Aiky

Messaged you the contact. Yeah, the building process was a steep learning experience. Lots of hassles and headaches but it was also satisfying. I was overseas during most of the construction and so could not monitor as closely as I would like. But thankfully, I had a very experienced and hands-on main con (apart from that combination of oversight). One of the things I did learn is that so many things can go wrong in building a house and there is no perfect design. Usually there will be some minor defects to fix shortly after moving in.

Your case sounds like mine. My open rooftop terrace started leaking on the external wall (thankfully not into MBR below). I think its due to (1) only 1 drain-hole and gradient which doesn't drain fast enough from one section during downpours; (2) layer of anti-heat sponge under the floor which left gap for water accumulation; (3) waterproofing at a section of wall-floor joint not done properly. Spoke to a few "premium" specialists at first. All gave different diagnosis and peddled their own product (naturally). Also tend to be quite exp due to "special technology". Some promise quick and easy solution, which was tempting. But I started to have doubts when the more specialist I spoke to, the more different answers I received. In the end, for long term peace of mind, I decided to tear up the entire floor, remove the sponge, relay waterproofing, concrete and tiles. Also added a polycarb roof to deflect part of the rainwater away. Was a real mess and hassle for couple of weeks. This was done earlier this year so I dare not vouch for anything, besides I'm now overseas and my parents jaga the place. Btw, I engaged a contractor who does mostly roofing and leaks (he's just the main boss, the bangla supervisor was the leak expert). Found him via classifieds. He's ok, workers gave me some frustrations. End of day, most of them have their peculiarities and patterns, just as us. Hope you solve your problem swiftly. I procrastinated and it was more pain in the end.

Yes, best is to get your builder. If not convenient (as in my case), I would recommend to get at least 3-4 specialist/contractors to take a look. First, if the problem is hard to diagnose, they may have different opinion on the source and proposed treatment, which will hopefully give you some idea (and consensus) where to start. Second, the quotes can vary a lot. My personal experience is that cost does not necessarily correlate with quality. More important to talk through the issue with the contractors and find someone you are comfy working with.

In addition to above factors, do also consider which stage of career you are in. If career in early stage with good salary prospects over long term, then 8K shd be ok. Risks are always there but the relative youth with few liabilities is a huge advantage. If more towards mid-career with not much more leeway for salary to go north, it becomes harder to justify unless you have already squirrelled a pile of cash as safety net. I doubt anyone wld be asking this question as a near-retiree. At today's property prices, say suburban condo ard $800K-1mil, the typical monthly mortgage can hit 3-4K.

Bro Hope you chill a bit. We can take this discussion offline to let off steam. No doubt most folks have got good/horror stories about various doctors/hospitals. I'm not sure spilling the beans and naming names online is all that right. I like to think I have been circumspect in my comments. As much as I found NUH the right place for us, I know it will not always be the best choice for everyone. And as much as we had - urm less positive - experiences elsewhere, many others have great praise where we felt let down. I do not wish to run anyone/place down, what we say online or private often carry much bearings beyond that moment of shiokness of saying it. Peace.

If I may deduce from our experiences - the core element of positive/negative experiences perhaps boils down to the doctor. We happened to have found the right (given our circumstances) ones at NUH and I suppose you found yours elsewhere. So back to the mantra of third party advices - personal mileages will necessarily vary! I also thought your chance encounter with the Malay family was a blessing to be thankful for, and a reminder that sometimes, doctors don't always know everything. We also learnt the last part the hard way. Cheers and best regards.

Guess the waiting time depends on the gynae. Glad you had a positive experience at TH, as I am sure did many other couples also. Waiting time is not a deal killer for us. In fact, we went TH twice because my wife insisted so. Both times were sort of a let down in terms of the outcome. Ofcourse, it is unfair to blame TH for pregnancy/medical outcomes beyond their control. But rather the way they responded and managed crises, how to say, when the chips are down. For just about every successful and normal delivery, I'm sure there wld be nothing to complain about. Anyway, parents (to be) just be mindful that every hospital has its limitations. In the rare event of medical complications - touch wood and I dont mean the usual pregnancy complications - ideally you want to be where the experts are or at least people who know what they are doing. As for the students at NUH, not as scary as you put it lah! I do find the students intrusive, mostly because the newbies don't know how to handle patients with tact. We usually tell them to bugger off and they will respect. Just have to be firm (sometimes like talking to kids) - remember you have patient rights too! Anyway, all part of their learning process to deal with rejection and stuff. All said and done, the doctors at NUH saved my firstborn's life. We went through some tough times, found great comfort in the doctors there. It was a no brainer for us to go back to NUH for our second baby, even leaving aside the fantastic pre-natal facilities there. Just relating my own experiences. Ofc, NUH is not without areas for improvement too, and YMMV.

If you are not fixed on these two, I wld recommend NUH. We went Thomson for our firstborn, given its reputation. I dont want to elaborate on my experiences, suffice to say we had a far superior experience at NUH for my second baby. Expertise, hospitality, facilities, advanced equipment etc etc. Profs/doctors are tops, just cut some slack for the MOs (they all need to start somewhere right?) The other thing is I spent a lot less time waiting at NUH. At thomson, often had to wait up to 2-3 hrs to see gynae. I suppose they dont cram as much patients as a private hospital which probably seeks to maximise profit. In the end, I suppose most couples want to find a gynae whom the wife is comfortable with. Prices are all about there in the thousands - giving birth is not cheap in Sg. Best of luck!

Have you talked to the seller? Maybe remote chance that he also changed his mind about selling. Maybe in the interim he received a better offer and does not mind rescinding your OTP. Maybe can grovel and negotiate some settlement on whatever personal reasons. Just my thoughts on how to get out of a hole dug in haste. As others have pointed out, it would appear you have no other legal recourse.

We use a few at home. LEDs are far more expensive than normal downlights, so you have to weigh the pros and cons. Ofc, there are some rich enough to place LEDs all over the house. The light dispersion is also very focussed and narrow, almost like a torchlight beam. Creates a cosy effect, but definitely dim for those who like their house lit up. I think newer LED have been designed to give broader dispersion and brighter (using more bulbs with higher consumption). Newer LEDs also have better colour temperature, obviously also at a cost. Other than that, we liked the sleek look of some of the LEDs, plus were told that they use as low as 1W electricity per LED bulb. So we put LEDs in walkways or doorways where we might leave the light on overnight, where they are bright enough to see at night but not too bright to affect sleep or night ambience. The other advantage of LEDs is they run cooler than say halogen.

Katong Shopping Center, on the 3rd floor. You can see the shop window with giant words LED from the main road. Specialises and sells all (as far as I know) kinds of LED bulbs.

we use black glass and aluminium frame. from our experience, anything wood in toilet will eventually warp or split open from humidity, especially under the vanity counter. rather not have to worry about these sort of degradation in due course. moreover, we happen to prefer glass look but that's really personal preference.

hi I have black granite tiles with rough, flamed(?) surface. The other day, the construction worker said they were going to use acid wash to clean up the tiles. I am thus concerned now that the earlier post pointed out acid wash should not be used on black tiles. Can confirm and explain why pls?

Hi Yoongf Tks for suggestions. Kianso looks interesting, will check it out. The treads are meant to be structural for mono-stringer staircase with no concrete support below. Boon Khim, I am not sure how exp $7.50psf is in relation to the market, but size, quality of timber and workmanship can make a lot of difference. Walking barefoot on different types of timber floor, all supposedly burmese teak, can give vastly different feeling. Some texture **** shiok, some feel only slightly better than laminate floor. Aside from seeing the contractors' actual work done in other places, can get quote from reputable company like Wooddoctor etc as benchmark.

Hi, Hope don't mind if I borrow this tread. I am looking to use teak planks as stair treads for my open staircase, but the asking price for burmese teak planks have shot up (eg in excess of $200 per plank, 45mm thick or thereabouts). Alternatively, chengal is much cheaper ($50 per piece), but the texture and aesthetics are poorer. Wld you recommend other wood, or any advice on where to look?

I'm not an expert by any means. Just sharing my 2 cents. Apart from the considerations pointed out, conservation houses by definition possess some cultural, historical and aesthetic value. They are also rare, which means fixed supply at any time. Thus, the label in itself should serve as a mark (or advertisement, if you will!) of a property's appeal. The appeal is perhaps to a smaller group, usually more 'atas' or loaded folks who appreciate and willing to pay for conservation status properties. Ang mos in particular like the exotic and beauty of these old houses. I also do think more Singaporeans are coming round to appreciate the beauty and heritage of these old houses. I wld buy one if I had the means. Location will always affect the price of any property, so one might tackle it as a separate consideration. In the case of conservation houses, I suppose location can serve a multiplier effect. Certain locations, eg the famous Emerald Hill, has ofcourse added glam and visibility given its proximity to orchard rd. Asking prices are astronomical, given the unique combination of location plus uniqueness. The proof is always in the pudding, and asking prices of conservation houses in the market seem to exceed others. I don't have the impression that our authorities are wildly designating conservation houses (I cld be wrong ofcourse), which means your property is in the select few To me, being rare can only mean good economics. Your priorities and mileage may differ.

Hi, Don't think I can afford an architect, so will be working directly with a builder/contractor. The latter will come out with some drawings and quotation. I can't vouch for the contractors I've been talking to, simply becos we haven't started any work. May be useful for us to exchange notes further. Will send you a pm.

No lah, its a good price in the current market but not fantastic buy. After I add in the reno costs, then it will become fantastically high Assuming yours is a condo, it shd be relatively easy to let go unless you're aiming for top price. I sold mine with a small profit after 7 yrs of languishing in paper loss. As for the house, will need to get contractor's detailed quote to see if enuff moolah.

Seems you are quite au fait with the east Even if no enbloc likely, can try and sell on enbloc rumours, no? My buildup is approx 2400sqft.

Hi Mafiawife, Its in Siglap area in the east. Actually, neber tot we'd go landed too. Always been the apartment type but with the crazy bubble and condo px hitting over $1000psf (in D15), landed just seemed more attractive in comparison. It did take us a long while to find a suitable place we liked and was within budget tho. I think there are still good buys out there, despite masses of sellers just trying their luck to get record px. Just as there are lotsa pple looking to enter, there are also pple wanting to cash out, esp those who bought long time ago. With patience, a lot of homework and perhaps some luck....who knows! Haven't done any homework on 6th ave but I shd think the px there is quite exp

I think semi-dee gets different pricing in terms of psf because its usually much larger and has more sides to do up, compared to intermediate terraces. Semi-dee owners are also perceived to be more price inelastic, I suppose Not used to metrics, but my current built up is about 2000+ sqft and the additional area should bring it slightly past 3000sqft. No specific numbers yet because we haven't even reached the drawing stage. Verbally, my contractor's quote supposed to include all fixtures eg lighting, closets, plumbing, electricals, fence and gate, and roofing etc. Basically everything except furnitures, soft furnishings like curtains and appliances. He did tell me to get my own structural engineer first tho to ascertain if piling is required, which he agar engineer costs around $10K.

Tks, very useful advice. I agree, if wan, then shd just get it within means ofcourse. A a general guide, how much safety buffer shd I set aside as a proportion of reno costs?

I think adding a half storey (raising the roof) and extending the back should go beyond the definition of A&A. Which makes it no longer A&A but not yet a complete rebuild (so cannot qualify for CPF). sounds like britney song. I do take your pt however abt not being able to recoup as much from plain A&A or that its perceived value regresses to almost zero over time. Useful perspective since I have never reno before.

Tks - its expensive to rebuild! I shd have been more specific - my bad. I didn't mean complete demolition and rebuild which I can't afford, but rather to add another half story and roof top and then to extend the back. This may necessitate partial piling at the back (which is likely to blow my budget), pending structural engineer's calculations. My contractor's initial assessment however is that the existing structure shd be able to take another half storey without having to do piling. Assuming no piling is required, he gave a rough quote of 400K, including extensive redevelopment into 2.5 storey and interior (closets, flooring, stairs, lighting, kitchen etc). This is based on another house he did, which we saw and liked. I guess the whole exercise of this thread is for me to justify the extra cost of going the whole hog. A concern is that if I spend say $400K, subsequently it wld be difficult to sell the terrace at that incremental value w/o taking a huge loss. Guess I might as well state that I bought the place at 1.15mil. Overall, in my assessment, its worthwhile to spend more becos: a. the terrace is in a nice location (IMHO ofcourse) and thus worthwhile to do up nicely b. pple will pay more for larger space (just a question of how much more) c. extra flexibility for future needs d. if already going to do extensive reno, might as well go all the way in one go e. finances permit Cons: a. keeping to nice A&A is sufficient for current needs b. its easier to recoup $200K c. maintain cash liquidity and lower monthly mortgage d. less reno means less areas and likelihood to run into problems! Tks, Zirhk I spoke with 2-3 contractors (recommended by other landed folks) and their estimation is 200K for extensive A&A. I don't think they are quoting low just to get the work as they are quite established and have a fair bit of referrals. It cld be my expectations and their understanding of what I want differs! !! I already have all my furnitures and equipment from current place. Mostly quite new so shdnt have to spend too much on furnishings. We are also not into fantastic designer decor, just simple, quality (yeah, I know that's exp) and easy to maintain. Nothing complicated, just bright airy, pleasant with lots of space!

Hi all, I bought a 2-storey FH inter-terrace in original condition of over 30yrs. Now grappling with whether to do an extensive A&A (say <$200K) or rebuild to 2.5 storey with dramatic increase in GFA, plus a new attic floor cum roof-top (say $400K). I don't really need the extra space but ofcourse its nice to have a bigger house. If I keep to A&A, I can pay off more of the mortgage and reduce my interest by quite a fair bit. Question is from an investment point of view, is it worthwhile to rebuild? If I re-sell later on, will I be able to recoup the additional investment or better still, fetch higher prices? Grateful for any views pls, esp those who have gone down this route before. Cheers.