Bloom 0 Report post Posted April 21, 2012 @ May dream1: Hi there! Thank you for your encouragement!@ValerieLow: Thank you for your compliment! I see that you have also started your reno. Wishing you a smooth reno too.I will post some photo shortly. I hope to write more too. But I realise I am not one who verbalise my thoughts. This probably explains why this t-blog is so skim after 3 months! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted April 21, 2012 Yesterday was Day 5 of reno. The wall and floor tiles have been hacked and cleared (Day 1 & 2). The hacked surfaces have been plastered (Day 3 & 4). Waterproofing is done and some wall tiles in the bathrooms have been laid (Day 5).Everything went well except for the hacking of walls. HDB has not granted the approval yet. They have written twice to my contactor to ask for details and he did as requested. I have also called the in-charge to clarify the hacking is similar to that in one of the units in the same stack. The reply I received was “that unit was done some time ago (before he joined).” What does that mean? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LynZie 0 Report post Posted April 21, 2012 Hi Bloom.. I'm new to RT n my home is in a midst of reno as well.. Our approval for hacking the wall between the living room n kitchen took more than a week or so.. Initially, we thot it could not be done coz we r on the highest floor..maybe due to wall structure or so.. Would be sad to change our plan when we did saw other units having their open concept kitchen. I guess they r just slow in the approval.. Btw, love ur unit layout n design planned. All the best in ur reno process.. Hope to c pics soon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted April 22, 2012 @LynZie: Thank you for your comforting words! I hope the approval will come soon. Otherwise, it will be the rate limiting step. I see that your reno will be completed very soon, that's very fast! Congrats in advance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Akitsuki 0 Report post Posted April 22, 2012 Yesterday was Day 5 of reno. The wall and floor tiles have been hacked and cleared (Day 1 & 2). The hacked surfaces have been plastered (Day 3 & 4). Waterproofing is done and some wall tiles in the bathrooms have been laid (Day 5).Everything went well except for the hacking of walls. HDB has not granted the approval yet. They have written twice to my contactor to ask for details and he did as requested. I have also called the in-charge to clarify the hacking is similar to that in one of the units in the same stack. The reply I received was “that unit was done some time ago (before he joined).” What does that mean? he means to say that the unit that hacked the walls was not approved by him, but by some other officer before him. hopefully ur application will be approved.. good luck in ur reno Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) After 4 requests for details and after 4 responses, the wall-hacking approval is still pending. I have my take on whats going on but I shall not comment.To speed up approval, I decided to take a more conservative approach and minimise the no. of alternations put forth in the initial application:- Leave 1 of the walls (to be hacked) intact- Leave the original stairs intact (and overlay with tiles) instead of hacking and replacing it with suspended timber stairs, commonly seen in landed properties- Frame the raised area with stairs to address safety concern due to the 40cm drop in foyer, although this was not done by the other unitWith the above changes, I have also decided to shift the main door to the right as the planned centre entrance no longer serves the dramatic feel I wanted to create with 2 stairs on each side of the beam. The next best drama is to use a different floor tiles in the middle of the recess area. Hopefully, the eyes would be tricked to interpret this as a red carpet leading to the chill out area. Edited May 1, 2012 by Bloom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 The tiles I have chosen… Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 Something I learned about tiles purchase and how to save cost for DIY renovation...(1) Use tiles that are low in stock – they could be priced up to 50% lower or more. However, it is essential to ensure that the quantity, including buffer, is sufficient for the area to be laid.(2) Find a nice contractor who is willing to reduce the cut he takes from the supplier. I estimate the usual cut to be in the range of +/- 25%.(3) Purchase tiles from a supplier that is not affiliated to the contractor. Negotiate for contractor or near-contractor price. Discount is in the range of 10 to 25% depending on various factors. Another advantage is that some suppliers accept credit cards that can earn points/rebates. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lovenestinjw 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 Something I learned about tiles purchase and how to save cost for DIY renovation...(1) Use tiles that are low in stock – they could be priced up to 50% lower or more. However, it is essential to ensure that the quantity, including buffer, is sufficient for the area to be laid.(2) Find a nice contractor who is willing to reduce the cut he takes from the supplier. I estimate the usual cut to be in the range of +/- 25%.(3) Purchase tiles from a supplier that is not affiliated to the contractor. Negotiate for contractor or near-contractor price. Discount is in the range of 10 to 25% depending on various factors. Another advantage is that some suppliers accept credit cards that can earn points/rebates.Hi fellow 3-roomer,My new plc is also a 3 room HDB, glad to see another 3-room renovation going on. Ur floor plan is very unique, u got a L-shape spacious kitchen. Love! Thanks for sharing on the above, will definately bear it in mind when finalising my tiles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
May_dream1 14 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 Your unit very special!! There are stairs? Can't see from the floor plan. Where does the stairs lead to? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 Hi fellow 3-roomer,My new plc is also a 3 room HDB, glad to see another 3-room renovation going on. Ur floor plan is very unique, u got a L-shape spacious kitchen. Love! Thanks for sharing on the above, will definately bear it in mind when finalising my tiles.Hi lovenestinjw, thanks for your "like"! The Mitsubishi Starmex System 2 you got is a good deal. Is it an inverter? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2012 Your unit very special!! There are stairs? Can't see from the floor plan. Where does the stairs lead to?Hi May_dream1, a picture speaks a thousand words Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
May_dream1 14 Report post Posted May 2, 2012 Hi May_dream1, a picture speaks a thousand words oh i see.... now i understand. i thought of stairs, like an EM or loft unit to go upstairs. What you meant was steps, from foyer into the main living/chill out area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloom 0 Report post Posted July 22, 2012 It has been a long and challenging journey. I am happy that I am reaching the end of the tunnel very soon. Going to post some random photos…Do t-blogs get deleted if it is not updated after some time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
