The Pursuit Of Happiness

[marshmallow 0]

My unit is also at the JW 64X series…similar layout as yours, but without balcony area. The lengthy kitchen has certainly given me massive headache for nightsss to think of the layout

my long kitchen is also giving me headache... but yours is definitely longer than mine~ troublesome, hor? and have to practice a lot of shuttle runs while cooking...

btw shumin, nice to see another t-blog from Jurong resident. welcome~

your concern about the ugly pipes in kitchen is very valid... if they just run along the ceiling, can still cover up with a simple box-up and no need top cabinets. but if they also run vertically down in the middle of nowhere... then difficult liao~

gotten your keys already?

[ne0mesis 0]

(post = gone. have to retype )

Hey guys, thank you for your suggestions. will definately take them into consideration.

we are hoping to take up as little loan as possible.

budgeted 25k for renovations and another 5k for lights and fixtures.

we plan to do up the necessity and then spend the extra $$ (if there's even any left. haha) on our wants.

let's hope the ID/Contractor we engage can do some magic to the quotation.

kitchen inspiration:

greyish black tiles, white painted walls.

upper-cabinet-less. white laminates, ss counter top & backsplash.

tall cabinet beside fridge to house oven and a microwave.

random inspiration:

just sent our first quotation-asking email out yesterday to Aian Furniture & Renovation Contractor.

typed a whole bunch of text into the mail, am not even sure if it made sense.

let's hope i'll get a reply.

how do you guys ask for quotations anyway?

is it more advisable to ask for quotations now or after fengshui audit?

hahah.. i understand how you feel.

i had a long long entry about my id too. luckily, my earlier draft was in a notepad.

i was in your position when we started off our reno hoping for 25k or 30k but realistically speaking, for a 5 roomer, 30k is easily breached.

but if you are keeping the floor tiles, there might be hope

but then a long kitchen with cabinets may b tricky too

i second to having the fs audit before the id.

fs introduces color and forms. your id needs to consider that and translate it to better color palette.

you can send your request for quotation via words but perhaps in room to room basic e.g living room do what, kitchen do what, rooms do what etc..

meeting id straight at your place is ideal, but suggest heading to their showroom or office first cause that gives you hints to their professionalism or what they represent

hope it helps!

[gimz63251073 0]

Hi gimz... Do u know if the paint for the DIY Chalkboard can be easily "remove" or I can easily paint it over with another coat of normal paint?

i don't think can remove ba. should be ok to paint over, maybe need a few more layers thats all. havent tried it personally though.

[shumin 0]

i saw some photos before on "pool table cum dining table".

its quite lovely actually. Maybe u can consider combining it to save space...

if u plan to DIY chalkboard, its quite easy actually. Can get the paint from Spotlight and DIY.

The inconvinient part of no top cabinets is that there is no dish drainer. For most top cabinets, they can put a dish drainer over the sink and let it slowly drip dry. Apart from this, no top cabinets will give the kitchen a "no clutter look", more neat!

i'm thinking of camo-ing my storeroom's door with blackboard paint.

my husband main concern is about the 'dust' created by the chalks.

i saw liquid chalk pen sold at daiso, wonder if it helps with the dust issue.

dish drainer, aiya...it didn't cross my mind.

guess i have to be more hardworking by drying them manually.

gosh...i hate doing the dishes.

My unit is also at the JW 64X series…similar layout as yours, but without balcony area. The lengthy kitchen has certainly given me massive headache for nightsss to think of the layout

my long kitchen is also giving me headache... but yours is definitely longer than mine~ troublesome, hor? and have to practice a lot of shuttle runs while cooking...

btw shumin, nice to see another t-blog from Jurong resident. welcome~

your concern about the ugly pipes in kitchen is very valid... if they just run along the ceiling, can still cover up with a simple box-up and no need top cabinets. but if they also run vertically down in the middle of nowhere... then difficult liao~

gotten your keys already?

marshmallow - long kitchen nevermind, its long and narrow.

i've always wanted an kitchen island, dreams all shattered.

now, can only look at ne0mesis's kitchen island with envy. *SOB

key collection around mid May.

yumiko - is ur unit with the full length windows?

we're gonna hack away the balcony, would rather have the full length windows.

Edited April 21, 2011 by shumin

[marshmallow 0]

dish drainer, aiya...it didn't cross my mind.

guess i have to be more hardworking by drying them manually.

gosh...i hate doing the dishes.

marshmallow - long kitchen nevermind, its long and narrow.

i've always wanted an kitchen island, dreams all shattered.

now, can only look at ne0mesis's kitchen island with envy. *SOB

can use those dish drainer that is put on the counter-top one... yea it takes up a bit of space but at least dun need to dry manually

i fully understand... i have seen yumiko's kitchen and also my kitchen is about the same width (= narrow! ), though length wise is shorter - i.e. i have a smaller kitchen

yea lor no more island and stuff.... haiz what to do~

[yumiko 0]

yumiko - is ur unit with the full length windows?

we're gonna hack away the balcony, would rather have the full length windows.

yeah yeah...my unit is with full height window at the living room. I thought your unit also have the full length window at the balcony as well?

[yumiko 0]

can use those dish drainer that is put on the counter-top one... yea it takes up a bit of space but at least dun need to dry manually

i fully understand... i have seen yumiko's kitchen and also my kitchen is about the same width (= narrow! ), though length wise is shorter - i.e. i have a smaller kitchen

yea lor no more island and stuff.... haiz what to do~

Yes, the long and narrow kitchen made our dream kitchen shattered!! There are many restrictions for the ID to play with as well.

Edited April 21, 2011 by yumiko

[gimz63251073 0]

i'm thinking of camo-ing my storeroom's door with blackboard paint.

my husband main concern is about the 'dust' created by the chalks.

i saw liquid chalk pen sold at daiso, wonder if it helps with the dust issue.

dish drainer, aiya...it didn't cross my mind.

guess i have to be more hardworking by drying them manually.

gosh...i hate doing the dishes.

ohh we usually just clean up after writing. But we don't change the writing everyday la....when got mood then go n change...

have to deal with the dust if u want the charm of chalkboard.

If we put whiteboard with marker, it just seem to lack the charm...

i think for your narrow kitchen, its not that narrow la.. 2.5metres.

u can still put an extendable table with wheels at the side to use as a mobile island when preparing...

[shumin 0]

hahah.. i understand how you feel.

i had a long long entry about my id too. luckily, my earlier draft was in a notepad.

i was in your position when we started off our reno hoping for 25k or 30k but realistically speaking, for a 5 roomer, 30k is easily breached.

but if you are keeping the floor tiles, there might be hope

but then a long kitchen with cabinets may b tricky too

i second to having the fs audit before the id.

fs introduces color and forms. your id needs to consider that and translate it to better color palette.

you can send your request for quotation via words but perhaps in room to room basic e.g living room do what, kitchen do what, rooms do what etc..

meeting id straight at your place is ideal, but suggest heading to their showroom or office first cause that gives you hints to their professionalism or what they represent

hope it helps!

guess i should start asking for quotations after my fengshui audit.

we're are trying to 'save' the tiles in our living and bedrooms.

gonna laminate our all our 3 rooms. no $$$ for hacking and relaying.

hoping to get it down below 30k *cross fingers*

i fully understand... i have seen yumiko's kitchen and also my kitchen is about the same width (= narrow! ), though length wise is shorter - i.e. i have a smaller kitchen

yea lor no more island and stuff.... haiz what to do~

smaller kitchen = bigger living/dining area, sounds ok! especially if you don't cook often.

btw, have you bought your kitchen trolley?

your lime green cabinets really add a refreshing touch to the kitchen and the Leifheit 3-in-1 kitchen roll holder looks really neat.

yeah yeah...my unit is with full height window at the living room. I thought your unit also have the full length window at the balcony as well?

unfortunately, its not full height window. if not i would be so tempted to have bay windows.

a book and a cup of milk tea would so complete my Sunday afternoons. heee

ohh we usually just clean up after writing. But we don't change the writing everyday la....when got mood then go n change...

have to deal with the dust if u want the charm of chalkboard.

If we put whiteboard with marker, it just seem to lack the charm...

i think for your narrow kitchen, its not that narrow la.. 2.5metres.

u can still put an extendable table with wheels at the side to use as a mobile island when preparing...

i was actually thinking of having a long long work station cum island in the middle of the kitchen.

just concern of the space and scared my husband would freak out over my design. hahaha

[emobebe 1]

Hi Shumin,

Love your ideas...have ever thought of doing chalkboard but husband don't like it and long island kitchen table but due to space and budget constraint, won't be hacking down any wall and also try to do as minimum as possible. Most probably I will do the basic necessity first and diy some of the stuff. Btw, when will you start your reno? Your 5 rm flat very spacious!! So envy...haha Emobebe

[Ely1 0]

Hi Shumin,

I love your inspiration board - they're all things I love and plan to incorporate into my home as well. My inspiration board is 27 pages long and I find that the almost finished product is hardly anything like it! Most odd.

My chalkboard is only going to be a small feature so I won't have to deal with the dust Once everything shapes up, I'll post the pics.

Basically what I did when seeking quotations was to write up an email about the lifestyle my husband and I share (whether or not entertaining is important to us, if we're cook heavily, if we have kids or planning to have them etc), then spoke about my preferences regarding the overall theme of the home: contemporary, resort, minimalist, industrial etc, and what I would like to incorporate into the home: wet/dry kitchen, laundry area, walk-in-wardrobe, home theatre system, a study nook in the living area etc, and the extent of renovation needed (total rehaul, hacking of walls etc). Specified it had to be pet-friendly so they'd take into account no escape areas for the cat etc. This also determines our furnishing choices - no leather, no pile rugs, no walk in shower in the guest bathroom, etc.

Not many IDs are immediately responsive, and often you'd have to call them to have a little chat first and make an appointment to discuss your needs and wants. Bring your inspiration board and see if the ID shares your vision whilst helping you to create the look you want, but with more functionality or creativity. I find that cold-call emails don't usually receive responses. Read all the quotations carefully because the cheapest might not necessarily be so - there might be lots of hidden costs, and pay attention to their Terms & Conditions and payment details. If you've gone through enough posts on RT, you should have an idea which firms to avoid, and which ones are generally more affordable and/or reliable. I received quotations ranging from $45k to $100k so there can be a huge difference. Some firms do a lump-sum quote which I'm not too comfortable with, but if you trust the ID, it should be fine. I just prefer a breakdown so I can effectively compare quotations, which gives me the flexibility to choose what I can do later or without if budget is a concern.

Essentially, choose someone you feel comfortable communicating with. You're going to be seeing each other a lot for the next two months, so it's important that you get along with your ID and have a mutually respectful relationship with.

Hope this helps!

-Ely

[marshmallow 0]

smaller kitchen = bigger living/dining area, sounds ok! especially if you don't cook often.

btw, have you bought your kitchen trolley?

your lime green cabinets really add a refreshing touch to the kitchen and the Leifheit 3-in-1 kitchen roll holder looks really neat.

unfortunately, its not full height window. if not i would be so tempted to have bay windows.

a book and a cup of milk tea would so complete my Sunday afternoons. heee

i was actually thinking of having a long long work station cum island in the middle of the kitchen.

just concern of the space and scared my husband would freak out over my design. hahaha

i cook at least 4 times a week... so that considered quite often, rite?

nope i didn't buy a trolley in the end... bought a shelf to put at one side of the kitchen... long space hard to make use lehz. i have briefly considered long long island but feel that it makes the walking space very narrow....

yeah i also would love to have bay window but too bad mine is old old flat no full height window de. i think those living condo will roll eye at what i said cos most of them hate bay windows... LOL

[ne0mesis 0]

guess i should start asking for quotations after my fengshui audit.

we're are trying to 'save' the tiles in our living and bedrooms.

gonna laminate our all our 3 rooms. no $$$ for hacking and relaying.

hoping to get it down below 30k *cross fingers*

there should be some savings then if there is no hacking.

make sure u ask your id to check on the existing floor tiles condition before laminating over ya

if keeping the living room tiles and laminating over rooms tiles, there would be marginal difference when the living rm tiles meet the rm laminates.

your id should inform you on that. usually, a thin strip of laminates or sort to cover the difference would do the trick but that would prolly mean the rm doors would need to be trimmed a little. check with your id k.

[shumin 0]

Hi Shumin,

Love your ideas...have ever thought of doing chalkboard but husband don't like it and long island kitchen table but due to space and budget constraint, won't be hacking down any wall and also try to do as minimum as possible. Most probably I will do the basic necessity first and diy some of the stuff. Btw, when will you start your reno? Your 5 rm flat very spacious!! So envy...haha Emobebe

think my reno will only start mid-end June.

from the looks of it, moving in before the lunar 7th month seems kinda impossible.

my 5 rm look spacious only, its only 110 sqm. just 6 sqm bigger than my inlaws' 4 rm.

are you starting a T-blog?

Hi Shumin,

I love your inspiration board - they're all things I love and plan to incorporate into my home as well. My inspiration board is 27 pages long and I find that the almost finished product is hardly anything like it! Most odd.

My chalkboard is only going to be a small feature so I won't have to deal with the dust Once everything shapes up, I'll post the pics.

[snip]

Essentially, choose someone you feel comfortable communicating with. You're going to be seeing each other a lot for the next two months, so it's important that you get along with your ID and have a mutually respectful relationship with.

Hope this helps!

-Ely

thanks Ely.

everyone in RT are friendly and so willing to share.

love your chairs and lamp purchases!

i cook at least 4 times a week... so that considered quite often, rite?

nope i didn't buy a trolley in the end... bought a shelf to put at one side of the kitchen... long space hard to make use lehz. i have briefly considered long long island but feel that it makes the walking space very narrow....

yeah i also would love to have bay window but too bad mine is old old flat no full height window de. i think those living condo will roll eye at what i said cos most of them hate bay windows... LOL

guess its like that. when you don't have it, you want it.

when you get it, you complain about it.

pastures is always greener on the other side. hahaha

there should be some savings then if there is no hacking.

make sure u ask your id to check on the existing floor tiles condition before laminating over ya

if keeping the living room tiles and laminating over rooms tiles, there would be marginal difference when the living rm tiles meet the rm laminates.

your id should inform you on that. usually, a thin strip of laminates or sort to cover the difference would do the trick but that would prolly mean the rm doors would need to be trimmed a little. check with your id k.

thanks ne0mesis!

[shumin 0]

random inspiration:

another kitchen inspiration: