4 Years In The Making (Punggol Emerald)

[mavicaste 58]

Bedroom 1

[mavicaste 58]

Main Bedroom

[mavicaste 58]

Miscellaneous

[mavicaste 58]

Finally got to this day for your keys.

Good luck in the Reno ^^

Hope to see update soon from you

Congrats on the collection of your keys!

Looking forward to the sharing of ideas

We are going to go about this progressively with ample buffer as we are in no hurry.

First off will be the check for defects later today. Thankfully, while performing the opening, we didn't see many or anything major. Let's just hope I didn't speak too soon.

While waiting for the defects to be rectified, we will iron out the details and finalize our plans with AL before getting the hacking underway.

Once the hacking and masonry works are done, we will have the cement screed done by HDB before commencing with the main renovation works.

Edited February 8, 2014 by mavicaste

[vicx1234 38]

Hope everyone had a great time catching up with your family and friends over the Lunar New Year long weekend. I feasted so much all my dieting and futsal sessions all went down the drain.

Key collection is just 3 days away and I hope all the regular running around then will help me lose the weight gained during this festive period.

Our current lighting plan involves extensive light-boxes and cove lighting in the living and minimal partial light-boxes in the bedrooms and study. We understand the use of light-boxes and cove lighting deviates from the industrial theme but we feel practicality, in the sense of even lighting and ease of maintenance, trumps over going all out for aesthetics. Hopefully, we will be able seek a balance through the introduction of some industrial lighting pieces. We have only recently started looking around Taobao and these are our current favourites but you can expect more changes ahead.

Dining Light - The height of this may pose a problem but we will keep looking around or see if its is possible to shorten the drop

Kitchen Light - The glass shade should allow for maximum coverage in an area where good lighting is essential

Bathroom Light - Something simple and without grills so that the light does not cast shadows

Really nice choice of lights! Hope it arrives in great condition. Are you using Peeka or another buyer?

Btw, congrats on finally getting your keys! All the best with your reno and hope it goes smoothly.

[mavicaste 58]

Really nice choice of lights! Hope it arrives in great condition. Are you using Peeka or another buyer?

Btw, congrats on finally getting your keys! All the best with your reno and hope it goes smoothly.

Thanks!

We haven't actually bought them yet, will probably only do so at the end of the month. Which forwarder would you recommend?

Edited February 8, 2014 by mavicaste

[vicx1234 38]

Thanks!

We haven't actually bought them yet, will probably only do so at the end of the month. Which forwarder would you recommend?

I would recommend Peeka, because they do check on your purchases when they arrive at Peeka's warehouse to ensure that it is in good condition and that the item delivered is correct. I don't think they are the cheapest around, but at least there is some peace of mind.

[mavicaste 58]

I would recommend Peeka, because they do check on your purchases when they arrive at Peeka's warehouse to ensure that it is in good condition and that the item delivered is correct. I don't think they are the cheapest around, but at least there is some peace of mind.

That's good to know. We certainly don't mind paying more for value-added services.

[mavicaste 58]

We went back last night to clear the fruits and "mess" of green beans and rice we made during the opening and the floor was much dustier than we thought. Each sweep of the broom brought about a mini sandstorm. As it was close to midnight and the cleaning was pretty tedious without the availability of a vacuum cleaner, we decided to just finish up the living room and head back another day.

We also headed to our unit the next day after collection of keys to check for defects and are pleased to report that we only found 3 or 4 minor defects. I have to say we are relatively lucky as compared to some of our neighbours who reported endless lists of defects.

If you are currently at the stage of selecting a new BTO flat, do take into consideration that while opting for the flooring and internal doors will help save you cash as these will be paid for by CPF, chances are you will have to deal with very shoddy workmanship and the frustration of dealing with the contractor's BSC personnel who will do all they can to wriggle their way out of major rectifications.

[mavicaste 58]

We met up with AL today and had a very productive session as we more or less settled on the choice of vinyl flooring, laminates, carpentry design and these changes will be reflected in the next draft of the 3D drawings and we can't wait to see the effect.

We would be adding a chest of drawers to the centre of the study desk for further reinforcement despite already having stands at both ends of the desk. This decision is influenced by the consideration that the desk is 10 feet long and it cannot possibly be fabricated from one single piece of plywood. As I also intend to upgrade my monitor to a 27" or 30" model when the warranty of my current 24" expires, the added support should come into play when I house my system unit and printers among other tech stuff on top of the desk.

Another major change would be the shift from solid surface for the kitchen countertop to quartz. We see ourselves doing plenty of cooking and as my wife puts it herself, she can be rough and careless at times, so this upgrade is inevitable. The Sedimen Tario from iQuartz's U series has caught our eye as it has a really raw cement feel to it but we will have to see what wood laminate would go with it.

We have decided to go ahead to start the renovation and AL will be applying for the hacking permit in the following week while we have BSC rectify some minor defects. So stay tuned for the updates as they should come in more regularly once the works kicked off.

Edited February 15, 2014 by mavicaste

[OceanEleven 203]

Just a side note, the custom study table likely to set you back 1k up, ever consider to buy from TB or Tmall since you are already buying things from there?

There are some standalone tables of various depths that caters to your needs, may save you $500 or more.

Of course, with custom carpentry, you get exact fit. Standalone offers more free play.

We would be adding a chest of drawers to the centre of the study desk for further reinforcement despite already having stands at both ends of the desk. This decision is influenced by the consideration that the desk is 10 feet long and it cannot possibly be fabricated from one single piece of plywood. As I also intend to upgrade my monitor to a 27" or 30" model when the warranty of my current 24" expires, the added support should come into play when I house my system unit and printers among other tech stuff on top of the desk.

[mavicaste 58]

Just a side note, the custom study table likely to set you back 1k up, ever consider to buy from TB or Tmall since you are already buying things from there?

There are some standalone tables of various depths that caters to your needs, may save you $500 or more.

Of course, with custom carpentry, you get exact fit. Standalone offers more free play.

Thanks for the suggestion.

My brother and I each have a set of those L-shape modular office desk in our parent's home since 2000. They are rock solid, to the extent of supporting my full weight on it, and still in use today. I had half the intention to get these sort of desks for our place but my wife felt it will be too "officey". While doing research on these forums back then, we chanced upon a blog and right away we told ourselves it will be the inspiration for our study. thanks thirdrockdweller.

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/26050-project-home

The main reason why Taobao is not an option is that we are limiting ourselves to just simple lighting, small items and accessories from there. For furniture, we are still pretty conservative and prefer to view and test it out in retail stores or have them custom made. The assurance that we can easily have the item replaced or fixed for "big ticket" items is a priority for us. Another reason is that we require a really long desk for this design and shipping something of such dimensions will possibly negate the majority of savings we may get.

[mavicaste 58]

With the renovation works set to start in a week's time, we have to step up with the purchases of the essential items.

Over the weekend, we used the $688 Samsung voucher and picked up a WF806 washer with a top-up of $82 from Parisilk.

We also settled on the removable European fabric sofa from Lorenzo that we have set our sights on for the longest time.

At a price of $1467 inclusive of delivery, it definitely isn't cheap. The main reason we picked this was because of the design. Without the long backrest pillow, our bodies are fully supported when we leaned our backs into the sofa and this level of ergonomic comfort hasn't been seen on any other within this price range.

Another reason is that in comparison with the many sub-$1000 fabric sofas we have seen, the fabrics used on them are typically average to low quality which is very prone to pilling and loose fibres. Some of the display pieces were actually already showing these signs.

On the choice of fabrics, we went for the toughest, most durable one after much deliberation and stuck with a single colour tone for both the sofa and the backrest pillows.

Edited February 17, 2014 by mavicaste

[VincentWangZx 11]

We also went to Courts Megastore warehouse sale to get our essentials like washing machine and fridge over the weekend. We nearly got both but the salesman told us the product would be discontinued so we only managed to get the fridge. =\ Nice purchases you made there! How did you manage to get a $688 voucher?

[mavicaste 58]

We also went to Courts Megastore warehouse sale to get our essentials like washing machine and fridge over the weekend. We nearly got both but the salesman told us the product would be discontinued so we only managed to get the fridge. =\ Nice purchases you made there! How did you manage to get a $688 voucher?

Just sharing what I think is a fantastic deal which was just launched today.Get a $688 voucher for use on any Samsung fridge or washer with purchase of selected model fridge or washer.So happens the both the fridge models RT35FDACDSL and RT59QBSL are eligible for the $688 voucher and I believe there is still a concurrent promotion of a free vacuum cleaner and $50 supermarket vouchers. Now, all we have to do is to find a place to store the fridge for a couple of months.

The voucher was offered only during the last 2 weeks of January and requires the customer to have the purchased item delivered by 30 January and I have it stored in my parents' living room.

Its not a surprise the models are due to be refreshed soon as most of those on offer are 2 years old. In fact, I have my reservations about Samsung products and it was only because of this promotion that made me got them. I can't really complain against a free appliance especially when we have a modest budget.

For electronics and appliances, you should consider getting them from smaller neighborhood stores such as *spam and Parisilk as the savings can be substantial.