hdb4ever

Thanks petetherock for the compliments Indeed it's been more than a week and my hidden posts remain hidden, while at the same time no moderator has gotten in touch with me to make any necessary edits. Regardless, I will try re-posting (again) - this time in several shorter parts. Hope this works!

Very nice place! But can I ask about the the picture below? Are those two toilet entrances from your master bedroom? Am trying to make sense of this location in relation to your floorplan earlier. Thanks!

I posted a 1-year update but my post is hidden and "needs to be approved by a moderator". It has been a few days and is still hidden. Can anyone advise how to get in touch with a moderator?

One-Year Retrospective It has been a year since I moved in and lived in this apartment, so I thought I would share my thoughts on the key renovation decisions that I made. If I were to do this renovation all over again, would I have made the same decisions? Do I have any regrets? Storage Cabinet, Flooring and Half Glass Wall Hacked store room and replaced with storage cabinet You may recall that this apartment came with store room to the left of the main door. I hacked it away and replaced it with storage cabinets. Functionally, this might not seem to make sense - why spend $$$ to hack then do carpentry for a space that would serve the same purpose of..storage? Still, I have not regrets because: The entryway space has become so much more spacious and airy The floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets has enhanced the feeling of spaciousness In fact, I gained more usable storage space with this reconfiguration since you need to leave room to move about in a store room. Hacked floor tiles and laid new wood-look tiles Tiling was probably the biggest contributing item to the total cost of renovation. And it didn't help that I (1) hacked, re-did cement screed and then tiled over, instead of overlaying, (2) chose to go with wood-look tiles which meant higher costs of tiles and workmanship The thing about these particular tiles is that they are textured - which is nice to walk on, if baffling to my guests ("What is this flooring? I can't figure it out!"). They are light enough to make my apartment feel bright, and don't show up minor scratches/imperfections (if any). Because of the texture though, they won't be clean if you sweep using a broom. Just as well then that I use a combination of (1) daily "sweeping" by a robot vacuum cleaner (2) weekly vacuuming using Dyson V8 and (3) weekly steam mopping. As I intend to be in this apartment for some time, I am also happy that I went with these tiles over vinyl. Hacked study room wall and replaced with half glass wall Very glad that I made this choice. This enables both my living room and study room to have lots of natural light coming in all day during the day. Since I am in either space much of my waking hours when I am at home, it also helps to make the entire apartment feel truly bright, spacious and relaxing! Living Room Cubby I created this "fake wall" in the corner of my oddly-shaped living room so that I can arrange for my sofa, dining table and peninsula all parallel to my TV. The cubby below the TV is a good place to store devices like router, Apple TV, game controllers etc. What I did not consider though is just how messy it can look once you fill the cubby with devices - especially with all the different wires. Managed to keep everything looking neat by placing 3 theme-fitting storage baskets from Ikea (which I can't seem to find anymore). I didn't factor in track lighting above this TV wall because I didn't think I would need lights shining above my TV? That did result in the floating shelves above my TV looking rather dim and dreary though. Fortunately, this was easily solved with the addition of LED strips from Ikea as pictured above. I also love being able to watch TV whether I am in the kitchen , at the dining table or on the sofa! This also feels like being in a studio apartment! ? Open Concept Kitchen with Peninsula I had hacked the wall between my (minuscule) kitchen and the living/dining area and built a peninsula instead. This actually increased, rather than decreased, the amount of storage space because I was able to extend the width of the peninsula beyond the original kitchen space. Had I retained the kitchen wall, I would not be able to fit in carpentry one at least one wall in the kitchen. It would also have been more difficult to move about in the kitchen. I am also glad that when I thought of the design of the kitchen, I chose colours that are very much consistent with the rest of my apartment. My guests without fail get the impression that this apartment is bigger than it actually is (they think this is a 5-room) and one big reason is that the entryway+study room+ living/dining room + kitchen all come together coherently as a single space! So if you want your open-concept apartment to feel more spacious, stick to a coherent colour scheme! I am also fortunate that my kitchen has windows, which thanks to the removal of the kitchen wall, also contributes lots of natural lighting to the apartment. Bar-height Peninsula From the picture above, you will see 3 different heights (1) table height (2) counter height (where the frying pan is) and (3) bar height (of the peninsula). Peninsulas and islands are typically at counter height so that they can serve as extensions to the kitchen's countertop space. In my case however, I went with a bar height peninsula. A bar height peninsula will be less comfortable to work on (slightly less of an issue for me as I am relatively tall), but the increased height means more storage space in the peninsula - a priority for me given the small kitchen. One additional benefit of a bar height peninsula that I did not expect is that it helps to block out the view of more messy items in the kitchen. I have come to appreciate just how useful this is because an open concept kitchen typically exposes too much mess to guests. Induction Hob I decided to go with a 4-zone induction hob because I am paranoid about gas leaks. I was worried about finding suitable cookware for this but as it turns out there is now a wide range of induction-compatible cookware available. The first time I heated pratha it got burnt because I didn't realise how much faster things heat up on an induction hob over a gas one. I also liked how the induction hob doubles as countertop space, especially since only the zones "turned on" for cooking will get warm - the rest of the hob surface is cool to touch! Due to the flat nature of an induction hob, it is also effortless to maintain and gets cleaned with the rest of the countertop. On the topic of countertop, I went with a solid surface countertop from 3S instead of the currently more popular q uartz option. I don't have any problems with this countertop because it seems sturdy enough, with no major scratches or stains. Having said that, I do take care to use trivets when placing hot items, I never cut items directly on the countertop and I wipe off any spills as soon as possible. There are some (inevitable?) fine scratches/scuffing, but these aren't noticeable unless you are specifically looking for them. I suppose it also helps that my countertop material has an off-white base with "chips" embedded. So in my opinion, the cheaper solid surface option will do if you know what simple precautions to take. Post-renovation, I also added a marble-look glass backsplash at the cooking space. Glass is certainly easier to clean after a cooking session. Distinct Service Yard I chose to keep my service yard separate and closed off from my kitchen and I am so glad that I have. When I have guests, I no longer need to worry about them having a "good view" of my laundry. I also don't need to worry about cooking fumes going into freshly laundered clothes. Most importantly, a closed off service yard allows me to air dry my laundry any time of the day of the week with the help of a laundry dehumidifier, which uses significantly less electricity than a dryer. This is unparalled convenience and flexibility that I will never want to trade for slightly more kitchen countertop space. Air dried clothes last longer too, so air drying is gentler on both clothes and the wallet! Storage settees Taller cabinets would have certainly given me more storage space than these settees but it would also be less flexible and possibly made my place more "boxed up". I chose to do "lift up" doors on these instead of side casement doors and I am glad I did because I get to store large and long tems in these. Bathroom Every time I clean my shower curtains by simply tossing it in to the washing machine with some hand towels, I am glad that I did not install a shower screen - which would have required daily cleaning to look good! I had gone with a premade stainless steel sink+cabinet combi because I don't trust myself (or visitors..) to keep carpentry in the bathroom dry. This meant an inevitable gap between the sink cabinet and the bathroom wall as pictured above, which I initially found unsightly. But I quickly realised that this is a blessing because it is an ideal space to hang your bathroom foldable floor squeegee and floor brush. Much more aesthetic than hanging them in the shower area! (I really freak out when as a guest I need to stare at a mop while doing my business in the bathroom). L-shaped Wardrobe Instead of building my master bedroom's wardrobe against a wall, I had it done in an L-shape for a pseudo walk-in wardrobe feel. I really like this configuration because it also closes off the view of my sleeping space from outside the bedroom (e.g. when guests use the guest bathroom). If you are considering this configuration for your wardrobe though, just bear in mind the "corner" part of the L-shaped wardrobe. Depending on how it is configured, the space there may not be so easily accessible (I presently have my less often used clothes stored there). Also, I overlooked how the corner would not get much light - something I addressed by sticking battery-operated LED lights, but it would have been nicer if I had remembered to fit in a light switch there.

Assuming that you intend to keep all 3 existing bedrooms as they are, you may want to consider a study nook instead of creating a study room which would have no windows = no ventilation. The study nook could face a wall in the living/dining area, and to better distinguish the study nook from the living area and dining area, you could zone it with the back of a sofa or even a high/low bookshelf. Some examples below Study nook facing the wall Study nook against a partition on which the TV is mounted Study nook against the wall Using a shelf as a partition

Hi Myowner hope to see more posts from you soon!

Hi Sqpk Thanks for reading this thread The bed frame is from Ideal Home Furnishing

Welcome! Might you want to post the floorplan so that it would be easier to comment?

Ohh this layout is similar to the one I saw in this apartment

Oops my aircon discharge outlet pipe is configured in exactly the same way too. So far it looks fine but not sure how long that will last ? I agree the white rattan chairs are a better fit for your living room as they make the space feel lighter. Would you be able to share where you custom made these rattan chairs? My bathroom's LED light literally blew 4 weeks after moving in. It was some Sunshine brand. Replaced with Osram and has been working well ever since.

Welcome and do post your floorplan too! Are you only renovating your toilets?

Yes do place a copy of the floorplan here and indicate which wall you are thinking of hacking off?

I believe so but I recommend you get your electrician to take a look at the specs to confirm before you go ahead to purchase. That is what I did. If it helps, my storage water heater is a Joven 35l model.

Hey I was in the exact same situation just a year ago. I managed to find one on Taobao and buy it over EZBuy. You can read about it in my t-blog post here. Hope it's useful!

Maybe have a powerful cooker hood installed and turn it on if clothes are being air dried when you are cooking

Hi everyone I was reading a website article about studio apartment design when it suddenly occurred to me that it is a HDB 2-room BTO (even though this is not stated anywhere). Very interesting how each of the different zones have been sectioned off, and how top hung cabinets are installed in lieu of a false ceiling to achieve both downlights and additional storage.

The kitchen looks so much brighter now with all white tiles! Can I ask what does the texture of the painted tiles feel like, in particular the painted floor tiles? How do they feel when you walk on them, and are they easy to clean/mop? In the bathroom, does water flow smoothly and does it feel like tiles with non-slip treatment?

Makster do you mean that with just epoxy painting for all your floor and wall tiles, they can look so gleamingly new? That's really amazing for just $370 per bathroom! What about the grout lines between the tiles - are they painted too? Is Alvin also the one who did the epoxy painting?

Thanks for the recommendation. I've just binge-watched and really love this Rules of Design series by BBC! Explains interior design considerations so clearly and with scientific basis too!

Your place is looking much much better! Congrats!

Yikes hard to unsee the WC Looking forward to updates for this low-cost reno!

@blueygirls Am eagerly looking forward to more updates!

Do you have ventilation vents built into? How do you avoid it getting all stinky?

I bought my grout sealer over Amazon. There are a few brands, but the one I bought and have used is the Miracle Sealants Grout Sealer. I like how water in the washroom no longer have the ability to "wet" the grout of the tiles. The floor squeegee you can find locally. I usually buy from the likes of Qoo10 or Lazada

Yikes! Not sure whether it helps in your case but you can try using a large squeegee for the floor, and maybe also use a grout sealer on the tile grout after it has been cleaned (reapply yearly)