AxelC

I want my place to be bright cool and spacious... Colour scheme - natural, pastel (beige, brown). The marble at the existing place is greyish white (as seen in the pic). Doesn't seem to blend in with the theme. So decided to let it go.

Potatoes, Yes, you are right. It's really a major ovrhaul. Everything will go except parquet flooring on the second floor. Decided to hack the marble flooring on first level, which initially I intended to salvage.

These are the only pics that I have. They were taken from the valuation report. Visited the place once only. Everything will have to go.

Alright. I can't seem to post the picture. Nevertheless, the link works. To begin with, here's the floor plan. Will be doing massive reno. Bought the EM at Tampines Ave 5 - within walking distance to central, Safra and round market. AND.... 5 mins drive to work! :-)

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3337/emfloorplanken.png

Finally, after one back out deal. Found another unit, exercised the option, attended first appointment and.... Here comes my second appt next Monday! :-) shortlisted 2 Reno comp, yet to confirm. Estimated Reno cost = 70k. Decided to start a blog for sharing and also to seek opinion / advice.

My 2nd appt on 16 jul. Doing a massive Reno too. 69k seems reasonable. Haven't started looking for contractor.

Mine was 20k cov. The place has been n the market for a while. There could be many reasons for low cov. E.g. Original condition, low floor, seller becomes more grounded in terms of asking price. Not necessary due to ah long

All Gurus, As part of the selling procedures, HDB officer came to check on my current place. I was informed that I need to do some work to my sliding windows, as they do not meet the safety requirements. To be specific, I will need to get a contractor to install the angle strip on all the sliding windows. Tried contacting the contractors on HDB website... One quoted $240 for the whole unit. However, when on site, he raised the price to $490 by claiming that a lot more need to be done. I don't find those work necessary (e.g. changing of rivets) as HDB officer did not raise them to me. Does anyone have any contact for a BCA-approved contractor? Pls let know. Thanks.

All Gurus, As part of the selling procedures, HDB officer came to check on my current place. I was informed that I need to do some work to my sliding windows, as they do not meet the safety requirements. To be specific, I will need to get a contractor to install the angle strip on all the sliding windows. Tried contacting the contractors on HDB website... One quoted $240 for the whole unit. However, when on site, he raised the price to $490 by claiming that a lot more need to be done. I don't find those work necessary (e.g. changing of rivets) as HDB officer did not raise them to me. Does anyone have any contact for a BCA-approved contractor? Pls let know. Thanks.

I will be vacating my current place by end Jun and the new place will only be ready by end Sept. Where can I find 3 month boarding for my dog? I have heard of terrible things happening at pets boarding. What other options are there? Appreciate any advise.

Seems like Mr Chew is a good option. Could someone pls email me his contact? axelc74@hotmail.com Thanks!

Exman, I just dropped you a PM. :-)

Tried my hands on the online software - floor planner since I have a lot of time at hand. Renovation will not start till mid July. The reno ideas I have is shown in the link below: http://s1155.photobucket.com/albums/p548/axelc/ You have to imagine there is a staircase (didn't know how to draw) and the measurement is not accurate :-P Appreciate any feedback - are there any concerns which I need to take note of?

Seems extensive. Think my Reno should be along that line too. Where did u find your id/contractor?

From the look of it, my ronavation will start before and ends during ghost month. And the place will be empty for a while before moving in.

Does anyone actually do reno or move house during the 'ghost month'? Hmm.

Potatoes, I haven't started t-blog. Will do so after I ask for quotations in Jun. Still surfing around for ideas :-)

Potatoes, my em comes with a squarish yard (balcony) that links to the kitchen and living room. Level 1 has a bedroom too, which has been hecked for dining area. Is this gen 2? Cov for this unit is 20k. Decided to go with it cos I like the place plus low cov.

Finally exercised my option! :-) It's gonna be a long wait for appts. Potatoes, the unit I bought is low floor near Tampines Central. I think it's a good deal, my immediate neighbour just did a valuation and it has gone up by 10k. Next Step: Reno. I have an idea of what I want, thus I do not need an id. Does anyone have good contacts for Reno? Good workmanship, prompt delivery and reasonable costings. Appreciate if you could share the contacts. Cheers!

Could someone pm me jimmy contact ? Thanks a lot quote name='ion' timestamp='1331743154' post='700579'] Totally agree. Too late when I read your post. Dishonest company. Very rude boss. Horrible service. Promised to give us a discount when we reused him for the return trip but he did not. Said his empty cartons are free but need to collect a deposit. But when the job is done, he refused to answer your calls to collect back the empty cartons and pocketed the deposit. If I had known, I would have changed mover for the return trip from the warehouse.

Adidaem, Thanks for the input. Will be exercising otp in 2 weeks. Hopefully there's no change of mind. Keeping my finger really crossed.

Hi everyone, I know there are many who spent many months looking for an ideal em. Just sold my place and immediately started searching for an em. Although I have only viewed abt 10 units in less than 3 weeks, I am already kind of tired out. Most units call for high cov, ranging from 40k to 80k. Yes, I must say that some are nicely reno but I am not willingly to pay eg. 80k for cov. I rather use that amount to do an overhaul of a run-down em. At last, found one which only calls for 20k cov - definitely needs major reno. Pls advise if: - 60 to 80 k sufficient for an overhaul of a 26 yo em? - any good responsible contractors or id to recommend? In terms of workmanship, service etc. I thought I should start my homework now so that I am prepared for another challenging time ahead, ie Reno! Ax