korilala

As quoted from the link, it's actually 304 stainless steel, so I do believe it's pretty sturdy, plus the fact that it's mounted into the walls and shower curtains ain't very heavy either. However, if you intend to hang quite a no. of things on it or etc, then I am not sure.

Hi there, the shower curtain rod wasn't provided by my ID. We got it online from Tmall (more reliable version of Taobao in my opinion). If you are keen, here's the link for you! http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=12443980567

Hi there, sorry haven't been logging into Renotalk for a while! anyway we got it from Royal Fanco at around $200ish, close to $300. Had to pay an additional $80 for the remote control though. The wind speed wise is really quite strong, and I usually can get by just using the Low speed. So far we have been using it for a few months, it's still working quite well and produces minimal noise. Hope that helps!

Hi mintyvintage, here's the link: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=21417287151

It's been a month or so since we completed the renovation. Everything's been good so far, but I noticed that there has been crack lines appearing on my walls in various rooms. The hub's fren also has the same problem with his BTO, which apparently is due to reno work by nearby units, but just wondering if anyone else faces the same problem here? Should I speak to my neighbours? But I am pretty hesitant as there's no evidence that it's due to their reno work and I don't wanna sour relationships either. Have contacted my ID, she mentioned that it's quite common and she was willing to do touch up for us if need be, but I don't think it's feasible either to keep asking for touch up if the cracks keep appearing? Please help!

Revealing our ID Now that the entire renovation has been completed, we will be sharing on the ID we have engaged. We engaged Dorothy Ho from In-Lookz Home. Initially when we started the planning process of renovating our home, we thought of getting a contractor (the famous Mr K/ Mr Alan), but we were intending to get a reno loan and also at that point we started seeing some not-so-pleasant reviews of them, so we were quite hesitant. Although there wasn't much review about Dorothy, but I thought of just trying my luck and go along with a female ID, as I always felt that generally females are more meticulous in their work and so we contacted her. She was very prompt in her replies and when we met up with her for the first time, she was able to catch the theme that we are keen on doing, and provided some modifications for practicability and improvement ideas on the spot. After the meeting, she sent us quotation within a week and was never pushy in forcing us to sign up, nor fixated on the quotation. In fact, she was very willing to work within our budget and provided very good suggestions on how we could cut certain costs. We first met her in February before CNY and during that period we also met up with another ID (will not be naming him) that was recommended on Renotalk. However, the ID was rather slow in getting back to us with quotations and etc, and he did not sound very interested in our project either. After discussion with the hubs, we finally signed up with Dorothy in April. As we were applying for reno loan, so we had to wait for the bank to release the cheque before we could make the payments. However, the cheque was delayed, and Dorothy only collected a small token as deposit from us and started all the hacking and etc. In fact, we only managed to get the cheque later on and paid her, just before carpentry was coming in! We felt so apologetic towards her, and also very appreciative of the fact that she has never pushed us for payment at all. In fact, it was more of me asking her when she wanted to collect the subsequent payments and chasing her to collect payment! During the entire renovation, due to our hectic work schedule, we hardly had time to visit the site and probably only dropped by like once a week. Most of the time, Dorothy will take pictures of the progress and whatsapp them to me to keep us in the loop. Also, when we had any problems or queries and asked her, she was prompt in replying and providing solution. Even though we did not include electrical work in our package (we got my FIL to take care of that as he owns an electrical co, do PM me if you want his contact, hehe ), she was perfectly fine with it and was also able to liaise with them on the various installations. In fact, she mentioned before that if we have our own contacts for certain things and wish to exclude them from the quotation, she will be more than willing to accommodate. During each stage of the renovation, she was also around to facilitate our discussions with the carpenters, the plumbers and etc. When we wanted to add on certain small items, she also agreed without second thoughts, and sometimes threw them in FOC. In fact, she also helped us with checking for defects after most of the work were completed, and she found a few that both my hubs and I missed out. All in all, I can safely say that Dorothy has really done a great job and we are so glad we chose her as our ID, despite the limited reviews on her. The entire renovation progress has been pretty smooth-sailing, and all these wouldn't have been achieved without her help. We paid a total of around 40k plus for the renovations (sorry will not be sharing any detailed quotations), though we can't say that she offers the most competitive rates around, but she has really shown her professionalism in the job, in fact going the extra mile for us a few times and we felt that we really owed it to her for a wonderful renovation experience. And with that, I think my reno blog is finally completed... for now! Hehe. Will update again from time to time in future!

Post renovation After handover was done, we engaged a cleaning service company to do a major cleanup before we shift in, based on an auspicious date we found online. We engaged Clean Homes Singapore. Their service is pretty basic, but what I liked is that there were 4-5 people doing the job at a time, so it only took around 3 hours or so for them to complete the entire clean up. Hubs felt they did quite a decent job, and the house does feel so much more cleaner after a proper clean up. We paid close to $600 (payment by cash or cheque only) for it, with equipment and all materials provided by them. ID also dropped by to collect the final payment, as well as pass us some stain removers. She also advised us to keep some tiles and the skirting for flooring, just in case we might need them. After the major clean up, it was time to unpack some of our stuff and start stocking up our home sweet home! Washing our dishes and utensils Cups and etc. \ Tupperwares and misc Pull out trays for pots and pans. Rice dispenser at the bottom. Rice cooker, water cooker, flask and some snacks currently parked at the side to be rearranged again.

Finally moving on to the most expensive part of our renovations... The WIW located inside the MBR, with see through sliding doors. View of my WIW with same internal woodgrain PVC as the study book shelves. Track lights from Chan Huat Lightings in Balestier, as it was too late for me to taobao it back from China when I finally decided on the lights for WIW. Partial see through blinds, so that more lights can enter the room and brighten it up. Someone mentioned about whether it would be too warm inside the WIW, since there's no air con, so far it's alright, and we also placed an air circulator in the WIW, so that when the weather's really hot, we will switch on the air circulator to cool down the room. Plus, the air con is quite near, so when the doors are left open, the cool air is able to enter easily. Another cheap and good purchase from Taobao! Took the hubs only 5 minutes to install and without any difficulty. To be placed inside the WIW. Completed look for the WIW. Carpet from Tmall as well. Should have ordered a longer one I feel, but I suppose it will suffice for now. Love my WIW lots, and of cos all thanks to my dear hubs who agreed to indulge me in having a whole room convert into a WIW.

Moving on to the MBR... For the MBR part, we did minimal renovation, except to flush the walls and paint one side in another shade, install down lights and ceiling fans. We also installed two way switches, so that lazy us will not have to walk out to switch off the lights. hehe. MBR with the same ceiling fan as living room, with Opple round downlights in white light (for reading purpose) Aircon is located on the right side of the room, near the toilet and also quite near the WIW area, so that the cool air can travel in as well when we open the WIW doors. Downlights in soft shade for the "feel". 12W is really quite bright though, haha. Also, as we believe that after a long day of work, we deserve a good night sleep, we decided to break our piggybank and splurge on a good king size bed and bedframe. Japanese style platform bed with storage compartments from Lux Arcana. Unfortunately, we realised Hommage also had something similar at a lower price, only AFTER we paid a deposit for this frame in TFM. Oh well, only us to blame for not doing sufficient homework. But customer service was good though, they called us twice to confirm delivery and they were prompt in both delivery and installation. Another view of the bed, this time with our king size Simmons Beautyrest Starburst mattress. We booked our mattress really early in last Nov during one of the furniture fairs, and managed to bargain for 4 free Simmons pillows from them, as well as a matrress protector.

Common toilet with the shower curtain railing installed by plumber. Unfortunately the shower curtain we got from Tmall was too short, so waiting for the new one to arrive! 35L Storage heater from Royal Fanco installed and ensuring it doesn't hit our 8W LED toilet light, again from Tmall Panasonic. We basically got more than half our lights there. Jomoo toilet roll holder from Tmall as well. We also got the stainless towel hanger from Jomoo as well, but we forgot to take pictures. No pictures of MBR toilet as well, cos pea brain me totally forgot all about taking photos when I saw my huge 1m long customised toilet cabinet with mirror. Will try to take one next time when I can remember! Just to add on, we also installed an additional washing point in the service yard and here's how it looks like! Figure it would be more convenient, especially when there are certain delicate pieces that might require some handwashing. Washing machine placed just opposite the washing point in service yard. Bosch dryer (which was delivered later) was stacked on top of the washer. One little rant about Bosch. On the original date of delivery itself, we received a call from them saying they have been trying to contact us for many days but to no avail (we did not receive any missed calls from them at all!) and they couldn't fulfill the delivery on the day as they were overloaded with delivery (or something like that). In the end, they delivered one day later. Was quite irritated, as it meant wasting our time going to the new place in vain to wait for them. Also, how could they simply inform us so last minute on the day itself? Boo boo. Lucky installation went fine eventually, but this certainly did not give me a good impression of Bosch. In fact, among all the deliveries, Bosch was one of the few that bailed out on us last minute.

Walkway to Study (1st room on left), Common bedroom/ baby room (2nd room on left), Common toilet (on the right) and MBR+WIW (in the middle) Entrance to the study. ID helped us fixed the door stopper so that we would not accidentally knock into the book shelves when we open the door. Sufficient space was also allocated, so that when we open the book shelves, it would not hit the air con unit either. Our customised full length work table with power points and Cat 6 internet cable for fast speed connection. We opted for the glass window concept for the study, so that again, we are able to see what's going on in the living room area even in the study. (great for supervising kids/babies, haha) Our full height bookshelves with internal woodgrain PVC. (post-its were pasted to remind ourselves of places to touch up) Close up of our LED study light from Tmall Panasonic. We choose this for the brightness, as well as the dark walnut light frame to match the theme. Common bedroom 2/ baby room. Nothing much was done here, except installation of lights, window grilles, blinds and changing of the switch casings. Full black out blinds with UV protection in baby blue, also from HM Gallery.

Continuing on... We chose soft lights for both sets of lights in the living room, with only the lights from the ceiling fans to be white ones (in case we need to read). Ceiling fan from Samaire, Royal Fanco. Tested the windspeed and it is pretty good! Downlights from Tmall again, and it is cheap and good. Paid less than 15sgd per LED 12W downlight. 42" Full HD Panasonic Smart TV delivered by Best Denki, and our Eubiq track installed as well. Alot of messy cables everywhere though. Close up of the Eubiq track. Kitchen cabinets with backsplash up. Love the white quartz kitchen top! The original kitchen was sealed, but I requested for a half glass wall so that even when I am in the kitchen, I can see who's coming back home! Our Samsung Inverter fridge with no silicon trimmings by the sides to prevent mould from growing.

Last bits of reno Backtracking to my last post was around early June after the installation of the air con and replacement of the scratched window grilles. So after that, the hubs and I kind of "dropped" the reno supervision and went for a trip, leaving everything in the hands of our ID to settle for us. By then, outstanding items were only the kitchen glass splash and a few minor installations. One thing I would really like to highlight about my ID is, she took the initiative to inform us when the MBR basin we bought was defective (apparently the base was not well cut?) and that installation of the basin in the long run would cause leaking problems. First, I really appreciated her effort in informing us, as she could have simply just installed the basin for us. But not only did she not do that, she also sourced for an alternative basin for us while we were still overseas. She whatsapped me a few different kinds to show me too, and in the end she actually REPLACED MY DEFECTIVE BASIN FOR FREE with another one she bought on her own for us. Hubs and I were really touched by her sweet gesture. I am not sure if any other ID would have simply done the same, but this is our first home reno, and we really appreciated her going the extra mile to help us. Rectification works - carpentry, painting, doors Fast forward, we came back in Mid June and by then it was mostly rectification before handover. Most things were quite well done, except for bits and parts of the carpentry, painting and doors. And so, we spent a few days with the various groups doing up the minor touch ups. We were very pleased with the ID subcon's professionalism. Firstly, the carpentry side came in the afternoon and started working on the parts we were thought could be done better. They stayed all the way from 12plus in the afternoon till 8pm just to up the defects (eg. doors were not aligned properly, weird sounds when we opened the drawers etc). Actually we were quite surprised, because we thought usually they will try to argue and convince us that it's the "norm" for certain defects to occur and etc, but no, they took all our feedback and redid every single bit we mentioned. Not only that, the boss also came down personally to inspect after his workers were done, and only left after we confirmed that we were able to accept the rectifications and everything was up to our expectations. Same went for the painter who dropped by to help us with the touch up. He ensured that we checked every part of the touch up we requested, and that things were alright before he left. Previously, there were some parts of the painting that had slight bumps and it looked funny, so we got him to sand the area away and repaint it. Again, no arguments or anything, he simply helped us to sand it away and repaint without second words. For the doors, after reading through some T-bloggers' entries, I realised that many IDs/contractors do not have the habit of painting the top parts of the doors, citing that it won't be seen anyway. But I believe in the idea that when you do something, you do it properly and totally. So when we realised that the top parts of the doors were not painted, we informed the ID who in turn got the painters to paint it. However, they did not do a very good job, as the colors were not very even. Also, there were parts of the WIW sliding doors that wasn't painted evenly, with tiny bubbles formed on the door frames. According to ID, it could be because the door wasn't sand properly before painting, and thus the unevenness. Again, when the doors subcon came over for rectification work, he redid everything without complaining and repainted the top of the doors as requested. So within a total of 3 days, we managed to finish up the entire rectification work and the house was ready for handover! After the wall of text, pictures! View from entrance of the door. To create the 玄关(ganken effect) of a Jap home, we used tiles for the foyer area. On the left, our mid height shoe cabinet. We sealed the original kitchen entrance (which was where the shoe cabinet was) and relocated it. Built full height mini storage space to flush the wall with our study, and in missing in picture below the lights will be our dining table. Lights from Tmall Panasonic. Our customised TV floating console that is linked to our settee. Venetian blinds from HM Gallery. Pardon the mess, our sofa from Hommage, placed in front of the study. On the left is the settee cushions which came along with our customised settee. Close up view of our sofa from Hommage. A 2.5 seater with our chosen fabric color to match the flooring and color scheme.

Thanks for the compliment! As for the air-con company, I think so long you are able to check on them during the installation and make sure everything is alright, things should turn out fine. Usually things cant go too wrong with constant supervision, lesson learnt from renovating the house! All the best.

The space is quite alright, maybe 2/3 size of a regular room? We did full height book shelves at the back of the study, and with our customised study table, still feels okay, at least more than 1m of space from bookshelves to study table. As for aircon units wise, cos one of my bedrooms is converted into a WIW and we shifted the MBR door forward to combine the WIW and MBR, so we only did system 4. 1 for living room, 1 for study, 1 for common bedroom and 1 for WIW+MBR. If u are considering 5 units, maybe better to get 2 sets of System 2/3?