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Thanks. We topped up a little for the frosted glass doors... coz i'm lazy to choose what laminate for the wardrobe... and such doors seem to be the "in" thing now... and might actually lasy longer... so yes... now with the shower screen, and the vanity counter up... you can actually visualize how the end-product is... and the "narrow" path between the entrance to the wash basin or WC... anyway, we were expecting much worse; so in a way, we actually quite happy with this... but, if only i've read boyblunder's post abt altering the sewage pipes to switch position of the WC and wash basins, etc... i might have averted more headaches... and have better layout for my kitchen and 2 bathrooms... oh well...

Updates! (Day 62 - 04 Jun 2011) [Part 2] Kitchen track lights lightings.com.sg finally sent the replacements for the track lights... the previous ones were square... the ones I ordered were round... anyway, my wife is super pissed with one of their staffs' attitude... (he's a PRC guy)... we changed our downlights over the phone, after viewing other downlights on their website... however, when they sent the downlights over... it was supposed to be 2x13W... somehow, the 13W tube seems too big to fit in... and our electrician has no idea to how to fix it... when after lunch, we went to Chelsea lightings to look at their downlights... we realised that, most of them have a small "trapdoor" to allow the tubes to slide in slightly, before being plugged in... BUT the downlights we gotten from lightings.com.sg do not have this feature, and we have no idea how to fit the 13W tube inside... and the stupid PRC guy on the phone kept insisting that it can be done, and it's because we don't know how to fix, without even bothering to find out, whether they sent the wrong downlight (as in the wrong size)... or the tubes are wrong... i would put it... he's totally unhelpful... he wanted us to go down with the downlight and the tubes, and show us how it's done... when the deliveryman came, we told him to take a look, even without trying, he knew it's quite impossible to fit in... and that the size is probably wrong... so we called back lightings.com.sg again... and with their own staff explaining it... they finally agreed to send down their own contractor on Tue, which i'll be taking PM leave to oversee the installation of the fancoil units, the laundry system too... i totally love the effect created by the track lights... 3x4W LED track lights... each piece is abt $50+ (due to LED lights)... but at least it's very energy-efficient and not too hot (compared to the generic halogen ones)... though the warmness of the halogen lights look better... initially, i was tracking of using them more like surface mounted downlights... and i realised that having them reflecting the wall (esp a white glossy one) will have a greater lighting effect... Level 2 walkway like i've mentioned earlier, the track lights were meant to be surface mounted downlights initially, hence i told the electrician to install them at the middle of the walking path... but just now, when i was adjusting it by reflecting off the wall, i should have gotten the track light further out (as suggested by the electrician), so that there's greater angle to reflect off the walls... i like the lighting effect by the track lights - the lighted areas and the shadows... makes the not-so-interesting place more interesting... instead of being totally white-washed out (which my super bright staircase wall light does a "superb" job)... I'm tempted to add more track lights to the Level 2 walkway... to direct spotlight at the dark corners to create some interesting shadows and visuals...

Updates! (Day 62 - 04 Jun 2011) [Part 2] Foyer light earlier, i've shown the lights in action... now you can see how the light looks like... the light is the same one, outside my level 2 bathroom... Staircase wall light this is the so-called Spain designed wall light... i think it's fitted with 2x26W... i asked the salesperson for the max brightness... and i think it's super bright...

Updates! (Day 62 - 04 Jun 2011) [Part 2] popped by again, just now ard 5-ish... wanted to label some more items which we had purchased recently... and also to change the bulb of the track lights to the LED ones... Let's have a quick look at the ... Kitchen some updated pics after the carpenters called it a day... my wife picked the laminates... i would have preferred a slightly darker shade kind... but she likes something lighter... she's afraid I might not like it... it's not love at first sight for me... but i guess i'll slowly grow to like it... it's actually not that bad la... (self-consolation) at the bottom right, it's the pull-out condiment rack... due to our "strange" requirements, and the stupid LPG, it kind of screws up some plans... so yeah... there's this small space left... and I'm glad, it actually came to a gd use - i.e. as the condiment rack shelves... bought it from Sim Siang Choon... cost me abt $100+...

Updates! (Day 62 - 04 Jun 2011) More work-in-progress pics... Kitchen about 4 workers on site today... 2 working on the carpentry (kitchen, wardrobes, vanity counters...) 2 working on the doors Utility room A little close-up on the doors, after painting... the natural wood grain still visible... and this colour is nice... i'm using it for all the bedroom doors, main door and balcony doors... and it sort of fits nicely, with the original metal door frame, which is painted with some glossy suede metal paint...

Updates! (Day 62 - 04 Jun 2011) Some work-in-progress shots... MBR wardobe The frosted glass doors look kind of transparent ah? The MBR is the only bedroom that's different in colour scheme... the 2 common rooms are having more warm neutral kind... The MBR is more cool neutral... snowfield, mosaic grey... Common room wardrobe The only common room with built-in wardrobe, as it has a recessed area, just suitable for it, and also to cut some costs... This will double up as the guest room for the time being... The other room will be empty for now... might use it as an activity room, for my wife, when she has mahjong with her kakis... Or, i might convert it into an "activity" room... the colour scheme is chalk with natural linen... MBR bathroom it's kind of squeezy; but still not too bad, after the glass shower screen and the glass bathroom doors are up... need to tell the contractor to paint the box-up in grey... to fit in the grey theme... Common bathroom i really prefer the common bathroom layout... but somehow, due to the box-up of the waste pipes (which includes an overhang portion above the vanity counter), it sort of blocked the only bathroom light... u can see the angle from the shadow on the white box-up... and i really should tell them to paint the box-up grey... it's kind of a sore...

Oh... the electrician initially installed 1 switch for 2 balcony lights... but i felt my balcony lights are too bright... so i'm thinking of having individual switches, so i can control which one to switch on... because actually, one light is bright enough; 2 lights - it looks like almost daylight... hmmm...

You know you are suffering from renovation depression and it's affecting your mental health and you should take a break from it... (like just ignoring it til it's weekend) when u actually have nightmares abt it... Just a few nights ago, I dreamt that my projector + HTS were set up and while testing it... The most horrifying (ok... I'm just exaggerating...) thing happened... While testing a blu-ray disc, there was no sound (quite obviously, cos it's usually silent in dreams)... What's worse? There were giant sized grey pixels or artifacts appearing on the screen... Just like what the guy at KEC said abt lousy HDMI cable... But I've tested it at KEC before with the same amp and projector... The only reason I could come up with was that it was damaged during the laying of the cable... And now, I got a damaged cable stuck inside the L-box and I got to buy a new one and lay the ugly trunking outside... I woke up in the morning, wonderin whether it's an omen... Btw, it's only a dream... And now, I'm so sian seeing my contractor's name on my ringing mobile... And I hope my parents will stop nit-picking all the imperfections in the house... It was never perfect to start with... And any stupid design issues, it's solely our decision... (but poor workmanship is just frustrating) As if managing mine and my wife's expectations is not enough, I still have to deal with my parents'... Sigh... It's finally coming to an end very soon... Windows grilles are up ytd Kitchen cabinets starting to get installed... Lights replacements for the faulty ones are coming tomorrow... Kitchen tap (from eBay) coming Tmr Aircon fancoil installation + installation of laundry system next tues... Furniture and electrical appliances postponed to end June. I hope we can shift in before 1st Jul... Btw, any lobangs for curtains? Sent from my iPhone (pardon the typo errors)

i'm thinking of electric grilles, rather than traditional charcoal BBQ... think my wife will kill me for "smoking" the whole place... i hope the "smoke" will be less... but there's definitely still going to have some grease here and there...

I haven't started using them as of now... as for the cleaning part... think i'll ignore it... and prob only clean once or max twice a yr.. LOL... (lazy me...) or when the lights get dimmer (either the bulb going "weak" or it's covered with thick layer of dust...) LOL... I think changing the T5 tube or the fuse should not be too difficult... just a little twisting of the tube... i've changed them before in my current place...

UPDATES! (Day 58 - 31 May 2011) Staircase wall light ... from the ground level... ... from the level 2... i think it's too bright to see clearly the wall light... it's more of a uplight with frosted glass body... with a 2x 26W tube or so... quite bright... very bright actually... was initially considering between this and another up & downlight design (which was cheaper)... but decided to get this, coz the design is supposedly from Spain... oh well... didn't bother to take the lights in the other rooms... coz it was normal hamburger ceiling lights... actually, the electrican just called to inform. 1. 2 x T5 fixture/holder, from Chan Huat was faulty. 2. 2 x T5 lighting missing for my MBR (i guess for my MBR, it was maybe 8 x T5, instead of 6 x T5) 3. the tubes for the downlights are too big... either that, or my electrican's not sure how to fix it... i better go home and check the downlights again... SIGH... big SIGH... that's it for all... acid wash tomorrow, followed by kitchen cabinet installation on Fri... maybe i really didn't need to postpone my furniture delivery til end-Jun... OH WELL...

UPDATES! (Day 58 - 31 May 2011) I was informed that the electrician was going to install the lights on Mon; and I was so excited after work to pop by to see... but think he only did the prep work; most of the lights were still not connected yet. and I sort of gotten a "scolding" from my dad regarding the balcony doors, which he felt that it was very filmsy and totally not security-proof. i guess this is common for top-hung only doors. maybe i should have opted for top & bottom track kind... oh well... and he also highlighted some concerns, which cleong has raised, i.e. the gap between the floor and the doors are too big; the rain water will definitely come in... I'll prob have to look at the brush-like thing to be installed underneath to keep out the dust and rainwater... anyway, just want to quickly update some of the pics on the lightings, which I took last night, with my lousy iPhone 3GS. Entrance light it's quite a simple ceiling light... pretty bright, but it's just a small area la... supposed to be warm white... Dining Room I love the warm white cove lighting! (until i have to clean up the "dirt", dust", lizards' poo hidden inside there ) Breakfast Counter one of the 2 areas with track lightings... if I'm not wrong, it's currently using the halogen lights now... i think track lighting offers great flexibility to scale up (add or remove lights); adjust position (u can shift it along the track; but mine's only a 1-m track); or to adjust direction (msot act as some sort of spotlight). as the current fixture is square, instead of the round ones i've ordered, i'll be changing them this sat. the halogen bulbs will also be changed to warm white LED 4-W lights too. Living room warm white cove lighting here too, but it will have 2 daylight downlights at the tv console area, infront of the projector screen, in case i need to fiddle with the HTS and gadgets. Balcony] The 2 balcony outdoor lights are up; and they really light up the whole place; a bit too bright, i feel, if it's meant to create a more cosy feel. but i guess, it will be useful to have bright lights, in case, i decide to have a mini-bbq at the balcony. hehehe... btw, both lights are controlled by 1 switch now; which is dumb. i've informed the electrician to change it to individual switches.

Hey hock! It's 3600mm (L) x 2100mm (H). Some Lee Seng blah blah... Just now I went up to my unit. But forgot to take pic.

the balcony doors are solid nyatoh wooden door with glass (not too sure how thick; and it's definitely not tempered) - $3,025. I suppose you can request for tempered glass... prob with a little bit more top-up... I guess if it's aluminium framed... it's prob half the price... sliding doors would be cheaper... I'll check out the contractor and update later tonight. Thanks.

I also totally love her place... think it's Reiki Sanctuary or wat... really really cosy place... a place I would love to live in... maybe I should have just gotten her contractor / designer and replicate something similar for my place... oh well... imitation (though lacking creativity/originality) is the best form of compliment? and anyway, no need to reinvent the wheel, if it's really something you like... sigh... mine's already ending soon... too late...

actually, I'm also eyeing on a water feature like this for the balcony.

UPDATES! (Day 53 - 26 May 2011) - Continued Staircase the staircase is being sanded; the work looks sloppy here... zzz Level 2 walkway the workers are in the room... Bedroom 3 the main colour is "Chalk" (quite whitish...), the "feature wall" is "Natural Linen"... mixed feelings here... initially wanted to have a darker coloured "feature" wall; maybe champagne or chocolate... but i was afraid the room will appear a little dark... somehow, the natural linen didn't look very contrasting with the main colour... oh well... Bedroom 2 the other bedroom is having the same colour scheme... for consistency (and being boring...) LOL... the MBR was still being sanded... so no pics are available... let's just take it as a surprise... one of the workers was applying varnish/stain to it... PS: last night, after dinner, i went over for a look. just as i was going in to open the windows, i felt a sharp pain in my eyes and started tearing and was choking... the whole house reeked of very strong chemicals... it almost felt like i was at chemical warfare training in NS... LOL... I think I should leave the place alone for the next 2-3 days for the varnish and watever to dry and to air the place first...

Hey potatoes! I wouldn't want to share who's my contractor la... coz seriously, I'm not very pleased with him... but I think I'm too nice & soft to have things my way... I rather you take on some of the other contractors/IDs recommended by other forummers, such as Henry (marshmallow's, friends78's, etc), Donny (mae29's, st96's, etc)... If u want to know who he is to avoid him, I can PM you la... LOL... as for the design, it's mainly my own inputs, with suggestions and research from renotalk and magazines... (can check out Aaan's Hjiem)... so I won't credit my contractor/ID for that too... The main door is only half-fire-rated. It's sourced by my contractor; but I can think they leave their contacts on the doors, so later I can go take a pic of it. I suggest u can check out yontat, contat, or there's actually one shop at IMM, which does it... I went to check their prices, quite affordable too...

UPDATES! (Day 53 - 26 May 2011) Living room looking back into the living room... the main colour is "morning dew"... slight regret here... would have preferred a lighter shade... more airy and bright feel... but oh well... ... to the left, it's the future tv console area... in "clamshell" colour... if you stare hard enough at the ceiling near the wall, you should be able to see a recessed area/groove.... the projector screen will be installed there next time... ... to the right, it's the future sofa area... the 2 pieces of wires are the rear corners are speaker cables for the rear speakers... i might be converting them to in-ceiling speakers though... still considering... the cable in the middle is the 15-m HDMI 1.4 hi-speed cable, bought from a US retailer on eBay, but made in China... argh... oh well... still cheaper than buying it from sim lim tower... tested it at KEC; looks gd... but i hope the installation process or the workers did not sort of over-bend it or wat... stare hard enough and you can see the white ceiling mounted stand for the projector... Storeroom the annoying door knob... i asked my contractor abt this door knob, and i specifically told him that i do not want a knob... he said he will be providing a recessed ring knob; similar to those use in the electrical riser door along the corridor of HDB flats... Lightings purchases from Chan Huat at first, i thought the lightings would be quite a bit... but it still looks manageable... this is like 75%../ BUT i have like 18 T-5 tubes... the remaining 25% are my 5 downlights, 2 x 1-m track and 6 LED track lights from lightings.com.sg... apparently, the salesperson at lightings.com.sg cocked up... i wanted round track lights; he gave me square ones... zzz

UPDATES! (Day 53 - 26 May 2011) Balcony balcony exterior wall painted ICI Weathershield Iceberg... would have preferred the handrails to be painted... in a different colour though... maybe beige or light brown... oh well... view to the left... view to the right... the semi-unblocked views, after the "cage grilles" are removed... totally looking forward to chill out at the balcony, in the evenings next time... with ice-cold bottled beer, nachos and cheese dip! hehehe... and maybe some potted plants...

UPDATES! (Day 53 - 26 May 2011) Living Room view of the living room from the dining area... notice something different? let's get a closer look at it... Balcony doors The wooden foldable balcony doors are up... but not stained yet... looking gd... but i'm not sure how sturdy and well it can stand up to the elements of the weather... i suppose quite a bit of regular maintenance might be needed... oh well... a closer look at the catch/latch area... look at the screws... i'm not sure whether it will be secured... hmmm...

UPDATES! (Day 53 - 26 May 2011) Kitchen View of the kitchen from the dining area... Totally like this view... it always reminds me that the decision to hack the walls at the kitchen was a gd one... well... until I start cooking... LOL... (if we are ever going to do so... ) btw, the ugly "dirty" waste pipes are painted white and it's nice... for now... before they are covered up by the carpentry work... ... and the "cursed" kitchen floor tile... that looks different from its peer... can you spot it? won't be too difficult... i guess... LOL will wait til after the acid wash to give my verdict whether it should be replace again... sigh... Wash area Looking at the nice white waste pipes... i sort of regretted boxing up those in the 2 bathrooms above... not only they do cost more... they make the small place even more cramped... and i'm not too hopeful they can last long... argh... oh... my $15 wash basin from the Genova warehouse sale... it's really quite a steal... a normal small one which we were previously looking at, was ard $80...

UPDATES! (Day 53 - 26 May 2011) Popped by the place today to check out the work in progress... pleasantly surprised that there's new "additions". but at the same time, more "issues"... ARGH... i'm lazy to resize them and place them in nice layout... coz that really takes up quite some time... so the pics will be quite a bit... Main entrance The 2-leave main door is up... but not yet stained... the natural wood grain pattern looks gd... HOWEVER, i've told my contractor that I wanted the long handle bar with roller lock kind... and i told him i'm ok to top up... BUT apparently, he "conveniently" forgot abt it... argh... The staircase rails are painted matt black... and it looks gd... but the lousy workmanship on the handrail is still apparent... I'll give the updates, once they have "touched" up... view of the main door from the inside... and let's go check out what's in the utility... Utility Room ... my earlier purchases... storage heater, oven, hood & hob, sanitary and bathroom stuffs, electrical stuff... another complaint... the catch or latch of the door... it's not very well installed... i literally have to close the door d-a-m-n and give it an extra pull to close it properly... totally CMI (cannot-make-it)...

Hey mae29! Thanks for helping to take the pics and update the progress! If left to me to do it, I think it would be at least another week or so... Base coat done for ceiling and some parts of the walls... (can't really tell in the darkness... ) Varnishing of the parquet floor tiles will be done this Fri/Sat. The delivery of the lights will be this Sat morning/afternoon. and next Mon, I should be having some lights at the new place... I hope the choices will be ok... quite a bit of warm white lightings, in the living rm, dining rm, staircase, MBR, balcony ... cool white/daylight for kitchen, utility room, 2 common bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and hallway... and 2 sets of track lights with warm white LED for the 2nd level walkway, and the breakfast counter... warm white cove lighting for living rm, dining rm & MBR... every evening, when i walk home from the MRT station, i'll pass by my new place, and go up there and stay for abt 30 min or so... just looking at the same things again... spend some time abt the balcony, enjoy the breeze... in the darkness... i hope things will turn out smoothly at the end... on the contrast, my wife doesn't really like going up all the time, coz she feels it's the same; there's no new things to see... LOL...

I also starting to worry abt my laundry arrangement... the ceiling area at the kitchen, seems a little narrow to have indoor air-drying... hmmm... poor layout planning on my part...