calliecats

Hi goldenginger, Thanks for your compliments. I've been encouraging Happy to create a blog & post her pics so that we can all admire! PMed to you the details. Do contact Ed soon, you have to "chope" him as he only handles 1 big project at any 1 time. All the best on your reno.

Wow, your house is beautiful! Really very different from mine. Ed did such a great job for your place too What a transformation! I really look forward to you starting your own blog so that you can share more pics. I'm really interested to see how you have done up the rest of the house. So you have moved in already? Have a great day

Hi Happy, Thanks for your compliments. Congrats too on your bundle of joy. So, you got Ed to do your reno too? That's great. When are you starting your reno? I think if you have time, do share your pics & experiences so we can all benefit from one another. Have a great day

Hi clouds, Yes I did whole house walls in wall paper, except kitchen & bathrooms which are tiled, and guest room. I got them on a business trip overseas & got my contractor to install them for me. Are you doing reno for your house & thinking of using wall paper too?

Thought I'd update my blog with some home decorating ideas since I've got some time this weekend. I'm trying out a few terrariums & these are what I've made. Let me know if you are keen to do your own, I'd be more than happy to share some ideas although I'm new at it too. My Terrariums They are supposed to be self sustaining, easy to care for & needs only to be watered once a month. Bring a litle piece of garden into your home even if you live a HDB flat in the concrete jungle!

Hi Edlyn, Thanks for your compliments & sorry for late reply as I was overseas for work (again) & just came back. I'm completely zero when it comes to all the technical things like the home entertainment etc so like I said my contractor was the one who designed it for me as his background is engineering & he used to do AV for large commercial projects, so I think my house was chicken feed for him...haha. We did spend around 1.5 months before the start of the reno to discuss all the small things. There were also changes along the discussion when either of us had a new idea or concept. When the reno started, I felt comfortable enough to leave most things in his hands as the details have all been trashed out. So I think it is really important to discuss everything before hand to minimise hiccups during the reno process. I know what you mean about some contractors not doing detailed discussion with their clients before the reno. I talked to some friends whose IDs just gave them a package & when the reno started, they had to add on many things that were not reflected in the original quotation. In the end, budget busted & relationship also soured. By the way, I did give him a treat when he finished doing my place. Have you finished your reno? How was it? Would be good if you could share the pics here. Have a great weekend

I realised that I haven't posted the pics for the guest room yet!Here it is: Guest Room Due to the oddly shaped room, I decided to build a customised seatee with storage shelf below for the sharp corner. Supposed to be better from the fengshui point of view, right?

Hi jass, Just read your blog. Congrats on getting your new home! Sorry to read about your contractor . Hang in there!

More Living Room pics.... Colour changing LED light strip with remote control. I installed these lights for the fun of it. They are great conversation starters & for festive parties.

Hi roger, Thanks alot. I've also got my TV, SCV, DVD & CD players all linked up, so it automatically switches to my surround speakers when I turn on the TV,DVD etc. It's cool you should consider it. Have a great week ahead!

Hi Rogeryap, Thanks for your compliments! I like them alot too My contractor helped to source & install for me. I can't really remember the exact cost but I don't think it was very expensive Are you looking to install something like this for your home too?

Hi Ode, No, I did not use the pole design. I went to see many closet companies & also Ikea. Initially, I wanted the pole system as I liked the fact that it can be dismantled & reconfigured as I go along, but a friend of mine who used the pole system told me that it has quite limited space actually (because of all the poles blocking). I also wanted it to be continuous & unblocked as I have alot of bags to put on it. So had a good discussion with my contractor & he proposed this system, I call it the "boutique" system It's built with the original wall as the long side, the short sides are partition. The tracks are drilled into the wall/partition & the shelves are customised to fit exactly. The shelves are "hooked" onto the tracks & can be shifted up & down. So I can still reconfigure it as I go along & dismantle it totally in future if I need to shift. It's similar to the pole system, just without the poles. Best part is that it's cheaper than the pole system! Are you looking to do a WIW too? Glad that you managed to get Ed to quote. I've had an overall good reno experience with him & I think you will not be disappointed. Price-wise you discuss directly with him la. All the best!!

Hi waterfish, You can contact Ed 97563849. All the best on your reno!

Lovely looking home, congrats!

Hi Darnie, Nice place you got

The AV system & speakers I wanted hidden speakers which can give me a surround effect. I didn't want a sound bar, though looks neat, I find too two dimensional in terms of sound effect. I also didn't want bulky standing speakers, as I needed as much floor space as possible. Being totally clueless in this area, I again turned to my contractor for advice. Solution? Built in speakers from the L box. I think I really squeezed my contractor . Actually this was only decided when I started my reno. I knew he was well versed in this area & a specialised in AV as he used to do commercial projects including all their audio visuals & sound systems, so I wanted to "exploit" his expertise. Initially, he was not so keen (I think alot of work maybe). But after my incessant pestering, he relented to my request (for a reasonable fee ) & even spray painted the speaker covers for me Here are some pics of the finished product: Total 10 speakers & no visible wires, all link up to this: So, now everything is neat & tidy

Hi, it's indeed tiring but you will feel a sense of satisfaction when its all done up & you are enjoying it

Hi kunzzy, Your mirror size is very large. You will probably have to get them done in panels instead of 1 big piece. In which case, you will see the joins in the middle, but if they are placed nicely & the workmanship is good, it will still look great. I have 6 panels of around 2mx1.5m across my living area, not counting the bomb shelter & the mirrors on the 2 big tick tack doors. Also, are your walls flat? Most flats' walls are not, in which case you might need backing for the mirrors. I was given 3 choices: no backing, partition backing or wood backing (least expensive to most expensive). No backing is cheapest but the most unsafe, with the wood backing being safest. Some contractors will tell you no need backing, just stick on bare walls. But if you ask the specialists, they will tell you that you need backing. I thought for a long time & decided to go with wood backing after discussing at length with my contractor. I need the assurance & peace of mind that they will not warp or fall off after awhile, as they are very large & heavy. According to my contractor, it is also safer to let the panels "sit" on something, maybe your skirting. Mine sit on the wood backing that is placed horizontally. Here is a pic of the wood backing: You should also check the quality of the mirrors with your contractor. From what I've found out, there is also a range from imported high quality ones to some really lousy quality ones. So make sure your contractor shows you a sample of it. The mirrors will definitely open up your space visually. But remember to place them in an area where there is no direct sunlight if not the glare will bounce off the mirror & give you a headache.An alternative is to get tinted mirrors, but I don't think they serve the purpose of visually enlarging your space, perhaps more for design purposes. My mirrors were part of the package from my contractor, which I took everything from. All in, my mirrors (all customised including those in the bathroom) & glass (including my full glass master toilet, 2 sandblast glass doors, shower screens, half glass wall dividing living & master etc etc) cost around $4000. Let me know if you need more info, I'd be glad to share them. Afterall, I live in a mirror & glass house, don't I?

Hi getzski, I cant really remember the name of the shop but it was in Little India, behind Apollo Banana Leaf Restaurant.

Hi there, Thanks for your compliments! I got it from Lightings.com. But I'm not sure if they still carry it though. All the best on your reno

Mine came up by lift. My contractor measured the size of my lift to know the maximum size of the panel that can fit inside. If not, it will be additional charge if the workers are bringing it up by staircase, & can be costly. Mine was around 2x1.5m panels. So it really depends on the size of your lift.

Hi kunzzy, May I know the size of your mirrors?

Hi Rayfox, Thanks for your compliments. I did spend alot of time looking through magazines & of course reading Renotalk for tips! So thanks to all those RTers who opened up their homes to share useful info. I decided to do this blog partly to document my reno journey & also to give back something to others who are in similar positions & trying their best to create their dream home for themselves & their loved ones. I believe that those who come here hope to do up their ideal abode in the most economical & problem free manner. I just wanted to share an objective view & will not hesitate to give credit where credit is due. Contrary to popular belief, furnishing need not be expensive to have luxe feel. Many times, it is a matter of putting interesting textures together & layering the colours to create the effect. Colours play a big part of the mood that it creates. I believe the most important thing is that the home should be a reflection of who you are, like a dress or your makeup. You would want your home to be "you" & cater to your needs. For me, my home is an extention of who I am as a person & should be functional to me taking into account my habits, as well as relatively easy to maintain, and yet have the lux feel. I have to travel often for work & live half my time in hotels so perhaps I was influenced by the "hotel" look that many RTers have commented that my home looks like. Most importantly, I do not believe in following trends. Trends come & go, and in a few years time, a trend popular now might already be dated & it would be easy for people to date your home to a particular time period just looking at it. Go with your heart & create a home that you can feel that you would not want to step out of & you will have a done a successful renovation. Of course having said that, if a particularly popular trend is something that speaks to you, then by all means go with it. Just don't be pressured by your ID/contractor to agree to a home design that you do not think is functional (TO YOU) or you cannot say "I love my home!". A good contractor, for example, should ask you about your daily habits, what activities you have in different parts of the home (for lighting)& how you work in the kitchen etc. He or she can then advice you on what would be a good design FOR YOU. I have talked to many contractors & IDs who tried to designed my house as if it were their house, with lots of work where I do not need, maybe so that they can charge more for the works. And then there are those who just do what you tell them, and provide no constructive input. Two ends of the extremes both of which could not give me what I needed. I wanted to entrust my home to someone who could be a sounding board to my ideas, especially in the technical aspects which I have no clue, as well as excellent execution of their works with minimal supervision on my part in the reno process. So to all the RTers still looking for your ideal partner to entrust your reno to, all the very best! If you like my home, drop me a PM if you need to know anything. I'm open to share about any aspect - reno, furnishing, colours, materials, ideas... It's just my way of giving back a little to all that I have gained from RT. To those who have PMed me, I'm still trying to clear my backlog (haha). Please be patient & I will try my best to get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great week ahead

Hi Ling, Just started reading your blog & congrats on your new home!

Hi Liang & Haleary, Congrats on finding a home that you both love & having the courage to start again with each other. Best wishes & looking forward to the 3Ds by your ID. Have a great weekend!