adidaem

My 2 cents is that his comment of asking Ipineapple to do his homework could be construed as provocative. I used back his phrase in my response in my earlier post... Really doesn't sound nice right? Anyway I recall reading why craft bricks have to be used. Is some HDB rule. Not sure which exact one. So I think is good to clear up this technical point for the benefit of new to reno readers.

Craft stones are used for a reason. Do read the HDB rules or to quote you "Just go and do some homework and u will know.": Replacement of internal wall finishes up to ceiling level Permit required? Yes Conditions: -No tampering of existing structures is allowed -Total thickness of the wall finishes including cement screed must not be exceed 25 mm. Laying of wall finishes on bare concrete surface provided by HDB up to ceiling height Permit required? No Conditions: -No tampering of existing structures is allowed -Surface of reinforced concrete wall is not allowed to be hacked to form key for tiling -Spatterdash or other equivalent shall be used to form key for tiling -Total thickness of the wall finishes including cement screed must not exceed 25 mm How do you use real bricks less than 25mm? And no point hacking the entire wall to rebuild right?

Woah! Bare hands! I use the Combat ant bait. The type with small pellets can grow moldy so I dont like it.

Do rethink the marble. Newly polished marble looks and feels amazing. I've seen horrid looking ones that looked pretty nice after polishing. Such a waste to hack away!

Oh dear. Sorry I am afraid I really don't know... Think best if you can get another quotation for comparison. Unfortunately I don't have another contact and I didn't check the technical details (hubby handled this).

It was done by pang Giap. Part of overall cost so I don't know breakdown. Pang Giap is highly NOT recommended tho. They did a horrid job.

Yeah, she currently has a few costumed dolls for C$18,900 each. So pretty tho, sigh...

I agree with your hubby! The before condition really doesn't matter if you plan to whack away everything. In fact all the better for lower COV. You can see many RT-ers before/after pics for some motivation. And do keep the terrazzo if possible. Not easy to do terrazzo floors now plus it's not cheap. You can have a look at this: http://www.homeanddecor.com.sg/homes/hobby-house

Hmm... think not as noisy. But still irritating while watching TV. Why don't you go and test it out at the store/outlet? Btw we never use the mopping function... think too troublesome to change water/clean mopper. The other one we looked at is the iRobot, but went with iClebo in the end.

I'm not sure! I think the expensive part is really the motor? So if it's 3 motor I think 6K sounds cheap. Can you share your contractor contact for the benefit of other EM owners?

It was sourced by my ID - it's not the fan that is long, but the pole... all 2.5m of it. Think you pay more for longer pole lengths. From: http://www.relitespecialty.com/contact_us.php Yup, matt white. I guess matt or glossy is personal preference? All my laminates are matt. Good for people with greasy fingers like me! Glossy laminates are finger print magnets...

No prob. Thanks to you I now know about drippy compressors. Suspect my hubby knows cos he was the one who insisted on having a tray. I went along cos I thought the bottom will look ugly otherwise. So superficial! Haha!

No way! Yes those dolls are truly expensive. I think of them more as a work of art than for play. Love the costumed ones. Can't imagine buying one but I did get the book to beow. All the best with packing/unpacking! Think moving is such a major headache for most collectors.

Ah, dolls. I have a weakness for enchanted dolls. http://www.enchanteddoll.com/galleries/index.html Your shelves are great! Shall await your display...

... Seriously... Read this: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/

I so disagree with this statement. My batch came out to work during recession. So far I've experienced a few in my not too long working life. If anything, those of us who are recession babies can be more prudent in financial planning. Such sweeping generalizations do us no credit. Your generation enjoyed massive property price increase during the long bull run, but my generation have not experienced the same. Maybe you can read this: http://www.wealthbriefing.com/html/article.php?title=Gen_X,Y_More_Sensible_Planners_Than_Baby_Boom_Gen&id=47280

Oh my water discharge pipe goes to the waste trap in the balcony. No need to manually empty.

We got our place in mid-2011 and when we first signed the OTP 2 months before, we were told that the mkt will crash by end-2011, etc. Almost a year later, prices have actually gone up. I think it is a tough decision and we made the decision to buy mostly cos we no longer wanted to be at the mercy of our landlord. If you read the news, the bad news are always there. Why not do a cost analysis and see if your rental over x years can cover the possible decrease in ppty value? If yes, then why not buy rather than pay rental? Just my 2 cents. All the best!

Programming by hubby... but yeah can perform a daily run if you want. We don't really bother tho. Initially yes but cos we are both not home in the day, we can only let our robot run at night and I don't like the noise... You have to make sure there are no wires on the floor that can trip up the 'critter' tho. And we encountered the robot getting stuck underneath our sofa. But it's a good thing to get if you are the type who must clean the floor daily.

Oh, maybe that is why I didn't encounter any dripping problem. We have trays (with drainage pipes) for my compressors.

If you must get an IKEA bed, I suggest getting a piece of wood to place over the wooden slats. I grew up sleeping on an IKEA bed and I have to say they are not the most comfortable or lasting beds. The slats have a tendency to sag and the individual slats can break if you throw some abuse at them e.g. jump onto bed. So having the wooden board gives additional support. For the lower bunker, it can also be stuffy, depending on the ventilation used (ceiling fan, ac or stand fan). So just check and see if your gal on the lower bunk sleeps ok.

Oh ya, like the cat in Meet the Fockers right? We are both super space wasters, if you go by government planner thinking... But it doesn't feel too big for us. Space is just right, and if anything I am worried there isn't enough space if family expansion happens. For this, I envy my Malaysian family/friends who stay in nice big houses/apartments. Based on casual chat they say about 1,800 sqft and above is normal for a family. Then again, my Hong Kong friends tell me 1000-1100 sqft is quite a 'luxury' size for a family in Hong Kong (the HK dramas show unrealistically big apartments!) so we just count our blessings lor. Hehe, I am not a kid but also messy... But I think EM is good for families toilet sharing wise anyway. 1 for mum & dad, 1 for kids to share, 1 downstairs for grandparents (assuming they stay downstairs for convenience/less climbing) and/or maid. It can be such a pain to wait your turn to visit the loo... Btw today is a very windy day (from the Southern direction) and my fairly new roller shutters are being put to good use blocking the wind in the balcony. Now I understand why so many of my neighbors have installed roller shutters even tho my block doesn't really get the afternoon sun. Glad to have the wind back tho I wish it's a little less strong. Then again, I don't even have to switch on the fans today. As for price... if the economy tanks, I'm prepared for a significant fall in ppty prices. But will just enjoy the place for the next 4 years and not think so much. How is your awning project coming along?

Hi EMRENO, congrats on your new place and happy decorating! I compiled a list of stores to buy home accessories and decor here: http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/places-to-buy-home-accessories-decorations/ For modern items, apart from IKEA which can be fairly ubiquitous, I'll also recommend Franc Franc (Vivo store is much better than JCube) and Muji depending on whether you prefer minimalist style. Commune is having good discounts on their glass and ceramic items (40%) right now, so if you need those you can pop by. Typo/Mono Yono/Egg3/Oddjects are nice but tends to veer towards quirky (more for vintage or industrial chic IMO), Atomi ceramics are nice but VERY pricey, King & King Wong/Molecule/Merge Living/Iwannagohome! tends to the more dramatic/baroque type of look.

Aiya, you have kids and I don't so cannot compare. Plus I tidy up before I take photos! My kitchen island and dining table is usually a mess cos we just dump stuff on the available surfaces. Actually those are old photos from before I installed cabinets under the window. Am waiting for a new piece of furniture before I take new pics. I know with 2 pax for an EM we have ample living space, but I do frequently wonder where to move to after this. Must be centrally located with good transport network, must be spacious, and must still be affordable! Think cannot find...

Am using iClebo. Works fine. Tho we have a weekend helper come over, sometimes the floor feels a bit dusty mid-week (probably cos we usually open our windows). So the robot cleaner really helps cos I/we are so lazy to use the vacuum cleaner. We only use it on the 1st level.