DoubleJ 0 Report post Posted November 13, 2008 Finally decided to start my own T-blog here after i had benefited from all the informative threads and helpful members. For me,i had never had the practice to 'journal' down anything but this whole process had been such an overwhelming experience till i decided to write something on it, do bear with my extensive use of broken english,singlish and possible 'cold-humour'. We had participated in the april ballot and was lucky enough to get a good number.But on our appointment day, we still can't decide our choice unit,due to the fact our appt is the later half of the day and if we 'choice' our units,we might meet with possible disappointment if the few others before us took it. it'll hurt deeper when u are so near the finishing line ma. So we didnt had a first choice when it was finally our turn still.haha. And there we were, sitting @ the HDB aunty's desk with a blank look on our face when she asked what is our choice. Actually we were leaning towards getting the repo 5rm units with about 123/128sqm due to the cheaper $$/sqm & lower tariffs/conservency but somehow the HDB auntie managed to "psycho" us against getting a repo flat. Thinking back what she said is pretty true,we're hardly able to get a good shot at new flats the next time unless we are so sure we can get good numbers again & can afford the levy,its now or never to be able to really get a brand new flat. And so we settled for our selection, a 125sqm EA new unit in JW. And thus the journey towards having a place of our own finally begins... Our Floor Plan Collected our keys in july,was pretty suprised that it was the same HDB aunty that was passing us our keys,we started to think she was a fairy in disguise sent to guide us in purchasing our first home. Our planned "door-opening" was about 1 week later. we are so eager to know how our unit will turn out as we made our purchase based on the floorplan only,hardly able to visualize the actual space. My wife was hoping the MBR would be big enough to accomodate a WIW without hacking the other bedroom. I was hoping there would be enough space for a pool-table! Finally the uber long week has passed,we completed part-one of the ceremony and i stepped into our place for the first time. i went around throwing salt+rice+5color beans.after it's done, we finally had chance to take some pics and take a closer look at our new place.Took the chance to hold my wife's hand in the living room and tell her my promises with very man tone like the movies,before leading her to the kitchen to show her her new work place! And the house was filled with a burst laughter and a slight tint of happinese for the first time...my own 'ceremony'. First Contact: The Bare Truth Living room looks ok,but the walkway is very dark due to the shape of the flat that hardly any light is able to reach there. Was very disappointed with the MBR, the size is like my current room,a normal 4-rm bedroom!! Even if we hacked the other room,it'll prolly be like my parents MBR! Haiz.felt so shortchanged with the "EA" tag over the unit. Kitchen & toilet is narrow and small,with the usual 'orbit' tiles. actually i had expected more from a EA unit after seeing a couple of em. the only consolation is that it's very windy!the airflow of the unit is very good. other then that,me and my wife left the place with a sunken heart. Prolly gotta kiss goodbye to the WIW & pool table already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
junxian 0 Report post Posted November 13, 2008 grats ! guess your number must be very small =D *waving hello* from st 64 =D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Angel81 1 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Spam chop and congrates on ur new home! I like the bedrooms, rectangle in shape, very easy to plan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
luckable 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Congrats !!! Hahaha.. So good u got "Auntie Fairy" Actually repossessed flat also not bad.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bubble-ling 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 congrats! i used to stay at st 65 also Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinkpetter 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Welcome!! Don't be disappointed wor! having a new house is always a nice thing! Think if you combine rooms you can have the WIW at the portion nearer to the toilet ba. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vin13 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Hi Double J, Nice to see you are starting your reno t-blog. Congrats and keep the pictures coming... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
payretep 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Hey Double J, Huge flat you have there~ Looks like no room for WIW, but I think might be still able to squeeze a pool table in if u hack the study lah~ or you can get those pool table that can convert into dining table? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KPE 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Got 3d drawing to show us? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DoubleJ 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 grats ! guess your number must be very small =D *waving hello* from st 64 =D*waves back* our number not too small la, should be confident enough for new estate with lotsa unit per lvl/blk,but we eyeing those repo and leftovers sole unit in matured estate de,so kinda no guarantee also. infact we lost one of our choice to ppl infront too. hehe. Congrats !!! Hahaha.. So good u got "Auntie Fairy" Actually repossessed flat also not bad.. ya lo, we even saw a unit with black galaxy granite flooring through its half closed windows! but was taken up before our turn,would had been a very good steal! haha. but then the hdb aunty made a very good point too so we gotten a new unit in the end. like buying new car, can get the "new" smell ma.haha. congrats! i used to stay at st 65 also keke, thanks. You still considering your rainshower ah? get the crizto one la. value for money. Welcome!! Don't be disappointed wor! having a new house is always a nice thing! Think if you combine rooms you can have the WIW at the portion nearer to the toilet ba. The disappointment was replaced by a stronger drive already.hehe,now picking up the challenge together with my ID to get what we want with our limited space. Hey Double J, Huge flat you have there~ Looks like no room for WIW, but I think might be still able to squeeze a pool table in if u hack the study lah~ or you can get those pool table that can convert into dining table? Still planning to squeeze the WIW in somehow. as for the pooltable, saw those that convert to dinning table. didnt like the look and build of the table.so gonna try something else.but leaving this till the last part when most of the furniture are in place to better visualize the available space. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
irenetsh 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Congrats and can't wait to see ur renovated house pics Also...must show the granite kitchen top..courtesy of me...hee hee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DoubleJ 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 (edited) The decision to hack both the MBR and study met with strong disapproval from our "FS advisor" aka my 3rd-Aunt. She was pretty reluctant to disclose the reason at first till i bugged her to explain. The reason is if we hacked the MBR, there is a higher chance of the ppl sleeping inside being involved with a third-party. How true was it we dont know, But since we did saw some real examples of ppl we know having affairs and had a enlarged MBR, we reluctantly heed her advise as we know thou she is not a real master in business, she followed a few well known Thai monks and FS masters and are like their apprentice in a way.She was always our family's supernatural guru. But of course it's a belief,not a fact.so please take it with a pinch of salt. Anyway i firmly reason with her to hack the study room at least in order to "bring in" more light from the adjacent window. And the result will be very good, with the living room brighten up, there arent anymore dark corners and the air circulation within the house will be further improved aka "The Qi". She agreed with my point and so it was FS:1 vs Design:1 for the day. only downside is...it'll make the beam turned into an eyesore right in the middle of the "expanded" living room. Anyway,we had confirmed our deal with StateArt Interior @ TPY,was introduced to them by a friend whom got his house done up by them. i saw the result and was relatively impressed with the workmanship/material. Gave them a shot thou they are a relatively new name. but it seems most of their staffs are "old-hands" from other established names so at least it adds a level of security for me. I would say i am a very difficult customer after being educated by renotalk.haha. But still they shown interest in my project thou i keep pushing their prices down unlike some others i 've spoken to,didnt bother to do follow up anymore once they know i did my homework and know my stuffs. We closed the deal @ about 25k finally and hope for the best. The One & Only Hack: Fetching Light For tiles, we took nearly 2 week visiting at least 4 tile shops. Finally confirm most of my tiles from LSH and 1 feature wall tile from Hafary. Ending the tile selection with like 2 big bag of sample tiles with my ID.He say he need charge me haulage to clear those from his office liao. haha. The hafary titles was supposed to be very "Bling", but it wasn't so "bling" when they delivered the actual tiles, quite disappointed. we tiling one full wall with it in hope to add some 'bling' to the dark bathroom. well,can only hope it'll turn out at least ok now. Edited December 17, 2008 by DoubleJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinkpetter 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 WAH I like the bathroom feature wall tiles! Now tiled up liao?? and the laminate you choose is nice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DoubleJ 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2008 Hi Double J, Nice to see you are starting your reno t-blog. Congrats and keep the pictures coming... Thanks thanks, we actually have alot in common leh, our sofa,wall color,lighting all very similar sia.Even our surname same too! Hehe. got feeling when completed,our place might be quite similar too! Got 3d drawing to show us? Actually i told my ID not to produce any 3D, as their cost will end up with me somehow. till now had been relaying my ideas to him using simple sketches and pics. works out pretty well and fast as both of us are able to visualize the stuff readily. Congrats and can't wait to see ur renovated house pics Also...must show the granite kitchen top..courtesy of me...hee heeHaha, roger that!! Hail to the legend! WAH I like the bathroom feature wall tiles! Now tiled up liao?? and the laminate you choose is nice!Hehe,i liked the feature tile the moment i saw it, infact i changed my whole bathroom tiles which i selected long ago.if you noticed i didnt include my bathroom floor/wall tile in the pics as my ID "haulage" it away le.now nothing to take pic off le. haha. Tiling is completed already, taking some pics after they washed up tomorrow awaiting the painter. will update again tomorrow. hopefully can take some good pics using my trusty hp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bubble-ling 0 Report post Posted November 15, 2008 waiting to see more pics! ... today will go RF to see the crizto rain shower ..hopefully i get a gd deal ..just wana get it done today hahahaha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
