csingeu

your tile selection process is so rigorous... i wonder if anyone else did the same... and if i've read this b4 i chose mine... i might just follow your selection process.. LOL...

eh.. it's correct... you go look at my floor plan lor... LOL... the 0.9 x 2.4m area is the recessed portion of one of the bedrooms, which i'll having a built-in wardrobe.

D-A-M-N big can.. lol.. it's twice the size of my MBR (5 x 3.5 = 17.5sqm) even if i hacked my other 2 common rooms into one big room, it's only (7.4 x 3.3 + 0.9 x 2.4) = 26.5sqm... still nowhere near to yours lor...

yes... i agree... i think maybe doing masters full time, and working part-time as teaching assistant or research engineer, etc... would be a better option. btw, he will be doing masters of arts (naval architecture) or wat? somehow, i still feel it's gd to work a bit first then go for masters... at least for my case, i felt i have a better idea what i want to do, and which areas i want to have more knowledge on, then zoom-in to the particular masters programme which offers me that and also which electives to take... if his results are very gd, and he clearly knows what he wants to achieve out of his master's education... then very gd lor... just continue after undergrad studies (at least, he won't lose momentum)... but if he's hoping to have a better starting salary (due to paper qualification), which is possible, if the particular industry values higher educated professionals... i would suggest to reconsider... i don't know how much passion he has for his craft... but sometimes, what one studies in his course and what he is eventually working as in the industry may vary... and even if it's the same... sometimes, people's passion and interests change over time too... and again, with higher qualifications, bosses' expectations also higher, and likely won't just treat you like any normal fresh graduate (even though you might be new to working life) somehow, a lot of my colleagues who are studying Architecture, also continued with their Master's after their undergrad studies... maybe it's very common for architecture students... just my thoughts again...

Congrats on getting your EM! seems like suddenly there's a lot of new EM owners in renotalk. Gen-2 layout looks gd... and it looks more like a proper 4-bedroom unit...

ermmm... won't la... wife not ard... plus already confirmed with contractor... think gd or bad... just live with it lor... yah... think weekends... likely to check out sanitary wares again... but will go check out Poh Joo, Royal Fanco, GRLink... and maybe also settle my projector and HTS... hmmm... and maybe talk to contractor abt the doors... sigh... think i really want my veneer doors...

I wanted to go Jap next yr for my honeymoon one.. but i think maybe for the next 20 yrs... i'll avoid Japan...

SUPER BIG LA... LOL...

WAH... your kitchen looks cool... i think it's really a gd decision to hack the kitchen wall and get your island... and you still have space for your tall unit to house your built-in ovens...

btw, where did you get your rain shower set from? and how much ah? what brand?

It's better to have ambitions than to have none. Gd that he has self-motivation to "upgrade", and by his own credit (aka applying for a scholarship for his further studies)... But sometimes, one has to be realistic about things... a paper qualification is not everything; work experience still matters. 9.8 + 3 months = 12.8 months of bonus... that's a lot lor... it's like getting 2 yrs of salary for 1 yr of work... LOL... maybe it's common outside to have >6 months bonus... but at my place, the normal is abt 3-4 months bonus only... oh well... I feel when one is young, better chiong a bit more, i will go for Firm B la... quickly build up my savings base... (but not at the expense of health and family lah)... But if being an Architect is his interest, definitely going for his own passion is more impt; esp so when he's still pretty well paid for doing what he likes to do... I do agree that lecturing at Polytechnic at such an early age... is... ermmm... premature... it's more like a semi-retirement option... i guess... and i guess they prob want ppl with higher paper qualification (a Master would be a gd start), and maybe a fair amount of work experience and industry practice (i reckon minimally 10 yrs?) just my thoughts... money will always be a motivation for most people... until it reaches a certain amt, high enough, to fulfill most of your desires... and laws of diminishing returns kick in... and as always, there will be a trade-off... and it's likely time... and maybe then, having time to do your own things and having a sense of accomplishment (thru completing challenging tasks) and job satisfaction may be valued more, or even being appreciated by others... Maslow's hierachy of needs?

$840 for a WC... seems too much of a luxury item for me... Thanks! Can't wait for it to start... and I pray for a smooth renovation... it's really tiring...

Our final scheme for the bathrooms... :| 1. Feature wall at shower area: Toronto Antracita (dark grey mosaic-like stony tiles) 2. Rest of bathroom wall: very light grey 60x30 wall tiles 3. Floor tiles: mid-grey 30x30 rough tiles (it's 1 shade lighter than the wash area floor tiles). maybe the floor tiles should be darker... what do you think? the initial selection which I saw at the showroom was having the light grey tiles extend from the wall to the floor... but we wanted to change to a rougher and 30x30 floor tiles... salesperson suggested having a darker coloured tiles for the floor... but we didn't want it to be too dark... so this is what we got...

spent over 3 hrs at White Horse (Sungei Kadut) tile warehouse... For living, dining, utility room, our selection for the whitest, glossiest 60x60 tile remains. (and thankfully stock is coming from msia; should be in time) For kitchen, 1. Changed our ktichen wall tiles to very plain (vanilla) white (but glossy) 60x30 wall tiles; instead of the original marble-like glossy tiles (white glossy with very faint grey veins)... scared next time become very dated... and it's a pain in the *** to match the floor tiles with the faint grey veins... 2. our previous selection remains our 1st option (it's greyish-brownish 60x60 tiles); the salesperson said it's very low stock (but should still have barely enough for us)... she said... this kind of tiles not very popular... coz not a lot of ppl know how to "appreciate" it... LOL.. 2nd option: was some light grey 60x60 tiles... Decided on 60x60 tiles for kitchen, even though we are aware of the water running issue... coz i don't expect the kitchen to be "wet wet" or flooded all the times... likely to be using magic-wipe or dry mop la... for balcony floor tiles, brownish rough 30x30 tile remains. for wash area floor tiles, dark greyish rough 30x30 tile remains. wall tiles will be the same as the kitchen wall tiles. now for the headache part, which is the common toilet and MBR toilet. initially, we wanted the lighter theme (the ivory series kind)... even though it "harmonizes", the feature wall won't be striking... hence we changed to darker theme (either grey or brown).... we selected the balcony floor tiles (dark brown) as the toilet floor tiles... the toronoto marron series (brownish rough mosaic-like stones) for the feature wall... and matt white 30x45 tiles for the wall... while we were resting in the lounge, waiting for the salesperson to check the availability of our tiles & sipping coffee, i noticed one of the displays outside, was using light grey and dark grey tiles... and the furnishing (potted plant and wooden rack) looked gd with it... the wall and floor tiles are the same light grey tiles (which fulfilled the effect i wanted to create), and the 2-tone effect was achieved with the darker grey wall files on one side of the wall... hence we discussed, and decided to change to this instead... 1. Feature wall: Toronto Antracita (dark grey mosaic-like stony tiles) 2. Rest of wall: light grey 60x30 wall tiles 3. Floor tiles: mid-grey 30x30 rough tiles (it's 1 shade lighter than the wash area floor tiles). AND HENCE, i still end up with my "dark dark small" bathrooms... i hope it will look OK in the end... it might just look more raw industrial, than resort-like... and maybe a bit "cold"... but oh well... it's supposed to be "restful"... and i'm hoping the lighting will make a difference... and also the light grey wall will not make it too "gloomy"... *hur-hur* balcony, wash area, bathroom floor tiles are from the same series; just different shades of brown and greys... we'll be posting the photos of the samples later tonight, when I'm home...

ya... heard that the bigger the tiles, the harder to install... and the manufacturing defects are higher too... maybe harder to make it flat... another thing is that for small areas, there will be more wastage... gd thing => less grout lines. hmmm... i'm still considering between stainless steel or granite (the blanco one, or the carysil one)... think stainless steel also got a few kind... matt finish, etc... and i think some of them if you check the inner side, under the sink, they are coated with some materials to prevent condensation, in case, people put cold stuff inside to thaw... my contractor is quoting me for "nyatoh-ply"... i don't even know what is that... i think i still like veneer doors better... the laminates nicer... but contractor said... nyatoh-ply better... more sturdy and can easily stain to other colours next time... i'm checking out mrs chew's tonight... i roughly gotten a quote from her for my balcony (abt 100sqft incl wastage); it's like $2.3K... meaning abt $23psf incl installation... i think the most $$$ one i've gotten is $2.5K... the cheapest can be ard $13psf... but you wouldn't want the cheapest... (must be something wrong)... i think ard $18psf - $20psf should be reasonable... no? mrs chew recommended solid veneer doors... she said better sound-proofing lor... too bad, i already gotten from Kong Tai liao... if not, can go Mega Discount to swipe cards... maybe i'll get my TVs there lor... hmmm... i haven't really measure my area... but of my mind, i think i can get ard a 80cm double bowl one... hmmm... think Toto too $$$ liao... if not, i think the quality should be better ba.. ? think i'll just try to get Baron... seems like it's quite well-recommended...

i also like the room wall colours... very refreshing... colourful... but not overwhelming...

Woah... you already have >200 posts before you start this t-blog... or did you have another t-blog for your previous place?

that's great! interested to see how your 2 bathrooms will turn out.

I'm getting a glass hob with solid surface top too... Hmmm...

just talked to wife... think she's more ok to follow my suggestion of a "lighter" theme... and to avoid the "dark" tiles.. but will definitely, go for a darker shade for the floor tiles. This one is not the whitest of the white... we later went back to chose again... but like you mentioned, it's out of stock... but i think they have went to request for more tiles from their malaysian factory (at least for White Horse la)... now that I've looked at the few tile shops... i think white horse really cheaper... but not too sure abt durability and quality of material lah... ok then... will KIV the sink for now... what sink you getting? stainless steel? granite?

i'm going to reselect my kitchen tiles tmr... i might just pick the similar kind as yours... including the kitchen cabinet laminate...

I do hope so la... we 2 very frickle-minded one... and very "shui bian"... so kept changing minds... esp after hearing other ppl comment... want to try something different... yet very scared the results haywire and then have to face it for at least the next 10-15 yrs... and that's the con of not having an ID... sometimes, these kind of things... a bit hard to visualize... a tile by itself might look nice... but when used on a large area... might have different feel... and also realised me and wife have quite different perspectives on aesthetics!!! LOL... rickoveron, you mean for floor tiles or wall tiles? or in general? yah... won't get too rough kind... maybe more matt look, then rough... for the floor tiles... for the wet areas... need to think abit la... maybe still need a *bit* rougher or anti-slip... yes... understand the cleaning and maintenance issue... but still keen on getting the feature wall for the shower area... LOL... actually... the lighter theme... it's my selection... the other one is my wife one... we are quite ok with either one... but definitely... need to do a bit more mix & match of the complementary tiles... I actually like this better... some in this kind of pattern... and also the greyish tone... but my wife likes the mosaic-like kind... and a more brownish tone... but now, i'm more for the ivory series... LOL... modern resort style... can be white/beigey series also... can add the woody stuff (bamboo rack, vanity counter with wood laminate, indoor potted plants)... can also add to the modern resort theme... don't need to be too "dark" ba...

I did go and try sitting on them... but yah lor... coz we are clothed... like not much friction... also don't know what's comfortable... just want to get the one other ppl are getting... lazy to think so much... yah... agreed that flushing power very impt... the Geberit systems seem very popular... my contractor recommended me to go Adamas to look-see... and the salesperson recommended the clayton ones (from msia)... then i came home to do research... got ppl in renotalk mentioned that... it sucks... after flushing, bits of poo fly out one and get "splattered" on the walls... so today, when i'm using the toilets in office and school, i noticed the brands they are using... my office using Toto... and NUS using Rigel... my classmate also using Rigel... some other on renotalk recommended Baron... or American Ideal... so which ones did you all get ah?

yes.. i think lightings.com.sg basic lights are very affordable too... likely to get my wall lights from Chan Huat... and maybe also the remote controls for the lights... btw, where's homeplus located? and also... specifically, which brand/model of WC you using? I need to bring along my notepad and take down the prices leh... now i also don't know what kind of downlights i need... there's like so many different selection... in terms of looks... and also wattage, etc... hopefully, can get all the lights from one place la... save the hassle... wanted to go to royal fanco last sun (when i was driving to balestier road to check out the other tile shops, lightings and sanitary wares)... but by the time, i'm done with balestier road, it was almost dinner time and starting to rain... so didn't go down... quite tiring to go all the way there... from jurong... *bleahz* yes... would need to check out again... but i think now... WC more impt... actually... need to confirm kitchen sink now too? need the dimension to plan the kitchen cabinet design? *blur*

yah... tomorrow, I'm going to lug a lot of stuff down to the tile showroom... my home decor books, magazines, tile samples (from Hafary for my shower feature wall), laminate samples (for my vanity counter and kitchen cabinet)... and camp there for 2-3 hrs... until we confirm our tile selection... no more time to waste le.. and change minds... I think the contractor charging ard $2.3K to $2.5K... but i've tried calling up the suppliers directly... i've gotten quotes from $13psf to $23 psf... my balcony is ard 90+ sqft... plus wastage... ard 100 sqft lor... so it can be as cheap as $13psf... but don't know the quality and workmanship la... i intend to go down to look for mrs chew tmr, after my tile selection... and check out their doors... and the chengal wood decking... if not too $$$, it'll do chengal wood decking also lor... already getting wooden folding doors... feel like getting the decking to match leh... and i also want to check my doors to veneer doors leh... i think it's much better... but contractor kept trying to convince me otherwise... and now... he said... coz he helped to apply to do the main door for me (which involves hacking... and redoing the main door frame, as i'm enlarging it)... he said... he will need to do the main door too... ... **** sian... i thought can get him to do the door frame... but get my veneer solid doors elsewhere... but i'll definitely take out the room doors... from his quotations... and get from mrs chew, if it's much cheaper... i really got no idea how nyatoh ply doors compare with veneer doors... Eh... i'm not too sure... whether it's a lot cheaper than HN or Courts... i think got pros and cons la... think Courts stuff... (no offence)... should avoid la... i've heard a lot of "rumours" that they repossess items which ppl cannot pay instalments for... and then repackage to resell... As for HN, think if they got renovation or clearance sale, might get fire sale deals... and also, if you want to use credit cards to get cash rebates and points... maybe buying from the bigger stores... might have better deals... sometimes got free items and gift vouchers... but i think someone mentioned b4, coz the bigger stores have more staff and showrooms, and hence likely the items will need to be marked up to cover the operational cost of hiring ppl and renting space... not sure if it make sense... Cons from buying from the smaller stores, likely have to pay cash or NETS...