edenstrauss

Yes it is possible to change the laminate on the cabinet. If u r skillful enough, u can DIY by buying formica from Defu lane. The formica of one of my 10 yr old cabinets was damaged & peeled off. We took a swatch of it down to Jennings Trading Entreprise at Defu Lane & managed to purchase the exact pattern. But u need to check with experts how u r going to remove the existing laminate on the cabinet. Or seek professional help.

Hi sighsoul, I felt very sorry for you that ur brother has gotten everyone of u in the family into trouble However, R u aware that when there is evidence that your brother has borrowed $$ from loan sharks, he will be charged in court and jailed for such irresponsible behaviour? Nobody could consistently safeguard against any potential vandalism from loan sharks. U could opt to install CCTV camera since u have a police report. Authorised CCTV installers will be able to do the installation once u are able to substantiate your requests with a police report. Unless fire breaks out as a result of attacks from loan sharks, your family will have to bear full costs for installation of CCTV. And if nothing happens within 6 months of installation, u will need to bring down your CCTV camera. So in fact, it doesn't solve your family's problems. The rule of thumb in dealing with addicts (gambling in this case) is to stop helping them pay off the loans. Although $$ is involved becox your brother owes alot of $$ borrowed thru' illegal means, it's obvious to your family that giving him $$, paying off his debts, isn't going to cure his addiction. He would still gamble. He needs to recognise that he has a very serious problem and a very bad attitude in life to implicate his family members & bring potential harm to them. If he's still sent for counselling sessions but deep down in his heart, he didn't recognise his own faults, then it's a definitely waste of time. Can send him in for 20 sessions and the outcome will still be the same! By the way, r u staying along the corridoor or is yours a corner unit?

I still cannot visualise the wooden plank being placed at the entrance. Wouldn't anybody trip & fall flat on their faces? The only wooden plank I saw outside a HDB unit's main door was catered for a wheelchair bound owner to ease his movement of moving in & out of the flat. There is normally a curb or a raised platform at our main door entrance & even toilets. Does that mean that it wouldn't work because it's not made of wood?

Ok thanks mae29 I'll check out your brand of WC lucia...

what happened to RT member, SAHM, ought to be reported to CASE (consumer association of singapore). It'll be a concrete case since the complaint could be substantiated by a police report! And something ought to be done to the company e.g. a formal warning because this is a breach of trust. When I recall what happened to SAHM, it's so scary... and happening here in Singapore!

hi guys, thank u both for the explanation. I actually thought that houses can be classified into both yin & yang house when I first read tcc's post. If grave yards are Yin places, does that make the houses nearby Yin house also? My cousin bought a walkup apartment nearby bidadari cemetry. In fact, overlooking it leh... All of us had a shock when we saw the kitchen overlooking the cemetry from a far!!! And her hubby used to go into the cemetry in the mornings with their neighbours for jogging before the (chinese) cemetry had been exhumed. He said that the air there is fresh & very peaceful with many white, graceful parrots perched on top of tall trees, creating a cacophony of noises.

Hi tcc, how do u know if a flat is a yin or yang house? how about those yin houses, what do they need first?

Hi skinny, if that being the case, the best bet is to forgo the idea of buying this flat. I'm also superstitious, very "pang-tang" type when it comes to the history of homes. U need not worry about big mirrors being installed in the living room. They r probabbly for decorative purposes or for fengshui. Huge mirrors are used to manifest positive energy that they (those mirrors) are facing. But if it gives u an odd feeling when u look at it, then u better forget about buying the flat. So many flats around, no need to confine yourself to such a flat. And also, flats which need to be sold within a specific timeframe based on divorce proceedings, should generally be a good bargain becox those owners are frequently arm-twisted to sell at low COV. There are neighbours here who bought flats with such history at $0 COV or below valuation. And the family is doing very well; grandma who takes care of her daughters' kids & the couple never quarrel.

Does anybody know about F & A Aluminium? Anyone?

Hi everyone, does anybody know if this quotation for rewiring, relocation of TV points & installation of toilet bowl is reasonably priced? What's the pricing based on the market rate now? Many thanks in advance! Common Room 1 : Installation of 1 x single socket & wiring $50 Common Room 2 : Installation of 1 x telephone point & wiring Installation of 1 x TV point (SCV) & wiring Installation of 1 x single socket & wiring Installation of 2 x double socket & wiring $100 Master bedroom : Installation of 1 x single socket & wiring Installation of 1 x light switch & wiring Termination of 1 x telephone point $50 Master bedroom toilet : Installation of 1 x water heater & piping $50 (water heaters, accessories are supplied by owners) Kitchen : Installation of 1 x heater switch & wiring Installation of 1 x single socket (for the fridge) $50 Kitchen Toilet : Installation of 1 x water heater & piping Installation of 1 x new toilet bowl (toilet bowl & accessories are bought separately by owners) $50 Alteration of toilet pipes (for accommodating to new toilet bowl) $100 Hall : Installation of 1 x twin light switch & rewiring Installation of 2 x double socket $50 Study Room : Installation of 2 x double socket Installation of 2 x TV point (SCV) & wiring Installation of 1 x telephone point & wiring Installation of 1 x mio TV point & wiring $120 Total $620 nett.

Wah u r a risk-taker! But it all depends on your relationship with your spouse. There are many flats with history of divorced owners but some who bought over those flats were happily married with many grandchildren during their old age. So it all depends. But if it bothers u so much becox of the beam in the kitchen & the history of the flat, u might want to seek out professional help from a fengshui master. Did u check with your neighbours what they did to their kitchen's beam?

Thanks for sharing the drawing... U need to find out how long u will be standing below the beam. If u are only standing below it for a few minutes each day, I think the adverse effects r neglegible. But if u r sleeping below the beam, it's akin to cutting your body cut into half every night - most of us sleep at least 6 hours a day so that will have a significant impact on your health! It's no joke sleeping below it becox I had bad experiences myself. Not immediately but on a prolonged period of time. I had a girlfriend who was told to make major alterations to reposition her stove & basin, fridge as the geomencer claimed that it's bad for her marriage. She spent more than $10k renovating her kitchen when she first got married & bought that flat. But 8 years later, the marriage fell apart & she got divorced. I do agree with bepgof that marriage needs 2 persons to make it work. My kitchen layout has an overlapping of both basin & stove & my fridge is directly opposite my stove. But my taiwanese master didn't recommend that we hack our kitchen. And I do admit that we had a very tempestuous relationship for the first 5 years of my marriage becox of differing views & communication issues as a couple. But things worked out for us eventually and those obstacles brought us closer to each other. So nothing to do with our kitchen layout. Even if u get your home audited for fengshui, implementing the recommendations might not achieve its potency unless u r doing other things right as a couple & as people. I think Lillian Too calls this the 3rd dimension fengshui. My 2-cents worth

Hi Ning Ning, rewiring is not a solution becox in the first place, PUB charges users for the amount of utilities consumed. Namely, water, gas and electricity. And your inlaws' pattern of utility consumption has nothing to do with the wiring of their flat or how PUB bills them. If rewiring is done but they do not change their lifestyle, then the PUB bill will still be pegged at the current amount. $290 for 3 persons is very high. Based on your inlaws' lifestyle, where u have indicated that: "air con is only on in one room. from 8pm - 7am" --- 11 hours of aircon usage, which to me, is alot because on average we use a maximum of 8 house if we decide to use the aircon --- what type of air con are they currently using? Inverter or non-inverter or those really old type that's installed at the window? For older technologies, there is no energy saving feature. Those types which are installed at the window are killers becox of the huge electricity consumption required to cool the room. My aunt used to choke up close to $400 worth of PUB bills every month when she used this type of aircon. --- Do u think your spouse could persuade them to turn on the aircon only when they retire for the night? Or do they sleep from 8pm - 7am? 11 hours. "tv is on whole day, from 7am - 11pm" --- My goodness! They sure know how to enjoy themselves. Turning on the TV for the entire day is definitely consuming alot of electricity. --- If their TV set is a plasma, it would definitely cost even more than turning on a LCD TV. Plasmas are notorious for giving the viewer a more beautiful picture but they consume more electricity. U will notice that the plasma TV screen radiates alot of heat - try going near a row of them in an appliance store. --- Do u think it's possible for your spouse to talk them out into reducing their time on TV? It's bad for health becox that's an overdose! And the fact that both are at home, I presume that they cook their own meals??? If this is the case, then the gas consumption will increase & the water bills will definitely go up too! After eating, I'm sure they need to wash up their dishes. In addition, make sure that they turn off ALL switches of appliances which are on "stand-by" mode. e.g. TVs on stand-by mode will have a red light without any picture on the screen. Wall fans with remote, washing machines when on stand-by mode, will incur electrical charges. All u need to know if to touch their buttons & u'll notice that they are either warm or hot.

Do u mean to say that the kitchen's ceiling is divided into half or ??? And where is the beam in your kitchen located at? Above the stove? If it's at the side, your kitchen cabinets would have hidden the beam. I've also had a beam running along one of the sides of the kitchen where I placed my fridge. "Pressure" on marriage: Do u mean to say pressure on you to get married or pressure on your matrimonial relationship with your spouse?

Laminated flooring has its drawback even though it's supposedly cheaper than the real wooden flooring. "laminated" with a thin plastic film. It's definitely not waterproof. If u spill water on to the floor, u've got to wipe it dry immediately. Otherwise, it'll warp. These wear & tear problems aren't covered under the lifetime warranty for laminated flooring.

Hi folks, I'm refreshing this thread on F & A Aluminium Works. Has anybody on RT forum engaged this company for aluminium-related fixtures e.g. window grilles, sliding doors, etc before? And if yes, is the quality good?

If a person is destined to be clothed in rags, I personally believe that there is very little that a geomencer can do to alter his fate. Even God cannot help! That person has to depend on oneself to change his circumstances i.e. 3rd dimension fengshui. Otherwise, there won't be bankruptcy in our society.

Hi bepgof, what is XKFX?? written in your post.

I agree with htng, makes alot of sense But last night, an uncle staying few blocks away from us told us that he talks to his pixiu everyday, asking them to bring him luck & to help him to win lotteries. Really "seow" about $$... But still haven't strike yet.

U can try Davinci. Theirs is definitely imported. I think from Italy.

Is spamming allowed on RT forum?

IKEA's kitchen concept is catered for European lifestyle and generally not Asian cooking. The European kitchen is used for baking, roasting in the oven and washing of dishes in a dish washer. Whereas for Asians, we do alot of stir-frying which requires alot of washing on the sink. And even with a kitchen hood, it isn't fool-proof because fumes and oil fumes would still make their way elsewhere, staining its surroundings. As such, the IKEA kitchen is not for those who does alot of "heavy" cooking in the kitchen. And, only the doors of certain models e.g. oak, are made of solid wood. The cabinets are made of compressed wood. The IKEA kitchen staff cautioned me that if water ever gets onto the cabinets, I'm supposed to clean up & wipe it dry IMMEDIATELY. Otherwise, it'll start to warp. Without fail with compressed wood. We did our own installation for both wall and base cabinets; and got our cabinet top from an external vendour. So all in all, we spent below $2k for our kitchen cabinets.

Based on my own understanding with ID practices, tiles are purchased in cartons, not in loose pieces. So chances r your ID will not be able to return those tiles to their suppliers & have them exchanged for other designs. If you want a second opinion and rectification by another contractor, please PM me for the contact number of a cement specialist whom I would be using for my own reinstatement of walls (HDB) in March.

I don't think the politicians have time to deal with such situations. Chances are their secretaries would filter through mailers and pass the appeal letters back to the relevant department. So, it's highly unlikely that the ministers would get to read such appeal letters!

oh these folks staying below ur unit are cheapsakes. And it's so ridiculous: spalling concrete DOES NOT take place overnight. If within hours of kicking off the reno & they come complaining, it's very obvious that they r taking advantage. Which is why, some people do not believe in being nice to their new neighbours... The lesser said, the better it is. Perhaps they were smiling becox they knew that their chance of getting thing done free is here. So of course, they smile at you becox they are riding on your reno bills! To get their maintenance work done free of charge. It goes to show that their flat is very ill-maintained. Terrible neighbours! tsk! tsk! tsk!