blue_skies

Overlay is ok and does indeed save on cost. If the toilet wall tiles are ok and there are only a few broken ones here and there, you can try to ask the contractor if they can replace those broken ones for you using the same/ similar tile (depends also on whether you can still find the same type of tile). Overlay of the toilet flooring is also just as nice if done properly. I think at end of the day it depends on how much you are willing to spend on your reno

Haha, yah. I was unlucky that my place had a leak lah, so trying to DIY with the waterproofing to see if it works first. I'm sure there are lots of other hardware / building supplies shops too, guess I just haven't come across them. I'm not too sure how extensively stocked the other shops are compared to Kai Lim but don't get me wrong, I'm not "promoting" Kai Lim in any way Just wanted to share this info with all other forummers who need to source for hardware / building supplies

Hi all, Just to share, there's this shop at Changi Road called Kai Lim. It's a one stop shop and has got almost everything you need to DIY your house reno. I was there to buy waterproofing stuff, but I also saw lots of other things (electrical trunking, wires of all sizes, saws, drills, hammers, sandpaper, pliers, bricks, piping, cement etc) Saw a lot of contractors buying stuff from there too so I guess it must be quite popular. The uncle at the shop was very helpful too. Told him what my problem was and he suggested what I could use. Oh and they've got a website too! http://www.hardwareshop.com.sg/

HDB to stay in la

Reminds me of science lessons at school

And now even the development charge rates have gone up. http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2010/pr10-101.html Although this is probably supposed to "cool" the property market, I think it is a vicious cycle because developers will pass on this additional cost to the buyers and the next round of new residential developments released will be even more expensive than what they are now and there'll be another spike in property prices again. I wonder how effective all these measures will be in keeping the market remain "cool"...

Yup - see Footnote #8 at the bottom of the news release on the URA website http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2010/pr10-99.html The 70% LTV limit will apply to transactions where the date on which the option to purchase (OTP) was granted falls on or after 30 August 2010; or if there is no OTP, where the date of the sale and purchase agreement falls on or after 30 August 2010.

My HDB application was submitted before 30 Aug so not affected. MOP is the 3 yrs one. Only concern I have is that I can only get 70% loan for the next pte ppty purchase so need to come up with sizeable amt of cash. Hope that ppty prices will drop (after I sell my pte ppty). Hahaha

Yup. I guess so long as your HDB purchase was done before 30 Aug, you won't be affected by the new ruling. You can probably buy a pte ppty once you have enough cash, no need to fulfil any MOP. I would think it might be useful to email HDB to get confirmation in black and white too, just in case anything is overlooked. You never know with all these changes in rules

I thought it's 5 years for applications received from 30 Aug onwards. http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10296p.nsf/Pr...19?OpenDocument (scroll down to bottom of webpage to see Table 1)

I am in the process of selling my private ppty. Now thinking about the implications and wondering if I should just hold on instead coz I also just bought a HDB.

Looks like the above implies (with effect from 30 Aug): - If your first property is a resale flat, you won't be allowed to buy a private property within 5 yrs. - If my first property is a private ppty and I want to move to HDB, I must sell my private ppty within 6 mths. Plus I cannot buy another private ppty until 5 yrs later.

Made a typo in my subject heading. Actually the LTV limit of 70% will only affect those with more than one outstanding housing loan. So frustrating. New rules every couple of months.

Here are the photos of the loft at my parent's place (it's a bit messy though, used to be my room but now serves as a nap area for my boy). It was built around year 2000 and is still very sturdy now. It's large enough to place one single mattress and one super single mattress on the floor of the loft. Didn't manage to measure the highest point in the loft but I can stand up straight somewhere in the middle (before it slopes too low) and I'm 1.65m. I have shelving on the other side of the loft wall (opposite the windows). There is a casement aircon for the loft too so we have a curtain to keep the cool air in. Schematic of loft http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9707/loftschematic.jpg Staircase leading upstairs to loft http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7688/st...dingupstair.jpg Curtain for loft (also the doorway of the loft) http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/4791/cu...orwayofloft.jpg Laminate flooring of loft http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/1624/la...oringofloft.jpg Loft inner wall (highest point of loft) http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5400/loftinnerwall.jpg Shelving on lower wall http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/6461/sh...onwalllarge.jpg Casement aircon & part of windows http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/6716/case...rconwindows.jpg Looking downwards from the top of the loft http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/9659/lo...romloftlarg.jpg

Brisk walking is quite effective too. Or swimming if you want low impact on the knee joints.

I heard from my previous contractor that Ariston heaters now can either be made in Italy or Vietnam, which perhaps explains their quality? I bought one (apparently the model made in Italy) and it takes 15 mins to heat up decently and I set the temp on the heater to the notch just before the maximum. It's also the square type with a similar inlet/outlet style as yours. The round drum type needs more space (height) and you would need to install brackets below it too. I think it is easily about 1.5 times the height of the Arston heater. The round drums ones are just as good but in my opinion, perhaps not as aesthetically pleasing

Has anyone used marble for a kitchen countertop before? Would be great if you could share some photos and the cost involved. Thanks!

My parents have a small loft in their HDB. Will take photo of it this weekend when I see them. They live in an EA but it's on the top floor and they extra ceiling space from the slanted rooftop so we built a loft using the extra ceiling height. It's not very big but you can put a super single mattress and some small bookshelves, and you got to watch your head when you are up in the loft or you might knock your head It used to be my bedroom for a couple of years before I got married and moved out. Nice cosy space. Btw this is not HDB approved structure so it will need to be taken down if the place is sold.

I use Napisan to soak sweaty clothes overnight (coz I was also using that for my baby's clothes). Then put everything into the washing machine the next day with all other clothing to be washed. I find that the orange Dynamo smells better than the blue one especially if you need to hang indoors, plus I also add Softlan softener to the clothes. Another culprit is the wash cycle. Make sure you wash the clothes thoroughly and don't overfill the machine. I normally use a cycle that takes about 1hr20min (front loading washing machine). It helps if you can spin dry the clothes as much as possible so that it dries faster too.

It's called Vacanza? http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/listing/181...le-vacanza-east Rather pricey...

I am not an expert.... but here's what I think: I'm assuming you are selling off No.1 to pay for outstanding loan for No.2 - First of all, you need to pay back the bank loan - Then you need to put back into CPF (with accrued interest) what you have used for No.1 - Then you can use the "leftover profit" to pay off No.2 CPF is now considered "unused" since you have topped it up. Theoretically, you can use this CPF (in your OA) to now pay for another property (No.3). I've done this before but that was like 6 yrs ago so not sure if CPF has changed its rules. I feel that if you want to maximise the use of your CPF for property, you should look at which one has the higher monthly instalments (or outstanding loan). So if No.3 has a higher monthly loan repayment, might be better to use the CPF for No.3 instead of No.2. I am not aware of any implications if property is paid using CPF, except that if you past 55yrs old and you sell the property, you'll need to top up your CPF to the minimum sum before you can have the "profit" as cash in your hands. So if you are nearing that age, better to do it fast or you'll not be able to use a bulk of the CPF. Not sure why your spouse is afraid of not being able to get back the title deed... the house is yours so long as you are able to finance the loan for it. And actually, the title deed is held by the bank where you took the loan from

Agree. It's an ethical thing. If you think that the agent is not doing anything, you can always ask the agent to help arrange for renewal of the tenancy - I assume you'll need to draw up a new contract and also help you with the e-stamping (otherwise you'll need to make a trip down to IRAS yourself which is a hassle).

Either party can file for divorce immediately based on 1) or 2). Not possible to use 3) to file for immediate divorce. More info here: http://app.subcourts.gov.sg/family/faq.aspx?pageid=3688# What are the legal requirements for a divorce? You will be granted a divorce only if a Judge of the Family Court agrees that your marriage has ended. In legal language, the Judge must find that your marriage has irretrievably broken down. This is set out at section 95 of the Women’s Charter. To prove that your marriage has ended, you must show the Court that one or more of the following facts is true: • that your spouse has committed adultery, and you find it intolerable to live with him or her • that your spouse has behaved in such a way that you cannot reasonably be expected to live with him or her • that your spouse has deserted you for at least two years • if your spouse agrees to the divorce, that you and your spouse have been separated for at least three years • if your spouse does not agree to the divorce, that you and your spouse have been separated for at least four years. These requirements are set out at section 95(3) of the Women’s Charter.

I would not, because it is a HDB and in my opinion, a HDB is only worth what it is valued for (at that point) in time. Maybe some factors that will affect your decision are: 1) Are you planning to stay in that HDB flat long term and have no more plans to move? i.e. Even if you have kids, there are good schools nearby and you will be staying put there (perhaps until HDB decides to pull down the flat for rebuilding?) So price won't matter because this is your "perfect" & "ideal" home. 2) If you think that you will be staying there for maybe the next 5-10 yrs, what level of confidence do you have that you would be able to resell the flat at the same or higher price? You can see this article for an example of paying a very high COV but not being able to meet that same price even after 14 yrs. Don't forget that after 10+ yrs, the condition of the home (both internal & external block facade) may also not be at its prime and it would be difficult to command a similar COV http://lushhomemedia.com/2010/07/31/they-p...t-14-years-ago/ 100k is a lot of money. Save a bit more and you can have enough to put downpayment for an old apartment for investment. Just my two cents worth....

My personal experience is that UOB has less risk tolerance compared to other banks. If in the long run, you are planning to buy more than 1 property using bank loan, you might want to consider using other banks. I am using OCBC at the moment.