vanessa 12 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 congrats! Exciting days ahead....the buzz of seeing the carnage is awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 congrats! Exciting days ahead....the buzz of seeing the carnage is awesome! stressful days ahead but i'm really excited at seeing the carnage this evening - out with the old! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessa 12 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 stressful days ahead but i'm really excited at seeing the carnage this evening - out with the old! The first day of carnage is the most exciting..you can start to envision what the place will look like. Don't worry about the stress really. It is all worth it. I remember the bits i was stressed about...that **** wall for my study...but after that was sorted...the only stress is arranging for deliveries and coordinating that sort of things. So if you are removing walls...even if it is not a solid black line...get it cleared with HDB EARLY...the delays are terrible Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 The first day of carnage is the most exciting..you can start to envision what the place will look like. Don't worry about the stress really. It is all worth it. I remember the bits i was stressed about...that **** wall for my study...but after that was sorted...the only stress is arranging for deliveries and coordinating that sort of things. So if you are removing walls...even if it is not a solid black line...get it cleared with HDB EARLY...the delays are terribleThat's very true tooThankfully I have a very hands-on contractorPermit for the wall hacking is already in place so that's one headache removedThink I might end up vomitting blood if we had to wait ages for a simple permit to be approved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessa 12 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 That's very true tooThankfully I have a very hands-on contractorPermit for the wall hacking is already in place so that's one headache removedThink I might end up vomitting blood if we had to wait ages for a simple permit to be approved.That's fabulous! My study room wall took 2 months. If it wasn't for that, we would be happily settled into the new place Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark 0 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 wow..your break ground ceremony really serious and well plan, contractor very ki lat ..... bet all will go smooth and well. Do keep us update. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 That's fabulous! My study room wall took 2 months. If it wasn't for that, we would be happily settled into the new placeYeah, i know.... in fact, to be honest, it was partially of what happened to you that made us so 'kan cheong' about the necessary permitswe can't imagine such a long delaybut it's ok because everything came through nicely for you in the end and now your dream house is really taking shape!wow..your break ground ceremony really serious and well plan, contractor very ki lat ..... bet all will go smooth and well. Do keep us update. Cheers hahahahaahhaapantang mah... thanks for the kind words mark! *fingers crossed* hoping that it'll be smooth sailing. problems will definitely occur but i'm hoping that the contractor can quickly settle the issuesour contractor is really very on the ball... i'm surprised. he even whatsapp-ed photos of the progress to us. will post them up in the next entry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 20, 2013 Just before lunch, the contractor suddenly Whatsapp-ed me."We have started!!"and he sent the following 3 photos:1) Switches and skirting dismantled, wires haphazardly dangling all over the place:2) Ninja Warrior!3) Hacking in progress:I finally understand what people mean when they say that having a good main contractor overseeing the renovation project really makes a huge difference.As a first time house owner, everything is foreign and new to me - and a little bit frightening. There have been many times when I've felt totally overwhelmed by what needs to be done and the decisions that need to be made. However, even though it's only the start, the contractor's behavior & attitude thus far has gone a long way in allaying my stress and worries. He's not an ID by training so there were no 3D drawings for us to peruse. However, he listens to what we want, comes up with his hand-drawn sketches, provides us with his input (whether our ideas are practical etc) and even comes up with his own design ideas for us to consider.Today is the first day of the reno, so needless to say, I'm sitting here at work both excited and worried. Like I told Vanessa earlier, I'm looking forward to rushing to the unit after work to view the carnage and to see the unwanted items ripped out. The fact that the contractor took the initiative to send me some photos without my asking for them is very much appreciated. Now I'm praying that the rest of the reno goes smoothly and that he continues maintaining this kind of standard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 23, 2013 Excitedly went down to the unit after work last Friday to check out the carnage. Out with the old!Here are the obligatory photos of the debris:1) Hacked up kitchen:2) Hacked up toilet:3) MBR Toilet destroyed:4) Protective sheets laid out in the living room to protect the marble flooring - the only thing that we're not hacking:In addition to hacking, the aircon guys from Gain City also came down on Saturday to run the piping and to shift the aircon units to where the FSM asked us to place the units. The glass guys also came down to take measurements (and collect deposit payment) on Saturday for the required windows, new balcony sliding door and the staircase.On Sunday, we went over to Starhub to sign up for the fibre broadband. For those interested in installing the OpenNet fibre broadband cables, Starhub is throwing in the OpenNet installation for free while Singtel told us to arrange with OpenNet on our own. So thanks to Starhub, the OpenNet guys are coming down to our unit to do the installation on the 1st of Oct while the Starhub technicians will come down once again on the 7th of Oct to carry out their part.Today is the final day of hacking and debris removal - the balcony tiles, sliding door & frame are all coming out and the place will finally be cleared. Tiles & mosaic all to be delivered this afternoon. PHEW! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 23, 2013 More photo updates from JT (the contractor's name):1) Wall plaster and Porcelain tiles have arrived!2) Sand and Cement 3) Even more sand, cement and tiles!Right on schedule! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 JT update (24th Sept '13) - Plastering works are ongoing right now:The last photo had the caption - "Your walls (are) finally smooth liao :)" hahahahahahaBeen an incredibly busy few days for us so we havn't had the chance to physically go down to the unit to check out the progress, so we've been relying on the contractor's photos to keep us updated. We finally have some errands to run in that area this evening so we can pop by the unit to check it out! We've also gone down to SSC @ IMM to order the 3 WCs required for the house... the poor credit card is taking yet another beating Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessa 12 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 JT update (24th Sept '13) - Plastering works are ongoing right now:The last photo had the caption - "Your walls (are) finally smooth liao :)" hahahahahahaBeen an incredibly busy few days for us so we havn't had the chance to physically go down to the unit to check out the progress, so we've been relying on the contractor's photos to keep us updated. We finally have some errands to run in that area this evening so we can pop by the unit to check it out! We've also gone down to SSC @ IMM to order the 3 WCs required for the house... the poor credit card is taking yet another beating LOL...i remember the crazy weekend of light purchasing for the house...man...i was signing and signing...and making a mental note of total spend...quite scary! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 LOL...i remember the crazy weekend of light purchasing for the house...man...i was signing and signing...and making a mental note of total spend...quite scary!hahahahahahHIGH FIVEi think all of us are experiencing the same pangs and involuntary twitches when it comes time to sign the credit card chits, particularly for the big-ticket purchases! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessa 12 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 hahahahahahHIGH FIVEi think all of us are experiencing the same pangs and involuntary twitches when it comes time to sign the credit card chits, particularly for the big-ticket purchases!Just keep repeating what i was telling myself..."it's ok....it is a need..not a want....this will go to more robinsons vouchers too...it's ok.." LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zihui 7 Report post Posted September 24, 2013 Just keep repeating what i was telling myself..."it's ok....it is a need..not a want....this will go to more robinsons vouchers too...it's ok.." LOLLOLactually the worst part comes when we're comparing similar models. We look at Model A (the cheapest one in the range) and then look at Model B and go, "Hey, Model B is so much nicer than Model A and costs only $50 more...." And once you start having this mindset, in pops Model C where we go, "Since we're already willing to pay $50 for Model B, why not pay an additional $80 on top of that for the droolworthy Model C? After all, this cost is split up amongst the item's lifespan so we're paying just a little bit more for something we actually like instead of just getting the cheapest one"Next thing you know, all the "just a little bit more"s add up very quickly into a scary monster. *sweat* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
