Home Is Where The Art Is...

[mummymantras 0]

MM, given how much carpetry you have described, I do think $50K is a bit tight... wall-to-floor shelves of decent quality across the entire length of the living/dining room/kitchen area will cost you quite a bit. Going to IDs will also mean tagging on extra costs (tho I think worth it from design/project management perspective).

Sigh... After speaking to a number of IDs (over phone and email that is, as my home is still a biohazzard zone! ), it appears that adidaem was right.

I'd hoped that my reno would cost no more than $50K, leaving me sufficient cash to outfit the kitchen of my dreams - Gaggenau / De Dietrich / Miele appliances, Blum drawers & cabinets, etc. But that doesn't appear to be possible now. So, I've been thinking about how I can save costs on other stuff...

So, my new obsession is now engineered wood floors:

They can look as good as real hardwood floors, cost less than wood tiles and are hardier than real wood floors.

Thoughts anyone? Anyone out there with engineered wood floors?

[adidaem 6]

Wood tiles are almost as pretty to look at as real wood, come in a wide variety of colours and styles to match almost any theme, and are as easy to clean as ordinary ceramic tiles. But, of course, it won't feel like real wood and it will almost certainly be cold to the touch.

So, what do you guys think? Real wood or wood tiles?

Erm, actually wood tiles look 'fake' to me... there is just no replacement for the feel of real wood I think, not even veneers (altho I'm using them in my place due to budget constraints). Probably cos I've become sensitised to how fake wood will have repeating patterns... if you look at large areas with wood laminates you'll understand what I mean. For wood tiles, there are probably only a few patterns for the wood tiles, say 5/type of tile? So you'll have repeated patterns all over. If you don't see the patterns I think it's fine, but personally I find it kinda disturbing.

Why not use homo tiles in the common area, and wood in the private/family area? Tiles would be a practical choice since the kitchen and dining area will probably have spills (with or without kids). I also think the use of different flooring material will more clearly demarcate the 2 zones.

The plus side is that you'll also save a few K by using tiles vs wood.

Sigh... After speaking to a number of IDs (over phone and email that is, as my home is still a biohazzard zone! ), it appears that adidaem was right.

I'd hoped that my reno would cost no more than $50K, leaving me sufficient cash to outfit the kitchen of my dreams - Gaggenau / De Dietrich / Miele appliances, Blum drawers & cabinets, etc. But that doesn't appear to be possible now. So, I've been thinking about how I can save costs on other stuff...

Well, perhaps it doesn't have to be Blum for a start... there are other non-branded hinges that work just as well I think. Blum is branded and heavily advertised but in reality who really goes and open the cabinets to check for Blum hinges (or not)? I'll rather use the money on stuff that you get to see more often.

As for branded appliances... may I suggest Boyblunder's/Joyous' stove/oven? It's a bit cheaper than Gaggenau / De Dietrich, but looks good IMO.

I will probably place the stove between the cabinets, with the surface flush level with the cabinets. Similar to the pictures below.

Thank you. The stove is about $3000 with a bit of change.

Now I know to stalk your blog for yummy purchases.

[mrdisco 0]

Seriously, I think adidaem makes a good point. You just can't replace the feel of real wood. But durability in terms of decades wood is not. I suspect we are going to live here till it's SERS ( possibly overestimating, but this is as good as it gets for us in terms of location Wood tiles, being tiles will last a long time so we hope.

I think I can guess what adidaem's talking about the print bit about wood tiles but then, there's also about how the filer tiles and grouts it as well. Gotta disagree with you there.

Again, savings from high-end kitchen equipment is good but only in so far as we don't really cook much or entertain guests much. We already cook loads so I think we're going to cook loads more at home. Plus with more people living with us now, that's going to be more mouths to feed. And were talking about stews, oven fare etc. Clearly we'll break the bank with a Miele so maybe de Dietrich although a tad more, isn't really that expensive. According the price guide we got, 3k plus can get you a decent oven. Also it's about spending in some areas and saving in some areas for the Reno, that's true indeed.

[adidaem 6]

Hmm... sounds like the Missus is gonna have a dream kitchen! I rem drooling over lieblingsg's one in Home & Decor... would yours be like his?

[newnyew 1]

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Edited September 17, 2011 by newnyew

[newnyew 1]

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Edited September 17, 2011 by newnyew

[newnyew 1]

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Edited September 17, 2011 by newnyew

[newnyew 1]

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Edited September 17, 2011 by newnyew

[mummymantras 0]

Erm, actually wood tiles look 'fake' to me... there is just no replacement for the feel of real wood I think, not even veneers (altho I'm using them in my place due to budget constraints). Probably cos I've become sensitised to how fake wood will have repeating patterns... if you look at large areas with wood laminates you'll understand what I mean. For wood tiles, there are probably only a few patterns for the wood tiles, say 5/type of tile? So you'll have repeated patterns all over. If you don't see the patterns I think it's fine, but personally I find it kinda disturbing.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

If you stare at it long enough, you may start seeing images.

In fact, I can imagine this appearing on the front page of The New Paper: "Family in Geylang sees image of the Dalai Lama in their flooring! As devotees begin to gather outside the flat, the renovation contractor claims that it wasn't deliberate!"

[mummymantras 0]

I did a rough calculation for u. Supposed u tile ur whole house with the wood tiles except the toilets, u will need roughly about 1448 sq feet of tiles.

So if u select

$2.80 - $4054

$4.00 - $5792

$7.50 - $10860

$10.80 - $15,638.40! Dun faint dun faint

Erm... Scary isnt it? And the price is just for tiles alone, not including labour n materials yet.

Long... deep... breaths. Must... take... long... deep... breaths.

I guess engineered wood would be a bit cheaper right? And there's a top layer of actual wood, so there won't be any freaky repeating patterns (I see dead people... in my floor! ). And it's a bit tougher than real timber flooring, I suppose...?

Anyway, I've been reading quite a bit about engineered wood flooring:

Engineered Wood Flooring: Learn the Basics of this Alternative to Hardwood and Laminate Flooring

ConsumerSearch: Hardwood and engineered wood flooring

Edited August 10, 2011 by mummymantras

[mummymantras 0]

Hmm... sounds like the Missus is gonna have a dream kitchen! I rem drooling over lieblingsg's one in Home & Decor... would yours be like his?

I can only hope so!

I cook yummy food for the hubby and kids every day, so the least I can ask for is a nice kitchen to work my magic, right?

Admittedly though, my old Ariston oven, hob and hod have worked fine for the last 9 years. And I didn't even buy them! My previous contractor threw them in for free 'cos we had spent so much on our reno ($19K was considered a lot 9 years ago).

[Mickey M 0]

Newnew,

How come you have so many tiles? Your new job really a ID la?

Which ID firm? U charge design fee or not? Hee..

This is how all of them look like, against my parquet, with and without flash

[Mickey M 0]

I use wood tiles in my MBR toilet. I stare hard at it and frankly, I do not see many repeated patterns. But nothing can replace real wood flooring I guess, especially if you consider that wood flooring age with u togeher. When u get older, u get more wrinkles. The wood flooring get more blemishes. It is more true if u are a wood lover. Wood tiles will always be cold and hard. But maintenance is easy.

My vote goes to wood tiles. U can use it in the kitchen also. Some old pics to share - all laid with wood tiles.

Sigh... After speaking to a number of IDs (over phone and email that is, as my home is still a biohazzard zone! ), it appears that adidaem was right.

I'd hoped that my reno would cost no more than $50K, leaving me sufficient cash to outfit the kitchen of my dreams - Gaggenau / De Dietrich / Miele appliances, Blum drawers & cabinets, etc. But that doesn't appear to be possible now. So, I've been thinking about how I can save costs on other stuff...

So, my new obsession is now engineered wood floors:

They can look as good as real hardwood floors, cost less than wood tiles and are hardier than real wood floors.

Thoughts anyone? Anyone out there with engineered wood floors?

Edited August 10, 2011 by Mickey M

[newnyew 1]

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Edited September 17, 2011 by newnyew

[mummymantras 0]

Wood tiles will always be cold and hard. But maintenance is easy.

Well, with 2 kids to look after (and a hubby and a sis-in-law staying with us too), maintenance is a key issue. I don't want to get something that looks great but is a real pain to keep clean.

My vote goes to wood tiles. U can use it in the kitchen also. Some old pics to share - all laid with wood tiles.

Wow! This is pretty nice.

Yeah. I think wood tiles would be a good compromise. They are quite pleasing to look at. And will go better with all the books we have in the apartment.

Sure. Nobody will be fooled into thinking they are real timber strips, but I guess you can't have it all...

Will just have to cut down on other stuff then. We may actually opt to have less built-in furniture (we can just buy shelves and other such furnishings ourselves) and concentrate our reno budget where it counts (i.e. stuff that you really can't change much once you move in) - e.g. the floors, walls, ceiling, doors, kitchen, and toilets.