Leon & Jenna Reno Experience

[sherting 5]

CURTAINS ARE UP!! HEHE.

CFO did some research and we finally settled on #JimmyTextiles on recommendation of her 2nd-sister!! We consulted the amazing #CalvinTan on the best curtain colour-combination for our house and he told us that the house curtains should be LIGHT-GREY and guess what? WHITE of course!

First and foremost, some useful quick reference information for you all below!

Useful Information for Renotalkers on #JimmyTextiles:

Address: 845 Geylang Rd, Tanjong Katong Complex, #01-03/04

Telephone: 6745 6423

Opening hours: 11:00am to 9:30pm every day (though I think their last appt is at 9pm)

Website: http://www.jimmytextiles.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JimmyTextiles?fref=ts

And now, moving onto the thought-processes of our curtain purchase...

#1) CURTAIN COLOUR CHOICE

One word of advice dearest Renotalkers; Choose your fabric colours under the lighting temperature (warm light, cool white light, daylight whtie etc) that is most similar to your house's lighting temperature... Because it makes a lot a lot a lot of difference visually! As for me, I actually whipped out my handphone and turned on the LED flashlight app (should be about daylight white) and shone the light onto the fabric while choosing... Wahahaha.. I think the person that attended to me also first time see such a weird customer..

Anyway! The-Mr-Fabulous-#CalvinTan-from-#PoshHome actually advised us to go for the following match-up!!

• LIVING/ DINING AREA: Dreamy-white day-curtains for our living/ dining area;
• ALL 3 BEDROOMS: Light-grey night-curtains with the same dreamy-white day-curtains (for colour theme consistency)

#2) CURTAIN FABRIC CHOICE

I really really cannot advice much on this, just keep your mind open and remember to compromise with your partner when choosing the fabric choice.. Smoothness, thickness, glossy, non-glossy, trap-dust-type, don't-trap-so-much-dust-type.... SO MANY TYPES!! There are really a lot of selections to choose from.. HEHE. (sorry I really don't know how to help you here HAHA)

Just remember that renovation is meant to be a fun and enjoyable process.. HAVE FUN!

#3) CURTAIN WOODEN ROD/ METAL TRACK & CURTAIN ATTACHMENT CHOICE

One thing I've found out is that the wooden rods are actually more expensive than the metal tracks!

Also another thing about the curtain attachment is that:

If you go for the WOODEN ROD;

- You have slightly more curtain attachment choices (fold over velcro, ring-type etc.) whereas..

If you go for the METAL TRACK;

- The only curtain attachment you can use are hooks (although now it's the trend to use plastic hooks instead of the old-fashioned metal hooks)

Hmmmm.. I think I've said enough and it's really much easier to talk while referring to a photo so... HERE GOES!!

LIVING/ DINING AREA CURTAINS! (DAY CURTAINS ONLY)

For the Living/ Dining Area, CFO & I went for the white wooden rod because I so dearly wanted to complete my beloved clean scandinavian feel.. The #CalvinTan-advised dreamy white day curtains also just adds so nicely to the clean-white-minimalistic effect... Hehehe...

PICTURE OF WOODEN BRACKET FOR WOODEN ROD @ LIVING/ DINING AREA

You will notice that the wooden bracket protrudes out and eats into my living area space.. That is not counting the fact that they are mounted on an already-protruding horizontal beam, located above the windows... AND, take note that this is only a 1-layer curtain (day curtain only)... This factor will affect my decision later on for the bedroom curtains... Do read on for that below..

Same picture, just taken from a different angle to show the number of wooden brackets in place..

Final outcome of the Living/ Dining Area white-day-curtain installation! LOVE the outcome!!

BEDROOMS' CURTAINS! (DAY & NIGHT CURTAINS)

Like I mentioned earlier, all our bedrooms will have a set combination of Day (white) & Night (light grey) curtains. We had actually ALSO wanted to go for the white wooden pole for all our bedroom curtains, however... LUCKILY a #JimmyTextiles China worker advised us against it when he first came down to do site measurements.. He works in a 2-man team with his colleague and are super nice to us.. If you see the photo below, you will be able to see that the metal track (that we ultimately went for, for all bedrooms) are mounted on the underside of the above-mentioned horizontal beam at the windows.

PROBLEM AVERTED: Imagine f we had gone for the wooden pole (which by design-wise, protrudes a lot more into the space of the room) for the bedrooms, and remember that we need day AND night curtains for our bedrooms? The curtains would have extended up to 7 to 10" into the space of the room... Making an otherwise already-small room, MORE PUNY THAN EVER! Wahahaha... So we are thankful to have met the 2 blokes & promptly treated them to ice-cold Pokka green tea... Hehehe..

Final outcome of the Bedroom light-grey-night-curtain & white-day-curtain installation!! Good effect and good fabric!!

Oh yeah, the final damage was SGD1,400 for all my entire house, inclusive of everything (installation, GST etc.)

Eh actually I'm having a really bad bout of allergic rhinithis (AKA sneezing non-stop due to dust & other allergens) right now, so apologies for the brief post but I think I better go and rest some right now...

See you guys again and thanks for all the sweet comments!!

Hi is your TV mounted on the wall? How are the wires hidden?

[aschick 1]

Hi Leon, wanted to say thanks for your great and informative blog! Secondly to update readers who may be still interested in Posh, do note that they now significantly mark-up their prices to include GST.

We were definitely disappointed but oh well, learnt abit too I guess

[Takaishi 44]

how is your energy efficient storage heater coupled with your rainshower working out for u???

[1supermama 0]

Hi,

How's the KV8 Robot Vacuum working?

Noisy? Does it do a good job for corners?

Btw, did you get them to send directly to Singapore or via a delivery company? How's their charge and service? Can provide their details? Thanks!

Continued from previous post…

TAOBAO #10) KV8 ROBOT VACUUM

Link: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=26099812608&spm=2014.12193480.0.0

Considerations/ Discoveries/ Rants/ Advice:

I bought this on behalf of my good buddy #MrMuscleDF about a month ago and his reviews are absolutely and stupendously awesome! He even sent me videos of the robot vacuum in action.. Seriously, this robot is so smart that I wish I could've seen his face when it first started operating. From the videos, I’m sure that it does some sort of floor mapping as it moves around and ‘remembers’ where the obstacles are, because the robot vacuum will ACTUALLY AVOID the obstacle when it returns back to the same area next time… Speechless. CFO & I were so convinced that we have since purchased 2 more units… One for us, and another one for my parents…

Here is a summary of the reviews given by my buddy:

- Vacuum noise is not that loud (even his cats didn’t run away.. they just lingered around close enough to watch out of curiousity.. hahaha super cute.. )

- Has auto-docking function when battery is low

- Has a UV light shining onto the floor to kill germs (CFO claims that it is useless because you need a much longer UV exposure in order to kill germs though *shrug* )

- Proximity sensor on its sides detect walls/ skirting, thus preventing collisions

- Vacuum power is good, judging by the amount of dust and cat hair the robot vacuum managed to suck up…

TAOBAO #11) ASSORTED SOFA CUSHIONS

Link: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=39376864042&spm=2014.12193480.0.0

Link: http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=38987614053&spm=2014.12193480.0.0

Considerations/ Discoveries/ Rants/ Advice:

WAHAHAHA… DON'T YOU THINK THAT THE CUSHIONS ARE SO PRETTY?!?! Really in love with them!! The background sofa fabric colour for the first 2 pictures are very similar to what we are going to have with our #Grafunkt sofa, so I think it's a good comparison to make...

But anyway, sorry lei I have a confession to make. If you think these cushions are not nice or not suitable, it’s PURELY MY FAULT. CFO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. Wahahahaha.. Aiya… Long story short, I am apparently the most super “ngiao” person you will ever find when it comes to matching my cushion cover colours with my living room colour palette. CFO got sick of my “ngiao” ways and just let me freestyle on the cushion purchases… So.. It will really help if someone could give me a reassuring comment that these cushions are nice and suitable. Even a unoriginal comment like “nice cushions” would go some way to appease my CFO. Hahahaha…

Oh. Ya. Crap. Haven’t ask #CalvinTan. Oops. Anyway moving on!!

To Be Continued...

Edited December 5, 2014 by 1supermama

[zen_zen 0]

may I know how much is the customizeod TV console and the customized shoes cabinet?

how much do you spend in total for flooring? did you change all the tiles?

How much is your renov cost in total?

[CoffeeHse 1]

Hi...would appreciate if you can send me your detailed quotation to limyeowhwee@gmail.com

Thank You Very Much :-)

[bentck 1]

hi, appreciate if u could sent me the detailed quotation, bentck@msn.com

[mitchiko 3]

Oh my love ur house renov esp the tiles and furniture. Ur theme is nice make the house big and bright.

Can share ur renov quote with me. They really did a great job!

Is the tv console and matching set near main door customized? How much is it?

[lovemolly 1]

Hi, your house is very nice and your blogs have so much information!!

Do you mind if you can send me the quotation that you have?

Thanks thanks

My email is ugly_duck_86@hotmail.com

[Bona 0]

Hi Leon & Jenna,

Interesting read you have here! Thank you for persuading your CFO to buy the #Bona spray mop and hope it did not fail you till now (:

If anyone of you have any questions or would like to know any latest promotions, please do PM me!

Thank you!!

[boorie22 0]

Hi, may I have Aaron's contact? It seemed like your house is done very well and I am curious to know how much.

[FaustineTan 0]

Hi!

How much did you buy your Storage heater for ? (#TapzGallery)

Hmm the Taobao sourced Taps and Faucets -- all can be installed proper -- no headaches ? LOL

Looks like I may copy your idea to install the storage heater in the service yard, instead of boxing it up in the common toilet.... Was thinking of boxing it up like Condo style... Not sure if that is not advisable?

Have to install 2 new A/C compressors in my own service yard as well -- current owner of my OTPed EA -- only has one and installed at a very ugly position -- easy for a person tall enough to knock his head.

Sheesh I am so beat right now... But the 'show' must go on & here I am once again... Hee.

Today I will be bringing to you other generic updates on my humble renovation!!

MASTER BATHROOM TAP INSTALLATION - The Kohler tap from TaoBao has been fixed up! Standard fare with good water flow.

Oh yeah, the toilet bowl is finally fixed back, which meant a bit less stress for myself whenever I want to visit my new house. Wahahaha.. I finally don't have to visit the toilet & decrease my water intake before popping over to my new house.. If you know what I mean. HAHAHA.

HANS GROHE RAIN SHOWER INSTALLED @ MASTER BATHROOM - Easily the most gorgeous article that I bought from TaoBao so far... *hwing hwing!!* Water pressure is great & works like a charm.. Very very satisfied with this purchase...

KITCHEN SINK & TAP INSTALLATION - CFO is over the moon with the kitchen flex-hose tap! And I am a very happy man because my dearest wife is so happy.. The entire tap is rust-free & feels solid when I use it; that's including the lever at the hand-held outlet. The water pressure is good too! The only drawback is that we were kiasu & chose to buy the longer version... Should have gone for the shorter variant because then, our future dish rack wouldn't have to put so high up... Luckily CFO & I are about the same height & not that short... Phew. Barely made it.

38L JOVEN ELECTRIC WATER HEATER @ SERVICE YARD - Bought this from #TapzGallery along Balestier Road... This is the energy efficient variant, which you MUST remember to ask for if you are also getting electric water heaters like myself... Unless you are prepared to pay a bomb in electricity utility bills.... Hehe...

Wanted to get the smaller 25L capacity but #TapzGallery didn't have stock for that already.. The smallest capacity energy-efficient model was this 38L model liao... Oh well.

And that tops off my wonderfully productive Monday today!!

HOPE YOU GUYS HAD FUN! SLEEP TIGHT! I know I will...

[Pish1208 2]

I would say Leon married a good woman too... the stomach is well feed!

[june2006 2]

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. From your posts (volume, choice of words and tone) I can tell Jenna married a really good man.

Take care!

[alphaev7 1]

Interesting read below.. Not sure how many Renotalkers here have actually read this...

I'm not sure how many Renotalkers here have actually read this #allsingaporestuff article that has been doing rounds on Facebook, allegedly about a renovation conman named Loy Chuang Yee, director of renovation company Decor Creative Construction Pte Ltd... And I say 'allegedly' although the person who shared his experience on #allsingaporestuff seems to be genuine.. He even has a police report to show for it! Apparently this renovation conman cheated 2 families of a staggering SGD50,000... Really shocking and sad..

Anyway I'm sharing it here for all to read and to help spread awareness in our Renotalk community of such despicable scum... And hope by doing so that many new Renotalkers can avoid unnecessary heartache during what should be a happy renovation journey for them!! For more information you can access the actual news site by clicking here.

@ALPHAEV7 RINNAI OVEN CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Just a while back on 24th Sep, 4.41PM, fellow Renotalker @alphaev7 issued an innocent challenge to me that I brought up to my dearest CFO... And that's where it all started... Actually the poor fella only posted 'hi leonjenna, What Oven are you using? Is it the Rinnai one? How is it?". Wahahahaha...

Ok you know what, I think for once I will really let the pictures speak for themselves...

RINNAI OVEN IN ACTION!

BEFORE (like those slimming commercials hahahaha)

and AFTER!

I BRING TO YOU...

RINNAI-OVEN-BAKED GARLIC MILK WHOLE CHICKEN WITH CARROTS, POTATOES & MUSHROOMS TOPPED OFF WITH SAGE

As I mentioned before, if the taste of the food is in any way an indicator of how good the oven is, I have to say this is one SUPER DELICIOUS OVEN! Even the chicken breast meat was moist and wahhhhh.. I really wish I can eat it again soon. *SLURP*

CLOSE UP OF #GRAFUNKT CIRCUS DISH USED AS PLANTERS

Following some emails asking of close-ups of my #Grafunkt circus dish in my living area, here it is!! Hopefully will be able to plant some mint.. dill.. thyme.. parley.. basil.. etc etc...

Anyway that's all for today!!

The haze seems to be back with a vengence these few days, so reminder to wear your N95 mask once the 24-hr PSI reading hits 100 and above & hydrate yourself well! Take care everyone!

Hi Leon!

Thanks for accepting the "challenge" and making delicious looking meal! All i asked for was the model number and how much you go it for. But i looked on Rinnai's page based on your picture and saw that it was the RBO-7MSO. Was wondering why didn't you choose the RBO-85ETIX?

Thanks for the effort! My place is 80% done up now and currently looking for home appliances.