Tango81

Hi guys, Im a new flat owner. Proud to be one; but with major headaches, the renovation and purchasing proved to be a extreme challenge for me! Or maybe because I am very "yim chim". Geez, always a believer in squeezing every cents out of each dollar tt i spent. More often than not, i visit 3 to 4 shops just to view the same item to get the best service, price and product. Sounds pretty alright for a couple of items. But when I started doing that for tiles, carpentry, sinks, toilet bowls, hood, stove, oven blah blah blah....it proved to be extreme tiring. I continue to do this anyway, until one day when i step into this shop in Jalan Besar. My agenda was only toilet bowl that day. Or maybe that was the agenda for THAT week? It was probably the 50th toilet bowl i had enquired. (exagerated of cos). It was a typical kitchen and bathroom hardware shop with basins, toilet bowls, shower accessories on display. That was out of point. Anyway, I asked for recommendations. Normally people will simply give me sweeping statements of introduction. To my surprise, this salesman proved to be a walking wikipedia on toilet bowls, and started explaining to me the difference between brands, types of ceramics and flashing mechanism etc etc. What was nice was his pleasant attitude and his willingness to share. What more can I asked for when the salesman is able to tell me information ranging from branding to maintenance methods. Moreover, his shop was very competitive priced! I ended up buying the toilet bowl. Or rather, 2 toilet bowls, 1 sink, 2 basins, 3 taps, 1 rain shower, 2 towel hangers, toilet roll holders, biget etc etc. I basically bought everything there. He even took the effort to demo the various shower heads when I raised concerns of water-strength. He even took down his rainshower and demo to us. Best. And it doesn end there. I had items that I needed special arrangement. And he actually took the effort to ensure that things go my way. When the things were delivered to my place, all items are organised and numbered so clearly! My in law actually commented that those items looked as if they were for lucky draws. All in all, I had 4 to 5 encounters with this man, who is also the boss for the shop. All encounters were pleasant and service oriented that I quite stopped shop hopping. I even bought my oven and hood from him subsequent thru phone. With such customer service, it certainly makes my renovation experience better. Tango. =) Shop Name GR Link Marketing 155 Jalan Besar

Is it the rude uncle from Balestier? I went recently and encountered one as well. I think there's another shop selling PD at Eunos.

but vanity nice wor.... if not, i also dunno what to do with the empty space and look the toilet look 'classy'. =)

Hi People, Im renovating my toilet now. Need some advice. Is it practical to build cabinets in toilets? Vanity usually come in such design. Would the material decay fast? If not, what material should I use? Need help. Thanks! regards Tango

Hi people, my contractor quoted me $1550 for professional engineering services for wall hacking. Is it expensive? Also, does the PE need to be on site during hacking? Thanks. =)

Hi people, I happened to find a supplier that can just remove the granite top and replace it without hacking the concrete case. But i have not known of anyone who does tt and I dunno why. Any comments?

Hi people, does lightings position important for false ceiling? I think it affects the entire feel of the house at night. Any advices or anyone care to share photos of theirs? Thanks. =) regards Tango

Hi Everton, thanks! Do you mind sharing your PE contact? =) Im living in HDB. and it's them who wanted me to engage. hmm

Hello People, anyone has a recommended Professional engineer? Looking to engage one to facilitate the hacking of one wall. =) Thanks. Regards Tango

Hi people, im contemplating hacking a wall down to make the room more spacious. is PE necessary. Seems a bit expensive to engage a PE just for a wall. i think it cost abt 1k?..

i wonder if there are any products to even the color of the granite or anything similar. how much did it cost you to demolish and rebuild the entire thing? =)

wow thanks all for your advices. 500 for 2 big walls seem like a good deal. I will check it out. hopefully i find something that is cheap and good. wow typical singaporean. Ai Pi Ai Chi. lol. =) or maybe just myself.

ohhh so use putty. ok noted. thanks for all your advices. i know what to do now. just hope putty won drop off.

haha....ya black is ultimate. it will also look ultimately weird with my tiles. mine's quite similar to the one you displayed in the photos. would the cement leave any marking on the tiles after it dries up? it kinda look like patty. or is it patty? sorry, im not just newbie in reno. I am super newbie. hehehhe

My contractor is saying that wall papers don last in our climate and overtime will start to fray etc etc. Also that wall paper companies will charge bulk amount because im just gonna wall-paper one side of wall; and not the entire house. True? my house's quite small. think i'll give carpentry a pass. hmm dilemma....

Thanks neubie, =) sincerely appreciate your advice. I shall try. I assume I can also use the colored cement to "overwrite" the black cement grout to give it a new look? Any particular brand? I hope the hardware uncle wouldn give me this weird look when i just ask for colored cement. =) next is to look for a reasonable hardware shop. It seems that the assistants in Diy/homefix dont really specific trade suggestions. old shops are probably better. regards Tango

Hello people, I have just bought this place. The tiles condition is alright. But the grout between the homogenous tiles are dirty. In addition, there are gaps between tiles. I supposed that the grout fell off over time. Anyone knows how to fix the dirty grout? Is it possible to fill up the holes/gaps? Need advices. Thanks! =) Tango

Hello people =) what are your takes on the various materials for TV feature wall? Wall paper versus carpentry works vs tiles. There can be very pretty tiles these days and i thought they are quite suitable to be used for feature wall. Seemingly it can be quite cheap, costing as cheap as $3 psf, and i heard carpentry feature walls can be very expensive. =) tango

Hi people, I have just got a new place and I am vexed over the renovation. The previous owner used a granite kitchen countertop. But it's stained and discolored; the cooking area is alot darker than the original granite color. My contractor says it cannot be replaced and has to be demolished with the cabinets. To demolish and rebuild a new cabinet with countertop will probably cost 5k minimum? This probably bust my renovation budget. Any creative ideas to share? I even thought of laminating the kitchentop, which i thought it was a clown idea. lol. =) regards Tango