adidaem

Yeah. I can now read back my posts and feel fairly amused, but I was super duper upset at that time man.

What does an openable roof system look like?

Congrats! Hope you have a blissful and very happy marriage.

Is your friend using a dryer? Not true. I find that only people who don't use dryer say such things. Most who are using dryers love theirs, esp during rainy season.

I got a 7.2k bill initially. Eventually reduced to 5 plus. Includes LAN points in all rooms and many lighting and electrical points... but still... Rem being extremely upset so totally understand how you feel. Take care! Glad Mr K gave you a decent price in the end.

All expensive I think. Like I said, mine was a low 3k plus. Probably for the same amount of work that is costing you 4.7k. Think my staircase was a low 2k plus? Have a look at the other EM t-blogs.

Polishing works is expensive... Mine was a low 3k plus... Painting still looks expensive even to me. Think many EM owners did at much lower price than mine some more. Demolition is expensive too. Erm, end of the day you decide if its worth paying for the ID lor. From what I can see, the ID premium is very high. Mine is also ID price but not as staggeringly above market price.

Painting looks on the high side. Can't tell for the rest unless we see more detailed breakdown of works expected. What are you polishing that costs almost 5k?

Any pics/examples of minimalist homes that do not have ample lighting and clean lines?

Hey shift your focus... It's christmas decor time! You can see the stuff at Alexandra outlet before u go. http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/shop-for-christmas-decorations-at-ikea-this-weekend/ Have fun decorating for Christmas!

Hmm... ETC did two coats of resin gloss for his (beautiful) home. I've just asked if that is the solution to sandy cement screed floors. more pics here: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=47307&st=80 Hey spiffysue, did you do anything special for your long entrance? Btw do try to 'stress test' your place. Switch on the appliances and aircon/heater, etc, splash water around your toilets. Basically try to quickly check if there are any major defects before you make your final payment. Else very inconvenient if a drain chokes after you've moved in, etc. Best to spot any defects asap.

Hey hope you are enjoying your beautiful (minimalist) home. Would like to check if you experience powdery floors? Curious if resin gloss is the answer since so many owners have the sandy floor problem with cement screed. TIA!

Depends on what you value ya? - Some ppl feel happy seeing lotsa money in the bank, stay in not so optimal conditions also ok. - Some ppl feel happy staying in a beautiful home, but not so much money in the bank. - Some ppl go for a balance of both. I belong to the 'happy in beautiful home' category, and I honestly would have been miserable (underlined for emphasis) if I had to stay in my original condition EM. I also know people who swing the other way and was shocked by how much I spent on reno + furnishings. Surprisingly I don't get comments like what you'd mentioned much (actually I only recall one...). My answer was that I'll be staying for at least 5 years (MOP), and staying in a beautiful home makes me happy lor. Then smile and say in a thick skin way "my house very nice right??? I feel very happy staying in the house leh (add 'bimbo' look and voice for effect)". LOL But also depends on how good/bad the original flat condition was ya? I thought mine was quite unsalvageable and I think most people who'd seen it would agree too. My 'before & after' pics: Not even going to show the toilets lor... I didn't even want to step into the toilets.... But if I'd bought a nicely renovated place, I would consider not doing much, like perhaps just repaint, change toilet bowl, etc. Agree!

Depends on budget I guess. But for me I felt the ID fees were well spent and we wouldn't have been able to get the look we wanted without IDs. So lucky to have 'industry insider' to help with quotes. Will you be starting a t-blog for your parents place? Will be very interested to see the price comparisons. Off-topic re: EM, but is the new flat area the same as the old one?

Did a bit of research on electrical wiring lifespan before I found the HDB notice. There is no consensus on a 'fixed' lifespan, but typical quotes are 20 to 40 years. What all the websites agree on is that the lifespan of electrical wirings do not match that of the building. They do mention that lifespan/degradation depends on usage. I think in 2008, a $70k reno budget may equate a $100k reno budget in 2012/2013? Didn't do any one-to-one comparison but just based on reno mags and older t-blogs. Stuff are just so much more expensive now. So lucky to have marble flooring that you could keep... my friend just re-renovated her house after 10 years. Her flooring is marble too. The contractor told her that nowadays quality marble is harder to find in Singapore, and that manpower cost (for installing marble) is much much higher than when she last did her reno.

Haha, I also dun like. But if you like it and will be the one using then go for it lar. Lamp from LifeStorey, but don't think they it sell anymore. Have fun on etsy. Quite addictive. Locally there is Kwerkee. Have have fairly cute stuff: http://www.kwerkee.com/join/v39g

Yeah. Only a few units in Blk 148 and about 50% (?) of Blk 150 have unblocked views... Guess I'll wait for another neighbour to break record lor. How's the reno going?

Well... HDB says: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/HomeRenoElectricalTnC?OpenDocument Technical Terms and Conditions 1. All wiring installation work must be executed by an EMA licensed electrical worker 2. Embedding of wiring house in metal/high impact PVC conduit in RC slab, beam, column, wall and in wall plaster or other finishes is not allowed 3. For all types of flats, diameter and penetration depth of power-driven nails/screws must not exceed 6 mm and 40 mm respectively 4. For flats with concealed electrical wiring (original provided by HDB): a. Please refer to guidelines in sketch Drawing 1 "Drilling of holes in flats with concealed electrical wiring" b. Precautionary measures should be taken to ensure anchors (including hammering of nails) into the slab are located away from the concealed conduits as shown in the concealed conduit layout plans 5. Electrical wirings in a flat have a limited life span. The estimated average life-span of a PVC electrical cable is approximately 25 years. 6. It is advisable for flat owners to replace the electrical wirings to their flat when the life-span is over or when the conditions have deteriorated. A licensed electrical worker (LEW) will be able to check the conditions of the wirings and advise whether the wirings need to be replaced. 7. Upon completion of the work, the flat owner shall apply to SP Services Ltd for testing through his Licensed Electrical Worker. So yeah, HDB recognises that wirings have limited lifespan. Wiring can degrade over time due degradation of insulation, exposure to high temperature (that reduces life expectancy), overloading etc. Nothing lasts forever lar... Risk of using degraded wiring includes residential fires, leakage (resulting in shocks, etc). Plus older layouts catered for far fewer power points than what a typical modern household needs anyway. For my place, we re-wired everything (at the insistence of my electrical engrg trained hubby) for peace of mind although we got a relatively young EM (16 yo). In a couple of years the degradation may pose a risk so wasn't worth the risk for us. Also installed LAN cables - something to consider if you have not asked for it.

Think paintings, prints, family photos will help add some colour and character to your walls. Typically scandi type homes will have stuff on walls right? I quite like the selection at Pomelo: Can browse online and on etsy. E.g. http://boldandnoble.com

The walls looks a bit bare, but overall looks fine. But I think the blackboard looks out of place in the balcony... Don't do all your shopping now lar. Leave some space for future shopping loots. If not you can have a look at Robinsons (Centrepoint branch)?

Yeah, saw that a few days ago. But let's put things into perspective. Most of us here only have 1 property. So even if prices rise, still paper profit. Also it's very hard to find decently sized units nowadays so if we do sell, where do we find our next home? And most importantly, private ppty prices have risen faster than HDBs anyway.

Hey was the view of the $1 mil unit like this? Directly facing Blk 184? http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/listing/hdb-for-sale-149-mei-ling-street-3498641 If yes, indeed not something I'll pay a high price for... Btw the upstairs neighbour moved in liao.

Yeah, am on Newsloop (http://www.newsloop.co) so still feel 'obliged' to keep my wp blog alive. And since I can't keep renovating, just have to live 'vicariously' via other ppl reno lor. Oh 5 years should be fine. Track lights are not very bright, so it wouldn't be suitable for reading. Am no lighting expert but pls don't go for those one single fluorescent lighting point in the room look... will look dim and dingy. If you have more than one lighting point per room should be fine bah... or install some wall lights? Yes looks spacious and I like your WIW. Is the back room meant to be a storeroom? Think is very impt to have a storeroom. So sad that no one does terrazzo any more. Only tiles right? I think my contractor mentioned before. Whatever happened to all the terrazo shifu in Singapore?

Hi my contractor explained to me that acid wash will weaken the grouting, so typically need to touch up after acid wash. Happened to my place (i.e. holes and grout) and my contractor touched it up, no questions asked. As for the colour, I've seen 'grout pens' in Home Fix store before. Took note of them in case I need to touch up my white tile grouting due to dirt. After staying in, realised that I am not that bothered by dirty grouting but you can consider using those for your new place. Hope your reno woes are over soon. Jia you!

I just visited some homes with loads of pictures hung using those 'art gallery' type of tracks. Suddenly feel inspired. Not sure if anyone has installed those type of tracks at home? Do you have contacts for gallery track installers that you can recommend? Also will appreciate a rough gauge for cost and any tips on things to look out for when buying or while installing tracks? Thanks! This type of tracks: http://www.gallerysystem.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8