Reno With The Stars!

[firegoddess 0]

Time to join the rank of reno stars here! This is the original floor plan:

Please give feedback for turning into this:

Due to FSM advice, gotta kiss goodbye to this beautiful partially hidden DayBed at end of walk-in wardrobe which was supposed to be my pumpkin chariot for me & my girlfriends awaiting rescue from our imaginary prince charmings, also act as fashion bench when trying out clothings:

Edited November 17, 2011 by firegoddess

[strikingreality 0]

Congrats for getting one of those Ghim Moh flats... I can only look and dream when I see them on my way to work. The Sale of Balance Flats for these were released too late for me - after I bought my resale.

Anyway, what are your family plans? Cuz what happens if you intend to have kids later? Or what happens if you have any guests?

Your current layout only accommodates you and your hubby. Why don't you combine the main bedroom and the one next to it to your MBR and WIW. Keep the 3rd bedroom as a separate room. You can set it up as a study and this gives you the flexibility to convert it to guest room or kids bedroom in the future.

[firegoddess 0]

Been looking around and might be considering these kitchen appliances so any feedbacks? Already ordered Silestone white platimium counter top for kitchen counters for those interested to know.

Heavy usage so need a Pyrolytic Oven: De Dietrich DOP895X with ICS recipes or Miele H5461BP CISt? Miele oven claims to seal in moisture by quick roast outside of meat equivalent to manual pan smear & can control humidity by spraying water 3 times during cooking automatically plus cooking with a wired temperature probe. De Dietrich oven claims half price of Miele, that Miele's claims don't work! World's best cook are French chefs so get French brand like De Dietrich as Miele is German famous for pork knuckles & sausages only?

Medium usage so De Dietrich Induction Hob 38cm Continuum DTI1041X or the cheaper Bosch 2 zones?

Impressed with De Dietrich which is automatic pan detection so need not put pans at indicated circle as there's no circles, got boost for super boil, direct simmer button, direct boil button, timer, auto cut-off according to low or high heat at 8hrs/4hrs/2hrs.

Hi Strikingreality,

kekeke... just partition part of living rm for little one will do since young ones don't know what's better, adults get to enjoy whole unit first. Also FSM said best for us to sleep in Bedroom 3 for our own good so no choice.

[firegoddess 0]

Minimal usage Gas Burner so get a single Bosch or De Dietrich? Or Tepanyaki or Grill?

Medium usage Hood but prefer powerful one so Bosch DKE9465MUC or DeDietrich DHD90XE1? Will also install extractor fan at kitchen window, any recommendation?

Requires large volume but got small HDB kitchen so Hitachi Fridge RA6200S (largest capacity with shortest width but taller so save space for more counter space). Any other recommendations?

Comes with fantastic features:

http://www.hitachiconsumer.com/intelligent-fridge/features.html

[BlackCookie 0]

I tend to agree with strikingreality. In order to have your ensuite master bathroom, you're now combining all the rooms. When it comes to airconditioning the rooms, might not be energy/cost efficient. Might be a better idea to combine just the second bedroom with your original master bedroom which gives you the ensuite. This also gives you the flexibility to use the Study/extra room for other purposes. More convenient if you have guests over etc.

That's just my 2 cents but I must say, AWESOME WARDROBE!

[Simontsh 0]

i think the wall between MBR and the next room cannot be hacked

[mrdisco 0]

Hello firegoddess, what you have here are some hard core kitchen appliances of the drool variety! My wife would be ever so envious. Seriously, a pyro oven kicks a** because it is supposed to make cleaning very easy - just turn 'em into ash. Go for it, we are. I would encourage you to pay the De Dietrich showroom at Cemdex building a visit. Feel, touch and ask all questions. Impressive. As for Miele, it's Miele - can't go wrong as well. In fact, since you are considering these two, why not go to the Gaggenau showroom at the Bosch building at Peminpin. I was estatic... Just check it out.

You might want to also check out what I call De Dietrich Lite and Gaggenau Lite (i.e. Brandt and Bosch respectively). The parent company, Fagor Brandt owns both the Brandt and De Dietrich brands - the technology is somewhat shared to some extent. Likewise for Bosch - you can see both the Bosch and Gaggenau range at the Bosch showroom. Well worth your time. Good luck.

Been looking around and might be considering these kitchen appliances so any feedbacks? Already ordered Silestone white platimium counter top for kitchen counters for those interested to know.

Heavy usage so need a Pyrolytic Oven: De Dietrich DOP895X with ICS recipes or Miele H5461BP CISt? Miele oven claims to seal in moisture by quick roast outside of meat equivalent to manual pan smear & can control humidity by spraying water 3 times during cooking automatically plus cooking with a wired temperature probe. De Dietrich oven claims half price of Miele, that Miele's claims don't work! World's best cook are French chefs so get French brand like De Dietrich as Miele is German famous for pork knuckles & sausages only?

Medium usage so De Dietrich Induction Hob 38cm Continuum DTI1041X or the cheaper Bosch 2 zones?

Impressed with De Dietrich which is automatic pan detection so need not put pans at indicated circle as there's no circles, got boost for super boil, direct simmer button, direct boil button, timer, auto cut-off according to low or high heat at 8hrs/4hrs/2hrs.

Hi Strikingreality,

kekeke... just partition part of living rm for little one will do since young ones don't know what's better, adults get to enjoy whole unit first. Also FSM said best for us to sleep in Bedroom 3 for our own good so no choice.

[Rosalind 0]

Hi firegoddness

Congrats on your new house! You have a nice layout ESP the wardrobe <3 . I am in the same estate as you are.

[firegoddess 0]

... but I must say, AWESOME WARDROBE!

Yeah, really love this walk-in wardrobe design as the ID really captures my fairy tale imagination well but alas, have to forgo that partially hidden DayBed/Settee near the windows as FSM says can build it but I can't use it so no point wasting $$$ on something I can't use so changing to a moveable low cabinet wardrobe in order to let in light & air from a single window panel. Which means I'm having a U-shape approx. 25ft walk-in wardrobe yeh!

Hello firegoddess, what you have here are some hard core kitchen appliances of the drool variety! My wife would be ever so envious. Seriously, a pyro oven kicks a** because it is supposed to make cleaning very easy - just turn 'em into ash. Go for it, we are.

You might want to also check out what I call De Dietrich Lite and Gaggenau Lite (i.e. Brandt and Bosch respectively). The parent company, Fagor Brandt owns both the Brandt and De Dietrich brands - the technology is somewhat shared to some extent. Likewise for Bosch - you can see both the Bosch and Gaggenau range at the Bosch showroom. Well worth your time. Good luck.

Glad to know kakkis splashing on hard core kitchen appliances too. Have been using cheapo ovens & yeah, the stains really can't be cleaned off no matter what detergent you use so decided to splash on a pyro oven since getting new place. Yep, already paid visits to De Dietrich, Miele & Gaggenau/Bosch showrooms but still can't decide. Thanks for letting me know the history so I thought since oven is heavily used, should splash on it and recoup savings from gas hob & hood by buying cheaper brands like Brandt & Bosch since same family, what say you? Will it look funny if I were to get different brands for each kitchen appliance & install them all in my small kitchen? And yah, I was butting here & there in their showrooms ogling at their generous kitchen layouts & high tech appliances. Hey, don't make me drool over the suspense so which brand & models are you & your wife going for?

Here's another kitchen appliance that I forgot to mention earlier, an Undersink Jupiter Delphi-IO400U that will be installed next to my small kitchen sink, any feed back?

Hi firegoddness

Congrats on your new house! You have a nice layout ESP the wardrobe <3 . I am in the same estate as you are.

Wow! Finally found an estate buddy, really nice knowing you too! Yeah, as described above to Mrdisco, have to change wardrobe design & there might also be a change in final laminate colour as hubby loves wood grain instead of white with liliac streaks. Will be using real laminate on all open shelvings including the carcass but coloured PVC for inside of drawers. All hinges are BLUM soft-closing after hearing others having problems with Excel's hinges after 6 months' usage.

Engaged your FSM yet? What's the outcome? Started reno yet? When setting up own T-Blog?

[mrdisco 0]

Hello firegoddess. Because we are going to have more carpentry than in most homes, we'd had to really think hard when spending on stuff. Seriously, De Dietrich and Gaggenau are exceptional kitchen appliance makers - All boxes are ticked as far as I'm concerned! But we've decided to not to get them because of the carpentry and a couple of other finer points. So we've decided to get Brandt.

Brandt is good enough to withstand heavy duty cooking. It's not that I wouldn't want to buy Bosch - they are a class above most as well, but somehow I feel Bosch washing products are more worth buying. Nonetheless there's nothing stopping you to get Bosch kitchen stuff as that gorgeous steel finish can fit in any modern kitchen. I feel that you can mix and match whatever oven with whatever hob/hood etc. But personally, I prefer glass gas hobs with cast iron grid. Hood-wise, it just depends where you're placing your hob - telescope or wall mount might be both ok depending on how much cabinetry you intend to have. Whatever you decide, those selections of your's are top class and will serve you well for many years I trust.

As for Miele, I suspect that requires a separate blog thread or something to obsess and drool over their stuff, don't you think?

As I'm writing all this, it might seem kinda odd for a guy to exhibit out semi-obsessive behaviour over kitchen stuff, but hey, what the heck, it's about the overall look of the house. That's important to most of us, I think.

[warlock8187 0]

Hi,

I bought the hitachi fridge and is a good choice.

Energy efficient and I like the tall and slim design as I am having constraint on the size too.

quote name='firegoddess' timestamp='1321843200' post='681352']

Minimal usage Gas Burner so get a single Bosch or De Dietrich? Or Tepanyaki or Grill?

Medium usage Hood but prefer powerful one so Bosch DKE9465MUC or DeDietrich DHD90XE1? Will also install extractor fan at kitchen window, any recommendation?

Requires large volume but got small HDB kitchen so Hitachi Fridge RA6200S (largest capacity with shortest width but taller so save space for more counter space). Any other recommendations?

Comes with fantastic features:

http://www.hitachiconsumer.com/intelligent-fridge/features.html

[Rosalind 0]

Yupe we have consulted fs, the master that we are with, give us simple and straight forward rules to follow , ie color scheme, bed direction and movIng day. The rest we are free to play around with. Renovation is under way and we did some hacking as well. We combine two common room into our main living area and turned the master room into a common room. Kekes I don't think I will be starting a t blog, have always been more of the reader. However can't help but say hi to a fellow estate negibour : )

[firegoddess 0]

... I feel that you can mix and match whatever oven with whatever hob/hood etc. But personally, I prefer glass gas hobs with cast iron grid. Hood-wise, it just depends where you're placing your hob - telescope or wall mount might be both ok depending on how much cabinetry you intend to have. Whatever you decide, those selections of your's are top class and will serve you well for many years I trust.

As for Miele, I suspect that requires a separate blog thread or something to obsess and drool over their stuff, don't you think?

As I'm writing all this, it might seem kinda odd for a guy to exhibit out semi-obsessive behaviour over kitchen stuff, but hey, what the heck, it's about the overall look of the house. That's important to most of us, I think.

Oh no Mrdisco, your interest in kitchen is exactly like my hubby. Tested him by saying I want top of the line kitchen like Silestone counter top & Gaggenau kitchen appliances else minimum Bosch & he at first said granite top & buy from Courts/Harvey Norman those S$600-900 ovens will do. A few days later & after doing loads of on-line reviews, he totally changed his mind going ga ga by directly placing order for Silestone top including our study tables plus all vanity tops and said to buy a good oven either De Dietrich or Miele! When I wanted to save cost by combining different appliance brands, he said to check with forumers whether will look funny if De Dietrich induction hob is placed beside Bosch gas hob with a Brandt hood and Miele oven?

Hmm... saw a beautiful solid acrylic Italian kitchen cabinet costing S$100K can't afford so ID introduced acrylic laminate which I might be using with BLUM servo drive, hinges & tandem boxes. My carpentry is also quite heavy, all custom make and when tried to save cost by introducing hubby to those ready made study tables, he was dissatisfied with workmanship & the sizes.

Hi,

I bought the hitachi fridge and is a good choice.

Energy efficient and I like the tall and slim design as I am having constraint on the size too.

Wah, found a fridge kaki! But this fridge is expensive, cheapest quoted is S$4100 with 1 year warrantee only. Those side by side 2 doors are cheaper than this model. How's the cassette vacuum compartment doing? Any good or bad points in the various 6 doors storage?

Yupe we have consulted fs, the master that we are with, give us simple and straight forward rules to follow , ie color scheme, bed direction and movIng day. The rest we are free to play around with. Renovation is under way and we did some hacking as well. We combine two common room into our main living area and turned the master room into a common room. Kekes I don't think I will be starting a t blog, have always been more of the reader. However can't help but say hi to a fellow estate negibour : )

Wow Rosalind, very bold design to convert original living rm into bedrm. Hmm, why I never thought of that? Is the 2 combined common rooms equivalent to the original living rm size? Guess your unit facing is about same as mine & FSM really get our creative juices going. My colour scheme for original MBR & connected bathrm is silver & gold, can you imagine everything glittering & shinning all over? No T-blog never mind, we can chat here. I'm still at selecting ID stage, sigh!

[mrdisco 0]

Hi firegoddess, Silestone's a great product and if you're going to have it installed, it's probably going to last you for a long, long time! Personally, I'm mad for granite as I like the appearance. Fundamentally, I don't think it's odd to have a mix-and-match of brands. However, if you have an induction hob, then the only gas hob you'd probably get is likely to be one for cooking with woks - logically, that's how I see.

As for the hood, oven and whatever else, different brands are probably fine cos they would be clad in that nice outer steel look. I just feel that if you're buying from one retailer/wholesaler, buying products from one brand might enable you to have more grounds for greater discount. Consider this: the look of the kitchen isn't only just about the kitchen applicances - it will be the applicances + the cabinetry + the type of sink and tap + the lights + flooring [i.e. the whole look - think images from Pogen Pohl or Pronorm). But as I said before, you're getting some kick-a** products - enjoy!

As for the window extractor fan, I imagine you're cooking loads everyday? My initial thoughts are that a **** good hood should serve your daily needs adquately. Since your'e going to get an induction hob, you can match that with a downdraft extractor. But again, it would also depend how you intend to use your kitchen.

Sounds like a wonderful kitchen in the making, I'm sure of it.

[sleek 2]

welcome to t-blog firegoddess! love your WIW to be and choices for kitchen appliances. we would have loved to go the De Dietrich, miele and Gaggenau route too but alas, pockets are not deep enough, lol. We've used 3 different de dietrich stoves in 3 different houses over the past 25 years, and you cant go wrong with them. as for induction vs gas, you might want to consider how often you will cook, cos a gas stove might be hardier and more economical in the long run, you can always consider getting a portable induction stove. for extraction fans, try KDK but mr disco has also given you good ideas on alternatives depending on your usage and items eventually purchased.