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The above project started in the afternoon and was only finished late into the night. The next day when I try out the experience of using my new area, I realised the unsightly view of my a/c compressor (regretted placing it there), which could be seemed from the night shot above. So after some thoughts, I thought it would be good if I could have some thing to hide that. And artificial grass came into my mind. I thought it was a great idea considering that not only it would look good but it could also minimised those rain splashes when it pours as well. So off I went to daiso, pick up a few pieces and head back home. With some serious sewing and metal wire later, voila. 2 problem solved. Now we love this balcony so much more. And this is what we really see right in front of us.

We have left the balcony area bare for quite a while because, I just couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to do with it. It was only after living in this wonderful place we called home, that I realised that I am missing an area where I could surf the net, do some light reading, have some afternoon tea... And the thoughts of the bare balcony area popped into my mind. So I have decided to mount a counter top and together with some bar stools, and transform the bare space into a useful place where all of the above activities can be carried out. I started off with an ideal of using solid teak wood or any outdoor wood of any kind. Reclaimed wood was also part of the plan, but unfortunately, every vendor I went to, seemed like they wanted a piece of me, charging as high as over $800 for a plank depth of 350mm x 2800mm and mounting wasn't even part of the package. So after a month of looking around, i have decided to give up on getting quality solid wood. I decided to look into what ikea have to offer. I saw some shelves which its depth seemed perfect but most were made of particle board which is a big no no for me, considering that it will be exposed to sun and occasional rain when we forgot to close the window. And when I thought I have to buy a big kitchen countertop made from solid birch and trim it down (pretty wasteful), I saw that there was this shelf also made from solid birch. Yes, I know it wasn't much of an outdoor material but I guess it is still better than some particleboard. So about $100+ later, I bought 2 pieces of these solid birch shelves, some wall brackets, a cheap ikea jigsaw and a tube of transparent silicon sealant, and I have got our balcony counter top with a depth just nice for our laptop.

Wow, love the layout of your toliet which allows you to place you tub that way.. Ya quite true, the tub does make a difference. Initially we wanted a sitting tub, made from just concrete and tiles... but we sort of lost confidence in our contractor half way thru, hence we decided just to go for a simple off the shelf tub.

wow... for me, its along the corridor as well, only partial morning sun for like an hour. and i water every night.. they are blooming every now and then, might have to trim them down a bit to keep them in health soon.

almost one month since we bought them, till today, its still thriving and blooming.. where did u placed yours? is there sunlight light for it?

^_^ how long did yours survive? Mine as of today is still doing great.

Went to IKEA ytd w/ mum. Was encouraged by her to try keeping Orchids.. she mentioned that they are hardy plant which is easy to keep, so hope they will survive under my care. My Aster flowers are reaching end of its flowering life soon, thinning out, so saw some False Heather, and decide to try a few pot before take the plunge to replace.

Hi NewAdventure, Thanks for the compliment. The reno cost us around $65K, excl. Recess Area and many other items.We timed our renovation closely with the application time required for the hacking. So it didn't took us too long for the permit to be approve. As long as its not a structure wall (colour in bold black on ur floor plan) it should be ok. Plus you downstairs and upstairs neighbours are not removing the same walls as u plan to do. We got the tub from a neighbour shop, those which you found in old estate. But they have retired last year already. You have to measure the space your have as there are tubs from 1400mm to 1600mm, which might fill into HDB toliets. But u do have to consult from your contractor first for the actual maximum size you can go, as they have to built a wall around your tub to hold it in place. So its better that they give you the dimension before you go search. Tub is wonderful on those tiring nights and hot days. ^_^ But if you do get a tub, make sure you get a big hot water tank. the last thing u wana happen is run out of hot water to fill it up.

Thanks for the kind compliment ^_^

No sure if I should commission my own coffee table. After all this is what my home is lacking now.

^_^ I nearly went to get the same bed frame similar to this.

Hi, Just wan a check if this is possible. I am living on the top floor of an old flat, and in my toilets are those huge pipes which runs from the ceiling down.. Was just wondering if those are ok to be removed OR have anyone done so. Tx..

^_^ went to pick up another 2 sets of Apple Airport Express (2nd) and finally I have wireless streaming of music thru-out the entire house, including the MBR Bath. And I also grab one set of these Logitech Z120 Speakers for the Kitchen streaming..

For a very long time, I have being wanting to get this Twelve South Stand for my MBA. So guilty of placing it in my drawer, heating up whenever i am using it on external display.

Hi Vanessa & Ucypmas, Sorry for the late response. Being caught up with work lately and MiL just got back to me the details of that JB nursery last night. Here you go.

Thanks for compliment ^_^ Just returning back to Renotalk for the information which i had learnt here previously.

The mint plant which was almost bared when we bought it last week seemed to be doing very fine. ^_^ Lemon Mint Tea anyone?

Hi Vanessa, As requested, I hope the information would be enough for you. Just go to any of the Hardware shops, for me, I went to this hardware shop at my void deck, those old school type.. and I asked for wire mesh. Normally, they charge by per feet. The wire mesh itself is already 3 feet in height, so u just have to buy the required length you need. If you plan ahead on how much you need, you can reduce material wastage. I paid $2 per feet, so anything more than that would be expensive.. if you can get it cheaper, that would be the best. This is a cutting layout which i think would better explained how it should be done. Basically, 1 square on the mesh is like 1/2" so you can either count the squares or measure using a measuring tape. (FYI 1" = 25.4mm) All units indicated are the number of Squares.. but you would have to adjust accordingly based on your pot size. Height of "A" is the Hooking end of the finished product while Height of "B" is the thickness of the rail which it will be hook on. "C" & "F" is the height of your required pot, normally i would make it slightly shorter than the pot itself, it looks nicer that way. Height of "D" is the overall diameter of your pot. Height of "E" & "G" should be the same as "C" & F", while the Span of "E" & "G" is the same as Height of "D" (^_^ i know i have a different number written there.. ) The 30 Sq Box indication is the total length when my pot are placed next to each other. (Do factor in extra if you want some gap between your pots for brushy plants) The 44 Sq Box x 23 Sq Box indication is the total size i have to cut out. Normally the first would looks a little weird, but it gets better with your second one. Here is a sample of the cut out mesh based on the cutting layout and the cutter i used to cut it. (be careful, as the cut ends of the mesh might be quite sharp) The image below will show the fold-up sides of "E" & "G". Normally when i cut, i will cut in a way that i have fold the sharp points onto the adjacent sides using a long nose pilers. This will tie the entire mesh cage into its required shape. But normally i will also use those metal wires (for gardening and tying of wires) and wrapped around the adjacent sides to secure it. Down here you can also see that i used the same metal wire and secure "A" & "C", so that its secure the hook profile onto the rail. With that, I hope i m clear enough and the information is proven to be helpful. If there is any doubts, just ask ^_^ Oh, one word of advise, the metal wire mesh are pretty soft material, hence if you intending to hold pots which requires a bigger "D" measurements or a longer span, you might want to try one out first to make sure it can hold the weight of all your pots before "mass production".

Here is an update shot on my little green space. Had started growing Aster along the fencing and attempting to try those yellow Cosmo for the first time (hope they survive) Here is a closed up shot of the Aster flower.. they are blooming like mad.. And here is the yellow Cosmo. So far so good.. surviving 2nd week..

Thanks for the compliment 3Dyms ^_^ WEll no money to buy landed property so no choice have to settle for this loh. Went to take a peek at ur T-blog, wow.. u r going for the French look all the way.. awesome.

wow.. heard about using garlic flowers for cooking but never really tried or taste it before.. maybe i should really try someday ^_^ ya, i know what you meant. Those purple flowers are Angelonia.. they are pretty easy to maintain as long as u have sunlight for them.. i love cooking too.. but not so into eating the food i cook.

Was informed this morning that there was this couple who came by our access area and started taking measurements, notes and sketching.. I am going to assumed that I have set some game changing rules on how open access area should be done up.. without ending "living behind bars"... ^_^

Woo.. garlic ^_^ I am a heavy garlic user... so that seemed like a good idea. problem is I have to really grow a lot.... so you growing anything? Notice that u are a good cook..

neh.. nothing is too silly to ask.. well, my neighbour who had being living there since 20 years ago. he did mentioned that he had being approached by authorities about that as their concern was pots might topple over and drop down to the void deck when there is strong wind.. my neighbour always told him,from the way he secure the pots, if the wind is that strong to topple it, the entire HDB block would have being toppled as well.. ^_^ So I always take precaution in securing my pots and brackets to make sure that it does pose much of a tipping risk.

Yup. Thanks for the compliment. Ok, will try and post some photos this coming weekends.. its pretty straightforward and the material & tools involved are easily available.