Clueless Single's 4Rm Reno

[koori 45]

it looks very big for 4 room.

106 sqm. Is that considered big? I didn't survey floor area of other flats... Though my contractor did comment that it was very spacious for a 4 room.

hi may i know who did the hacking? Can pm me his/her details? Thanks

I engaged a contractor for the whole renovation, he arranged everything. Sorry, I don't have the individual contacts of the teams doing stuff. Do you still want the contacts in this case?

[koori 45]

Congrats on the completed renovation.

Congrats! Looks very good!

Looks all set for the move-in! Really excited for you. I'm taking a slower process so can't wait for my turn too

congrats

Thank you all.

Edited April 25, 2014 by koori

[koori 45]

Steel rack for the store-room. Was very ambitious, got a 50cm depth x 159 cm length one. Storeroom left space for just one person to get in or out now. Haha...

This thing doesn't have any bolts / screws. The installer was punctual and installed it within 30 minutes.

Got this from Sin Win Liang. Good thing is you can order online, fuss free. Rack is galvanized steel, comes in colors blue or white as well. ( I cheapskate, didn't want to pay extra for the colors coz hiding in store mah....)

Drawback is they don't seem to have customisation. I didn't need a L shape coz my storeroom is too small to have a L at the other wall, so this is good for me.

Edited August 27, 2014 by koori

[koori 45]

Old main door handle. Rusty, handle also listing to one side and not straight...

Replaced with Samsung digital lock. Next project. painting the exposed area. Hope I'll have better luck with this then the window film removal exercise. Haha ~

[fats 4]

Settled the bill today~ Total came up to $32,050 including electricals, excluding the sink/taps, etc... Not a lot of difference from the original considering I did add quite a number of stuff along the way.

Alex also purchased the water closets, taps and sinks, even the Turbo glass hob on my behalf. Bill for these is about $1,400. See how 'hands-off' I am?

Some overall pictures just for the heck of it...yet to move in. Arranged for movers in 2 weeks time.

Now that it's completed, can safely say I would recommend Alex to anyone looking for contractor.

Easy going, no black faces even when you tell him you wanna change something or tell him you spotted something needing to rectify. I think his 口头禅is ‘不好意思’ . Most frequently heard phrase from the many phone calls to him.

Not much rectifications either. I only saw one dripping bidet spray connection, some missed painting....everything else was good. Mom also looked around, so confirm ok....In fact the missed painting were all spotted by mom. Noob me vs mom who has 2 flats reno under her belt.

He can advise on the aesthetics too. Tiles/grilles/paint....in fact most of the colors were based on his recommendations.

He was also the only one who had a suggestion on my flat's layout : create a doorway in BR2 facing MBR door. ALL the other IDs / contractors I spoke to recommended reverting back to the original HDB layout when I said I wanted the storeroom rebuilt, which meant even more hacking and walls building. Plus the MBR door will now be facing the living room, which means less privacy.

If you spot something on internet, can show him pics and he can 'copy' quite well. Or tell you if it's not suitable for your place for watever reason...like my rockstone paint walls which gets in the way of most stuff...

Disadvantage would be no 3D drawings that some folks like. There were a couple of drawings [hand-drawn] done for the cabinetry. If you have a good idea of what you want, this lack of 3D shouldn't be an issue.

Another thing is, he doesn't answer messages/watsapp fast enough for my liking....so I call him up when I simply must have an answer...maybe that's why I hear the phrase ‘不好意思’ so often. wahaha....

Congratulations on the successful completion. Thank you for your updates and pictures. Also am grateful for the review of the contractor's work. I am looking forward to calling him to come down and see my house very soon. Most probably after HariRaya or in September to accomodate my poly going son's exams and semester. Thank you for his contact too!!

Post a picture after you have moved in and settled down!!

[sherting 5]

Old main door handle. Rusty, handle also listing to one side and not straight...

Replaced with Samsung digital lock. Next project. painting the exposed area. Hope I'll have better luck with this then the window film removal exercise. Haha ~

How much is the Samsung digital lock for main door? Who install for you?

[koori 45]

How much is the Samsung digital lock for main door? Who install for you?

Got it from Interlock SG @$598, including installation. Not sure if ok to put their website link here. Just google 'interlock sg' and their site will come up in the search.

[koori 45]

Not that I am promoting digital locks....but in case anyone is interested...here's what went into my decision making process :

1. Purchase online and install it yourself or engage a handyman.

Buy online at Qoo10, search 'digital lock' or 'digital door lock' and there is a whole list of sellers selling them, usually located in Korea,

Models without handles cost around S$130-ish to S$190-ish. Models with handles cost around S$250-ish to S$350-ish.

a. There are lots of youtube videos regarding this. Mainly you need a hole-saw [Yes, you have to drill a solid round hole through the door.] and a steady hand to drill holes on your wooden door.

For example : www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ZZOwQ4VkA

b. What type of lock you are buying also makes a difference in the installation.

Digital lock without a handle, the lock mortise is an additional plate. Note you need a 'flat' area to screw on the additional plate.

The picture below is from my sister. Haha....she was trying to show me the difference when I was deciding between lock with handle vs without a handle:

In this case, see she had to 'saw' off the wooden door frame partially around that area for the mortise to sit properly.

Side view of the same door :

Digital lock with handle, this is the pic of my place's lock. Note the side for the lock mortise required modification. My door frame is made of metal, so would be difficult to drill into...

Alternatively, try to find a local handyman who can install the digital lock if you're not confident. I have no contacts to recommend though. Neither did my contractor Alex. The person who specialises in doors on his team only knows the traditional locks.

2. Buy the lock + local installation

This is the route I went. I googled for digital locks and 2 company names came up. Interlock and mydigtial lock. I went for Interlock coz my sister used them 6 years ago in her old house, and I saw some other forumer at renotalk using them too. Also, because they had a promotion. Haha....It depends on your personal preference which company you go for.

1. They have professionals installing the locks. No payment if the lock doesn't fit, for whatever reason.

[My experience : The installer tells you directly the 'problem' before he proceeds. If you think it is not ok for whatever reason, it's ok to cancel.

For my case, he warned me there will be about 2cm difference, so the door will show it's 'true colors' once the old lock is removed. There will also be a very small hole on the back of the door due to the different placement of the holes for the door locks' mortise mechanism.]

2. Problem for my door is that I know the existing holes for the lockset are all in the wrong places so I had zero confidence it will be as easy as it seemed in the video I found.

The video took shows it took around 8 minutes to install... Mine actually took the professional from interlock about 1 hour plus to install. He had to remove existing lockset, drill additional holes, fill up the existing 'wrong' holes, modify the metal at the side to ensure alignment.

3. There is a 1 2 year warranty on the lock. Anything wrong *touch wood*, can call up interlock and fix.

[Requested for English manual from Interlock, and this very informative email came in, stated 2 years warranty....manufacturer's defects, parts covered only. Of course if you abuse the lock or misuse it not covered. ]

Edited April 28, 2014 by koori

[koori 45]

My hob gave a strange high pitched whining sound when the higher flame setting was selected. The smaller flame setting was ok, no sounds detected.

Wow....didn't know there are so many pipings underneath. Some spare part was replaced and hob is fne now. No more strange sounds.

[keyik 0]

Not that I am promoting digital locks....but in case anyone is interested...here's what went into my decision making process :

1. Purchase online and install it yourself or engage a handyman.

Buy online at Qoo10, search 'digital lock' or 'digital door lock' and there is a whole list of sellers selling them, usually located in Korea,

Models without handles cost around S$130-ish to S$190-ish. Models with handles cost around S$250-ish to S$350-ish.

a. There are lots of youtube videos regarding this. Mainly you need a hole-saw [Yes, you have to drill a solid round hole through the door.] and a steady hand to drill holes on your wooden door.

For example : www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ZZOwQ4VkA

b. What type of lock you are buying also makes a difference in the installation.

Digital lock without a handle, the lock mortise is an additional plate. Note you need a 'flat' area to screw on the additional plate.

The picture below is from my sister. Haha....she was trying to show me the difference when I was deciding between lock with handle vs without a handle:

In this case, see she had to 'saw' off the wooden door frame partially around that area for the mortise to sit properly.

Side view of the same door :

Digital lock with handle, this is the pic of my place's lock. Note the side for the lock mortise required modification. My door frame is made of metal, so would be difficult to drill into...

Alternatively, try to find a local handyman who can install the digital lock if you're not confident. I have no contacts to recommend though. Neither did my contractor Alex. The person who specialises in doors on his team only knows the traditional locks.

2. Buy the lock + local installation

This is the route I went. I googled for digital locks and 2 company names came up. Interlock and mydigtial lock. I went for Interlock coz my sister used them 6 years ago in her old house, and I saw some other forumer at renotalk using them too. Also, because they had a promotion. Haha....It depends on your personal preference which company you go for.

1. They have professionals installing the locks. No payment if the lock doesn't fit, for whatever reason.

[My experience : The installer tells you directly the 'problem' before he proceeds. If you think it is not ok for whatever reason, it's ok to cancel.

For my case, he warned me there will be about 2cm difference, so the door will show it's 'true colors' once the old lock is removed. There will also be a very small hole on the back of the door due to the different placement of the holes for the door locks' mortise mechanism.]

2. Problem for my door is that I know the existing holes for the lockset are all in the wrong places so I had zero confidence it will be as easy as it seemed in the video I found.

The video took shows it took around 8 minutes to install... Mine actually took the professional from interlock about 1 hour plus to install. He had to remove existing lockset, drill additional holes, fill up the existing 'wrong' holes, modify the metal at the side to ensure alignment.

3. There is a 1 2 year warranty on the lock. Anything wrong *touch wood*, can call up interlock and fix.

[Requested for English manual from Interlock, and this very informative email came in, stated 2 years warranty....manufacturer's defects, parts covered only. Of course if you abuse the lock or misuse it not covered. ]

Nice digital door lock! I only choose old fashion type lock due to out of budget!

[koori 45]

Nice digital door lock! I only choose old fashion type lock due to out of budget!

I needed to change door locks anyways, so thought might as well do digital instead of doing manual locks. Not sure, but some other forumer said the manual lockset also cost around $200?

Novelty of the lock means people play with it though. Haha...heard folks playing with it while inside the house. Or is it a potential burglar ? >.<

Unlikely to get all 6 numbers correct though...if really can guess so accurately, the person might as well go buy toto, strike liao got millions which I don't even have.

Password combi can be even longer than 6 digits, but I lazy to rememeber so many numbers.

[koori 45]

Moved in over the weekend. Used 'Rodex Movers'. They were the lowest quote among the 4 movers I asked.

[Actually Helping hands' quote is comparable, but the person handling phone calls is not very forthcoming with information. He sounded like he can't wait to hang up my call, kept ending sentences with 'ok, bye' after each question I asked. Maybe I caught him at a wrong timing.]

For my move, me blur blob didn't confirm timing properly. I assumed was morning, admin lady didn't highlight it is a a afternoon slot, though she said she did when I called their office Saturday morning...I must have momentary lapse of memory or something.

Anyways, so the move was scheduled for 3pm on Saturday. Not very punctual though. I called the move supervisor around 3.10pm when no sign of them and he said 3.30pm.

Ended up the team arriving at 3.50pm or thereabouts. Team of 5, came with laminates and trolleys. They did know how to dismantle and re-assemble wardrobe and beds. Was careful with belongings too - no throwing of boxes or anything. Very efficient once they arrived. They moved all my 15 boxes of barangs + TV, dismantle and reassemble furniture within 1 hour.

The guys all looked Indian, all very polite and cheerful. Overall still quite happy with the movers.

Will update with pictures of the move in later. Very busy weekend with the unpacking...

[koori 45]

Just realised I didn't take any photos of the boxes and boxes of stuff when they arrived. LOL.

Picture below was taken after I was more or less done with the unpacking.

Mom was already watching TV while I was unpacking...

[koori 45]

I think I've gotten an addiction to Taobao liao. This is loot number 2. Will update stuff purchased in later posts.

Surprisingly, Peeka delivered on Vesak Day, arrived close to 6pm ~

[koori 45]

This is the 'largest' piece of item I've bought from Taobao to date. Coffee / Side table. I got a set of one bigger, one smaller size.

Came protected with wooden crate on the sides, plus styrofoam inside the box. No damages as far as I can see.

Took me a long time to pry open the crates as there were nails all over. Didn't have a crowbar so used screwdriver flat end to pry upwards to get a 'space', after which the end of the hammer worked well. Hee~

The bigger table went to the corner - for placing the modems and what nots. This is the 'price' of not doing TV feature wall. LOL....lots of wires running around. Will figure out how to 'neaten' them up later.