csingeu

ok la... maybe i should just close 1 eye, pay the $200 and get over and done with it... it's taking a toil on my mental health... LOL... and affecting work... argh... they did the 2nd round of painting touch-up today... i guess things are really coming to an end soon... some more items pending... - curtain guy coming to install curtain tracks tmr morning, followed by - re-varnish paraquet floor 2nd time... - install glass backing for kitchen counter wall... - install chimney hood & hob - general washing... on Friday - IKEA delivery (my queen-sized bed for the guest room) on Sat - Cellini Home Package + tv console + bean bag + Kong Tai electrical appliances (fridge, washing machine, standing fans) coming in on next Mon - Movers coming in on next Wed with our barang-barang - Curtains and roller-blinds to be installed for bedrooms and day curtain to be installed for living & dining room (the material for night curtains for living/dining room is out of stock at the moment) next Thu morning - maybe arrange for KEC to come next next Sat to install the projector screen, projector & HTS setup... we should be more or less settled in 2 Sats later... and then I'll be on course for 2 weeks (incl 1 week to China... likely Tianjin, Suzhou for 5 days)... that's abt it le...

Hmmm... Dilemma... I called my contractor this morning and scolded him and told him I'll replace the wash bins, but would not pay for the reinstallation. He grudgingly agreed, after much exchange of words. After checking with Royal Franco, it was expected that we would not be able to exchange for a different model, as we sort of already installed this one. however, Lina (Royal Franco) informed us that most top-mount-only basins, that are fully "wrapped" at all sides, do not have the hole for the tap, as the tap would be a tall one, installed on the surface top instead. We called Sim Siang Choon and they confirmed it is true, but they might have 1 or 2 models at Changi south branch which suits our needs. So even if we changed to top-mount-only basins, we might still have to buy new (tall) taps... it's a total waste of money... I sms-ed this pic below, which I took, after the initial "mistake", which I thought was ok, to my contractor... This pic shows the wash basin flushed to the wall, with the backsplash skirting cut. and this was how my mum has told me to insist my contractor to do, as she felt the few cm difference at the back is irritating, as mentioned previously.. 1. asethetically it's nicer, as the ugly "backside" is covered up 2. maintenance-wise, it's easier, as we do not have to clean up the small "ridge" in-between the wall and the basin... 3. money-wise, it's the cheapest - my contractor will do it for free, as it's their "mistake" but my contractor called me up after that, to inform that they will do it if i really want it, but i'll have to sign at idemnity form to discharge them from any duties, should the washbasin leaks from behind, and the cabinets get water-damaged... or my mirror will spoil, etc. i was ok to sign the form... as i felt that, if the cut was done properly, and then sealed up properly, the chance of leaking is very low... the other issue would be that, you might have to stretch out your arms a little more when you are using it, which I thought was ok... i measured the distance, it's abt 4 cm difference only... then the solid surface guy called me (most likely my contractor informed him), and advised me against cutting the backsplash and flushing to the wall... as they have seen many cases of water leaking due to such installation... he advised me to do box-up with solid surface. I told him i was ok with the idea previously, as my contractor, mentioned it's a mere tens of dollars for one bathroom, but it came up to $150 per bathroom... so it's $300 for 2, which i thought was quite steep... i didn't want to pay any money at first, as i felt my contractor/plumber should be responsible for not sounding out that the wash basins i've bought may not be suitable, and to clarify with me... but they didn't... they just assumed and blindly went ahead to install... (talk abt 10+ yrs of experience.... )... and i was willing to pay $100 max... he decided to lower to $250... and then $200 (after some bargaining)... he highlighted that the material cost itself was abt $220-230 and that he would waiver the service charge, and also give a bit of discount to make it $100 per bathroom... $200 is still too much for me... but i was ok to accept it, just to get over it and close the case... he also mentioned that if they were to cut, they would use silicone to seal the edges... but over time, the silicone might peel, due to wear and tear, and water can then seep in thru the edges and flow down to the cabinets at the parts, whereby the backsplash is cut... i'm in a dilemma now... should I : 1. pay the $200 and get them to do the solid surface box-up for the 2 bathroom wash basins (though if i were to pay, i would want my contractor to co-pay half of it; but might not be "successful" la)? 2. just insist that they cut the skirting, and shift the wash basins in at $0... and the most, next time, I apply my own silicone sealant to touch up lor? I'm more inclined for option 2... coz i dun want to pay anymore money for their stupid mistakes... what do you think?

Yes. I'm going down tomorrow morning to measure the holes between the tap and the drainage.. so that the holes can be re-used... i would consider box up the back with solid surface, if my contractor pays for the mistakes... but i'm likely to just get a proper top-mount wash basin instead.

LOL... sometimes back, my mum was telling me about your hubby and how pretty (and doll-like) his gf/fiancee/wife is... but i have no idea who you are... and yes... from the pic, you are indeed very pretty. your mother-in-law told my mum that your hubby and you prob saw us in bangkok earlier this yr (ard Feb)... I suppose your 5-rm pt-block is almost ard the range of $400K or more? if so, you could have gotten an EM too... there's some EMs along Jurong West St. 42 going for ard $425K or so... anyway, you've read my t-blog and my frustrations... so it's not that I'm not welcoming visitors... but prob not at this stage... we'll be moving in soon... maybe in 2-3 weeks' time (i hope it's not too late for u to visit, if you're viewing to "avoid some mistakes" )... the place would prob still be in a mess (as in things unpacked, etc), but at least, the floor should be clean, etc...

I think we got the same oven, hob & chimney hood... but my hob is the LPG one... the non-LPG is out of stock. I've gotten mine from Kong Tai too... LOL apparently, for front-load washer, they recommended me Electrolux or Bosch... since Ely, the online shopping queen, gave her thumbs up for Electrolux front-load washer... i think should be safe ba... so i've gotten an Electrolux, instead of a Samsung or LG...

yeah... i was **** pissed... bur we were partly at fault too... we bought it after seeing the catalogue (it was stated top-mount and wall-hung)... so we assumed it's ok for both... and we got it in quite early, coz the contractor wanted to install the WCs, so we thought just deliver everything together... it was at my place for so long, but my contractor and his plumber didn't get a gd look at it... and the plumber is such an @$$... he knew we were doing vanity counter, and the wash basins were to be top-mounted... given his experience, he would have known that the wash basins may not be suitable... so the very least, he should inform my contractor or myself to confirm... but he just went ahead to mount it... when I complained to my contractor, he told me, we can't blame the plumber, coz he just assumes that's what the owners want... this is what i meant by irresponsible behaviour... and i would highly not recommend them... I'm currently exploring option 3... but if that fails, i might just go buy 2 new ones from sim siang choon... and get it over and done with... if it can be solved by money, it's not really a problem... i rather "waste" that few hundreds and save myself the eyesore for the next 5-10 yrs... argh... my mental well-being is more impt... You know what... the most furious thing was that, the solid surface guy who was installing the top for the vanity counters, saw that the wash basins was like that, and he took the initiative to cut the backsplash so that it can be push back to the wall, and he drilled the new holes needed for the drainage and pipes... I went up and saw the "mistake"... but was happy with it... coz it made sense... so i didn't kick up a big fuss with my contractor.. little did i know the next day, my contractor actually went to ask the solid surface supplier to replace the top... he should have just checked with us first... and his reason was that, everyone, who's doing vanity counter, will mount it in the centre. and it makes sense to mount it in the center, so the user does not have to lean too far forward to wash his hands, or face... he has his pt... but my pt was... shouldn't he have checked what I've purchased... and inform me earlier, if the wash basins are not suitable... or maybe adjust the design of the vanity counter, to match the wash basins I've bought... anyway, my 2nd option, like mentioned above, is to change to a proper top mount wash basins... yah... they really day-dreaming... :curse: yah... EPIC FAIL lor... plus DOUBLE FACE-PALM... LOL It's the cheapest way, no doubt... actually, i suggested it one la... hehehe... but i dun feel it's an elegant solution... though my wife feels no one will see or bother with it... but the fact that i know, and i'm like living there (and not just some guests who popped by to visit)... i'm going to face the eye-sore everyday... can't imagine every morning, when i wake up and go to the bathroom to brush teeth and wash my face, i'll notice that "blemish" lor... ARGH... anyway, my contractor did offer me some solution... he said we can use solid surface to "box up" space between the back of the wash-basin and the wall... it does 3 things... 1. cover the ugly back.... 2. prevent water from slipping into the gap behind... 3. remove the gap between the wall and the basin... => no need to clean that part anymore... i was quite open to that... until he told me... it's going to be $150 per bathroom... (which he said was a lump sum offered by the supplier)... so it's like $300... i was still thinking of getting him to pay for it... or the most pay $100 (max)... so I'm exploring the 2nd option... which is to replace the wash basins... and he's charging me $60 per basin... assuming the new washbasin is abt $80-100 per piece... it will be ard $280 - $320... just $20 more... and i'll prob try to sell off the original 2 basins at very low price... maybe $40-$50 per piece or less... i might still be able to recoup $80-$100... and I intend to get him to absorb the installation charges... :furious: :furious: :furious:

yes, marshmallow. i've gotten it from woei-lee (or something like that)... i'm not too sure whether the purchase is a gd one though... i think it will be heavy, when it's full of load... i've gotten cheap portable dry rack from IKEA (think abt $10-$12) to use in the balcony, for the weekends, to sun the thicker stuff (like maybe bed sheets, quilt covers, etc)... yes... he paid for the replacement... but my time was wasted to go down to get one... and also the cab trip back... the mirror is b-l-o-o-d-y big... it's not very heavy (ard 6kg) but very bulky... mine's 80x96cm, think the biggest is 120x96cm... I'm crossing my fingers abt hand-over this weekend (think final touch-up this Sat, but i expect a little more touch-up, after we move in)... the big furniture (cellini home package - dining table, sofa set, king-sized mattress + bed frame + tv console) and electrical appliance (fridge, washing machine, etc) coming in next Mon... my wife's arranging for movers next Wed... with very gd luck and no more hiccups, we might just be able to shift in by next weekend (i.e. 1st weekend of July)... in fact, we just bought a queen-sized mattress + divan from IKEA ytd, and it will be delivered this Sat afternoon.. didn't want to buy the furniture for the guestroom so early... but my mum was quite insistent that we DO NOT sleep on the "matrimony" bed before the customary wedding... and the compromise was that, we'll get a separate mattress to sleep on for the next 8 months before our customary wedding, while our king-sized mattress will be stored away in the other spare room first... and once ok, we'll replace it with the king-sized mattress and move the queen-sized mattress to the guestroom... ARGH... parents...

apparently, my wife has gone online and bought some nice fabrics for the cushion covers... i'm not too sure what it is... i'll be in for the surprise... and i hope it's a pleasant one... LOL... and she's having ideas now on what art piece/painting to be placed on the wall beside the breakfast counter... oh well... i'll leave the accessorizing to the lady...

LOL... i do hope they are easy to replace... but i told my plumber to "glue" it to the wall instead of using the brackets and screws... gluing it to the wall makes it more "flushed"... but the problem comes when it's "corroding" and needs to be replaced...

The laundry system is abt $398 for a 4-pole system. and i think $448 for a 6-pole one. We paid for the 4-pole one... only to be told later, that the 4-pole one was out of stock, and would only be available maybe end-Aug or Sep or dun-know-when... and we sort of had no choice but to go for the 6-pole one... my wife almost wanted them to refund us the $50 deposit and go look for it elsewhere... i think max is abt 1.7m or 2m (can't really remember), or so... i think they can cut the poles on the spot, when installing, as they do measurements on the spot. but think it's not suitable to detach the stainless steel poles, and hang them outside... there are rubber caps at the ends... think they won't last well under the hot sun... and the poles sure to have a lot of scratches if placed on the bamboo pole holders outside...

should i get my contractor to flush it near the mirror and seal it to the mirror and the counter top, though the mirror is up? or should i get him to maybe use some white acrylic sheet and seal up the back? it's really... WTF... from the looks of it... it seems like... water will definitely flow behind... and thru the crescent-shaped arc, into the hole in the solid surface top... into the cabinet below... this is really like Stupidity 101...

Return of the head-bangers! I don't know what to say about this... seems like an EPIC FAIL... ARGH... :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: :bangwall: bought a washbasin that is suitable for both top-mount and wall-mount... but didn't realise the back is like that, until the mirror is up... it's so in-your-face-stupidness... fuming mad now... will share more details later... or tomorrow...

D-a-m-n... The plumber broke my biggest mirror for the MBR bathroom... Argh... Have to go down an get it tmr morning from IKEA again... >_<

ending soon... i hope... tiring journey... 1. fixing up the rest of the bathroom accessories tmr... and shopping for cleaning stuffs 2. curtain guy coming down to do measurement, and bring catalogue for us to select 3. parquet flooring to be re-varnish for the 2nd round next Sat... and touch-up and general washing... 4. furniture (from Cellini) and electrical appliances (Kong Tai) coming in on 27th June... 5. arranged for movers on the 29 June... hopefully, can shift in by 1st week of Jul... oh... need to remember to arrange for KEC to come fix up the projector + screen + HTS + tuning... argh... tired...

Washing machine Electrolux EWF 8586 Specifications 8kg front-load WM at $990... my wife's still pinning for a front-load WM... after so many yrs of using top-load at our own parents' place... finally we can have our own place and make our own choice abt electrical appliances and stuffs... she just cannot forgo the chance of not trying out a front-load WM... but that's like a almost double the price of the Hitachi 9.5kg top-load we were going to buy... Our first choice for front-load was actually the Samsung WD8804... but apparently it's discontinued... and the shop-owner was recommending us to get either bosch or electrolux for front-load... my boss at work is using electrolux... and after reading some other gd reviews on electrolux WM online... we decided to just get that... without doing much research... i hope it's a gd choice though. Aircon problem earlier, i mentioned abt my new Panasonic aircon system not being cold... and in fact, last weekend, when i was over at my place with my wife to do the "coolness" test... it was totally not working... it was either the compressor was faulty, or the refrigerant gas leaked... coz there was no air blowing out from 2 of the other rooms... and for the MBR, it was only normal air... called up Aron and arranged for his guys to come down to inspect today... and it was confirmed that there was a leak in the cooling coil of one of the unit in the guest bedrooms.. i was half-suspecting it, coz that day, after the installation was done, i was testing the aircon... and even though, they were all switched off... i could hear a faint hissing sound from one of the units... i thought it was normal behaviour of new aircon... so i didn't bother much... my dad, who was helping me to oversee the "repairs" today, mentioned that they had recharged the gas and fixed the problem... i have not tested it yet... will do so over the weekend... my mum was like saying, now that the new compressor has all the refrigerant gas leaked and re-filled... would it be totally "refilled"? hmmmm... oh well...

Ely, your balcony is absolutely fabulous! super nice!

Updates! (Day 74 - 16 Jun 2011) Solid surface top for common bathroom Solid surface top for MBR bathroom previously, it was already installed; but the washbasins were placed too far in... and the holes were cut... so they took it back to the factory.. and had just replaced it, either ytd, or today. we kept our original choice of "iceberg" for this one... maybe we should have changed it to plain white too... to be consistent... Mirrors we were arranging for the plumbers to come fix the bathroom accessories tomorrow, once the solid surface top are done... and one of the last few items to be fixed were the mirrors... and i insisted that we wait til the solid surface top was done, so that we can do a better measurement and agar-ation of the size required. And we went down to IKEA ytd to buy our 3 mirrors... (not too sure of IKEA's mirror quality though). the left one is for the wash area on level 1... it's the Fullen mirror IKEA FULLEN Mirror with shelf Measures 50cm (W) x 60cm (H) at $19... and comes with a 14 tempered glass shelf... I couldn't ask for more... it's like the perfect fit for the area, at a very low price... not sure abt quality though... the middle one is for the MBR and the right one is for the common bathroom. both are from the GODMORGON series MBR bathroom: 80cm (W) x 96cm (H) at $55 Common bathroom: 70cm (W) x 96cm (H) at $49

Updates! (Day 74 - 16 Jun 2011) After a few days of "wedding talk", which I was just "listening" in to, but not contributing much... Just some quick sharing + thoughts... We did our ROM ceremony some time end-Feb this yr, at House @ Dempsy (venue was chosen & decided by my wife)... the ROM date was our anniversary date... which is very gd for "lazy", "forgetful", and mostly "bo-chup" guy like me... It was a simple lunch and saying of vows (which was in Chinese, and we almost fainted)... The JP was asking whether we wanted it in Chinese or English... thinking that both our mums don't understand English, we thought it might be gd to at least have the intro in Chinese... but i guess it was some miscomm... the whole procedure was done in Chinese... and I missed the chance to say "I will" and "I do"... but had to listen very hard at what was being asked... and answered... "我会" and "我愿意"... yes... followed by a simple lunch with 12 other immediate family members, close relatives & some friends. Our customary wedding lunch will be next year... some time in March though... given a choice, I rather skip the traditional chinese wedding dinner thing... but like many has mentioned, it's more for the parents... and their "face"... in fact, I will be having 2 wedding dinner/lunch... one will be near CNY, in which we'll be in Msia to host the relatives from my dad's family... while the one in SG (in March), will be for my wife's family and our friends... oh well... as for the bridal package for photography, etc... we are sourcing now (though not too actively)... but we don't intend to spend too much too... We sort of agreed not taking any... is not a gd idea... but we should not be "lured to the dark side" and pay thru our noses... so maybe a basic package... and given that nowadays wedding photography cum travel package is quite popular... we might just go that route... i'm "mr boring" and i like "cookie-cutter style"... i like to lie low and blend in the background... and not be centre of attention... i tend to shy away from the limelight... somehow, i got a feeling, my wife is the complete opposite of me... i guess maybe that's why we are "attracted" to each other... opposites attract... LOL... you shall see how she's going to "ruin" "accessorize" our new place, with dashes of colours... (though i pretty much prefer them subtle, soothing and neutral...) anyway, back to the house renovation topic... the kitchen solid surface top and the laundry system was done last Sat... Installing the laundry system! This contractor is a pretty nice chap. Very friendly and responsible too. he did share with us some tips on maintaining the system and to prevent mis-use, etc... And it's done... my after-thoughts abt this is that... whether i should have installed it parallel to the kitchen windows instead... and also after learning that my friend has gotten a pulley-type laundry system, which is using steel cable and gears... while mine is a nylon string and some plastic gearbox thingy... my mum commented it's a potential hazard... (and it seems like she's complaining about everything in the house... zzz) Kitchen solid surface top working on sealing the joint ends of the solid surface pieces... and the results after that... we initially chose "iceberg"... but the off-whitish, light greyish particle pattern... seems a little off-ish... it looks like it's not clean... and there's like smudges of dirt ard... so we decided to be really boring... and gotten the normal white kind... at least it's "timeless" (or that's how we "self-consoled") personally, i thought friends78's one was quite nice... it's white but with some bit of sparkle here and there... and everywhere... anyway, the piece of wall on the left side of the kitchen entrance... seems like a gd place to hang some interesting piece... one of the tracklights is in fact pointing at it... if i had my way, i would put some zen-like buddha face wooden craving or painting... but i think my wife has something else in mind... bleahz...

woah... the effect is very chio...

Hey shumin, Your hubby looks familiar from the pic. I think he and I might be distant relatives. Hmmm... Anyway, congrats on being the owner of your new place and I wish u and your hubby a smooth renovation journey!

Updates! (Day 67 - 09 Jun 2011) Partial installation of solid surface top for the kitchen counter top hmmm... I'm not too sure what to say abt this... apparently, there are 3 pieces to be joined. the last piece was taken back to the factory, as the measurement was kind of "off", and the worker informed his boss to come down to see, and I think they took it back. for the 2 other pieces, i think the holes have been cut. but somehow the joints do not seem to align properly, i'm leaving it to my contractor and the installer/supplier to sort it out. as long as it is installed and delivered properly in the end. oh well... somehow, i foresee that there might be problems installing the solid surface top for the vanity counter of the common bathroom... let's see how it goes...

Woah. Kind of dangerous to have such weapons at home... I bought a stiletto after I ORD-ed from my unit, as some memory keepsake... And I vaguely remembered having to give my particulars to the shopowner to "apply license" to purchase and own a weapon... Think the weapon is a controlled item with serial no. (I might be wrong; my memory is failing me), so it can be traced to the owner, should it be used in "illegal" manner... But so far, it's locked inside the casing with the some of the badges i've collected in NS...

Updates! (Day 66 - 8 Jun 2011) Boxed-up waste pipes unlike 666's, my waste pipes are in the mid portion of the toilet wall. as it's quite close to the wall, there was no way the 4" trunking can go in between. hence for the boxed-up part, there is actually no trunking, just the aircon pipes. Aircon trunking through the toilet wall the trunking goes thru the wall to the outside... while a thinner trunking, carrying the drainage pipe, goes downwards... Aircon trunking underneath the beam, along the level 2 walkway this part is pretty standard. using the old path, it reaches the common bedroom 2... that's it for the aircon trunking. Last quick update on the progress... Ring handle for the storage door the bulky round knob is finally replaced with the ring handle... i would have preferred a tic-tac door though. oh well...

Updates! (Day 66 - 8 Jun 2011) Hey 666! This is for you... today's post is not so much as to show new progress (in fact, nothing much is done today)... but to answer the question on the aircon trunking... not the best way to do it... but it's how it's done for my place... oh well... Aircon trunking above the toilet door on the bedroom side the wall between the toilet and the bedroom door is reinforced concrete wall, based on the floor plan. so there's no way to punch through it (legally)... hence the trunking has to skirt on the outside, or otherwise the fancoil unit should be placed on the other wall (mentioned in my previous post), if you do not want the trunking to be like that... Aircon trunking through the original hole in the wall into the toilet my hand is placed on the toilet entrance, just comparison of the thickness of the toilet wall. i have regular sized hands... the wall thickness is quite standard... i think it's at least a 12-15 cm thick. Aircon trunking running above the toilet door inside the toilet The pipe going down on the right side, is actually the drainage pipe for the fancoil unit in the MBR room. Aircon drainage pipes The one from the right came from the fancoil unit in MBR. It barely goes under the very short kerb from the bedroom. The one from the left came from the 2 other fancoil units in the common bedrooms.

regarding the hot water pipe to the kitchen, i also had my regret after i bought a kitchen tap for hot and cold water (online). by then, the floor and tiling works are done, so it was quite impossible to drill a new hole for the hot pipe down. i think it will seriously damage the waterproofing membrane. if i had specified it upfront, i'm sure my contractor/plumber would have make allowance for 2 pipes (cold water up, and hot water down). oh well...