adidaem

Thanks Gakuseisean! I do agree that overseas do minimalist better. In Sg tends to be poorly executed or a badly misunderstood concept. Actually my place is not truly minimalist cos I'm fairly practical at heart. Take my oversized hood that gave my IDs much angst. Also, SG mags don't tend to feature minimalist interiors. They tend to cater to the quirky or contemporary crowd. I do think it's also cos of HDB constraints. It's hard to achieve minimalist interiors in smallish apartments. 'Form' magazine sometimes have some nice places, and the others that I like are 'Dwell'/'Dwell Asia' and 'Habitus'. As I learnt from my IDs and contractor in the course of the reno, you have to be disciplined down to the little details. I'll take the pic below as an example... The sofa does not have the clean lines required to match a truly minimalist concept (true minimalists have painful butts imo...), the upper left corner mess of walls and lines leaves much to be desired. The door with patterns totally destroys the 'clean' look and the clock is a distraction. Even the line running across the upper right wall is distracting. A true minimalist would have hidden/removed these as much as possible. One thing I have to say... minimalist does not equal white. It's not the absence of color that makes an interior/the design minimalist, but the combination of clean lines and absence of clutter. The best example I have seen is this Singapore 5 room HDB... Euphony has compiled some examples in his t-blog for reference: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=45542

Thanks bento. U mean my wp blog ya? M continuing to blog for fun. Daily readership is increasing which is quite encouraging. Hope u get a unit you like soon. Love staying in my place like many of the other EM owners who hv gone thru reno. As for purchases, still continuing... Helps that wallet has some what recovered from the huge hole reno made. Think wait for GSS to hv fun. Which ones did u like anyway? Edit: oh dear. Read about your trouble with the buyer. I would threaten the agent with an official complaint if he keeps up the nonsense. There is an official channel for real estate agents complaints right? But then I can be a little hotheaded so think carefully before you take the nuclear option. He may make things difficult for you during handover later.

I do notice that prices in general have gone up. Units asking for 800k n above are more common. Take the now famous toa payoh 5 room flat for example.

Could it be this unit with the said $150k reno? http://www.thinkproperty.com.sg/listing/printListingDetail/id/1221287/type/S/page/1 http://www.iproperty.com.my/singapore-property/1221287/Hougang-Executive_Maisonette-ForSale Could be a rare thing due to renovated unit.

Means Gen 2 EM layout? Mine is a Gen 2 and without shelter in the balcony. During heavy rains, less than 1/3 of the floor will get wet. Think it really dps on what you plan to use the balcony for? I use mine as alfresco dining area and it works fine with outdoor tiles and furniture. If you use the balcony for hanging clothes then you may want to install some protection. So far for Gen 2 layouts the 3 common work done are: 1. Install Aluminium retractable Roller shutters 2. Roof over to create another room 3. Glass window the entire double storey space (rare)

60 to 80k is sufficient, but you will have to watch your budget. Best if you can find a place where the flooring can be salvaged i.e. good condition marble and parquet (for rooms) cos that is a good 10-20k savings. For marble, understand that deep cracks cannot be repaired/salvaged. Parquet can be sanded down and re-varnished. If stairs/rails can be salvaged, better still cos to re-do stairs costs anything from 4 to 10k depending on design/materials. Usually the big ticket items will be the 3 toilets (total re-do), kitchen (carpentry is always expensive), flooring, stairs, electricals (re-do for safety reasons) and lightings (more points e.g. downlights = higher cost), aircon (7-8k if you want 6 blowers/2 compressors), windows/sliding balcony doors. The rest like carpentry (wardrobes, beds, tv console, storage, study area, vanity), main/room/toilet doors, false ceiling and feature wall will really depend on what you want to do, and how much you are willing to spend. 100k reno is not unusual too. 20k cov sounds low. Good luck with reno if you do get a unit.

I also don't think the top cabinets are required if you literally don't cook at all (like a friend I know who only boils water) - nor is it absolutely necessary for cove lighting... you can do false ceiling. Given your small kitchen, I think a false ceiling would be nicer (based on my visualization). Purely from a commercial POV, it makes sense to include top cabinets cos carpentry adds to overall reno cost, so make sure your ID really has your interest/the design at heart, and not the profits. For a really clean look, perhaps you can think about concealing anything that you could potentially expose outside. Think about using built-in microwave, and for kettle, find a niche or cabinet/pull-out drawer for it. It does make a huge difference... unless you have some designer kettle that can serve as a nice decorative feature too, like a spot of bright color/accent. But it will not be comfortable to lounge around in. I'm a huge believer in comfortable sofas/seating in general. So unless you don't have a choice, do re-consider and test your sofa comfort-level before you get a skinny sofa.

Thanks ejzoen! You may like to check out my latest list: Places to buy home accessories & decorations

Wow are you popping by everyday?

If my place had salvageable marble flooring, I would have tried my best to save the flooring I think. It's a 5 fig savings. Agreed with cleong. Learning from my experience, hacking walls may not sound like they cost a lot, but then you have to construct new ones, perhaps get PE endorsement, etc etc... it all adds up. Do you need a much bigger kitchen? If not, then perhaps just keep the study room as it is. You can build cabinets on the wall for more storage. As for the kitchen, I think the smaller space can be better planned for more storage. E.g. floor to ceiling cabinets instead of just upper and lower ones. Again from experience, plan for niche for microwave, rice cooker, coffee maker, bread bin, etc to keep clutter from kitchen tops. Somehow I feel that the service balcony's double height space is a bit of waste... plus if you put your storeroom there, coupled with glass windows can people see your storeroom? Just things to consider if you haven't thought about it... if you can, the service yard can also be the maids room, and the area under the stairs the storeroom. But whatever we say, most importantly just go ahead and do what makes you happy. It is your place after all. You will stay in it so you should know what you want/need best. Hope you have a happy reno journey. Don't forget to snap more pics now so that you can do a before-and-after ya?

Welcome. Just being kaypoh. And I do enjoy seeing unusual layouts. Hope your maid doesn't mind her 'Harry Potter' room... Remember to plan how to move in the bed and furniture in cos the space looks quite tight. Hope you can plan for a small writing desk (perhaps a fold down panel? and electrical points in the little room. And perhaps a fan for warm nights? Do you plan for your guests to use the toilet on the 1st floor? If you move the toilet to the service balcony where you plan to convert to storage, not so nice for guests to go past your storage stuff ya? Perhaps relocate the door to the other wall instead? Then you can sort of enclose off the enclave to the toilet vs the kitchen. Ok, my neurosis in separating the loo and kitchen acting up again... But seriously, I think it's quite important to have a nice overall 'toilet experience' for guests. After all, whichever is the designated guest toilet will probably be the only toilet your guests will see/use. Btw, Boyblunder mentioned before in his blog that you can relocate the pipes on the 1st floor since the loo affected is the one on the 2nd floor. I.e. to relocate the toilet bowl on the 2nd floor. Thought to bring it up cos your 2nd toilet's layout seems not conducive for a 'dry' toilet. IMO would be better if the shower area is at the end where the toilet bowl is now located. Erm, like mine? You mentioned re-doing all the floors, what material is the current flooring? Doing new parquet will cost a fair bit, not to mention time required for the parquet to dry properly. No way to salvage any of the current flooring?

Hey, you mentioned hacking off the store, why do you want to do that? It can be done, but then do you plan to construct another store? Actually one major drawback of maisonette is that the storeroom is woefully inadequate. From my current experience staying in a maisonette, you need a place to store all your cleaning equipment like mops, pails, vacuum cleaner. Also your luggage, MJ table, ladder and all the usual rubbish that ends up in a storeroom. Without planned space for these items, you'll probably end up cluttering your space (like me!) which means eyesores around the house. In fact, if you don't need a maid's room, the area under the stairs would be ideal. If not, perhaps the service yard? In the service yard, noticed that you still left the stove there. My understanding from my reno was that the stove MUST be located in the kitchen area. You can move it anywhere within the kitchen area, but not out of the kitchen. Initially I'd plan to relocate my kitchen too, but that 'dream' was quickly dashed. Even my FSM told me during the reading that it's not possible based on his experience FS-ing HDB apartments. You can refer to the HDB rules here: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/HomeRenoGuidelinesBuilding?OpenDocument#Kitchen I like the TV location in the new plan cos you can use the false wall to hide all your cables and wires. You probably need good curtains or blinds at the balcony in case you watch TV in the day tho. Could be too bright? You blocked up the guest toilet? Perhaps you can shift the toilet entrance (depending on where the pipes are) if you don't like the current entrance facing. Do also plan for a decent sized shoe rack.

Thanks. We used IDs, so I think their sense of design/spatial/lighting awareness shows in the end results. You may want to take note of the beams location in planning for the areas. E.g. if you make the kitchen squarish, the overhang from the 2nd floor may 'cut' across the counter, which may not be good. Depending on where you and your family spends most of your time, you may want to make the living room at the end where it seems (from the floor plan) to have good ventilation. For my reno, the location of the existing pipes played a big role too. Yeah, I prefer the maid's room at the stairs cos it's an awkward corner anyway, and getting ventilation from the balcony is nice... I always pity maids who sleep in windowless rooms with poor ventilation. I'll probably go mad if I am cooped up all day in a dinky stuffy room. For the 'Mahjong room', normal glass may not be good enough to muffle the noise. My friend who renovated her place and replaced her wooden toilet door with glass ones regrets it cos of the noise. She mentioned that wooden doors are far better. Unless you are willing to do the double glass doors/walls like those used in my office's meeting rooms. The sound-proofing effect is quite good for double-walled glass.

Is this at Bt Batok? Think I saw this on propertyguru a few months ago. Congrats on your new home and good luck with your reno. How about locating the maid's room at the staircase area? I see a couple of beams criss-crossing overhead and it may not be comfy to sit under beams if you locate your living room there. Yeah, I think HDB does't allow relocation of kitchen/stove. You can try applying, but best to make sure your IDs know the rules well. I like the double spaced atrium. Gives a very unique sense of space upon entry.

Oh so nice! Congrats on having a lovely home!

Yes! Sigh, and yet they still retained the rules on wirings and pipes for older HDB flats. Can't tell the doors from the pics you posted, but good that HDB has moved away from the doors with moldings/patterns. Look forward to seeing your end product. Enjoy the furniture shopping (and bargain hunting?)! Probably the part that my hubby and I miss the most. Yeah, I was quite taken by the SG apartment too. Even sent the pics to my contractor to ask some technical questions.

Thanks for liking my house. We had it easier with a larger space and mostly hackable walls. Personally I am less willing to sacrifice practical living for 'beauty'. E.g. I would never have agreed to the off-centre TV/sofa in the Singapore apartment. Think if my IDs had their way, the place might be even more minimalist. Not sure if they will reject a small project, but you just have to be prepared that 'minimalist' design doesn't mean minimal budget. All the false walls, hidden lights and concealed wirings don't come cheap. Even perfectly working doors may have to go cos they are not 'minimalist enough (all my doors were changed cos of that). Agree that it's hard to hack your walls cos of the layout. For the floors, can I suggest tiles instead of concrete flooring? Unless you don't mind hairline cracks that'll appear over time... personally, I can't stand cracks. Plus for concrete it's hard to get the right color. And by using grey instead of white, the entire apartment look/feel will also be radically different. Here's one example for reference: http://www.homeanddecor.com.sg/homes/raw-beauty Also minimalist, but the use of grey and concrete gives a very different feel. I realize that generally white makes the place brighter and more spacious, and colors 'pop'/furniture better. Have you seen the projects by Ong&Ong - so inspirational... 55 Blair Rd: http://www.archdaily.com/32573/55-blair-road-ong-ong/ 31 Blair Rd: http://www.archdaily.com/29550/31-blair-road-residence-ong-ong/ Hope you have fun with your reno!

My bedroom doors are laminate doors too. But to go with the overall minimalist design of my place, they are plain white laminates as proposed by my IDs. It's kinda not noticeable, but I guess that was the intent. Now that I have them (the doors), I have to agree that re-using the original doors would have totally spoilt the look. But we went thru some angst during renovation cos of the cost.

The PH5 is a steal indeed! Congrats! Been wondering what the interiors look like cos I pass by your block on the way to work. Congrats on moving in soon. Looking forward to see the final results.

Can be done, but need $, loads of discipline and some sacrifice. For this particular apartment: - Walls and switches: lots of partition walls to hide all wirings, switches, piping - Cove lighting + some placement to make the beams less obvious - Sacrificing one room to achieve the spacious/empty feel (refer to floor plan below - think the floor plan is something similar and the room nearest living room was sacrificed) - Simple windows, 'Invisible grills' - No feature wall, just use a partition wall to wall-hang TV and hide wirings - Epoxy flooring (so it's one solid milky smooth surface) - Simple but well designed/beautiful furnishings (the dining chairs alone cost a few thousands!) - Disciplined use of muted/woody colors... white and wood - All doors - simple wood/solid smooth surface It's hard to achieve minimalism in HDB flats, usually due to space and cost. How many will be willing to give up an entire room just to give the sense of 'emptiness'? Or to replace all the doors (which costs a good 4 figs) so that patterns on the doors do not spoil the overall look? Small little details make or break the minimalist look IMO. Plus without enough 'empty' space, the true 'feel' of minimalism just doesn't come out. And it takes so much discipline just to maintain the look... think has to be a lifestyle change... or must have a really good housekeeper at home! Just my 2 cents.

If it's only some strips that are damaged, your contractor can find similar sized strips to replace. After sanding down and varnishing (or whatever treatment is needed), the steps will look good again. You are so lucky it's parquet and not solid wooden steps! Mine were solid wooden steps so everything had to go although I really liked the steps (it's literally the only thing I requested to keep from the original condition). High floor and corner unit sounds like a keeper! Congrats and all the best for a smooth reno!

You are being humble. I'm waiting for u to announce that your place will be appearing in [insert name] mag soon! Yeah I also have reservations about his SMEG fridge, no matter how nice it looks. The kitchen equipment is absolutely drool-worthy tho... he even shipped in a Clei bed! Amazing. I wish I had that kind of budget... I would get a Clei guest bed/sofa too.

Thanks Defelio. Yeah, I'm anal about straight lines in general... Oh the hole was left open for the gas inspection I think. My contractor mentioned something about having ventilation cos my gas pipes are all concealed in the false ceiling/cabinets. It was sealed up with a metal panel subsequently:

Hey Defelio, your place is looking good as usual. Updated this post with new pics! Thanks again for letting me feature your retrolicious place on my blog. http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/renoblog-defelios-mid-century-modern-home-in-jadespring/

Check the specs for the hood you plan to get. E.g. my Fujioh hood has the optimal height specified, and I think most/all hoods should have too. Counter height should depend on the user as mentioned. Mine is 92 cm, but usual is around 85 cm as I've heard from my IDs/contractor. My upper cabinets are 62 cm above my counter. Try popping by Interior Affairs at Tai Seng to have a look/feel of the various cabinet/counter heights. I found it quite useful while planning for my kitchen.