rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 (edited) Hello to all forumers here in Renotalk,小弟, Rocky, here says Hi to everyone. We got our flat in September last year but have not started renovations due to other priorities. After scouring the Internet for concepts, hints and tips, I can't help but keep coming back to Renotalk for all the best and innovative ideas to trick out our homes. As a form of giving back to the community, we decided to start a t-blog. Some of the ideas you may like and wish to adopt, please go ahead. No need to ask - it's free. Anything that you don't like, no need to flame us because we probably had no clue what was in our head then! Haha...First off, our floor plan. T-blog... here we go! Edited January 27, 2013 by rockyAtRenotalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 More pictures...I realised that my photography skills are really terrible. I failed to capture the important things in the apartment, and instead focused on irrelevant things... Anyway, here are some pictures of the house from our "First time open door" ceremony. View from Dining Area:Living Room/Balcony area:Kitchen:Stairwell (Mum knocked her head here. Big baluku!) :Staircase: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 Master BedroomMaster bedroom toilet:Bedroom 1:Bedroom 2: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 So, what's going through our heads when we are deciding on the renovations?Basic needs - Priority 1 stuff1. Popcorn walls/ceilings - asbestos was my key concern, but it seems plastering was the only viable solution. 2. 3x disgusting toilets - I don't want to go into details about these places. 3. Kitchen revamp 4. Utility room - restore5. Electrical rewiring6. LAN points in every room7. Hollow floorings - hack and redo. From the pictures, you can't tell, but the flooring is quite discoloured and has many sharp edges.8. Revarnish parquet because of many drops of white paint splattered all over the floor9. Windows, window grilles and main grilles - replace because of prolonged wear and tear10. Air con - Come on! This is SG. Enhancements needs - Priority 2 stuff1. L box lightings2. Cove/Alcove lightings3. Skyroof - one bro did it, super nice. Saliva drip until everywhere...4. Feature walls (Living room)5. A great kitchen - more on that later...6. Walk in wardrobe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
texas5 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 (edited) More pictures...I realised that my photography skills are really terrible. I failed to capture the important things in the apartment, and instead focused on irrelevant things... Anyway, here are some pictures of the house from our "First time open door" ceremony. View from Dining Area:Can the remaining balcony walls be hacked? or do you want to restore the balcony?Currently its like neither here nor there. The condition of the floor is quite good. congrats Edited January 27, 2013 by texas5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 The search for an ID...We invited a couple of IDs in for discussion. But our experience was a bit messed up because we sent out our desire for renovation very early. Many responded and said ended the phone call with something like, "Ok, ok! Good, I will send you a rough quotation next week and we will be in touch". Almost none came back. We started to get the feeling that nobody wanted to do up our house. But anyway, it boiled down to these few options:ID #1: "Relak one corner"This guy came to our place, and did some measurements. He has 10 over years of experience in the field, and from the pictures from the company website, it was really wow! In fact, some of the items are exactly what we wanted. But the bomb came when he threw down the $$$$$$. Plastering, flooring, full kitchen cabinets, toilets, no electrical wiring was already $75k. We loved the design, but we just don't pull out cash from under our armpits. ID #2: A good friend starting out...A friend came to me one day and said that he's starting out doing renovations. Of course as a friend, we will all invite them in. But months afterwards, there was no news, so in the end we had to drop him. ID #3: The devil that I know...This guy did my good friends' place, and when I was doing my pre-wedding renovations, I worked with him as well. His products are pretty ok, but not of the highest quality. Prices are reasonable and he is the contactable type. Although he did mess up a little bit on my previous project, at least we knew his "pattern" already. Moreover, he was willing to coordinate with my other contractors - flooring, electricity, window grilles, kitchen. So that's great for me.We went to a few other ID firms as well, but most of them are like hawk to its prey. The moment you throw out the double floor plan, their eyes light up with $$$. In short, I find that all IDs have their own "ba-ooh" (body odour in hokkien), but knowing it first makes things a lot more manageable and predictable later. So, ID #3 it is! Hopefully all goes well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 Can the remaining balcony walls be hacked? or do you want to restore the balcony?Currently its like neither here nor there. The condition of the floor is quite good. congrats Texas5,I have asked a few opinions on this and the answer had been mostly no. The walls are so thick and they look more like beams than just plain walls. But I have asked my ID to check again. You are right, its neither here nor there. On the flooring, the pictures are deceiving. The flooring is terrible. We have at least 8 tiles that have hollow sounds when you knock on them. And on some tiles, the discolourization is so bad you can still see the fish tank marks there. I could go on and on about the flooring but ultimately, wife said, "Hack the Floors!". 'nuff said... I bet she's reading this now. LOL... I'm so gonna get it. Hahaha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
texas5 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 (edited) Texas5,I have asked a few opinions on this and the answer had been mostly no. The walls are so thick and they look more like beams than just plain walls. But I have asked my ID to check again. You are right, its neither here nor there. On the flooring, the pictures are deceiving. The flooring is terrible. We have at least 8 tiles that have hollow sounds when you knock on them. And on some tiles, the discolourization is so bad you can still see the fish tank marks there. I could go on and on about the flooring but ultimately, wife said, "Hack the Floors!". if really cannot hack, might as well restore the balcony. I have a feeling that area will go to waste if you leave it the way it is.The bedrms flooring looks ok. my second flr is all laminates If you are not doing too much capentry, 50k should be doable base on your job list. btw, how much cov did you pay? looking out from the window, you seem to be at tampines 800+? Edited January 27, 2013 by texas5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleong 1 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 Going by current trends, don't expect to get much change from 50k. Low 40k for my reno back in 2010 and I didn't hack most of my floors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spikedoll 2 Report post Posted January 27, 2013 Congrats! Hope you have a smooth Reno !! Reno for EM isn't cheap.. My initial quote is already 73k excluding windows, Aircon and rewiring. Xiong!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z3phy 2 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 agree that since already know ur ID3 pattern, you'll probably feel more comfortable with him esp if his attitude and workmanship is ok the last time. anyway, looking forward to more reno pics! smooth journey ahead =) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 if really cannot hack, might as well restore the balcony. I have a feeling that area will go to waste if you leave it the way it is.The bedrms flooring looks ok. my second flr is all laminates If you are not doing too much capentry, 50k should be doable base on your job list. btw, how much cov did you pay? looking out from the window, you seem to be at tampines 800+?Texas5,Yup, the intention is to restore the balcony. But even then it might still be wasted because the windows faces the busy Ave 5. And like what spikedoll and cleong mentioned, 50k can't get much nowadays. ;(If I can get everything in under $100k, I will be happy. Re-doing my 3 toilets already costs me $20k, not including the w/c, basin and accessories. Rocky Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 Going by current trends, don't expect to get much change from 50k. Low 40k for my reno back in 2010 and I didn't hack most of my floors.Yup, quite upsetting but that is the reality of life! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 Congrats! Hope you have a smooth Reno !! Reno for EM isn't cheap.. My initial quote is already 73k excluding windows, Aircon and rewiring. Xiong!!!!spikedoll, Mine is similar. My re-wiring is closer to $7k. Aircon is about $4.5k. Do you have the problem where the piping is more than 15m and they charge you extra for that?And another question: what do you do for the 1st level toilet? P-type? S-type? L-bend? I was told I need to get my contractor to do up a customized l-bend. I have no clue about these things! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockyAtRenotalk 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 agree that since already know ur ID3 pattern, you'll probably feel more comfortable with him esp if his attitude and workmanship is ok the last time. anyway, looking forward to more reno pics! smooth journey ahead =)Thanks, Z3phy! Will put up more pictures as the days go by. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
