inthechouse

Thank you in advance! When will you have your blinds/curtains installed? That's why la. Not sure what happened there with the brackets. Hopefully some friends here who have purchased KDK fans will see this and enlighten us. I was very taken with Lamitak's website, to begin with. LOL. Alan handed us some catalogues of unknown brands, but we did not really fancy any of those laminates. How do I view the big pieces though?

Update: Met up with the electricians this morning for a briefing. They opened the KDK fan box and said that there was no brackets. I asked if the packaging was short of the bracket. They said no, I have to buy it separately. Once again, we didn't know about this. And the salesman at Goh Ah Bee did not tell us too. This is the second time (read my earlier post about the 707 water heater). I had to leave, so I don't know how they were gonna install it. Some of Alan's clients here have talked about a group of "elderly" electricians doing a less-than-ideal job. These guys doing my electrical work are not exactly elderly - they're in their late 40s to early 50s (I think). Anyway, if it's the same group then there's a bit of worry about the KDK fan installation. Guess I'll find out soon enough. Alan said his carpenter will come and take measurements this weekend. That's when we'll get to choose the laminates. It's highly likely that we'll go for Lamitak.

Update: - It's proven to be quite a challenge to get quotes for a new iron gate, I assume it's because of the pre-CNY rush. I'm cool to have it installed after CNY but it's not even possible to place an order now. Everyone's just so busy/aloof. - Will be meeting the workers tomorrow morning for light installation. All lights but one are ready. P.S: Maybe it's common knowledge but we did not know that you can't just purchase and pick up lights on the same day. At Balestier over the weekend, we found out that the goods can only be picked up today (Monday). So do take note of that. - We've purchased a 56-inch KDK fan (R56) from Goh Ah Bee @ $275 nett. No delivery nor installation. Got a feeling it may be a little too big for my long and narrow living room. I guess we'll find out soon enough. - The paint job done by the foreign workers was not entirely satisfactory. Pictured here is the main door frame. We've highlighted this to Alan and apparently these can all be resolved during the touch-up stage, which will come during/after (?) carpentry. So we're not too bothered. Good thing the big walls and ceilings are ok. P.S: The cement screed wall in the kitchen has yet to be "finished". - Alan said he would arrange for a major washing after the lights are installed. Then it's break for CNY. Wondering what can we do during this time. Just DIY cleaning/washing? It's probably too soon to have the furniture delivered. And I doubt deliveries can be arranged for that period. - Anyone's got a good recommendation for blinds/curtain-makers? We prefer to use companies which have served some Renotalkers. After all, there's nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth!

Nice choice of laminate! Which brand/series is this?

I opted for clear glass windows. Will definitely install curtain/blinds, but just wanted to be able to look out of the windows (got view) while the blind is up, AND having the room kept cool at the same time. LOL! May not go ahead with it coz it's not East West facing... Edit: In case anyone wants to know, here's what I've found out so far. This is a repost, with some updates: - Window Cool and Acme: Both salesmen were responsive and came to meet us bearing samples. Price range: Starting from $6 psf. - 3M: Appointment arranged via email. Apparently the Night Vision series cost $7 psf and up. - Nanolux: Yet to meet the salesperson after a phone conversation. - Sun-X: Price range from $5 psf and up. Will arrange an appointment soon. - Coolkote: $8 and $12 psf. Not inclined to purchase.

By the way, two thumbs-up for Nippon Odourless Snow Flakes! It's really nice and bright. Gonna go meet an iron gate supplier + a window solar film salesman. These things are so pricey. Anyway, we hope to have all the lights and ceiling fan ready/delivered by this weekend so Alan can arrange for installation early next week.

Thank you, everyone! Appreciate all the input. Checking with Alan if we can have a tiny tin of an extra colour. If he says no then I guess we'll have to go buy it ourselves.

For the maxed out colours, half of them are various shades of white. I do hope the bathrooms don't turn out too colourful. What's your take on the pipe colour?

Thank you both! I've actually run out of colours, as I have maxed out the quota given by Alan. I wonder if it's ok for me to purchase the paint myself and ask the foreign worker who's been painting my flat solo to paint it.... Has anyone done that before?

Thanks! There's actually a white tile from the same series but it wasn't very bright. In fact it's kinda greyish. We decided to just paint the top 1/4 of the walls white. Alan said that we would need to have the walls painted every 3 years or so. Guess we'll have to DIY lor. What colour do you reckon we should paint the pipes?

So Alan had the bathroom pipes changed within a day of my confirmation via Whatsapp. We're very happy with the results, even though it's not budgeted. What remains is to pick a colour for the paint job! See those labels on the walls? Those were put up before the plumbers came in to indicate what goes where. Measurements of hardware purchased included. Then we put up a few labels indicating lighting points + type of light. The latest labels = the paint colours for the walls. Also, first coat of paint is ready. Will drop by to check on things again very soon. See the door frames? Alan advised that we have them lacquered rather than painted over. We're open to the idea.

Hi ahhboi, welcome and congrats. I bought a 4-rm resale too, but the layout is completely different. Totally understand your point about budget. Just curious, what's the "$27K resale package" about? From what I know, it costs at least 40K to overhaul a 4-rm. For the windows and window grillies lock, you can check with factory-direct sources. The guy we used was pretty god and his prices were great, but he's very busy at this time. Are the windows and grilles in good condition? If you plan to change them some time down the road, you may like to consider changing everything now rather than just the locks alone. For contractors, I read from this forum that Mr K's prices are quite expensive. As for Alan, he would suit homeowners who are very "hands-on". Lots of threads on this forum about these 2 gentlemen.

Thanks, vicx1234! We're using Snow Flakes too! Was a little worried when the painter told me that it would look "a little pink". Can't wait to check it out today/tomorrow.

Nice pix. What shade of white did you use on your walls? (Apologies if this was asked/answered before)

Thank you both!

Thanks, Songz! Saw that too, but it made me more confused than ever. HAH!

Got a pic?

Update: Dropped by this morning to meet the paint workers. They were applying "primer" to the ceiling. Spotted a large tin of Nippon Matex. Does anyone know what this is for? I'm guessing the ceiling? Our agreement with Alan was to use Dulux Pentalite Mouldguard for the ceilings of the kitchen, storeroom and bathrooms. This may have been factored into the cost. Didn't see the tin at all so we've raised a query. Paint works should end by Friday.

I see. Hmm I think we've got at least 2 electrical points in each room (different sides). No cove or false ceiling. Will remember to ask about using 3-gang switches for the lights. Thanks!

Such as?? A heads-up for electrical, please... The aircon installation process was a bit of pain, but it seemed like just temporary. I will truly feel relieved when I get to switch it on and see it working. By the way, we've decided to replace all the bathroom pipes. This will set us back by $600.

Some update on electrical. Printed a chart for the workers. Even though we've had a word with the boss, I decided to meet the workers on the morning they started work, so as to brief them again. The boss wasn't there, so they were reliant on the wall markings. It is highly advisable to go through everything with them again. In fact they provided some very practical tips, which I was thankful for. What you see here was completed in a day. New DB box installed in the storeroom. Extra cost for new positioning: $200-300. Had a slight shock when I saw the funky cover. Turned out it was just a piece of paper they used to wrap the plastic flap. LOL. Think we overdid it a lil' with the power sockets. We've got 'em littered all over the flat... The next morning, the aircon guys from Gain City came at 10am. After going through the trunking route, they said they would run it down that wall that was being rectified by Alan (see my earlier posts), because the side was taken up by electrical cables. There was no way I could accept it because it would look really fugly! Anyway the wall wasn't plastered yet so how's that even possible. They then said they could come back again - at the penalty fee of $150. Such a situation calls for the presence of Alan, so I rang him and he said he'd drop by in 45 mins. No protest whatsoever. An hour later, Alan showed up. He told the workers sternly that they could remove the electrical cables and run whatever that was needed to run alongside the wires, and he will redo the cables later. Installation ended close to 7pm. The workers did not wrap the fan coils in plastic. When I asked, they said they could come back the next morning to do it. There was no testing of the aircon because the 15A socket wasn't entirely ready. They had kept their extension wire in the van, and the sky was getting dark, there was no lighting, and we all just wanted to get out of there. By the way, does anyone know if I can still install blinds at this window? Since the trunking is right next to it?? The next morning, they came back as promised. They touched up some parts of the wall and trunking with plaster, and wrapped the units with plastic. I saw that there was water on the condenser. They said it came from upstairs and there's nothing much I can do about it. I also asked about the PVC water pipe on the bathroom floor. They said I shorten it slightly if I wish. But it has to end close to the floor trap, otherwise it could lead to inter-level leaks (if waterproofing wasn't done properly). I'll have the PVC pipe painted. That's all now. Painting will commence in a bit. We're busy getting all the lights ready so Alan can arrange for them to be installed before CNY. Source: Ikea, Arc Lighthouse, Chan Huat, Lumiere and Lightings.com.sg. Nothing from Taobao. Our Chinese language skills leaves much to be desired. We've asked to have a chat with the carpenter before CNY. Alan said ok to that.

Had a chat with Alan and an ID-friend. Both said spray-painting is too ex. They can only paint over the gate if I really wish to retain it. I think whoever who did the last paint job didn't do it properly, coz it has bumps and bubbles on it. Looks like it's REALLY gotta go.

We shifted our vanity basin out too. Even then, the bathroom is still not big enough for a shower screen. We've always wanted big bathrooms but there were just too many other pros to the unit, for which we decided to accept the bathroom sizes. By the way, for flooring, have you heard of vinyl flooring? We passed by an office at Tat Ann Building yesterday and had a touch and feel of different samples. Website here. Apparently it's non-porous, unlike laminate. We would've used it if not for the fact that the floor tiles in our unit are totally ancient.

Kitchen looks good! Doesn't look like a lot of work is required. But I agree with vicx1234. You may wanna redo the bathroom. Looks like a pretty good buy.

That's right. Otherwise, there will be an obvious, thick layer of paint. That's what happened to my gate.