BlueFly

Noticed you purchased the Blanco sink from Hoe Kee as did I. Looked at many sinks and many shapes and sizes, traveling from Plaza to Jln Besar to Changi. Finally, chose the Blanco sink. Loved the sink design, I chose a black color. Now 3 yrs later (my reno was completed in 2008) my verdict on the Blanco sink is 3 out of 5 stars! Read my blog if you wish to find out why. All the best, Bluefly aka Grencoal

<!--quoteo(post=451856:date=Sep 28 2009, 06:54 PM:name=beebee123)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (beebee123 @ Sep 28 2009, 06:54 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=451856"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I just sold my hdb flat and bought a resale condo. I get a bridging loan from bank and reimbursement the stamp duty fee from CPF The lawyer charged me $3500 for buying condo. $1200 for selling HDB flat. He said bcos the bridging loan, so I have to paid higher legal fee Is the fees reasonable?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Financing banks have their own panel of external conveyancing lawyers that their borrowers must select from. Banks usually absorb legal fees up to $2,500 or 0.5% of the borrower's loan amount, which is lower. That legal subsidy is the fee paid to the bank-appointed lawyer i.e. the lawyer handling your legal documentation and mortgage. Get a quote from another independent lawyer (i.e. not on the bank's panel) to compare the legal fees. If the independent lawyer quotes a lower fee, e.g. $2,500, you should complain to your financing bank and ask why the bank-appointed lawyer charges you so much. Ask if it can be reduced. Or ask your bank to let you get a quote from another lawyer on the bank's panel. FYI, in the past conveyancing lawyers charged legal fees according to a standard scale and fee rate approved by legislation. When property prices rose over the years, lawyers got richer and richer at the expense of borrowers. Because the legal fees (as a % of loan amt) were pegged to borrowing amount, legal fees rose as property prices rose. So conveyancing lawyers got richer, not because they worked harder but simply bcoz higher property prices means you have to borrow higher loan quantum. A few years ago, however, the govt relaxed legal fee guidelines. So now legal fees are negotiable. By right, borrowers should benefit. The fact is, however, most borrowers are unaware of the changes or market practice. So many lawyers quietly impose the fees as they like. If I am not mistaken, legal fees actually were maintained or went up for certain loan categories like for hdb flat financing. The lawyers argue that whatever the loan quantum, whether it is $1 million or $500,000 the legal work is the same. So they charge higher fee for the same loan quantum. Unless enough of us borrowers individually complain and make a loud noise (use social media like twitter, blogs, comments on popular yahoo news articles, insight, newspaper, etc) to the financing banks, no one will bother. Sad but true- we get what we deserve bcoz Singaporeans by and large are quiet and timid. So we kena hit left, right, and center! But now you know, so make a loud noise to your bank. In time to come we will make an impact, a difference for our children. Perhaps. Bluefly aka GreenCoal

I think you meant "high legal fee does not mean their service is good", right?

oh dear, your neighbor is upset, those loansharks are really really defiant. they're also playing mind games - "anything you do, we can do better". Well, at least you solved yr harassment - partially - but it created problems with yr neighbors. may i suggest before you do anything, seek opinion and advice of the police. But in case they provide less-than-useful suggestions, you may need to guide them with yr own suggestion(s) first. Also, for good neighborly relation, consult yr immediate neighbors before you do anything. They may not be responsive, but apologize and ask them to be understanding. At least you tried to be a good neighbor. And be sincere - don't get upset with them, even they scold you, just apologize. OK, ask the police / neighbors what they think - do a psychology campaign as I suggested in an earlier post, through mind games. Already you got the loansharks to pay attention with yr CCTV camera. You succeeded in scaring them - you played on their minds already! Next, why not put up posters to continue the mind game on the loansharks? Aside from my earlier slogans, try "Once you are caned by the court, you never feel such pain in yr life - you'd wish you NEVER COME HERE TO GET CAUGHT!" and "Now we're waiting to shoot yr photos if we sense you are outside our doors!". Get the neighbors to join you - put up posters too. Loansharking is always a community problem, everyone living around you is affected, whether they like it or not. Ask the police/neighbors for advice, if it is ok for you to put up those posters. They may say better not do it. Ask them why, if they make sense, listen carefully. Then decide for yourself.

Well, you still hv time to consider/amend the positioning of elec pts as long as rewiring has not started. Ask yr id for the 3D designs and schematics, go over carefully, esp look out for location of the appliances' built-ins and consider where best to locate power socket(s). Push the /responsibility/burden to yr ID, you're paying him - but if he is clueless or suggests location(s), see if the suggestions are appropriate, bcoz no matter what, in the end you've to live with whatever mistakes that may be made, whether due to him or not. If he made mistakes, at least he cannot justify asking you to pay up. E.g. safety dictates power pts shld be located away from the hob burners, pts for a/c shld be along trunking to hide/minimize cabling runs, holes drilled thro walls like to shorten/hide elec cabling.. etc Ifyr id is experienced he'll know how to advise you. heed friends78's good advice. I bought my shower arm, rain shower head, etc from Poh Joo. It's now 3 yrs after installation, and they still looked new. But the s/s toilet roll holder sucks, falling apart, will put up a post when i hv the time. So - cavaet emptor - be selective, be aware of s/s grading, mtrls used e.g. PJ retail some "stainless" looking bathroom accessories that are actually plastic mtrl coated(?) with a thin metallic film to give that s/s appearance. Be esp mindful esp of the dish drainer - most rust, but got mine from Hoe Kee, still rust free and stainless after 3 yrs, but only bcoz I got one with s/s graded higher where rust is concerned, after i googled for info. BTW, you shoot excellent photos. Bluefly

Gosh, you "old" place in fact looks nice, some parts are beautiful and well-done! Please take more photos before the tearing down begins. One thought though - have you really researched thoroughly to locate a good ID? One who sees the potential of yr flat "as is" and suggests making improvements as an alternative to tearing down the entire flat, implied in yr 50k budget? Most IDs will tear down - it is much easier for them and higher profit too. Saving money for you is not on their agenda. A good and sincere ID may suggest the "preservation-with-improvement-route" to save you $$$, 50k is a lot of dough. The money saved could go into "investment" furniture pieces or a nice HT system. If you're worried the old may not mesh with the new - well, it depends on the design & ID. My brother's marble flooring was already nicely done when he bought his resale flat, so he decided against re-doing the floor. That saved him quite a bundle. After reno was completed everything looked as if the entire flat had undergone a fresh reno. Second, if you plan to install new "built-in" appliances be aware some built-in's may impact the design. When you realize that later and request changes - esp after work has started - the ID / contractor will use that to hike costs. That's how we end up with cost over-runs and blown budgets. One example is the cooker hood. Another wld be location of electrical power points, etc. Yet another wld be the mw oven, etc., etc. This forum is replete with posts by forumers on their reno mistakes and experiences. Will serve you well to read them. Finally - Congrats ! Look fwd to seeing the gradual unfolding of your lovely nest! Bluefly akak GrenCoal

Hello sighsoul, Hope you are able to cope with the problem. Are the loan sharks still going to yr flat? Hope yr parents are also coping well, All the best

thanks for yr support, gimz ! at last count, she has put up 7 of my articles on her blog to give the impression she wrote them. I don't wish to shame her publicly - not yet - so I will pm you privately. == Yes, like you, others hv written that my blog had helped them... and that has led me to revamp my articles to make it easier for readers to navigate and search for info on my blog. I hv another article idea and have roped in 2 bloggers - mae29 and steelz - to help. I'm happy both hv agreed. That will take me a while to complete. Both mae29 and steelz impressed me with their integrity, writing ability, and most of all - their willingness to share their reno experiences and help other forumers. Pl read their blogs if you hv time.

Hi All: Despite completing my reno / blog in 2008 I was surprised to continually get pm's from forumers, seeking advice or contact info, or product info, etc. For instance, my posts on the Rinnai hob model RB-2CG and Fujioh hood FX900 attracted many queries. And I have answered the queries promptly as soon as I could. A common query was - how to overcome the "worktop-to-hood" issue of the Fujioh hood? Now, in order to save forumers the trouble of pm'ing me, and for me in replying, I thought it would be helpful to post my answer(s) here and subsequently on my blog: "Worktop-to-Hood" Problem Let's say the person doing the most cooking in yr family is 177cm in height. And we want the kitchen custom-made to her physical measurements as well as suit her style of cooking. Or if both hubby and wife spend equal amt of time at the stove, I wld use the taller person as the height to use - so he could also avoid knocking his head if he bends nearer to inspect a simmering pot, for instance. What if the cook is the maid, someone had asked me. Well, I will not suggest you make the kitchen to suit her simply bcoz you're not sure how long the maid will serve your family, right? Now, to maintain the ideal distance of 80cm from the stove-to-hood for the Fujioh FX900 model, you could insist your ID / carpenter do either 1 of 2 solutions: 1 - Make the worktop deeper i.e. instead of the standard 24-inches from the worktop front-to-the-wall, use a longer depth of 28-inches. That 28-inch depth suits me perfectly and I can avoid knocking the hood as I bend down to inspect the soup simmering on the stove-pot. In your case it may not be 28-inches but longer or shorter, depending on the family cook's height. Check with yr ID or carpenter on the correct depth to use. Once you have a deeper worktop you can position the stove farther away from the wall but still within the suction power or range of the Fujioh hood. That way the cook will avoid hitting the Fujioh hood bcoz of the deeper counter-top. 2 - Alternatively, make the worktop higher than the standard 34-inch (equivalent to 86.4 cm) height from the floor, making allowance for the cement platform and acrylic worktop thickness in calculating the correct height for the kitchen base cabinet. How much higher? Well, using the 177 cm height of the cook in our post, the worktop has to be (177cm : cook's height) minus (80cm : stove-to-hood height) i.e. 177-80 = 97 cm, which is an add'l 97-86.4 = 10.6cm (approx 4.2 inches). You may have to warn your family cook to look out for sputtering hot cooking oil during stir-frying. Especially when the stove is placed on a higher level. That however is not an issue for an experienced cook. My brother's maid, for instance is quite short. She told me she simply moves farther away, cooking at arm's length, and adjusts her position to adapt to any stove she cooks on. Clever gal! Well, it always pays to be careful. So watch out for sputtering oil, nonetheless. BTW, discuss the issue with the ID before you accept his quotation. Most IDs will "chop" you if you bring up this issue after you have accepted his quotation, citing "changes" to his costs. In my case, I became aware of the issue only after I took delivery of the Fujioh hood. By then my reno work had already started *sigh*. Rinnai oven Another frequent query was my take on the Rinnai oven. Well, so far I have mixed feelings about it. It performs as what an average oven is supposed to do. But I am not happy, yet. The Rinnai oven has failed to match my previous Bauknet oven, a premium German brand. As mentioned elsewhere on my blog, everything I cooked in my Bauknet oven turned out perfectly - because the oven's heating elements were top-notch and consistent. Or maybe the Europeans are better at making ovens than the Japs? FWIW, Rinnai's oven was made by an Italian factory. Well, so much for the "European" heritage. My family's Bauknet oven was able to roast chicken that came out juicy, succulent, perfectly roasted. Time after time, consistently. And we had it for 15 yrs! Not so with the Rinnai oven: it produces inconsistent roasts, sometimes ok, sometimes off. I suspect it may be due to the heating elements, or insulation, or something else. Or perhaps we have not "broken" it in just yet? Of course, external factors may also be a reason for the inconsistent result, such as using chicken of different weight or size, etc. But we think that is unlikely as we have done trials and still the outcome was not consistent. We will give the oven more time for a longer usage before we put up our verdict post. But we are inclined to give it 2-3 out of 5 stars. Hope that will satisfy those who pm'ed me. Fraudulent Posts I am aware several readers have copied my blog posts for their own private use. And I am happy my blog has helped them to that extent. But I know some readers copied my post(s) to put up on their own blogs, fraudulently passing off my posts as their own! What do you think of this shameless behavior? I have known their identit(ies) for some months now. But so far have refrained from publicly revealing who they are. One offending blogger even claimed she put up the blog to "share her renovation experience to help others" (my paraphrase). I suspect her intentions cannot be good. Bcoz several other posts on her blog were also lifted from other blogs. Can you trust such a blogger? Would you like me to reveal publicly who she is? Pl pm me your views. Thanks and Rgds Bluefly aka GreenCoal

Poster removed the post to a new thread entitled "Fraudulent Posts". Forumers who hv pm'ed me may wish to visit that thread for answers on the Fujioh "stove-to-hood" problem and my take on the Rinnai oven. Thanks.

Hi orion72 Am glad you found out more. Actually, the glass top is usually not a major issue as I hv seldom heard of it shattering under daily usage, provided one exercises the usual care. That is, don't place hot pans or wok directly on the glass top or drop heavy objects onto it. Which one does not do even for tops of stainless steel (to avoid dents). Greater concerns wld be (a) flame hotness and control (2) ease of maintenance (eg trivet size, etc) and others that are mentioned on my blog. So far, after 3 yrs of usage, I'm very happy with my rinnai burner hob and fujioh suction hood. Both are working very well, much much better than my previous European makes which were much more ex. Cheers

Hello Steelz Yes, I fully endorse yr #1-4 criteria bcoz those were the impt factors I used too. And on top of those criteria, you may want to i/c add'l critieria: 6. bagless - VCs are superceded by newer models after 2-3 yrs; had trouble buying new bag filters for VCs bought few yrs back (i/c explanation for other readers' benefit) 7. HEPA filter - impt if you hv sick family members and you don't want them to breathe in dust generated by non-HEPA VCs. 8. HEPA filter should be washable - for easy maintenance and cost and in case cannot find replement HEPA filter in future for my model 9. sound - my VC is too loud, may not be impt for you 10. durability : corded vs battery-charged - opted for corded as battery-charged last only few yrs, then hv to buy another VC 11. reliability : go for well-established reputable brand - see another thread re unknown Shimnono brand (no worries, I know u go for good expensive brand!) 12. design, type of fittings or accessories included, cost, color, length of suction hose, length of electrical cord are considered, special features (eg vacuum dust mite) too I finally bought a simple Philips Bagless VC with HEPA filter, cost abt $120-30 during promotion at HN. But came with non-washable HEPA filter, and vacuuming sound quite loud. So not all my criteria were met but ok for me bcoz it was my FIRST bagless VC and I wanted a cheap bagless one to experience first-hand b4 I buy a more expensive model with washable HEPA filters. Washable is impt to avoid hassle of looking for replacements in future as current models are superceded. Mfr'ers usually come out with new models after few yrs to "force" or entice buyers to shell out for another VC. So far, after 1 yr usage, using only 2-3 times per week (i'm lazy! ) have had no single problem with it at all. cheers

Depends on (1) how reliable and established the brand is (2) how you use hobs with glass-top. In my case, I have a Rinnai burner hob with Schott Ceran glasstop. So far, after 3 yrs in use, it is still working very well with no problems. I can thus recommend it as I have had nothing but praise for the hob. Why? If you wish to find out, read my review and verdict on my blog. Inner flame burner really burns hot!

Sorry, I have not used Techno hob, so I am unable to comment. But maybe I can suggest how you can make yr decision. First, "lifetime warranty" is an oxymoron. It is usually used as a selling point by sales ppl, when in fact it is nonsense. Simply bcoz in reality no one knows the future. For instance, what if Techno or any other brand with "lifetime warranty" folds up and ceases to exist, say a few years later? When that happens, lifetime warranty or not, you are out of luck! So don't always believe or accept what you read or hear. Thus it is better to check with friends who has bought Techno hob on their experience using the product. How does the product or contractor perform? Have their expectations been met? Any faults? And so on. Ask the right questions, do checks yourself. It is better to believe and trust friends than to trust a stranger, such as a sales staff trying to sell you the product. Also, listen carefully to what a friend or forumer says. Ask how long has been his experience with the product. If he has used the product for 2 yrs, then at least you know the product performed well for 2 yrs. Likewise, someone who recently bought the product and recommend it, is actually no better than someone who has not used it at all. So you have to ask the right questions yourself. Otherwise you may be misled. On forums, it is impt to be careful bcoz many businesses use the forum to generate business leads. These businesses will ask their associates or friends to say good things about the product or service to entice potential buyers. That said, even if the forumer has experience with the service or company such as an ID firm, be careful too. Some ID firms will pay their clients to say good things about them. Some of you may already be aware about this type of scam. Some forumers posted how they were scammed and asked for advice from other forumers. You may have come acroos some of these scams. OTOH, there are a few forumers on Renotalk I believe and trust, bcoz I have read abt their experiences, and conclude they are honest and have integrity. You know who these good forumers are when you read their postings. In short, ask yr questions. Read the responses, if possible the more the better. Then form your opinion, whether or not you can trust what you read. Finally, make yr decision. Hope that helps.

Try not to "babysit" him - such as calling a counselor on behalf of yr brother. If you call the counselor, it is for yrself to seek advice and help for yr dad and mom. Yr brother must "see" that the way out is do take control of his life himself. In other words, all you should do is talk to him but the "push" has to come from inside him, not from you or anyone else. If he has no intention to change, calling counselors and asking him to go will not be effective, bcoz you' re "babysitting" him. Tell him the way forward, let him do it himself or come to you willingly, i.e he wants badly enuf to change, to do it for himself. So don't do ANYTHING for him, just tell him he can do this and that and that and so on, i/c telling him that you won't do anything bcoz he must want it badly enuf to want to change his life to take the initiative. If your brother don't listen and not become proactive, there's really nothing you or anyone can do. You must tell him you can only advise, not do things for him. Let him understd that. Let him know u will only bring him for counsel if he really wants it himself and comes to you. Further, you're a good sibling and offspring - understd what yr parents are going through, don't be upset with yr mom or blame her at all coz at the end of the day all parents love their kids, and the only way they know to solve problems is what they learned from their parents, i.e. to scold and discipline. I am a dad so I know how many parents feel and do, except I have my own way of thinking. Just be silent and patient when yr mom speaks, she will realize your good intentions in future, if not now. You must take a step back and be an adult in a situation like the present where everyone can only react according to their emotions. You know everyone is on edge - that's the tactic of the loan sharks - you must all stick together, not give in or sink but rise above the situation in order to help make matters right. Try to be cool. Finally, if there is no other way and you or yr brother has nowhere to hide or no one to turn to, just kneel down and pray for him. Ask and seek God's help.

No worries. Pl understand that's all those gangsters could do - harass your family, paint slogans, intimidate, but not physically harm any of you. Just accept and live with it for a while. These guys know their limits, what they do is illegal, and they're more fearful at being caught, and therefore more worried than you. Fear is what they want you to feel, that's their only tactic: threats to make yr family worried enuf to pay them. So play the mind game - outside yr door put up slogans such as "Hidden Spy Camera installed!" and "Hey, Police Waiting to Catch You" or "Hey, if I see you I will shoot yr photo!" As for yr gambler brother, at this time he needs you more than at any other time. Don't "push" him away, it will only make things worse but not solve the problem. Tell him firmly & quietly no way the family can help, ask him what he wants to do with his life, and if that's the kind of life he wants, gambling and always on-the-run-from-loansharks? Sometimes the only way to "get through" to his numbskull is something unexpected, like being calm and gentle instd of showing anger and scolding him. Tell him it is good he lives with grand for the time-being but to be careful abt his movements. And if he's prepared to change his life you'll bring him to one of the counselors listed. I guess that's all you can do now. Oh, and even if you can spare and feel like giving him some $$$ PL DON'T! That will only feed his gambling instinct and do more harm. He's got to learn he got himself into this problem and only he can get himself out of it. And no one else can help with his debt.

Hi Chanel26, How's yr solid cherry tabletop? Care to post some photos? I completed my reno and installed my kitchen worktop abt 3 yrs ago. I chose an acrylic worktop: If I have to do it again, I probably won't choose acrylic, esp not from the subcon or factory my ID got the worktop from. Who's the supplier? Well, find out from my blog. Posting the name now 3 yrs later could be misconstrued as 'intentional' defamatory. But not if it was posted at the time my ID/Contractor did the reno. Also, I blogged about my worktop installation, how to choose and maintain work-tops (e.g. granite, Silestone, Corian, etc) and lessons learnt. I think if I have to re-do my kitchen worktop again I will probably go for solid cherry or beech available from Ikea. Or solid glass top. Which unfortunately is still not available locally but is very popular in the US. So knowing how your cherry top turned out will be very interesting for me. I can still live with my acrylic worktop for now. But in future if I get the itch I may redo the worktop again, as I ensured at the time my worktop was installed that it could easily be replaced in future - just lift up in one whole piece from the kitchen cabinet base and replace with a new worktop cut-to-measure!! That was an idea to rectify my choice "just-in-case". In retrospect turns out to be good foresight! Single solid acrylic worktop piece measured to fit exactly my counter-top

hi sighsoul, Sorry to learn abt your sorrows! If there's any comfort, here's my suggestion: a - First, be strong and know that loan sharks are less likely to harm you and yr family as police are targeting loan sharks these days. The loan shark is not stupid, he will only use the phone to call and not go to yr home, so assure yr dad the family is in no danger yet. b - However, if they go to yr home and threaten you, take their photos for yr own protection! Tell them if anything happens to you or your family you will give the photos to the police. But you must be careful - the loan shark will get angrier and really try to harm you, so don't unlock the gate. You must show you don't fear them! If they are angry, you must get angrier. If they shout at you, you must shout louder. Don't let them intimidate you. But you must take care, of course. Don't do anything silly. c - Hand the photos to the police at once - your family will only be safe and protected when the loan-sharks are caught. d - Yr brother is addicted to gambling, the only way is to ask him to call any of the tel nos: below. You can also call for help and advice. One Hope Center has helped and counseled addicted gamblers. Perhaps they can help yr brother too. ADDICTION PROBLEM ASSISTANCE (EG. GAMBLING COUNSELLING): National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) Tel: 1800 6 668 668 / 1800 6 RECOVER (1800 6732 6837) Website: www.nams.org.sg ILLEGAL MONEY LENDERS (EG. LOAN SHARK) ISSUES: One Hope Centre Tel/Fax: 6547 1011 Email: help@onehopecentre.org Website: www.onehopecentre.org Add: 12 New Industrial Road, #05-06 Morningstar Centre, Singapore 536202 Ray of Hope Tel: 1800 7867 669 (1800 STOP NOW) Website: www.care-centre.org Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society Tel: 6593 6489 Fax: 6333 5141 Website: www.thkms.org.sg Add: #03-06 Central Plaza, 298 Tiong Bahru Road, Singapore 168730 I also think you will benefit to speak to counselors from One Hope Center. Ask yr dad to go with you. They have experience with gambling problems such as harassment, worries, heartache, sleepless nights, fear, etc that family members go through and may be able to advice and share with you how other families cope and tackle the problem. Hope that helps.

Hi All ! I am very satisfied with my 2 LED wall-lights purchased from Lightcraft, installed when I renovated my flat about 3 yrs ago. So far no problem, I left the wall-lights on throughout the night - they are bright enough to light up the living room so that we don't have to grope in the dark for the light switches. And economical too - cost only $1.31 per month in electricity, based on present power supply charge of about $0.30 per kW electricity. And that's for 24x7 running cost. Since I turn on the LEDs only for 12 hrs, my running cost is $0.65 per month! When I did my ceiling lights in 2008 I could not buy LED ceiling lights locally, even Lightcraft didn't carry them. But I was keen on LEDs, and made provision for future LED light bulbs to install in my ceiling lighting by using E27 holders to hold the ceiling lights. See my ceiling lights here. E27 sockets are used for compact fluorescent bulbs ("CF") as well as LED bulbs. I haven't gone back to Lightcraft - as I believe products there are pricey! My LED wall light cost $150 each. But I've had no problems with product reliability or quality issues with Lightcraft and their staff and services have been top-notch. Now it seems other retail outlets (e.g. referral by one forumer - greenlumi.com.sg) have opened and are retailing products at more reasonable prices. But has anyone bought from them? Or has anyone installed/used their LED light bulbs? Pl share your buying experience and reliability of the LED bulbs. Or even LED fluorescent tubes as I am also keen on those! I understand LEDS made by CREE are the gold standard and first-gen products from other countries (esp from Asia) aren't too reliable and at best last only 3-5 yrs instead of the reputed 10 yrs (100,000 hrs). Any other retail shop you know of that retails both? Appreciate yr inputs before I proceed to buy and install !

Who says the power socket has to be 2-3 inches lower than the top hanging cabinet? You can locate the power sockets right at both top corners. The glass cutting would then be more straight forward and simpler. In fact, your electrical connections and sockets should be located as far away from the stove as possible, and that means right at the 2 top corners opposite to each other with the burner centered on the worktop. My glass panel was cut that way - you can see that in my photos. Second, have you considered: if your power and light switches are indeed "flat" plates instead of box-like, why not ask yr electrician if the plates can sit squarely and "flat" on the glass panel? If that is possible you could save the added cost of removing and re-installing the electrical works, since then holes could be drilled on the glass panel (instead of cutting the glass) to allow the wires to pass through and the plates sealed with silicone meant for glass aquariums. Silicone sealant is used to hold and cement aquarium glass sides together. If the silicone is strong enough to hold the glass panels of a large aquarium, it should be strong enough to hold the electrical plates. I am not an electrician however, so pl don't take my suggestion without checking with one or more honest and licensed electricians first. Obviously you must bear in mind the electrician has vested interest and may not be entirely honest with you i.e. if he can earn from re-doing yr electrical works, why not? So you need to find answers from some one you can trust, maybe even approach Power Supply staff for advice, as I did on a license issue (highlighted on my blog) and I avoided being "chopped" by the electrician. So please think carefully and find out more before you make more mistakes. Like another reader whose power socket had "melted" bcoz he had it installed inside his microwave oven cabinet - his post is on Renotalk on other threads, I think. His contractor never advised him, neither did his electrician or the ID. You have to read up to learn from mistakes other people made. Renotalk is an excellent forum to learn and share. In my case I had a good ID, but even though I planned myself and did not depend entirely on my ID, I still made mistakes. Those mistakes cost me dearly! Read here and here to know what mistakes I made so you don't make them. I also found my ID was doing too many projects to pay close attention to mine. Even if he did, I don't think he was able to prevent the problems I faced. In fact, he plainly forgot to advise the sub-con what I had told him to watch out for. To help others, I posted my mistakes on my blog, it is too long to post here. Hopefully readers will avoid the mistakes I made. Hope that helps, and please share your experience when your problem has been resolved to your satisfaction, ok? Cheers Bluefly

I agree the workmanship looks shoddy - the glass was not accurately measured and so the fit was bad. But the backsplash installer or contractor was right too - the space b/w the 13A power socket and the light switches was narrow making it very difficult (if not impossible) to cut the glass b/w them without possibly breaking the glass. The fault must also lie with the ID, electrician or contractor who did and installed the electrical connections. Make them do it again if you want to have the backsplash fit nicely with the power sockets and plates. If you had engaged ID/contractor for the electrical work and a different guy for the backsplash, make sure they all get together to discuss how they could work out a nice solution to the problem, and to share the costs of re-do amongst themselves. In my case, although I engaged an ID for the entire renovation, I still did all the planning and supervision myself. For instance, I instructed the electrician where and how to place the power sockets and switches first, because I had anticipated and was aware of the issues in cutting the backsplash glass, before the works were carried out. So I made sure the electrical sockets abut the corners squarely, leaving no spaces. Also, I made sure the ID understood I wanted the backsplash to be one single continuous piece of tempered glass. Even then, my ID forgot to instruct the glass guys and the first time they came with 3 separate glass pieces!!! You may read what happened on my blog. Just go to my blog, on the right hand side column is a list of labels, look for 'backsplash' and click on it. The photos of a tempered glass back splash are also there. Looks professionally installed, doesn't it? I feel sorry you had to go through such a heart-wrenching experience. I think you need to get everybody to talk to each other first, make sure everyone who is involved with the reno works understands what you want and expect. After that get the electrician to reposition, realign and re-install the electrical sockets first, then get the glass guys to measure accurately and do the installation, again reminding them what you expect before they carry out the measurement and install the backsplash. And to bear the cost if they had to redo the works. I hope my suggestion helps. Bluefly

Thanks for yr post. I talked about our old German oven and hood in a post dated 22 April 2008: Quote: Rinnai Oven Our old kitchen had a Bauknet oven, a Bauknet vented suction hood, and a Bauknet wall-mounted water boiler. Unquote. Haw Par stopped marketing Bauknet because the German product was too pricey then (in the early 1980s when we bought the items) for the mass market. As for the hob, we bought a 4-burner plus a hotplate Elba hob, model EHS 948 S. We also talked about our experience with the Elba hob on our blog. Rgds P.S. Sorry, the writeup on the Fujioh hood is still not up due to my hospitalisation. But one short word - highly recommended!

Thanks for your doubts. You know, I never take sales staff comments seriously - simply bcoz these ppl have vested interests. Sure, there are honest sales ppl but the dishonest ones outnumber the honest ones, in my view. That said, I must salute one sales guy at HN Novena Sq 2 who served me recently when I wanted to snag a Philips bagless vacuum cleaner. I bargained a lower price than the already discounted price of $119 (before promotion, was $139) as I was willing to pay cash. Since we all know merchants pay a 3% credit card payment fee, I thought I cld get a lower price if I paid in cash. After checking, then talking at length with his boss on the phone, he finally agreed to my price! When pressed, he reluctantly said he wld pay the difference ($10) from his pocket!! He probably had felt sorry for my plight, as I looked a tragic sight - with tubes running from my arm to a pump from a recent hospital operation, and a mask over my mouth (*grin*). However, when I learnt he was using his own money to fund the difference I thanked him but said I cld not take advantage of his kindness !! Sorry to digress, but that kind of sales guy is uncommon so this is a tribute to him (applause). OK, now for yr "cons". Obviously the sales guy (assuming it was the sales guy you got the info from) have never used the Rinnai inner flame burner. If he had he wld know for sure that not only is the flame very very hot but the flame control is amazing !! On my Rinnai RB-2CG model I cld turn down the flame so low you hardly see it, yet my stew pot continued to simmer very nicely. Just the way I wanted it for a herbal soup I was cooking. I had previously written about my experience and control on my blog here. With cons #1 demolished, cons #2 is also untrue! Cons #3 - yes, the warranty is 1 yr, but I don't see how that is a con - it is the mfr's policy, and I accepted that in good faith, though obviously I too wld want 3 yrs warranty if possible! But 1 yr is good enuf for me as many other appliances I had bought also came with 1 yr warranty. One cld also view 3 yrs' warranty as maybe an attempt by the maker/agent to sell their product in order to boost poor sales?? As for the rest of the cons, I feel that can be said of competing brands as well. You did right by asking questions and finding out views abt the product you want to buy. And if I hv any advice, it is to ask friends - ppl whom you already know and trust and definitely not sales ppl - for their opinion if they had bought/used the product you want to buy. Otherwise it is wiser to regard all other comments as "just opinions", not facts. I have no vested interest in promoting Rinnai. However, like many forumers, I was most upset as I had bought many products in the past 20 yrs that turned out to be poorly made and downright shoddy. What a waste of money!!! Don't you feel the same?!!?? Those were the days before the advent of the internet when most of time one had to buy "blind". Some of these products and bad experiences have been detailed on my blog. Now with consumer forums being popular, consumers can have access to have second (and third) opinions of the items they are keen in. Therefore when I bought and used a product that exceeded my expectations, I will not hesitate to voice my good opinion and recommendation on forums and on my blog. That way, badly designed and made products will soon lose market share as consumers become wiser in their choices. Sorry for this long response, but I have good regard for your post as it raises the doubts and questions most buyers harbor.

Lightcraft has a range of LED lighting, i/c table lamps. Got my wall lights from them. See them on my blog. PS: LED T8 tube lights have made the scene, giving light as high as 2000 lumens !!! They will replace the common fluorescent tubes.

Be careful when you deal with materials supplied by contractors. Unless you buy established branded products like Corian or natural stones like granite or marble, and can verify the supplier source - many of us are duped into believing that a worktop supplied is what the consumer has paid for. For example, beware of contractors touting "solid surface" acrylic worktops - e.g. how do you know the worktop is made of acrylic and not some other look-alike material? In my case, I became suspicious when I found my so-called acrylic solid surface worktop staining too easily - from simply placing a Fairprice plastic bag onto the worktop surface!! Or forgetting to wipe off tumeric liquid immediately after an occasional spillage. And yet I was advised solid surface acrylic worktops don't stain easily but are stain-resistant. Later when I went to Ikea to compare their acrylic worktops there, I realized my "acrylic" worktop indeed felt different and "lighter" than Ikea's. But that's just my conjecture - I don't have a lab to prove my worktop is nt of acrylic. Many fty owners and contractors make good and easy money from the building and renovation industry, bcoz ignorant consumers like me (and many others too) can't tell one material from another - so I suspect inferior products - which yield high profit margin - have been produced for unsuspecting consumers for quite some time. Aside from worktops, I also experienced another poor product - the laminate used for my kitchen cabinets. As detailed on my blog, the laminate scruffed too easily - just a tiny or light touch by wooden chair is enough to rip / scuff the laminate. I suspect as there are no govt controls on the production of such materials for the renovation industry, anything goes and it's every man or contractor for himself - that is, helping himself to the fat profits waiting to be grabbed from the hands of unsuspecting consumers. What's the solution? Sorry, I am unable to offer any real solution, except maybe a deterrent to require the contractor to certify the material supplied is as specified or pay 3 times in penalties the invoiced cost if the material supplied is not what it was supposed to be. This will not stop unscrupulous contractors but it may act to deter him if you are firm enough and show you're the no-nonsense type. Safest option is to get from authorised suppliers of established product brands like Corian or the product you are keen in. If you go for substitutes it may turn out to be expensive, as in my case. (I'm not happy with my worktop and would be replacing it with natural granite, but for the color. I ma thus looking for another proven, established product). CaeserStone is a man-made composite material, produced by mixing pigments, polymer resin and quartz under high pressure and heat to form slabs, unlike natural granite or marble. Decades ago it was cheaper than marble or granite as it was marketed as a man-made substitute. In fact the early samples were made to look like marble and granite. Finally I would go for solid glass for a real maintenance-free worktop, except the cost is not justified bcoz of plans to relocate within the next 5 yrs. Also, it is not available locally - yet. cheers