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I will like to renovate the 4-room HDB apartment I am staying in. I suppose I need to find a place to stay for a couple of months during the renovation. What do people propose I do with the furniture and appliances (TV, fridge etc)? Should I move them to the rental place or leave them in current apartment (will move them out of the way for renovation)? Kindly share your experience if you have done something like this. Thanks

May I know where you purchased the round MBR toilet mirror with wood frame? Been looking for something like that for a while.

Well said. Ain't that the truth. It also means you need to accept all the flaws.

I have personally met contractor J. In the end, I did not use their services because my colleague recommended another contractor who is (i) very slightly cheaper (ii) registered with HDB for more than 10 years. I regret my decision every day: there are just too many after-renovation flaws... sigh... I end up fixing them myself. Sigh... Should have gone with contractor J: they are honest chaps even though they are not registered with HDB.

Now that I have installed the C600, I have to agree on this. The C600 definitely CANNOT support 2 showers at the same time.

Another point to add. If the hole in the shower kerb is big, water will flow from the shower into the toilet area. Of course, after a while, it'll flow back to the drainage area. But it does partially negate the purpose of having a shower curtain: keep the rest of the bathroom dry during a shower. So, you can't have it all.

My reno work is nearly done. I have a few comments to make based on my experience: a) A contractor is only as good as his sub-contractors. If the sub and sub-sub contractors are hopeless, there is little he can do. b) Aian Furniture and Renovation Contractor has been registered with HDB since 1999. A lot of experience. I bet it started off really good... but now... sigh... c) If anyone wants to reduce the chances of things going wrong, engage the sub-contractors directly: get Nippon paint to do the painting, specialized furniture shop (e.g. ClassicFurniture) to do the cabinet work etc etc. This means the house owner becomes the project manager for the renovation work. d) If anyone wants the highest quality work, DIY as far as possible. Not kidding. Just invest in hardware tools. Go to the shops in Kelantan lane. They practically have everything. Of course, one probably still needs the electrician, plumber, mason etc etc. d) This bathroom drainage thing is not immediately obvious. For my renovation, it was only pointed out to me by the tile layer himself. So, he left a hole in the bathroom kerb. However, even if that's not done, it's not the end of the world. One just needs to keep most of the bathroom dry apart from the shower area. Then cleaning is just a matter of mopping the floor instead of pouring water everywhere. This is how the AngMohs maintain their bathrooms anyway.

I am using this Italian wood grain tile from Hafary: *REMOVED* No problem whatsoever. There are a few rules you need to abide: a) Try to use 60 cm or shorter tiles. These have fewer problems with unevenness. In fact, they are so even you should insist on random arrangement of tiles for the best look. b) Get the tiler to use high quality shims when he is laying the tiles. This ensures even grout spacing. Go for the minimal allowed spacing. c) Choose grout color so that it is nearly the same if not darker than the tile color. NEVER go for lighter colored grout. d) Avoid long tiles from China. Known for issues with unevenness. e) If you like long tiles, make sure the tile edge line from one row to the next never exceeds 30% of the tile length. Hafary has a similar guideline with pics to illustrate this. If you follow rule (e) the uneveness should not be obvious unless you pick long tiles from China. Hope this helps.

Wow, that's a lot of work. I would have just used Nippon Momento Paint.

The C600 heater has been around for many years and I am surprised this is the first time I hear about the inconsistent temperature problem. I am considering getting the C600... Did you engage a plumber to look into your tap mixers? Apparently, it's quite common for HDB workers to leave lots of sand and stones in the mixers. This may explain your inconsistent water temperature and low water pressure.

One of the nicest renovations I have seen. Simple. Elegant. Easy on the eyes. Pretty. Most importantly, I like how you maintain a consistent theme throughout the renovation and furnishing. Many IDs start off with a good idea, but get lost somewhere along the way when they decide to introduce fancy ideas to their renovation. But you were never distracted. Well done!

The flooring defects look like they were caused by lack of careful protection during renovation. And the paint job looks bad. In this case, I will rather pay more to engage Nippon Paint themselves for the work. Please PM the name of your ID.

Please PM me the details of your ID. Thanks.

May I know where you found this coffee table? It's exactly what I'll like to get!

Very impressed with your contractor's dedication. Kindly PM me his details. Million thanks!