blackmango_juice

hi there, if you are getting a bank loan..note that the rates for up to 80% and up to 90% are different..i.e. you will be paying a higher interest rate if you take a bank loan up to 90%..cos the bank is assuming more credit risk..and you have to bear a higher interest rate to loan the additional 10%....personal experience speaking... second, the bank will look at all your current obligations, such as amount of loan for old house that you are currently servicing, any other obligations such as car loan, credit overdrafts, etc and your current combined income (together with spouse if any)..to determine the no. of times of your annual income that they will lend.. eg: if your combined income is S$100k a year, the bank will take a multiple say 15 times (just an example) which is S$1.5m and deduct your current outstanding loan for old house (eg: S$400k outstanding) and all current obligations, so the remaining cushion of S$1.1m that bank is comfortable to lend you at the maximum..then compare to your proposed loan amount (eg: S$1.0m including interest), then they will probably agree to the loan.... just my 2 cents worth hope i was useful for you

thanks, chunky monkey

hi, mine is just laid on the flooring...no adhesive... the timber decking has gaps in between....just lay it down on the floor... there is no maintenance whatsoever.....but you probably have to paint a few coats of wood paint to protect the wood over time....that's about it.... here's a picture of outdoor decking...before painting it darker... the decking were cut to pieces to fit the nooks and corners of the balcony..with pebbles thrown ard the sides.. you can see the drainage pipe below the light..that's for the water drainage..

thanks for your compliment... unfortunately, blum was not sourced by me...so i dont have any contacts or discounts ...

currently, we have a mini pull-out larder unit to store the sauces and condiments.... the larder unit has to be separately purchased...your carpenter has to build the carcass for the larder unit to attach to....and also the drawer runners for the pull out motion...... and if you want to prevent things from dropping backwards.....get a backing.... here's what mine looks like...

hi there...just an update.. Ah Chua fixed up the exhaust fan for S$50 (inclusive of the exhaust fan)...very happy with the end result cos i got a quote of about S$200 (including fan) to fix it up.... as promised...here's what the back of my suspended TV look like...with the electrical points mounted on it...at least everything is suspended evenly and eventually all the wires will be hidden inside the stainless steel pole....

hi there... i agree that Korean brand might not be a worthwhile investment in the longterm...so we chose american film for all the doors.....but some might prefer to save in the short term...individual preferences..... no worries about the house looking dark!! i had the initial doubts as you had...but it really depends on the % of light transmission that you are looking at...the higher the percentage, the greater amount of light filters in, but at the same time, the lower the heat rejection..its a trade off.. here's what my doors look like with the solar film..a little mirrored finish so bypassers cannot look in during the day... my glass was actually clear, so we chose a green-tinted solar film... but at night, its a little mirrored finish from the inside...cannot remember the exact specification..but mine was abt 60+% light transmission...really not bad and quite bright during the day...and the heat rejection was also 60+%...the UV/solar rays was 99% rejection which means your flooring/furniture will not fade if exposed to direct sunlight when your windows/doors are closed.. hope it helps! hi there.. no problem...glad to help you out

thank you very much...

hi all... my ID/contractor quoted me S$20 per sq ft...and i needed to deck an area of 225 sqft...so the total was S$4500 for just decking!! nearly fainted when i saw that amount... anyway, we decided to get the decking ourselves...Ard S$45 per piece of 90cm by 90cm (9 sqft i think) so that works out to be S$5/ per sq ft..... we bought 30 pieces from Fun's Florist & Nursery at Upper Thomson Road, total cost of S$1350..can you calculate the price saving? (ans: S$3150) my contractor then stained the decking and cut it to the right size FOC...

my electrician was Mr Chua (8172-8126)....or Ah Chua, as how i always call him... cheerful old man...good workmanship..basically Ah Chua is a "bao-gao-liao" kind of electrician...he fixed up the exhaust fan in my parents' toilet after renovation was completed (so he has to plaster back the ceiling).. my house is concealed wiring..he came to re-wire the entire house, do up the DB box, retrofitted the birdcage lights...and advised my carpenter on how to conceal the lighting point for my wardrobe so that light is auto turned on when the wardrobe doors are opened.. as an example.. my bedroom suspended TV is mounted to stainless steel pole, rotates 360 degrees and wires concealed in the pole was single handedly done by him..and the electric points are mounted onto the back of the steel plate attached to the TV..very beautiful and streamlined.. i must take a picture of my suspended TV pole within these few days and post it on my reno blog...look out for it if anyone is interested to see Ah Chua's workmanship.. have fun!

My contractor provided these Clipsal switches (Metro C series) with LED that is blue when the switch is off so that you can see the switches in the dark...also it helps to know which switches are on/off by looking at the LED.. he also searched high and low to look for a similar looking fan regulator to match the Clipsal switches.. just to share

hi there... actually, the process was more like i choose the film (based on different specifications) from a thick bound catalogue...i asked him how much, and he just quote (like say S$3.50)..it is all in...so i dont really know the ratio between material vs labour costs.. before i engaged Danny, my contractor recommended a window film installer to me working at P*Doors...he was freelancing a bit on the side...the window film samples he showed me was 2 pieces of A4 paper..with small strips cut out and stapled and description of the film by the side..from WindowSS i think....quite unprofessional looking..plus the tiler quoted me upfront S$4/- per sqft (material + labour)...at first i thought it was reasonable and wanted to agree on the spot..but i took the conservative way and said i'll only confirm after checking ard the next day.. guess what? S$4/ can get very good american-made film! thank goodness i didnt agree with that installer..then i called up this film company (A&B Films) the next day and they directed me to Danny cos this A&B is a wholesaler supplying films (you can see their catalogue) but they can recommend installers.....tat's the story of how i got to know Danny...

hi there.. actually, if the terms and conditions inserted by the ID/contractors are to protect their interests, then homeowners are also entitled to insert agreed upon T&Cs in the contract..... you are entitled to discuss with your IDs/contractors on certain agreed upon terms and to have these terms included in the contract to protect YOUR interests, such as handover date, schedule of work to be completed, whether contracted works can be cancelled if they have not started and whether there is any cancellation penalty.... how did the contracts of IDs/contractors come to have so many T&Cs? i believe that over the years, they had bad experiences which they were liable/not covered/responsible, so as they accumulate more experiences (especially those unfavourable to them), they have refined their T&Cs to cover for these circumstances...of course, that's not to say all T&Cs are to the disadvantage of the homeowners.... bottom line is, read the fine print, and if you are not comfortable, negotiate further...otherwise..find another ID/contractor.. after you have gone through a renovation, with hindsight, you will realise that by putting your terms in black and white in writing and signed (eg: handover date to be agreed upon up front) your position is more secured in the event of a dispute... just my 2 cents worth...

hi there.. mine wardrobe and kitchen cabinets done by CP design and furnishings Pte Ltd (63683546)..that is the direct factory line... they were not the ones who quoted me cos i went through my ID/contractor firm... but with the workmanship, i would say im pleased..cos its in veneer, and the joinery lines are hardly visible.. can look for ah keong... hope it helps....

yup, agreed that some of the fans from fanimation are very similar to elmark....not surprised..since a fan is a generic product that can be fabricated easily..which is also why we bought elmark fans and not fanimation ones.. hey applefreak..if you think your room needs cooling down and there is a high likelihood of you using the fan on a daily basis, i suggest you should go for it...now that i've moved in, im just thankful i have a ceiling fan in almost every other room.... but if you are really uncomfortable with the idea of a ceiling fan because of fengshui reasons, and you still want to cool your fan, maybe a tower standing fan can be your next best bet...

hi there... The quotation that Danny quoted includes the labour charges for installation plus film.... As i did not have existing film, i am not sure whether there will be any charge for removal of existing film.. best advice is just to give him a ring and ask....no harm in asking over the phone

hi there..i did call up once to enquire about the model that i like..more than S$1.5k..very expensive..i forgot about it on the spot... yup,elmark is at Ubi Avenue 1...nope, its not at Jurong...take PIE and exit at Eunos link side i think....but check up the directory first... remember guys..BARGAIN..its alw possible to slash prices...dont be like a sheep taken for slaughter....happy hunting !!

here's mine.. with lights when the doors are slid open.. and pull-out shallow drawers so that it is easier to access the clothes..

Hi there... to answer your questions, yup, the leather-blade fan is also from elmark..in fact, all my fans are from elmark...not that i am advertising for them or anything, but we really dont like the usual fans that we had seen so far at that point in time..and the one we really like (eg: fanimation fans) cost more than S$1.5k each for the nice ones...so sad..so elmark was a compromise... for the normal ones, i think S$100 plus will get you a pretty standard fan...balestier or jalan besar should give you some good finds...walk ard those 2 streets and compare.. the nice ones? fanimation has gorgeous fans...seriously cool-looking devices.. I think Singapore wallcoverings Pte Ltd carries Fanimation fans (65 6479 2822)..but they are seriously going to dent your pocket...

hi there.... i just did my house's doors with solar film....based on a few quotations that i've gotten..the price ranges from S$1.50/sqft (for korean brand)..to S$2.80-S$3.80/sqft or even higher (for american brands) depending on the specifications that you want, such as % of heat rejection, % of light transmission (the greater the heat rejection then most probably the lesser the light transmission), whether mirror-finished, clear or opaque....etc. Vcool or 3M brands are more expensive... the key difference between korean and american made film is the quality... if you cut a small piece of film for each korean-made and american-made film, you'll realise that the korean-made one stretches very very easily...anything that stretches easily can also contract easily...if it is used in-door then the korean-made one should suffice and last for at least 2 years....however, if its for out-door windows/doors, better get the american-made ones...just my 2 cents worth... i tried to stretch the american-made one and it didnt even move a milimetre... anyway, if you are looking for a good installer, can try Danny (96323448)....he came over to my house for a site measurement, showed me the samples (both korean and american), explained pros and cons, and provided quotation......he's fast, accommodating to my schedule, quick to rectify errors (he accidentally installed the film on the wrong side of the glass door and sent his men down the very next day to re-install), and willing to negotiate on pricing....and the most professional of all the quotations i've sourced.. overall a hassle-free experience....good luck!

hi there i have a ceiling fan exactly like the one you referred to.... here it is.... the fan rotates horizontal around the pole when the blades are turning.... quite a cool device... its a good looking contemporary fan....some may not like it..some do.....fortunately, i really love it... its comes with a remote control....and we bought it from elmark...you can hunt for it... price wise, i cannot remember the exact amount cos we bought it a few months back.. but i remembered the sales person quoting me S$1000 plus before discount.... i am also a fan (no pun intended) of this leather-bladed fan... some say it looks like a big fly....but i just think it is easier to maintain as the colour is black...plus with the huge blades angled, it is really quite a powerful fan.... i really dislike the traditional white, plastic-looking fan with thin baldes....so it was quite tough looking for the fans that we like... anyway, to each his own...have fun with your hunt for the perfect ceiling fan!

bi-fold wardrobe...