Journey Towards Our New Home

[keyswz 0]

Lights from Silic Lighting Centre Pte Ltd:

[keyswz 0]

Lights from Eurostar Lighting & Furnishings Pte Ltd:

Sink and tap from Universal Union Enterprise Pte Ltd:

[keyswz 0]

WC, basin and mirror cabinet from Heritage Bathroom Gallery Pte Ltd:

[NeoBY 1]

Sorry for not updating for a long time. Guess I was simply lazy and we were busy finalising our contractor.

Perhaps I will share a bit on our route to our new place. Our process of renovation was a bit unconventional as we sort of bought our furniture before we got our keys and before we found a contractor. Not sure if anyone else was like that. And the furniture bought were like all over the place, after walking around the various places in Singapore. From the east to the west and from the north to the south. Great exercise if you really have the time.

Our sofa and dining table from A's Design International Pte Ltd:

Our coffee table (Nova Furnishing Centre Pte Ltd) and mattress (Absolute Bedding International Pte Ltd) at one of the Expo's exhibition:

Me! I bought my all white furniture (except bed) before I got the key and confirm contractor.

[muska1119 1]

I didn't know can get reimbursement for building up the wall , n doubt any seller will help to pay. I just hope they can move out on time. Will also open the door at the new wall, in fact hv to change all the doors cos of the new door.

Mine is 131sqm

[keyswz 0]

Me! I bought my all white furniture (except bed) before I got the key and confirm contractor.

Lol... high 5... but u had the dimensions beforehand ya? otherwise how you know if they fitted into the rooms?

[keyswz 0]

I didn't know can get reimbursement for building up the wall , n doubt any seller will help to pay. I just hope they can move out on time. Will also open the door at the new wall, in fact hv to change all the doors cos of the new door.

Mine is 131sqm

The reimbursement was what my friend said and the final deal really depends on how you negotiate with the seller. We were quite 'chin chye' and ignorant at that time, so it can be considered a costly lesson. If you really want to go law by law and if my interpretation of the guidelines (reproduced below) is correct, the owner is supposed to restore it to its original state according to the floor plan.

"Construction of Opening at Party Wall between two Flats

In the event of a written demand by HDB or the transfer by the flat owner of his interests in the flat, the owner shall at his own costs and expense reinstate the party wall between the flats to the original position within one month from the date of the letter of demand or before the completion of the transfer of the flat, whichever is earlier."

taken from http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10324p.nsf/w/HomeRenoGuidelinesBuilding?OpenDocument

Not sure if it is too late for you, since OTP signed already right?

[beluga 1]

Another workout for our lights and toilet stuffs. Guess I shall let the pictures do the talking.

From zero in the forums:

Who is "Zero", a fellow forummer in RT? I'm looking for a good deal on hob and hood too...

[NeoBY 1]

Lol... high 5... but u had the dimensions beforehand ya? otherwise how you know if they fitted into the rooms?

hahah....I don't know. The only thing that is supposed to go to the bedroom is the King size bed. Rest are for living room.

[keyswz 0]

Who is "Zero", a fellow forummer in RT? I'm looking for a good deal on hob and hood too...

You can find him at http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=43792&st=0&p=667600&fromsearch=1entry667600

I have not gotten the goods from him nor had I met him, so I also dun know whether it is good or not. Can only update when the stuffs are delivered to my place, probably by March?

[keyswz 0]

hahah....I don't know. The only thing that is supposed to go to the bedroom is the King size bed. Rest are for living room.

Lol. Guess you have a clear idea of how they will turn out. Got pictures to see (maybe can steal some ideas)? All the best for your renovation!

[keyswz 0]

We actually went through quite a number of contractors without realising it. The search started probably a month ago.

The first one we met was Mr Y. We were not that prepared but just wanted to have a feel of what the prices were like for the various items. Maybe that was also the reason why he seemed not that committed and gave vague descriptions.

The second was R, a recommendation by a friend of ours. Quite a friendly guy but failed to deliver any quotation to us. He had sent us an email but without any attachment and there was no response after we informed him of the situation. Maybe he was too busy for us.

The third was M. Another recommendation by a friend. Quite a friendly person but no quotations in the end. Perhaps our budget was too low for his liking.

The fourth was from S. He sounded experienced and straightforward. Did not choose him as his quotation was one of the latest to reach us. By then, we already had someone else in mind.

The fifth was Lina from Home Sweet Home Renovation Works. The first female contractor we met and also the only who sort of understood why my fiancee wanted the additional wall between the master bedroom and the other room. Somehow, that sealed the deal as after that, it was mainly sorting out the final detailed quotation with her. Quite straightforward as well though she can be a bit careless and needed quite a few reminders on the quotation side. She had the most sincerity in wanting our business for she offered to view our flat without obligations so as to give an accurate quote. And even though we did not confirmed with her and we had quite a number of changes, she treated us without lesser amount of sincerity and she also brought us to see her client's place so that we were assured of her workers' workmanship.

The sixth was F. The office was located in a rather inaccessible place, but she was quite pleasant. Her follow up was rather fast as I asked about the quotation via email. Her quote was the most expensive and thus she was not chosen.

The seventh was A. He was also very sincere and he was the first to send us his quotation. He was the second to call back to follow up and his pricing is very competitive as well. Too bad we met him after Lina. I guess his luck was bad. I would recommend him though.

The eighth was R. He seemed creative with many ideas, though they may not be to our liking and he has a preference for expensive designs. He was the last to reply with an indication of a quotation and he wanted to meet us to go through the it. By then, we were already having a busy schedule and we were in the middle of discussion with Lina.

The ninth was C. We did not meet up but we sent an email indicating the jobs that we wanted. It was a recommendation from my fiancee's colleague and thus I guess we were obliged to ask him for a quotation. His quotation was too expensive also.

[keyswz 0]

Day 1 of renovation:

I was pretty surprised that they finished all the major hacking in one day.

Edited January 14, 2012 by keyswz

[keyswz 0]

Day 1 of renovation (continued):

Edited January 14, 2012 by keyswz

[muska1119 1]

I like your water heater, where did u buy n how much?

So near to cny the workers r still working? Heard that usually they take close to 1 mth off during cny