The Best Journey Always Leads Us Home

[May_dream1 14]

nope, but i remembered the story when she posted some time last year....

yea now some contractors get 3rd party to do 3D... as "value added services"

oh i see.... was not on this forum last year. Hehehehe....

[Ely1 0]

wow!! then how you know how much will be your total cost of reno?? what if keep on adding till over 100k?

I totally understand your concerns. As well as Froggy's and El Loco's very valid concerns. I trust, however, that the ID is quite honest - he tells us upfront if something we're now suggesting is going to be additional, and then we agree/disagree on the addition. Because we started out without a solid design, it's hard NOT to make changes as we see more space planning solutions after everything is hacked. How this works also positively for us is that if we realise something is no longer needed, the funds would be redirected to something else. I definitely don't have the budget for it to get anywhere near 100k!! Even the purchases for the house are killing us. The only problem is that he sometimes "forgets" what he said is included, and we made the dire mistake of not reiterating our discussions on email. However, when we do remind him of what was promised, he would usually relent. He has also been really helpful in trying to save costs.

The wardrobe is a huge portion of the cost as it's quite big - about 8 doors...

[Ely1 0]

very big house!!

you were so stressed that time with the HDB rule, but what you've gotten now is way better than HDB, and get to keep the house for your brother it's a blessing in disguise ya~

you engaged an ID or contractor? if contractor, then most of them don't give 3D drawings....

WOW Marshmallow, you sure have an excellent memory! Yes, that was me some months back, and I regret not hounding ID firms earlier. We kept thinking we had a lot of time, but now find everyday so stressful from the purchases we have to make. Then there's my wedding too omg, even more stressed! Haha - perpetually stressed!

It's an ID we engaged.

[May_dream1 14]

You can tell us your ID?? Hehe... Seem nice enough...

8 doors = feet?? I realized a door can be misleading cos some are 450, 500, 550 or even 600mm.

[Ely1 0]

You can tell us your ID?? Hehe... Seem nice enough...

8 doors = feet?? I realized a door can be misleading cos some are 450, 500, 550 or even 600mm.

True, doors are misleading - it's about 28ft altogether, including my shoes (I like my shoes with my clothes so I can make sure they match!).

Not sure if I should disclose ID - he may prefer his privacy, but he's from I**** H****.

[May_dream1 14]

True, doors are misleading - it's about 28ft altogether, including my shoes (I like my shoes with my clothes so I can make sure they match!).

Not sure if I should disclose ID - he may prefer his privacy, but he's from I**** H****.

wah!!! that is super big!!! at least now i can tell people my wardrobe is not as big as yours!!! hehehe.....

My shoes cabinet is only 8ft and its not floor to ceiling.... just half height.

no wonder your wardrobe costs so much..... but its all worth it!! must take photos to show us, ya??

[Ely1 0]

wah!!! that is super big!!! at least now i can tell people my wardrobe is not as big as yours!!! hehehe.....

My shoes cabinet is only 8ft and its not floor to ceiling.... just half height.

no wonder your wardrobe costs so much..... but its all worth it!! must take photos to show us, ya??

LOL! I think I have a hoarding habit - still wearing clothes when I was 18! The wardrobe also includes my husband's stuff though, even though I'm now persuading him to use the 2-door wardrobe in the other room as his personal own...

My shoe cabinet is also 8ft but made in a U-shape so can store more keke!

[lazybum9 1]

Hi May,

Thanks for the warm welcome! It's 1,527sqft - but the apartments are so old, they don't have proper floorplans so we had to measure everything ourselves. Here's the best we could do:

very spacious man...and very cute animals u have there...

[jaskel 2]

Had some astronomical quotations but went with the ID we felt gave us a fair price. Checked your t-blog, and it's lower than what you were quoted (>50k).

What I'm obsessed about finding out is those LED sensor illuminated mirrors! Where to find!

Sim Ave

[green giraffe 0]

Water wall feature:

So, does anyone know if it's easier to purchase from a landscaping company or easier to contruct? I'd like a water wall feature in my balcony, with a letterbox type containment, some uplights - simple. Something like this, but half the size:

Its cheaper to get your contractor to construct than to get landscape co to build one for you. We went down to the landscape companies along Upp Thomson road to check out the designs and mechanism. Luckily our contractor was familiar with the construction of the water feature. We just have to buy the pump, spotlights and a tap. We added fishes and plants later on. However we are facing the problem of algea on the feature wall. Scrapping algea off the wall is our latest bonding activity for the entire family.

[BlueFly 0]

Gosh, you "old" place in fact looks nice, some parts are beautiful and well-done! Please take more photos before the tearing down begins.

One thought though - have you really researched thoroughly to locate a good ID? One who sees the potential of yr flat "as is" and suggests making improvements as an alternative to tearing down the entire flat, implied in yr 50k budget? Most IDs will tear down - it is much easier for them and higher profit too. Saving money for you is not on their agenda.

A good and sincere ID may suggest the "preservation-with-improvement-route" to save you $$$, 50k is a lot of dough. The money saved could go into "investment" furniture pieces or a nice HT system. If you're worried the old may not mesh with the new - well, it depends on the design & ID. My brother's marble flooring was already nicely done when he bought his resale flat, so he decided against re-doing the floor. That saved him quite a bundle. After reno was completed everything looked as if the entire flat had undergone a fresh reno.

Second, if you plan to install new "built-in" appliances be aware some built-in's may impact the design. When you realize that later and request changes - esp after work has started - the ID / contractor will use that to hike costs. That's how we end up with cost over-runs and blown budgets. One example is the cooker hood. Another wld be location of electrical power points, etc. Yet another wld be the mw oven, etc., etc. This forum is replete with posts by forumers on their reno mistakes and experiences. Will serve you well to read them.

Finally - Congrats ! Look fwd to seeing the gradual unfolding of your lovely nest!

Bluefly akak GrenCoal

[Ely1 0]

Its cheaper to get your contractor to construct than to get landscape co to build one for you. We went down to the landscape companies along Upp Thomson road to check out the designs and mechanism. Luckily our contractor was familiar with the construction of the water feature. We just have to buy the pump, spotlights and a tap. We added fishes and plants later on. However we are facing the problem of algea on the feature wall. Scrapping algea off the wall is our latest bonding activity for the entire family.

Hi Green Giraffe,

Thanks for stopping by!

Good to know it's easier to construct, but the ID has no idea how and he would be trial-and-testing should we ask him to do it. I'm doing away with the plants and fish since I think they're all going to die on me... Best to stick with the hardy succulents imo! This is the "intended" look:

-Ely

[Ely1 0]

very spacious man...and very cute animals u have there...

LOL Thanks lazybum,

I felt it imperative to add the icons haha! Here they are in real life:

Actually, a lot of the design was incorporated to accommodate safety measures for the cat (making sure he doesn't jump out from the balcony etc). It's a little tedious but well worth it in the long run Will DIY most of the features with Ikea stuff, inspired by:

--cont'd

[Ely1 0]

Some stuff I'm hunting for the pets

Edited March 5, 2011 by Ely1

[Ely1 0]

Gosh, you "old" place in fact looks nice, some parts are beautiful and well-done! Please take more photos before the tearing down begins.

One thought though - have you really researched thoroughly to locate a good ID? One who sees the potential of yr flat "as is" and suggests making improvements as an alternative to tearing down the entire flat, implied in yr 50k budget? Most IDs will tear down - it is much easier for them and higher profit too. Saving money for you is not on their agenda.

A good and sincere ID may suggest the "preservation-with-improvement-route" to save you $$$, 50k is a lot of dough. The money saved could go into "investment" furniture pieces or a nice HT system. If you're worried the old may not mesh with the new - well, it depends on the design & ID. My brother's marble flooring was already nicely done when he bought his resale flat, so he decided against re-doing the floor. That saved him quite a bundle. After reno was completed everything looked as if the entire flat had undergone a fresh reno.

Second, if you plan to install new "built-in" appliances be aware some built-in's may impact the design. When you realize that later and request changes - esp after work has started - the ID / contractor will use that to hike costs. That's how we end up with cost over-runs and blown budgets. One example is the cooker hood. Another wld be location of electrical power points, etc. Yet another wld be the mw oven, etc., etc. This forum is replete with posts by forumers on their reno mistakes and experiences. Will serve you well to read them.

Finally - Congrats ! Look fwd to seeing the gradual unfolding of your lovely nest!

Bluefly akak GrenCoal

Thanks for stopping by, Bluefly, and for the warm welcome - actually it's 25yrs old and everything in its original condition but that was what we were looking for - a barebone place we could do up to our liking. Nothing can really be retained except for the parquet in the bedrooms.

Will definitely take your tips about built-in appliances in consideration. We ask for no kerbs for the fridge/washer/dryer so we won't be restricted by size later on. We, unfortunately, had no real say about the cooker hood and had to pick an island hood which is so much more expensive /cry. Ovens tend to be quite standard size so that isn't so worrying.

The electricial points are the ones that are worrying us now, because we were pressured to make them by yesterday and we have no idea how it's all going to turn out - just randomly picking spots we think we'll be utilising. Sigh.

I was reading the thread about materials homeowners regret using and it got me kinda worried, especially about how Poh Joo's fixtures all started rusting within months! Will definitely invest in better sinks/toilets, but we've already purchased all the shower fixtures like shower arm, rainshower and mixers. Easy to change all the external stuff like hoses and shower heads but shower arms/brackets will need to be exactly the same size etc, and will definitely need to hack wall to change the built-in mixer. Ugh. Cannot even think about that at the moment.

-Ely