Leon & Jenna Reno Experience

Saru · September 2, 2014

Hi Saru! Thanks for follow my blog all the way till now! Hehehe... I apologise in advance that I left the job about the wood trimming for windows up hanging in the air... Unfortunately I don't have good news for you... When I got my unit keys, #CalvinTan had come down to measure the clearance for the window wood trimmings but advised against it on the spot... This is because there isn't much clearance for him to install the wood trimming for the top rim of the window frame... He said it could still be done, but he told me it was not worth it because it wouldn't look that nice... Plus the fact that my window frames are (THANKFULLY) in white-ish aluminium colour, and not the dark brown colour... Sorry again Saru... Maybe you will be able to do it for your unit...
Hello seowleng... Oh no you are mistaken... My vinyl flooring only covers all 3 of my bedrooms, dining hall & living hall... Kitchen, service yard, household shelter & toilets are not included... While we are on the topic of bathroom floors, I did overlay them with hafary tiles...

Thanks for the response - appreciate it!

No worries, i will think of something - I cannot tear down windows to powder coat, so white paint shall do the trick and then there would be would be blinds/curtains to cover it anyway. Mine's not whitish aluminium, i thought everyone in HDB have the same boring stainless steel window frames? Anyway, you should ask for a further discount for not making good anything promised as that window work would have been quite a job.

bianzi · September 2, 2014

2. I think you shld paint the main door yourself...doesn't look right that shade.

Yeah man! Let's see what can be done... I would very possibly take up your advice to paint the main door by myself... The brown is just too jarring on the eyes... :(

I also thinking of my door .. Wat color to paint cos mine is resale and the color is the same as yours in walnut brown... Super not matching .. But if u paint the door might not be nice when the paint peels next time... And no neighbors ard me paint their doors.. Wondering if I shd leave it and go for varnish... Dilemma...

OceanEleven · September 2, 2014

is it me or the toilet bowl is very close to the cabinet? how to seat in behind completely without the legs or bottoms hitting the cabinet?

I think more of a concern be the shower screen. While sitting down, you leg has to be parallel with the shower screen.

Yeah this is one big headache! Install on the wall behind also cannot (no space & very difficult to turn around to reach), on the glass shower screen also cannot (no space & scared sth happen to the glass Hahaha ), install on the vanity cabinet also cannot (no space)... In the end, we are planning to install the toilet roll holder on the wall OPPOSITE to the toilet bowl! Wahahaha... CFO & I even took turns to do role playing to "sit and reach" (not the Primary School NAPFA test version of "sit and reach", mind you.. ).. Location good enough, can reach! Anyway we have a neighbour-friend who invited us over to see their house and coincidentally they also installed their toilet roll holder at the same location! Hehehe..

Sit and reach seems to be the only option. However the protruding holder also act as an obstacle to entering the shower area.

MessieCat · September 2, 2014

Aiyooooo MESSIECAT!!
I'M SO SORRY I MISSED YOUR MESSAGE!! *gulp* sorry sorry make you wait so long for my reply... hahahaha...
Firstly, I'm very humbled by your question and I will be glad to share what I have found out... Let's get this kick started with the standard face-off of Laminate Flooring Vs. Vinyl Flooring.. *rubs hands together in glee* heh heh heh... (btw fellas, if i missed out anything in this comparison or got some facts wrong, please correct me... Then we can all learn from my mistake! )
CHARACTERISTICS COMPARISON BETWEEN LAMINATE & VINYL FLOORING
EXPANSION & CONTRACTION - Laminate flooring apparently expands and contracts a lot more as ambient temperature changes throughout the day. As such, installers will leave a small gap at the sides (joining-line-between-your-floor-and-your-wall). The purpose of the gap is to leave some room for expansion of the laminate flooring to take place. Without which, your laminate flooring may buckle and pop up as the excess matter have nowhere to go. That being said, since there is a gap left against the wall, you may want to install a wall skirting over the gap to hide it! I've been told that vinyl doesn't expand that much and you can cut out the vinyl panels such that they flush with the wall very precisely and beautifully...
WATER-RELATED PROBLEMS - An age-old bane of laminate flooring is the warping and discolouration that comes with the DREADED WATER SPILLAGE & SOAKING! *cue horror music!Frantic laminate flooring owners can be heard scurrying off to find the nearest mop* While this is true for laminate flooring in general, I have come across many laminate products that claim that their laminates have wax-coatings on the sides of their laminate panels, which essentially stops this water-soaking phenomenon and the horror that comes with it. Wahahaha... On the other side, vinyl is basically a form of plastic. So you will never have to worry about water-soaking problems. HOWEVER, do take note that if either are not installed correctly (tightly) on a flat surface, you may find that the Makansutra-KF-Seetoh-Endorsed-Maggie-Curry-Gravy that you accidentally spilt on the floor the other day may have SEEPED UNDER your surface flooring and PONDED in the small crevice between your surface flooring & your true flooring. You will never be able to get at the grease trapped under your surface flooring, and that will invite many kinds of nuisances to visit you... Think of algae growth, the 'damp smell' that comes with it, festering of numerous types of pests, and the occasional nightmare that Makansutra's KF Seetoh will come and haunt that patch of flooring where his Maggie-Curry-Gravy lie. HAHA!! I digress yet again.
NEW PRODUCT APPREHENSION - Do take note that if an elder chides you for going with vinyl flooring, sometimes it's just because the 'vinyl flooring' they have in mind are those 'hospital vinyl floorings'... If I'm not wrong, BOTH are called vinyl flooring. Other than that, sometimes it's because of the fear of the unknown and the inclination to opt for the familiar, which is laminate flooring in this case...
TOXICITY - Both types of floorings have this concern which I cannot stress enough. Toxic gaseous emissions; usually the main culprit are VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and Formaldehyde in particular. If my memory serves me right, formaldehyde is a CLASS II carcinogen (i will not bore you with the details, it's just really super duper bad for your health) the last time I checked.. If this is even a factor for your consideration between laminates & vinyl flooring, please don't just go for the cheapest product (from China and/or dubious sources)... Your home is meant to be a safe haven for you & your family, not a stewing pot of cancerous gaseous emissions! (Dear readers, if in doubt, I'm happy to lend my expertise to look at the Material Safety Data Sheet of any laminate/vinyl flooring product, just send to leonjennawong@gmail.com! )
Now that we got most of the Laminate Vs. Vinyl conundrum out of the way, if you ask for my honest opinion about the #Berry Laminate flooring against the #Alsafloor Vinyl flooring...Well if I were to make a decision again, shockingly enough, I would go for #Berry Laminate flooring. My reasons are below:
- #Berryflooring have many many MANY more choices of colours to choose from!
- Also considering the fact that you will not be able to get the same cheapo price per-square-foot which I got for my #Alsafloor anymore because they have since increased their price.
- #Berryflooring is thicker than #Alsaflooring; as such it gives a more solid feel when you walk on it (no hollow feeling), and it has a higher noise reduction rating, that will really help especially if your house is facing a busy road or the MRT tracks.
- Though #Berryflooring is inherently a laminate and not vinyl, I am very impressed & confident of the water-proofing capabilities of their #HydroPlus technology in the #Berryflooring Riviera range
- Checked that health requirements are within limits
Well hope I helped! Laptop no more battery! Gotta go see ya good night sweet dreams!

Thank you so much Leon for the detailed breakdown, really very useful. Paisei for my slow reply too, coz I thought my question was skipped past, so I didn't come back and check. And I only signed up for Renotalk to read your T-blog. I think you take a lot of things in a positive manner which makes all the good/bad things all sound SUPER GOOD even when you have included the negative facts anyway, and it makes your blog so fun to read. Really appreciate all your sharing and detailed comparisons. I've engaged Posh Home but there were some hiccups along the way, so everything is not moving as fast as I wanted initially but after some changes, I'm quite happy as of now. Hoping that things continue to work out. Looking forward to reading more of your posts and jia you!

kissgurami · September 2, 2014

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.

is it me or the toilet bowl is very close to the cabinet? how to seat in behind completely without the legs or bottoms hitting the cabinet?

bianzi · September 2, 2014

I think I need to do tricep curl when reaching out for the toilet paper behind me.. No other place to put ...

leonjennawong · September 2, 2014

You bought joven finally? I got the 25 litres.
But hor... I dunno why they install it with the brand facing inside instead! Dunno if I should raise this.. Mine is installed in the common toilet

Yo bianzi! Hehe.. Looking at your photo, looks like there is a small beam on the top left-hand-side of your photo.. That, together with the location of your 2 water pipes (connected to wall) actually makes it seem like it is not practical to install the other way round; which is with the brand facing outwards.. *shrug* Anyway your current water tank orientation still allows you to see the indicator lights on the side of the water tank right? If I'm not wrong, it will be more difficult to see that if your ID had installed it with the brand facing outwards... *double shrug* hope I helped somehow...

Oh I also want to ask, where are you placing your toilet roll holder with the bowl so near the wall

Yeah this is one big headache! Install on the wall behind also cannot (no space & very difficult to turn around to reach), on the glass shower screen also cannot (no space & scared sth happen to the glass Hahaha

), install on the vanity cabinet also cannot (no space)... In the end, we are planning to install the toilet roll holder on the wall OPPOSITE to the toilet bowl! Wahahaha... CFO & I even took turns to do role playing to "sit and reach" (not the Primary School NAPFA test version of "sit and reach", mind you..

).. Location good enough, can reach!

Anyway we have a neighbour-friend who invited us over to see their house and coincidentally they also installed their toilet roll holder at the same location! Hehehe..

bianzi · September 1, 2014

Oh I also want to ask, where are you placing your toilet roll holder with the bowl so near the wall

bianzi · September 1, 2014

You bought joven finally? I got the 25 litres.

But hor... I dunno why they install it with the brand facing inside instead! Dunno if I should raise this.. Mine is installed in the common toilet

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leonjennawong · September 1, 2014

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... :wub:

*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! :good:

The only drawback is that we were kiasu & chose to buy the longer version... :bleah:

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. :rolleyes:

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...

Edited September 1, 2014 by leonjennawong

leonjennawong · September 1, 2014

Hi there, really enjoyed reading your renovation experience and learned a lot along the way.
I saw before you mentioned you will do something to the windows to cover off the aluminium frames.
I didn't know you can do wood trimmings and would like to see your finished end product. I hate the ugly aluminium window frames in the living room as well but I have no solution or ideas. ID offered to paint them white for me for free, but she warned me the paint might flake or peel off in time to come (and will provide me a tin of paint to touch up in future if it happens).
So dying to see how you ended up for this:
Wood trimming for windows in white paint finish (to cover the ugly aluminum white frames where possible…)

Hi Saru! Thanks for follow my blog all the way till now! Hehehe... I apologise in advance that I left the job about the wood trimming for windows up hanging in the air... Unfortunately I don't have good news for you... When I got my unit keys, #CalvinTan had come down to measure the clearance for the window wood trimmings but advised against it on the spot... This is because there isn't much clearance for him to install the wood trimming for the top rim of the window frame... He said it could still be done, but he told me it was not worth it because it wouldn't look that nice... Plus the fact that my window frames are (THANKFULLY) in white-ish aluminium colour, and not the dark brown colour... Sorry again Saru... Maybe you will be able to do it for your unit...

Hi Leon,
U mean u install vinyl in your bathroom floors?! The part where u stand n shower?

Hello seowleng... Oh no you are mistaken... My vinyl flooring only covers all 3 of my bedrooms, dining hall & living hall... Kitchen, service yard, household shelter & toilets are not included... While we are on the topic of bathroom floors, I did overlay them with hafary tiles...

seowleng · August 31, 2014

Hi Leon,

U mean u install vinyl in your bathroom floors?! The part where u stand n shower?

Saru · August 30, 2014

Hi there, really enjoyed reading your renovation experience and learned a lot along the way.

I saw before you mentioned you will do something to the windows to cover off the aluminium frames.

I didn't know you can do wood trimmings and would like to see your finished end product. I hate the ugly aluminium window frames in the living room as well but I have no solution or ideas. ID offered to paint them white for me for free, but she warned me the paint might flake or peel off in time to come (and will provide me a tin of paint to touch up in future if it happens).

So dying to see how you ended up for this:

Wood trimming for windows in white paint finish (to cover the ugly aluminum white frames where possible…)

mrbytez · August 30, 2014

Granite is definitely cheaper! If I'm not mistaken, the cheapest is granite, followed by #Kompactop & finally iQuartz! Good luck for your own renovation mrbyetz!

Thanks! Haha, still quite some time later for mine though...

leonjennawong · August 30, 2014

TAOBAO purchase continuation from Post#296, Post#297 & Post#298... (I last ended at TAOBAO #11 ASSORTED SOFA CUSHIONS, so here are the rest... I have also finally fixed all the hyperlinks in the previous posts )

TAOBAO #12) WISHBONE CHAIRS

Link: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=37407162671&spm=2014.12193480.0.0