Toa Payoh Blk 79 Kakis

[tension_z 0]

thanks mrs png for the open house as well... =)

my legs ached after all the walking. :B

The corner shop uncle quoted $700++ for sliding door wardrobe 250cm long x 60 cm deep x 200 cm height. About that.. he quoted more in feet and inches but I did the conversion to cm coz I am used to the metric system... Ikea charged me like $1200++ after 10% discount and I have to buy my own door handles.

Abt my renov. , it's bet $20K to 25K. Includes many things like bigger tiles, custom made wardrobes, bookshelf, TV console, false wall to hide bomb shelter and shoe rack. If u go for standard design shd be much cheaper. I actually asked them to help me make a few changes like a full wall mirror for the indented wall, bigger bathrm sink and cabinet and Zhi Seng was v flexible with my changes.

oic.

ask u a critical qn, since u r also doing false wall to hide bomb shelter. is ur false door straight when opened?

[jaCKY777 0]

Updates for today

Thank you neighbours for coming today.

Hope it was a good experience for all. I believe our legs were aching. =) but worth it.

learnt a few things today:

1) hollow tiles when hacked and replaced, will experience unevenness, a cut leg feeling.

(I will ask my tiler to do something about it.)

- its a job kinda difficult, unless e thickness of cement grount is exactly e same s e earlier laid. Olso depends how skilful is e tiler lah. If after replaced stil got slight 'cut-leg' feeling, e only way is 2 level up e white cement at e joints. Also e tile may not b 100% flat, meaning 1 angle is higher/lower than e other adjacent or diagonal.

2) My slightly slanted Home shelter feature wall door.

(Sure have to change, I see 1 complete door with mirror not slanted, 3 other neighbours' door also not slanted.

so carpenter better don't 'smoke' me in believing that door is standard.

you should see how the carpenter try to convince me

he said he cant guarantee a perfectly straight door even if change to new one,

he even said if i can look for a contractor to can make a perfect door, he pay for me.

3 neighbours heard that.

is carpenter trying to tell me he has no skill? if i need to find the contact to get my door made, what is an ID for?

Anyway, carpenter agreed to change the door, so let it rest.)

- This is time e skill of carpenter & willinness 2 do a near perfect job is put 2 test.

My mirror door doesn't flush. carpenter told me cos I need that bulge area to do tic tac.

Also not true. I have seen perfectly flushed(Straight ones)

- If it canot b flushed, then y its called flush door in e 1st place?

3) Kitchen workmanship is rather rough. My laminate joint lines is just too big until I can see the brown wood.

And it is not uniform.

ABS trimming isn't well done.

I should just ask my main ID to take a close look.

- laminate finished carpentry sure can see e thickness of laminates. Its a matter of how much 1 could see.

- veneer finished carpentry can hav better finishes at e edges. But limited 2 timber/wood grain designs & colours. Lesser surface protection s compare 2 laminates.

- ABS trimmings r done in e factory by patented co. Such s Lamchuan brand. If urs is some unknown ABS trimmings, mayb they do not hav e rite machine 2 do it s nice s e pioneer.

- another type of finish is acrylic finished. 1 cant see e thickness of e 'skin' at e edges. But it is higher in $$$.

forgot to tell u that I have 2 ID. (The main ID is the one I signed the reno, the 2nd ID is his asst.

his asst was the one who was in charge of the carpentary part,

I was rather shocked that he didn't see that the workmanship isn't really tip top)

- i gues ur main ID is e boss/manager. Then he/she pass e job 2 his/her junior 2 run e show. But he/she did not guide or follow closely with e progress.

4) Laminated flooring. I realised my ID used a different type of skirting, not the straight kind but triangle kind.

As for the floaty feeling,I heard 2 sayings.

HDB floor not even,

weight of owner will balance the uneveness

- e floating feeling of laminated flooring is for sure.

- e 'kok kok' sound can b minimize by increasing e thickness of e foam beneath.

now then I know that the internal wardrobe can be black.

I must be such a noob to think that internal can only be brown and white.

hi, thanks for asking, but will prefer to keep ID identity as I still trust that he is doing his best to rectify.

Neighbours who came today also didn't know. =)

- i noe i noe. But not nice 4 me 2 throw e dice.

- e internal finished for carpentry basically there r 4 types ->

-- solid wood construction, real wood with a smooth finished. + $$$

-- plywood construction, white pvc carcass. Normal $$$

-- plywood construction, timber/wood grain finshed pvc carcass. + $$$

-- plywood construction, veneer finished. + $$$

Hi tension_z,

mine is a 4 rm. Pls feel free to view my place at 79B #??-?? for inspiration. There shd be someone there most of the time, since it is nearing end of renovation.

I am a fuss pot but I am really pleased with this contractor and workmanship.

Another recommendation, since I was shopping for wardrobes. Check out the corner furniture shop at Toa Payoh Central (blk 177 #01-118). I order PAX/COMPLEMENT wardrobes from IKEA with the 10% sale going on now, then I popped by this shop and they gave me a quote that is 30% cheaper! And the design is similar. Most importantly, they said they will give better wood (don't want my shelves to smile at me after 1 yr...). My dad (we moved from TP blk 32) said it is quite an established shop and he bought things from there before.

- its not smart 2 advertised ur unit no. on e net. Try using PM.

- yah dat furniture shop is old-timer liao.

Many thanks to Tension_z, Meowie49 and Liana79b for showing us their homes today!... missed out on some house-hopping midway as we had to rush back for some bathroom fitting works (so maybe can kpo Gadgetman & Bonkitty's house some other day??)

Nice meeting the rest of the 79er gang too; Gadgetman, 312079, Bonkitty, Alister & Rachel79!

Hi Tension_z,

I think you should talk to your ID to get him to rectify the unacceptable items. I believe the slanted door problem can be corrected, maybe the wood structure for the door was already warped when they installed it?? But I think more importantly is whether the door closes to a straight flush.

As for the hollow homo-tiles, die die must get them to replace for you. No ifs, no buts. I got my hollow tiles replaced as and when the workers were laying the tiles, so as to avoid a messy rectification later on (cos we went down kpo almost everyday!). But found a few cut-leg tiles in the rooms and got them to replace as well, after that no longer cut-leg. It all depends on how serious is the cut-leg problem and your acceptance level i believe. We also did not get the ID to rectify a few not-too-serious, minor cut-leg tiles in the rooms.

Did you check with your ID as to how he's going to rectify your kitchen cabinet ABS trimming? Has he taken a look at the finished product yet?

I think as long as the ID is willing to rectify the problems & defects to your satisfaction, all hiccups along the way we can forgive and forget... that's how I feel, cos there were also some hiccups for my reno along the way; miscommunication between ID and worker, delay in schedule, defects, etc. So I'll pester my ID almost every other day with questions, queries and requests.

I guess we tend to be more fussy cos it's our home mah! My wife is more fussy than me also mah! Some things I just close one eye loh. Don't worry too much, just talk to your main ID about your concerns and see what he proposes after that. End of the day, it also affects his ID Co's reputation. I'm sure you guys can come to some middle ground and finish the job on happy terms!

meepok

Hey,

think i agree with u.

So urs so far so gd.

[GalGal 0]

thanks mrs png for the open house as well... =)

my legs ached after all the walking. :B

oic.

ask u a critical qn, since u r also doing false wall to hide bomb shelter. is ur false door straight when opened?

I had no problem with my false wall. It looks straight.

[tension_z 0]

hahaha... I like the way jacky wrote in pink. =)

mine should be unknown ABS trimming.

I cant tell the diff between this trimming and verneer finish,

may i know whose house did the verneer?

the houses which i visited today all use the same as mine except for liana's house, her have lines on the place where we open the cabinet.

red colour kitchen, whoever can recall, pls help to answer this part.

my kitchen cabinet is grey glossy laminate with soldid plywood,

does that mean that the joint line is bigger as in wood under it can be seen?

mine wiw should be

-- plywood construction, white pvc carcass. Normal $$$

normal $$$ but I cannot accept not normal workmanship.

haha =)

[ryuki 0]

Hi neighbours!

Many thanks to Rachel & Elson for inviting us to the house hopping today. It was a fruitful trip! We have really learnt alot from you guys and the rest of the forumers who were present too.. Tension_z,Alister,Bonkitty,Mrs Png.. Hope to get to know more neighbours soon!

Going to meet more IDs to get more ideas and quotes..

Hopefully i can get back my $300 deposit from the ID.. wish us luck!

Cheers!

Edited April 12, 2008 by ryuki

[tension_z 0]

I had no problem with my false wall. It looks straight.

4th neighbour with straight door.

I think i shall just use boonkitty's door to show my capenter that straight doors are normal.

=)

Hi neighbours!

Many thanks to Rachel & Elson for inviting us to the house hopping today. It was a fruitful trip! We have really learnt alot from you guys and the rest of the forumers who were present too.. Hope to get to know more neighbours soon!

Going to meet more IDs to get more ideas and quotes..

Hopefully i can get back my $300 deposit from the ID.. wish us luck!

Cheers!

have u got ur 3d drawing?

[meepok 0]

my main ID is now in reservist, i didn't really want to disturb him.

I will speak to the asst ID 1st, see what he says.

after walking to so many neighbours' house,

1) i must say that my ABS trimming (kitchen) is not well done.

2) wiw has a as big as 50ct patch in the internal side.

workmanship also soso. but gadgetman said his also something like that.

but others that i visited is far from that.

all in all, i think it is the carpenter's team workmanship cannot pass.

though it is nice of them to come and work today.

thay must be shocked that there are so many neighbours to see their workmanship.

Asst ID has a slight disagreement with my uncle a few times,

said that he is to fussy, I guess not.

My uncle has to even tell the carpenter what to do.

3) for cut leg tiles, I can only tell the tiler 1-2 weeks from now.

My uncle said can only test the new replaced tiles after this time period, any time earlier not accurate.

maybe I should just print this out and show my main ID.

save me the trouble to tell all over again. = /

Thanks meepok

Hi Tension_z,

Hmm... in that case I must check on the replaced tiles again for cut-leg symptoms next week liao. I guess that's an inherent problem with these homo-tiles, no such problems with the old-school ceramic tiles in our older homes.

Sometimes these ID will try to play tai-chi with us... just got to be alert and tai-chi back sometimes!

I think it's still best to talk to either the head ID or the assistant and sort things out loh. At least get them to rectify the bomb-shelter slanted door once and for all. Don't let them play tai-chi with you anymore loh.

All the best with your reno

ps: sorry to have accidentally 'headed' your dining lights this afternoon!

Edited April 12, 2008 by meepok

[tension_z 0]

hahaha... it is ok... ur height is really good for checking defects at higher grounds =)

I will talk to them soon.

[jaCKY777 0]

hahaha... I like the way jacky wrote in pink. =)

mine should be unknown ABS trimming.

I cant tell the diff between this trimming and verneer finish,

may i know whose house did the verneer?

- i'm not implying, jus dat e possibilty of using e unknown trimmings is there.

- trimmings got 2 types.

-- ABS trimming = abt 2mm thick,

-- Edgeband = 1mm thick.

Layman cant really tel by naked eyes.

- there r difference in laminates & veneer finished.

-- laminates -> many colors, glos or matt or textured or 3D or glossy with metal in it. There's a surface protection. Newer products even got scratch resistance glossy laminates.

-- veneer -> colors & designs limited to timber/wood grains, natural look, textured, less durable s compare to laminates cos no surface protection.

- oh if i recal correctly, e unit facing Doremi's, their carpentry was done up by Classic Kitchen. 2 mi, e workmanship was better than many i'v seen. They used veneer 4 their WIW. e pricing per foot run was higher than e norm. Wardrobe pfr i 4got, kit = top $145pfr, bottom = $125pfr.

the houses which i visited today all use the same as mine except for liana's house, her have lines on the place where we open the cabinet.

red colour kitchen, whoever can recall, pls help to answer this part.

- hers i'v seen but was kinda late in e evening. Think was painted over solid wood. Mayb can ask her 2 check with her ID.

my kitchen cabinet is grey glossy laminate with soldid plywood,

does that mean that the joint line is bigger as in wood under it can be seen?

- No, 1 can only see e thickness of e laminates, not e plywood beneath.

mine wiw should be

- wiw shd use solid wood. dark color eg. walnut, light color eg maple, w/o doors then its nice & match e term wiw.

-- plywood construction, white pvc carcass. Normal $$$

normal $$$ but I cannot accept not normal workmanship.

haha =)

- dis 1 hor. Many ppl olso canot accept.

Edited April 12, 2008 by jaCKY777

[meepok 0]

Hey,

think i agree with u.

So urs so far so gd.

Hi Jacky,

My reno so far still ok loh. Now almost finishing, about 85-90% done. Should complete by next week, with quite abit of touching up for the paint and grouting.

So far, no more hollow tiles. But I'm just using my knuckes to test loh. Don't have the metal ball thingy which Bonkitty mentioned today. Knock all the tiles until my knuckes red!

The flooring, kitchen cabinets, mbr wardrobe, lights, bathroom accesories, grills all done. No left with the bomb-shelter feature wall and some minor carpentry stuff. We wanted to box up the circuit breaker and do some shelving to 'cover' the U-shaped hot/cold water pipe in the kitchen.

Saw some very impressive reno/carpentry stuff today. Mine is peanuts when compared! Got massive w-i-w, got stylish vanity bathroom tops, got island counter, got Blum system drawers too! But we got tight budget, so no choice I guess... maybe strike Toto then renovate again!??!

But lucky my ID quite accommodating loh... got problem will always try to rectify and solve. So can't complain much. The flooring could have been done better I guess... it was after we mentioned about hollow tiles in the foyer that they did a better job for the rest of the house. But still some cut-leg tiles here and there in the rooms. Some we asked to change, some we close one eye loh.

Another lucky thing is that the carpentry guy is quite good. One man show all the way except for the first day! So the process abit slow but we're fine with it. His kung-fu quite neat & meticulous. We are quite pleased with the outcome of his workmanship so far.

So when u want drop by? Still owe you kopi leh

meepok

[jaCKY777 0]

Hey meepok,

kinda bz lately lei. Mayb can reserve my cup of hot kopi to kopi peng liao. haha.

Aniway, we r in e same blk, wil kip u & babymaro inform if i ever go dn, i havnt seen ur reno yet, esp e carpentry workmanship.

[meepok 0]

Hey meepok,

kinda bz lately lei. Mayb can reserve my cup of hot kopi to kopi peng liao. haha.

Aniway, we r in e same blk, wil kip u & babymaro inform if i ever go dn, i havnt seen ur reno yet, esp e carpentry workmanship.

Hahaha busy is good mah!... ok will reserve your kopi peng! Just sms either of us should you be near loh. We should be there almost every other day in the evening loh. We more 'on' than the ID mah hahaha

So your reno started buay? Cos we want go up and see F1 fireworks in Sept leh!

meepok

[jaCKY777 0]

Hahaha busy is good mah!... ok will reserve your kopi peng! Just sms either of us should you be near loh. We should be there almost every other day in the evening loh. We more 'on' than the ID mah hahaha

So your reno started buay? Cos we want go up and see F1 fireworks in Sept leh!

meepok

- BZ? Good & bad loh.

- Wow, so ON, everyday there 2 inspect.

- Urs is near completion & handover. If got little rectification & touchup works, i think u can move in by 2 wks time liao.

- My reno? Haiz, havnt lei. Aiya, no reno, olso can cum my unit see F1 fireworks. But mus bring ur own popcorn & drinks. haha.

- Actually, currently in e nite, can see e beautiful lighting effect of Sg Flying Wheel, e National Studium & e nice city view. Can cum see if u wan.

[meepok 0]

- BZ? Good & bad loh.

- Wow, so ON, everyday there 2 inspect.

- Urs is near completion & handover. If got little rectification & touchup works, i think u can move in by 2 wks time liao.

- My reno? Haiz, havnt lei. Aiya, no reno, olso can cum my unit see F1 fireworks. But mus bring ur own popcorn & drinks. haha.

- Actually, currently in e nite, can see e beautiful lighting effect of Sg Flying Wheel, e National Studium & e nice city view. Can cum see if u wan.

Wah, u also night owl?

Yeah, we very the ONz loh, cos staying quite near to TPY mah, can go down kpo the progress everyday, just in case anything need to rectify, can inform the ID fast mah. More ON than the guards at WDC! hahaha

We will move in slowly after completion, cos our barang barang not packed yet also. Still got some furniture haven't buy... bit by bit loh. No hurry.

Your night scene must be dam nice... next time casino ready even more tokong view I think. But heard the million dollar wheel seldom rotate nowadays... no biz???

Almost forgot one defect in my bedroom ceiling... after fixing the light, now can see the ceiling got one very long dividing line, looks like uneven ceiling from HDB. Looks like an unintended mini L-box!! Must go make noise with the office downstairs next week.

meepok

Edited April 12, 2008 by meepok

[jaCKY777 0]

Wah, u also night owl?

- Dunoe lei, think my system spoilt liao. Sometimes dun sleep for a day stil not sleepy.

Yeah, we very the ONz loh, cos staying quite near to TPY mah, can go down kpo the progress everyday, just in case anything need to rectify, can inform the ID fast mah. More ON than the guards at WDC! hahaha

- Onz is gd.

We will move in slowly after completion, cos our barang barang not packed yet also. Still got some furniture haven't buy... bit by bit loh. No hurry.

- Yah. No hurry, plan properly then execute.

Your night scene must be dam nice... next time casino ready even more tokong view I think. But heard the million dollar wheel seldom rotate nowadays... no biz???

- think havnt really start biz. Read frm papers, think gona open 2 public frm 15apr onwards.

Almost forgot one defect in my bedroom ceiling... after fixing the light, now can see the ceiling got one very long dividing line, looks like uneven ceiling from HDB. Looks like an unintended mini L-box!! Must go make noise with the office downstairs next week.

- wats dat? Izit a hairline crack of e floor slab (ur ceiling, upstairs floor)

- If its hairline crack, e most dey only plaster it 2 cover up. Btw, ceiling canot b plastered under reno rules.

- If its like wat u said, mini L-box, then it muz b very serious. But i think unlikely lah.

meepok