The Diary Of A Wimpy House Owner

[Livinstyle 0]

Very pretty garden indeed. Good choice on the heliconias. For the bamboo, do they have a lot of falling leaves?

A friend's place used to have some plants that have lots of falling leaves and petals, it was a nightmare sweeping it every day!

[green giraffe 0]

yah, am in bangkok now and walked past a spa that looked just like your garden!!!!

will you have a massage bed by the side and we will all line up properly to have a back rub

Back rub sounds like a wonderful idea. But first will have to head down to the nurseries to get some mosquitoes repelling plants and maybe Venus fly trap cos am still trying to get used to living with nature, birds, bees and bugs. A true blue "concrete jungle" tortoise, never seen so many bugs, ants before and also never been "victimized" by so many mosquitoes before except when going to a resort. Hubby said it fits our theme to a T, bugs and all...

[green giraffe 0]

Dear GG,

There were also 2 small black fish in the mini-pond - we couldn't find them. No skeletons/no bodies. They are gone - just like that.

I then begged the fish-guy to convert the mini-pond into a fishless water feature. He did that and now i'm pleased with it. The water is chlorinated and clear. When there was fish in it, it was always green and dirty.

The koi pond remains.

So GG, please think carefully about rearing fishes. They die so easily (in my case, at least). In Chinese culture, it is good to have fish in the pond but I think i would prefer a jacuzzi or a fishless water feature.

OMG.. that's quite a horror story. Fish or no fish...? Will definitely give it some thought.

[green giraffe 0]

Hi GG,

Congras. See that your bamboo fencing is very well done. Gives you privacy and at the same time, provide a very natural look.

Thanks lee, it still looks nice for now. Hope it can last for a while. Was told that bamboo doesnt last long in the outdoors.

[wind30 2]

looks really great how your reno turned out.

I especially liked the toilets. I don't really like how my toilets turned out. Thought it was too boring. the mosiac tiles really makes the toilet looks good.

The dining, stage, kitchen are all very nice too. The stage is a very interesting idea... did you think of it yourself?

[green giraffe 0]

Very pretty garden indeed. Good choice on the heliconias. For the bamboo, do they have a lot of falling leaves?

A friend's place used to have some plants that have lots of falling leaves and petals, it was a nightmare sweeping it every day!

Thanks livinstyle, how's your reno getting along? Our heliconias is still adjusting to their new home. They look skinny and undernourished. It will take them 6 months to settle in and flourish. As for the bamboo plants, still leafless for now. Hubby is happy that he can soon take a sweep at Winter Olympics Curling event. Having plants with lots of shedding leaves give him ample opportunities to fine tune his sweeping techniques which will definitely give him an edge in sweeping the ice and help Singapore win it's First Winter Olympic medals. Perhaps your friend would want to turn the sweeping nightmare to an Olympic dream.

Edited October 18, 2010 by green giraffe

[Livinstyle 0]

Thanks livinstyle, how's your reno getting along? Our heliconias is still adjusting to their new home. They look skinny and undernourished. It will take them 6 months to settle in and flourish. As for the bamboo plants, still leafless for now. Hubby is happy that he can soon take a stab at Winter Olympics Curling event. Having plants with lots of shedding leaves give him ample opportunities to fine tune his sweeping techniques which will definitely give him an edge in sweeping the ice and help Singapore win it's First Winter Olympic medals. Perhaps your friend would want to turn the sweeping nightmare to an Olympic dream.

Haha but my friend had well given up and got it all removed! Ain't as sporty as your family. I'm also another helpless sweeper, find that the vacuum is more friendly to me. With not much green fingers to speak of, i'm definitely sticking to easy to maintain plants if any!

My new place used to have some heliconias, but they are now all gone... gone with the wind. Reno is still ongoing, plumbing and electrical works are more or less to be completing soon. Still some more hacking to be tidied up before wetworks.

[green giraffe 0]

looks really great how your reno turned out.

I especially liked the toilets. I don't really like how my toilets turned out. Thought it was too boring. the mosiac tiles really makes the toilet looks good.

The dining, stage, kitchen are all very nice too. The stage is a very interesting idea... did you think of it yourself?

Hi wind30, thanks for the kind comments on our loos. 2 of the loos are still work in progress. Will be adding hexagon mirrors in a random manner on the mosiac wall to make it more interesting. Will also be adding some decals on the kids bathroom door to make it fun and lively. Watch this space for photo updates, k?

We have a creative ID who could translate our needs and wants into reality. We wanted a music room where we could have jamming sessions and she turned it into a stage cum store room cum playroom. On the left side of the stage behind the curtains is a mini "store room" with shelves and space for tall and bulky things like ladder, extra chairs and foldable tables. On the right side behind the curtains are open shelves for toys and books. It is the best place for the kids to play cos it is carpeted and we can keep an eye on them when we are in the kitchen.

Edited October 18, 2010 by green giraffe

[Livinstyle 0]

Back rub sounds like a wonderful idea. But first will have to head down to the nurseries to get some mosquitoes repelling plants and maybe Venus fly trap cos am still trying to get used to living with nature, birds, bees and bugs. A true blue "concrete jungle" tortoise, never seen so many bugs, ants before and also never been "victimized" by so many mosquitoes before except when going to a resort. Hubby said it fits our theme to a T, bugs and all...

You can consider getting those electric mosquito & insect killer. There's also the outdoor solar version which can double up as garden light in the evenings. Will be good if your garden has ample sun (facing the west sun). For my case, i can only use it in the front and back as my side garden is shaded most of the time.

Can also try neem oil, easily available from nurseries. For 1 litre... mix 5-10 ml of neem oil, 1-2ml of insecticide soap or detergent & 1 litre of warm water.

Edited October 18, 2010 by Livinstyle

[wind30 2]

Hi wind30, thanks for the kind comments on our loos. 2 of the loos are still work in progress. Will be adding hexagon mirrors in a random manner on the mosiac wall to make it more interesting. Will also be adding some decals on the kids bathroom door to make it fun and lively. Watch this space for photo updates, k?

We have a creative ID who could translate our needs and wants into reality. We wanted a music room where we could have jamming sessions and she turned it into a stage cum store room cum playroom. On the left side of the stage behind the curtains is a mini "store room" with shelves and space for tall and bulky things like ladder, extra chairs and foldable tables. On the right side behind the curtains are open shelves for toys and books. It is the best place for the kids to play cos it is carpeted and we can keep an eye on them when we are in the kitchen.

we did not really got an ID. It was more like a ID/contractor. Maybe I cam so something to spice up my toilet walls. We just had the normal white tiles for the toilets.

I also like your frosted sliding doors for the master bedroom. I don't see any handles and it looks great.

Is your ovens bosch? Looks very similar to mine. We got one bosch conventional and one combination steam oven, although we don't bake at all. All we did is to turn them on every 2 months so that it does not spoil.... I guess my wife bought them as a deco piece.

We did real timber flooring and cracks are starting to show between the strips.... aiya, so troublesome....

Edited October 18, 2010 by wind30

[leechaorui 2]

We did real timber flooring and cracks are starting to show between the strips.... aiya, so troublesome....

You could get your contractor to sand, fill and re-seal the floor.

The reasons for cracks could be due to moisture or drying out of the wood. Get a dehumidfier to suck out the excess moisture in the room. I think this should help mitigate the problem.

Cheers!

[leechaorui 2]

Back rub sounds like a wonderful idea. But first will have to head down to the nurseries to get some mosquitoes repelling plants and maybe Venus fly trap cos am still trying to get used to living with nature, birds, bees and bugs. A true blue "concrete jungle" tortoise, never seen so many bugs, ants before and also never been "victimized" by so many mosquitoes before except when going to a resort. Hubby said it fits our theme to a T, bugs and all...

You can try introducing China lemon grass/ Citronella because this plant could repel mosquitoes.

On the other hand, many species of insects feed on heliconia leaves. Maggots, bacteria and protozoans make their homes in pools of water in Heliconia bracts too.

Hope this info is useful for you. Cheers!

[green giraffe 0]

Filling Spaces

The part that I enjoyed most in this entire renovation process is shopping for furniture. Its a joy to find the right piece of furniture that is comfortable, durable, aesthetically pleasing and reasonably priced to fit into a space. Most importantly the furniture must speak to you and feels right in the intended place. It is a time consuming process and it will always be a work in progress.

Living room. love the bird nest wall clock and recycled wood stools. Still looking for an arm chair and a standing lamp.

Staircase to 2nd floor. Twisted branch as hand rail. Door to Powder room on the left of staircase.

Edited October 18, 2010 by green giraffe

[green giraffe 0]

You can consider getting those electric mosquito & insect killer. There's also the outdoor solar version which can double up as garden light in the evenings. Will be good if your garden has ample sun (facing the west sun). For my case, i can only use it in the front and back as my side garden is shaded most of the time.

Can also try neem oil, easily available from nurseries. For 1 litre... mix 5-10 ml of neem oil, 1-2ml of insecticide soap or detergent & 1 litre of warm water.

Am using the electric mosquito and insect killer currently. Seems to work a little.

A stupid question.. what to do with the neem oil mixture? leave it around the house like essential oil or spray it at the mosquitoes?

[green giraffe 0]

we did not really got an ID. It was more like a ID/contractor. Maybe I cam so something to spice up my toilet walls. We just had the normal white tiles for the toilets.

I also like your frosted sliding doors for the master bedroom. I don't see any handles and it looks great.

Is your ovens bosch? Looks very similar to mine. We got one bosch conventional and one combination steam oven, although we don't bake at all. All we did is to turn them on every 2 months so that it does not spoil.... I guess my wife bought them as a deco piece.

We did real timber flooring and cracks are starting to show between the strips.... aiya, so troublesome....

The handleless frosted glass door looks good but it came with a lesson learnt on balancing aesthetics and safety/practicality especially when we have young children. Originally, there was a long translucent rubber stopper along the edge of the glass door but ID said to remove it and replace with round rubber studs on the top and bottom of the glass door. Before the rubber studs were fixed, our super strong 2 year old tried to close the sliding door and this was the result of aesthetics over safety. Thank God he was not hurt.

We have replaced the frosted glass door and now we have a short strip pf rubber stopper at the top and bottom of the door. So far its working fine and everybody in the house is more carefully when opening and closing doors.

Yes, we also have the Bosch oven and steam oven. In fact, its a Bosch kitchen. The fridge and dishwasher also from Bosch. I agree with your wife....they do look good and can double up as deco pieces but its such a waste cos the ovens are also very easy to use. We are learning to bake currently starting with Betty Crocker idiot proof pre-made mix and my 11 year old has become the oven expert in the house. Grilling chicken, fish, chicken wings etc is also a breeze. If it is still too daunting, can also call Bosch to send someone down to give you a demo.