incubator

I will post my floor plan as soon as I figure out how.. To make the partitioned room look less like an office, I intend to use frosted glass (daughter's room so she will need the privacy next time) sliding door. Will show an illustration soon too. Please keep the comments coming so I have more ideas. Thanks so much!

Has anyone tried partitioning out an extra (proper) bedroom? If you have, please share what material you used. Thanks in advance! By the way, my story is this: My growing children need to have their own bedroom (a boy & a girl). We tried selling our current two bedder apartment for the last one year without success even though our asking price was lower than valuation. My guess is that we are situated in an area where one needs to walk a distance to shops and public transport. Only if you live here then you will appreciate the serenity of the place. I always told my DH that this place is a perfect retirement home. However, nice as the place is, we lack a 3rd bedroom for our little girl. My apt is actually a good sized 2-bedder (1023sqft) with a nice balcony which has now become our dining area. Since we are unable to sell the place off, we decided to make do with our space to create an extra room in the original study/dining area. Please share your experience.

Congrats on getting your dream family home. Well, our stories are similar but only the first quarter...about having bought a home that we thought we'd live in forever. Unfortunately, we did not have much luck with good agents and after advertising our 999-tenure boutique development apartment for one whole year at way below valuation, we decided to withdraw the sale. My enthusiasm in cleaning up the apt ahead of viewings died. LOL. Anyway, a terrace house has lots of potential to cater to a big family's needs. Very glad for you and hope your renovation will go smoothly! Best of luck!

This is a really beautiful unit. Congrats! I did not even know HDB build lofts these days. I am however, still dreaming of getting an EM. There is so much potential in what one can do. Hope everything goes well for the renovation.

CONGRATS potatoes! Yesterday I went to view an unit opposite your block. Low COV but no feel leh, your block is still better. Enjoy your new spacious home!

Your EM looks so good. Even though it has nothing to do with me but I still feel happy looking at the pictures...especially the bright and beautiful kitchen (coz my life revolves around it!). Well done!

potatoes: Reno finishing soon already. Jiayou! Jiayou!

Thanks so much, Renmapiao. I guess we are lacking in the luck part. It's quite stressful going into a "price war" with other buyers who have equal, if not more financial power. I really feel that the COV scheme is very unfair to genuine home seekers, especially when there is already a valuation. All the flat hunting has left a bad taste in my mouth because I kept thinking that the cash can be better used on the children education or for rainy days. Anyway, congrats on getting a suitable unit! I hope your renovation will go smoothly as well. In the meantime, I am going to hunt for a 4-men tent to pitch at Changing beach soon liao.

How I wish there are more sellers like you! I am sure God will bless you in many other ways.

I hope to seek sincere advises on termination a property agent's services. We signed exclusive with an agent who reassured us that the exclusivity can be terminated anytime. Almost 2 months and we did not receive a firm offer for our apartment. From our understanding, there were 3 genuinely interested parties with 2 making offers which the agent turned down both times without consulting us. We decided to terminate the said agent's service. Do we need to write in to the agency citing reasons (like what some agent friends told me) or is there any other ways to resolve?

Gold prices are really

Thanks whisper for your encouragement We have also slowed down in our search until we sold our apartment. Am considering a 5 room as well. My dear husband hor, is even thinking of moving us to Punggol which is a beautiful area to be honest except that I take public transport to fetch my kids and I will need to sort out that part. I suspect very soon he will suggest JB already.

The Reno is progressing very well, potatoes! :thumbs up:

Congrats! And what a good layout as well. I got excited just reading your titl because I teach Art and intend to display lots of paintings in my next home (still looking tho) like a gallery.

Sigh. Guess I have no luck to buy an EM. We must have been too excited about seeing a flat we liked and we (actually our agent) made an offer even though the valuation was not out. During the OTP period, the valuation came up to be much lower than what the seller's agent told us. Basically, we lost $1K OTP but still much better than appear on some local newspapers for paying a sky-high COV for an old flat. So, we are back to flat hunting. And......to stick to my original plan of renting a small place first after selling my current place. SIAN x10000000000.

Congrats Lady_R for your beautiful home I am quite new to RT and have been trying to read all T-blogs, read until crossed eyes! I was attracted to your big white kitchen, a dream for a housewife like me...since I will be in the kitchen half of the day, I must demand to have a beautiful one ilke yours.... haha but unlikely lah, coz the husband will need the utility to store his junks By the way, I am on my way purchasing an EM , the mirror image of your layout. Hopefully the sale will be smooth and I can have a nice kitchen soon too.

I think the picture really completes the dining area. Very beautiful!

potatoes: why cannot send message to you ah?

No lah, not me. But if you invite me, then I will be thick skinned and go look see look see. I am slowly getting ideas since not even first appointment yet. Sigh. Dunno must wait how long then can take key and start Reno. With 2 kids (including a toddler), I think I will need a home that is easy to maintain. At the moment, I can only think of one thing to invest in: the irobot!

potatoes: Maybe can consider the standalone air conditioner?

Gatecrash abit. I actually was googling for "interior design for EM" and was redirected to your blog and then I found renotalk. Heh. Now, I can't wait to see your completed home featured in Home & Decor or Square Rooms.

Looks like the EM we are purchasing has a similar layout as yours. I really like your interior design. So much character. How long did it take for the start till the end of the renovation?

The interior design is very unique My "new" place has the same layout as yours but I am an aunty, so will stick to a conventional design (read: easy to clean)

Sorry! Double posting.

Thanks everyone for your invaluable insights. I think I might have bought an old resale EM. I "think" because the agent (who is also marketing my apt) assured us that since we kinda like that EM, we can put the $1K option fee first. If we were to regret later and need to forgo the $1K, he will definitely "earn it back for us" when he sells our apt. I guess it is not a 100% because the valuation is not out yet and we are staking our bet on the baseline of our agreement with the sellers. So if we estimate wrongly, we could well be paying $100K COV! *shudders* Fingers and toes crossed for now! On the other hand, we've been enjoying the peacefulness and exclusivity of our current 999yrs apt and exchanging that for a 26-yr old HDB EM, takes a while to get used to, honestly. We don't have financial difficulty, it's just that I've quitted my job to stay at home and the thought of having money put aside for my children's education, puts my mind more at ease. I definitely do not wish to see my hubby slog so hard to allow me to spend more time with the children and still have to worry about educational funds. OK! Positive thoughts! Now I can finally design a home with plenty of space for our little family. When that happens, I shall share my home on the T-blog chat. Hopefully we can also stretch the time a little in selling the apt so that we do NOT need to rent that 2-3 mths to wait for the renovation to be done!