clouds00007 1 Report post Posted February 22, 2014 Hello Clouds!Lovely lovely home and very pretty flowers. How much was your reno and how long did it take for HDB to approve the hacking? (Am gonna hack quite a bit too and am worried if it'll take too long...)Also where did you get your tub? Still loving it?My hb wants a tub for the master bath not sure if it can fit and also I know of more ppl getting rid of tubs than installing! Hi NewAdventure, Thanks for the compliment. The reno cost us around $65K, excl. Recess Area and many other items.We timed our renovation closely with the application time required for the hacking. So it didn't took us too long for the permit to be approve. As long as its not a structure wall (colour in bold black on ur floor plan) it should be ok. Plus you downstairs and upstairs neighbours are not removing the same walls as u plan to do. We got the tub from a neighbour shop, those which you found in old estate. But they have retired last year already. You have to measure the space your have as there are tubs from 1400mm to 1600mm, which might fill into HDB toliets. But u do have to consult from your contractor first for the actual maximum size you can go, as they have to built a wall around your tub to hold it in place. So its better that they give you the dimension before you go search. Tub is wonderful on those tiring nights and hot days. ^_^ But if you do get a tub, make sure you get a big hot water tank. the last thing u wana happen is run out of hot water to fill it up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newadventure 1 Report post Posted February 24, 2014 Hi again, clouds!Thank you for your advice. I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying your tub. Will definitely ask the contractor for the max size. I suspect it might be too small...Take care! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted March 2, 2014 Went to IKEA ytd w/ mum. Was encouraged by her to try keeping Orchids.. she mentioned that they are hardy plant which is easy to keep, so hope they will survive under my care.My Aster flowers are reaching end of its flowering life soon, thinning out, so saw some False Heather, and decide to try a few pot before take the plunge to replace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Makanology 29 Report post Posted March 2, 2014 Hi we also tried to grow the orchid and false heather from Ikea but failed miserably!! Hope yours will go well and do share the success formula then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted March 8, 2014 Hi we also tried to grow the orchid and false heather from Ikea but failed miserably!! Hope yours will go well and do share the success formula then ^_^ how long did yours survive? Mine as of today is still doing great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Makanology 29 Report post Posted March 8, 2014 ^_^ how long did yours survive? Mine as of today is still doing great.Haiz ours died quite quickly... We tried to salvage but still failed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted April 6, 2014 Haiz ours died quite quickly... We tried to salvage but still failed almost one month since we bought them, till today, its still thriving and blooming.. where did u placed yours? is there sunlight light for it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Makanology 29 Report post Posted April 6, 2014 Hi thanks for your reply! Yes we placed it in the corridor with sunlight. We also watered daily but both orchid and false heather died a fairly quick death. Even our neighbour's false heather didn't last and it was placed just a metre away on the same corridor haiz... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted April 13, 2014 Hi thanks for your reply! Yes we placed it in the corridor with sunlight. We also watered daily but both orchid and false heather died a fairly quick death. Even our neighbour's false heather didn't last and it was placed just a metre away on the same corridor haiz... wow... for me, its along the corridor as well, only partial morning sun for like an hour. and i water every night.. they are blooming every now and then, might have to trim them down a bit to keep them in health soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ks Toh 74 Report post Posted April 13, 2014 Tub is wonderful on those tiring nights and hot days. ^_^ But if you do get a tub, make sure you get a big hot water tank. the last thing u wana happen is run out of hot water to fill it up.It is true that for most people, the tub is a white elephant. But I still think that if you have the space, it is good to have one tub for several reasons.Firstly, if you have young children, they will love it. They can use it during bath time.Secondly, quite a number of people now use the tub for spa and health purposes (they put some kind of machine in the tub). You never know when you might want a tub.Thirdly, when you sell your property, this might be useful.Instead of installing a tub with cement around it, you can also buy one of those self standing tubs. They come in different sizes, some with jacuzzi. I am currently using one. See here. These take up less space, since they are compact. You will need to run hot and cold water supply to the tub, plus drainage outlet. Plus power point if you have jacuzzi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted April 19, 2014 It is true that for most people, the tub is a white elephant. But I still think that if you have the space, it is good to have one tub for several reasons.Firstly, if you have young children, they will love it. They can use it during bath time.Secondly, quite a number of people now use the tub for spa and health purposes (they put some kind of machine in the tub). You never know when you might want a tub.Thirdly, when you sell your property, this might be useful.Instead of installing a tub with cement around it, you can also buy one of those self standing tubs. They come in different sizes, some with jacuzzi. I am currently using one. See here. These take up less space, since they are compact. You will need to run hot and cold water supply to the tub, plus drainage outlet. Plus power point if you have jacuzzi.Wow, love the layout of your toliet which allows you to place you tub that way.. Ya quite true, the tub does make a difference.Initially we wanted a sitting tub, made from just concrete and tiles... but we sort of lost confidence in our contractor half way thru, hence we decided just to go for a simple off the shelf tub. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted December 21, 2014 We have left the balcony area bare for quite a while because, I just couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to do with it.It was only after living in this wonderful place we called home, that I realised that I am missing an area where I could surf the net, do some light reading, have some afternoon tea... And the thoughts of the bare balcony area popped into my mind.So I have decided to mount a counter top and together with some bar stools, and transform the bare space into a useful place where all of the above activities can be carried out.I started off with an ideal of using solid teak wood or any outdoor wood of any kind. Reclaimed wood was also part of the plan, but unfortunately, every vendor I went to, seemed like they wanted a piece of me, charging as high as over $800 for a plank depth of 350mm x 2800mm and mounting wasn't even part of the package.So after a month of looking around, i have decided to give up on getting quality solid wood. I decided to look into what ikea have to offer.I saw some shelves which its depth seemed perfect but most were made of particle board which is a big no no for me, considering that it will be exposed to sun and occasional rain when we forgot to close the window.And when I thought I have to buy a big kitchen countertop made from solid birch and trim it down (pretty wasteful), I saw that there was this shelf also made from solid birch. Yes, I know it wasn't much of an outdoor material but I guess it is still better than some particleboard.So about $100+ later, I bought 2 pieces of these solid birch shelves, some wall brackets, a cheap ikea jigsaw and a tube of transparent silicon sealant, and I have got our balcony counter top with a depth just nice for our laptop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clouds00007 1 Report post Posted December 21, 2014 The above project started in the afternoon and was only finished late into the night.The next day when I try out the experience of using my new area, I realised the unsightly view of my a/c compressor (regretted placing it there), which could be seemed from the night shot above.So after some thoughts, I thought it would be good if I could have some thing to hide that. And artificial grass came into my mind. I thought it was a great idea considering that not only it would look good but it could also minimised those rain splashes when it pours as well. So off I went to daiso, pick up a few pieces and head back home.With some serious sewing and metal wire later, voila. 2 problem solved. Now we love this balcony so much more.And this is what we really see right in front of us. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
