A Canvas To Our Imagination: Thoreau

[Takaishi 44]

the dining table looks good! can share how much issit? cant wait for e completed table pics!

[koori 45]

Customized (brown) storeroom rack with PVC planks, first inspected by the little one. Yee Sin was pretty prompt and reliable (in other words, did not give me any headaches). Installation was swift too. Highly recommended!

Able to share how much this rack costs? Looking into getting racks for my 'new' storeroom too.

[inthechouse 8]

the dining table looks good! can share how much issit? cant wait for e completed table pics!

It was on sale at Natural Living's Sunget Kadut outlet. Many good finds at that 3-storey bulding (or was it 4?). It was one of my favourite shopping spots. Wood dining tables (solid and veneered) cost between $800 to $1.5K, depending on size. Definitely cheaper than Scanteak and Ethnicraft, though not as pretty as the latter.

Able to share how much this rack costs? Looking into getting racks for my 'new' storeroom too.

It's $200 for an L-Shaped rack with PVC planks. An ordinary rack should cost just $150. Do call and ask. The uncle is quite ok.

[elin1029 23]

So we spent 1 hour last night struggling to install the safety gate. It was a true bimbotic moment for me. And someone wasn't too pleased with us/the item.

haha.. But where do you intend to confine him to?

Is the safety gate from ikea?

When you install it, be careful not to screw too tight. I did and managed to cause the silicone between the doorway at the bottom to crack!

Edited March 6, 2014 by elin1029

[inthechouse 8]

haha.. But where do you intend to confine him to?

Is the safety gate from ikea?

When you install it, be careful not to screw too tight. I did and managed to cause the silicone between the doorway at the bottom to crack!

It's a her. Hehe. She spends the day in the kitchen, but not to worry, we've got a pretty decent-sized kitchen. At my old place she has peed all over - including the sofa - out of boredom, spite and old age combined.

The gate is from Babytown. With the biggest extension, it costs a whopping $110! There are cheaper options if one does not mind it swinging 1 way instead of 2.

Thanks for the tip! Will check it after work!

[elin1029 23]

I got mine from ikea for around $59 i think, can swing both ways too. But yours looks nice in black.

[inthechouse 8]

I got mine from ikea for around $59 i think, can swing both ways too. But yours looks nice in black.

Yeah I liked it for the colour. And that it doesn't require screwing because it is "pressure-mounted".

[inthechouse 8]

We love cats. But we have allergies.

[Harriette 42]

Hi, you have nice decals. Where did you get them? I also like your black baby gate. It will go well with my black staircase railing. Can you post more pics of it? What is its height, before and after extension?

Thanks.

[inthechouse 8]

Hi, you have nice decals. Where did you get them? I also like your black baby gate. It will go well with my black staircase railing. Can you post more pics of it? What is its height, before and after extension?

Thanks.

Hi there, we got the decals from Tokyo. The safety gate (LUCKY BABY Smart System 2-Way Swing Back Gate) is from BabyTown. Specs and details here.

[inthechouse 8]

Some updates about our cement screed wall in the kitchen (1 wall)...

As mentioned earlier, it was left nice and raw because Alan's painters did not provide a decent finishing for it. We asked for matte and they produced some overly thick, glossy liquid which wasn't even mixed properly, thereby leaving lots of bubbles on the wall (on the patch they "tested" out on, which was bigger than one would normally select to test on!). We then asked for the patch to be removed, and the workers wiped it off with thinner, and scraped off the last bits - probably really stubborn bits - thereby causing a few vertical dents.

The wall looked nice on its own unfinished, but it got powdery, and worse, we recently found small clumps falling off!

There was this independent sub-con we found, who claimed to have sourced for a special blend of matte "epoxy". If not for the falling clumps, we'd not have decided to proceed with the application of this special blend. See pix for how nice the light grey effect was!

Anyway, the subcon came over yesterday, and to our relief, the finishing effect was truly matte. In fact, it is rather gorgeous if you're going for the vintage/retro look (we're not, but nevermind), as it causes a slight sepia, old skool effect.

Taping the skirtings like all painters should. Alan's painters did not, that's why we had to spend time, effort and money cleaning the paint off the skirting tiles all over the flat 3 days before move-in.

Unfortunately, though, the guy and his assistant were in a bit of a hurry, and the hasty application and hurried strokes resulted in a wall of unsightly inconsistency (by my own standards). I know it's not easy applying varnish or lacquering, and of course, some may say it's nice/ok to have mixed strokes for that raw effect. But I was really expecting a consistent finish. Personal preference.

For those who wish to know where the special blend came from, the sub-con said it's not available in the stores, as he had it mixed in a factory. We have 3/4 of a big tin left over, and we are happy to sell it off at a token price. Please PM me to arrange.

Note: It is perfectly do-able to paint it yourself. All you need is a small, "non-furry" roller, a tray to get rid of excess liquid (which they did not bring ), a good deal of patience and a few hours in the afternoon. Do it area by area, without being overly ambitious. Spread the liquid thin in quick strokes so they do not dry and leave roller marks. It is your wall. You're the one living with it and staring at it day in and out. Nobody will take better care in working on it than you.

Anyway, the patched up dents + the mended holes around the water pipes and electrical trunking are of a different colour, so after the finishing, they do look out of place. But we've tried our best with that.

According to the sub-con, Alan's guys had used plaster instead of cement, so I think we should all stop calling it a cement screed wall, huh? I don't know what's the diff, nor the pros and cons of both. I just know that if bits start falling off, it was badly done, no matter what was used.

Told Alan about the falling clumps and his reply was consistent: "Cement walls will crack." I said crack, yes, but bits are falling off, you know? What if these clumps get bigger??

He then said he would get someone to come touch up. But I've long lost faith in his people who did the plastering and paint. The former left uneven bits around the living room walls, and dents around several window frames. The latter, well, read my earlier posts. I really don't wish to see them again.

Now we're waiting to touch up half of the wall - the half that has less finishing than the other. We really, really love the half with the thin application (they finally got it right after doing half the wall!) but since we can't thin the thick side, we can only thicken the thin side. If you know what I mean.

It's yet another work week so this can only be done over the weekend.

All in all, this wall has proven to be very "leychey", not to mention expensive ($300ish charged by the sub-con). If you happen to be a client of Alan's, who's thinking of having cement screed walls somewhere in your flat, you may want to take a greater interest in the creation and development of the walls. Don't just leave it all to him.

Edited March 10, 2014 by inthechouse

[inthechouse 8]

It's been over a week since moving in. We really like how quiet the place is, compared to my previous home, which was a walk-up right next to a semi-busy road.

We're still short of a shoe cabinet and coffee table, plus the furnishings in the guest room, which is now still holding about 5 of my 20 boxes.

The dog has peed on some area and it's been easy mopping everything off. Previously we were told by many IDs/contractors to retain the old tiles and just laminate it over. But we knew we couldn't trust the furkid not to mis-pee. And anyway, the flat was in the "original state" so I am guessing the tiles, which have some cracks, are over 1 decade old. Maybe 2.

As for gripes, apart from the troublesome wall in the kitchen, we're not pleased with the drainage situation in the MBR bathroom, as mentioned. Lesson learnt: Insist, insist. If you've read my earlier posts, Alan was reluctant to create an extra drainage hole in both bathrooms. But his workers did it for us for the CBR. And now that bathroom works fine. It was a mistake not to have insisted they do it for the MBR too.

Then there are some inconsistent paint blotches on 2 bedroom walls. The painters had assured us that they would look fine after the paint dries. But they don't. Told Alan about it and he is fast to wanna arrange for a touch up, but like I said, we don't really want to see the painters again, so we're contemplating painting it over ourselves.

Over the weekend, Alan had his tiling team come over to touch up some grout lines in the bedroom floors, as well as apply something to minimize the visibility of some cracks on the MBR bathroom wall tiles. It can't be replaced because they said the tile cutter is blocked by the water pipe. So they can only apply some form of concealer.

I expect to see them again to touch up the grouts of the living room. Tiny holes have appeared sporadically.

I've also asked for the boxing up of a ceiling pipe in 1 bedroom, for which Alan arranged very quickly too.

It's pretty inconvenient to have touch-ups and add-on works once you've moved in. Extra cleaning la. But I guess that can't be helped.

[Songz 132]

Sorry to hear the after effects from Alan's people.

However I am quite glad most issues are able to rectify with some money well spent I feel.

Hope in the coming weeks, everything will be done.

By the way a quiet neighborhood is a fantastic + point.

[inthechouse 8]

Sorry to hear the after effects from Alan's people.

However I am quite glad most issues are able to rectify with some money well spent I feel.

Hope in the coming weeks, everything will be done.

By the way a quiet neighborhood is a fantastic + point.

Thanks, Songz. You're ever so encouraging. All the best to your reno!

[inthechouse 8]

Saw this on my FB news feed this morning. Just thought I should share it, because it's not the first time I am reading about this local furniture company.

"After 5 physical trips to Small Claims Tribunal court and CASE consumer association, i finally managed to get an 85% refund on the useless, defective office chairs that i bought from unscrupulous merchant L**h L**h!!"

Edited March 13, 2014 by inthechouse