The Diary Of A Wimpy House Owner

[green giraffe 0]

interesting. seldom see any landed reno Tblogs here.

Wanted to do one when I was doing my reno last Nov but no energy.

Did you managed to do the wall hung WCs? I read that you got the geberit system? I wanted to do that but it was really difficult due to the toilet layout. I did not shift the WC location as that would require $. The contractor was also against it as he said very hard to do maintenance. (if the tank leak, need to hack out the tiles)

We got the hansgrohe raindance too

I have a hard time updating the Tblog too. Although i have an efficient ID to supervise the reno, there is still a lot of running around to shop for sanitary wares, fittings, lights, furniture, sound system etc cos most of the things are new. I am now a Jalan Besar/balestier Kid. Have never been to so many warehouses and tech park in my life.

All our three toilets will have wall hung WC (Toto). The contractor will create an access panel for maintenance. That's why getting Geberit system. Hope it doesnt give us problem.

The powder room toilet is in the original location but we are changing all the tiles and have more windows.

Powder Room. The wall hung WC will be at where the wheelbarrow is

Both the kids toilet and masterbed room toilet are newly created. The kids toilet is the biggest cos 4 of them will be sharing a toilet (luckily all boys). There is no main door to the toilet. There is a common vanity with two basins, a WC area with bifold door and a bathtub and shower area also with bifold door. The idea is all four can use the toilet at the same time doing different things during the morning rush hour. However the toilet is very dark cos there is no window. We have asked the contractor to open a skylight at the roof area above the WC.

Kids Toilet. There will be a skylight at the roof.

How's your Hansgrohe raindance? I heard it's good and will last you a long time. Have bought all our overhead showers, hand showers and mixers from Hansgrohe. Also hope that they will last us a long time.

Hand shower for powder room and kids toilet

[wind30 2]

The raindance is quite ok. no problems so far but we only used for one month. We also got all hansgrohe for the entire house. Talis S2 for the basins.

If your powder room has no windows, please install a ventilation fan. We did and we are glad that we did. If we don't turn on the fan, the room is very humid after bath and very smelly after some uses the toilet.

We have a double vanity in our master bedroom toilets. All the basins/WCs/tub are from duravit. We got them from econflo and wan tai. Wan Tai is MUCH cheaper than Econflo if they have stock and worth visiting actually.

Our family is smaller only two of us and a 2 year old girl. So we are only using one toilet downstairs. The three upper floor toilets are all "showroom" toilets too lazy to clean.

your kitchen and dining layout looks very nice. Got reflecting pool. Any 3D drawings how that part will turn out?

We did a open concept kitchen too but the layout is more boring, living -- dining -- kitchen -- yard. Mainly because that is the old layout.

Some of the things we wished we had done differently.

1) plastering of old walls. Some of the old walls were not replastered smooth as the contractor say he did not quote for it. In the end we replastered after the painting and repainted again which cost us extra money....

[green giraffe 0]

The raindance is quite ok. no problems so far but we only used for one month. We also got all hansgrohe for the entire house. Talis S2 for the basins.

If your powder room has no windows, please install a ventilation fan. We did and we are glad that we did. If we don't turn on the fan, the room is very humid after bath and very smelly after some uses the toilet.

We have a double vanity in our master bedroom toilets. All the basins/WCs/tub are from duravit. We got them from econflo and wan tai. Wan Tai is MUCH cheaper than Econflo if they have stock and worth visiting actually.

Our family is smaller only two of us and a 2 year old girl. So we are only using one toilet downstairs. The three upper floor toilets are all "showroom" toilets too lazy to clean.

your kitchen and dining layout looks very nice. Got reflecting pool. Any 3D drawings how that part will turn out?

We did a open concept kitchen too but the layout is more boring, living -- dining -- kitchen -- yard. Mainly because that is the old layout.

Some of the things we wished we had done differently.

1) plastering of old walls. Some of the old walls were not replastered smooth as the contractor say he did not quote for it. In the end we replastered after the painting and repainted again which cost us extra money....

Wow... Duravit is NICE!!! We didnt have budget for that so mixing and matching our basins. Where is Wan Tai? Will go look see. Am still looking for 2 wooden bowl basins for our Master toilet to tie with our resort theme. No idea where to get them.

Actually we have added bigger windows for our powder room. View from powder room looking out to the side garden

The kids toilet is the one without windows but we have added a skylight and installing 2 ventilation fans.

Kids Bathtub and joven water storage tanks have just arrived today

Here's a sneak preview of our open concept kitchen and dining room. This will be our main entertaining area and sports bar. A place for the boys and hubby to watch soccer. There is a TV mounted on the top kitchen cabinet and two in ceiling speakers above the dining table. Now thinking of finding a space to put a Foosball table. Behind the dining bench will be glass windows opening out to the reflective pool with water flowing down a feature wall.

[leechaorui 2]

I used the side of my terrace to play modified street football. I noticed that your side terrace look quite wide. Will you be able to convert it into a mini football area since your hubby and kids like football? Cheers!

[Kalidor 0]

Hi, dun mind me asking also... Where is Wan Tai??

Thanks

[green giraffe 0]

I used the side of my terrace to play modified street football. I noticed that your side terrace look quite wide. Will you be able to convert it into a mini football area since your hubby and kids like football? Cheers!

Yup, great minds think alike...hee, hee. We bought mini goal post already. Poor neighbour will have balls flying into their garden.

[green giraffe 0]

Have not been updating for a while...

Here are some photos of the progress so far..

Living room tiles has the "cement" floor look. ID proposed cement screed floor but hubby thinks its too raw. So this is the compromise. I think its a good compromise. It looks like cement but without the sandy feeling of cement floor. We are also using the same tiles for the kitchen.

We created an access door at the wall facing the garden for the delivery of gas cylinder. The gas tank will be stored in the cabinet next to the fridge and the pipe will run through the back of the cabinets to the cooker hob.

View of Geberit concealed cistern in the kids toilet before tiling

View of Kids toilet WC after tiling

[green giraffe 0]

Some more toilet photos...

This is the concealed cistern in the master bedroom toilet before tiles.

After tiling

Two 50l Joven water heater storage tank on the ceiling of the kids toilet

[green giraffe 0]

The elusive square bath tub

We wanted a bath tub for the kids toilet cos no money to build swimming pool so have a bath tub for them to "play" water. However, after weeks of pounding the streets of Jalan Besar, Balestier and visiting shops like Sim Shang Choon, Genova, Hoe Kee etc, we still couldnt find a square bath tub. Plan B was to get the contractor to build a square concrete "bath tub" finished with tiles. However he quoted us over $1000. Now we are left with Plan C, which is to get a normal bath tub and built around it to make it look squarish. Its still work in progress. Hope it looks nice.

The big bathroom. On the left is where the bath tub is gonna be and the shower stall is on the right.

[green giraffe 0]

We will be having 3 toilets in the house. All three have different look and themes.

1. Kids Toilet on 2nd storey

The kids toilet used to be dark without any windows but after opening a small skylight at the roof, it made a hugh difference. It is much brighter now to our delight and the natural light actually brings out the beauty of the white shiny tiles in the toilet.

Shower area of kids toilet. They will be having a wall hung rain shower and a hand shower with concealed mixer

2. Master bedroom toilet on the 2nd storey

This toilet has a resort theme however, my husband calls it the al fresco toilet. It is an open concept toilet without wall or glass on the outside. We will only be using metal trellis and potted plants to shield us from prying eyes and Rain. Hmmm... shouldnt have spent so much money on a rain shower when we can get it free from nature.

There is also a skylight on top of the WC area. Wonder if we can get a tan while sitting on the potty on a hot afternoon.

Really love the wall tiles here. Love the texture and heard from tiler that it will look like waterfall when water flows on

Master bedroom toilet wall tiles at the shower area. Electrician mistakenly provision for a lighting point there. Luckily spotted early. They removed that tile with a hole and change a new one.

A trough for planters. There will be metal trellis on the ledge. Eldest son suggested to convert it into a big outdoor bath tub.

[green giraffe 0]

3. Guest Toilet on 1st storey

The Guest toilet aka power room ( a misnomer cos it has a shower area) has a Dark moody theme. The tiles are dark brown with stripes and brown glass mosaics. Floor will be chengai wood. I know it will look very resort like with wooden floor but i am worried about all the dirt and hair trap under the chengai floor. Contractor suggested removable square panels. Hope its not too much trouble to clean and upkeep the toilet.

Shower area

View from entrance of toilet. Vanity top on the right where the hole is and WC straight ahead where the pail is.

[leechaorui 2]

Your reno is progressing very well. Looks very nice.

Will you be installing CAT6 cables in your house?

[green giraffe 0]

Your reno is progressing very well. Looks very nice.

Will you be installing CAT6 cables in your house?

Thank you for your kind words.

Yes we will be installing CAT6 cables. Since we are upgrading our power supply from phase 1 to phase 3 and relocating the meter box to the main gate, we have made provision for all the wirings like LAN and fibre optics. Every room comes with a telephone point and LAN point, even the kitchen. We are quite heavy user of the internet. Sometimes, all 3 laptops and the desktop are occupied. My eldest uses it to do his project, No 2 and 3 use to check soccer results and play games and the toddler likes to watch YouTube music videos (he is a big fan of Lady Gaga's Bad romance)

However we have missed the initial roll out of OpenNet offering free installation. So now have to pay. But the biggest bug bear is the wait. They told us to wait 5 months.... Quite a long time to wait for an "efficient" country...if you ask me.

Our new meter box with all the numerous cables

[green giraffe 0]

The Great Sofa Hunt

Still looking for THE sofa. My house is like a zoo so the sofa has to be :

1. Sturdy enough to withstand stomping from the elephants and climbing from the monkeys

2. Big and comfy enough for the Sloth

3. Stain resistant for the pigs

4. and most importantly, pretty enough for me.

I have shortlisted some...

The search goes on but the problem is time. Some take 2 to 3 months to deliver and we were hoping to move in end Aug. That reminds me, still yet to place order for kitchen appliances. Hmm.. where shall I go? HN or Mega? Losing steam now after the Great Sanitary Ware Hunt.

[ne0mesis 0]

The Great Sofa Hunt

Still looking for THE sofa. My house is like a zoo so the sofa has to be :

1. Sturdy enough to withstand stomping from the elephants and climbing from the monkeys

2. Big and comfy enough for the Sloth

3. Stain resistant for the pigs

4. and most importantly, pretty enough for me.

I have shortlisted some...

The search goes on but the problem is time. Some take 2 to 3 months to deliver and we were hoping to move in end Aug. That reminds me, still yet to place order for kitchen appliances. Hmm.. where shall I go? HN or Mega? Losing steam now after the Great Sanitary Ware Hunt.

and you? the giraffe eh. haha

well, the discounted items at Lifestorey seems to good to give it a miss isn't it.

anyway, head down to Mega. am quite confident the pricing are attractive. HN is reputable for its extended warranty but then if you need that, I understand you can buy the extended warranty from aviva itself. Or that's what i heard so far. extended warranty or not, i still feel Mega is nicer to shop. 2 cents view