csingeu

Hi beachfox, mind PM-ing your email? I send you my quotation instead la...

Wah! I think maybe when u have started ur renovation, i might not have started yet lor. LOL!

LOL... yeah... 空亡宅 is really bad... Just talking abt it also will have "negative" effect...

yeah... my COV is as abt half my estimated renov budget liao... LOL... i hope i won't be lamenting to you my reno mistakes then... despite having started doing research for my reno since Nov 2010 and going thru 20+ IDs/contractors... I still feel... kana "chopped", in some ways... it's like there's always some blindspots, that we have missed out or overlooked... just the last round of amendments to the quotation, my wife suddenly said she wants to have black granite for kitchen worktop, rather than white solid surface top... don't know why she got sudden change of mind... but since the kitchen is going to be her "baby" next time... plus we already "saved" a bit, by not doing my chengal wood decking and outdoor wall tiles... I let her have it her way... but just now, i was reading another topic on kitchen worktop... seems like though granite is more heat and scratch resistant, compared to solid surface... it is a natural stone, and can be quite porous, hence easily stained... water stains... or even beverage spills... soiled dishes... hmmm.... *scratch head ah...*

I recently just signed up for the Cellini Home package... think got 3-4 different sofa sets to choose from... let me go check the flyer tonight... I think the Calypso is available... I'm getting the Elda one... i like the resort-like feel of it... actually, does Cellini allows minor customization? coz the Elda one has sideboards at both side... the sideboard at the chaise lounge side... is so long... can i request them to reduce to equal length as the shorter side?

Yah.. I actually wanted to converted my balcony to an Alfresco dining area, with a portable electric bbq grill set (i have already sounded out some friends to get that for my house warming... LOL!)... hence wanted to do up some outdoor slate wall tiles, chengal wood decking, water feature, outdoor dining set (small table with 2 chairs), etc... BUT BUT BUT... dreams are dreams... no money... ... so wife told me to choose between my 5.1 HTS + projector, or the balcony... i guess the HTS + projector will be a better investment... though I still quite like the chengal wood decking idea... (but i feel maintenance might be troublesome)... I told my wife... no drying of laundry at the balcony (except for bed sheets la..) my floor area slightly bigger at 151sqm... but a lot more "unused" space... like my staircase, got 2 void areas lor... would be better if the void areas at the 2nd level can be added to the bedrooms... yes... i do realize, that's the problem with Gen 2 EM units... no place to hang laundry... in a way, your balcony doubles up as your service yard... I guess.. anyway, check out some of the EM t-blogs... think some of them have very similar layout as yours, and they did a fantastic job transforming it... even made it to magazine pages lor... see... his level 1 room is better lor... and it's named "bedroom/study"... not stupid "utility room"... HDB a bit zzz one...

Woah! Personally, I prefer your EM layout. 1. The bedroom/study at the first level is a proper room and can be used as a proper bedroom... unlike my utility room, which is not here not there size... 2. The balcony is linked to the living room and kitchen! Easier to have afresco dining. Hope you have a smooth 2nd appt and renovation journey.

You know what? If you have similar budget like mine, maybe we can group-buy to get more discounts? I'm pretty flexible abt the choices, but don't want satellites... think they are too small for my living room... I actually prefer the floorstanders... I was served by Jack last Sat; today I was served by Dennis. for the Q Acoustics 2000 5.1 package, if i were to take the floorstanders, it will be 900 more... http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/2000.htm If i were to take the 1000 series (with floorstanders, and onkyo 608), it will be $2335. yeah... Dennis was like telling me, the 609 will be out very soon... the Heco definitely looks more chio and solid-built... but w/o AVR, it's already almost $2K... if your budget is $3K, can consider that over Pro 800 + denon 1911 lor... Tannoy HTS 100 Actually I checked out the NHT speaker too. but it's not the NHT Super Surround 5.1 that I'm looking for... but the Verve series.. NHT Verve 5.1 Front L/R (a pair) - $789 Surround Sound (a pair) - $669 Center - $599 Sub - $1200 5.1 package - $2280 Onkyo 608 - $500 Can't remember which shop le... but think on the 2nd level one...AL Audio or wat...

LOL... The marriage prep course is 2 consecutive saturdays, 1-5pm. http://www.fycs.org/ the onkyo 508 package i tested at HN @ Funan Centre basement, was inside the enclosed glass room... of coz cannot compare with the"audiophile" kits at Adelphi... didn't try the mirage or jamo speakers... anyway, i popped by after work today, to go down to Adelphi again... RimBlock recommended me a few 5.1 packages that I can try out.. which is within my budget (~$2K, incl AVR). Tested the Q Acoustic 2000 cinema package + Onkyo 608 at KEC... quoted abt $1.6K for the speaker set... with the 608, it will be $2177. seems quite ok... but i think the pro-cinema 800 with denon avr1911... it's still the best so far... I tested the Heco (German-based) Victa 5.1 home theatre series ($1999) @ AV One... a bit out of my range... I'll be looking at the following speaker package: 1. Q Acoustics 2000 Series 2. NHT Super Surround 3. Tannoy HTS 100 AVR likely to just get the Onkyo 608.... I'm too noob for this le... sigh...

Got a lady shopper here at KEC too, served by Jack! I wonder if she's one of the renotalk members here.

I'm at Adelphi now. Which shops other than KEC, should I visit?

ouch! 70kg is no joke man... the last time, I carried the 70kg marble base (of my Arco Lamp replica) from the warehouse in Bedok... I nearly died too... just getting the piece of stone into and out of the car boot is very xiong... i hope you're ok. but seriously, who still uses CRT TV now? It's really heavy and bulky and consumes quite a bit more electricity. And if the CRT is old enough, the electron gun prob won't be working very well very soon...

I'm thinking of buying speaker set overseas...

Prohibited items for export from US & Europe: Flammable and incendiary goods including, but not limited to: Perfumes, colognes, eau de toilette and fragrance sprays Nail polish and nail polish removers Sprays, aerosol cans and compressed gas cylinders Fuels, gasoline and gas torches Lighters with fuel and lighter fluid Turpentine and paint thinner Any type of standalone batteries Any additional battery/batteries that is packed in the same package but separated from the device Electronic device which contains battery purchased from ebay/ individual seller Speakers Alcohol products and beverages Flammable and toxic content products Narcotic drugs Radioactive materials Infectiours substances Firearms (or parts thereof) Pornographic materials Counterfeit goods Munitions of war Precious metals and Gemstones Paper currency, coins, credit cards and cheques Diamonds Engine oils / essential oils Weapons (swords / knives / guns etc. Magnets Sian... thought I can buy some solar lights overseas, or a HTS speaker set...

Ohh. So which sets did u get from Cellini? Did you get their bed and bedframes? I like the sofa set too. but it's 3.1m long. Think maybe not a lot of ppl would consider it, if the living Rm is not big enough. Might make the area looks smaller and more clumsy. I was looking at a 2.8m. But I think should still be able to squeeze in. If i'm going to use the expedit shelf as tv console, I think it will be hard to hide the cables. Probably just simple cable management lor. When placed horizontally, those items, too big to be placed in the shelves , will then be placed on top of it lor. Yes. In the end, we psycho-ed ourselves. If wanted to get Ikea, should just get Ikea ones; if not just get the matching one lor. In fact, our original budget for sofa set ($1.5K), dining set ($1.5K), bed set ($2.5-3K) will be ard $6K total. So we'll still be within our budget if we get the tv console and coffee table @ $800. In fact, I like the tv console. As for the coffee table, I'm neutral. It's too big and heavy for my liking. I envision myself having quite a bit of house parties, playing wii and stuff; the coffee table might get in the way. No. I didn't get the free bean bag. Coz the limited promotion ended on Sat. But I'll get an option to purchase it at $69.90, but cannot choose colours. Actually, we sort of rushed to buy, Coz the salesperson told us that if we confirm our order ytd, she could try to get us the bean bag free. In the end, the request was rejected by her manager, Coz a lot of ppl asking for it too!

Hi Aron, Can quote me for system 3 (inverter) Mitsubishi system. Plus installation for my EM (2-phase installation, with upgraded insulation trunking). I will also need to dismantle the old system 3. Thanks. =) can PM me or email me @csingeu@gmail.com Thanks.

If you have followed my t-blog earlier, I mentioned that I wanted to get IKEA furniture to save money, and it will probably cost me $3K+ to get the KIVIK sofa set, the dining set, book shelves, coffee table & tv bench. And maybe another 3K to get a Sealy mattress & bedframe. And now, we're spending like $4.5K for the sofa set, dining set, mattress & bedframe. Seems to me a pretty gd offer. I'm still pondering, whether I should get the MAX tv console and coffee table for another $800, to make the sofa, dining set, tv console, coffee table a complete set of the same theme. hmmm... If i go for IKEA coffee table ($69) Expedit Coffee Table and IKEA Expedit shelf ($119), placed horizontally, as my tv bench, Expedit Shelving Unit I would be able to save more... What would you do if you were me?

Quick Updates! 1. Our estimated final renovation quote: We went down to our contractor, to do 1 last round of clarifications to prepare the final quotation & contract. The final price is abt $53K (without windows & window grilles). Will be getting Alex to do the installation of windows & window grilles at abt $4K... hence, final estimated renovation cost is $57K. Will be expecting some variation orders and slight increase, due to the choice of tile selection, etc. maybe at least a 5% as buffer. 2. Our impulsive furniture purchases: I'm not sure if it was a gd choice now... Since we were at TradeHub 21, we popped by the nearby furniture shops to look-see and were interested to check out Cellini. And we noticed the $3998 package deal. And somehow, we got "brainwashed" to buy the package. Wife was interested in the dining table set. I was interested in the sofa set. So in the end, we got these: 1. ELDA L-shape sofa I totally like this! Saw this on someone else's t-blog earlier and thought the sideboards, which act as book/display shelves look gd. And it sort of fit my resort theme. Wife thought that the seat cushions were a little hard, plus the seat was not as deep as our other choice, which is the IKEA Kivik. In fact, she told me, later at home, she still would have preferred the IKEA Kivik... 2. MAX Dining Table + 4 Dining Chairs Wife totally likes this. She likes the length of it; the colour and materials, and the chairs too! I quite ok with the choice. 3. Annabelle Bedframe + Nightingale Mattress (King-sized) + 2 x pillows, 2 x bolsters, mattress protector Thought of getting a bed set too, as it seems like a gd deal. Anyway, we are not too fussy people. There were 3 different bedframes to choose from. And wife likes this better out of the 3 other. I would have preferred the other one with bottom storage. And it was $3998 + $300 (To upgrade to king-sized mattress) + $200 (To get the latex foam top) = $4498. We've also gotten the option to purchase the MAX TV console + coffee table for $798 or just the TV Console for $572.

Hey! LOL... i'm not exactly that cool la... more like me and wife are fickle-minded and kept changing what we deemed are impt, and also we are procrastinating quite a bit... 1. Most renovation work are more for restoration, not so much design; I'm keen on creating an outdoor feel with my balcony; wife thinks that no pt spending so much on the balcony, which we are not likely to spend a lot of time at... 2. We started with looking at IDs, whose quotes are $63K to $78K, and switched to contractor who is able to do it at ard $50K... and through the refinement of requirements, the cost crept up to ard $60K too... so i wonder if I should just have gone ahead with the IDs; but then again, for the IDs' quotes, even at $63K, some are missing a few major items (eg. electricial rewiring, plastering, etc) 3. Even after we sort of decided to go with one of the contractor, who seems to be able to capture most of our requirements well plus offering reasonable rates, we are now concerned abt the design, quality of materials provided, and worksmanship and also ability to respond and perform service recovery (unable to find out, until renovation starts...) BUT this afternoon, going to sit down with wife and go thru latest quote, and remove all the optional items, see how much we can save and channel the savings for the electricial stuffs which we can enjoy on a daily basis (HTS + projector, which was originally not factored in), soft furnishings (eg. curtains not costed) and see what's our final estimated total budget for renovation (incl lightings, sanitary wares, electrical appliances, furniture, soft furnishings) going to be like... we already have a spreadsheet for that, but need to revise the amount a bit... I think it's a gd idea to visit each other's places, to see how other are planning their places; might get some gd ideas; and also to watch out for problem areas which might arise. Feel free to join us (the Jurong gang), if you can make it la... and gd luck for your renovation too!

ohh.. coz i also not intending to buy on spot... so nv pressed for discounts.. plus i was buying as a package together with the projector and screen. The package deal was 1. Pro 800 + Denon AVR 1911 - $2750 2. Epson 3600 - $2699 3. 100" projector screen (manual) - $500 4. installation fee (overall) - $599 Total: $6548 Jack offered me $6500... which I thought could have more discount lor... since I'm buying quite a bit of stuffs... $48 is like no discount lor... plus $599 for installation is quite $$$.... anyway, the epson 3500, which RimBlock has gotten, was abt $2.3K ... if i'm not wrong... they said... no more 3500 le... sigh.. i think it's useful to go for the marriage prep course. In fact, I've recommended it to some of my friends/colleagues... coz i think they have "problems" talking abt finances with the other halves... wife wanted to go more, but i'm quite cool abt it... coz i think we already covered a lot of the discussion pts... but it's gd to go and do a "relationship inventory check"... it's not related to religion... it's offered by Fei Yue Community Services... non-religion-related... covers very fundamental stuffs like communication, conflict management, in-laws, finance, sex & intimacy, parenting, etc... in fact, the areas we both didn't talk abt much is spirituality and religion... coz we both are free thinkers... LOL... let me know, if you have shortlisted your HTS... ... lazy to think... i might really just get a standard package from onkyo or so.. at $1.5K or less..

Yes.. it really looks very nice... but... is the area just outside the doors sheltered from above? how much does it cost? I suppose it's a 6-panel folding doors? I think we likely not going to do la... maybe just do normal white powder coated (WPC) 6-panel sliding doors... to be functional... the length is abt 4.6m wide... no... didn't bump into tangerinez, as she and hb went ard 3pm... i went after dinner, ard 7pm... and we both agreed that the deftech cinema pro 800 + denon avr1911 sounds the best among the sets we listened to... but it's abt $2750... wife thinks it's very $$$ to spend almost $3K on HTS... she thinks a $1K set is gd enough... so we went to Harvey Norman to listen to Yamaha and Onkyo package... those more decent ones... cost ard $1.5K too... hmmm...

Hi Kobelala, Thanks for visiting! I got the Arco Lamp from the recent groupbuy... I think ard SGD$330 (incl freight fees), but must self-collect from a warehouse at bedok area. The marble base is freaking 70kg... but this is the most exact replication of the original piece, as compared to some other I've saw... Arco Lamp Group Buy I think the threadstarter is getting more ppl to organize a group buy soon again... btw, I haven't installed the lamp, coz will only set up at my new place (which hasn't been renovated yet)...

Oh... We went there after dinner, after 6-7pm... was having marriage prep course from 1-5pm... though we already ROM-ed le... LOL... KEC quoted me standard price lor... $2750... I didn't bargain hard for discounts la... did they offer you a better price? Yes... I do agree item 2 is the best, among the few we listened to... YEAH!... coz all the while, when my wife thinks of projector... she's thinking of those lousy data projector she was using in office, where the resolution is crappy... but when she saw the actual demo (first at RimBlock's place & now here), she's happy with the image and display. yes... will be looking at a 5.1 HTS which is less than $2K... won't be super gd... but see how la...

hi! for qns 1, i also think a lot of ppl recommend Onkyo... esp the 608... but seriously, i also don't know why it's so gd... but yes when comparing the denon to onkyo for music, we did feel that the onkyo was inferior... like you've mentioned the bass sounded muffled. but for viewing movies, it felt ok... so i think it's back to what people say lor... how you going to use the HTS... more for movies or for music... etc... when I was at Harvey Norman, I was auditioning the standard Onkyo 508 package set... it actually felt ok.. for the price... which is like < $1.5K? for a 5.1... left & right is floorstander kind... and with an active sub... I think i'm quite lost too... but would really like to keep my budget for 5.1 HTS, home cinema projector, projector screen to <$5K...

LOL! I was at Adelphi, KEC to audition the systems too... decided that I'm not an enthusiast or audiophile, just a simple consumer... thinking of just getting one of the packages which is within my budget and sounds gd enough for our ears (coz we seriously cannot tell the difference)... Auditioned the following at KEC: 1. Wharfedale Diamond 10HCP + Onkyo TX-SR508 2. DefTech Pro Cinema 800 + Denon AVR-1911 3. DefTech Pro Cinema 600 + Denon AVR-1611 felt that the Pro Cinema 800 really got difference... esp when listening to music... but that one also one of the more $$$ one... at the same time, I also audition their Epson TW3600 home cinema projector... really looks gd!! and i think my wife is convinced! will be a great addition to the living room, esp when we play our Wii with rock band (or X-box with kinect, next time)... or watching blu-ray movies! the dream combo which includes the item 2 + Epson TW3600 + 100" screen + installation will set me back $6.5K.... I later then went over to Harvey Norman to audition the slightly consumerist brands (Yamaha, Onkyo). 1. Yamaha MHT-6673 2. Onkyo TX-SR508 + SKS-HT728 i'm hoping to get a 5.1 HTS + projector + screen for $5K...