SaltedCaramel

Selection of IDs/Contractors As we are lazy people, we didn’t meet with a lot of IDs/Contractors. It is good to meet with at least a few IDs/Contractors to get better idea of pricing being offered on the market for your renovation. During such meetings, you can also gain some renovation ideas and design too. Our criteria in ID/Contractor selection are the same as everybody else looking to renovate their place –reasonable and competitive pricing, good workmanship and chemistry with the ID/Contractor. We met with 3 IDs and 2 contractors. The quotes given by the IDs we met were about 15 to 20% higher than the 2 contractors we met. As we were clear about our design concept and what we wanted, we felt that an ID wasn't necessary since the costs were higher. Moreover, our design was simple and easy to execute. We decided to hire one of the contractors to save costs so that we could spend more on better appliances and furnishing. Generally, if you engage a contractor instead of an ID, you will need to be more involved in the renovation. Contractors usually do not provide 3D and written work schedule. As there is no 3D, you must be able to visualise your design and know the specific details of your design. If you do not provide the contractor with the specific details and it slipped his mind to ask you, the contractor or his sub-contractor may just decide for you based on their standard operating procedure or industry standard and it may not be what you like. I like to be involved in the renovation process as I feel that it gives me more satisfaction and sense of achievement and make the whole renovation journey more memorable.

Congrats on your new home aidygirl!

Your Haiku fan is really pretty! I engaged Vincent to do my curtain and blinds too. The Venetian blinds are really heavy and it will be inconvenient if we install that at the balcony area.

ZzzMonster, you have a lot of carpentry! I have a lot as I want lots of storage space.

Congrats on your new home Peachydurians and good luck on your renovation. My hubby and I love to read too and did a big book shelves to display our books

Congratulations on the completion of your renovation Lucidacid! I love your aluminium framed glass panel. I did aluminium framed glass panel for my study too and I regret not doing a thinner frame like yours

Congrats on your new house doubleEM and all the best on your renovation! Can see that you are doing a lot of research on renovation stuff

Your house looks great xhomesweethomex and I love your decorations from taobao!

The carpentry stage is the most exciting cause this is when you can finally see your house coming together!

Theme Before we met with IDs/Contractors, we researched on various themes to find a theme that we both like. We decided that we want a Scandinavian theme with some industrial element. The colour scheme will primarily be white, black and light wood; the design will be plain and simple. We will spruce up the bland design with pop of colours at the furnishing stage – colourful rugs, cushions and decoration. We want a lot of storage space as we intend to convert the utility room into a helper’s room when we have kids. We like our house to be uncluttered and therefore we decided to do a lot of built-in carpentry to maximise the storage space. Not sure how this will fit into the Scandinavian theme as Scandinavian theme works best when you have plenty of open space. Anyway, we are fine with deviating from the theme as our ultimate objective is to create a home that is warm, cozy and functional.

Thanks ZzzMonster! Congrats to you too! Love the full height windows in your master bedroom. At what stage is your renovation now?

Pre-renovation My unit is a resale condo of about 15 years old. As there had been no renovation done in the past 15 years, the interior is a little dated. How the house looked like before renovation: Living and dining Kitchen Master bedroom Master bathroom Common bedroom Common bathroom

Hi everyone! My first post on Renotalk after being a silent reader for the past few months! Like many, I browsed through many T-blogs during my renovation journey where I have learnt a lot and gained numerous ideas and useful information on renovation. A big thank you to all the bloggers that took time to blog about their renovation experience. My renovation has been completed and I have just moved in. I would like to document our renovation journey to share with all and as keepsake of the exciting times. I enjoyed my renovation journey as I find it fun and exciting. Though it could be tiring (going to our house to check the progress before or after work, endless shopping during the weekend, co-ordination of the various delivery etc) and frustrating (arguing with hubby on the many decisions to be made), it was overall a smooth process and a very memorable, enjoyable and engaging experience for my hubby and I. For those who have yet to start their renovation, I wish you a wonderful and smooth renovation journey. Thanks for reading! First things first - the floor plan of my unit: Floor area is 114sqm. One thing I don't like about the layout is the small kitchen and the wasted space of 4 planter boxes. I like this unit because the balcony and the 3 rooms have a panoramic view of the reservoir. The unit is bright and airy and is walking distance to an upcoming MRT station that will open in 2017.