it's as good as new. Added two new dining chairs (chose two with sandstone coloured leather to match the headboard of our new platform bed). The previous owner had a prayer-room in the enclave beside the master bedroom door. We hacked the wall to extend the master bathroom for a vanity top. On the other side, we built a flushed cabinet for storage. The Buddha-3D Sculpture Close-up of the Buddha sculpture we bought. It adds a calmness to the room, and is a real talking piece! Almost everyone has asked to take photos. The Balcony Nice outdoor feel with outdoor teak decking, outdoor furniture, frosted globe lights and BestView windows for an unobstructed view. The Utility Room The previous owners had made this room bigger. We pushed it back to its original size and installed shelving. We used our full height shoe cum storage cabinet to partition off the utility room, instead of building a wall. Saved us the cost of reconstructing the wall. The entry to the utility room was designed to look like the other doors of the shoe cabinet - so our utility room is actually a 'secret' room. More photos coming up...

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait. The last item - the wooden blinds for our balcony finally came in, so here are the long awaited photos! The Front Gate We chose a straight design, with narrower openings at the bottom so the cats can't escape. The Foyer Changed to ceramic wooden tiles in 3-way staggered pattern. Tinker loves to look out when the door is open. Movable bench to perch, or for sitting to wear shoes with laces etc. White roller blinds installed at windows for privacy (these windows face the lift lobby). Asymmetrical tic-tac-toe feature wall serves a divider and privacy screen too. The Living Room Rich red colour for the walls and sofa. Custom-made TV console and coffee table in matching laminate. The lava lamp was brought over from our old house - now it has a proper place of pride! The colour goes with the red wall too. More photos to come...

Hi everyone! Sorry for the loooong silence. We've been busy settling in - getting stuff organised and getting used to the new place! Finally unpacked the last box yesterday but there are still little pockets of stuff that have to sorted out. Also some minor minor rectification work on-going too that should also be resovled pretty soon. Promise will get some photos up soon - waiting for one last set of blinds to come in, then we'll be all set! Photos should be up by Christmas. Stay tuned!