jaykr

Wahhh.... so many fans od Mr. K. heh

hi Z3phy, 1) Have you decided the type of tiles for your bathroom / kitchen etc... ? If not, I don't see the maximum price of the tiles you are allowed to purchase. or are you just getting labor from them? 2) It is not specified what type of quartz, so better to get the details, as there is different types of quartz and each cost different, China one is definitely cheaper. 3) The cabinet seems to be the average price across most places I have seen, but then a lot depends on the type of wood they are using, finishing, workmanship, complexity of design etc.

Hi Norman, Thank you for the great photos and progress write up. I enjoy reading following the progress. Can you check with your carpenter if he has done Blum installations? Full extensions, Lift systems , servo - drive etc...? Thank you.

Hi Norman, I think people have a lot questions as I tried msging you and it says your mailbox is full. I have a couple of carpentary questions and was wondering if I can msg you. Regards.

Hi Norman, I read that you are overlaying your kitchen tiles... and from what I read overlaying can cause problems later.... Mind if I understand whats your opinion on the overlaying of tiles? When not to overlay vs when to overlay? Thank You.

Hi Norman, Do you think it is possible for you to let me visit your house to see how they have renovated your place after all the work? . esp. the carpentary...? ;p

Hi Z3phy, May i find out from you what is the cost of the cabinet they charged you? How much per feet for wardrobes / Cabinet? Thank you. Appreciate any info you give. =)

Hi, I didn't see the price for the quotation listed below. Mind telling me how much they charge for your sliding door wardrobe in your master bedroom that. Does it come laminate and abs finish and using solid plywood? Appreciate it. Thanx! quote name='myreno12' timestamp='1357139266' post='775035'] Hi All, I have just finished my reno and know the pain of going through rounds of IDs/ contractors for the renovation. I have benefited from many good reviews in this forum. Then again, there isn't much in depth contractors discussion. Since i have used a decent and reliable contractor (good value as well), thus i believe i should at least share within this forum. This also to express my sincere appreciation for a job well done to my contractor (Ah Wong from Wai Yee Enterprise Pte Ltd). My Quotation http://imageshack.us/a/img507/2578/quaotationpg1.png http://imageshack.us/a/img10/5379/quaotationpg2.png http://imageshack.us/a/img267/5830/quaotationpg3.png http://imageshack.us/a/img545/4985/quaotationpg4.png Additional to the quotation that we added along the way 1. Laminated flooring for Master, Dinning and walkway to rooms (500 sqft, using Vohringer floor laminate) 2. Install new tempered glass sliding doors for kitchen and master bathroom Will upload some of the before and after images soon

Hi Norman, Thank you for the reply. Appreciate it. Can I ask how much does your carpenter charge per feet? So far the quote I got was : - $240 dollars per feet for wardrobe with casement type of doors (Open door doors) c/w with laminate. - S319 dollars per feet for ECO sliding door wardrobe with Aluminum glass door finish c/w laminate. Thank you.

Is your total cost inclusive of your ceasarstone worktop as well as : 1 Complete overhaul of 2 toilets with new tiles. 2. Complete overlay of wall and floor tiles for kitchen. 3. Inovar AC3 laminates for entire house except kitchen and toilets. 4. Knocking down the wall separating the kitchen and living room.

Its great you can have ceiling fans in your house, my ceiling is pretty low only 2.4m so not installing ceiling fan as most in my family are pretty tall and if I raise my hand I can touch the fan. Also I found out that the low height ceiling fans the cooling power is pretty bad, so no ceiling fans for me.

Hi Norman, Congrats on the new purchase and blog! I read some of your threads and saw you didn't have a blog , but you finally have one now! =) Oh...by the way, I am in woodlands too. =) Will be following your reno...and see how it goes.... =) Hope you have a great reno journey!

I found the answer to my question. =) You can read about it in this thread in renotalk. Hacking or overlay? - http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=14892

HI Multi888 & Z3phy, If I overlay, then I don't need to hack as well as do waterproofing works etc correct? So in that case, then I don't need to get HDB permit also correct? Appreciate your help!

Hi Z3phy, Interesting nick you have there, Welcome to my blog! Same question, I have also plus a lot more...

Hi Multi888, Thank you for the suggestion, got a question? Can I overlay any material or only certain materials? Any cons to overlaying? Bathroons walls floors can overlay? How about Kitchen? Overlay over tiles? Also what materials can you overlay with? all types of materials like tiles etc...or only certain types materials can be used to overlay? Appreciate your input greatly!

Hi Multi888, Thank you. I think I would need all the luck as I have a lot of decisions to make on what I want to keep and what I want to do . As they say, cheapest isn't always the best, but then you want to get the best and then see how you can modify it so that it can done at the lowest cost....not cheapest...;p I need to go read your blog also.... Thank you for welcoming me again and hope to get your wise inputs as I go in this journey.

Let me share the HDB floorplan of my flat. One of the key goals is to keep the renovation cost low. So lets see if I am able to keep to my goal.

Hi everyone, I have been reading the blogs and the various categories of Renotalk forum for about a few months now. Couple of months have been spent on getting HDB to rectify some of the defects in the flat. It is time now to renovate my home and move in. Finally!!! I will explain later, why I called my blog, "An experiment in designing my new home" later. I hope as I go in this journey, you will help me along the way,if you see something that I am really blur with or give me opinions, feedback, ideas etc..... I appreciate it. So what have I been up to so far : 1) Reading...Reading...Reading...and more reading...and more reading..... 2) I have also getting various contractors / ID's etc... to my flat and asking them for a quote. 3) Msging a lot of renotalk bloggers to get their feedback on their contractors and their likes and dislikes as well as from friends, family etc... 4) I have also been visiting fairs, showrooms like Blum, interior affairs, lighting shops etc... Hopefully, I will get the quotes soon for me to get an idea on the cost and then decide on the way forward.

HI Denimart, Good day to you. I tried msging you but it seems your inbox is full, so decided to ask you here. hope you don't mind. I went through all 13 pages of your blog and you were highlighting that your contractor was pretty good especially for the bathroom areas. I am going to start on my renovation and am looking for someone to do both my bathrooms as well as breaking of a wall in my kitchen and tiling etc.. That is main focus now, but I will decide to add in kitchen cabinets and others later. Would you recommend your contractor and pass me his contact? Appreciate your help greatly. Anything, please msg me. Regards. Jay

Aluminum Cabinets : I am looking at getting Aluminum cabinets. Anyone used Aluminum for your kitchen? wardrobe? etc.. Pros : 1) Aluminum doesn’t rust, good for places with high moisture. 2) Extremely corrosion resistant, good for Kitchens , wash areas etc. Cons: 1) Aluminum is reactive, and might discolor if splattered with something acidic Aluminum is a lighter-weight, slightly whiter-hued kitchen cabinet finishing material compared to stainless steel. It comes with an anodized finish, which is important for protecting the metal over time as unfinished aluminum oxidizes rapidly. As with stainless steel cabinet doors, aluminum doors can be placed on a wide variety of cabinet box materials.

Better to check the house and bathrooms for molds and water leakage on the ceiling and walls. Better to ask the owner to fix it or other arrangement or else you will end up spending a lot of time going back and forth trying to get this resolve with the upstairs neighhbours etc.. My 2 cents of knowledge. Hope it helps.

Kitchen Cabinet : If you’ll live in the home for a short time, you can select a basic style of cabinets. But if this is going to be your “dream kitchen”, you should look for top-quality construction. There are basically three types of kitchen cabinet types : Stock Kitchen Cabinets These include mass produced models that install easily but usually can’t be modified to your individual taste except by paint or stain. Stock cabinets cost the least, install the easiest, and are the most readily available. Semi-Custom Kitchen Cabinets Similar to stock cabinets because they are mass produced, the homeowner may order basic changes in size and even select from a fairly wide range of finishes, moldings, and trim. Custom Kitchen Cabinets In many cases custom actually means semi-custom with more modification choices. If someone wants uniquely designed kitchen cabinets, which defines the true meaning of “custom” he or she should expect to pay top dollar Framed vs. Unframed Cabinets Framed cabinetry is constructed with a frame attached to the front of the cabinet box. The frame is usually, 3/4″ solid hardwood with door hinges secured to it. Framed cabinetry offers less storage space and accessibility than frameless construction. A framed cabinet looks exquisite when designed with an “inset” where the door and drawer front sit entirely within the boundaries of the frame. This look is common to vintage furniture but can also lend a contemporary feel depending on other design elements. The doors on a framed box can also be designed as “full overlay”, meaning that the doors and drawer fronts cover the frame completely for a look that is the same as frameless cabinetry. Frameless cabinetry is often referred to as “full access” or “European Box”, where doors are hinged directly to the cabinet box. When opening the doors you will see the edge of the box instead of a frame (Figure 1). This construction style allows “full-access” to shelves because it doesn’t require “stiles” (center partitions) that hinder free movement of stored items. Storage space is maximized; since there is no frame to contend with, drawers and roll-out shelves can be wider than with framed cabinetry. Frameless Cabinets are easy to mount shelves. Slide the shelf straight in, rather than diagonally as you would do with framed kitchen cabinets. More storage room because no obstructing of the frame. Composition of Kitchen Cabinets MDF or Particle Board Construction From rustic and un-even dimensions of kitchen cabinetry of yesteryears to the timeless styles offered today, kitchen cabinets are composed of many different types of materials. Lower end cabinets, those often found pre-assembled in national home improvement and specialized department stores, are mainly comprised of MDF (Medium density fiber board) or particle board. Appearing to be of high quality, kitchen cabinets comprised of MDF or particle board are subject to moisture retention with seam separation commonly noted. Plywood Construction Kitchen cabinets constructed of ½” plywood are perhaps the most economical with increased durability. Cabinet boxes constructed with rigid plywood offer greater resistance to moisture with extended wear; enduring for many years after all warranty expiration. Source: Consumer Reports What separates a well-made cabinet from a cheap imitation? Here are the cabinet features to look for--and what to avoid. Cabinet box Best is ½- to ¾-inch furniture-grade plywood. Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is OK, but avoid 3/8-inch coated particleboard. Doors Most manufacturers offer a similar range of door-style options for all their price levels. Look for a solid-wood frame surrounding solid-wood or plywood panels. Veneered particleboard or an MDF panel is OK, but avoid laminate or thermofoil over particleboard. Drawers Well-built drawers are critical, because they get the most use. The best ones have solid-wood sides, dovetail joinery, and a plywood bottom that fits grooves on four sides. Avoid stapled particleboard. Hardware Full-extension drawer guides are better than integrated side rails or under-mounted double-roller designs. Shelves Look for ¾-inch plywood or MDF. Lesser-quality 5/8- or ½-inch particleboard shelves may sag. Mounting strips Ask the contractor to use ¾-inch hardwood strips or metal strips with bolt holes. Thinner wood, MDF, or particleboard can be a concern with heavily loaded wall cabinets.

Seems like a lot of people are asking for quotation and contact. Is it possible to share? Thank you . Much appreciated.

Thank you eekenji. It seems there is not much info on the counter-top. Most of the info is from the company itself. Nonetheless, I will try to do a write up if I can get more details. I did a bit of research and it seems to be actually laminate but a different type called HPL - High Pressure Laminate. Seems interesting. But I think it might not be suitable for me due to some of the details in warranty plus is thickness is not to my needs. I am thinking of going towards a Quartz but its a material called Quartzlite. Thank you for bringing it up to my attention. Regards. Jaykr.