Bringing Scandinavia To Tampines! ~5A Reno Blog~

[alfredt 27]

i also agree. if you cannot stand the colour of the pipes, then paint it white. e

as with the "eventually the paint will come off and don't paint" excuse, do people don't live because they eventually die ?

oops... me talking nonsense again

[mellenur 11]

hi inthechouse yes the stainless steel pipes. sometimes i feel like my contractor is taking the easy way out leh. never mind lah, if he insist not to paint then i just paint myself. if i'd known he won't paint i would have opted for grey tiles at least it won't stick out like a sore thumb.

thanks for the warning with the sponge! was just thinking to ask my kids help me scrub since they love using their toothbrush on my floors.

mellenur, you're talking about the stainless steel pipes yeah? we have it painted in the bedrooms (yes, they run across) and kept them as it is in the bathrooms. i don't see why you can't paint it if you really want to. peel off then paint again lor. same with everything else.

that sponge is magical! but beware not to let children or pets come into contact with it. friends have warned me that it is highly toxic. not sure if it's true but it's better to be safe than sorry.

hi alfredt yup, will ask him again. i also have a grey plastic pipe from the AC that runs a mile around my MBR toilet. i don't understand why people would do this kind of shoddy work. it passes the sink hole which will be covered by the vanity counter so why didn't they just terminate it there? if i had to point it out, it looks bad on you right. sigh...common sense really not that common after all!

i also agree. if you cannot stand the colour of the pipes, then paint it white. e

as with the "eventually the paint will come off and don't paint" excuse, do people don't live because they eventually die ?

oops... me talking nonsense again

[inthechouse 8]

my contractor said "no need to paint" too. then when i met the painters, they said the same thing. i just insisted till the end. as someone told me before: "nobody wants to do extra work."

[mellenur 11]

today's entry is about my purchase experience of Blum drawers.

as with all contractors, they will ask that you the owner buy your own blum drawers and pass to them for installation. i later found out this is because many of them are not blum trained contractor. to be certified, the contractor must attend a course. i don't know how the lifetime warranty comes into play here as i'd imagine if installed by uncertified contractors, then the warranty is null and void. i have also read of homeowners who decide on their contractors based on the list of blum certified/trained ones which makes sense given that the kitchen carpentry will probably be among the big ticket items in your reno bill.

i should have said i only found this out like a week ago so a little too late.

there are a few blum authorized distributors in Singapore. you can't buy direct from blum as they deliver only to their certified contractors. plus the distributors give a discount between 15 - 30% depending on your order size. most people would contact the distributors, tell them how many drawers/hinges etc they need and get a quote, then compare and decide.

Viborg Trading Pte Ltd Andrew - 9750 8000

Kiang Sing Hong Hardware (related to Viborg because also family business)

i didn't check with all of them, in fact i only checked with 1 which is viborg because i needed the drawers urgently. my contractor told me 3 days before that he needed the drawers in my house by sunday.

anyway my hubby got his viborg contact from an online forum and passed on to me to make necessary enquiries and arrangements. it's a family business, i dealt with andrew. i contacted him on sunday morning and he asked that i email him my order and he will quote and deliver the next working day. at this point, i must highlight that if you expect to be guided on how to plan your kitchen, what drawers you need in what sizes etc, then please don't take this approach. you must have a plan on how many drawers you need and roughly what items to keep inside each one, plus a fair idea of the carpentry dimensions (because blum drawers have various heights). when i asked andrew about the kitchen planning he said he had to refer to his cousin, and with his cousin you must ask exact questions because he asked me: so what do you need to know?. to be fair, i didn't go to the showroom but my hubby did some time back, but unfortunately he did not ask the right questions.

hubby and i mulled over the kitchen plan for 2 days and only equipped with the catalogue, we placed an order for 19 drawers i didn't get a formal invoice - not sure if this is normal as i did ask for a rushed delivery since i needed the drawers to be delivered on monday afternoon. i still had to make payment prior to delivery so again back to the trusty catalogue to get the prices, create my own invoice and take a discount off as agreed with andrew.

from here on, i must commend andrew for his business attitude. he remained in close contact with me throughout monday to tell me that he doesn't have all the stock i needed but he would collect it from blum by 1pm and arrange for delivery. nobody was at my house, not even my contractor, so we had some hiccups with the delivery. but andrew in the end delivered the items personally at night (after work for me). he's very young but very humble and friendly and definitely many thumbs up.

i think viborg is the only distributor that delivers.

so if you need to get your blum drawers and don't mind the independent adventure or have some time and can go to their showroom to clear your enquiries, contact andrew from viborg at 9750 8000, let him know Nura referred you and you can enjoy a special price (edited as requested by Viborg). only for cash sales i.e. cannot book first pay later.

Edited August 7, 2014 by mellenur

[mellenur 11]

tomorrow i'm expecting delivery of the kitchen stuff.

bought the $1,999 package from Courts, extended warranty for 5 years and got a $200 voucher for paying by OCBC credit card instalment.

hob: i moved away from stainless steel which i have been using for past 6 years because it's such a nightmare to clean and i cook quite a lot. hopefully the glass surface will be easier to clean. plus cannot clean right after cooking cos hot so gives me a good excuse to clean after my meal.

oven: i've always used ariston so switching to electrolux this time. because ariston don't have glass hobs.

looking forward to baking cakes, cookies, roasting chicken and maybe even turkey this year!

hood. due to the open kitchen concept, need to get a chimney hood with 1000cm3 suction power. at my current house we used a slimline hood and the smell lingers always. i'm always cooking sambal or something with belachan so need this. for deep frying i use my trusty Philips air fryer.

[BH72 8]

today's entry is about my purchase experience of Blum drawers.

as with all contractors, they will ask that you the owner buy your own blum drawers and pass to them for installation. i later found out this is because many of them are not blum trained contractor. to be certified, the contractor must attend a course. i don't know how the lifetime warranty comes into play here as i'd imagine if installed by uncertified contractors, then the warranty is null and void. i have also read of homeowners who decide on their contractors based on the list of blum certified/trained ones which makes sense given that the kitchen carpentry will probably be among the big ticket items in your reno bill.

i should have said i only found this out like a week ago so a little too late.

there are a few blum authorized distributors in Singapore. you can't buy direct from blum as they deliver only to their certified contractors. plus the distributors give a discount between 15 - 30% depending on your order size. most people would contact the distributors, tell them how many drawers/hinges etc they need and get a quote, then compare and decide.

Viborg Trading Pte Ltd Andrew - 9750 8000

Kiang Sing Hong Hardware (related to Viborg because also family business)

i didn't check with all of them, in fact i only checked with 1 which is viborg because i needed the drawers urgently. my contractor told me 3 days before that he needed the drawers in my house by sunday.

anyway my hubby got his viborg contact from an online forum and passed on to me to make necessary enquiries and arrangements. it's a family business, i dealt with andrew. i contacted him on sunday morning and he asked that i email him my order and he will quote and deliver the next working day. at this point, i must highlight that if you expect to be guided on how to plan your kitchen, what drawers you need in what sizes etc, then please don't take this approach. you must have a plan on how many drawers you need and roughly what items to keep inside each one, plus a fair idea of the carpentry dimensions (because blum drawers have various heights). when i asked andrew about the kitchen planning he said he had to refer to his cousin, and with his cousin you must ask exact questions because he asked me: so what do you need to know?. to be fair, i didn't go to the showroom but my hubby did some time back, but unfortunately he did not ask the right questions.

hubby and i mulled over the kitchen plan for 2 days and only equipped with the catalogue, we placed an order for 19 drawers i didn't get a formal invoice - not sure if this is normal as i did ask for a rushed delivery since i needed the drawers to be delivered on monday afternoon. i still had to make payment prior to delivery so again back to the trusty catalogue to get the prices, create my own invoice and take a discount off as agreed with andrew.

from here on, i must commend andrew for his business attitude. he remained in close contact with me throughout monday to tell me that he doesn't have all the stock i needed but he would collect it from blum by 1pm and arrange for delivery. nobody was at my house, not even my contractor, so we had some hiccups with the delivery. but andrew in the end delivered the items personally at night (after work for me). he's very young but very humble and friendly and definitely many thumbs up.

i think viborg is the only distributor that delivers.

so if you need to get your blum drawers and don't mind the independent adventure or have some time and can go to their showroom to clear your enquiries, contact andrew from viborg at 9750 8000, let him know Nura referred you and enjoy 25% off your order (just take catalogue price less 25%). only for cash sales i.e. cannot book first pay later.

Hi,

Can pm me the quote for the blum drawers? Where do you get the blum catalogue?

Their office is very far and i don't drive. Hope i can order through email or over the phone

thanks in advance

[inthechouse 8]

hob: i moved away from stainless steel which i have been using for past 6 years because it's such a nightmare to clean and i cook quite a lot. hopefully the glass surface will be easier to clean. plus cannot clean right after cooking cos hot so gives me a good excuse to clean after my meal.

looks like a good deal. btw, we did the opposite: we moved away from glass surface and towards stainless steel because the glass was a nightmare to clean - at least to us!

[mellenur 11]

looks like a good deal. btw, we did the opposite: we moved away from glass surface and towards stainless steel because the glass was a nightmare to clean - at least to us!

oh no now i'm worried! because to clean my stainless steel must use my magic sponge or jif and it seemed like so much work!

this time we are using black galaxy granite so hopefully it will blend with the black glass hob.

[mellenur 11]

Hi,

Can pm me the quote for the blum drawers? Where do you get the blum catalogue?

Their office is very far and i don't drive. Hope i can order through email or over the phone

thanks in advance

PM-ed you. the catalogue is available online, just google Blum catalogue Singapore.

Edited February 14, 2014 by mellenur

[tinydot 0]

Hi mellenur

When you said you getting blum drawers, you mean drawers and hinges by blum, as in whole set? What about those kitchen carpentry with blum hinges only? Do these need certified blum contractor?

So blum doesn't plan nor design your kitchen, you have to know what you want, then select whatever combo inside the catalogue that fits? They don't do customization?

Lastly, PM me the cost of your kitchen project. Thanks!

[mellenur 11]

hi tinydot, actually i only ordered the drawers, because it is the runner tracks that provide soft closing and i need the weight (30kg, 50kg, 65kg). the hinges i'm using my contractor's ones which i'm pretty sure are not blum. hinges are not too expensive though, like $4-5? but some drawers especially in larder units need a hinge with wider angle else the drawers cannot take out fully. i think anyone can install them. that's right, Blum did not help me with the design phase. to be fair, during my 3 visits there, i also did not ask them for much help as i have a rough idea of what i need to keep where, judging from my experience in my current house.

the catalog doesn't show combos, it's literally individual drawers. customization is subjective, as the height of the drawers are fixed.

not sure if my quote will help you much as my kitchen for 5A is quite big, it's 55ft of cabinetry. my blum drawers alone was about $1.5k. my contractors will then fabricate the drawer fronts to attach to the blum drawers or doors for the larder unit. separately i am asking my contractor if his initial quotation of $5k plus will reduce given that he's only providing the carcass, all internal systems are blum.

hope this helps.

Hi mellenur

When you said you getting blum drawers, you mean drawers and hinges by blum, as in whole set? What about those kitchen carpentry with blum hinges only? Do these need certified blum contractor?

So blum doesn't plan nor design your kitchen, you have to know what you want, then select whatever combo inside the catalogue that fits? They don't do customization?

Lastly, PM me the cost of your kitchen project. Thanks!

[mellenur 11]

finally managed to get a drawing of the proposed kitchen cabinets and shoe cabinet at store room entrance.

above my sink, i will have the dishrack and a rectangular cabinet above that. cover for dishrack i've asked my carpenter to look for white mesh. the chosen laminate is a whitish white wood whose name misses me right now. see pic below, that seems to be the only shot i have of it. my bottom cabinets are all drawers and you can also see what i've scribbled to keep inside them. the tall cabinets on the right are my microwave and oven tall boy with 2 storage drawers for baking items, fridge then 2 larders for pantry items. we've dropped the idea of the corner unit and keep it open for now.

[mellenur 11]

shoe cabinet is a simple one. replacing mirror with just a normal laminated door.

chosen laminate is corona maple from lamitak. initially i'd wanted only the tall door to be in this laminate because i don't think it will look good on the 2 side panels and wanted to use white wood laminate for that. but hubby disagree so i let him win a bit cos he already agree to my corona maple laminate

[tinydot 0]

I see, thanks, i think i have a clearer understanding. Can't wait to see your done up kitchen!

Edited February 14, 2014 by tinydot

[mellenur 11]

guys, i need some help. does anyone know of any links in Taobao to get the clock below? been searching with no success: