Clueless Single's 4Rm Reno

[gemini 8]

Hello everyone, I'm also single & clueless, but happy & proud as finally have a house of my own. Mine is a small resale 4 room flat. I've already moved in and life has been challenging since - air con leaked, water heater blasted, couldn't light up gas stove, and the list go on. Much money has been spent on basic repair & maintenance so I intend to redo the house and invest in better quality appliances which probably will be more cost saving in longer term. I'm managing this house alone so am really stressful, but remind myself that this should be an enjoyable journey.

Edited February 27, 2014 by gemini

[OceanEleven 203]

Koori, understood the difference between needs and wants. This is a place you to decide to call a house or a home.

No matter what, it is gonna be with you for 5 years minimum. This is a place where you will spend most of your time no matter rain or shine.

Age is catching up with us where we have the time and money to go places but not the interest and the mood.

So the point is to do up the place and call it a home, a place where we reckon with and fall back into.

What one save now may come back to haunt you in the long run. Been there, done that.

Stretch the budget a little and do it in the way that will please you in years to come.

[Songz 132]

Hello everyone, I'm also single & clueless, but happy & proud as finally have a house of my own. Mine is a small resale 4 room flat. I've already moved in and life has been challenging since - air con leaked, water heater blasted, couldn't light up gas stove, and the list go on. Much money has been spent on basic repair & maintenance so I intend to redo the house and invest in better quality appliances which probably will be more cost saving in longer term. I'm managing this house alone so am really stressful, but remind myself that this should be an enjoyable journey.

If there are a lot to be repair and etc, i will agree on a overhaul of the place too.

Good luck

[Songz 132]

Koori, understood the difference between needs and wants. This is a place you to decide to call a house or a home.

No matter what, it is gonna be with you for 5 years minimum. This is a place where you will spend most of your time no matter rain or shine.

Age is catching up with us where we have the time and money to go places but not the interest and the mood.

So the point is to do up the place and call it a home, a place where we reckon with and fall back into.

What one save now may come back to haunt you in the long run. Been there, done that.

Stretch the budget a little and do it in the way that will please you in years to come.

Was thinking of doing budget and after reading your post I got to rethink abt it again ~

[koori 45]

Koori, understood the difference between needs and wants. This is a place you to decide to call a house or a home.

No matter what, it is gonna be with you for 5 years minimum. This is a place where you will spend most of your time no matter rain or shine.

Age is catching up with us where we have the time and money to go places but not the interest and the mood.

So the point is to do up the place and call it a home, a place where we reckon with and fall back into.

What one save now may come back to haunt you in the long run. Been there, done that.

Stretch the budget a little and do it in the way that will please you in years to come.

Yep. I am not going to scrimp and having to fork out a lot more $ later for repairs.

I have asked for quotes for all those stuff I know I can't live with, it's just that there are 'surprises' along the way. Haha....I actually have made more changes since I posted that quote and the other stuff listed above. I haven't posted those because it's all verbally discussed, no quotes, no pictures to show yet.

For me, I am saving mostly on customised capentry. There are so many furniture shops out there,my rooms are mostly squarish/rectangular in shape, so I'm sure the 'standard' mass production should be able to fit without having to custom make.

Hello everyone, I'm also single & clueless, but happy & proud as finally have a house of my own. Mine is a small resale 4 room flat. I've already moved in and life has been challenging since - air con leaked, water heater blasted, couldn't light up gas stove, and the list go on. Much money has been spent on basic repair & maintenance so I intend to redo the house and invest in better quality appliances which probably will be more cost saving in longer term. I'm managing this house alone so am really stressful, but remind myself that this should be an enjoyable journey.

Hi~

yes, agree if a lot of repairs needed...might as well get new ones. Most times not worth it to repair an appliance...the on-going repairs might cost as much as getting a new one...

Edited February 28, 2014 by koori

[koori 45]

By the way, if anyone is interested.

For wardrobes, I see a lot of folks in Renotalk custom make theirs.

Just wanted to share....I have an existing wardrobe in my current room that is modular in nature, you can customise to a certain extent.

e.g. 6 ft or 8 ft, with top compartments or not. Configurations inside the wardrobe can be chosen based on your needs.

I see it's available at fortytwo.sg :

http://www.fortytwo.sg/bedroom-furniture/modular-wardrobe/crisford-modular-wardrobe-a.html

WARNING : I did not get mine from fortytwo, so check out the reviews on their site if you decide to buy.

I got my wardrobe from one of those furniture shops located in HDB estate...they don't have showroom - it's mostly catalog based, so far have gotten stuff from them and they are all good. The prices from this type of shops are already inclusive of installation and delivery, so no additional charges from the prices they quote.

Only drawback is they don't accept credit cards....so no cashback/points to earn from the purchase.

[koori 45]

Layout pics from contractor....this one helps visualise how the kitchen looks like.

Think not drawn to scale, but still the cooker hob looks a tad too close to the sink...any experts out there who know if there is a recommended distance between hob and sink?

The tall unit on that new wall done up (originally was the common bathroom entrance). I asked if I can have a open shelf in the middle to put a microwave instead of sacrificing counter space...haven't heard back from contractor yet.

The space beside this unit is meant for my fridge ~ which I haven't bought yet coz I wasn't sure how much space I would have....

[OceanEleven 203]

The space beside this unit is meant for my fridge ~ which I haven't bought yet coz I wasn't sure how much space I would have....

Actually is decide the fridge you want then do the carpentry.

When choosing fridge, make sure it is big enough. For me, I always go for the biggest 2 doors fridge.

In this way, I am always able to replace my fridge with any brand (except those side by side)

[gemini 8]

I concur to choose a fridge first. Then discuss with your contractor if it can fit nicely into the layout. Otherwise can still change the fridge or the layout. And yes, the bigger the better! I thought that my 450L fridge is more than sufficient but now I wish I had bought a even bigger one.

Most importantly - leave about 5cm space between the fridge and wall/cabinet for the motor to have sufficient space to release heat. Make sure the fridge door can open more than 90 degree, not just 90 degree but more than 90 degree so there is space to remove the shelves for washing.

Edited February 28, 2014 by gemini

[koori 45]

Actually is decide the fridge you want then do the carpentry.

When choosing fridge, make sure it is big enough. For me, I always go for the biggest 2 doors fridge.

In this way, I am always able to replace my fridge with any brand (except those side by side)

hohoho....I went thinking other way round. Super noob here.

Thanks for the pointer.

I am likely to get a small to mid sized fridge coz I dunno how to cook ~ I can probably burn water too! So the fridge is likely only for those chilled beverages...and the 'bad' stuff like chocs and ice-cream....whahahah....

But who knows, maybe after I start living independently I'll try to figure out how to cook without destroying the place...let me think think more about the 'correct' size fridge to get.

I concur to choose a fridge first. Then discuss with your contractor if it can fit nicely into the layout. Otherwise can still change the fridge or the layout. And yes, the bigger the better! I thought that my 450L fridge is more than sufficient but now I wish I had bought a even bigger one.

Most importantly - leave about 5cm space between the fridge and wall/cabinet for the motor to have sufficient space to release heat. Make sure the fridge door can open more than 90 degree, not just 90 degree but more than 90 degree so there is space to remove the shelves for washing.

Thanks for the pointer on the spacing. Will ask about this when the time comes for carpenter to take measurements. Hee....

Maybe should go fridge shopping this weekend~

Edited February 28, 2014 by koori

[gemini 8]

Not only the fridge, look around for cooker hob, hood, and sink too. These come in different sizes so take down the measurement. From the drawing, the hob is too near the sink. Do you intend to get a single bowl sink? I used to dislike my parents' sink with double drainer because it looks old fashioned. But after using my ex-owner's single bowl sink, I decided to go for sink with drainer, and the bigger the better.

Edited February 28, 2014 by gemini

[OceanEleven 203]

Not only the fridge, look around for cooker hob, hood, and sink too. These come in different sizes so take down the measurement. From the drawing, the hob is too near the sink. Do you intend to get a single bowl sink? I used to dislike my parents' sink with double drainer because it looks old fashioned. But after using my ex-owner's single bowl sink, I decided to go for sink with drainer, and the bigger the better.

Drainer as in?? I am still struggling with single or double sink.....

[claypot 46]

Yes, the hob is too close to the sink. You need some space in-between the hob and sink so that you can use that space for food preparations. For instance, after washing vegetables and meat at the sink, you need to marinate or chop/slice the washed vegetables/meat before you cook/fry them at the hob.

sink->food prep->hob

if not, you have to cross the hob.

But do not leave too much space between the sink and hob. if too much space, then if you need to wash the wok/pan after cooking, you need to carry them to the sink.

if too near the sink, water might splash onto the hob.

[claypot 46]

Drainer as in?? I am still struggling with single or double sink.....

single sink means single-bowl sink.

double sink means double-bowl sink

drainer means a slope next to the sink.

[koori 45]

Not only the fridge, look around for cooker hob, hood, and sink too. These come in different sizes so take down the measurement. From the drawing, the hob is too near the sink. Do you intend to get a single bowl sink? I used to dislike my parents' sink with double drainer because it looks old fashioned. But after using my ex-owner's single bowl sink, I decided to go for sink with drainer, and the bigger the better.

I'm not getting a hood, not sure if this is a bad idea....but I've lived without a hood here in spite of mom cooking everyday and the cooking fumes do not affect the living room as far as I can tell. My sister's house is also without a hood in her kitchen, and it hasn't affected her kitchen/hall much (she doesn't cook often~probably will be more like my usage frequency).

So yes, as of now, I'm not planning to get a hood, unless something major changes my mind.

For cooker hob and sink, I'm asking the contractor to get them for me. He got a 'Rubine' sink for my mom's place who just completed renovation and it looks fine to me. I asked about the cooker hob as well and the price he told me is also slightly lower than Court's prices....so asked him to get it for me as well.

I am a 'copycat'...wahahah....copying mom's choice for the cooker hob, so I already know the specific model and brand I want.

I am definitely going for a single sink, due to my usage....I am not one of those folks who will wash and dry crockery / utensils. Am too used to just popping up the dish wet or otherwise onto the dish rack and let it 'dry naturally'. So if I get a double sink, I will be just wasting space. The smaller bowl will likely be there just 'for show' and not used at all.

Also, a bigger single bowl can fit a smallish chinese black wok, so easier for me to wash that. Despite me not being able to cook, I'm still going to get a black wok. Maybe can learn from Mom. Hee....that's the single most used utensil I've seen in her kitchen.

Edited March 8, 2014 by koori