Sims Drive 5i

[steelze 0]

Day 02 and 03 - Hacking (Part II)

Not much to share about during these hacking phase. The house was too dark to take any photos as i always drop by after 8pm. Yesterday night i saw all the hacking work was completed. Sand and tiles were also delivered to the flat for Day04 Tiling work.

Variation Order

My ID prepares a variation order for me to confirm whenever i decide to make changes to my initial reno task lists.

So far, the variations are:

1. Wardrobe @ master room

We decided to change the location of the 8ft casement wardrobe from outside the bathroom area to a 7ft sliding wardrobe beside my bed. I was quite shocked to see the sliding wardrobe was $1855, as compared to the 8ft casement wardrobe of $1520. The break down is $220/ft, plus a ALUMIX sliding door system ($315). Not sure about this ALUMIX thingy so i did some research.

Apparently, it's a recommended wardrobe mechanism in the market. I even called up the sole distributor (Zhaplin Work Pte Ltd). I asked the salesperson to quote me the 2 panel sliding doors for my 7ft wardrobe. He said $790. WTF!? I asked if i only want the sliding mechanism and will ask my carpenter to install for me. He said they don't sell like this. Hmmm... Puzzled. i dunno how my ID came out with this $315 figure. Just hope that i am paying this crazy $$$ for a worthy mechanism.

Anyone using this ALUMIX for their sliding wardrobe currently? Please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Sidetrack: I saw from this website (www.closetdesign.com.sg) quite a few samples of wardrobe internal design. These drawings will be very handy when we meet our carpenter on 20-Dec-10.

Cost: Add $335

2. Locking latch for kitchen glass swing door

ID told me that if I dun install this locking latch, my glass swing door will swing freely when been pushed. This is be dangerous for my child next time. Not sure about this thingy seriously, but I hope it does the job for the $$$ paid.

Cost: Add $60

So far, I have been very calculative over every single line items in my quote. Not sure if you guys are like this too. As and when I found cheaper sources, I will ask my ID to match. If not, I will tell him to remove from his quote and I self source.

Things that I have self-sourced so far:

1. Windows,

2. Doors,

3. Glass panel for master bathroom; and

4. Gate.

Every time I told him that, he sianz ½. But so far, he has been very accommodating and giving in. Appreciate that. Until yesterday he emailed me saying that I have squeezed him too dry. Hehehe. But I told him from the very start, we very low budget one. But I decided to give in a bit. If not, I worried that he will anyhow do my house. So, no choice bah. I guess this type of expensive coffee $$$ cannot save de. T.T

Edited December 7, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Day 04 - Masonry work

ID called me few times today to confirm the dimensions of my kitchen applicances. Also brought me the bad news that both my bathrooms cannot do drop-down at the shower areas. Instead, we will do shower kerb.

I have yet to see the progress of the wall erecting and tiling work. Can't wait to see our nice nice tiles lay sui sui in the living room. =)

Edited December 7, 2010 by steelze

[gimz63251073 0]

Hihi,

hope everything goes on smoothly...

my skeptical comments (as usual )

Wardrobe

- im using some branded sliding door wardrobe in my parent's house. More than $2k for 5ft plus of wardrobe. One panel is a full mirror. Pole system inside.

- rollers start to crack and drop off one by one for the mirror panel as i pull and push many times daily. Its probably about 6 years old and is no longer as smooth.

- so no matter how branded, rollers holding weight of the door will give way someday. Not sure if 6 years is good enough for u?

Shower kerb

I assume u are doing swing door for your shower screen? Pls ignore the following if u are doing sliding.

a tiled shower kerb has grout lines, hence water will still slip through the grout lines. So inevitably, your dry area will not be totally dry. I put the big green army towel, roll it up like a poh piang and put it there to keep the dry area dry. (we quite anal about this..)

ID

- outsourcing too much = ID earn little. U gotta check if he will coordinate for u. If not u gotta take leave to be there physically to ensure works are done properly and workers don't spoil ur stuff.

- Many grey areas, like if ur sub con damage ur laminates, ID will not rectify for u.

- but i guess if u are doing carpentry thru ur ID, he should not complain too much!

Edited December 3, 2010 by gimz63251073

[steelze 0]

wow... 6 years is ok lah.

yea. when i told him doors and windows i find other contacts, he immediately said he wont supervise them. yea, i will take leave on those occasions. no choice.

the carpentry i scare to outsource. cause most of carpentry work is from flooring to my false ceiling. i scare outside carpenters spoil it and no one will claim their fault. so i L L let my ID do my carpentry. Buuuuutttt, i still keep the option open for my TV console and feature wall @ living room. Thinking of inviting your recommended Ah Fatt over to my place next week once the tiles, electrical and ceiling work are done up. hope he can quote lower than my ID quote ($1800+ for a 8ft by 6ft feature wall c/w tv console). vomit blood here~

[steelze 0]

Day 05 - Masonry Work

Tiling work is currently in progress. There were more than 6 workers working on site today (Saturday) from 9am till 5pm. Everyone assigned with each area.

Glad to see my layout and rooms getting slowly into shape. Study room half built up with hollow block. Same for storeroom. The most anticipating area is my master bathroom as we did some special design to the wall. =)

Air con team came down to dismantle the old unit as well. 2 thin fellows, but **** strong. I saw them carried the compressor by stairs (3 floors) to their van like no kick.

Some tiling photos to share:

Living room view - All the tiles and sand uploaded for use

Kitchen view

Small and cosy studyroom /maid room /utility room (still dunno what to use for this room )

Worker slowly building up the wall with hollow blocks.

Edited December 7, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Day 05 - Masonry (cont.)

Masterbed room

Compressor removed.

Master bathroom

False wall taking shape. Trying to use false wall and tiles to create shower racks.

Kitchen wall tiles up

Glad to see that they tiled up the entire wall with tiles. Never cheat me by omitting areas behind top n bottom cabinets. Good job!

Store room

Edited December 7, 2010 by steelze

[steelze 0]

Day 05 - Shopping with ID

Wanna say a thank you to my ID if he is reading this. Spent whole afternoon with us shopping from Balestier to Geyland. We settled almost (90%) of the required items. These are the hoots:

1st stop - T.A.P.Z Gallery (@ Balestier road)

Our reno package with my ID entitled to some shopping vouchers at the T.A.P.Z Gallery. We decided to use the vouchers on toliet accessories. Had a feeling that the prices sure higher than Poh Joo, Universeal Union and GR Link. True enough, thing selling at $8 at the formers can become $20 here. But since free vouchers, we just whack lor.

We bought a kitchen sink tap, shower set, mixer and a sink tap for common bathroomand designer sink waste X2. Still gotta top up another $50 cause vouchers not enough.

My master bathroom shower set, mixer and sink mixer all whacked Grohe products during the last warehouse sales. Total damage was $600, but they were really good buy.

2nd stop - Universal Union (@ Paya Lebar)

Called up Steve before we went down. Glad that chap still remembers me. We purhcased:

1. Baron WC and Sink @ package price of $199 for common bathroom

2. Magnum WC and Sink @ package price of $288 for master bathroom

3. Rubine kitchen sink

Steve managed to lower his prices to match Poh Joo prices for us. Thanks buddy.

You guy can look for him if u going UU.

3rd stop - *spam (@ AMK)

We went directly to Richard office and talked for 1 hour. That uncle really knows his stuff well. We asked him for recommendations for most of our electrical applicances. In the end, we spent $3500+ on the following hoots:

1. Toshiba fridge (GR-R66SDA3) - $985

2. Elba w/m (7kg) and dryer (6kg) - $599 + $379

3. KDK fan (A11YS) x3 @ $159 each

4. Champs storage heater (25L) - $195

5. Rinna hoob, hod and oven - $900

Tmr sunday. dunno if workers will be there or not. haha.

Neighbour's dog

Side track a bit. My neighbour who is corridor unit has a big dog. dunno what breed, cause i'm not into dog. Everytime we want to walk to our door, we will have to pass through his door. And his dog always like to bark at us out of sudden. I get very stressed out cause i hate been frightened like this all the time. Especially next time when i carry my baby boy with me. Is there anything i can do to resolve this? I havent spoken to the neighbour yet. Any advice?

Edited December 7, 2010 by steelze

[rainforest 0]

Day 05 - Shopping with ID (part II)

Wanna say a thank you to my ID if he is reading this. Spent whole afternoon with us shopping from Balestier to Geyland. We settled almost (90%) of the required items. These are the hoots:

Neighbour's dog

Side track a bit. My neighbour who is corridor unit has a big dog. dunno what breed, cause i'm not into dog. Everytime we want to walk to our door, we will have to pass through his door. And his dog always like to bark at us out of sudden. I get very stressed out cause i hate been frightened like this all the time. Especially next time when i carry my baby boy with me. Is there anything i can do to resolve this? I havent spoken to the neighbour yet. Any advice?

Halo,

It's time to get to know your neighbour (and their doggy).. Stop by and introduce yourself and your folks.. Their doggy will get to meet you too, then once the doggy is familiar with you & family by scent ( may take a few visits) , it will only wag its tail each time you pass, no bark.

Also, it can help jagga your house for you too since yours is a corrdor end unit.. it's good to have good neighbours if you are one yourself..

Better to have a good neighbour with doggy, than to have one with roudy & doddgy, creepy habits. Your call.

Edited December 5, 2010 by rainforest

[raylimkk 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.

Hi Steelze, can PM me ur ID contact? Thks

[steelze 0]

Hi Steelze, can PM me ur ID contact? Thks

Yea, PMed you. good luck!

[ossify 1]

bro, you can check out Besglas or Sun Sun Glass. can see my tblog for my review on them.

btw, about your shower areas that cannot do drop down and have to do kerb instead, did your ID charge you for the kerb?

Edited December 6, 2010 by ossify

[steelze 0]

bro, you can check out Besglas or Sun Sun Glass. can see my tblog for my review on them.

btw, about your shower areas that cannot do drop down and have to do kerb instead, did your ID charge you for the kerb?

Hi bro, thanks for the advice. always so prompt and useful

yea, will check out on the glass companies. My ID doing FOC for me either the kerb or drop-down. So, no difference. keke. Second look at my toilet, i am not very confident that i can do the way layout as thattrader's toilet. after putting aside 800mm the shower area, i am left with like less than 550mm to the WC. Unless i will get a 500mm sink and fabricate a vanity for it. ID charging $100/ft. Think it is reasonable than buying a off-the-shelf sink cabinet that cost $700. hope it fits well.

[steelze 0]

Hi peers. For those of you who have been asking me for my ID's contact and quotation, pls understand that i can only share the contact.

It is not convenient for me to share my quotation as my reno is still ongoing and things can get complicated if people start asking him for the quotes that he gave me. Such things are relatively confidential especially on discounts and FOC stuff.

As u can see, i have been sourcing for IDs /contractors for almost 2 months. I have seen, reviewed and compared close to 20 quotations. I am very anal over small details to ensure no hidden costs. So, if Eric from SDS can meet my requirement, i dun think it's hard to think if his quote is good right?

But again, this is subjective. I have requested quotations from for some of the highly recommended IDs /contractors by renotalk peers. Their reverted quotations still scared the shyt out of me. I guess chemistry btw u and the ID can be a key factor too. If u can click with your ID /contractor, most of them (not mine only) will give u discounts or FOC items. Reason that i am pointing out this is because if you compare ID firms /contractors, Summit Design Studio may not be the cheapest. But it's the ID who makes the quote special at the end of the day. tt's my opinion.

630pm knock off time! can't wait to go and see the progress of my tiling wor later!!!

Edited December 6, 2010 by steelze

[gimz63251073 0]

Hi peers, for those who have been asking me for ID's contact and quote, i can only share the contact.

Because currently still not convenient to send you my quote as my reno is still ongoing and things can get complicated if other people starting asking him for the price that he gave me. Such things are relatively confidential especially on discounts and FOC stuff.

But as u can see, i have been sourcing for IDs /contractors for almost 2 months. I have seen, reviewed and compared close to 20 quotations. As an auditor, i am very anal over small details to ensure no hidden costs. So, if Eric from SDS can meet my requirement, i dun think it's hard to think if his quote is good right?

But again, this is subjective. I have request quote from contractors highly recommended by renotalk peers. Their reverted quotes still scared the **** out of me. I guess chemistry btw u and the ID can be a key factor too. If u can click with your ID /contractor, most of them (not mine only) will give u discounts or FOC items. Reason that i am pointing out this is because if you compare ID firms /contractors, Summit Design Studio may not be the cheapest. But it's the ID who makes the quote special at the end of the day. tt's my opinion.

10 mins to 630pm knock off time! can't wait to go and see the progress of my tiling wor later!!!

hmm...u mean people still ask u for contact even when u put it at your signature? haha...

frankly, i would selflessly share contacts with anyone. ID are all salesman who know how to smooth talk, if they can offer u at $X, they can offer anyone at $X, its just whether they want to or not. One example, a friend of mine works at those mega electronics store (think Best, Harvey norman, etc). Their salesman are all given a base price to sell the product, which is a significant discount from the listed price, meaning they can give anyone a low price but giving everyone a low price would eat into their sales revenue.

having a spouse who comes from a sales background also gave me great insights on how sales are done...

besides, i have benefitted from contacts given to me, if not who would know where to get good deals? So why hesitate in sharing?

[steelze 0]

Day 06 - Masonry (PArt 3)

Big progress for masonry work for Day 06. All hollow block walls for storeroom (14ft), studyroom (12ft) and kitchen (8ft) were completed. Wall tiles for both bathrooms and whole kitchen were done up too. Left only the waterproof membrance and floor tiles for kitchen, both bathrooms, storeroom and foyer.

Apology that i don't have any photos to share because the place was too dark yesterday night when i went there.

I also noted that all my bedrooms floor tiles which will be overlayed with Pergo Family laminate flooring are super muddy and dirty. Hairline cracks are more visible than before. I'm quite worried that this will affect my laminate flooring overlay quality. I hope the workers will clean up the floor tiles prior the overlaying.

Day 07 - Masonry (Part 4) + Windows installation

Masonry work continues to its 4th day. At the same time, Alex's team will come in to install the WPC casement and sliding windows for the whole house, including the bathrooms windows.

Edited December 7, 2010 by steelze