M&e - Quintessentially Eclectic

[zirhk3355 1]

Can't see your pic leh...

[tristesse 3]

Can't see your pic leh...

Hmmm... that's strange. I don't seeem to have a prob even on another comp. Maybe you'd like to refresh the page?

[tristesse 3]

RENO DAY 14 - TILING ALMOST COMPLETED

After not visiting our place in two days, M and I were surprised to find the tiling works almost completed! The mound of sand has also been greatly reduced. Our efficient tilers screeded the floor and laid the tiles in 2 days - regardless to say, we were as pleased as punch with the progress.

The molehill of sand (reduced from the original mountain) in our balcony:

The floor tiles in all three bathrooms have now been laid to rest. Here's a peek at our guest washroom:

The damask print turned out fantastic - M and I are delighted with the results.

The brick feature wall (blackened area) should be up by Saturday. Hooray!

The corner for our washer/dryer - after redoing the measurements, we have decided that we may have to abort the construction of the base as the model we purchased is too wide for the width of the wall!

Edited October 11, 2007 by tristesse

[tristesse 3]

RENO DAY 15 - 2ND LAST DAY FOR TILING

It's the 2nd last day for tiling works and almost everything's complete, with the exception of the pebblewash flooring at the balcony (to be left till after painting works) and the brick feature wall. Our tilers have been experimenting with the layout, and here's how it would look like when placed:

Grouting of all tiles is also complete, and we're pleased to find our glossy white rectangular kitchen tiles cemented with grey grout, just the way we wanted. We left a little reminder, just in case. Our inspiration:

The end result:

The neatly laid turquoise gloss tiles in our common bathroom - such a happy shade!

And the pile of sand on our balcony floor the day before has disappeared - all used on our freshly screeded floor.

[tristesse 3]

SETTING UP HOME IS AN EXPENSIVE VENTURE

We've been slowly but surely bleeding our piggy bank dry with purchases for our home. Setting up home is definitely an expensive venture - from home appliances to sanitary ware to furniture... and we're still not done!

The only saving grace in this is that we purchased our home at a relatively cheapish price (certainly before the property market started heating up with a quarter million cash for a 5-roomer HDB!). We spotted an ad for a unit in our block in the papers today. Apparently the asking price is close too $70k for what M and I paid for our place!

We made a trip to Singapore Expo this evening and made away with a 37" Toshiba Regza TV (display set of course!) for $1.6k. M was really pleased he got to choose the telly (let's just hope we won't eventually squabble over who gets control of the remote!).

KER-CHING! PURCHASES TO DATE

Sanitary ware: Poh Joo (taps, mixers, storage and instant heater, shower sets and one corner basin), Bacera (Rubine JUX double-bowl sink and large semi-recessed square basin), Genova (small round basin) - total spending approx $1.8k

Corner basin for guest washroom from Poh Joo

Semi-recessed large square basin for common bathroom from Bacera - amongst the largest and deepest we found. Perfect for handwashing delicate items of clothing.

Small but deep round basin for master bathroom - not much space left for anything else with the bathtub in! This was M's choice.

Bathtub: Bravat standalone bathtub with claw legs from Ideal Bathroom

Oven: Teka, purchased during a recent 20% storewide promo. We purchased a no-frills model, the 2nd cheapest in store. M is looking forward to making pizzas with it.

Cooker hob and hood: Rinnai RB-38V glass hob and RH972C chimney hood from Everjoint (the best deal we could find) for $719

Refridgerator and Washer: Toshiba Lucent Stainless Steel 5-door refridgerator and Lucent Washer/Dryer. These two items really burst the bank. Thank goodness for interest-free instalment plans! We had every intention to get a basic 3-door Mitsubishi stainless steel fridge, but there was some "special promo" for these two items together (I really wanted the Lucent washer/dryer - the ergonomic design will certainly make laundry less a chore than the more affordable LG model) and it was more worthwhile to get the "atas" fridge.

Just for the record, I still think the fridge looks a bit like a monster! It will take some getting used to.

Lights: IKEA, E lite Illumination, Citilights (and soon to be Lightology). We also purchased three chandeliers off eBay.

Sofa: Black leather lounge from Furniture Warehouse - thank goodness we confirmed our purchase early and paid a deposit. The price is now $200 more than what we got it for!

TV console: BAGO TV stand from Barang Barang during the warehouse sale 2 weeks back. We saved some $200+ compared to the store price. Some minor nicks on the set we chose, but since it would only be a matter of time before it got scratched, what the 'ell right?

Teak dining table, bench, coffee table: custom made from U-NIQ

Curtains and roller blinds: Olive metallic shimmer blackout curtain for Master Bedroom and white roller blinds for Dining and Utility. We'll wait till we have more cash at hand before we install anything for the other two bedrooms.

Mattress: Serta Maryland (King) from The Bed Shop at Ubi. We purchased it before really doing much market research and on hindsight, would definitely not have purchased it from there. Am not sure we got a good deal after all, after reading a disgruntled post on the misrepresentation of this model by staff at the store. Oh well... lesson learnt!

... despite all these spending, we're still not done! The hunt for 2 toilet bowls will commence next week. These are the essential items for a start - we'll add on the frills and fancies when we've got more to spare.

Edited October 13, 2007 by tristesse

[tristesse 3]

RENO DAY 19 - Plumbing & Rewiring

With tiling works completed, things are moving at speed.

Here's a peek at the rest of our tiling work. The completed brick wall - it will be painted over in white:

Our tilers encountered a tricky problem when tiling the wall - the overhead beam was apparently not straight and there was an unsightly gap between the top row of tiles and the beam. To rectify this, our contractor boxed up the uneven gap. Two coats of white paint later and no one will be any wiser.

Plumbing works (piping at least) has been completed and electrical rewiring will be complete tomorrow. A look at the copper pipes laid in our guest washroom.

All our windows are finally up - window grills will be in place next week, after painting works are done. A look at our kitchen windows. The new refuse chute cover's up too.

Our 4 feet high sliding windows at the balcony:

[gingerbread82 0]

wow! i can imagine how ur hse goin to look like... seems like u hv spent alot of time on ur coming home. i do hope that i too hv the energy n money.

i'm sure ur hse will turn out great...btw how much total u spend on ur reno? must b veri expensive...

reali look forward to more pics. keep tis blog goin!

[tristesse 3]

wow! i can imagine how ur hse goin to look like... seems like u hv spent alot of time on ur coming home. i do hope that i too hv the energy n money.

i'm sure ur hse will turn out great...btw how much total u spend on ur reno? must b veri expensive...

reali look forward to more pics. keep tis blog goin!

Heehee... The house's a labour of love for me and my better half, so the time spent is well worth it... We visit to check on the progress 2-3 times a week on average! I'm sure that you'd be able to find the energy for your home as well!

Reno cost will possibly total around $40k... but considering that the reno cost of some smaller units end up close to this figure as well, I guess it's still quite reasonable. The contractor we hired gave us quite a competitive package (amongst the contractors and contractor/ID we obtained quotes from) and we're happy with the progress and workmanship to date.

[tristesse 3]

RENO DAY 21 - ROOFING WORKS

We've finally got a roof over our heads! Well, or our balcony has at least. The efficient workers from Perfect Deco arrived at 10.20AM this morning and got started with installing the rafters and roof support for our grey (my idea as I didn't want to have the same predictable orange clay tiled roof as everyone else!) tiled roof.

It's almost all complete except for one section - the workers made good progress. A peek at the underside of the roof from the balcony:

And here's how the top of the roof looks from the master bedroom:

A tad grimy, but I reckon the rain this evening would be able to wash off some of the dust! That's the power of nature for you.

Painting works have also commenced and the first coat of paint has been applied all around. The new look of our brick wall (the painters were aghast when they realised that we wanted it painted!):

Perhaps it looked better in its original state, but the effect we wanted to achieve was a peek-a-boo brick wall. It still looks a bit too neat and clean now... I think I shall attempt to alter the look when I've got a bit of spare time over the weekend.

ICI Dulux's Goldust on the wall flanking the walkway on the upper floor - this will be the backdrop of the Ineke Hans "Golden Birds" vinyl wall decals.

Other works going on this week - installation of laminate flooring, window grills, doors and possibly lights and sanitary ware. In another 3 weeks or so, the makeover of our humble haven will be complete!

[tristesse 3]

RENO DAY 23 - PAINTING & LAMINATE FLOORING

It's close to a month since we embarked on our reno and the main works are almost complete:

1) Hacking

2) Wet works (tiling and plumbing)

3) Electrical Rewiring & Air-con

4) Roofing

5) Windows

6) Painting

7) Laminate Flooring (50% complete)

It fills us with such joy to see our house slowly transforming into the home that we envisioned.

Laminate flooring on the stairs up to the bedrooms will lend a warm, cosy feel. Lined up against the wall all ready to be installed are laminate floor planks - Power Dekor in Black Hickory.

Where creative ideas are born - ICI Dulux Capri Blue adds a touch of zing to our study's walls. The actual colour should be more intense (this is just the first coat).

Edited October 24, 2007 by tristesse

[tristesse 3]

RENO DAY 21 - WE HAVE LIGHT!

Finally - we're now seeing light, even in the dark, after a month of renovation. Most of our light fittings, with the exception of the bird cage and gold leaf chandeliers, have been installed. We're still hunting for a suitable light for our master bedroom - hopefully we'll find something unusual in BKK.

Guest washroom - Rimfrost pendant lamp from IKEA, $25

Balcony - Rustic white wall lamp from Hing Yuen Electrical Co, $40

Kitchen - Fado pendant lamp from IKEA, $49 and rectangular box light (2-tube) from Lightology, $140

Our upper storey also sports a new look - check out the completed laminated flooring.

Window grills have also been installed, as well as our first door - the bifold door for the guest washroom, in black and white (but of course) to complement the interior.

Works in the pipeline for the week ahead:

- Installation of sanitary ware

- Installation of doors

- Carpentry works

Our furniture and electrical appliances are scheduled for delivery on the 3rd Saturday in November and we target to complete all works by 20 Nov to ensure sufficient time for some fastidious cleaning.

[mist 0]

the tile patterns in the toilet dont match leh. u nvr scold the contractor?

[tristesse 3]

the tile patterns in the toilet dont match leh. u nvr scold the contractor?

Heh. Actually, it's the tile supplier's fault! If you notice, the print on each tile is exactly the same. So looking at the manner in which the print is cropped at the top and bottom edge, there's absolutely no way they can match (and cutting the tiles to ensure they do is such a waste!).

Edited October 31, 2007 by tristesse

[mist 0]

Heh. Actually, it's the tile supplier's fault! If you notice, the print on each tile is exactly the same. So looking at the manner in which the print is cropped at the top and bottom edge, there's absolutely no way they can match (and cutting the tiles to ensure they do is such a waste!).

yar lor why the tile supplier print like dat. but actually if really want to match still can lo .. u have to stagger the tiles, something like how u would lay a brick wall. the lower level of tiles has to be layed slightly to the left of the upper level. but then if do that, all the joint lines will be allover the place lor.

hehe i guess since its acceptable to u then its ok.. lucky the print is complicated so the matching is not obvious

[andrew77 0]

Guest washroom - Rimfrost pendant lamp from IKEA, $25

How many bulbs it uses and does it allow the use of standard energy saving ones?