dreamzgal

lawrenceke, thanks for the assurance I bought 70% of my lights from Taobao and waiting eagerly for them to arrive in a week time just4fun, your home looks gorgeous. Ben, seems that your renovation is progressing well... so happy for you I can't wait to open up my purchases too.. Wow... Peeka really package your lights well. Mine should be arriving next week... and I can't wait to see them though they are just common lightings... Can't wait to see your completed home

Thanks, Rulz Soooo excited... the tiling work has been complete and the floor protection material has also arrived 20 May is the aircon piping installation and the openet installation... Hopefully everything goes through smoothly Have a great weekend, everyone

Checking on the progress... The tiling at both bathrooms & Kitchen wall are complete, Kitchen floor tiling is in progress Here's our tile selection for Living (Lighter grey) & Foyer+Dining+Kitchen (Darker grey). Love the bits of glitter in the grey though may not be able to see it clearly. We also make some purchases at Hoe Kee, it may not be the cheapest store but we were impress by the Salesman His willingness to explain on products and also recommend products with reference to our requirements... The Blanco Sink + Mixer Tap @ S$659, the bathroom basin & taps at about S$350. The shelves are about $30+ each which I find them quite expensive We saw another brand of granite sink at Jalan Besar going at S$300+ but the uncle told us it's from India . Since the sink will be with us for a long, long time... we decided to pay more for a Blanco sink and I simply love the colour We are in the process of approving the carpentary drawings and it's a real headache to try to fit things into their place We are meeting with our ID tomorrow to finalized the drawings and select the laminates... Will keep the photos coming soon...

Wow... I can't wait for my lights to arrive too Bro.. drop by Light Craft at Jalan Besar, they are having sale for some lightings and if you are not looking for fanciful ones, their prices are reasonable Hopefully I can post more pictures tonight I was reading through your blog and found out that you have done alot of homework... keke... My aircon and appliances are also from GC but from Changi City Point... the sales are all very patience with our numerous questions on the aircon and other appliances And thanks for your post on the Sanitary wares, we drop by Jalan Besar last evening but left empty-handed. Clueless about the type of kitchen & bathroom sinks to buy I'm still torn between 2 models of the Blanco sinks (a single bowl or double bowl) The aircon trunking installation & Openet wiring is next Monday so I took a day leave to be the "supervisor" Your reno progress is looking good and all the best

Lighting -- Updates We haven't bought the dining light yet and this has been the back of my head... hence we make another trip to Light Craft @ Jalan Besar. Light Craft is having sale for some lightings so for those of you searching for lights can drop by This is the bathroom light we purchase together with the Foyer light but i forget to take photo earlier... so here it is Please refer here for Bathroom Light Furnitures We visited a few fairs & furniture shops... bargining is a must Some of the furniture shop offers package for sofa + dining set with selection choice while a rare few allows selection of items in the shop and if the price exceed then you top-up, if you are going for these packages just have to make sure that items or T&C are clearly written in the invoice. We bought our sofa & dining set from Novena at Expo fair. It's a 3+2 recliner in Taupe colour , it's not my ideal sofa design but Hubby like it alot... But I like the dining set and we got it in black More updates coming soon...

Hi ucypmas, yes.. there are many panels of windows... which I guess my curtains/blinds going to cost a bomb There are no odd corners so that makes the space functional Hi juzstapose... will post more photos soon as the house is still pretty messy with works going on

Thanks, Bengologist. Wow.. you must be waiting anxiously for your lights : Do share the photos when your lights arrive The living room consist of mainly LED light strips and downlights... and also a few tracklights... so that makes up to almost 80% of the lighting in the house... All bedrooms will be installed with ceiling fan + lights which we bought locally, lights for bathroom and store are also bought locally... hmm... maybe I should reduce the taobao lightings to 70% Anyway I'll update again when I received the lights and if they are okay, I will share the links too Wish you a great week ahead and Happy reno too Hi ucypmas, my place is at Tampines

Morning, folks.. hope everyone has a great weekend In this post, I would share my shopping experience Lighting I bought 80% of my lightings on Taobao via Peeka. Taobao lightings are definetely cheaper but I can only comment on the quality when shipment arrives end May. The total savings is about 50% as I'm using sea freight. The lights for bathroom & store cost us less than SGD$25 each & foyer light cost us less than SGD$50 as we bought on sale items from Lightcraft. Please refer here for Foyer Light Appliances We did our round of shopping at fairs & at big brand stores. For fairs, if you can accept display items, usually the price is abt $100-$200 lower but delivery is usually after the fair. We didn't check on the payment terms as we only require delivery in June hence have to give this option a miss We bought most of our appliance at Gain City as we were convinced by the sales Aircon is definetely from GC as we have heard about their services from friends and we also wanted to get extended warranty for the aircons. I fell in love with a Samsung fridge as it's a design without the ugly handles but end up buying an LG one. It works via a which does not have any microchip that exist in most inverter appliances. The repalcement cost of the microchip is pretty high. And a Samsung washer becomes... We were convinced by this Hitachi washer for it's eco sensor & tangle-free feature. The eco sensor will serve hubby well as it sets the mode automatically upon detecting the load. I shall comment later after I get to used it GC also allows the flexibility of paying a deposit first and full payment upon before delivery. Overall, rate their service 9/10. Good product knowledge and patience to listen to our requirements. Stay tuned for more...

Before yesterday site visit... The short wall to separate Kitchen and a tiny yard area is up... main purpose of the wall is to "hide" the washer and the "dustbin" More progess from yesterday site visit Kitchen progress - Backsplash tiles are up & floor waterproofing in progress. Common bathroom - Tiling in progress. Brick wall between Living & Study is up ... Master Bathroom wall tiles also up ... the effect of the "feature wall" turns out better than I expected Stay tuned for more updates soon... ...

Hi rulz... as promised... here's the link for my tblog http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/60159-yo-maison/

Thanks, edd... The photo was taken from main door entrance de... so maybe give the illusion of a long kitchen .

I have been lurking around the forum since we started our house search... and after a long, long search, we finally got our new home early this year And after another long wait for the HDB appointments... the renovation finally starts End April 2013. PS : Well... alot of patience is required to search & wait ... Patience is a viture ... I totally agree now... To kick start, here's the layout plan. To cut the long, long story short... we didn't spend a lot of time searching or talking to IDs/Contractors, just met up with a few and confirm with my current ID. The "ultimate" selection is all about whether there's chemistry, we confirm with the current ID because our thoughts/ideas gel together pretty well and we can accomodate to each other requests . Well.. my wishful thinking was ID will do "everything", I just make decisions will do ... as the reno progress, there were tones of decision to make/tones of things settle Tiles selection was a breeze as ID has shown us the 3D and we have in mind the type of tiles of we wanted. First visit to the house after reno starts and we were welcome by these debris as we turn into the carpark on first day of reno... Begining of demolation... The partitions & laminated flooring all removed... kitchen hacking also started... And it continues... More hacking done... We are really excited to see things progressing...

Hi Rulz... my reno should be starting sometime next week and I engage a freelance ID + contractor. I can only comment on the contractor's work much later when things really get moving eg, the tiling work. My personal opinion of selecting ID/contractor is that you must "click" with the ID/ contractor. Working with my ID was smooth sailing as our ideas gel together pretty well which saves time explaining my preferences. All the best for your ID/contractor hunting

Hi rulz... welcome to RT. It'll be good to start shortlisting your ID/contractor now as the whole process will take a while (eg finalize layout, discuss abt price, etc). I believe recommendations does help to reduce the risk of problematic ID/contractor. My experience with the home & furnishing exhibition is that prices for furniture may not necessary be the lowest and negotiation is a must. For the floorings, curtains or other items.. I do think that prices are lower but again have to negotiate and only pay deposit and not the full amount. I have been to Gain City & Harvey Norman expo sale and find that their prices are lower than stores... but since you are only getting keys in last qtr of the year, it's advisable to buy the appliance much later as there could more exhibitions or sales during the year-end period and newer models... keke Just my 2 cents worth...

I agree with Opto. If you like it then nothing is too much I have in mind how much COV I'm willing to pay when I view a unit so if the asking is beyond the threshold then I'll give it a miss... Also have to be realistic to work within budgets Good luck!

Hihi.. Just to share my own experience while ID/Contractor searching for my resale. I did up a checklist of the items I want/need to do for the house before asking for quotes, this gives me a "clear view" of what I need/want to do for the house. I also specific those items that are "good to have" under Optional items, to have a better understanding of how much more it would cost. It helps to control the budget as it's indicated clearly in the list what are the "must-do" items & what are the "good-to-have" items. Just to add on, when selecting ID/Contractor, I believe that the "chemistry" plays a big part (of coz the price should also be within our budget). The ID/Contractor must understand our needs and whether features of the house suits out lifestyle This thread also provide some useful information : http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=37697 Hope this helps

Hi tanslee, please PM me your contractor's contact Any pix to show for your place? Thanks in advance...

Thanks, Bro. Ya loh.. viewing & viewing & more viewing de.

Wow, only from 4 blocks! At least you have found ur new house already, Congrats Keke.. can only wish myself Good Luck in securing a unit that we like soon

Wow... thanks blueriverview & May_dream1 I'll quick quick find time to read through the information Bro... understand your anxiety But the wait is worth while as you can have more time to plan for your reno All the best for your reno and happy shopping I'll stalk your tBlog for updates

Hi morning everyone Sandal Bro... your 2nd appointment coming very soon therat@ Happy for you that you have found your new home Did you do the paper work yourself? If convenient, please PM me on the process. I believe I'm not too demanding to expect progress (eg house viewing or updates on buyer interest for our unit). These are the basic requirements, aren't they? I guess we should not hindrance the agent business, he may have other clients who have more & bigger potential. We'll move on somehow, either with the same agent or not! I won't sit around and wait for things to hapen, I'll do my fair share of work. I just hope to meet sincere & reasonable people

Yes, Bro. I'm discussing with my Hubby about the change. Appreciate your patience, "listening" and sharing

Yes.. yes... I'm selling and buying, so imagine the commission amount that my agent will get Frankly, I really don't know how to describe the Agent attitude de! I think Agents should try their best to get the best deal for their clients & solve problems creatively. We can work with him but not work "FOR" him !

Yes, Bro. I have done my fair share of homework. Hi realconsultant, We know the agent "personally" so he knows that we are only working with him. But looking at the attitude/situation now, I second Sandal Bro that I rather "mai" and look for other alternative. Things are moving very slowly and it's tiring to keep on "chasing". I don't think I should be the one looking at Property websites and provide info for viewing arrangement, right! Agents are being paid for a reason! They are needed for their professional help & advise! No offence, please... just sharing my thoughts as I have my own fustration.

You are right! We pay commission! I'm not expecting him to give me 24x7 updates but be proactive and not "disappear" till we "look" for him. Selling/Buying is not a stress-free journey for us that's why Agents are needed to solve problems and not give us more problems. Maybe our birthdates with the Agent "does not match"... haha.. that's why can't close the deals