Joanna's Playground; An Em Dream

[annastans 1]

It's 26th April and yes, we have collected our keys!! Woohoo!

Yesterday we collected our keys and went down to Balestier Road to check out some tiles; more or less decided on them and will update with pictures later. The only places we are looking for tiles mainly were:

a) Balcony floor

b) Kitchen Wall (1 type for main wall and 1 type for the accent wall)

c) Kitchen floor

After walking up and down a few shops there, we figured they were mostly alike so decided to just pick something and get it over with

Today the contractor came over to take some final measurements and to go over the details of what goes where or what needs to be taken down where. My parents had come down for this and the open concept kitchen idea and kitchen tile selection didn't go down well with them too say the least. Hee! Hoping that the final outcome doesn't turn out too bad and I don't regret the final design choices!

A mini war was going on within me regarding the kitchen (yes, the kitchen again) counter top and initially we had decided on Black Galaxy, but lately I've been questioning the choice because well, it's black, and I wanted a brighter overall look. Not to mention the not too favourable reviews I've been hearing about granite, and so second guessing my choice and whether to jump ship to quartz now. I'm not a serial cooker so realistically, solid surface might do, but I'm being a bit cautious here trying to get something a bit more resistant. Just today I hear about Corian Solid Surface and that it's a lot better than regular solid surface, but I don't know what to think anymore So many decisions decisions!

- Ignorance is bliss.

[jaykr 0]

From what I know, even granite has different types of quality. My cousin has been using granite for his kitchen for a very long time, and it is very good looking and no major issues. So you might want to think about that. Quartz can be pretty expensive and unless you cook a lot and there is major activities happening in the kitchen then it could be good option provided you are ok with the cost.

So maybe the thinking is , get the best quality granite instead of the lowest quality quartz if cost is a concern.

Solid Surface is an option and definitely cheaper but again it depends on the activity of the kitchen that can impact the solid top.

It's 26th April and yes, we have collected our keys!! Woohoo!

Yesterday we collected our keys and went down to Balestier Road to check out some tiles; more or less decided on them and will update with pictures later. The only places we are looking for tiles mainly were:

a) Balcony floor

b) Kitchen Wall (1 type for main wall and 1 type for the accent wall)

c) Kitchen floor

After walking up and down a few shops there, we figured they were mostly alike so decided to just pick something and get it over with

Today the contractor came over to take some final measurements and to go over the details of what goes where or what needs to be taken down where. My parents had come down for this and the open concept kitchen idea and kitchen tile selection didn't go down well with them too say the least. Hee! Hoping that the final outcome doesn't turn out too bad and I don't regret the final design choices!

A mini war was going on within me regarding the kitchen (yes, the kitchen again) counter top and initially we had decided on Black Galaxy, but lately I've been questioning the choice because well, it's black, and I wanted a brighter overall look. Not to mention the not too favourable reviews I've been hearing about granite, and so second guessing my choice and whether to jump ship to quartz now. I'm not a serial cooker so realistically, solid surface might do, but I'm being a bit cautious here trying to get something a bit more resistant. Just today I hear about Corian Solid Surface and that it's a lot better than regular solid surface, but I don't know what to think anymore So many decisions decisions!

- Ignorance is bliss.

[annastans 1]

Thanks jaykr!! The 1 line you said that rings true is, "..get the best quality granite instead of the lowest quality quartz if cost is a concern" That made a lot of sense so sticking to the Black Galaxy counter top because I figure a black counter top isn't going to make the kitchen look all that miserable. That's 1 less thing to worry about!

I'm happy again!

[annastans 1]

Based on the tiles selected, decided to draw up a rough sketch to get an idea as to how the tiles look at their positions and with a particular arrangement. The following are the photos:

The wash area and the wall here will be hacked out (wall facing the living area) to allow a little more light in. The cabinet drawers are arbitrary; haven't really thought through that yet.

The toilet on the left most covered with white tiles, the fridge beside it and the hob area. Once again, cabinet layout is not confirmed for this too but overall, the tiles look pretty alright! Pleased with the end result

[annastans 1]

It's been some time since the last post and we have been busy running around trying to finalise the kitchen layout and getting down to choosing the sink, hob and hood, so perhaps I could share what we have been up to

Deciding on the counter top

Initially we were planning to use the Indian Black galaxy granite provided by our contractor but the more we thought about it, the less appealing the black seemed in the kitchen as we wanted to keep the whole house as bright as possible and the black seemed to somewhat lessen this brightness. Also, it wasn't really helping the colour theme of the kitchen was supposed to be white/off white and blue. It was then that a fellow forumer, jaykr, was sharing with us on his opinions about caesarstone and granite and we decided to relook into the Caesarstone bit which really appealed to us because of the colours available. Now we are 80% of the way through with finalising our counter top so keeping our fingers crossed that all will go well.

Deciding on a hood:

Initially we were planning on having a chimney hood, as shown in my previous drawings, because it really looked beautiful and seemed to occupy space well. But after taking into consideration the fact that we were going for an open concept kitchen and that our cooking ranges from medium to high Asian cooking, we decided to put a bit more effort into finding a good hood. I must add that the review posted by this blogger, http://renovation-greencoal.blogspot.sg/2011/03/review-fujioh-hood-fx-900.html was extremely helpful in helping us in the decision making process when choosing a hood. The Fx900 is something I'm sure most forumers here are familiar with and it sounds like something that would most benefit the kind of cooking we do, but I guess we won't know until we actually start using it :/ We went down to a few shops along Balestier, Jalan Besar and to some of the big names to compare the prices for these hoods and so far it appears that Jerome, aka zero, appears to be giving the best price for this so will be getting this from him most probably

Deciding between a hob/freestanding cooker

Here comes the part I just CANNOT make up my mind about! So I loooooveeeee freestanding cookers just because they are so pretty! I wish I could hug them everytime I see them! That's how gorgeous they are!! I was specifically looking for something that has a gas oven and yes, a lot of places carry the EC530/830/930 that use gas ovens. The EC530 and EC930 SS are pictured below respectively;

It

So they are both beautiful and affordable but I was looking for something even more huggable. EF has some really good ones for gas ovens buttttt they are not available in Singapore So there is an electric model shown below, that was love at first sight!

At $1,799 and a 105L oven, I think it's a steal. But in all honesty, I definitely don't need at 105L oven and I shudder to think of the electricity bill every time I were to use it. I haven't come across any reviews for this yet fortunately (I would be devastated if it were bad) or unfortunately (I can't tell if getting this is a good or bad idea). However, I have to decide if I'm getting this or a built in hob ASAP because it affects my kitchen layout and works are due to start this Wednesday (more about that later) AArgh!

If hob, I'm interested in Ariston or Rinnai and I have my eyes on the RB-3CG if i haaaaaave to get a built-in hob. I have NO idea what built in oven to use if I decide not to go with the freestanding cooker. GAH!

Deciding on Sinks/toilet stuff

Moving on to happier things, I was earlier hunting around for my sink and toilet items when we saw this shop called GR Link Marketing. I haven't bought anything from them yet but their prices are very competetive and not to mention, their sales staff are so so soo friendly! I will definitely be going there again and will let you know if I've bought anything from them.

Reno updates

So Mr Yeak has helped us file for permit and while they have approved the hacking of the wall between kitchen and balcony, we are still awaiting their reply on the hacking of the wall between kitchen and study. Works were supposed to commence this Monday but naturally we can't start on Monday now (thank God! That gives me more time to argue with myself about the hob/cooker) so we are looking to commence either this Wednesday or the following Monday.

I would like to end off with a picture of the bottom floor of the house before works commence. Hoping for a beautiful reno journey ahead! Goodnight!

[mian1916 0]

hi! mind if i ask where you found the ef stand cooker? tnx

[annastans 1]

hi! mind if i ask where you found the ef stand cooker? tnx

hello mian1916, I saw this particular one at Mustafa but almost all stores carrying hobs and hoods will have this as well, just that they might not have the display piece. They will have the catalogue though so you can ask to see it. The shops along Balestier were a bit pricey for this model I must add. Are you looking to get a freestanding cooker?

[annastans 1]

We have finally managed to fix a final layout for the kitchen after delaying works by a week, so I'm really excited that works are going to start tomorrow! Finally! We were told to buy the sink first so we went down to Jalan Besar today to pick out a suitable sink for the kitchen. It's currently residing in the new place so maybe will be able to get a picture of it when we go down later this week. We also picked out the tap to go with the sink and I'm extremely pleased with the final outcome!

Not bad for the first home purchase I say! (tiles don't count). Will continue to post pictures as the renovation progresses!

[Wings17 1]

just saw some special discounts on eubiq on the asl power online store. http://www.aslpower.com.sg/store/power-tracks.html

don't know if i should get some right now or wait for the coming it show in june.

Heard from asl that they are participating in the show.

Oh ya, you can subscribe for email updates on RT for the blogs u r interested in, including your own of course. There are always some friendly owners who will share their latest acquisitions so you can also keep an eye on their blog.

[adidaem 6]

just saw some special discounts on eubiq on the asl power online store. http://www.aslpower.com.sg/store/power-tracks.html

don't know if i should get some right now or wait for the coming it show in june.

Heard from asl that they are participating in the show.

Asteem price was generally better then ASL. E.g e track 1st at $80 and next at $70. Dunno if it show price will be better but based on prev shows the offer about like ASL only so that's why we chiong when we came across the Asteem offer. Try calling Asteem to check for warehouse sale? Am not affiliated to Asteem or anything, but the price is better lor. E genesis 600 mm is $128, 800 mm is $148, soho 1000 mm is $138, all with basic plugs.

[MiracleSG 0]

Asteem warehouse sale just over, it happened during end April. Manage to grab some stuff on the last day.

[annastans 1]

Back after a bit of a hiatus so I must warn that it will be a pretty long post

Renovation has been progressing at a steady pace and as of now all tiling works are done up so here's a summary of what's happened so far.

Both my husband and I finish work late in the evenings so by the time we think of paying our home-to-be a visit, it gets pretty dark and we look very suspicious peeping through the windows trying to catch a glimpse of our house. Given our schedules, we have pretty much placed our trust in our contractor to organise things to ensure that tasks go smoothly and we also rely heavily on him to tell us when to purchase items. In one such instance we suddenly found ourselves very pressed for time when he asked us to buy alllll the bathroom accessories (WCs, wash basins, heater etc etc) by Thursday when we hadn't even seriously considered what or who to buy these items from. Very pressed for time, we went to GR Link Marketing and purchased all these items and here's a list of the purchase:

1) 3 WCs: Baron 303

2) 3 Wash Basins

: (upside down)

Only 2 pictured here as I couldn't lift the 2nd off the 3rd. It was so heavy!

3) 3 WB faucets (all 3 same design except that 1 is the shorter version of the other 2 as it's placed on the basin)

( 2 of this taller version) (1 shorter version)

3 Bidet Sprays

2 Rain shower sets with hand showers

25L Joven Water heater

Lots of misc parts that I know not what they are called.

I must say that Uncle Benny was very easy to talk to and the delivery service was excellent and on time; not to mention, the price was very competitive. What neither the contractor, me nor my sister (who was there on our behalf to settle the balance amount) could understand was how the WCs entered the house before any of us got there! I freaked out and called the delivery guy to ask why he left without taking the balance and he said he hadn't even reached :/ So basically we don't know who put the WCs there.

Apart from the bathroom items, husband and I went down to mega discount store and purchased the Mitsubishi MRF62C SS and the Bosch HBN331E2J built-in oven at a good bargain too! Haven't arranged a delivery date with them as of yet so hoping everything goes well.

Also, we managed to get all the down lights and T5s over the weekend through my very kind cousin and cousin-in-law who bought it for us from KL and to put it simply, buying stuff from Malaysia is soooo much cheaper!! Oh right! No pictures of that for now..

House pictures coming up in next post due to photo limit!

[annastans 1]

Now for the house itself!

Finally managed to get some pictures of the house before the sun went down;

Overlaying of balcony tiles done. I thank my husband for constantly insisting on this because I really like the final result! The cement base for the washing machine and mini storage area is done up as well. (So pretty!)

View of the kitchen from the study. Walls all hacked and the breeze feels lovely!

The sink erected with concrete support and those tiles! Once again, just lovely!

I must say I had very mixed feelings about this look when I saw the final product. Disappointed would be a good word. But realistically, it probably looks the way it does because it's really bare so when some colours come into the picture hopefully it doesn't look this sanitary The tiling works were done up excellently except for small gaps at the corner joint but the fridge will block it and I won't be able to see it anyways.

Plumbing works are due to commence tomorrow so waiting to see the WCs up in the toilet

[juxstapose 2]

Where'd you get the turquoise tiles from? Hafary @ Defu dont stock any such tiles..

[Makanology 29]

Nice nice turquoise tiles! Good color