Sims Drive 5i

[gimz63251073 0]

After having my mother-in-law and mother coming over to my rented place to stay and baby-sit my baby boy, i have decided that i need one VERY important thing in my new house.

MORE ROOMS!!!!

I have called the IDs and contractors to re-design my floorplan. Thrash the idea of big mastrbd room. I want 4 rooms now. But the problem lies here. How may i going to squeeze things into my masterbd room with the new layout...

I have seen Thattrader's thread and visited his place last weekend with Ossify. He did a very good layout plan for his 5i unit. Will try to emulate his ideas into mine.

Good news. My property agent just told me that the owner is moving out on 16-Nov-10. That means i can start my reno earlier!!! woohooo!

Haha, the plans for reno will keep changing, even during the reno process...

if u have the budget, u might want to google for murphy beds or hidden wall beds.

[steelze 0]

ADVICE Needed:

I am thinking of overlaying laminate flooring for all my 4 bedrooms. But continue to hack existing homogenous tiles in living /dining area and lay new homogenous tiles.

Couple of IDs said no problem on that. Just that the bedrooms flooring will be slightly higher than living /dining room. They will make a slope at connecting portion at the door frame area, so that we wont feel /kick the kerb.

But there is one ID who strongly object this arrangment. He suggested overlaying homogenous tiles over the existing homegenous tiles as well. So that the whole unit flooring will be the same.

So guys, what do you think?

[donal5 0]

Hi Steelze, I just purchased a 5i similar to your floorplan in Yishun. I am looking also on how to do the reno as the room right in front of the main door is making the living room size kind of hard to play around. But, hey... from the pictures you have shared, it seems to me like this is not too bad. Thanks for sharing, I appreciate that.

I am also having similar budget as you, do you mind sharing with me the ID? When you mentioned budget of 35k? Does that include the hacking of the wall and the floor? I guess when you change the shape of the study room you mentioned above, it will require hacking the wall and the floor.

The house I am getting still have 4 bedrooms intact. So, I am just worried my budget wont be enough if it includes hacking of the floor.

Thanks a lot. By the way, congratulations for your baby and getting a house.

[steelze 0]

hi donal5, congrats to you!

i have to say, till now, i haven't have a confirmed ID in mind. my previous owner moved out earlier than my expectation. tt's why my reno research still in progress.

but currently i have a couple of quotes which will cost ard $40k to $45k (include electric work, windows and doors). Each of these IDs have their strengths and weaknesses.

Pricing wise, they are very competitive. I am still evaluating among them in terms of service (willingness to FOC or give discounts), workmanship and knowledge. Will PM u their contacts only, as quotes are pretty confidential. =) But you can say referred by me, hopefully they can based on my quote to quote you as well.

Hopefully by end of this week, i can confirm with an ID and proceed my actual reno work. Tired of this researching and sourcing stage.

[Whitesim 0]

Hi Steelze, can PM me contact? TQ

[steelze 0]

Hi Steelze, can PM me contact? TQ

PMed you. all the best!

[donal5 0]

Hi Steelze, thanks a lot. I will try to get a quote from them. I kind of think $35k may not be possible, but hopefully can get anything as low as possible.

I appreciate your help Hopefully you can get it finalized soon. All the best to you.

Darwin

[steelze 0]

Finally, i have confirmed my reno with an ID firm, Summit Design Studio (Eric Lim). Reno work will commence on 29-Nov-10 (next Monday). ID promised to end everything by mid January 2011 (approx 6weeks). I doubt so, seeing the scale of my reno work. pray hard here.

My eventual layout was back to the very standard HDB layout. As i need rooms, i guess this layout is the most condusive.

Total reno costs abt 42k, inclusive of new windows for whole house and electrical work. It still exceeded my initial budgeted of 35k. But after months of searching, i guess it is relatively impossible to squeeze in my 35k budget.

So now, i am hoping everything will go sui sui and dun cock up. Tt's the true phase of reno nightmare which most of us are feared of.

PS: You guys can ask me for the id and his contact. But pls dun ask me to send my quotation as it is quite confidential. Because it involves few discounted items and FOC stuffs. Hence, quite personalised.

Edited November 23, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Some photos of the current condition. Last look before the BIG transformation begins!

Master Toilet #1

Master Toilet #2

Abit small to squeeze in shower screen, vanity and a sink. But we will try.

Common Toilet #1

Common Toilet #2

Masterbed room #1

Dunno why previous owner likes such a strong colouring.

Edited November 23, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Masterbed Room #2

Masterbed Room #3

Bedroom 3 #1

Mooooooo~ wall painting.

Bedroom 3 #2

Bedroom 2 #1

Edited November 23, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Bedroom 2 #2

Hairline crack on the existing tiles. But ID said can still do overaly.

Anyone did that before?

Living /Dining Room #1

Study Room #1

Currently non existing yet. Will re-erect wall back for the study room.

Kitchen #1

Kitchen #2

Edited November 23, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Kitchen #2

Living /Dining room #2

Living /Dining room #3

Living /Dining room #4

Balcony /foyer #1

Edited November 23, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Hi Steelze, thanks a lot. I will try to get a quote from them. I kind of think $35k may not be possible, but hopefully can get anything as low as possible.

I appreciate your help Hopefully you can get it finalized soon. All the best to you.

Hi donal5, if your existing condition already has the study room and storeroom, you wont have to pay to re-erect the wall like my case. Purely doing these items plus the kitchen wall cost me abt 2k. So, i presume this will be your cost saving of 2k. I feel that if you have lesser carpentry and ceiling work than mine, 35k is not a problem at all. In fact, I think that it can still go lower to 33k.

I faced problem with my ceiling as it is rockstone effect. Therefore, i am paying a bomb in ceiling plastering, base coating and false ceiling to beautify it. Hugh damage here.

My topic on Rockstone Ceiling

Where is your place anyway? Can share us your floor plan. Interesting to see someone with a similar floor plan. =)

Edited November 23, 2010 by steelze

[donal5 0]

Hi Steelze, looking at your new photos, it seems like the condition of the house I am getting is still better than yours.

Here is my floorplan (Yishun ring road)

My house is simple, intact with 4 bedrooms but the balcony has been combined with the living room. Kitchen and the 2 bathrooms need redo, as it is quite old.

I am still debating whether to knock down the wall to make the master bedroom bigger or not. Looking at your new designed fp, looks like it can fit into the

small master bedroom, but again, to me it is still on paper. I am not to convinced yet.

The tiles in the living room and the bedrooms are still good (no crack) and well maintained, just that it is old tiles (smaller piece, not homogenous). I am still thinking if I should change or not. But I will go back to tiles, I dont like wood floor.

Again this also somehow tie with whether to knock down the wall or not.

Ceiling wise, regular one, maybe need some touch ups.

I guess now the main things for me are:

- electrical wiring and plumbing

- redo 2 bathrooms

- redo kitchen, including taking down all the wall tiles (they are too old, from the first owner) and cabinets

I guess this is kind of long... hahaha... dun want to put too much in your thread... Later I will do my own, as I just got the conf for first app.

Maybe go look around this weekend...

[steelze 0]

Hi Steelze, looking at your new photos, it seems like the condition of the house I am getting is still better than yours.

Here is my floorplan (Yishun ring road) ......

......I guess this is kind of long... hahaha... dun want to put too much in your thread... Later I will do my own, as I just got the conf for first app.

Maybe go look around this weekend...

hi donal5, wow we have indeed a very similar layout. But your bathrooms are so much BETTER in layout than mine. My WCs are stupidly positioned at the centre of the bathroom. This leaves me with little room for vanity and shower screen. =(

your rubbish chute is also at the corner. Good for you. At least you can play around with a very big kitchen space.

good layout you have there. should not be tough to do space planning. =)

Edited November 28, 2010 by steelze