Modern Em Reno@ Bukit Panjang

[Harriette 42]

Harriette, I'm so impressed with the tiling. I'm currently researching for my new flat and I plan to tile the entire place so tiling is so impt! Do you mind sharin Mr Yeak's contact? Also....Mr Jay does your design only right? What if we are hanedicapped in the design aspect LOL. Will Mr Yeak be able to come up with 3D drawings? ^^

Hi nwz,

I have PM-ed you Mr Yeak's contact. His tiler's workmanship is quite good. We are now doing alot of wiring. His electrician seems quite good too.

Jay does the design. He also works with Mr Yeak to ensure that the design is well-executed. I personally feel that Jay's designs are very good. He is an architect. However, do note that as he is a part-time designer, he only goes down to site once a week.

One advantage of having a separate ID and contractor is that when there are disputes, there is a 2nd opinion. One recent example - Mr Yeak did not locate a power socket at where I wanted. He said I didn't tell him. Jay said he had indicated that location in his drawing. So the matter was solved.

I don't know whether Mr Yeak does 3D drawings. You can ask him.

[Harriette 42]

Hi kstoh and alfredt,

Thanks for your advice. I have asked my ID if we can do louvred doors in the compartments holding electronic devices. Such devices will generate alot of heat.

Harriete

Personally, I would try not to use the IR Repeater solution unless I really have no choice. Never tried, but seems like it may introduce other problems.

I use dark glass panels for the doors of my TV console. I was told the type of glass used allows IR signals to go through. So far so good. The slight translucency also allows me to tell if my devices are on or off, and to see the time on the SCV TV box.

It is likely that WIFI signals from the enclosed RG will not be strong in your furthest rooms. For me, I put another router (in bridge mode) in the network port of one of the other rooms.

harriete,

you also need to worrry about heart buildup in compartment A with so many devices running and generating heat ?

[Harriette 42]

19 Jan 2014 reno updates

Currently, wiring works are being done. There are alot of wires. Most wires will be hidden in the false ceiling.

This photo shows some of the false ceiling being built. The door frame in the study/helper's room is up.

Jan 19th - reno update 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

This is a photo of the master bedroom:

Jan 19th - false ceiling by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

False ceilings in the other 2 upstairs bedrooms are done:

Jan19th - false ceiling upstairs by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Edited January 19, 2014 by Harriette

[Harriette 42]

These wires are dangling in the upstairs foyer. False ceiling will be built.

Jan 19th - wires by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

At the staircase landing, we are building a cove light. LED strips will be mounted onto the metal frame in the photo below. This cove light will be controlled by a 2-way switch - one upstairs and one downstairs.

Jan19th - cove lights by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Edited January 19, 2014 by Harriette

[Harriette 42]

Here is a cute photo I saw on the internet. Maybe I could stick these stickers on my staircase.

Jan 19th - staircase pic from internet by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

[mellenur 11]

hi Harriette, progress looking good!

I follow your blog closely because we're using the same contractor and I know my works should be just behind yours since my works started a few weeks after yours. Hehe!

I'm doing wiring this week and false ceiling as well as A/C trunking and gas piping on Friday.

Works are moving a little slow, I'm not sure if it's just me. Plastering works took an entire week last week, and plumber came in on Friday noon. We came over that night around 8plus and he was still there. I wonder why he didn't come earlier. Anyway, his piping job is good for most parts but we had some other issues. And he can't fix it till Thurs.

I'm guessing all your plumbing works were fine?

[Harriette 42]

Hi mellenur,

Actually, I didn't really pay close attention to the pipes. They seem straight.

I have noticed that the works take some time. For me:

- tiling took 2 weeks, for 3 toilets, balcony, yard and kitchen

- plastering took 1 week

- wiring has taken 2 weeks and are still on-going this week

However, I also noticed that the quality of works are good:

- The tiling workmanship is good. It is indeed better than what I have seen in other people's homes.

- Plastering is good

- my contractor said I have more light points, cables and 2-way switches than other people, which seem true. I have 7 datapoints while other people seem to have just 4 (kitchen and bedrooms). I have five 2-way switches (3 bedrooms, staircase and living room). I asked for many power points. Where I think I need 1 power point, I will ask for 2 additional ones.

So, I rationalise that quality works require time. For me, I'm more concerned with the overall quality of the works. So far, things have been good except one. Mr Yeak uses PVC edging for the tiling works. He explained that for some edges, 45 deg joint is not possible. Nevertheless, he agreed to do 45 deg joint where he can. Doing 45 deg joint will require more time, and very likely, costs will be higher too. Nothing comes free.

Since we did not tell him upfront that we want 45 deg joint, we will accept some PVC edging if it is not in the prominent area of the house. Mr Yeak did some nice 45 deg joint for my balcony, but I did not take any photo of it.

PVC edging 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

PVC edging 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Edited January 20, 2014 by Harriette

[mellenur 11]

Hi Harriette,

OK so it's not just me then

Just that I have to handover my current house keys around the 3rd week of Feb so we're under pressure to make sure a timeline is established and we stick to it. Else I have to find alternative housing for 2 weeks, and with 2 kids and 2 cats, it's not convenient.

I agree that the works is good especially tiling and plastering. I (or should I say my husband!) also asked for many data/power/lighting points - seemed more than normal! But OMG at two weeks - I cannot afford that! Yet also, I notice other renotalkers' houses also have seemingly good quality but seems to move along fairly quicker than mine

Re PVC vs 45 degree angles, maybe because my toilet is fairly squarish with no odd bumps, I don't have many "joints". Good thing about PVC is that there are no sharp edges.

CNY holidays are just around the corner, may the current works for both of us be completed just in time before then!

Hi mellenur,

Actually, I didn't really pay close attention to the pipes. They seem straight.

I have noticed that the works take some time. For me:

- tiling took 2 weeks, for 3 toilets, balcony, yard and kitchen

- plastering took 1 week

- wiring has taken 2 weeks and are still on-going this week

However, I also noticed that the quality of works are good:

- The tiling workmanship is good. It is indeed better than what I have seen in other people's homes.

- Plastering is good

- my contractor said I have more light points, cables and 2-way switches than other people, which seem true. I have 7 datapoints while other people seem to have just 4 (kitchen and bedrooms). I have five 2-way switches (3 bedrooms, staircase and living room). I asked for many power points. Where I think I need 1 power point, I will ask for 2 additional ones.

So, I rationalise that quality works require time. For me, I'm more concerned with the overall quality of the works. So far, things have been good except one. Mr Yeak uses PVC edging for the tiling works. He explained that for some edges, 45 deg joint is not possible. Nevertheless, he agreed to do 45 deg joint where he can. Doing 45 deg joint will require more time, and very likely, costs will be higher too. Nothing comes free.

Since we did not tell him upfront that we want 45 deg joint, we will accept some PVC edging if it is not in the prominent area of the house. Mr Yeak did some nice 45 deg joint for my balcony, but I did not take any photo of it.

PVC edging 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

PVC edging 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

[Harriette 42]

Hi mellenur,

I did noticed that other people's reno works are faster. However, I do not know details so I did not compare. Mr Yeak had told me before that before installing tiles, he will soak it in water till it is saturated with water. The tiles will then stick well to the wall. However, some other contractors may soak the tiles in chemical which is much faster. I personally prefer less chemical. I also feel that better workmanship does take more time.

The targeted reno completion date that Mr Yeak and I agreed on is actually in end Feb 14, so it will not be finished before CNY. Before I signed up with Mr Yeak, he had already told me that my reno works will need more time coz there are many major works involved. For me, things are progressing at a slow but steady pace.

What was the targeted timeframe which Mr Yeak gave you? Anyway, all the best for your reno works. I hope you can move into your new place in time.

[mellenur 11]

Hi Harriette,

Mine is also end Feb which is reasonable since my place is slightly smaller than yours, and he did say there's a blackout period of 2 weeks with no works the week of and after CNY. That's why we cannot afford mistakes or shoddy plumbing works haha! But to his credit, issues were small and we're working to get it fixed. We spoke to him last night and seems we are on track. I mentioned in another blog that thank God it's him cos it could have been worse with someone else. What I like is that he's very contactable with any of our questions.

Thanks for your kind words, dearie!

Hi mellenur,

I did noticed that other people's reno works are faster. However, I do not know details so I did not compare. Mr Yeak had told me before that before installing tiles, he will soak it in water till it is saturated with water. The tiles will then stick well to the wall. However, some other contractors may soak the tiles in chemical which is much faster. I personally prefer less chemical. I also feel that better workmanship does take more time.

The targeted reno completion date that Mr Yeak and I agreed on is actually in end Feb 14, so it will not be finished before CNY. Before I signed up with Mr Yeak, he had already told me that my reno works will need more time coz there are many major works involved. For me, things are progressing at a slow but steady pace.

What was the targeted timeframe which Mr Yeak gave you? Anyway, all the best for your reno works. I hope you can move into your new place in time.

[AnW 2]

After much consideration, we decided to engage Jay and Velle to be our IDs. They recently did Vanessa's EM at Hougang. Seeing how nice Vanessa's place is, I hope my place will turn out to be just as nice.

Our reasons for engaging Jay and Velle are:

1. I like their designs. I find that they are able to come up with clean, simple designs which are classic and tasteful.

2. They charge a fixed design fee and do not take commission from the contractor. I feel that this will enable them to propose designs which I need, rather than designs that are most profitable.

Hello, can i know how much they charge for this fixed design fee? Thanks!

[nwz 2]

Harriette, I've received your PM. Thanks very much! This will be my second renovation. I didn't considering having a designer and a contractor work together before. My first home was done by Ideal House in 2006 and I am very pleased with them. Many years have passed and I have forgotten much of my reno knowledge LOL.

How does the quotation work then if there is a designer and contractor? The design will come first? Followed by the contractor giving a quotation based on the designs? If Jay does the design only, is he actually obliged to even visit the site on your behalf? Since he only charge a fee for design? I supposed coordination work will be done by Mr Yeak? Becos I require stuff like aircon, electrical works, window grills for my place & I won't have the time to source & coordinate everything ^^

[Harriette 42]

Hi nwz,

Yes, the design comes first. Jay did up the drawings and technical details. These documents include:

- the proposed floor plan (ie. space planning, which wall to hack/erect, etc),

- electrical plan (ie. light points, switches, data, TV)

- floor finishes plan (homogeneous, parquet, etc)

- ceiling plan (false ceiling, cove light, etc)

- carpentry designs

The contractors are given the above-mentioned documents done by Jay, and asked to quote a price. As part of my agreement with Jay, he sourced for 3 quotations. Being kiasu, I sourced for another 6 quotations on my own. These 9 contractors include Jay's regular contractor (William), 7 contacts found in Renotalk and one recommended by a friend. From these 9 quotations, I eventually decided to engage Mr Yeak as my contractor.

Jay does the design and also ensure that the design is executed well. As part of my agreement with Jay, he will:

- visit the site once a week

- Advise/accompany client on sanitary ware, tiles, lighting fixtures and cabinetry works

- advise on furniture and lifestyle accessories

Jay also advises Mr Yeak on the technical details.

Mr Yeak is the main contractor. He does all the coordination works for everything - tiling, aircon, electrical works, windows, window grills, etc. Well, everything.

Once a week, or once in 2 weeks, all 3 of us will meet on site to discuss details.

I will PM you Jay's design fee, coz I sense you will be asking,

Harriette, I've received your PM. Thanks very much! This will be my second renovation. I didn't considering having a designer and a contractor work together before. My first home was done by Ideal House in 2006 and I am very pleased with them. Many years have passed and I have forgotten much of my reno knowledge LOL.

How does the quotation work then if there is a designer and contractor? The design will come first? Followed by the contractor giving a quotation based on the designs? If Jay does the design only, is he actually obliged to even visit the site on your behalf? Since he only charge a fee for design? I supposed coordination work will be done by Mr Yeak? Becos I require stuff like aircon, electrical works, window grills for my place & I won't have the time to source & coordinate everything ^^

Edited January 21, 2014 by Harriette

[Harriette 42]

Hi AnW,

I have PM-ed you.

Hello, can i know how much they charge for this fixed design fee? Thanks!

[Ks Toh 74]

So far, things have been good except one. Mr Yeak uses PVC edging for the tiling works. He explained that for some edges, 45 deg joint is not possible. Nevertheless, he agreed to do 45 deg joint where he can. Doing 45 deg joint will require more time, and very likely, costs will be higher too. Nothing comes free. Since we did not tell him upfront that we want 45 deg joint, we will accept some PVC edging if it is not in the prominent area of the house. Mr Yeak did some nice 45 deg joint for my balcony, but I did not take any photo of it.

PVC edging 1 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

PVC edging 2 by Harriette_Tan, on Flickr

Hi Harriette

I had been thinking about your PVC edges and wondering if I should say something, since it has already been done. Anyway, If the area involved is small, why don't you offer to buy a few more tiles and ask the contractor to redo. He contribute some labour, you contribute some tiles.

I went to check my kitchen, where all the walls and floors are using wood tiles, and they were all joined without any PVC edging. You can see them in the pictures in my blog. I also took some close up shots if you want. I am not sure why in your case the PVC edging was required. My tiles were homogeneous tiles where the inside was similar in colour to the surface. Are yours the same? The other possibility is that in my case, all the joints were edges only i.e. one tile join to the other at 90 degrees. In your case, I see a corner where three tiles meet. Maybe that is the problem?

I also checked my joints. They are not sharp because the edge is bevelled.

Edited January 22, 2014 by kstoh