Reiki

Thanks for reading my blog, 33sierra. The TV console is laminated with high gloss white. Only our TV console and the dining area cabinet used this laminate material since it is a little costly. Good thing, it is easy to clean and it has maintained its 'whiteness' till now.

Bravo!! -- I like it when you wrote "you must know your rights and entitlements"! Hehe, what an adorable looking cat! Surely, maomao can't wait to enjoy living in the new house.

Wah, RenoTalk Queen, at 4.09 a.am. and you are still awake!!! Guess at the time of my reply now, you would probably still be oink oink. Haha, really remind me of the old days where we have to wait till late afternoon to see your replies Steady lah you, the house still looks so new (oops, just like your nickname!) and still so clean ah! Hehe, hope Mr M will get the bonus so that the reno will proceed soooonnnnn!

In my opinion, a good ID will accompany the client for most purchases. It was in my case. She would bring me to places to show different workmanship, quality of goods without the pressure to purchase. Haha, up to a point where I felt it was knowledge overdose. Her primary concern was, basically, to educate the client to be more informed. About the 25% discount, it depends how is the working relationship between the ID and the clients. There are some IDs that will pass on the discount (which is the trade discount they receive from suppliers) back to the client. Yup, Toto sanitary lines are pretty cool. Will you be installing the eco-washer too? Should you go to Toto, do get them to show you the different flushes too.

Hi csingeu, I feel sorry, sometimes, reading your about your reno frustrations. The good thing, look forward to your wedding .. surely, that will give you something joyful to look ahead. I guess there are some options here: 01. For lesser cost, un-install the sink and get it painted. At least, the reflection from the mirror will not reflect something that seems to be frustrating for you. 02. Pasting white acrylic sheet (just as mentioned by May_dream1) is a good idea. Or, alternatively, custom-make a mirror (reflection upon reflection effect). Should you are going along this route, I suggest it to cover the back (of the sink) completely so as to 'close' the arc hole. 03. How about going back to your sink supplier and get it changed to a 'proper' top mounting one? Hopefully this can be done. To re-position your current sink against the wall requires more works, in my opinion. First, your counter top needs to be replaced because of the hole for the water pipe. And probably, not adjusting the water pipe hole on the counter top, the tap will not be able to sit properly unless the plumber can tweak it to connect. 04. Re-position your mirror to be above the sink. Doing it, you will avoid seeing the mirror reflection. I notice that there is a little gap in between sink and mirror, which is good as you will be able to clean it now and then. Regards, Reiki

Hi Salavanum, Many thanks for clarification. I guess it only makes sense to take up their proposal for FOC. Hope you are able to find a solution, Salavanum. Regards, Reiki

Hi Salavanun, Thanks for reading my blog. Ah, so we are neighbours eh? The lift ugrading on my side has just started since May 23rd, though the other 3 lifts have completed. Geez, and it is really dusty! I am not sure about the boxing up of the recess area. So far, nobody is telling me anything. Are you on the same side as me? And, pardon my ignorance, why are the contractors asking the recess area to be boxed up? Regards, Reiki

Hey there Cavalier, They are a nice couple. Hope they have a better idea to go about with their renovation. I bought the rug from Ling Shop (hope I am getting the right name here) @ Geylang Serai. The old one is now used for dining area. Regards, Reiki

OoOpPsS! Hi Hi Sleek!! Really like the spacious space area of your house and considered it a 5-rooms flat. Looking forward to follow your reno journey, Sleek.

Csingeu, this (from all the photos)is not my place. Just like you, I wish it is mine! Feeling so touch that you remember about me. .. here wishing that your place will soon complete. Surely, it will be nice and comforting too. Hehe, though I saw a picture of the my kitchen in another post here.

To a forummer who asked for the picture of the anti-slip for my bed platform, here is the picture. Basically, what our carpenter did was to have the plank custome-made with an anti-slip material. It is very useful as it makes the mattress to stay firmly. I am not sure what is the proper name for the material. So far, it does not seem to trap dirt and it is easy to clean. Also in the picture is the 'Bedsheet grip' at the mattress. Hope this help, and sorry for the late reply.

Cool buy there, January. I have always trusted Mega Discount Store but the outlet that I patronized over the many years is at United Square and always getting the same friendly and reliable salesguy all this while. (Hehe, I am not associated with the Store but surely a shop that is highly recommended).

And just like the American TV Show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, "Bus Driver! Move That Bus!"!!! But in Pandan Gardens, it shall be "Thank You Mr ID!! Huat Ah!!!!!!!!" :D Congrats Mae and Family! -- It will definitely be a new lease of life. Enjoy the 'new' house. Regards, Reiki

Hi Mae, Your house is really looking good - bright, cheery and importantly, it fits accordingly to most of your fengshui needs. It is always nice to live in a house with the comfort of peaceful mind. Hehe, just like you, painting and re-painting were the order of the day during my renovation. Somehow, my ID kept getting the painters to come back few times to touch up even after we moved in. One more item that you might want to consider, after your electrical final installation, is to blast all the lights/electrical gadgets in the house to ensure efficiency of the DB load. Looking forward to more move-in pictures.

Hey, Happy New Year to you and family! Sorry, was away. Haha, don't think I would like to get my place featured, Cavalier. Plus, it has been more than two years now and things are getting to look 'old-old'. Hope your friend is able to get his materials. Regards, Reiki

Nice reno, dexufto!

Hi Mae, First, I must say that I enjoy reading your reno updates. There's a sense of love and joy being put into this whole reno process. Haha, and then suddenly, my heart kinda shadowed with emotion when I read your postings on January 10: and then again: You have done a great job, Mae. Somehow, I feel that your house will have an ambience of a condo with all the extreme makeover. I am sure you, together with your children, will enjoy to stay in this house for many more years ahead. Re the test for aircon system, what my ID did after the installation was to switch on all the units for a good half hour and ensuring that the units are working and churning cold air.. You may want to lower the temperature during this test. Also, make sure that the remote and louvers are working. Make sure that there is no water leaking from the unit. Usually, for a new system, the condenser unit should not be loud and noisy. However, my ID did another intensive testing when the whole renovation was completed and before a proper handover. This is to make sure that the electrical DB Box works. Simply, switch on all electrical units in the house - all aircon units, all lights, ceiling fan, fridge, washing machine and what-have-you then. Reiki

Wow, interesting to hear of such working dog. Didn't know such service is available. Thanks for sharing, kerio. Hopefully, all the problems in the house will soon disappear and that you will feel lots of joy and peace staying in the new house. Have a good xmas party!

Should this is my place, it will be my cozy relaxing area. I like the corner area with the plant, light and feature wall. Throw in some big cushions and a small round table, it will be a place I will spend weekend mornings reading newspaper and having my coffee. And, in the evening, having a book or two. Planning and execution well done, headstomp!

Glad that the photo hleps, rmgthatsme. Hehe, guess it had to do with our mindset. When we told our ID that we would want the cooking area to be at that area, we visualized that an island hood would kinda enhance that area but, obviously, it is now not that wise-wise move. What we didn't pay much attention then was the layout of the flat and our lifestyle. Our kitchen is airy. Fortunate for us, there are windows front and side of the stove area. Secondly, we are not into heavy cooking. We don't deep fry things. Still, I do think that the island hood can be useful for those into heavy cooking. Occasionally, when we do deep frying, the island hood actually dissipates smells faster.

Haha, you are too kind with the compliments, dexufto. Yup, it has been more than 2 years living here. Actually, the whole renovation process took us more than 6 months. Just after we found the flat, we had been sitting down with our ID to go through every details, from layout planning to sourcing of materials. This went on for 3 months during the HDB processing. The renovation proper started 1 month (late July) after we got the keys as the previous owner had requested for a month extension and ended sometime in October 2008. Looking back, it was a good but hectic process. It is now proven that our ID is giving us a comfortable home to live in. We are very appreciative of her meticulous works to all details. Hehe, if I can turn back the clock, these are the things that I would do differently: 01. Lay gloss homogenous tiles in the dry areas of the two toilets. 02. Eliminate downlights in the dining area. 03. Skip the island hood. 04. Extend higher the bed headboard. 05. Install fibre optic cables 06. Fix two dedicate telephone lines Have been following up on your TBlog and your house is beautifully done, dexufto. And, there are whole lots of good information.

Hi January, Yup, sometimes it can be quite an hassle just to customize one item and we got to pay premium price. Guess, I was lucky to have met the store manager at that time who was able to cater my needs at reasonable price. Hehe, I can PM you for the his name should you are still interested but not sure if he is still working there. I got the ottaman changed to fabric, though cant recall the exact fabric material used.

Thanks, ausbee. PMed sent.

Hi RMG, Many thanks for the kind compliments. First, I must say that the island hood is becoming a white elephant in the house. It is hardly used and I wonder whether I had made a good decision to have it installed. There were few problems I had during the installation. First, having a false ceiling in the kitchen made the floor-ceiling height shorter. Little did our ID realize that the full length for this Franke Island Hood was kinda longer and the equipment was not 'flexible' enough to adjust its length. To have it hang from the false ceiling, made the glass hood (marked A in the picture) too low. We had to rasie the false ceiling at the stove area to have the 'perfect' height: I may be wrong but Franke Island Hood had a fixed exhaust or recirculation outlet where the length could not be adjusted (marked B). While the extension panel (marked C) could be adjusted, any adjustment would cover the exhaust outlet partially. Perhaps, there should not be a problem if the kitchen had not have a false ceiling. I would recommend that you get the full length of the island hood during your purchase. And then, measure it from your ceiling to see if the glass hood be at the right height for you. Regards, Reiki

And I envy your glass windows, January. I have always felt that tall glass windows make a house classy. I got the ottoman from Furniture Club @ Beach Road. It is 60 (w) x 120 (l) x 40 (h) cm. It is actually custom made. The original (as in the picture below) has double legs for all the four corners: