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Hello everyone! I decided to start this t-blog not so much to document our renovation process (will try to as much as I can), but mainly to share things, especially tips and other little nuggets of info, which I have learnt during this period and during another renovation I was involved in 4 years back. Renovation is a time-consuming and multi-faceted process, and when I started out, I was so overwhelmed by the amount of things I didn’t know. Doing research helped (thank you, Renotalkers!), but even now there are still so many things I am still learning for my second renovation. Hopefully this thread will benefit others Contents for easier reference: Introduction & The Unit ID-Contractor Conundrum Theme - Moodboard & 3D Renders Hacking & Wet Works Tiling Special Request Going Green - Vertical Garden & Growing Herbs Air-conditioning - Toshiba System 5 Vinyl Flooring - Eco Pluz Painting - Dulux Colour of the Year & Colour Play Testers Painting Boo-Boo & DIY Paint Effect & DIY Spray Paint Switch Boxes DIY More Painting Plumbing & Citygas Piping Box-up & Concealed Shower - Insani24.de Carpentry - Laminate Selection Carpentry - Design & Planning with Results: Shoe Rack, Study Room Bookcase, TV Console & Feature Wall Dry & Wet Kitchen Master Bedroom Wardrobe & Bathroom Fibre Termination Point Installation at TV Console Hood Installation Hassle Fan Installation Doors, Main Gate, Digital Locks, and Blinds Vertical Garden Part 2 - Installation & Planting Final Photos Renovation Costs Choosing Our ID and Feedback of Our ID (deleted) Fantastic Furniture and Where to Find Them - M&M, Crate & Barrel, Etch & Bolts, HipVan, Naiise, Comfort Furniture Introduction: Husband and I got married in 2015 and we spent quite some time waiting to buy a resale flat because “the boss” has very high expectations and yet not-so-high budget, so took a while before “the one” came along…… … and even after marrying her, he asked for patience because he really really wanted to get a unit near his parents’ place. So bo pian, yours truly patiently waited but no good units came up and finally had to put my foot down and force the boss to look for alternative areas. Long story short, we did manage to find a good unit not-so-near his parents (I did a little hurray, I admit), price was a little high but boss willing to pay, and we also had to patiently wait for the previous owners to move out before we could get our renovation started. The unit: Our new house has a very interesting layout which appealed to us, mainly the long combined living and dining room. The master room is also situated away from the common rooms, which means more privacy, but also posed some challenges because the space is limited and we can’t knock down some walls to combine the bedrooms. No walk-in wardrobe, for sure... Here are photos we took right after getting our keys... If you noticed, the previous owners had combined the two common bedrooms into one, so this is actually the current layout:

Any homeowners could give me some advice or tips on how to use air-con economically? Especially the air-con in the living room.

Hello. I am new here in the forum and I am planning to renovate my place in Novena. I am needing some inspiration on the design, specifically with a Scandinavian theme so I can get my stuff from Ikea. Any helpful tips from you guys? Thanks.

Now that finally my house is fully renovated, I can share my reno experience with many newlywed couples out there. To begin with, my house in Punggol is really small and doesnt seem to tally with the price i paid! Lighting Shopping Like many folks, I went to Balestier Rd and Jalan Sultan to shop for my lightings, and o yes, even JB. JB has slightly cheaper lighting but limited designs. There is a whole array of lighting, ranging from traditional no-design lights to designer lightings in Balestier and JS. But I would say the prices there are really steep. Thankfully, my designer friend recommended me a local online shop selling very beautiful lights. But the only bad thing is that I dont get to see the physical product myself. However, I was assured by my designer friend that the online shop sells exactly the same products as some of the shops along Balestier and the quality is not bad. The prices they offered are really much cheaper than the shops in Balestier, about 50-300 bucks less for same lighting! But, the online shop does not have many choices on ceiling lights. In the end, I got 2 lightings from the online shop and 3 ceiling lights from the shop in JS. Service. The shop in JS is big. But I feel it lacks of quality service. The shop salesperson refused to test the lights for me on the spot but told me that I could bring in to change if the lighting cannot work. On the day of installation, my contractor found that one of the ballasts was not working. Luckily, my kind contractor changed the ballast for me FOC, otherwise, I have to carry it back to get it repaired and carry back again! On the other hand, the online shop person assured me the day prior to delivery that all my lightings are working via pictures on whatapps. The quality of the products is good and I am thankful that I didnt get chopped by the bloodsuckers in Balestier! ID Firms Many ID firms are expensive especially those that advertise a lot. Personally, I find that the interior design of a home has to be thoroughly discussed with the contractor/designer. I heard some generalise the scope of work and demand for more money after work. So please be kiasu and be more specific with the scope. I am fortunate to have my close friend as a designer and we have many discussions together. Through her, I was able to get cheaper renovation works as compared to other ID firms (apparently she has her own contractors!). She knows exactly what I want and I am very satisfied with the job. All the best, home owners!

Hello. I am planning to do my home reno in a couple of months for a relatively sized HBD. I am just wondering for those who have experienced renovating their home with an ID, what are the tips you can share in finding a designer for new home owners?

Hi, I'm a writer from an interior design & home magazine. I'm doing a feature article on people who've read Marie Kondo's book(s), tried her methods and failed at decluttering/organising. If you're interested, note that I will need to do a shoot with you as it is a feature, and there'll be no anonymity, for credibility purposes. Reply to this if you're keen, thank you it'll really help me out a lot! Especially because I'm a new writer and it's my first feature article!

hi, i want share some tips to rent out a flat my own experience. - don't rush to rent out your flat. even a central location flat that walkin to mrt station under shelter in 5 min, could be take 6-9 months or more to get a good tenant. - don't judge the tenant by their profession, nationality, personal status, etc. many people think local people could be less problem of payment, cooperation, etc compare other nationality. many people think have single's tenant is much better than a family that have young kids. dirty place can be somehow clean up with relative small cost but damage place definitely need more cost. - don't shy/ shame to have more than 10-20 pages of lease agreement. make sure the lease agreement written in clear, simple, plain, readable or understandable by common people for each rules/ conditions. do not thinking, it is a standard/ common sense thing. what you think it is standard/ common sense thing maybe not for other people. - be open and straight forward in the begining of the deal, before accept the downpayment. make sure every thing been said have writeen in the lease agreement in simple, plain and understandable english sentence. be open or honest that this agreement is a pure/ 100% business transaction and not something like charity/ non profit/ mercy relief organization, where you can accept a-z, incredible, touching story (just assume it is a real story) of what ever. please don't get anything wrong/ feel shy/ shame about it in the first place, because some tenant think, they are dealing with charity/ non profit/ mercy relief organization instead of normal individual owner. - don't shy/ shame to ask tenant lifestyle/ comfortable level. again, don't judge the tenant by their profession, nationality, personal status, etc. be mature and straight forward that the rent cost is this price for this location/ place. i believe and sure for same available bedroom no. the rent price will be different whether it is 5 or 50 minutes walk to mrt or whether it is central or outside central. because some people have/ used to a very high lifestyle/ comfortable level but with normal earning level. and to achieve that very high lifestyle/ comfortable level, these people will try anything from a-z, incredible, touching story (just assume it is a real story) for excuse of their defence. again, please don't get anything wrong/ feel shy/ shame about it in the first place, - terms of late payment should be as clear as possible. don't shy/ shame to put in clear, simple, plain and understandable english sentence for late payment terms. is it ok if every month payment late more than 10 working days? if payment late than 10 working day, tenant paid the late interest, than when should be the tenant pay for the remaining months. is it ok if every month tenant paid the late interest payment? if the payment due on 1st day of the month, is that mean you will receive the money of that day, or the tenant will take out the money on that day but landlord received 1-3 days later (something like bank transfer/ auto giro/ post/ etc) sad to be hear/ know, something like this people will think/ say "late 1-3 day, you already not happy". to be honest and mature, can you say every month "late 1-3 day, you already not happy" to your car/ flat/ credit card loan person in charge? - be clear about how many bedroom available. if you have 1 bedroom locked, don't shy/ shame to put in clear, simple, plain and understandable english sentence in lease agreement, that the room available is exclude that locked bedroom. don't shy/ shame to put in clear, simple, plain and understandable english sentence in lease agreement, more detail that any kind/ situation, partition to make additional bedroom is not allowed for what ever reason. - be clear about how many percentage that the flat will be use as home, home office, bedrooms and bathrooms only, etc don't shy/ shame to ask this question and write it in clear, simple, plain and understandable english sentence in lease agreemen. do you care if your flat from previously a normal place for living become a pure bedroom and bathrooms only. - don't shy/ shame to share your expectation to rent out a flat. if you expect, a family who will live as a normal family, need kitchen, need living room, need dining room, etc, please stick firm to that expectation. if you expect, any people will do, maybe no need kitchen, no need living room, no need dining room, etc, you can do that too. - be clear about how many average people will visit or just come in and come out in a week. don't shy/ shame to ask this question and write it in clear, simple, plain and understandable english sentence in lease agreemen. do you want about 10-30 different peoples each week in average visit your flat? because some neighbor with young kids feel not comfortable about so many different people come in and out/ by pass their corridor daily. i hope my experience can help many landlord to get a good tenant.

Saw this lovely shabby chic home in Tanah Merah: http://stories.cromly.com/stories/article/house-tour-sahala-and-lenas-romantic-shabby-chic-home I've always wanted a romantic feel in my home. Any tips on where to get furniture and home decorative items for my own home?

Hi everyone out there! Just wondering if anyone is willing to share their experience if they had renovated their house based on the 'Scandustrial' (Scandinavian/Industrial) theme. Also if you had used an ID, how did it go in that aspect as well? Hopefully everyone gets to exchange tips on where to get all those beautiful lights and furniture according to these themes as well! Cheers P/s I hope someone got the pun hehe.

Hello to all Renotalkers! Greeting from a girl who simply love home decoration and renovation, learn and share some DIY tips with the others. Having read on so many sharing from other Renotalkers, I decided to share some of my little tips in this t-blogs as well. Hope everyone will enjoy reading it and please do feel free to share you ideas / thoughts here too! Here come's the first piece of my sharing... <Mirror mirror on the wall...> Mirrors are some of the most versatile items used in interior decorating, and when they are employed tastefully and creatively they can really transform the appearance of a room. There is a wide variety of mirrors of all shapes and sizes, so you will have choice whatever your budget and preferred aesthetic. With a little ingenuity, there are a number of ways you can use mirrors to give your house a new look. Enlarge a Room A wide mirror can work wonders to enhance the appearance of a room to make it appear more spacious. Hang a wide mirror high up on the wall by the dining table or in the living room, reflecting the interior and making it appear twice as large as it really is. Soften Corners If you have sharp corners in the house, whether due to the shape of your rooms or angular furniture, mirrors can help to soften them. For instance, positioning a round mirror above an angular coffee table can soften otherwise harsh lines considerably. Underscore Your Theme Mirrors come in all sorts of frames, and well-chosen frames can help to underscore your theme and create the atmosphere you are trying to achieve. If you want your interior to look rustic and inviting, mirrors in wooden frames can add to the warmth of your colour palette. You can even purchase or make your own frames to house your mirrors in. Experiment with Shapes Since mirrors come in every conceivable shape, from round or oval to angular or oblong, you can experiment with shapes to enhance the appearance of your space. For instance, if your space is very modern, a combination of oblong-shaped mirrors can contribute to the futuristic atmosphere. Combine Several Mirrors Use several mirrors in tandem to transform your wall space. Just as picture frames can be combined to produce elaborate wall-scapes, several mirrors can be grouped together to form a reflective collage. Hang Mirrors Alongside Picture Frames If you already have picture frames on the walls, mirrors can be interspersed amongst them to fill up space and to add completeness to an existing collage of picture frames. Match the frames of your mirror with your picture frames so they blend in seamlessly. Use Reflections Strategically Your mirrors should not be thought of merely as ornaments for the walls. You should also consider what is being reflected in the glass and use this to your advantage when positioning your mirrors. For instance, if your windows afford beautiful views, position your mirrors so they reflect the scenery. If you are fond of burning candles on a sideboard, a mirror placed just behind the candles can help to generate an evocative atmosphere. A mirror at the end of a hall can give the hallway a more extended feel. Use Other Reflective Items Creativity is key when decorating an interior, and there is a whole host of other items that can function as decorative mirrors. Sheets of aluminium and other metals are reflective and can produce interesting effects when used in interior decorating. Mirrors are extremely versatile and can be adapted to any kind of interior. When decorating your interior, using mirrors creatively can be the step that enhances and completes the look of your home. --- End --- You know what? Some of my blog posts are now featured on Gumtree blog too!! So pls kindly come and support me!! http://blog.gumtree.sg/8-tips-decorating-mirrors/