Ray Tay Hong Choon

My design philosophy is simple. Less means more. I like neutral colour, simple line, spacious living, warm lights with lots of lights option to suit the ambience I would like to create. I try to minimise horizontal surface as they are dust magnet. I would prefer the dust to drop on the floor and pick up by my robot vacuum. The reason for choosing beige and woody is to match the colour of the bronze window which I could not change. And ya, the curtains are from TB as well. Just provide them the dimension and design and choose the colour and materials from their site and they will handle the rest. The materials are very thick and good with almost 90% light blocking effect. The pricing are unbeatable!! My arty farty airport runway. Yup, the bomb shelter door is also laminated to match with the rest of the doors.

The big wall clock on the feature wall at the dining area was the centre piece of attraction which wowed many guests during the house warming. Many guests asked why do I need such a big clock, my answer to them was simple “I am heavily short sighted”…keke. There is even a contractor that ask me whether the clock really works. Initially I wanted to incorporate a full height tinted mirror as it create a sense of space and good for fengshui as well but decided against it as it is not possible to install the mirror in 1 big piece, higher cost than tiling and harder to maintain. And I like the effect of the cove light which cast a slight shadow on the tiles to create a 3D effect.

My Eden garden and aquarium corner at the service yard. Pardon my shrimp tank with the “moss growing” in progress as the tank is still in the dry start phase before filling with water and lots of shrimp!

Installed and oversized dish rack from TB to place the pots and pans instead of lying around the basin after washing. Although it is advertised as 304L grade, it still rust after a few months of usage. Another regret is not installing the “stylo milo” Aventos HL as my initial worry is that the hinge might not be able to clear the protruding cabinet above which was proven to be wrong. ​ Condiments tray from TB. Even though the track has soft closing mechanism, it still feel heavy to push when loaded compared to Blum. ​ The lower cabinet opposite the wash basin are made from the leftover iquartz cut out from the hob and wash basin joined together. Carpentry work are free after I “poloso” the carpenter for all the extensive works I have engaged him…hehe. So basically, I am just paying for the skirting cost to iquartz and blum hinges and tracks.

My biggest regret for the shoe cabinet is that it is too small for me to place 2 pairs of shoes side by side. It is not an issue with my wifey’s shoes. Should have make it 1 feet wider…urggghh. Added a LED strip in the background to light up the ceramic master pieces which is also from TB. It is connected with bare copper wire as thin as human hair to make the wiring look invisible from a distance as there is no way to conceal the wiring due to last minute idea.

I am updating this long overdue thread after moving in for almost a year now. The purpose is to share the reno ideas and contacts with fellow members after living with it for some time to give useful comments on the feasibility of the designs, quality of the workmanship and durability of the taobao purchase. For your info, almost 90% of the furniture and fittings except for electrical appliances are sourced from taobao. TB is really a heap of treasure trove to dig and my discovery leads me to purchase in excess of 15m3 in sea shipments, not counting other miscellaneous by air. The items are cheap even with the shipping costs factored in. With such a bargain, how can I pass to minimise cost. If I were to do my reno all again, I would even consider getting the floor tiles as well for just a fraction of the price sold in Singapore…why not? As with many of the members here, cost savings, ideal designs and quality are 3 elements that matters most to us. As such, I do away with an ID as I have an absolute idea on the design and theme that I always wanted. I split the work required to 3 separate direct contractors to reduce cost further. The main con will be engaged for the tiling, hacking and false ceiling works. Subcon 1 for aircon and electrical works and subcon 2 for carpentry work. One off installation like, wooden doors, glass door, glass backing, wrought iron grille and vanity top had been sourced direct from factory. To reduce the reno costs even further, the sub subcon for interior design, painting, plumbing works, lights and fan installations, fixtures installation, networking cable laying, tiles overlaying for toilet and wallpaper pasting will be done by ME ME ME ​ The look from outside, walnut vs cherry colour door. If you are wondering if I had changed the door? Nope, I engage the carpenter to laminate it to match my interior carpentry. I have changed the default cylinder lock to EVVA for the main door and ABUS for the main gate. I don’t like the idea to have a padlock system at the gate and the lock will only be as strong as the gate. The lockset provided by HDB is the 5 top pins variant which is really easily pick by amateur locksmith using simple tools as shown on youtube. This EVVA lock is very pick resistant as it has 5 top pins and 5 side pins which are not easily accessible using normal picking techniques. But it also has its own inconveniences as your neighbourhood ah pek locksmith might not be able to pick this lock or duplicate this key in the event you lost your key. If you are the ultimate kiasu/kiasi type and want to have the best lock, behold, this should be the one you are looking for. The ultimate pick resistant lock which till now, no one has claim to successfully pick it. The EVVA MCS http://www.evva.at/products/mechanical-locking-systems/mcs-locking-system/technology/en/ that comes with rotating disc magnet. ​ ​ I have also changed the “Chicken Wing” door closer and installed an electronic door peeper. No, the arm is not from FB seller but was ordered from TB for the whole set which is still cheaper. The door peeper can be set to trigger off taking video or picture based on motion sensor. The battery last for almost 2 week before requiring a recharge when set to picture taking. The touch panel is not that sensitive compared to a handphone but still usable. Overall, it performed as should and well worth it price. Had requested the carpenter to laminate the DB doors to match my door, added partition in between to place my keys/mails and pole to hang the umbrella.

Just work out the power consumption based on your usage pattern and see how long it takes to recover your $800 investment. The lifespan should be about the same between a CFL and a low end LED.

There is a cheaper option. Look for bangala in little india during the weekend and supply them with the paint and tools. Definitely cheaper with all the costs in, I'm not joking. But you need to supervise them all the way.

You can request to have the top and bottom laminated at the time of order at a cost of $20 per door. The lamination is only more critical when the door is for toilet as it absorb as moisture.

FS is a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment. A strong supporting wall behind your bed is very important for a good FS bed placement. This creates strong, protective energy around your bed, gives it more power and ability to create (and hold) good energy.

Wah, very ang moh style. If use the same setting on a BTO will look very cramp. Even using highend fittings will look cheapo if the space is small.

Shift your table to face the door directly. FS is about common sense. With your table facing the door directly, you are aware of who is coming in and what is happening outside making you in control of your worklife.

is there a difference in effect in using real and fake coins? Cos most of it in the market are fakes

Relocate the basin if that bother you. Some user may not have the habit of the closing the door after use, you may also consider installing a door closer for the toilet door.

Water heater tank store a lot of water. 聚水 = 聚财. You must find your wealth position in your house. The position can be anywhere in your house and the toilet is the most unlikely spot to install your wealth generating icon.​

Knock down bedroom 3 walls and convert into a dining area. Easier to move dishes at a shorter distance and enough space to hold reunion dinner and parties

that is why their divorce rate is so high

Invest in a steam vacuum cleaner. Can be use to steam your tiles grout, sofa, mattress and even curtain to save on dry cleaning cost.

It is recommended to use SS nowadays as too much copper is bad for one person health as indicated by WHO. Just like having steamboat in a copper or aluminum pot are not recommended. The SS piping made in Singapore is of respectable quality.

How come both the outlet connecting to the bidet are pointing upwards instead of pointing down?

When you purchase the fan, it comes with a plastic clip and a metal piece with double side tape. You just need to fix the plastic clip on the middle section of the blades and turn on for testing. Try on different blades and different sections and adjust accordingly to fix the wobbliness, will require some patience for trial and error. Once you got the correct position, paste the metal piece on top of the blade. I fix that for 4 of my ceiling fans...all fans from taobao or tampoi also.

Hi Zees Your contractor is trying to BS you. Dun take that for an answer. The wobbliness is due to no balancing done to the blade. May be time consuming to try different area. I have done that to mine on my own, pole too long is also not a problem as it can be cut short. In the long run if not corrected, the screw might come loose and the fan will drop.

Go for Silestone is the best. They can even do a integrated kitchen sink which will solve or the leakage problem be it undermount or topmount basin. The product is call integrity sink. Do share with us the quote if gotten any. Granite need to apply sealer to protect. If maintain well, the gloss can still last for years. I find marble not suitable for kitchen top as it is not stain resistance and bigger pores and crack line which will trap food debris which is difficult to clean and unhygienic. Quartz is for lazy people with no time to clean the kitchen due to their busy lifestyle which should suit most household due to both working spouse.

Infact there is still a market for this engraver. You can look for tombstone engraver if you are not pandang. They get the job done equally as well.

That has always been a norm to use wood for door frame. Metal is prone to rust and HDB is now using metal for door frame and not wrap around. It make the process more efficient for them to cast and install. Just make sure the wood is chengai or other hard wood.