nestlee

SOURCING ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES FOR KITCHEN

SOURCING KITCHEN HOB & HOOD Buying the right gas hob is important as we will cook often. The gas hob should comes with a good size for our kitchen. It must have an easy-to-clean design – a flat surface, free of dirt traps. I have seen people from renotalk buying EF, Fujioh, Tecno, Electrolux. I have seen people from renotalk buying EF, Fujioh, Tecno, Electrolux and I will do research to find out more. However, my fiance set up his mind after hearing my research on the Bosch. He is that kind person that you have to standardize all the brands for electrical appliances. Tempered Glass Hobs v.s. Stainless Steel Hobs We find tempered glass looks really good. The only concern that we have is the shattered glass. I have shortlisted the hobs below. 1. Serie | 4 PBD7331SG: 78.5 cm Black Tempered Glass Gas Hob This model uses Schott Glass- a thermally toughened (tempered) float glass. So the shattered glass may not be an issue. The salesperson also shared with us the concealed holes which can prevent the food drips into the gas pipe. It is also easy to maintain and clean. The tempered-glass gas hob: offers you a sophisticated design that is easy to clean. Flame wheel wok burner and 4.5 kW: for excellent cooking, especially for Asian style food. The large 230° knob rotate angle: enhanced flame control. The practical high-end pan support system provides the optimal support for various pans/woks. Enhanced safety gas valve: safety valve system will cut off the gas automatically when the flame unexpected goes out. Dimensions of the product (mm): 150 x 785 x 450 mm Appliance material: Tempered glass & Pure brass 3 Gas burners Center burner: 1.7 KWLeft & right burner power: 4.5 KW New high efficient burners All direction air intake mode Control knob with electric ignition Precise flame power adjustment & Preset of town gas (10mbar) Flame failure safety device Hobs and hoods are usually offered as a pair in packages. So I found one hood which suits our needs. Slimline Hood vs Chimney Hood The chimney from the hood to guide filtered fumes out to higher location to prevent them from directly blowing when you are cooking. Slimline hoods are designed to be slim to maximize the space in the kitchen. Although they are as powerful as chimney hoods, they do a pretty decent job. 2. Serie | 4 DHI923GSG 90 cm Stainless Steel Slimline hood The telescopic cooker hood: Hides into your cabinet for a sleek kitchen front Extraction rate: 420 m3/h to ensure optimal kitchen air quality Halogen lighting: For optimal, energy-efficient illumination of your hob Max. extraction rate according to DIN/EN 61591:420 m³/h 3 speeds 2 x 28 W halogen - energy saving lamps 3. Serie | 2 HBN331E2J Stainless steel 60cm Built-in single oven V.S Serie | 2 HBN331E1K Stainless steel 60cm Built-in single oven This is the first time we are buying an oven. I am very excited and can't wait to start learning baking and grilling food. With so many brands available, it is so complicated to choose one that suits us. We were introduced to 2 ovens but we can't tell which one is better. I've seen more reviews on HBN331E2J. There is no much difference as both has the hot air, flap door and energy efficiency. The only difference I spotted for HBN331E1K is that it comes with eemovable oven door for easy-cleaning and the oven cavity with removable rack supports There is this website, Intraix showing the 5 factors you should look out for when you choose an oven: Space Oven Timer Ease of cleaning Oven Modes Special Features

SOURCING KITCHEN SINK Finally we can move on to shopping after finalizing our contractor! It is important that to start early to shop for the items below as we need to provide the dimension to contractor before they can start renovation work. If you start early, you will have more time to look around without pressure! Shopping List: 1. Kitchen Sink 2. Kitchen tap 3. Hob 4. Hood 5. Oven 6. Fridge First stop: Hoe Kee Hardware Pte Ltd   8 Genting Rd, 349472 We visited Hoe Kee at Genting Rd during Saturday. The aunties served us are good and not pushy. They also allow us to see around freely. The good thing is they offered kitchen bundle promotion! Our kitchen wall is about 3500mm. We need to cater the space for fridge, kitchen hood and sink. My mum suggested to buy a big single bowl of sink instead of double bowl sink. The smaller bowl is a bit reluctant as we will end up to use it as a rubbish bin. Silgranit Sink v.s. Stainless Steel Sink After researching online, I think that I'd like to look into a silgranit sink instead of a stainless steel sink. Silgranit sink is very low maintenance and looks good! It resists scratching and cleans up like a dream! Top Mount Sink v.s. Under Mount Sink I think we will opt for top mount as it will prevent water leakage to the kitchen cabinet due to poor workmanship. Rock Grey v.s. Alu Metallic These are the 2 shades of grey that we love. However, our friend who has a black sink will experience the cloudy spots around the sink. The darker colour of sink may have more maintenance issue. Single Bowl Sink v.s. Double Bowl Sink My mum suggested a large single bowl instead of double bowl as the smaller bowl will always end up putting wet garbage. Single Bowl Sink Double Bowl Sink Pros A single, deep basin means you can easily soak or wash a big pan or prep large quantities of food. Pros Two basins allow you to perform separate tasks, such as cleaning dishes and preparing food, with ease. The idea is that you can clean up in the large basin and prep in the smaller one. Dual basins also come in handy when you are washing items you don’t want to put in the dishwasher (soap in one basin, rinse water in the other). Cons Rinsing vegetables while soaking a large casserole dish requires a bit of juggling — as does hand washing and rinsing china or stemware. Cons A smaller basin makes it harder to wash and soak large pans. We have shortlisted these 3 designs and will seek advice from our contractor before we decide to go for single/ double bowl. Any one has any suggestion to share? BLANCO PLEON 8 $465 (as of Mar 2016) BLANCO NAYA 6 $359 (as of Mar 2016) BLANCO NAYA 8 $399 (as of Mar 2016)

Selection of ID/ Contractor INTERIOR DESIGNER We went through to look for interior designers and started contacting a few companies whose designs appeal to us. The quotation varies as different ID tends to have different suggestions. ID S from 8** ******: A young and green ID. He was very patient in understanding our requirement and showing us samples of the material used. This is very useful especially during the first meet up with ID. We were so excited to learn about the different kinds of materials. He also proposed the layout and hand draw the layout to show us. The second session he shared with alternative ideas with his hand-drawn 3D drawing. We really appreciate his effort because we didn't expect any drawing until confirmation. After the quotation, he offered some discount on our project and follow up with us. The good thing is that we can feel the connection with him and a young ID may be more creative. The not so good thing is that we afraid that he may not be experience enough to solve when there are hiccups during the renovation. We will still like to recommend him as an ID as he is very patient and prompt in his service. ID E from S**** A******: A more experienced ID and not much impression. He can show you the pros and cons between different materials. This ID firm offers a 4-room standard package at $21k plus and it is very attractive. Our friend did warn us on the cheap renovation package at unbelievable prices. When quotation came, the total renovation cost are actually more expensive with the add ons compared to other quotations. We don't really like the idea of renovation package. What we want is a personalized quotation without hidden cost. No much follow up with us after quotation so dropped this ID. ID J from V****: This firm was recommended by my colleague who has engaged them for their resale flat. My colleague shared that their quotation is quite reasonable. However, we requested to meet up the boss instead of my friend's ID. A new ID was attached to the boss to take down our requirement. The whole session was most the efficient one as the boss is very straight to the point. He not only listened to our idea and counter propose with other suggestions. For example, we did not intend to build a false ceiling in the living room as we feel it will reduce the room space and trap dust. He explained that the new version false ceiling will not take up so much space as compared to the old version and it will conceal the electrical wires. He also suggested that to install the black track lights to enhance the scandinavian look and cove lights focus towards the 16ft of brick wall in the living room. He also impressed us with a few ideas that the previous ID did not suggest to us. My fiance was immediately sold by his suggestion but I a bit worry that he could be a too overpowered. He is that kind of person- "I suggest you do this..., if you want cheaper alternative...., you can do this...". We realized that there are some missing details during the next meet up for quotation discussion. However, they made the amendments on the spot. The price was not as cheap as we expected. At this point of time, my fiancee was deciding between ID S and ID J. We almost wanted to sign the contract with one of the ID but I decided to put it on hold first while doing more research. This is when that I came across to Renotalk and found out that so many homeowners actually engaged a contractor instead of and ID. They can execute their idea and renovate their home so nice even with contractor! CONTRACTOR *Updated as of 27 Mar 2016. No much update as we have yet to receive our second HLE so it's not possible to collect keys in Apr 2016. We take it slowly and I use the period to plan for my wedding instead. We tried emailing our floor plan and requirement to ask for quotation instead as we do not have much time to meet every contractor individually. CONTRACTOR *E: They are very popular due to the good workmanship for carpentry. We have contacted them since end Feb 2016 as we wanted to secure them as our contractor despite of the fact they could be overloaded with their current projects. After replying them that our keys will only be available in 2Q 2016, they did not follow up with us thereafter. We have dropped this contractor as we know that they are too busy with their current projects. CONTRACTOR R*******: No reply from them after sending email request for quotation. CONTRACTOR P*: Recommended by my friend. The contractor is very prompt in replying and follow up closely. The quotation is reasonable but it comes in lump sum total cost for each component of carpentry work, renovation work and etc instead of individual cost. We felt that there are lack of details and transparency in cost in the event that we decided to change certain requirement in our renovation. CONTRACTOR 1: This contractor is introduced by one of the blogger who just renovated her house. I really love the renovation style and their workmanship is excellent. The contractor replies promptly with detailed quotation at reasonable cost. *Shortlisted* CONTRACTOR 2: This contractor met us to have a better understanding of our renovation requirement. The first meeting ended about 20 to 30 minutes. I was a bit doubtful if he can fully understand our requirements within such a short frame of time. He is indeed a very experienced contractor and he can share with us the Do's and Don'ts. The first quotation is about the same as some ID and the cost is quite comparable with some IDs. Okay, I was a bit insane that I do a excel worksheet to compare the individual component across all the IDs and contractor. I really like to micro manage and do a lot of research due to first timer's limited knowledge in renovation. It was to the extend my fiance complained that my money it's so hard to earn. However, I have explained to him that it is to have a better understanding of what each ID/contractor can offer and prevent any hidden cost and unnecessary miscommunication. During this period, my colleague who has an ongoing renovation shared with me her horrify experience with her ID. The irresponsible ID keep delaying her projects and was not able to delivered as they promised *i.e. They have agreed kitchen carpentry to have soft closing but it was not installed. The dimension of drawer is not done correctly according to their requirement. Fortunately, everything was solved in the end. I felt sorry for her as it was really physically and mentally exhausted for her to encounter this. This also makes me rethink of what we want to achieve for our renovation. Cost is a major consideration but it is fine as long as it is within our budget. Finding an experienced ID/Contractor that can deliver good quality of work is the most important factor! We have asked if Contractor 2 to bring us to one of his project before we signed the renovation package. it was very nice of him to find a house which has similar concept as us. We were very pleased and trust that he can deliver what we want after seeing his work. We went through individual component to revise the quotation, especially for certain component that we felt that it was a bit overpriced. He is very open to discussion and explained to us difference is cost between his quotation and other ID/Contractor. He sent us the revise quotation promptly on the day. We will arrange a date with him to sign the contract and pay the deposit. YEAH!

MOODBOARD Scandinavian design has been commonly used by most homeowners by for renovation. However, the Scandinavian design we want to create is slightly differently. It will be clean and simple design. The colour theme has been set on black, white and grey with wood furnishing. We believe this timeless design that will last for years. We are not into industrial, modern, retro, eclectic as we want out home to look bright, airy and cozy. . LIVING ROOM We all know that the brick wall is the tredy feature wall these days, but they are pretty costly. So it is an optional choice due to cost and concerns for maintenance. Personally, if i were to choose, I will prefer the subtle effect of Stucco wall compared to Craftstone wall. To install ceiling fan and track lights To paint the wall in light shades of grey as an cheaper alternative to the Craftstone wall / Brickwall stucco wall. The change of wall colour is more flexible and it will look cleaner. For sofa, we will opt for soft grey for a soothing look. Dress the sofa by injecting some interesting cushions with geometric design and creating the warm and relax feel. Invest on some simple and stylish furniture (like the coffee table above) and decorate with some plants and greenery. To build a half height shoe cabinet instead of the usual full height and decorate it with a nice round mirror. KITCHEN Plan 1: No hacking of wall between kitchen and dining area. I found a perfect layout of kitchen that maximize the lights in the kitchen (no blockage of the service yard window). The cabinets are in white with black cabinet knots. Kompacplus can be used for the kitchen top. There is also tall cabinet for oven and microwave oven. The one side of kitchen is cooking, washing area while the other side of the kitchen is for preparation. Design 1: White Cabinets and Wooden Table Top Overlaying subway tiles between kitchen cabinets Some other inspiration of black and white kitchen. Not planning to do a closure for the dish rack because we predict we will no use it often. Plan 2: Hacking of wall between kitchen and dining area. The open-concept kitchen is very popular nowadays but it is not suitable for us as we will cook often. So, in order to create the open space and brightness, we plan to hack the half wall between the dining room and kitchen. The kitchen will be partitioned from the dining room with black think frame of Aluminium fixed window and swing door. h Design 1: Grey Cabinets and White/Black Table Top This is the perfect shades of grey for the kitchen. The combination is so nice and we were contemplating if we should over lay the existing HDB tiles with this black and white tiles. But white tiles are so difficult to maintain! More inspiration of grey kitchen and white table top with subway tiles. BEDROOM BATHROOM Due to budget constraints, we will try to retain the original HDB tiles in bathroom as much as possible. We will try to decorate it with round mirror and install the tempered glass to separate the dry and wet area. DOORS Our units have no door. We planned to install the classic white doors and the louvre door for bathrooms.

Hello everyone! My fiance and I are going to get the keys to our 4-room in 2Q 2016. So excited and we can't wait to start our new home after 4 years of long wait! We have been reading the forum to do our research diligently. Thank you everyone for sharing your experience with us! Now is our turn to journal down our renovation journey in this t-blog. Here goes our floor plan: This is our first time owning a house. We are very excited about our renovation for the new home. However, we can’t help but feel the pinch, especially we going to spend a hefty sum when our renovation and wedding falls in the same year. We just started working for 2-3 years and I don’t want to spend all our savings to splurge on the renovation. Hence, I will try my best to stick within our budget and spend wisely. We also set our budget below: Budget for Renovation: 30-35K Budget for Furnishing and Electrical appliances: 20k Renovation Requirement We will keep our carpentry work minimal and simple. Save money on carpentry by going for off shelf furnishings and online shopping of home decorations to achieve the look we want. Also, we chose Scandinavian style as this theme is easily executed and it will never fall our of style. As some of the requirement are optional, we will finalize our decision only after considering the cost and visiting the actual site. I also try to think of other alternatives to save the cost. Living Room 1.To supply materials & labour to lay Vinyl @ Living. Dining Room/ Bedroom 3/Bedroom 2/Master bedroom 2.Painting for the whole house 3.Chemical wash for whole house after renovation 4.Sliding window at the yard (optional) 5.To supply and install 3 bedroom doors / 2 bathroom doors LIVING ROOM 1.To construct false ceiling work @ Living/Dining Hall (optional) 2.To construct 16ft Craftstone wall / Brickwall stucco wall, whichever is more affordable (optional) 3.To box up 8ft gypsum partition wall 4.To construct half ht and 5ft shoe cabinet KITCHEN 1.To hack half partition wall between dining and kitchen 2.To install coated aluminum frame fixed window at partial wall and swing door 3.To construct 9ft Top cabinet 4.To construct 15ft Bottom cabinet 5.To construct 2ft Tall cabinet 6.To overlay Subway tiles on exposed wall on kitchen wall 7.To install 16ft Kompac plus/ iQuartz for kitchen cabinet surface top BATHROOM 1.To construct shower kerbs at Common /Master Bathroom 2.To supply and install 10mm Clear tempered glass shower screen @ Common Bathroom 3.To supply and install 10mm Clear tempered glass (1 fixed and 1 swing) shower screen @Master bathroom 4.To construct 3ft Vanity bottom finished @Master bathroom 5.Overlaying floor tiles for Common /Master Bathroom (optional) BEDROOMS 1.Full ht and 7ft casement wardrobe @Masterbedroom 2.Full ht and 5.5ft casement wardrobe @Bedroom 2 Table of Contents 1. Moodboard