inthechouse

Hi Songz, welcome and congrats. You're right about the reno budget. We bought a resale and paid COV, hence we could only do so much for reno. Had to give up on a lot of ideas. Was close to buying a unit like yours. Would've "combined" the 2 bathrooms. Wishing you a smooth reno! We've named 2 IDs in our blog that we recommend people have a chat with. Have a look.

We're inclined towards that... But ugh the price quoted is too high. There was a windows contractor who said he would do it for 90 bucks but he went MIA on me.

Harriette, here. Prices exclude GST, I believe. Installation after CNY.

Thanks for the information! Just to share this with those who have yet to purchase their kitchen sink. If you're thinking of getting a Blanco granite sink like we did, read this first. Two friends have warned us about this so we decided to go with the good old stainless steel sink. Top mount, 800mm-long single bowl. Will post pix some time later.

I see. How long did they take to complete electrical? I'm guessing one day?

My Chihuahua will get offended. But it's nice. Did you get the pix from a blog? Do you know the company/supplier?

Interesting. Please tell me more about the "gaps between boxup and tiles"? Your reno works are happening at the speed of lightning!

I took down the names and numbers of the tilers, plumbers and electrician. LOL!

Yes, but at first Alan insisted that they can test the aircon using extension cables. So I left it at that. Good thing he decided to get the electrician to start work tomorrow morning. Apologies, there was a typo in my earlier post. I meant to say that the aircon will be installed on Friday, not tomorrow. Can't afford to customize. Scared kena chop carrot!

Received a chirpy text message from Alan this morning that electrical works will commence tomorrow. We appreciate the speed of things. Alan had asked that we arrange for aircon installation this week. So we paid up at Gain City for a Toshiba Inverter System 3, and arranged for installation on Friday. There was a good deal at their recent Expo: Free extended warrantry (1+4 years) worth $300+ to $400+, depending on the brand purchased. We were concerned that the aircon guys would have to test the aircon using extension cables, since Alan had not confirmed that the 15A socket would be ready this week. But the sales guy at Gain City said he would give the installation team a heads-up, so they can bring whatever equipment they need. It was our first shopping experience at Gain City and it proved to be a pleasant one (as of now). Then there's the issue of the main gate. I had wanted to keep the original because it is retro and rare. But Alan quoted $200 to sand it down and repaint it. He also said he may not be able to source for a new lock that fits. We've checked with a few wrought iron gate suppliers, and the designs we saw were kinda boring. And nobody's free to come take measurements until next week! Apparently the price for a new set ranges from $400-$480. With just a 200-dollar difference, maybe we should ditch the original gate. Sigh. Alan needs to complete the tiling works so he wants a decision asap (there's a tile missing under the gate and door for now). Hmm, what else? We've also arranged to meet a window solar film sales rep and the Swing Slide Door sales rep tomorrow. Kill a few birds with one stone.

The Malaysians - Were you referring to Ah Jie (a young chap) and his partner, a chubby, older chap? They did my plumbing.

Ooh great, I plan to have 2 pendants at the dining area and 1 in the kitchen! I know right. Geez. But Alan said that boxing them up would make my tiny bathrooms even tinier. Do you agree? As for sanding, he said they can only try.

A good excuse to strut around stark naked.

Thanks, Astarz. We did not think of that aspect. As with most other reno matters, we just whacked blindly like a true blue noob. LOL. Now that we know, we may choose to install the rails above the highest row of tiles (no top cabinets). Hopefully it won't be too high of a reach. Or perhaps we could look into alternatives. Your place is lookin' good. Almost selected your wall tiles for our kitchen tiles. Any new issues with Alan? Or all's good for now?

So does it mean that a ceiling/pendant light with an LED bulb above my head will cause me to feel hot too? This is getting a bit complicated. Good thing we're having this conversation before I purchase my lights.

Thanks, vicx1234. I can imagine major cluttering if I were to use a ceiling light, a pendant light and track lights. I can also imagine a bigger hole in my shallow pocket. Looks like we're really gonna have to stick to the good old ceiling light option. Some sales people have told us that LED bulbs will not emit heat. Have we been misinformed again? LOL.

Thanks for sharing. Did ya use LED bulbs? Would it be less hot? Trying to convince myself that having less track lights = less cleaning/dusting.

Dropped by the unit after work yesterday evening, as requested by the plumber. Saw that they were still installing stuff close to 7pm. Hope the neighbours downstairs don't complain... So we were told at the last minute that the workers needed two-way taps. Hupfarri hadn't advised us. And the store which sold us the 707 instant heater didn't tell us about the need for a tap either. (Yup, we're true blue noobs). Good thing the Mistral set came with one. Managed to catch the workers in time to request for them to shift the WCs a little. They also asked us how high/low we wanted the sinks/taps/heaters, etc. Default/standard doesn't always work for us because we are not very tall. Hurhur. After the piping was done, there were several holes in the walls. They asked if we will have the walls painted, so that they could go ahead with patching the holes with white plaster, or whatever it was. For those walls which we may retain as cement screed walls, they said it's best to get Alan's other workers to patch them. It was getting dark and we had to leave for an appointment, so we didn't stick around to test out the water pressure, etc. Something which we should've done. Next up, electrical works. P.S: Still waiting for Alan to rectify some wall works.

I don't think it's normal for workers to pee on the toilet floor. At our place, they peed right into the hole. On good days I saw some cardboard funnel stuck in the hole, which I assumed they peed into, because it looked wet. When your WCs are being installed, you can ask the plumbers to seal off one for you, using plastic. May not be a good idea to seal off both WCs, in case the workers pee somewhere undesirable!

Hi jayque, our plumbing was done yesterday. The workers stayed beyond 7pm, not sure why. I had insisted with Alan last week that I meet and discuss with the plumber PRIOR to their commencement. The plumber then asked that I drop by to check everything before they leave. Not that I am an expert at plumbing (or any other reno matters) but I guess my presence helped with ensuring what to place where, at what height, at which spot, and how to patch the holes (white plaster or grey cement). Everything was communicated directly to the plumber, leaving Alan out of the picture. Won't know about their workmanship till I test out the taps and showers later on. Fingers crossed. Hi Makan, our electrical works will commence soon. Any advice?

Thanks, Greg. We can't even have those additional lights since we're not constructing top cabinets. Hah. I guess we may drop the idea too.

Hi friends, how many of you are using track lights in the kitchen? Do you think it was a good choice? We will be having a C-shaped kitchen counter, which includes a small breakfast counter. The original plan was to have a pendant light above the breakfast counter, and a regular Philips light on the ceiling. Someone has suggested that we use track lights instead (1 track), so I thought I should sound out some of you here first. Thanks!

Thanks! I get what you mean about the switch being out of reach after using an adapter.

5) Wish this effect on the bathroom pipes would disappear in the blink of an eye. But nope, Alan said they can't do anything about it, except to paint over. #eyesore 6) Spotted a curved wall in the living room. This is right outside the storeroom. Told Alan about it and he said he will look into it. Pleaseeeee fix it, Alan. I know you're reading this. 7) Wohh, what's this gap beneath the plaster in my living room? Alan, I think your plastering guys slacked off a little there. On a happier note, the life landing area got cement-screeded by the town council today. Other matters: - Met the plumber and electrician today. Was a little unprepared for the latter, as we did not expect his presence. But we prevailed. Alan was not entirely helpful with this, but being a contractor and not an ID, we didn't expect otherwise. Just ask him for his opinion if you need to. Really gotta be vocal and pro-active with him. And try to look beyond his seemingly short temper.

Today's update: 1) Met Alan at the flat in the morning as agreed. Saw that the slanted wall in question was being rectified. Awesome! So that argument over text was totally unnecessary after all? 2) Seems like whoever who had punched that wall in the hollow block sink support wall in the kitchen did it wrongly. The plumber, who was present, said he has to punch new hole(s). Sounds familiar? Anyway, we asked Alan about the existing hole, and he answered grumpily that he will replace that very tile. 3) Found water stains in the ceiling of my master bathroom. Eeks. Rang the town council office and the matter is being looked into. 4) Spotted uneven plastering in the corner of the ceiling of my master bathroom. Told Alan about it and he said he will look into it. To be continued....