Our Cosy Hideout!

[lancified 3]

Hi all,

This blog is started to share with all prospective new home owners, especially those on a budget, on how I have studied, learnt and planned my reno for my new flat at SK.

To be frank, I have collected my keys since Sept 2011 but have delayed renovation until now to be sure that we spending our hard earned money correctly. It was okay for me and my wife since we are both staying at our parents' place so no issues with that.

Throughout the year of non-activity, we have almost combed every nook and canny in Singapore, looking out for the best deals as well as rubbish deals. What material to use, price vs durability vs design vs after sales, ease of replacement/installation. I have also studied from my friends' renovations, and learnt from their mistakes. This year was not in vain. The amount that we spent on Reno + furniture + electronics + cookware + accessories (basically all in, everything was brand new) is the amount that my colleagues spent on just reno alone. I was happy we took the time to learn.

My plan initially was that I would be my own ID, since I have amassed huge knowledge over the year, and that contractors are generally cheaper. However, I realised that while I am very technically inclined (i was the handyman at home, I can repair/install almost anything from beds, cookers, TVs, computers, walls, lights, toilets etc), I was lacking in the colour matching department. I know the feeling that I would want my house to be, but I was not capable of bringing the look out.

In the end, I decided to go ID hunting. Again, the big question came out - who, and how much more from contractors pricing. I have talked to many IDs from many firms and have classified them under 3 main categories (no names will be mentioned):

1) Top - these are the big boys, you can identify them by the commercials all over TV, radios, magazines. These guys cost a bomb! Their quote is at least 70-90% more than my contractors quote.

2) Middle - these guys always chiong fairs ie home furnishings fairs at expo/suntec etc. Usually they will have 1-2 lao jiao in the company, the rest are newbies. God bless u if you get a new guy on the job. Their prices are 40-70% more than contractors' quotes.

3) Value but dangerous - these are the small players. They do not advertise, no gimmicks, no frills. No risk, no gains. You either find someone genuine and honest, or a dubious ID. usually these people have lesser pictures to show you, but if you look hard enough, u can find a diamond sparking somewhere within the rocks. Charges are about 20-30% more than contractors.

I was lucky, I think found the diamond within third group. My ID was a very down to earth man, no rolex, no tag heuer, just a normal casio watch. Drives a modest car, unlike other IDs with BMWs and mercs. Our first meeting was at a coffee shop, and he was dressed in t-shirt and berms. I am very good at analyzing people, and I can tell he was honest, no sales talk at all. I was also impressed when he told me how he helped his clients to save money by utilizing better technology / materials to achieve the same effect but easy on the pocket. We were on the same frequency.

2nd meeting, was at my place. I shared with him about our ideas for our house, and also made sure that he understood what we told him at the 1st meeting. The 3rd meeting was at his office. I wanted to be sure that the company was valid and also see who his boss was. I was very sure I had everything covered, and signed on the spot.

My reno period is from now - End Nov 2012. Will post pictures and our progress in time to come :D!

[Greyembers 0]

Hi! I'm looking forward to learning for you! it seems like you really did your homework and it paid off! Thank you for sharing the information you have collected in advance!

[casa 0]

Congrats and remem to post reno pics to share

[Sygnur 0]

Hi.... Im glad u decided to blog ur reno journey... I too, had collected keys in May 2012 but yet to do any reno. Still hunting...

Congrats on starting on a new adventure... Will follow ur blog closely as possible.

Hi all,

This blog is started to share with all prospective new home owners, especially those on a budget, on how I have studied, learnt and planned my reno for my new flat at SK.

My reno period is from now - End Nov 2012. Will post pictures and our progress in time to come :D!

[spikedoll 2]

Congrats!! Hope to see pics of your Reno process and keep us updated.

[lancified 3]

Thanks for following this thread guys! I hope everyone will learn something so that you can transform your home to a place that you yearn to return to every single day, without burning a deep hole in your pocket! That extra money could be used for a romantic getaway, an extended honeymoon or even used to appreciate your wife for being there for you all these while, instead of feeding your some ID/contractors' sports/luxury car.

My reno is on schedule and all of the masonry works have been completed. electrical wiring, aircon piping and water/gas pipings will take place tomorrow.

I will share a little on how I saved over 5k on furniture/electronics/fittings.

As all of you know, I took a year to prepare myself. Firstly, we decided that we will not take any loan since ID will definitely charge u more if they knew u are capable of increasing your loan amount. So whatever we saved, will be the only and final budget. This way, you will NEVER go out of budget. 2ndly, decide the size of your pockets. a pocket for the reno, a pocket for the electrical works, a pocket for the aircon, a pocket for kitchen related appliances and tools, a pocket for furnitures, a pocket for consumer electronics. If you ever need more money for a certain pocket, you are only allowed to transfer budget from other pockets, NEVER NEVER increase your budget.

For consumer electronics, buy these at the last available IT fair right before you move in. be sure to grab the 2nd to best technology. For example, the whole world is raving about smart LED TVs, so I bought a last generation LCD TV aka the best LCD TV ever made. Let's analyse this. LED - slimmer, sharper, more energy saving than the average LCD. so let's count. my TV will averagely be turned on for a max of 35hrs a week which mean that for the price i paid for my LCD, it will take roughly about 4 years to break even had i bought the LED. I'm pretty sure that my TV, or my desire to upgrade, will not last even 3 years. MYTH - LED are sharper - total load of rubbish. sharpness is defined by the quality of the panel, not the technology. and since I am buying the last generation LCD, I am comparing best LCD panels vs 1st/2nd generation LED panels. As far as I have know, perfection don't come at first or 2nd try. So to those who bought LED TVs, thank you for being our guinea pigs! 3rd, LEDs are slimmer - correct, anyone with eyes can see that. Which is why I hired an ID to design a feature wall! If your ID cannot even do this, you have met someone newbie, or simply is only interested to collect cheque from you. Now, how about the SMART feature? Basically, it means that your TV will have an operating system where you can run some apps. Think of it as your samsung/htc/LG/etc phone with the android OS. the OS that your smart TV has, is static. meaning, it u get this OS, u only have this OS forever. it u don't like the OS, too bad, u can't change it either. I bought a stupid TV, but I bought the OS separately. All I need is a another HDMI port to connect my OS to my TV. and because it's external, I can upgrade the OS anytime I want, I can install any app I want, I can plug my NAS to it so that I can playback my downloaded shows. And if i ever want to upgrade my TV, I can buy another stupid TV but use back my OS!

So you have it: BEST LCD technology/same size/more HDMI/input/output ports/same years of warranty/same quality + individual OS box VERSUS SMART LED TV

$$700 versus $1500.

A little bit of thinking, and my curtains are free!

Edited October 24, 2012 by lancified

[lancified 3]

Masonry work done

Edited October 24, 2012 by lancified

[lancified 3]

Next I will share on how to choose the correct air con invertor/non-invertor, which brands, how many system/BTU.

stay tune!

[lancified 3]

original basin by HDB taken down to make way for a more pretty one for the wife, Citygas and electrical wires all up!

Edited October 28, 2012 by lancified

[lancified 3]

Finally finished shopping for lights and kitchen accessories!

really pleased that we were able to source for good LED downlights which are so much better looking and energy saving than the average downlight!

and the good thing is, i paid lesser for each of the LED ones than the average downlight! shoik!

as such, i will sell off my unused normal downlight for super lelong prices below what i paid for. have 3 of them.

search the garage sales under my posting

Edited October 28, 2012 by lancified

[lancified 3]

For my aircon, I went with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 1x18k and 3x9k system 4 inverter with a 32k compressor!

I know many people would choose Starmex or toshiba/sharp/panasonic. But I have never been a branding person, I dont appreciate having a celebrity teaching u how to clean an aircon and jack up (pun intended) the prices by so much.

I have many friends who specializes in aircons and they gave me the following advice:

1) aircon gas leaks are caused SOLELY by installer. you can have the best aircon, but a newbie installer who does not know how to bend piping problem will more probably induce a leak. take into consideration that R410A gas needs a pipe that can withstand the higher pressure. if u realised, why many old aircons dont leak and last so long, one reason: they are using R22 gas, which require less pressure so pipes are less likely to leak. but R22 will be phased out in 2015, so R410A is the way to go.

2) water dripping / leaking - definitely caused by a bobo installer.

3) the 5 year warranty on compressor only applies to parts (such as the fan motor) and NOT THE CIRCUIT BOARD! Therefore any compressor that have a history of circuit board burning out, I avoid. The brand that has a hedgehog called "sonic" in its name is a major culprit. all my kakis advised against that brand, even though they have more commission if they sell that. If your circuit board fails, it will cost u around $700-$900 for a replacement.

4) Ulu brands such as york/midea, most people dont like them. However, if you are budget constrained, I highly advise u to get them. I have stayed for prolong periods for work in Malaysia and China, and have used york / midea for 3 years without any servicing. and the aircon is still cold, no leaks and no sound. function/energy saving wise - they are comparable to korean brands. FYI, york is the number 1 brand in malaysia, and midea is a top electronics brand in china.

In the end, I chose MHI for many reasons:

- more functions than all the japanese brands

- higher compressor BTU means I can turn on living room or 2 rooms at any one time and only use 50% load.

- more energy saving than mitsubishi starmex (surprise surprise! many people don't know this)

- manufacturer pushing promo, i paid $700-$800 less than what was advertised at a top aircon retailer that is yellow and has a city in its name.

- wife is home based, so my aircon is going to be turned on for at least 16-20hrs a day, I dont want a compressor that burns out quick.

There u go. This savings means I can give my wife a new vanity counter for the MBR toilet!

Edited October 28, 2012 by lancified

[Sygnur 0]

Wohooo!!! Thanks for sharing info... I do gain knowledge by reading ur posts... Here's to more..

[lancified 3]

My sys4 aircon is up!

[angmoh 0]

Hi Lancified,

Would you mind elaborating why Heavy Industries is more energy saving than Starmex? I'm in the midst of selecting aircon for my unit as well !

TIA !

Anyway i'm looking at 24k + 12k + 9k +9k, with looooooooooooooog piping from the master bedroom compressor up to the living hall.. so i definitely looking for something which is more powerful. I know Starmex has a 38000 btu one..

[lancified 3]

Hi angmoh, u can look at the actual power rating, the one that states how many ticks. Starmex should be around 0.69 at part load, while mhi is 0.61 at part load.

There are other brands which have lower power rating than starmex too. My friends told me about advertised BTU rating for compressors, some is not accurate. I can't remember if it's starmex or other Japan brand, but the true rated BTU is only 30k even though it was advertised as 38k. Don't know how to explain this, but its the same logic as rated power supply units. Being designed to support 500w and designed to support up to 500w is very different.

My baseline is that businesses must make money. If they spend so much on commercials, they would have lesser to spend on r&d and post sales support. Simple maths.

Another factor that I stayed away from starmex: non of my friends in the aircon industry installed starmex in their own houses. Even the guy who works for Mitsubishi electric and was given staff discount.