BlueFly

Did you notice yr quote for the (1) 7-ft kitchen is too ex when cf to (2) the 11.5-ft kitchen? No reason why you shld pay $285 per foot run for (1) when you are quoted $200 per ft run for (2). Point this out to the ID and knock down (1) $1,300-1,400 at most instd of $2k. cheers

Nicely renovated, congrats to you! BTW, don't you intend to use a dish drainer..? Or maybe you have a disk washer installed? That will be interesting. cheers

Actually laying the laminate strips seem quite straight forward. Problem is, you may not have the proper tools for the job.

Maybe if you're keen on some ID that you've identified you can simply call the firm he's working for and get his contact that way. That is, if no one responded to your request on this thread. All the Best,

Let me qualify - be careful what you invest. As in any investment, timing is key - not what you invest. You have heard the saying: buy low, sell high? Stocks, properties, like any investment class, go up and down. Timing is the key today bcoz we live in a globalized world. What happens in USA or Japan now hugely impacts Singapore. Unlike the 80s or 90s. Today external events and shocks impact investment prices greatly, so prices become more volatile. Will expand on that in future on my blog. But for now, a brief primer: All investments go up and down. If you invest when the investment has reached a peak, your investment may become a disaster. Likewise for stocks and shares. Ppl have lost their shirts (and pants) when they bought at the wrong time. Or gold for that matter - Sun Hung Kai founder nearly went bankrupt in the 80s when his gold investments went bad. OK - on Timing issue - how do you know if what you wish to invest is at a peak? Well, we can only be guided by the historical past - i.e. if the price now, adjusted for inflation, is higher than the last peak, then it is at a new peak. Obviously you won't want to risk yr money buying at the peak. Similarly for the other investment classes. It is less risky to buy low. Again, to know when it is at a low you compare with the past. Problem is, how do we know it will not go down further *grin*? We don't! No one can tell the future. But if it is a low compared to the last 10-15 yrs i.e. not at a historical low, you may invest knowing well it is much much harder to reach a new all-time low. Unless there is a major world event like World War 3, for instance. Then all bets are off. By contrast, it is easier to reach new all-time peaks. Now, assuming you had invested in property in 2004 and sold it by-mid 2007, you would have laughed all the way to the bank after cashing in your investment. Likewise, had you bought stocks and shares in Jan-Mar 2009 you would be several hundred % richer had you sold in Jan 2011. You also probably heard many heart-landers had bought properties in the mid-90s. They had a very hard time for the ensuing 8-10 yrs when prices went down sharply, banks asked for top-up's, and the govt cut CPF contribution rates due to the recession. And then, just when they thought of (finally) unloading in 2008 the Lehman crisis struck and the entire world was engulfed in a near financial meltdown. Therefore you should consider timing carefully. Timing is key for a 2nd reason: when you lose due to wrong timing, you did not lose once but twice. Will stop here - long posts are boring. Unless someone else cares to elaborate. cheers

hi steelze, What a lovely baby. The expression showed that's a contented happy baby if I ever saw one! I've linked your sharing thread on my blog, so others could learn from you too. Thanks and Cheers

hi panadoll, i'm sorry i can't tell you what u shld do. I also have no right to impose my values or ethics on you, and say "You shld not do that!" nor advise you "Don't do it." etc The best I can do is to explain the backgrd, the law. And it is for u then to decide. Once you understd why firms want to use a related non-gst-reg company to issue bills to customers, you ask yrself "Why do they do that?", "Why didn't the company ask the sister-company to talk to me in the first place?" And you decide based on what you think. By the same token, I am not imputing anything adverse too. That is, I'm not accusing the firm in this thread of trying to cheat or anything like that. That is not my purpose and beyond my scope. I'm just pointing out the law and what small firms do, why the practice is common. For all we know, that firm may have valid reasons to do what it has proposed to you. Such as maybe a change of mind, maybe they intend to sell their supplies @ cost to the sister firm to handle yr job and so pay a lower GST amt to the govt, etc. So many possibilities... But I can share what I did: I told my ppty agent I won't pay GST on the fee she charged to sell my ppty. Neither wld I pay GST to another for the commission in finding a tenant. And to be fair, I also told the tenancy agent I pay ppty tax and wld claim the fee as expenses in my IRAS filing (that was a hint to him..). What he did was his personal business; I could simply use another agent who was not GST-registered if he was unable to accommodate my request. In the end he accommodated my request. That said, usually I ended up paying GST as I had no choice e.g. supermkt, big ppty agency, (big) law firms appointed by the bank to handle legal doc, etc. Cheers

Many small firms with turnover less than 500k pa (figure may be changed by now) are not required by law to register for GST. But many do register to claim GST refunds from the govt on their GST payments (i.e. their purchases). Problem is, once a small firm is GST-registered, that firm is required to charge customers GST (i.e. on their sales). Which is then paid to the govt. To avoid paying the govt the GST on sales, GST-reg firms resort to using a non-GST firm to issue invoices to customers. That is a serious offence. You may get into trouble for abetment if that firm is caught. You hv to decide if it is a risk worth taking. Cheers

Welcome, demonyi. Yes, I did mine that way when I renovated my home in 2008. There was no hacking of old tiles in my bedrooms. I simply asked my ID to lay the laminated tiles over the old ceramic tiles - after doing research on the Net on the types of laminated tiles, the pros and cons, and what I shld look out for. I believe I related my research / experience on my blog. So far, after 3 yrs now, I don't face any issues with the laminated tiles laid. Cheers!

You may still use different contractors provided you hv supporting quotation / invoices (after work is done) from them. Suggest you preliminarily approach the bank now and tell the loan officer you're using different contractors. The loan officer will advise you what to do. You're not committed at this stage, everything is exploratory.

Good point! Yes, bank needs to verify the quotation for renovation loans. Cheers

OK, finally got my power cable with US-style to connect to my sous-vide eqt from Sim Lim Sq! Damage - $8.50 for the cable. Woo-wee!! Now for some experiments on sv cooking! Cheers

Thank you - you're a guy after my own heart! Yes, once you treat yr ID well and with respect, no reason why he wouldn't give you same treatment, and do his best. Yes, heard about Aerogaz as well when I was doing my research. So I didn't consider the brand, despite their attractive pricing. Cheers!

My Rinnai 2-burner hob is battery-ignited - to check you could lift up the hob from the countertop to look-see n check the inside of the hob. Alternatively you could call them here. BTW, if you buy Rinnai bcoz of the inner flame technology, be aware NOT all Rinnai burners come with that inner flame (if I recalled correctly, when I bought my Rinnai in 2008 and was doing my research. But I may be wrong - so pl check with the local company if you hv any questions.)

hi ! r u from Down Under? rgds

Maximus, Thanks for the thumbs Up! Yes, I completed my reno in 2008 - now i'm doing reviews of appliances i bought. as u can see, my initial admiration of the blanco sink has now waned - particularly when i gotta scrub the sink (5 min) after spending 10-12 min washing the soiled crockery after dinner *sigh*. wifey n i loved cooking but i hate to do wash-up! as regard products - some buys were lemons, esp when those products were bought "blind" - meaning, there was no way to tell if the product wld perform n function as i hoped they wld. most turned out fine, except for a few. FYI, the reviews are on my site. i also invite u (and other forumers too) who bought appliances to give me yr user experience after you hv used the gadgets for some months. pm me if u wish to offer yr user experience. let me know if u run into obstacles... one tip i hv yet to share and post is this: AFTER yr id gave u the quotation proposal (and not before) - u talk with yr id on a standard of workmanship u both can agree on - using photos of completed projects of friends', in-laws, etc if u're impressed with the workmanship of their apt. this way both u and id hv a common std. Second: hv a dispute-settlement mechanism i.e. tell id how u will react or what u'll do if u encounter mistakes or poor workmanship; ask id what steps he'll take likewise, talk until u both agree - only then u can nego n sign the contract. Reason u talk after he gave u the quote is u don't want him to change the pricing *grin* once he's committed himself with his proposal offer in b-&-w. Use my blog reno photos if u are unable to get yr friends' or family's. another Tip: make friends with - and ask to visit - forumers who are currently renovating their flat and are impressed with their id & workmanship to recommend to you - this is a better way to evaluate and decide which id u wld like to use after u hv seen the workmanship of the reno-in-progress at yr fellow forumer's home. obviously u hv to do it discreetly n sensitively. i think u get my point. if enuf of us support good ids this way they will be encouraged to give of their best since they know it is now open competition and they are subject to public scrutiny!!! Likewise, nightmare ids and those who take advantage of clueless owners hopefully will fade into the backgrd as complaints (supported by photos) made by owners on Renotalk give them bad publicity. This is one way we can improve the renovation industry - over time. Let's all leverage on the connectivity & power of the internet for home owners' benefit! well, look fwd to yr reno, pl shoot as many pics as u can at each stage of the reno. All the best!

quartz is actually the raw mtrl used in many branded tops - such as caeserstone and silestone. used to be that home owners looked at compressed stone as no-better-than plain ole terazzo 20 yrs ago - silestone was not in the mkt then - when the defacto flooring mtrl was terrazo. pricing then was about the same for both. Now home owners seem to regard compressed stone as "up there" on the same or higher level to natural stones i.e. marble and granite. Strange how ppl's perception has changed. BTW, have you considered cement for yr worktop? Now, we all think and regard cement as the mtrl-of-choice for ppl on a low budget. But wait! Take a look at these photos: here and here and here. They will blow u away !! cheers

granite tops shld be polished and sealed after installation, as the cutting process will expose the edges, etc. it's possible the workshop did not polish yr worktop piece, so it feels "rough"? in situations such as yrs where the id didn't seem too concerned, u shld ask 1 or 2 friends to be present to take a consensus view - whether indeed the worktop feels rough. i suggest u ask the id to get his men to polish the granite surface again. cheers

Hi maximus, mmm..vegetarian - wow, you've my admiration, i like veggie, but not as much as fish or pork, chicken. trying to eat more veggie n cut down on meat. other than quick stir-fry, i usually cook (blanch) my veg in hot water or soup stock, esp for sweet peas and kai lan. maybe one day u cld share some veggie recipes? All the best on yr reno

While waiting for the OP to respond, perhaps I can chip in? Most photographers ("pg") charge a fee for their photoshoot, and the digital photos are delivered on a CD or DVD. You may get a small 4R plastic album with 200-300 4R photo prints depending on the fee charged by the pg. Pg charging $500 usually are free-lancing i.e. they may hv full-time jobs and do photography at week-ends. Some are b/w jobs. Given the low fee, they only offer the basic digital photos on CDs, without any prints. Shoot fees varies from $500 to $1,200 for free-lance photographers. Then there are those full-time photographers i.e. they do photography full-time, giving up professional careers in IT, engineering, etc bcoz they love photography. These normally charge $1,500 upwards entry-level ; more seasoned full-time photographers charge $3k-5k (mid-range) and above $5k for the higher end. Their shoot fees come with free 4R albums with 200-300 prints and also on CDs/DVDs. They also provide other services such as arranging studio mug shots, pre-wedding day and post-wedding shoots for add'l fee, ranging from $500 upwards. Wedding albums are extra, ranging from $500-$800 up for a basic 15-page album, depending on your choice of albums (leather cover, silk cover, embossed badging, etc). OK - next, how does one choose his AD (='Actual Day') photographer? You pay good $$$, so how can you be sure you get good photography? You know, photos that speak to you, warm your heart and soul, stir up sweet memories, and make you glow with pride each time you look at yr wedding photos several years on? Test the Photographer Easy!! Ask the guy to take photos of you and yr WTB right there when you first meet up with him. That's what we do - we ask our prospects to check us out first, before they commit. What to check? Well, are the photos clear and sharp? Do they "speak" to you? In other words, do you like what they have shot of you and yr WTB? That's the first step - some photographers have the ability to shoot photos that clients like immediately. Whereas others take photos of you that are run-of-the-mill. Yes the photos may be sharp and clear, but they don't "speak" to you. "Something" is missing, you don't feel the spark, the impact. It's more visceral, a visual impact. Of course, if the guy produces photos that are blur, too bright, washed out - you don't have to consider further. Simply thank him and walk off! Second - and this separates the boys from the men - most free-lancers do not possess the skills yet to pass this hurdle. And that is to take photos in situations where the sitter is in the dressing room, or in the bridal car, etc. and the sun is shining brightly. That is, situations where the light is harsh and contrasty. Ask yr photographer to shoot your wife-to-be against the window light in the room, or shoot so that the print includes part or all of the room window. The result you get is usually an image that is brightly or correctly flash-exposed for the sitter, but the window looks washed out. Many customers don't know, so they accept such photos as a given. If you accept such contrasty, brightly lit shots for your wedding album, fine. But if you want quality photos that will give you pride and joy, look elsewhere. That is not to say all contrasty shots are bad. Some pg do use light creatively e.g. silhouette of subject against sun for the glare and creative impact. Particularly for mood or grunt-type shots, to play on e.g. cigarette smoke or joss-stick smoke, etc against the light. But few are able to pull off such shots successfully. Reason for poor bright and contrasty flash-lit shots is because most photographers simply shoot using the "auto" mode. Which is fine for normal contrast situations. But in rooms with window light light - usual in bridal makeup / dressing room - the window will look washed out. Why? Well, Bcoz it takes manual camera exposure and good understanding of light to produce photos that look natural - as if they were shot without flash. Nothing looks washed-out. The shots have impact and perfect balance. I'll show photo examples on my blog when I hv time to do that. You know, not all photographers, free-lance or professional have acquired that skill level, yet. It's not difficult but it takes years of training, knowledge and experience to produce that kind of photos. Third step - once yr intended photographer has passed yr shoot-test, ask him to show what he does with the digital photos on-screen. Test how well he edits the image i.e. his digital imaging skills. Quality prints these days depend on excellent digital developing/retouching skills. Many still don't cut it. It is not easy for many photographers to master Photoshop, the main software used in photo-editing and retouching. See the "before" and "after" effect done on yr photo, and you'll be able to gauge his level of editing skills. Some excused themselves by saying they do minimum "photoshopping" - implying that theirs is more "natural", and photoshop is only for poor shooters. That's not true. You only have to go on the Net to see many professional photographers today can't do without photoshop skills e.g. Yervant. Others are Cliff Mautner or JD Gardner, both my favs! BTW - pl don't assume free-lancers aren't skillful or talented bcoz they charge low. Some will surprise you with their knowledge and skill level. You only have to go to flicker to see so many wonderful excellent photos, most by amateurs! Likewise don't dismiss local free-lancers. They have both the photo-shooting skills and the computer skills. And to top it all, they charge a low fee. At the other end on-line portfolios of full-time photographers show some don't possess the skills yet to shoot and edit good photos. I believe our pg's will improve if you as the customer are more discerning and knowledgeable in choosing yr AD pg's - hence this post to share my thoughts. Finally, our local professional photographers are able to compete with the best-in-the-world, and they have been showcased by the industry and the media. Get to know them, take pride in their work, support them. You'll not go wrong if you choose them for yr wedding. After all, money can be earned, but not memories. Especially wedding memories that make you all teary and nostalgic many years on. Unless they were poorly shot and are best hidden away! So now you know. Test the photographer to ensure you get what you pay for! Cheers!

Hi ! Can any forumer who has bought a 15-amp power cable - fitted with a 15-amp fuse in the male plug end - pl tell me where I can get one? Will try Sim Lim Sq and Sim Lim Tower later.. but (doubtful if can get there) wanna ensure not wasted trip by going there. Any help much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Yuj: I commend yr initiative to source yr own instd of depending fully on the id. Soichiro's advice is helpful- get yr ID to coordinate, or else you may have a headache trying to schedule w/o proper guidance. Be aware however when you do it that way, other related issues emerge - who will bear responsibility when things go wrong? Hope they don't push the blame on each other...and you get the headache. Hope you get the picture. So it is prudent to be aware of the issues first. Upfront however, pl be aware it is difficult to provide real help or advice on yr question bcoz yr info is incomplete n yr question is too general. E.g. Hack whole house tiles? What abt electrical power points? Who will do that for the kitchen? Will you replace windows in bathroom, toilet, kitchen? These must be completed b4 walls can be re-tiled. What abt gas piping and burner hob installation? Gas piping must be completed b4 kitchen cabinets, unless u use LPG (=wasted space for LPG tank, amongst other issues). PS gas installers had a long queue of waiting customers when I was doing mine, so i had to wait a few weeks. So you see, incomplete info may lead to incomplete or incorrect answers. Doing it yr way may help yr overall budget, but you need to research and read up on how to renovate yr home, etc. Some IDs are also clueless or forgot to advise you, maybe he was inexperienced, so he didn't know the exact sequence too. E.g. wall tiling was left incomplete bcoz my ID forgot to schedule window installation in advance *sigh*. Possibly it is more fun, more exciting, more happening, "to do it my way!". Like you, I did mine part ID, part my own contractor, etc but only bcoz I was fully prepared as it was my 2nd reno. If you're not aware of related issues, you may get incomplete (=wrong advice) help through forumers' replies. A lot of kind souls are ever ready to answer yr queries. If you gave incomplete details, you may get incorrect/incomplete answer. A better approach is to follow up with more questions e.g. ask like "Thanks. Pl advise how exactly did you plan for yr reno, what main points did you consider for yr own reno that may be useful for me? What problems did you encounter, if any?".. You can only know what specific questions to ask if you hv some idea of the issues involved. Then you'll get answers that will help you further. Here's some general guidelines: Do Research : You should read forum threads to get an overview of problems & mistakes made by other forumers b4 you start yr reno proper. Planning : Consider what you want to renovate / change, kitchen types, appliances type, fixtures & fittings you intend to install, location of elect sockets, etc. What you decide impact the design plan & completion schedule for yr reno. If you source service providers independent of the ID/Contractor you need to ensure proper coordination e.g. if you intend to change/replace windows, get yr new toilet/bathroom/kitchen windows installed before new wall tiles are laid for the toilet/bathroom/kitchen, etc. Shortlist & Select ID: Do this carefully. Whether you hv a smooth or rough ride depends on yr ID and his subcons team. Sequence of Actual Works: That is for the ID to explain / inform you, but you shld hv an idea so you can personally check workmanship & mistakes at each reno stage. Before actual reno work starts you shld discuss the overall design, measurements of fixtures e.g. burner hob, hood, toilet ven fan, etc Project Management: You need to exercise some degree of project management to ensure yr reno turns out the way you want or expect it to be, esp the workmanship and progress. When you discuss progress payments, don't accept ID's timing or schedule, but determine yr own payment schedule, in line with and depending on work done to yr or mutual (i.e. ID and you prior agreed) satisfaction. This is the only way you can control and monitor progress. Ensure ID understood what you want and what kind of workmanship is acceptable to you. There are other issues discussed on my blog. Check them out. Also, google for info on the Net. You may be new to reno but you don't hv to be totally clueless as you can learn from others' experiences & mistakes from this forum and other local forums on reno. Hope that helps.

The info about bacteria is found in my old post Worktops - How to Choose which I revamped and recast into shorter articles as a "How To's" series to make it easier for readers to locate info on my blog. The para on the bacteria is found towards the end of the old post: "One interesting thing happened on our latest round of testing. The sealed products bred bacteria by a huge factor over unsealed granite. So much so that we are repeating the test to look for errors. Another result that was not going to be appreciated was a microban infused quartz product that performed poorly, very poorly although it grew mostly general coliform bacteria, it grew a lot of them. It will be re tested as well. So much can go wrong when you are dealing with microbiology testing, it pays to retest and be conservative." In the revamped post, the above para is now in the shorter post titled "For Your Further Reference". +++ My take on the bacteria issue: although we should view the info with concern, I 've not heard of anyone falling sick due to contaminated granite worktops. So it may not be too serious to worry about, though it is prudent to take note of. Esp for those who have family members recovering from cancer. As you know, cancer patients hv very low immunity levels in their bods, and are more susceptible to bacterial food poisoning. Bacteria is ever present all around us - in various concentrations - in prepared foods (Yes!!) and on surfaces. The natural immune system in normal healthy ppl usually is sufficient to overcome majority of the bacteria present in foods and surfaces. However, if the bacteria colony rapidly multiplies in badly contaminated foods (recall the Geylang rojak case?) to a high concentration, ppl get food-poisoned bcoz the immune system can't cope with the high level of bacteria produced. I recalled at least 1 died in that incident (3-4 died?), but the rest (100+) who had diarrhea recovered in hospital. Others who also patronized the stall but didn't show symptoms were bcoz their immune systems were very healthy. Lesson? Don't only maintain yr "physical" external health but also yr "internal" health - yr immune level. Many of us don't realize our internal health is more important than our external health. So eat more veg, fish with Omega-3, and fruits like red grapes and tomatoes. For more info, this is a very impt video you shld watch: - please tell yr family members and friends - for their sake. And health. Bluefly aka GreenCoal

hi : if you're still researching on worktop material, i forgot to mention cement worktop. it's versatile and gaining in popularity as a material. so far however i hv not been able to garner much info as regard local suppliers frm my research. seems you may need to import, an option ruled out for the present as freight costs will be high. here's a link to show cement worktops can be beautiful if proper mfr'ed. i m doubtful local mfr'ers hv the technology or eqt; but i hv seen some S'porean homes using cement worktops featured in local design mags last year. Am still trying to search for that pic on-line to show you. Still no success. the local cement wktop featured was cast and concreted, so it didn't look anywhere near the foreign one shown in the link above. Cement in its raw screed and form just don't cut it for me, at least not yet - unless you are into the "industrial" look! Also, note if local suppliers are able to produce locally be careful of their integrity as there's no quality yardstick or standards imposed by local auth. Not any that i know of. my poor user experience with my acrylic wktop came to mind in this regard. so very likely cement wktops can be made locally, but individually by yr builder/contractor instd of by a factory supplier. cheers

Hi AbbyRosita: Did you manage to locate and read my Review? I updated my signature below to provide you the link. Or simply click on the link here. Let me know if you still cannot find the review. Also let me know what add'l info you may want to know as regards the sink, ok? BTW, I also provide an Articles Index on the top right-hand column of the blog. Click "Reviews" and you'll all the reviews I've completed on products I've installed and used. If you click on "How To's Articles" you'll get a list of renovation topics that may help you before you commence your reno work. Good luck! Thanks for yr interest, Bluefly aka GreenCoal