dexufto

So dejavu, IMHO wedding prep is much more tediously, more ppl to please Hi csingeu, 4 more days to renovation commencement, time really flies, I wish you all the best!

Greetings one and all, it has been some 2 months since I last posted; it was the time where I moved from Renovation project to Wedding Project and subsequently Honeymoon project. it took a toil off me (somehow I find renovation much easier LoL) All projects has since completed and I've been residing at my current nest for about a month. I'm happy that this T-blog is still serving it's purpose for ppl seeking for renvation, as I still recieve contractor-hunters asking for various contractor's contact. I apologise that I didn't manage to revert to everyone at that juncture. Hihi Yuene, it will take some effort to lift up the hydraulic, my ex-gf, I mean my wifey usually leaves this to me. No worries girls, As a matter of fact I would like to appreciate you all for introduing the procession and various music for the wedding, My wifey came across the Piano brothers, found them very appropriate for church weddings

On the contrary, should you have a back problem, you ought to be looking for a softer mattress it should be giving you more relief on your strained back.

Hi, pammie, When did you done the renovation? Any blog to share?

Hello neighbour, My heatiest wishes for you and your family for your beautifully furnished and renovated apartment.. though something may not go accordingly but I'm glad for you that it was turn out well eventually. I love the sealy beds, very plushy feel. May I ask what do you do for the "ann chuan" itsn't it some wedding custom thingy like this: http://www.chinese-wedding-guide.com/bridal-bed.html my mom was telling me about this, only recall i cannot push the bed all the way to the wall till the auspicious day.. heh. sorry I'm ignorant. last but not least a prosperous lunar new year for you and your 3 darlings. Huat ah.

Yuene, thank you very much for your recommendations. Love them.. will look for the titles and try them out. I have Sanctus in my list as well, i love the vocals (but wtb not very keen).. in fact I just bought a couple of cds from 'high society society' series.

I like your pebble wash foyer oh, have just pm you my didital lock installer. Sorry for the delay.

Sorry my bad jesslyntan. I've made the corrections.. oh yes, i remembered my ns episode. it was a 5" thick foram. think that was the evolution of Tempur Mattress.. LOL

Has your desired bedframe arrived? Likewise I'm waiting for one of the expedite's black drawers as well.. been delayed since Nov. Happy to hear that you've got a better price. Woes to DOM. Nice nice.

Wow, impressive blog csingeu. Hah, didn't know that I have a review.. thanks thanks. I see that you got yourself another toy from ejzoen. nice. p.s I certainly agree with you with the hts portion, it's a guy's thing. LoL

I've gotten a Queen-sized KingKoil Rosedale Rosedale with 1.5" latex topper with Storage divan+ leather headrest for $2050 during the Kingkoil sale at Matu****a. Mattress shopping can be quite tricky, Robinsons, mattress company would normally flood the newspaper with sales advertisement over the weekend, and tell you that this promo is vaild on till this Sunday. Don't buy their crap, walk away if they try to hard-sell. Ask for free pillows/ bolsters/ mattress-protector. The sales man can usually give to you free. Do remember to bring along your partner for the mattress shopping; lie on the bed, toss around for 5-10mins. Was told by one of the sales person Side-sleepers should go for a softer bed, i.e with better comfort-layers. (note especially if you are buying odd-size beds/ mattress; ie european size/ US size, as the regular bedsheet/ mattress protector/ bed frames may not fit) Sleeppost and ibeds are nice website to start with. hope this helps. Last but not least, we have decided something to remnd ourselves before the bed;

Oh yes, you bet. The Mattress Story The big brands of three 'S's would surface when you mentioned about mattresses; Simmon, Sealy and Serta, or at least I thought so.. all the good work of advertisements. Having lingered and tired a few of each, i swear to you that Sealy has one of the most comfortable mattress that one could offered. I love the plushness that Sealy has to offer. Associated with some renown hotels, surely they must be of certain standards as well. So that day forward, i went all over silly hunting for Sealy mattress; Robinsons to Havey norman, Sealy Sleep boutique to Sealy distributor, and even the parallel importers; Mattress Giant, Ezpzx (they offer the high-range products, ie Simmon Black Label for <$4k, but i eventually passed cos I find them rather doggy) So in a nutshell, i'm prepared to pay for a gd sum of money ($3k on the mattress) which I'm gonna spend one third of my life lying on.. One day, I came across a gd read by Seth Stevenson which left me thinking; thought i might share with the guys here- Going to the Mattresses How to cut through the marketing gimmicks of Sealy, Serta, and the rest. Here's a fun game I play. First, I walk into a mattress store and ask what's on sale. Then, I throw my hands in the air and shout along with the salesman, "EVERYTHING'S ON SALE!!!!" Oh how we laugh, the salesman and I. And while he's still chuckling, I turn around and walk out, because I fricking hate mattress salesmen. Is there a more maddening industry? They confuse us with silly product names (the Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel Fletcher Ultra Plush Pillowtop or the Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel Brookmere Plush?). They flummox us with bogus science ("pocketed coils"? "Microtek foundations"? "Fiberlux"?). And they weigh us down with useless features (silk damask ticking?). It's like buying a used car, and almost as expensive—I've seen mattresses going for $7,000. What's a consumer to do? The secret to mattress shopping is that the product is basically a commodity. The mattress biz is 99-percent marketing. So just buy the cheapest thing you can stand and be done with it, because they're pretty much all the same. And that's all you need to know. But do read on—the world of sleep products is quite fascinating, and I'd like to share it with you. What's the Best Brand? Innerspring mattresses, particularly the Big S's (Simmons, Serta, Sealy), dominate the market. But how to choose among Serta and Sealy, Stearns and Foster, and King Koil? Or for that matter, between the Simmons Beautyrest Exceptionale Lenore and the Simmons Beautyrest Do-Not-Disturb Royalty Ultra? Here's the lowdown: Mattress makers rename identical products for each different retail store. Different labels, exact same guts. Why? Obfuscation. It's hard to shop for the lowest price when you can't compare apples to apples. Lucky for you, they're all subtle variations on the same apple—not only within each brand, but even among different brands. The heart of an innerspring mattress is the coils. Otherwise it's just foam, cotton, quilting, and stitches. But the big-name mattress makers (with some exceptions) all get their coils from a single company, Leggett and Platt, for their highest-end mattresses down to their lowest. This is akin to every single car on the market, Lamborghinis to Kias, using an engine made by Ford. Except that mattresses are far less complicated than cars. In fact, they're so simple that there's no real difference among them at all. Upshot: Ignore brand names. They're meaningless. Just pay attention to comfort. Which leads us to our next question: How Firm Should My Mattress Be? Herein lies the central mattress paradox. You sleep on coils because they're softer than the floor, but you still want good, firm coils, but then you put foam padding on top to soften the coils, but you still want the foam to be dense, and then finally you put a strong box spring underneath for just a tiny bit of give. All this shuttling back and forth on the scale of firmness—why not just start with the firmness you like, and then stop? My favorite mattress name encapsulates the paradox: Simmons Beautyrest World Class Granite Plush. Granite Plush??? Let's break down each mattress feature that creates firmness, or softness, or both. Coil Counts and Wire Gauges: When I began, coil counts and wire gauges seemed the key to everything. I talked to several bedding journalists who had desperately sought these numbers from the mattress makers, but had long failed to penetrate the shroud of secrecy. I figured these stats were the empirical measure: More and thicker coils mean fuller and better support. But I soon found it's not that simple. Some mattresses use more coils but thinner-gauge wire. Some use thicker wire but fewer coils. And everyone uses radically different configurations that make comparisons meaningless. Larry Thomas of Furniture Today—a man described to me as "the guru of the bedding industry"—told me coil counts are "overrated" and "not a good indicator." Yes, if you pay more, you'll get a theoretically better coil design, but better enough to feel a difference? I sure couldn't. Not even between two mattresses thousands of dollars apart in price. So don't worry about the stats—worry about the comfort. Pillowtops: Pillowtops are soft layers of foam (or cotton, or wool) sewn to the top of the mattress. They're hugely popular. They add hundreds of dollars to your purchase. They are, in my opinion, a massive rip-off. You can re-create their effect with a few cheap egg-crate foam pads. And why spend all that money on springs just to dampen their affect with a giant pillow? If you really want to sleep on foam or cotton, buy a foam or cotton mattress. Thickness: A recent fad. Some Stearns and Foster (a brand owned by Sealy) mattresses I saw measured about 2 feet thick (and cost $5,000). It looked like they sewed a futon on top of an innerspring. Experts I talked to say thickness is just a ploy: It makes beds look comfy in the showroom. If you notice a difference, mazel tov, but thickness isn't vital to a good bed. You can achieve the same feel with less height (and weight—some mattresses weigh more than 200 pounds and are tough to carry up the stairs). Mattresses have gotten so thick recently that people are complaining they can't see their headboards. Actual industry response: They made the box-springs thinner. Which of course leads us to ... Box Springs: I find them wholly unnecessary. Think about it: Presumably, you could put a box spring under your box spring for even more "give" and "support." Another box spring under those two. Where do you draw the line? Also, remember that box springs add significantly to your cost. One reasonable argument I heard for them is that they save wear on your mattress, but I had no way to prove or disprove this. Many Europeans use platform beds without box springs. Do you hear them complaining? I don't use a box spring, and I don't miss it. It's a princess/pea thing. If you need 17 layers, OK. If you only need one, don't buy a box spring, unless you don't like platforms and can't think of anything better to put your mattress on. My recommendation: Put your mattress on the floor—it saves money on nightstands. Give in to gravity! Is a Firm Mattress Best for My Back? I asked an orthopedic surgeon at something called the National Foundation for Spinal Health. He said a mattress should support you in the "position of function"—the normal curve of your spine when you're standing up. When a mattress flattens the curve (too firm), or exaggerates it (too soft), bingo: back pain. According to him, a supportive innerspring works better than foam, air, or water. The NFSH recommends: the Simmons Back Care mattress. Problem solved, let's go home, yes? No! I soon discovered the NFSH takes money from companies, including, especially, Simmons! Sketchy! Next orthopedic surgeon, please. This second guy was independent and no longer practicing. He debunked the myth that firm mattresses are best. They are if you get acute back spasms, but for regular back pain your mattress doesn't make much difference. "The back is a complicated structure," he said. "Back pain has a lot to do with how you're built, but not a lot to do with your mattress." So you don't have to feel guilty about buying a soft, cushy mattress. It doesn't make a difference. (Regional trivia: Firm mattresses sell more in the Northeast [you penitent yankees, you!], while soft wins out in the South.) Do I Need All Those Extra Features? No. Screw 'em. For instance ... Ticking and Quilting: People often buy based on how a mattress looks in the store. This is moronic. You're going to spread a sheet over it the second you get home. Belgian damask? Really, now. No-Flip Designs: Manufacturers say to flip your mattress every three months. It's even in some warranties. Yet this year's Simmons Beautyrest 2000 boasts a "no flip" design. And it's selling like hotcakes (for which flipping, incidentally, remains compulsory). Why? People love work-saving innovations—we're too lazy to flip. But what does it really mean? It means there's block foam on one side instead of something you could sleep on. And it means if there's a stain or a rip on the sleeping side, you're SOL. They should have called it the "can't flip" design. It's like a "No Oil Change" car that's simply had the dipstick and cap soldered in place. Warranties: Almost any problem from normal use (which is all the warranties cover) will happen in the first month or so. Ignore the 10- and 20-year coverage. Just make sure there's a solid, 30- or 60-day return policy. That's important not only if the mattress is defective, but if you plain don't like it upon further review. What About Foam, Air, Water, and Latex? These legendary "four elements" of classical mythology can also be mattresses. Viscoelastic "memory" foam is popular now. I tried the Tempurpedic brand and loved it—it melts to fit your form. But I wouldn't spend $1,500 for a mattress, no matter how Swedish it is. Select Comfort air mattresses have sold big lately (though innerspring sales still dwarf everything else, owning more than 80 percent of the market). I didn't like the feeling of air, even though I could adjust the firmness with a remote-controlled pump. When you compress it with your weight, air doesn't seem to have as much give as foam. And it felt like I was camping. These start at $550 for a queen-size. Waterbeds have hung around (still half of all specialty mattress sales), but I couldn't find one out on display to test. And they give me the yips a little. Finally, an independent mattress manufacturer I talked to swore that latex makes the best mattresses. (Coincidentally, he makes latex mattresses.) I tried a latex bed, and it didn't feel very different from a firm innerspring, but that's me. Futons? Sure, why not? They're cheaper, partly because there's no box spring. But what is a futon these days, anyway? The definition has essentially devolved into "it bends." They even make innerspring futons, now. At the same time, real innerspring beds keep stacking on the foam and cotton, emulating futons of yore. Conclusion If you can't tell the difference between a $200 and a $900 mattress (I couldn't, but maybe you can), get the cheaper one. They're nearly the same, anyway. Anything over $1,500 and you're just paying for prestige, says Larry Thomas. There are tons of great mattress sets for low prices. Yes, to an extent, you get what you pay for (better coil design, denser foam, ritzier ticking), but don't go crazy over this stuff. Lie down on mattesses in the store and trust your own judgment. Remember: Once you're asleep, every mattress feels the same. So, eventually i didn't get a Sealy.

Yes, things are underway; settling of invites covers locally, printing of invites insert+ wedding card for holy matrimony. payment of photography/ videography/ caterers(yet to finalised! argh!) oh yet to start on my logistics planning.. will be meeting church wedding planner next sun, oh dear, it begin to sound like a lot of things to do.. Need God's grace. Marshallow, My mom has 10 sibilings too! LoL Last time no internet, no blog, so next best thing is having babies and large family i guess. ;P And thank you ladies, for your kind offer to help; May i ask what wedding music do you use for procession, marching/ march out?

Topfloor, nice! Which means likely you would have a higher ceiling I suppose? It's so deja vu, the tpy estate has quite a no of really original layouts. Your rubbish chute, clocks and switches.. fantastic. So are you gng for those retro theme? The gaspipe that comes from the bottom from the ground cannot be shifted, however the meter can be rerouted outside as neubie mentions. this would facilitate the city gas persons to take the measurement. A couple of three roomers also did this configuration; goobii, durainlane, dexufto to name a few.. Being at the top floor, I don't suppose you have impeding sewage pipes like ours?

Oh yes, on the topic of wedding, It's kinda of intimidating as I haven't done much homework yet (is it too late to go to those wedding forums> blea@) Well my wtb and i split the bill initially, she's the wedding oic and me the reno oic.. now I'm stepping into her jobscope to make sure everythings in order.. heh honeymoon..hmm.. after Covs, reno and now blowing the budget for wedding.. i'm don't know if I could think so far.. may have to put honeymoon on hold first.. see how it goes.. Hi marshmallow & manutd1972 hmm, i'm keeping my fingers crossed.. Now getting some templates from my previously new-wedded friends.. heh The big day scheuled on 5th March.. clock is clicking.. Keep me in prayers ya? oh yes, TELL me about it, I came to an actualization that wedding is NOT about the couple lor, amongst the 30 table for banquet 28 belongs to family & their friends.. sometimes i wonder who's getting married. ha. Yuene ^ marshmallow, think our mom's generation's still goes with elaborated weddings, must tell the whole world tt their child is all grown up.. and here we up ending up wondering who is the aunite/ unle we are taking pics with and shaking hands at the end of dinner.. LoL wedding pics ah..hmm let's see how it goes; wtb shy shy type yupz, well said.

Hello Guys, The cost of renovation greatly determines on the works that you planned to do, and of course the budget may also restrict you from having better quality stuffs in process. So far, saw one forumer mentions that he spent some $15k to have his whole house done up. Meanwhile, I spent some $29k for my unit. Do spend a bit of time looking up ppl's T-Blog on their renovation process and evaluate if the quote/ work is acceptable for you.. Do bewary of IDs/ contractors posing as 'owners' bragging , 'how fantastic or good their id are'. As a matter of fact they are the id themself; aka self-promotion. Goodluck for your ID hunt. ps, do ask for at least three quotes from different ocntractor to allow you to access the marketrate.

Yea, it's an estate kinda of issue. after several years, there is suppose to be an upgrade programe to change the external pipes (ours is some 38years of history) as well as water tank.. apparantly, the PUB plumber says tt this is not done soo.. prob all the ahmas and ahgongs in our estate don't use water like us.. needless to say rainshower.. insane: what do you refer to as not friendly? utility bills? prehaps so, but water is actually cheaper than electrical bills. heh As marshmallow shares; Hansgrohe do have frequent sale bet 20%-25% (every quarter), while Grohe has sale up to 50%. I'm lucky to get mine at contractor's price from AOS (price can't beat grohe's 50% though) If your budget allows, it's gd to invest in a basic but good saintary system. A friend's grohe still lasts after 12 years of age, he shares..

Hello May_dream1 I'm sure you get that alot but.. May I add, WOW 17ft of wardrobe.. that is some amount of clothes. Sounds like rain-shower is on order. old estate like mine doesn't have that strong water flow *sigh* Will be looking forward to your 3-design.. 3 more days to your next appointment!

Nice to meet up with the forumers here and thank you for your thoughtful gifts. The 2 remaining holders, do pm/ sms me to arrange for collection. ya? before I end this thread, I used this 3M mounting tape to hold my kitchen wall roll holder. http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserve...s6EVs6E666666-- Costs $7.95 from home-fix

I've done with house-warming liaoz.. now occupied with wedding prep. Another big project Waaa, the culprits have spoken.. Else I'd send marshmallow to hang chicken-head.. ;P Alrite, pang-jiang you all, since you are busy with the Lord's kingdom It wouldn't be easy to make arrangements now.. nevertheless i'd be back at my tpy place tmr from afternoon 2-5pm to oversee delivery of my bed, please give me a buzz if you can make it.

Hello superchrisho, Welcome to the neighborhood. There's a blooming number of 3-roomers here liaoz. I love your $8k COV price, for $325k must be near the MRT else it's a high-level. All the best for your renovation journey. Oh yea, I asked the uncle previously, he said he didn't relocated.. He stopped frying the delicious Hokkien mee liaoz.. There's alots of yummy food from that hawker previously. *sigh*

Unit Number plate; oh yes; I had in mind to do something like a car licence plate number, rather than the regular 1-piece, 1piece number from DIY shop. so oppournity came along when I passed by some car-shops along ubi. So the embossed number came out well, thanks for the compliments insane. Haha, speaking of the ironman, my wtb say I very ego, like must tell the whole world like tt. Yea, I'm an endurance junkie and does Ironman triathlons and long runs.. Nice to meet your hubby, reglxt. Does he do IMs? Was expecting the nice TS for this groupbuy, marshmallow, next time

Dearest one and all, pardon my hospitality for not able to show you area, my family house-warming is crazy.. running non-stop till late at night (ps should you need a caterer for cny/hse-warming I would recommend KCK catering, seriously) back to the groupbuy, there's still 2 holder uncollected; correct me please; is it for May_dream1? jcy? or Yune? missed the figures as i was busy with my hse-warming.. please revert before I release it outside ok? Hi csingeu, Sorry for the misdirection for the atm machine, not very familar with the amenities around this area yet wow, you actually did a live update.. heh thanks for your compliments, you are generous with your kind words. Ya, sometimes after seeing the actually place, you will begin to take note of minor details like trunking, pipe runnings (at least that was what i observe for my friends house warming), looking at how it was cleverly conceal, making it clean look sort of stuffs. Just dropped by your blog, mpressive with your homework, BZ sir. All the best for your reno journey; 12 days to your 2nd appt! As I shared, do feel free to drop me an sms/ pm should you need any assistance, contacts/ contractors.. the forumers and I would try our best to assist you Hi reglxt, nice to see you and your partner in person, Sorry, the documents are back at tpy will revert to you regarding the door contact on thurs when i return tmr.

Dearest one and all, My apologies for not able to arrange for another date, as I don't reside at the new place at this juncture. Hence to facilitate things; You are free to drop time any time between 12pm to 7pm When you arrive, shout, "Renotalk is the Best" and I will open the door for you Leifheit ready for collection; ps please do bring exact cash. (no change for $50 notes, I'd take it as a goodwill of labour for organisation work)

Hi reglxt, which one are you refering to? >The BNIB ($50) one or >The 2 items I just posted under the "garage sale" just seen that you posted this; this is a used item. In very good condition still. My parents don't fancy these techie stuffs; hence was stowed away for quite a while both for $60 Yea, throwing the trash out nightly also safekeep "xiao qiang" & friends away.