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It's highly likely that you have a choke. In order to get a proper analysis though, you can call Cool Serve to get them to give you a no-obligation analysis. Their customer service was excellent and very efficient. They assessed the situation for me and gave me a 2nd opinion. The repair guy even advised me to save my money from hiring Cool Serve to do the job but to instead, get my original air con installer to do the job for me -- which I did.

Congrats on your place! It's good that HDB can undertake some of the renovation for you. I think you'll save a small bundle! Just to share my experience on dustbin with you. My parents place (different configuration altogether) is nicely stored away inside a cabinet. It looks really neat and tidy but the consequence is a somewhat stinky cabinet. In fact, when I'm over at their place, I tend to keep the cabinet open just to air it a little. And you can still hear people tossing things down the chute even though they're on the top floor. My place (exact same configuration as yours, 3-room resale, 1970s design) didn't have a cabinet to seal up the chute. I didn't do it firstly because of cost (didn't want to pay for my kitchen cabinets/solid surface to extend all the way to the window with only a 10cm depth) and later on, for ease of cleaning. Every now and then I actually pour scalding hot water into the chute area and then follow-up with insecticide. Moved in for almost 3 months and so far the only cockroach we've had came in from the living room window, not kitchen-side. It's certainly quite an eyesore to see a dustbin in the middle of the wall but you quickly get used to it and by this point, the ease of tossing rubbish/stuff negates the ugliness IMO.

Maybe you should tell them to charge you less for not using laminate at the outer bottom instead! I think the default should include some form of 'laminate'. My bathroom cabinets (suspended) all have laminate.

I tested mine with a magnet and there wasn't any adhesive capabilities so I assume it's not S/S. Sigh. jpcc -- if you're getting a dish drainer, be sure to make sure the carpenter installs it correctly. Pass him a sample plate/bowl/mug and tell him to ensure during installation that the placements of the various parts fit your plate/bowl/mug

To check for levelling, use a spirit level. Water is a cheaper but messier alternative and you can't really test it in all directions. Borrow the spirit level from your carpenter or buy a cheap set from Ikea. I think they include in a basic toolbox set that goes for $18 or so.

I have to affirm yokine9a. The issue of cost aside, granite/marble are honestly one of the best work tops. In the previous place, we used granite top and it was wonderful! You could do almost anything on it and needn't worry about damaging it. Ours was a very dark-coloured granite so it helped to hide any dirt stains. In my new place, I used solid surface and regret it every single day because it's so impractical and such a pain to maintain. My parents' kitchen counter top was made out of tiles and even though dirt gets in the grouting, it's far easier to maintain than solid surface.

I'm pretty sure mine can't be removed with a scrub pad but I'll try it tonight. Thanks for this. I'll try CIF. I'll keep a look out for this S/S cleaner. i'll do the magnet test tonight 1st though to see if it's really S/S.

I didn't use the Blum system and my drawers close fine. At this point, I personally think they might be a little overrated. My sister used the blum system for her drawers aren't any better/lousier than mine. Perhaps it helps that my drawers are "full" and usually with lots of heavy stuff so "slamming" isn't really a problem at this point.

I've lived in my place for almost 2 months and so far I haven't had my white putty changing colour up until this point. However, I do agree with lawry that you really shouldn't accept the height differentials. Start off by asking if there is a reason why there is a height differential in the first place. It looks like a potential breeding ground for lizards/ants if there isnt' a tight seal between the granite top and your kitchen cabinets. That said, unless you are personally there to witness the granite top being installed, there is a good chance they won't change the cabinet for you. So make sure you use a spirit level to ensure the granite top is level, if nothing at all.

I only have 1 pair of runners. My drawer(s) are slightly less than 1m in length and I use it to contain all my heavy cooking pots/pans. During the testing of drawers, we actually put in several tins of paint (5L) to see if it would run nicely and there wasnt' a problem.

I'm fortunate with that. There wasn't a single mis-drilled hole although I do know it's quite common. (My parents' carpenter made quite a number of mistakes with my wardrobe!) However, they didn't position the angle our dish rack properly and we ended up having to get them to reposition it. (It couldn't even fit our dinner plates!) It was filled with ugly white putty. I suggest you check for other more structural defects and who knows, they may have to change the pc of wood with the wrong drill marks too?!

I've just noticed little rust spots on my dish drainer rack that were previously not there. We cook 3x/week (easy stir fries, bacon & eggs) and usually don't leave more than 5 sets of utensils to dry overnight. We get the morning sun (doesn't reach the dish drainer) and utensils dry very quickly because of the heat/sunshine we get. We've just moved in for 2months so I'm a little surprised to see the rust spots appearing so quickly. (Dish drainer at my parents' place have a similar problem but they've lived there for 6-7 years so naturally, some rusting can be expected.) Does any one else have a similar problem? How long did your rust spots take to appear? How do you get rid of them/if at all?

I wouldn't worry too much about joint lines on your laminate. Just ensure that the joint lines are at areas which aren't conspicuous (e.g., near the top, on the underside of cabinets etc). I didn't notice that I had a couple of those and it wasn't till I moved in for a week that I noticed it. What I did to "hurry" my renovations was to actually move some stuff in and then start locking up rooms/doors that were completed. It was to send a strong signal to contractor to hurry up. I also told him that I wld change the lock on a stated date and did so.

Actually, what I did throughout the reno was to spend several weekends cleaning up. I cleaned up even tho I knew the contractors would be working for 2 reasons: A) Idenfication of defects Only when the place is somewhat clean will I be able to tell if this is a perm stain or if it is just dirt. We eventually discovered several defects and they could fix it quickly before moving onto the next phase of work (e.g., carpentry) B) Makes the final clean up more manageable I think my weekend cleaning sessions paid off because as we prepared to move in, I didn't need to clean as much. Also, this "thin layer of dust" that lasts for weeks didn't seem to be there! Regarding the issue of lights. I actually feel the same. I was (and still am!) constantly complaining the place is too dark just with the regular lights!!! While the place is bright in the day, it's quite dark at night. Truth is, by the time I get home, the sun is already setting so I rarely get to enjoy this "natural" sunlight that my place gets. I don't know how large your place is but my 3-rm unit is 67sqm. Non-upgraded. Basically when I'm at home, my living room, 2 kitchen + floor lamp are on all the time.

My carpenter used my toilet to relieve himself while I was around and didn't wash his hands nor flush after the job!!! *gulp* The moment he left, I had Dettol everywhere he touched!

I wanted to put up a blog but then camera charger went missing during the house move so cloud neither take nor upload the photos. Now that I bought a new charger, I can't bear to take pictures until I pack/clean the place so once again, no pictures. Haha. For my MBR I only have 1 hanging light and still need to get another wardrobe-area light. My floor is a really dark laminate and the walls are dark beige. I feel it is quite dim (I like bright spaces), particularly at night. However, in the day, our place gets alot of natural sunlight. It's impossible to sleep past 8am without being woken by the sun! Jst saw 3D renderings. I think you shd be fine with the lights you have unless you decide to go with an extremely dark paint. My grandmother's plc has something similar and the place is bright enough. But I think this can vary alot depending on the amount of natural sunlight you get in the first instance.

Hey babytan! Just thought I'd reply to your last qn. Mine is a 3NG resale unit and I just finished reno. (To note: We hacked the kitchen wall, the whole place has been significantly brightened up. We never open the main door nor corridor windows for additional light in the day/night.) Living: - 3 halogen downlights (1 for TV, 2 for "decoration") - 1 ceiling light - 1 floor lamp Dining: - 4 halogen downlights Kitchen: - 2 ceiling lights The previous owner, who didn't hack kitchen wall needed 6 PLC downlights and 2 hamburger lights just to light up the living + dining area. My suggestion is that you make use of what you have. If you do need more lights, you can make use of a) floor lamps b) strategically placed mirrors to increase lighting. We found that it was cheaper than continually getting contractor to install new lights (each lighting point + installation of light + actual price of light) and added to aesthetic value. Hope that helps you.

The Baygon Vapouriser is rather effective and it does not have an offensive smile unlike mosquito coils/repellents. You should consider complaining to the Town Council to see if anything can be done to stem the problem -- particularly if it was an inconsiderate neighbour who might be breeding them.

I was observing a few other cabinets. There is 1 cabinet which seems to have a thin strip of ABS trim at the edge where the joints are. It looks pretty good actually. So you still get the laminate look/feel of the cabinets but instead of using paint at the edges, a super thin (1mm or less) strip of what looks like ABS is used instead.

Hey there! I'm moving into Clementi Avenue 2. Just passed by Clementi MRT the other day and noticed that the Macs is now gone! Any idea if they relocated to anywhere else in Clementi?

Do you have a hood hidden behind the cabinet? I jst realised that the cabinets are otherwise rather low. Will there be a problem with the condensation affecting the cabinets if you cook?

Very sleek and nice!

Thanks for the advice. Really appreciate it. The cabinet edges were made with ABS trimming so I don't understand why the counter portion wasn't. Especially when it was in such an obvious section. I'll try to Twa Chaq to see how it goes. I've seen it done before with darker coloured laminate and usually wasn't noticeable. Not sure how it'll go with white.

I managed to get some pictures. The area in question are my "bar counter". I had opted not to use solid surface worktop because of budgetary concerns. I opted for post-form thinking that it would be alright as my grandmother's postform top has not given way the last 20+ years! This is the general perspective. The counter is roughly about 1m tall. You can visibly see the dark lines from the photographs were the laminates meet at edges/joints. This is a zoomed in picture of the corner of the counter. I noticed the 3 corners which meet were generally cut in a slightly curved manner probably to minimize scratches/cuts. The black "lines" are just so obvious! I didn't get a picture of the inside of the cabinets but they were generally nicely "sealed" with the black lines/joints at the edges alot thinner if at all. However, the lamiante used on the inside of the cabinets are admittedly alot thinner. Does anyone who used postform top also face the same problem? Appreciate any comments. Thanks! (Still trying to figure out how to post pics but pics also available on houseofmumu.blogspot.com.)

My kitchen carpentry is almost complete. I've noticed that the joints of all the laminate edges are visible, not just close up but even from afar. You can see the base of the wood which is a dark wood colour. My laminate is glossy white. Is this how laminates are typically fitted? I took a look at those at my parents' place but it wasn't evident because theirs was a dark laminate colour. I also looked at some of those ready-made places like Courts and the joint lines were definitely not as obvious. I'll try to get a picture up. I didn't bring my camera along so can't visually show what i mean. Can anyone advise?