~ Home Of The Pisceans ~

[stardust205 0]

Hi Everyone!

I finally decided to start my own T-blog before my hse reno is 100% completed! (Now only left painting & hse cleaning)

House Hunting

We found this place after spending ~3wks viewing close to 10 different units in Woodlands. We hadn't viewed that many houses I would say.. but the moment we stepped into this house, we knew that 'this is the one'!

• Very high floor at #24
  
• Unblocked views
  
• Can see the Straits of Johore (both WTB & me luv seaviews.. heh)
  
• Bright & Windy
  
• Point Blk --> Corner unit --> Privacy
  
• Near my parents' place (5min walk)
  
• Decor of hse-owner gave us a cozy feeling during hse-viewings
  

A glimpse into the views from our windows:

Edited July 11, 2011 by stardust205

[potatoes 0]

Nice scenery! Show pics of ur interior leh.... What type of unit is it?

[stardust205 0]

Ex-owner Decor - Part 1

## WTB loves the full-length mirrors.

## The old study desk/cabinet has to go

## All 3 rooms were of parquet flooring. We know this is 'good stuffs' but we didn't like the design & color

Edited July 11, 2011 by stardust205

[stardust205 0]

Ex-owner Decor - Part 2

## MBR has the old aircon casement window and some ugly aircon ducts (not shown here)

## Common Toilet

## We wanted a bath-tub but the existing one in MBR toilet is too small.. In fact, the toilet itself is abit too small for a 'lie-down' bath-tub..

Edited July 11, 2011 by stardust205

[stardust205 0]

Thanks!

It's a 5-I unit (118sqm)

Nice scenery! Show pics of ur interior leh.... What type of unit is it?

[hafiizh 0]

I've always looked out at those point blocks and thought how cool it would be to stay there. Views look as great as I had imagined

[stardust205 0]

Selecting the Contractor

We wanted to enjoy the pride and process of designing the house purely by ourselves.. and thus we chose to go for a contractor instead of an ID.

Besides, it would save some $$ too

After meeting up 6 contractors and comparing their quotations, we decided to engage the service of Mr Lee from Randy Renovation Contractor.

- Seems modest and patient to hear out our ideas

- He advised us on things which are not recommended to do, instead of just taking on the tasks to rake more $ from us

(eg; strongly discouraged us to fix the mirror at dining area based on concerns of moisture attack.. asked us to look to town council instead to change kitchen main pipe, thus saved us a few hundred bucks)

- His quotation is one of the lowest

## Original Floor Plan

## Lay-out in mind

Edited July 11, 2011 by stardust205

[stardust205 0]

Thanks for the compliment.

your unit's views are not too bad either. Can see quite far!

I've always looked out at those point blocks and thought how cool it would be to stay there. Views look as great as I had imagined

[marshmallow 0]

Congrats~ very nice view! i never knew Marsiling side can have sea view!

[stardust205 0]

Thks marshmallow.

yes.. me and WTB always love sea views!

we also viewed another unit just opposite block but its seaview was obstructed.

Congrats~ very nice view! i never knew Marsiling side can have sea view!

[Bluesummerayz 2]

Super nice view~! Bet its very windy? Must wear windbreaker or not?

And its very huge too!! Happy renovating

[stardust205 0]

Thks thks!

Yep, it is very windy. I like.

Super nice view~! Bet its very windy? Must wear windbreaker or not?

And its very huge too!! Happy renovating

[stardust205 0]

The Mirror Problem

As you can see, the condition of the mirror at the dining area is very bad.. We reckon the problem is due to mositure seepage from the wall beneath the mirror, as the two toilets are located right behind this wall.

The fact that the mirror in the living hall is still in good condition, confirmed our deduction..

A few possible options I found out:

1. Inject some chemical into the affected wall to absorb the moisture... but I was cautioned this going to cost alot, and it is only temporary fix.
   
2. Install acrylic mirror instead.. While it may costs alot less than normal glass mirrors, it doesn't resolve the issue either
   
3. Replace the mirror and keep a gap btw the mirror and the wall beneath.. But on 2nd thots, how are we going to clean that void in the future??
   

After much consideration, we decided not to install any full-length mirror at that wall. Afterall, replacing that mirror doesn't come cheap.. and worse still, what if the problem resurfaces after a few yrs?!!

Disappointed we were but there was nothing else we could do, unless we hack & replace that wall.

[stardust205 0]

Scope of Renovation Work by Contractor

• Hack all existing built-in wardrobes, kitchen cabinet, partitions
  
• Remove old laminated flooring.. and dismantle mirror at dining area
  
• Overlay Laminated flooring (w/skirtings) for Living, Dining halls and all 3 rooms
  
• Fabricate cement bases for fridge and washing machine
  
• Tiling of Kitchen floor with homog. tiles
  
• Carpentry - Kitchen cabinet 44 ft, w/ solid surface table-top
  
• Run water pipes for kitchen sink and washing machine
  
• Plaster whole house
  
• Install plasterboards at (i) MBR wall and (ii) wall behind main door
  
• Haulage, Chemical washing, Laying of waterproof membrane, etc.
  

DIY Renovation (spearheaded by my FIL)

• Electrical - (i) relocate points, (ii) replace wire trunkings, switches, (iii) install lights
  
• Painting of whole house, incl doors & door frames
  
• Replace (i) the spoilt storage water heater with an instant water heater, (ii) towel-bars, toiletries shelves
  
• Fabricate shelving for storeroom
  

We're basically not doing anything much to the 2 toilets.. as our flat is already announced for 'Polling for Main Upgrading Programme'. Hopefully it will go thru, then we could save some $!

Edited July 11, 2011 by stardust205

[stardust205 0]

Selecting tiles, laminate flooring

Our contractor was kind to offer us a ride from our place to Sungei Kadut to choose our kitchen floor tiles.

The place was White Horse. And in less than 20min, we're done. Efficient. Haha.. Chose the floor tile for below reasons

• Light color makes the kitchen look brighter
  
• Matt tiles for anti-slip - Initially I prefer glossy tiles as it is less likely to trap dirt, But WTB raised safety concerns on falls. (she's an occuptional thereapist. LOL) which I agree. Anyway, our tile wasn't that rough either.
  

## The actual color tone is actually slightly more to creamy light-brown. Guess the photo didn't come up too accuate due to lighting.

Why laminate flooring?

We chose laminate flooring for living hall, dining & all 3 rooms.. as the wooden grainy look gives us a homely feeling.

Parquet for the whole house is way too exp, while homogenous tiles with wooden grainy design looks kinda 'artificial' to me..

WTB don't fancy walking on cold flooring in the early mornings, and tiles would sometimes get quite cold during the night.

Actually I personally like marble tiles for the exact same reason. But anyway, marble tiles is out of question due to cost.

We have to be careful with any water spillage problems in the future then.

Both of us are easy with using Vista laminate floor tiles though it is not nearly as well-known as some other brands discussed in the forum.

Edited July 11, 2011 by stardust205