blue_skies

Just wanted to thank Ronald and Mr Heng for their quick response to my leaking rooftop. I have a tenant living there so it was important to ensure that the issue is fixed quickly. I have engaged Ronald and his team previously in 2010 when I renovated my apartment, in 2013 to fix qrouting on my rooftop tiles and just earlier this month for a leaking issue from the rooftop tiles. We know that there are inherent issues with the construction of the condo so we weren't surprised when Mr Heng told us he had to pour waterproofing into the flooring to fill the gaps. Mr Heng, being very experienced, was able to easily troubleshoot our leaky issue and was very kind to explain to us what he had to do to solve the problem. We had to struggle with the intermittent wet weather but Mr Heng must have told the skies to hold up for us so we had 1-2 days of dry weather where he managed to apply the waterproofing and fix our grouting. A big thank you to Ronald and Mr Heng for your professional work!

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Ronald and his team of workers for being so accomodating and patient during the renovation works at my place. I had waterproofing problems in my windows, walls and outdoor area which they helped to repair. They did not rush the job and made sure it was done properly. MANY THANKS

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Ronald from Designer House. It's been 4 years since I engaged him to renovate my home. Tiling is still wonderful, no complaints. Had some minor issues with my toilet but he still provides advice and help even though he is no longer obliged to. Much appreciated!!

Hi I have the following iPads for sale: iPad 1, 3G+WiFi 16GB: SGD 230 32GB: SGD 280 64GB: SGD 350 These are all Apple certified refurbished, sealed in box and comes with charger, but there is no warranty. Self collect from Pasir Ris, payment in cash upon collection. Please contact me if you are interested. Thanks. Photos are available from here:

upz!

I have the following to let go: 1 Fibreglass indoor pond with waterfall and attached built-in filter Size: Height 1.3m, diameter 1.4m, depth 0.5m. Comes with the following pumps: Eheim canister type, model 2217, 1000l/hr Eheim pump head, model 1060, 38l/min Dyna, model Boxer 3000, 3,000l/hr and also 1 pc red waterproof light All pumps and light tested in good working condition Selling at $450 or best offer. Cash and collect in Pasir Ris Interested pls email: alphil3221@yahoo.com Thanks!

Price reduced to $180! If interested, please email alphil3221@yahoo.com Thanks!

I have the following to let go: Makita cordless hammer drill ½”, model #8433D 2 speeds 0-6,000/0-19,500/min Comes with removable handle, depth gauge Makita cordless jig saw model #4332D Speed 2,400/min 2 pcs of battery 14.4V Ni-cad Battery charger 230V Makita plastic case for drill Both items including bateries in perfect good working condition. Letting go at $250. Cash and collect in Pasir Ris Pls email if interested to alphil3221@yahoo.com Thanks! Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Price reduced to $50. Interested please contact: alphil3221@yahoo.com Thanks!

Hi I am clearing my storeroom and have leftover marble tiles for sale. Total qty: 28 pcs(56 sq ft) Size: 12 inch x 24 inch x ½ inch Finish: Unpolished Origin: Ipoh, Malaysia Price: $85 for whole lot Self-collect from Pasir Ris. Please see photo for marble colour. Interested please contact: alphil3221@yahoo.com

It's been almost 1.5 years since I renovated my home. Everything that I renovated / installed is still good, no leaks from pipes, sinks etc, electrical wiring all good too. Just wanted to thank Ronald for sending someone to help clean my tiles last week because there was some old stain on them that I couldn't get rid of. THANKS

chiamt02, Yellow spots usually mean water seepage.... You need to try and ret rid of the mould in your wardrobe and dressing cabinets coz the bugs will be happily feeeding off the mould on these!! Re-painting the walls would not be useful if the bugs are all in the wardrobe and dressing cabinet.

I have open balcony and I use those bamboo chicks. It's very effective at keeping the rain out, a must for me. I don't have any issues using it in my condo (some others use it too). I get mine from George Bamboo Chick, been getting it from there for the last 5 yrs. The chicks tend to need replacement once every 2 yrs or so due to wear and tear. If the chicks don't give way, the ropes will

You could also think about having how many lights come on when you turn on the light switch. E.g. your living room has 6 downlights but you can arrange it such that only 3 lights comes on when you press the switch once, but when you press it twice, then all the lights come on. This will help save electricity because you don't always need all the lights to be on at the same time.

bepgof, I'm Gen X la Yes I agree that cash can do wonders but earning interest in my CPF account isn't really what I believe in, and neither do I believe in keeping cash in the bank to earn interest. Then again, we are all brought up with different ideals and thinking so everyone would have different ideas as to how best to make use of their cash. hemtamkings, The magic question for you would be - When is the RIGHT time? I had a couple of friends who sold their 5 rm HDB about 3 years ago and are still waiting for the RIGHT time to buy again. The RIGHT time still hasn't arrived (according to them), during which time the HDB flats in that very same area have been steadily going up and now the cash they took back from the sale of the flat does not seem to be very much anymore. You mentioned " ...in the 2nd option (assuming you keep working), then you can use the monthly contribution into your ordinary account to pay off the mortgage of the 2nd property..." I think you are also assuming that the buyer (and his / her spouse) are both high earners, and they have a significant amount of CPF contribution every month. For a 1 - 1.5 mil ppty, and 70% bank loan, 20 yr repayment period, your monthly instalment is approx 3.5k/mth. This is just a very rough estimation, but I don't think the CPF contribution for majority of the cases can fully pay off the mortgage, and you might still have to top up extra cash every month.

chiamt02, Insecticide won't work well with the bugs - if there's just a few of them left surviving, they'll start reproducing and you'll see another bunch of them again! Do you notice any mould growing on the walls? Or if the walls are damp? Put your hands on the walls and you can feel whether the walls are damp (compare the various walls in the house - living area, bedroom, etc) For effective result, you'll need to remove old layer of paint first. Need to use sandpaper and sand it off. If the wall is damp, you might need to apply a layer of sealant first before painting over with anti-mould paint. Apply two layers of sealant, allow each layer to dry properly before you apply the next layer. Sealant can be applied like paint using roller paintbrush. After sealant is totally dry then paint over with anti-fungal paint. Whole process might take up to one day for just one wall. Best that you ask your wife to stay at another place first coz the sealant smell is very strong, and plenty of dust during sandpaper process.

Haha ok.

It's a skill you know, just like how only the prata man can make roti prata. Really not easy. I saw the two guys plastering my house last time and they do nothing but plastering only. If you ask me to do it, I think I'll end up with sore arms and stiff neck My medical bill might be more expensive than getting the proper guys to do it! Plus you need to use both arms otherwise dunno how long you'll end up taking to finish the job....

It looks like the problem is quite serious. Don't leave it too long or you might end up with damaged tiles. Personally I don't think it would be easy to hold your ID responsible since your reno is over 1 yr ago already, but you should try to get him to help identify the problem since he would know your place the best. If you want to try to identify where the water problem is from, stop using one of the toilets totally (for at least 1 week) and see whether the leakage slows down. I'm just guessing, but some possible causes of the leakage: - The waterproofing along the flooring / vertical walls in your toilet is insufficient so water is seeping from there - The grouting in your toilet tiles have given way, the cement below is hollow and water seeping from there along any cracks (I saw from your reno blog that you hacked all the flooring) and toilets are near the doorway so it's flowing outwards from beneath the tiles to the outside. - Is your wardrobe in the Master bedroom sharing the same wall as the Master toilet? If it is, you might have some water seepage issues too from the Master toilet. I don't think you have a structural leakage otherwise you might be facing problems like damp walls (not along the flooring only) Hope this helps.

OMG! That guy was literally SHOPPING and he's one fussy shopper!! Looks like he stole a polo shirt and a pair of shorts? Did you give the police a copy of the video? I wonder what are your chances of catching the thief. By the way, what make / model CCTV are you using? The resolution is really clear. Do you get very good lighting in that area? I've been having some strange persons loitering around my unit (coz I am the second last unit along the corridor and it's near the staircase), I'm good friends with my neighbour and they told me they've seen some guys who look like they are on drugs and I'm getting a bit paranoid, have reported to the neighbourhood police already but I might consider installing CCTV outside my unit.

Despite the govt implementing all these policies, it still looks like the prices haven't "plummeted" like what many have expected - yet. I'm guessing that HDB and private property prices will still increase, but at a slower rate. I have friends who sold their 5-room HDB 3 yrs ago saying that they are waiting for "price to drop" but instead now cannot buy anything coz the price of flats in the area they are looking at has not dropped at all. Worse for private ppty - out of reach already. I think if you can afford to buy now, just buy first, especially if you are renting and waiting for price to drop (I think more worth it to pay off monthly loan rather than paying rent). Just my personal opinion...

I would go for option (1) and pay off the outstanding loan with whatever I have in the CPF. With the loan for the 1st ppty redeemded, I will try to get 80% loan for the 2nd ppty. I think it is pointless to have 70k stuck in CPF that cannot be used for anything (except when I retire!!). If you have already fully paid up for the 1st ppty, and you are buying a 2nd private ppty, you would probably be renting one of them out, and the rental would likely be able to partially cover the mortagage for the 2nd ppty. So there's no need to use the CPF for that purpose.

In case anyone is interested, details on MAS regulations regarding home equity loan can be found here http://www.mas.gov.sg/resource/legislation_guidelines/banks/notices/MAS632_Amdt_27Jul2011.pdf

All the info you need is here http://www.iras.gov.sg/irasHome/page04_ektid2394.aspx Hope it helps!

The wind on the roof terrace can be very strong. I don't think it's a good idea for the umbrella tables to be left open all the time (maybe open it only if you are using the table?) I suspect at some point, it might get blown over. I've got some potted plants (pots that require 2 men to carry) and they have been blown over in a thunderstorm. If you can't construct a trellis, what about installing a plant stand horizontally and getting some creepers to grow over it? It's not a trellis and it would provide some shade on a sunny day. Wouldn't work on a rainy day though.