yokine9a

Using chemicals to polish or clean the newly laid tiles, this will remove most of the stains from the tiles surface.

I paid $150 for my 3-rm flat in March last year.

Actually hor, why bother to clean the opp side of the glass? The rain will do the work for us

Left with 2 shops now... I ever checked their pricing, S&C is cheaper.... catalog wise, they are abt the same.

If my logic is correct, don't think you can use the switch point to do the controlling of how many on/off lights unless you have 1 wiring pair for each lightbulb, run from the fan to the switch point. Yes, light's power & fan's power switches are seperate. You need another chain to control the fan, ie. on/off & fan speed. If not, get your contractor to run another wiring for a fan regulator, which can be mounted next to your switch point. This regulator is free, comes with your fan package, it will do the controlling of fan. Get some clues now?

Sorry to hear abt your unhappy occasions with electrical wiring... spend some $$ & get them fix, afterthat, you can move on with life. Like your house theme, simple but classic I don't have a quilt cover but I do have a mattress protector... find it weird to use a quilt cover under the hot & humid weather in Sgp... but I am still keeping the quilt which I had been using in OZ... mabe it's time to throw it away now.

Hi honeygal, have you moved in & settled down by now? Any luck on the rectification by HB on your defects list?

$2500 is on the high side for just flooring only... does it include kitchen/toilet walls? Yes, granite is more costly... I paid $100psf for Indian granite... China granite might be cheaper, do ask for the pricing of both type. It is hard to define a far price for 3-rm flat reno, all depends on what you want to do... I spent abt $12K with minimal work whilst rondy spent nearly $27K for an overhaul reno, both on 3-rm flats... so you decide what you want to do & get it done within your comfort/budget.

asianms, no harm to share your reno shifu here, so that aubrey can gather more quotes for comparison. Actually, pay more doesn't mean will get better workmanship lor, I paid so much $$ to HB yet they still did a lousy job for me.

Go for better brand in solid surface, like Corian or Samsung... cheapo ones can be a nightmare... also, don't go for plain white or black surface, very hard to maintain. Paint quote just $1k? This is cheap, Ho Bee charged me $1.5k for walls, ceilings, doors & pipes.

Wah, finally your t-blog is up! Congrats!! Cannot see your floor plan in the office leh, being blocked by firewall... but I have a feeling that yours is the same as mine, a 37 yrs old 3-room flat in TPY BTW, if you need a place to store your barang barang, can make use of my study room... my study room is pretty empty, just 2 huge bookshelves & a rocking chair. Pls post more pic Hi pinklady, I think her parent bought that flat from HDB at $44K many yrs ago, not expensive at all

Hi ilmare612, he scolded me for being calculative towards the contractor... he said for just $90, I would upset HB & they might ignore me when I needed them for any future patch up work... He said I should just let HB earn that $$ & not spoil our relationship. Well, his worry was right... somehow after I gotten the refund from HB, no one turn up after I made several calls to arrange their painter to fix my kitchen ceiling... The paint on my kitchen ceiling peeled off merely 2-3 mths after I moved in. When I told my bf abt this no show from HB, he said "people not happy liao, who ask you to demand $90 refund? You see lah, they won't come anymore…" In the end, I climbed up the ladder & painted the ceiling myself

I remember there is a 3-mth or 6-mth contract for any agreement with property agent... if this guy cannot complete the deal within this period, owner is allowed to engage someone else & need not pay him a single cent. Can we do it this way, just find all excuses to turn down potential buyers, make sure that no sell & buy deal are successful, then you don't need to pay him any agent fee?

$3.43 for a swiss brand is good... what brand is it? rendell, laminates are not waterproof. Have been staying in my current place for coming to a year, no problem with my laminated flooring... I am using Supreme brand... Maintenance wise, I find it easier than homo tiles... just sweep & mop... unlike my kitchen homo tiles, the grout lines turned into grey color after a few mths. I spent 1 hr brushing the grout lines using toothbrush just before CNY

Frankly speaking, I am not proud at all... my pay is not among the 10th or 15th highest in the world... what so great abt living in the 10th most expensive city? I am getting poorer & poorer now, with the cost of living in sgp gets higher & higher I can still remember the dream drew by PAP in the old days, to make sgp the same standard of living like swiss, with world class education/public transport/medical care etc etc... if our pay is not going that way, how to tahan?

Yes, I know HB is not doing your carpentry work... looks like most carpenters have the same mindset... wrongly drill hole? Nevermind, drill again lor, nobody will see it, won't die lah... They don't seem to take pride of their handmade products... they also fail to realise these wrongly drill holes are a proof to their customers that they are just half-past-six, not well-trained to do this job. Since Patrick gave you that promise, you should call him to express your unhappiness on the grey grout lines... let see what he says before you request for a refund. To fix the grout lines, I can think of 2 ways, one, paint them black, two, dig out the cement & refill with black cement paste... 2nd way is tedious, but one forumer did so... he used penknife. My suggestion to you is still, get them to fix the problems rather than ask for refund... the $$ you get back can never fix the eyesore you are going to face everyday in future. My story on the refund from HB is not enjoyable at all bcos I gotten a fierce scolding from my bf for doing that... but my case was easier, I requested them to refund for a piece of job they did not do... unlike your case, it is a sloppy job.

Agree with lawry, go for 2 contractors.

Hey rondy, did you need to pay extra for choosing the Big switch?

March 10, 2009 - Currency swings cost S'pore By Robin Chan SINGAPORE has been propelled towards the top of a survey of the world's most expensive cities as a result of dramatic shifts in currency values. The Republic leapt five places to 10th costliest city in the world in just six months, as European cities from Dublin to Brussels have become relatively cheaper bases following the euro's plunge in value, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey of 140 cities. London fell from 8th to an incredible 27th on the list - in part a result of the near-30 per cent per cent devaluation of the British pound against the dollar over a half year period. Report editor Jon Copestak said: 'Two factors drive the relative cost of living - local prices and exchange rates. 'Normally our ranking of cities by cost of living is relatively stable, but in the current global climate, changes in exchange rates have significantly altered our assessment of the most and least expensive cities.' The survey, which updates EIU's findings last September with the exchange rates that applied last month, now ranks Tokyo and Osaka as the most expensive cities in the world. The euro and pound weakened dramatically during the period as markets witnessed a flight to perceived safe haven currencies, such as the yen and the US dollar, as the financial crisis gained momentum. A stronger US dollar helped push Hong Kong - whose currency is pegged to the dollar - 16 places higher up to twelfth, just behind Singapore. The cost of living in Chinese cities, like Shanghai, where the yuan is pegged to the dollar, rose steeply relative to cities in other countries. The EIU's index, which measures the prices of 160 products and services such as food, clothing and utilities, but does not include commercial or residential rent, is designed to help companies calculate the pay packages they give to their expatriate employees. EIU Survey's 28 most expensive cities (and rank 6 months ago) 1. Tokyo (6) 2. Osaka (8) 3. Paris (2) 4. Copenhagen (3) 5. Oslo (1) 6. Zurich (7) 7. Frankfurt (4) 7. Helsinki (4) 9. Geneva (12) 10. Singapore (15) 11. Hong Kong (28) 12. Vienna (10) 13. Dublin (11) 14. Brussels (12) 14. Milan (12) 16. Munich (16) 17. Berlin (17) 18. Barcelona (19) 18. Noumea, New Caledonia (20) 20. Madrid (20) 21. Caracas (35) 21. Lyon (24) 23. New York (39) 23. Chicago (39) 23. Los Angeles (39) 23. Hamburg (26) 27. London (8) 27. Amsterdam (27) Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

- plenty of open drill holes inside cabinets My kitchen cabinet has the same problem too. Ho Bee did my carpentry work. I would be very happy to know if you can manage to get it fix bcos I can't think of any solution besides changing the whole cabinet. - less than black grout lines for black tiles Frankly speaking, I personally think this is not a good job by Ho Bee. Grey grout lines to match with glossy black tiles?? Fail to produce a seamless look, at the same time, unable to show the contrast of 2 diff colors. BTW, I suggest you get HB to fix their problems rather than to ask for refund. I ever managed to get them to refund me a small amount. Afterthat, they never turn up to fix a problem I reported. After 2 mths, I gave up on them. So, do maintain a good relationship with your contractor unless you are sure you don't need their aftersale service again.

Even kitchen flooring is cement screed? Glossy or matt surface? Actually, toilet can go for cement screed too. I remembered a forumer did that. BTW, you did the drawings yourself or your ID did them?

Wah, first to spam chop leh Your dogs very cute, are they twins? More pic pls

Yes, $240 can buy an IKEA solid wood bookshelf liao. I bought 2 from IKEA for myself. BTW, your w/m is front-loading or top-loading? Also, will it get direct sunlight since it is so near to the windows?

Hi gals, taking cold shower is good for our health hor, you don't get sick so easily Anyway, all the 3-room flats in TPY has 1 toilet 1 bathroom only... cannot be fighting everyday rite, just queue up lor.

Try this list: Movers_101 90888890 (Albert) Jenny Movers 97557813 (Vincent Tan) Hup Hing Transport - 65678426 138 Professional Mover 96785201 (John) Elite Mover - 62424886 Rhema Mover - 65420201 93803289 (Mr Liang) Mr Mover - 94565253 (Raymond Leong) Wilson - 67451298 (Lian Tat Seng) 62977252 (Daniel) Soon Hup - 67841592 91010268 (Eric) 91744625 [weekend sat & sun only] I have used the first 2 movers only... not the cheapest but reliable, won't demand for more $$ during mid of moving.