Kobelala 8 Report post Posted March 23, 2011 BUT, what i've failed to do, is to consult on a suitable date to start renovation. My mum was like asking me, since I'm already seeking FS advice, why not get an auspicious date to start renovation? but i think it will be hard to convince my wife to "delay" the renovation... oh well... Bro Csingeu, so when is your reno going to start ? Next stop after Sis Mae29's place will most probably be yours or Boon Keng Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 23, 2011 My non fire rated main door is $700 and veneer door is $300. Maybe he is charging you cheaper for other things?? seems reasonable... the quote i've gotten from Alex is veneer room door with Formica laminate + lever lockset => $280 veneer solid main door with lever lockset => $680 likely to get him... My fire-rated solid wood with veneer main door (double leaf door) is $1,300, side door (single leaf like yours) is $900. As I didn't take the lever lock, they give a discount of $50. I would suggest you take those items out & anytime you want them back, you can consider as Variation Orders. Yes... will inform my contractor to take it out this sat, when I meet him for the aircon trunking... bro, IMM got this shop at the 3rd floor warehouse area that is a direct supplier doors (opposite of Woei-Lee where i got my retractable clothes hanger). their catalogue same as the one my contractor showed me according to Woei-Lee's boss, many contractors got their doors from them. you can drop by to take a look if you happen to be around IMM btw, from feedback by some forumers - SBH has more selection but less designer-type tiles. Hafary selection might be slightly smaller but more nicer tiles. for your info I'll go check out the door supplier, if I pop by IMM again... My contractor told me SBH is more expensive, as they mostly import their tiles (I think he said, they don't have their own factories locally, unlike White Horse...)... maybe i remembered wrongly... I think Hafary has quite a gd selection, but like st96 said, the warehouse at Tradehub 21 is a small one, not their main showroom. Just wondering if our fire insurance will cover our losses if we did not use fire rated main door ? *touch wood* i know that not all main door need to be fire rated. depends on how near you are to the lift, that's what i know from talking to few IDs. iirc, corridor units no need fire rated doors, those near the lift and staircase need.... but HDB rule says if you require one, you must have... i for one won't want to challenge "ah gong"'s rule.......... You mean, when we go sign with HDB, we also signed up for fire insurance liao ah? or fire insurance is compulsory. I only know fire rated main door is required if your unit (or main door) is near lift lobby or staircase landing... or within 3m of these areas... something like tat... OOps.... Ah Gong say better do... don't play play... Meaning I'll better change to a fire rated door cos I believe lift upgrading will make our unit close to the life My area; i think already considered lift-upgraded liao... the lifts are changed to the new 2-doors kind. and my lifts already stopping at each level; i'm not too sure if they are going to have more new lift shafts elsewhere... hmmmm lift upgrading makes your unit close to lift? hmmm your unit is door to door one? if door to door one, sure need fire-rated door. another way is, keep existing main door, just change lock set.... EM got door-to-door kind one meh? I thought either corridor, or corner, or walk-up kind only... yeah, if the existing main door is fire-rated, can re-stain/re-varnish and change lock set to save money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kobelala 8 Report post Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) EM got door-to-door kind one meh? I thought either corridor, or corner, or walk-up kind only... Bro Csingeu, not door to door, but after LUP, the new life will be very near to my main door ... Edited March 23, 2011 by Kobelala Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 23, 2011 oh yah need to buffer some extra time for rectifications...yours is considered major operation! wow 3D drawings??? cool! oh ya they need to go to the place to take actual measurements. carpentry is usually the last item. i dun mind seeking FS..but scared hv absurd requests like tilting the main door etc....hmm will discuss with partner if necessary to go for this. all these hv to b done b4 starting reno right? oh i think she is super excited to start the renovation. up to you. i've heard some pple gng into the new house after getting keys also hv to get 'auspicious' timing. LOL... hand-written "3d" perspectives... Yes... FS stuff should do b4 starting renovation; and in fact, if you're a believer, think even before buying the place, you should seek FS advice. Can try asking some friendly forummers here, who have special interest in FS, to share some advice with you lor... that's what i did... she's from super-enthu to super-sian le... unlike a lot of forummers who have started their sourcing long ago and have confirmed their IDs and went for a few design reviews and tile selection, they already started hacking right after 2nd appt... we started our "research" 2-3 months before our 2nd appt; and now, 1+ month after our 2nd appt, we only just confirmed our contractor... agreed with what some forummers have said; getting contractor might not be cheaper than getting IDs... and given a chance again, I think i might just take any of the forummers' recommendations, instead of going thru all the headache of sourcing myself... no matter how gd the reviews are, I guess it's up to individual homeowners to inspect, do QC, and demand quality workmanship and rectifications from the contractors/IDs... just like what most forummers are doing... hahahaha sometimes there are things that you can't think too much~ if for everything needs to find a date, you can't do a lot of things within schedule liao~ if you don't know a day is good or bad, you won't be worried about it~ That's what my wife thinks too... Bro Csingeu, so when is your reno going to start ? Next stop after Sis Mae29's place will most probably be yours or Boon Keng Eh... 4th April 2011 (Mon)... doesn't sound like a very gd date hor? hehehe... but ok la... i think mine will take quite long, instead of house-warming... maybe end-May or mid-June.... I'm expecting 8-10 weeks of work for my renovation... unless you are talking abt seeing work-in-progress la... which is like prob "warzone"... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 23, 2011 congrats on the commencement of your reno! can't wait to see the transformation! Thanks! I hope the transformation will turn out great too... *cross my fingers* do you have your own t-blog? any pics to share? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
May_dream1 14 Report post Posted March 23, 2011 seems reasonable... the quote i've gotten from Alex is veneer room door with Formica laminate + lever lockset => $280 veneer solid main door with lever lockset => $680 likely to get him... I'll go check out the door supplier, if I pop by IMM again... My contractor told me SBH is more expensive, as they mostly import their tiles (I think he said, they don't have their own factories locally, unlike White Horse...)... maybe i remembered wrongly... I think Hafary has quite a gd selection, but like st96 said, the warehouse at Tradehub 21 is a small one, not their main showroom. You mean, when we go sign with HDB, we also signed up for fire insurance liao ah? or fire insurance is compulsory. I only know fire rated main door is required if your unit (or main door) is near lift lobby or staircase landing... or within 3m of these areas... something like tat... Ya, i think my doors is ok price so i didn't go find another supplier. just let my contractor settle it for me. not sure whether SBH is more ex or not... anyway, my contractor let me choose up to $3.50psf so my living/kitchen/bedroom are the same, $3. for toilets, all are cheaper than that. i checked myhdbpage info for my flat, it shown that there is fire insurance for 5 years under Etiqa. my seller bought 5 years and at the moment, its only 2 years. so the flat have fire insurance for 3 more years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marshmallow 0 Report post Posted March 24, 2011 My contractor told me SBH is more expensive, as they mostly import their tiles (I think he said, they don't have their own factories locally, unlike White Horse...)... maybe i remembered wrongly... I think Hafary has quite a gd selection, but like st96 said, the warehouse at Tradehub 21 is a small one, not their main showroom. i got all my tiles from Hafary at Balestier. aiyo your house is in Jurong, but doesn't mean you have to get tiles in Jurong mah~ anyway, sis Mae's tiles are good rite? that should give you some confidence in getting from White Horse? You mean, when we go sign with HDB, we also signed up for fire insurance liao ah? or fire insurance is compulsory. I only know fire rated main door is required if your unit (or main door) is near lift lobby or staircase landing... or within 3m of these areas... something like tat... fire insurance is compulsory leh. normally on 2nd appointment day, buyer will go and check the status of fire insurance in HDB hub... got one small booth there, they will tell you when is the insurance coverage expiring. if so happens that your seller's existing fire insurance package hasn't lapsed, you can only renew when the current coverage expires EM got door-to-door kind one meh? I thought either corridor, or corner, or walk-up kind only... yeah, if the existing main door is fire-rated, can re-stain/re-varnish and change lock set to save money. Bro Csingeu, not door to door, but after LUP, the new life will be very near to my main door ... oh i dunno much about EM... so just trying to understand what bro Kobelala said cos if new lift is gonna be near his unit, then most likely his unit is near a staircase now, rite? so anyhow will need a fire rated door, whether got lift or not~ yea fire-rated door costs a bomb. i also gave up the idea of changing it, just re-vanished and it looks as good as new Eh... 4th April 2011 (Mon)... doesn't sound like a very gd date hor? hehehe... but ok la... 4 April no good meh? it's Children's Day in HK... LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joyousonline 0 Report post Posted March 24, 2011 LOL... hand-written "3d" perspectives... Yes... FS stuff should do b4 starting renovation; and in fact, if you're a believer, think even before buying the place, you should seek FS advice. Can try asking some friendly forummers here, who have special interest in FS, to share some advice with you lor... that's what i did... she's from super-enthu to super-sian le... unlike a lot of forummers who have started their sourcing long ago and have confirmed their IDs and went for a few design reviews and tile selection, they already started hacking right after 2nd appt... we started our "research" 2-3 months before our 2nd appt; and now, 1+ month after our 2nd appt, we only just confirmed our contractor... agreed with what some forummers have said; getting contractor might not be cheaper than getting IDs... and given a chance again, I think i might just take any of the forummers' recommendations, instead of going thru all the headache of sourcing myself... no matter how gd the reviews are, I guess it's up to individual homeowners to inspect, do QC, and demand quality workmanship and rectifications from the contractors/IDs... just like what most forummers are doing... haha no choice as i dunno how to use floor planner...tried but cant get it right! so just blanko it and use free hand!! ha i know. some pple brought FSM to see the place b4 they even buy the place! haha but then how to??? really time consuming leh. the reno process is siong and sian..try to cheer her up and look forward to the new house makeover!! then she will be happy!! i also not yet confirmed my IDs yet. heeee. will start meeting up the ID or contractors soon! but my reno not so extensive so should be quite ok since i did not change the staircase, railings, marble flooring..just carpentry, toilets, rooms, rewiring and painting etc. i've shortlisted some IDs from what forummers intro through their reno process..but yet to contact any. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 Quick Updates! Electrical Appliances Impulsive Purchases (from Kong Tai) - Part 1/2: Click on the title of the items to read the specs Hitachi Fridge R-Z582EMSX - $900 Hitachi Washer SF-95KJS - $580 Ariston Water Heater Ti Plus 30L - $240 KDK Stand Fan with remote M40KS - 2 x $180 ($360) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 Quick Updates! Electrical Appliances Impulsive Purchases (from Kong Tai) - Part 2/2: Click on the title of the items to read the specs Rinnai Range Hood RH-995CT Rinnai 2 Burner Built-in Hob Rinnai Hood + Hob package = $1080 Bosch Oven HBN 331E2J - $640 Panasonic Microwave NN-SM330 - $99 Total damages (incl discounts): $3860 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
May_dream1 14 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 That's good.... at least you bought most of the electricals that you needed. Happy?? few things less to buy now.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 Kitchen Design Finally, i have some 3D perspectives! (but I've left the others in my contractor's office... argh....) Missing from this kitchen design is the placement of the hood. And I'm wondering whether to have some top cabinet on the left and right of the hood, coz I have the glass backing and i think it looks strange if there's just a glass backing with a hood on the other side of the wall; may somehow seems incomplete... hmmm... The top cabinet laminate will be white (or more specifically, glossy piano white) The bottom cabinet laminate will be some maple wood laminate, and we have decided to change from granite (black galaxy) to LG Hi-mac solid surface (iceberg) The grey color is what we have selected for the kitchen floor tiles. It looks lighter in real, but somehow looks darker in the pic. Anyway, likely to change, as we prefer slightly matt feel... this one is more "textured"... This is what we have selected for the kitchen wall tiles. glossy white with some running tone (looks like marble-ish); not sure if it's ok... and hence we chose a slightly greyish floor tiles... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 Level 1 Wash Area Nothing special. Wall tiles likely to be continuation of the kitchen wall tiles, but the floor tiles will be darker grey. Balcony Since we are not getting any wood decking (at least for now), we were considering wood-like tiles... but so far, the "reviews" were not very positive. hence we decided to just go ahead with some rough textured outdoor-ish tiles... slightly on the brown side... to match the wooden multi-fohld balcony doors... might change to similar to wash area floor tiles... see how la... MBR & Common Bathrooms This is where the misunderstanding comes in... I wanted a more seamless look from the floor tiles to the wall tiles, to make the area (which is quite small) look bigger. Wife wanted a darker look (esp after visiting some renotalk members' places, which featured a darker theme for the bathroom). Hence she chose the following tiles, and i wanted it to be seamless... Looking back now, we think it might not be a wise decision, as darker theme tends to make the whole area looks "smaller" and somewhat less inviting. Those bathrooms, with dark themes and looks gd, are usually quite spacious, and have very gd use of layers of lighting to create space and shadows. hence, it might not be too practical for our bathrooms (which is not very big).... We wanted a slightly different look (aka feature wall) for the shower area, and have chosen the following wall tiles to match the darker theme... The general comments abt these kind of wall tiles are that it is difficult to clean and maintain. We are likely to go back to re-select the tiles for our bathrooms for a lighter (and safer) theme... something like this: Glossier wall tiles (slightly beige-y) and matching floor tiles... and similar feature wall (the niagara series), but a lighter shade... hmmm... choosing tiles is really very difficult... these are the times, i feel having a ID definitely has its advantages... ... oh well... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
csingeu 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 Living, Dining, Utility Rooms We'll be using really boring glossy white 60x60 homogeneous tiles... but somehow, the colour we picked didn't look that fantastic when we took the sample home to see again... hmmm.... I think we would like it to be a little more whitish and glossier... hmmm... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
May_dream1 14 Report post Posted March 26, 2011 choosing tiles is really very difficult... these are the times, i feel having a ID definitely has its advantages... ... oh well... Yup, choosing tiles are not easy... but at least you have the samples to bring home to think abt it. it took me 2 weeks to choose some of those i took samples but then i still not satisfied. Went to choose again and again.... in the end, went 3 times to take samples and choose. Even bring the tiles to shop for lightings.... hahahah.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
