Bachelorette Pad

[vanessa 12]

PMed both!

[ProjectH 0]

@vanessa! Can pm me too!? And whats the price did u managed to get psf? *mucks*

[vanessa 12]

@vanessa! Can pm me too!? And whats the price did u managed to get psf? *mucks*

PMed

[tikiman 0]

In the past few months, I've been looking for the right curtain/blinds for my balcony and living room. I've tried all kinds of curtains - long, short, sheer, blackout. I have also seen many samples of roller blinds and wooden blinds, but they aren't really what I'm looking for. Ive even tried to sew the curtains myself and did a few mock up but they didn't turn out as nice as i had imagined. Basically I need smth that gives me some privacy from the carpark opposite and not block the lush greenery outside (which is one of the selling points of this unit).

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

On some days, I hear the sound of crickets and it's really very calming. I see birds on the branches too, though sometimes I'm a bit worried they will fly into my unit.

the greenery stretches from the balcony window to the living room window

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

The challenge is how to accentuate this greenery and gives the place a relax, soothing feel. I'm not keen on roller blinds bcos of the roller tubes at the bottom and the mechanism at the top. wooden blinds are hard to maintain and way too expensive.

Then yesterday, I suddenly thought of black bamboo blinds and arranged for a no obligation quote today. The guy came with the samples but I forgot to take pix. Here is a pix taken from Internet:

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

I think there are both pros and cons to bamboo blinds. It's very easy to clean and you can even splash water on it. I also find it rustic looking, which is great against my greenery. But if you are using colored bamboo blinds, the paint will peel off eventually depending on how you handle the blinds. And becos bamboo is not smooth but has tiny bumps on it, you won't get black blinds with a smooth surface. The paint will look like it has blotches on it.

How? Any suggestions?

Hi June

Hope the leak by the window has been resolved. I'm currently doing my reno and did considered changing the original HDB windows. My contractor had advised me not to change as they are still in good condition and newer windows may give problems in future if not installed properly. I am also looking for supplier for curtains/blinds and have always loved the black and white look. Could you share who quoted you for the bamboo blinds and the rates quoted? Thanks !

Tikimum

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/61971-reno-for-tikihouse-tampines/

[June 13]

Hi June

Hope the leak by the window has been resolved. I'm currently doing my reno and did considered changing the original HDB windows. My contractor had advised me not to change as they are still in good condition and newer windows may give problems in future if not installed properly. I am also looking for supplier for curtains/blinds and have always loved the black and white look. Could you share who quoted you for the bamboo blinds and the rates quoted? Thanks !

Tikimum

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/61971-reno-for-tikihouse-tampines/

Hi Tikimum, I also hope the problem has been resolved but unfortunately it will take time to pin point the source of he problem. The Gain City guy who came today blamed it on the 'HDB wall' but he was very nice and still patched the aircon and other areas which I wanted to be fixed. I will have to wait for one or two weeks to see if the wall dries up.

I won't be getting the blinds from the vendor I met but I will pm you the contact and my feedback.

[June 13]

Hello, time for another update!

My last customised project by ID is progressing smoothly. I think the building of pipe shelves is very tough and labour intensive. The measurements also got to be very accurate. Thankfully, it is in good hands because customised projects are ID's forte .

Due to our busy schedules, the project is split into 3 parts - the mock up, the installation and the painting. Here are some overdue pix of the mock up some time back.

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

The pipes were already cut and welded to length by a shop before the mock up. As you can see, I'm using real water pipes with real connectors. I love the rugged, masculine look! But my friends find it puzzling that someone with white satin bedsheets and whimsical stuff in the bedroom will have masculine water pipes in the living room..

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

The pipes (still unpainted) were laid out on the floor and we shifted them around to see what kind of configurations we could get.

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

Here's a shot of ID talking to the wall...... Oh, I think he was holding the pipe against the wall so that i could visualise how the shelves will look like.

As usual, we explored all possibilities before deciding on what worked best for me (like all other parts of my renovation such as tiling, carpentry etc). I think the mock up took about two hours plus, which I think is actually not too bad, given that we are both fussy and meticulous and really scrutinised every possible configuration.

Really looking forward to the end product

Edited September 18, 2013 by June

[Makanology 29]

Glueing myself to your blog to witness the birth of your new living room shelves!

[simplehuman 1]

Just when I thought I could relax and enjoy my new pad, a problem cropped up - water seepage! Mine is a 28 year old flat and it seems like water seepage is quite common. What's more tricky is finding the cause of the problem.

the affected wall is in my MBR just underneath the window.

photo.JPG by BachelorettePad, on Flickr

I have no idea why the water stains are orange in colour. even though I like to dabble with paint in my free time, I really do not fancy having orange stain on my walls!

So I called Toa Payoh Town Council this afternoon and requested for someone to come check the problem. Now I must commend TP Town Council . I called them at 2pm and they sent someone down at 3.30pm!! I was so surprised that I actually asked "so fast? Arent you guys supposed to take your own sweet time to come?".. Haha!

Anyway, the town council staff said there were no visible holes or cracks in the wall and the cause of the seepage could be either because the aircon was not properly patched on the outside or there could be tiny cracks in the window ledge (which we can't see). He said I would have to do trial and error to ascertain what's the problem. The first thing to do is to call Gain City to get them to patch the aircon and then monitor the situation. If that doesn't work, then change the window but there is no guarantee that this will work. I think changing the window is too expensive an option, especially since my windows still look so new. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's the aircon's problem..

Hope this is settled soon.. I'm really no good with these things..give me headache

Hey, we have similar problems with our 37 yr old flat too when we got the keys. We called the town council, got pushed to branch office and bounced back to town council again b4 we finally got help from the town council. The town council guy came, inspected and told us he'll get someone to fix it since its a external wall seepage problem. We waited 2 months for him to get the work done. Reason: 'It keeps raining every day'. Anyway, they erected gondolas and fixed the problem from the outside.

[June 13]

Hi Simplehuman, i wish mine was that clear cut. I actually agreed with the town council guy that there were a few areas that could potentially be the cause of the leakage. After the aircon guy came to do the patching, it rained twice and the stains didnt seem like they worsened. I just painted the walls this morning and i hope i wont see any more stains when it next rain. fingers crossed!

[ProjectH 0]

Wow! Anor mini project! Ur home is always changing!

[zihui 7]

Looking forward to see photos of the completed project, June!

It's going to blend in wonderfully with the rest of the house!

[June 13]

Wow! Anor mini project! Ur home is always changing!

Hello projectH, all these things that Ive done or are doing could have been done within one reno, but I've split them up into stages. With only one brain, one savings account and very limited energy, I got to prioritize the things I want to do for my home. And I tend to consider for a long time before I decide on doing smth bcos I'm the only decision maker and if anything goes wrong, I have only myself to blame. So everything is done slowly and hence gives the impression that my Reno is never-ending. it's been really very difficult juggling all these things and I have lost count of the number of times I have fallen sick since I collected my keys. Sometimes I just don't feel like doing anything bcos I'm physically and mentally exhausted. But the end is near.... Because the pocket is empty.. Hahaha!

[June 13]

Looking forward to see photos of the completed project, June!

It's going to blend in wonderfully with the rest of the house!

Hello zihui, I can't wait to see the completed shelves too! I want to hang reindeers on the pipes during Xmas...(my ID will freak out)

[simplehuman 1]

Hi Simplehuman, i wish mine was that clear cut. I actually agreed with the town council guy that there were a few areas that could potentially be the cause of the leakage. After the aircon guy came to do the patching, it rained twice and the stains didnt seem like they worsened. I just painted the walls this morning and i hope i wont see any more stains when it next rain. fingers crossed!

Hope so.. cross my fingers for u too

[zihui 7]

Hello zihui, I can't wait to see the completed shelves too! I want to hang reindeers on the pipes during Xmas...(my ID will freak out)

HAHAHAHA

i'll sponsor a x'mas stocking to complete the look!