The Pinnacle @ Duxton - S2

[jaskel 2]

Congrate fftw looking forward to your reno pics.

[jaskel 2]

Hacking & Capentry

While on the topic of budget, initially we wanted to hack the entire kitchen but Dennis, our contractor cum ID advise us against it as it will be a few hundreds since he needs to pay the PE i.e. engineer $500 just to "knock here and knock there". But we so wanted to have an open concept Kitchen that we are willing to forgo some other items to get it.

Surprisingly, Dennis manage to get the approval permit to within a day. The good news is that there is no requirement to hire the engineer, so our budget was "increased" by $500. I am so glad our contractor cum ID is so honest to inform us of this . Usually in most cases, especially on a wall with wiring, cable, etc, there is a need to get an engineer ok, 1st, so if Dennis didn't inform us, we will not know and will have just pay the money blindly since its in the contract. But Dennis was nice enough to inform us and said that the extra money can be use to buy the living room tiles.

That was a good part of Dennis....btw hacking of kitchen wall doesn't need a PE approval but hard to said for P@D as the other HDB don't build so high lor but since its does require, good for the hse owners of P@D.

Edited January 18, 2010 by jaskel

[fftw 1]

Contacts & Considerations

In my research prior to getting keys to my place, I complied a list of contacts that the people in this forum and elsewhere uses and also what my contractor cum ID shares with me. So here is the list:-

1. Mirror

Sen Glass Specialist - Good workmanship and reasonable pricing

2. Chengal Wood Decking

Liang Hoe Huat - Look for Joseph Ang

3. Blum

Kiang Sing Hong Hardware Supplies

828 Upper Bukit Timah Road

Tel: 67600365 - Look for Mr Ang. He is very helpful with the various configurations with the best pricing.

4. Digital Lock

Desmond - 98307788. He offers the most competitive pricing.

5. Light Switches - All along Veerasamy Road

Feng Sheng Electrical - Blk 633 #01-108 along Veerasamy Road. Sells ABB Brand for HDB type. Reasonable price.

Choo Chiang - www.ccm.sg Sells Clipsal & Legrand at good pricing

DK Lighting - Good pricing

6. Undermount Sinks

Bellari - Cheap and good. They "copy" the designs of Franke, Teka, etc.

7. Powerpoint Consideration

7.1 Kitchen should have avg of 10 switches. E.g Hot Pot + Rice Cooker/Toaster + Oven + Fridge + Dishwasher + Steam oven + Cooker Hood & Hod + Mixer/Baby Monitor.

7.2 Utility should have avg 3 switches. E.g Washing Machine + Dryer + Iron.

7.3 Bathrooms should have 1 for Hair Dryer or shaver.

7.4 Bedrooms should have avg of 6 switches. E.g Hair Dryer + Television + DVD/VCD + Table Lamp + Mossie + Extra

8. Wall paper

Apart from Goodrich you can try Europa Wall coverings - www.europawalls.com

48 Toh Guan Road East #01-103

Though not as much selection as Goodrich, the prices are more pocket friendly. Labor cost is $300 and per roll of wall paper is avg $120.

9. Extra Information there don't tell you.

9.1 ABS trimming is usually 2mm but you can ask for 1mm. It makes your carpentry more refine and classy.

9.2 Height of lower cabinets should be 850mm for Asians.

9.3 Make sure you ask your contractor to install your sink -ve reveal if you are not buying an undermount sink but wish to get an undermount look.

9.4 Stain steel backing thickness should be 0.9mm not more or less.

9.5 Depth of countertop should be 600mm so you may use 500mm runners if you are purchasing Blum drawers.

9.6 Ask your contractor to position your sink and hob as front as possible.

10. White Glossy Laminates - achieve smooth flat finish

To prevent as much as possible the occurance of a "wavy" look aka to achieve a smooth flat finish, ensure that the laminates are 1.8mm thick.

11. Cleaning agents

White Glossy Laminates + White Grout - Use Melamine Sponge from Daiso

White Countertop - 3M Stainless Steel Spray Cleaner for Regular Cleaning. For maintanence, use Pledge fortnightly. The "wax" provides an extra protection to the countertops. If you kena scratches on your white countertop, use Autosol.

Chrome items use Brasso

Edited January 18, 2010 by fftw

[ngunadi 2]

Wow ... really a great list. Thanks for the info.

[jaskel 2]

Never, never put a powerpoint at bathroom....its not approve and dangerous too. Just a piece of advise.

[maxxum 0]

Hi neighbour...

All the best to your neighbour

[lord vader 0]

3. Blum

Kiang Sing Hong Hardware Supplies

828 Upper Bukit Timah Road

Tel: 67600365 - Look for Mr Ang. He is very helpful with the various configurations with the best pricing.

I like the quote in bold. Every **** supplier tells me theirs is the best pricing.....

[fftw 1]

hi fftw,

you might have problems with your clear width in the kitchen leading to the yard with the current sink and full height cabinets. should maintain at least 750mm clear width if possible!

Thanks for the advise. Dennis also advise the same We measured out the place and use masking tape to measure it out. My full height cabinets do not go all the way to the edge of the door. There is a "breathing" space. Also, there is more space behind the door. Its a flat flushed cabinet.

[fftw 1]

Never, never put a powerpoint at bathroom....its not approve and dangerous too. Just a piece of advise.

Its not approved? We have one in our bathroom now. We use it to dry our hair, my hubby use it to charge his shaver and shave. We have it next to the top mirror cabinet. Is it because its HDB which is why its not approved? My electrician didn't mentioned anything, he says if we want and insist, he will do it for us.

[fftw 1]

I like the quote in bold. Every **** supplier tells me theirs is the best pricing.....

Hahaha! Actually, I went to 3 or 4 suppliers selling Blum and he was indeed the cheapest and also the one most willing to share and teach. The only other Blum supplier is along Upper Thomosn Road called Hong Li Hardware. You can try there is you like.

[fftw 1]

Hi neighbour...

All the best to your neighbour

Hello! When are you starting your reno?

[tlenggeok 0]

On no! What happened? Did you buy The Pinnacle @ Duxton too? Is everything resolved yet or still pending?

Yep...me blk 1C! wat abt u??? Haiz...long story...our bank anyhow go & add a phrase in our mortgage loan FL & thus our loan was dragged on for more than 2 months! Soooo ridiculous!

[tlenggeok 0]

The main focus of my home is to create as much storage as possible but not making the house look or feel any smaller. Since we have a limited budget, I don't expect all my desires to be fulfilled. So off we went looking for a contractor instead of an ID.

We contacted several of our friends whose homes we like and also had only good experiences about their renovation. We even contacted our Feng Shui master on her contractor. One name keeps popping up. So in the end, in order to be fair, we shortlisted 3 candidates, all contractors. Btw, my husband is Caucasian, so it’s EXTREMELY important that our contractor speaks English as well.

Oooo...ur FS master oso master Tan??

[andante 0]

We contacted several of our friends whose homes we like and also had only good experiences about their renovation. We even contacted our Feng Shui master on her contractor. One name keeps popping up. So in the end, in order to be fair, we shortlisted 3 candidates, all contractors. Btw, my husband is Caucasian, so it’s EXTREMELY important that our contractor speaks English as well.

Wah.. ur hubby believes in fengshui too??

[fftw 1]

Yep...me blk 1C! wat abt u??? Haiz...long story...our bank anyhow go & add a phrase in our mortgage loan FL & thus our loan was dragged on for more than 2 months! Soooo ridiculous!

I am in Blk 1B and Maxxum is in Blk 1A