Lauer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6xM5Y7azTs&feature=youtube_gdata_player Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxIgAVSFOVI&feature=youtube_gdata_player Enjoy!

Well, I thought that FS preceded Buddhism. And also Buddhists speak of attaining nirvana; heaven & **** is more of a borrowed concept from Hinduism. By the way, regarding altar position, it should be which direction to face when praying and not which direction the altar (a symbol more than anything) should face. Regarding the discussion on facing dining table, I found the thinking odd that it is ok as long as the meal is taken behind the Buddha's back? Enjoy!

A relatively big project. As far as I know (so other forumers please amend, add, delete the following as they see fit): 1. 4m; please check with LTA hotline. 2. The entrance culvert, the bridge you called, requires fulfillment of specifications from PUB and LTA. The PE you engaged will take care of them, the submission, proper construction and then CSC. You will need a surveyor I think. 3. The entrance culvert, about $15,000. But as you are relocating the Meter Compartment, there are fees to SP Services related to termination of existing services, construction of new Meter Compartment plus wall, and then connection of services. Cheers!

Not sure what are the boxes outside the original dwelling for? Hope that things are progressing well. Enjoy!

LOL...no. Enjoy!

Did your ID or electrician caution you of the danger of that power point? It is uncovered, too near the basin, at a height a child can reach etc, all in a bathroom. Just asking. Cheers!

Marlboro is milder... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CyMMUAV538&feature=youtube_gdata_player Enjoy!

Is it Heaven or Nirvana? Just asking. Enjoy!

Binson Chia...cant expect much from someone who misspelt his name, can we? Vincent, or is it Son of Bin? As Simon said, "the confidence is ...sightly deluded...". Hehe.

Yw. Conversely, the incremental GFA also will attract additional tax in future. So, "illegal alteration" is not only refering to the alteration that violates URA regulation but also tax avoidance. Enjoy!

Hehe... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m24uUzJgfwQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player Enjoy!

For those doing reconstruction, don't forget to write to IRA for the property tax reassessment for the construction duration (the old house is torn down mah, tax what?). I don't know for A&A but I supposed the same principle should apply. Enjoy!

Just my thought. Other than some pieces that need replacement, a proper grinding, polishing and lacquering will fix the problem. I will suggest using a different team if possible, because the 'flaws' are rather amateurish. Because you have moved in, then it is only right that Chew pays for the 2-3 days of hotel stay. Do personally supervise the protection put in before redoing the floor. Cheers!

True la, just like any investment, timing is important mah. Nothing goes up in a straight-line. So your relatives bought at or near the last peak then how? Also, in my view, it is important to differentiate the different tenures of landed. There are FH, LH 999-years, LH 99-years, Strata etc. URA's method of calculating/publishing the transacted prices of landed also causing confusions somewhat to newbies (and sellers too in some cases). And then there is the buyer's intend; if he/she wants to build his/her dream house, then not only the land's tenure is important but also the plot (rectagular, squarish, irregular etc?). It is not like there is always one that fits his/her requirements. Cheers!

Oh oh... Not for the shower cubicle area, I hope. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1KtScrqtbc&feature=youtube_gdata_player Enjoy!

(I was hoping that Leechaorui can be more active in the forum...) Hmm, let me put it this way... If the PE really made a certification of the existing foundation without the soil test, I will have questioned him. No need to wait for architect to do it. Cheers! Btw, the topographical survey is not for URA, as far as I know. It is produced in CAD file format, which the architect based on for his drawings for the agency submissions. So, if the surveying is salah, then the architect's also salah, but the architect will blame the surveyor, Lol.

Lol, I drink from the tap too. Look, whatever elixir property the Singapore "dragon estuary water" possesses, it will have diminished when distributed over kilometers of public pipings. I was also as curious about PPR when the plumbler first described it, and had its reliability validated through another architect. The builder also assured by getting me to see it in two Sentosa bungalows he was building at that time. But if TS is worried, I don't see any harm to VO for copper piping, for the peace of mind. Cheers!

I am not so sure the specific concern, therefore some clarifications will be helpful. But really this is more of a lifestyle question? And the lifestyle choices then define the architecture design of the house. Some people, as I do, don't really like to move from an air-conditioned area of the house (such as a partitioned Living Room) to a non air-conditioned area (such as having to go to the Kitchen to get a snack or to the Toilet). So it is either the air-conditioners are on for the entire floor, or not at all. As you know, hot air rises while the cooled air stays lower, so there is not much leakage of the cooled air to the second floor via the staircase. And also if you want to cook while having the air-conditioners on? Cheers!

Hosey liao la.... Taking some profits off the table is good mah. Enjoy!

It was Therat that illustrated very well how the current HDB valuation works, in another thread which I can't place. In my view, that valuation process is really flawed. Very true. Cheers!

It is Sunday but what the heck here it goes... (Again, I don't say that I know everything related to this topic so other forumers please amend, add, and delete what I wrote as they see fit.) The people who can get you in, to the right loan officers that are able to answer most of your questions in one sitting, are? The property agents marketing the houses that you are surveying to buy. They have, or should have, the guanzi to the bankers. In order to earn the commission, they have to close the sale. And this includes helping the buyers getting financing, whether for a short term bridge or a longer term housing loan. I don't know about foreign banks (Citi, Maybank etc), but it should be good enough just talking to DBS, UOB first, and then add Citi later, example, to see what it has to offer. A construction loan will have a clause that states the expected tenure of the proposed A&A or rebuilding. More accurately, it states the time limitation to completely utilize the construction loan amount, which is usually 16 months? Remember that, while the old house is being torn down and the rebuilding (or A&A) is taking place, the bank is taking a risk because there is no longer a good collateral for the loan. The bank will want a fair compensation for carrying this risk and I thought that It should be reasonable for the rate to be 1.5 or 2% above the housing loan rate. Now, how the banks evaluate a loan prospect, there are quite a few areas. Other than the usual borrower eligibility stuff, for landed housing the most important is the land's tenure. That is, whether the house is sitting on a leasehold or freehold, and if leasehold what is the remaining lease. So, for the housing loan part, there are the bank valuation of the land and the existing house. Let's call this Housing Loan I. For the construction loan part, as I explained previously, after the building completion, it is expected to be converted to a second housing loan. Let's call this Housing Loan II. When evaluating the loan prospect, the bank will also arrive at an indicative future of the new house. In other words, the sum of Housing Loan I & II must be lower that this indicative future value. What does this mean? If you are doing an A&A that basically beautify the existing house (for example, changing the staircase) without a substantial increase in GFA, then the equation will fail. Then in all likelihood the bank will not support the construction loan for A&A. There you go. Cheers!

Aiyah, don't count la; plus some, minus some, so what? But kids are priceless. Don't miss watching them grow up! Enjoy!

True, there is the co-relationship. Enjoy!

Good Morning, London? On, it was a holiday, from Sept 09 - Jan 10 as previously blogged. Must come home mah, for the next (at that time) trade to buy a land to build a house. Cheers!