zihui

JT update (24th Sept '13) - Plastering works are ongoing right now: The last photo had the caption - "Your walls (are) finally smooth liao :)" hahahahahaha Been an incredibly busy few days for us so we havn't had the chance to physically go down to the unit to check out the progress, so we've been relying on the contractor's photos to keep us updated. We finally have some errands to run in that area this evening so we can pop by the unit to check it out! We've also gone down to SSC @ IMM to order the 3 WCs required for the house... the poor credit card is taking yet another beating

Finally your t-blog is set up! Looking forward to the pictures to see ethnic chic materializing!

More photo updates from JT (the contractor's name): 1) Wall plaster and Porcelain tiles have arrived! 2) Sand and Cement 3) Even more sand, cement and tiles! Right on schedule!

Congrats on your new place! Am looking forward to seeing photos of your reno process!

Gorgeous! Heartiest congratulations on the completion of your reno process!!! *beam*

The blue and pink patio chairs are very cheery! I think they'll look a real treat against the green astroturf!

I guess both of you have very valid points. The HTB and I weighed up the pros and cons (he's the type who cannot tahan the heat) but due to budget constraints as well as the fact that our unit is quite 'airy and breezy', we've decided to opt out of the air conditioning for the first level. We've gone with the ceiling fan + standing fan option for the first floor so we'll observe the situation first. But like what vanessa said - if all else fails, let's escape to the rooms!

Excitedly went down to the unit after work last Friday to check out the carnage. Out with the old! Here are the obligatory photos of the debris: 1) Hacked up kitchen: 2) Hacked up toilet: 3) MBR Toilet destroyed: 4) Protective sheets laid out in the living room to protect the marble flooring - the only thing that we're not hacking: In addition to hacking, the aircon guys from Gain City also came down on Saturday to run the piping and to shift the aircon units to where the FSM asked us to place the units. The glass guys also came down to take measurements (and collect deposit payment) on Saturday for the required windows, new balcony sliding door and the staircase. On Sunday, we went over to Starhub to sign up for the fibre broadband. For those interested in installing the OpenNet fibre broadband cables, Starhub is throwing in the OpenNet installation for free while Singtel told us to arrange with OpenNet on our own. So thanks to Starhub, the OpenNet guys are coming down to our unit to do the installation on the 1st of Oct while the Starhub technicians will come down once again on the 7th of Oct to carry out their part. Today is the final day of hacking and debris removal - the balcony tiles, sliding door & frame are all coming out and the place will finally be cleared. Tiles & mosaic all to be delivered this afternoon. PHEW!

Just before lunch, the contractor suddenly Whatsapp-ed me. "We have started!!" and he sent the following 3 photos: 1) Switches and skirting dismantled, wires haphazardly dangling all over the place: 2) Ninja Warrior! 3) Hacking in progress: I finally understand what people mean when they say that having a good main contractor overseeing the renovation project really makes a huge difference. As a first time house owner, everything is foreign and new to me - and a little bit frightening. There have been many times when I've felt totally overwhelmed by what needs to be done and the decisions that need to be made. However, even though it's only the start, the contractor's behavior & attitude thus far has gone a long way in allaying my stress and worries. He's not an ID by training so there were no 3D drawings for us to peruse. However, he listens to what we want, comes up with his hand-drawn sketches, provides us with his input (whether our ideas are practical etc) and even comes up with his own design ideas for us to consider. Today is the first day of the reno, so needless to say, I'm sitting here at work both excited and worried. Like I told Vanessa earlier, I'm looking forward to rushing to the unit after work to view the carnage and to see the unwanted items ripped out. The fact that the contractor took the initiative to send me some photos without my asking for them is very much appreciated. Now I'm praying that the rest of the reno goes smoothly and that he continues maintaining this kind of standard

Yeah, i know.... in fact, to be honest, it was partially of what happened to you that made us so 'kan cheong' about the necessary permits we can't imagine such a long delay but it's ok because everything came through nicely for you in the end and now your dream house is really taking shape! hahahahaahhaa pantang mah... thanks for the kind words mark! *fingers crossed* hoping that it'll be smooth sailing. problems will definitely occur but i'm hoping that the contractor can quickly settle the issues our contractor is really very on the ball... i'm surprised. he even whatsapp-ed photos of the progress to us. will post them up in the next entry

That's very true too Thankfully I have a very hands-on contractor Permit for the wall hacking is already in place so that's one headache removed Think I might end up vomitting blood if we had to wait ages for a simple permit to be approved.

stressful days ahead but i'm really excited at seeing the carnage this evening - out with the old!

The actual commencement of our reno is finally here! To celebrate the start of the reno process, the Big Guy whipped up a simple dinner of Steamed Mussels in White Wine & Garlic Sauce last night. Coupled with bread for the sauce and a couple of glasses of blanc, we retired early - coz we couldn't wait for the morning to finally arrive. Simple, delicious and hearty! Woke up early this morning to head down to the flat. We were pleasantly surprised that the contractor was already there, conducting his prayer session at the void deck of the flat. According to him, this is his usual practice in order to ask for a smooth and incident free renovation. He was there since 6+ in the morning even though his workers will only be arriving around 9.30 to start with the hacking. He just said, "I'll accompany you guys for the 动土ceremony, then I'll go downstairs for my breakfast when you all go off to the office. I'll wait until the workers arrive and supervise them so that we can finish all the hacking within today." Thumbs up for his dedication! I'm feeling so much better after seeing how 'on the ball' he is. Proceeded upstairs to the unit and were greeted with confirmation that D-day is indeed here: At the appointed time, the Big Guy quickly took up position and started whacking away at the 动土spot as per Master Chang's advice: Once that was done with, we left the contractor to his leisurely breakfast and headed to our respective offices. The contractor just sent me a Whatsapp message an hour ago - "The workers are here. Are you ready? Haha" Guess I don't have a choice, do I? Will head back to the unit to check out the carnage after work today. Update more later!!

Don't worry Vi! I'm sure you can do it. Just take the advice of those who have contracted the services of Alan previously, be more hands on and deal directly with his subcons in order to minimize errors. Like you said, slowly but surely, you're going to build a home! By the way, remember to post more photos of the reno process hor.

That's good to hear! Hopefully the traffic light telcos can support us with free opennet installation as well. Will check with the green one tomorrow

Hi janyen, We got our lightings and rainshower set from Taobao. Unable to update you regarding the shipping cost as we havn't gotten the estimate from Peeka as yet, due to the Mid Autumn festival holidays in China. Actually Peeka is really easy to use - just create an account with them. After that, go hunt for the stuff that you want to buy from taobao. When you find something that you want, just copy and paste the item's url into Peeka and fill up the desired quantity. When the entire order sheet is complete, just make the deposit payment via internet banking / ATM and then wait. Once the items get shipped over to Peeka's warehouse, they will update you accordingly and provide you with the estimate for the shipping to Singapore. However, please note that the domestic shipping takes about 1 week and international shipping to Singapore will take about 2-3 weeks so my advice is not to purchase things that you'll need urgently. This discussion in RT might be useful for you (started by vanessa) - http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/58354-taobao-help-needed/

HAHAHAHA i'll sponsor a x'mas stocking to complete the look!

Looking forward to see photos of the completed project, June! It's going to blend in wonderfully with the rest of the house!

Hi sherting, Thankfully we don't have that issue. Luckily, the colors that he suggested for the house were already the colors that we wanted (cream, white, grey) so no issues there The only 'garish' color which he says is a must is a YELLOW foyer area (there's a foyer area in front of my main door, outside the house). Thankfully it's outside the house, so we don't mind following his advice.

yup, you're right... am really indebted to my contractor and my future MIL. combined, their contacts have been instrumental in saving us a lot of money, not just for the tiles but also for the construction crew, timber etc thanks to my contractor, we managed to get tiles and mosaic for practically nothing from his buddy hopefully.... our schedules are packed at the moment. can't wait for everything to finally be over so that we can enjoy the fruits of our labor and relax in the place. the HTB, to be fair, is more worn out than me. he's flying to phnom penh next week and his workload is insane so he's been dying for a rest.

These guys don't bother to read the thread at all..... Mr K's contact is on the 2nd page in macuser's signature.... *sigh*

So after many visits to Sungei Kadut (Tag Allianz & White Horse Ceramics) and to Defu Lane (KWH) and donating a lot of blood to the killer mosquitoes there, we finally confirmed all of the required tiles for the entire house. Thanks to my contractor's excellent lobangs and my future MIL's contacts (she's also in the construction industry), we have managed to obtain HUGE discounts for all of the tiles that we require. Feeling incredibly blessed and grateful for all of their help. Photos of the selected tiles to follow shortly. Hacking and debris removal will commence this Friday and the tiling will start as of next Monday. Also called up OpenNet yesterday regarding the installation - apparently the previous owner missed out on the free installation so thanks to them, we now have to pay for them to install. Since we're carrying our renovations now, we might as well do the installation now as well. Their advice is to go down to one of the 'traffic light' telcos to see if they are able to throw in the OpenNet installation for free. For those of you who are going to sign up for a broadband plan, maybe you can consider the following promotion:

Actually I just called up Opennet yesterday. For those interested, the EARLIEST appointment you can get now is in mid-Oct. But their advice to me was the same - that I can go to one of the traffic light telcos to see if they can throw in the Opennet installation for free.

If you're planning to go for the FX900, why don't you consider buying from this person instead? Saves you some money http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/62041-wts-unused-fujioh-cooker-hood-fx900/

I agree with the others - your reno looks very nice!! Congrats once again!