Home Sweet Home @ Punggol Topaz

[snowy89 12]

Hi Snowy89,

Really like your post on your new flat, been reading thru this whole week end, your new house looks really great.

I'm very keen to buy the tap that u fixed in your kitchen sink, where the flush hose can be pull out. Could u share the link for thus tap that u brought from Taobao, thanks & have a pleasant coming CNY.

Hi kakikaki,

Thanks for reading my t-blog, your comment made my day. I just came back from a holiday overseas so I have not taken updating yet. But my house is almost done. Just some more decorating miscellaneous items and I guess that's it. My ID had handed over the house to us during the start of February. Even though we keep telling her we aren't really in a rush, they completed the intensive reno within 8 weeks. Will update the remaining in due time.

Here's the tap link that I have gotten from taobao:

Tap link

I think I miss out talking about it but I find the tap quite good, can control the flow of the tap so that it doesn't flow out too fast or too slowly. The pull out flush hose is especially useful to clean the entire sink.

So far there are some tiny rust spots on the sink, but it can cleaned using aluminium cleaning agent or by cif. I suspect it is the water in Punggol that cause these tiny rust spots.

You can find the sellena sink from this link too by the way.

[snowy89 12]

I'm looking for someone to do up my curtains / blinds too. Did you get Vincent to install your blinds as well? Could you post a photo of it, if not too troublesome? Thank you.

Yes, he did, but I am not going to stay in my house yet, so the photo will probably have to wait. It is just a very simple white black out blind that I opted for. I find the mechanism satisfactory, the material is thick and not light weight.

You can actually book an appointment with him to view the materials better and also for the window measurements. He will give you the quote on the spot and he will also bring all the samples down for you to see one, no worries. Better book him early, I know of people who waited deliberately for him for one month because of the good price.

[snowy89 12]

More Service Yard decorations

So previously, I have not discovered taobao and sourced my wall decals from ebay overtime.. But for my service yard, I changed my wall decal cos the one I got from ebay was rather disappointing as it does not stick well.

To realize the "forest" feel, I scoured taobao and finally found the right decal. After pasting it at the service yard, I got the rare approval of the man.

Service yard wall decal link

We bought this stand alone hanger accessory to hang socks etc @ homefix. It was quite useful. Cost wise, roughly around $50+. The man wanted it when he saw it at homefix and refused to let me source for one at taobao. So no choice, just buy lor.

Also, bought privacy screens for my service yard doors cos the other day while I was cooking, someone went to stand at the opposite building and observed me for a good 30-40 second? You know how BTOs are built so close you can see what your neighbour is doing nowadays.. Luckily this only applied to my service yard area and not the living room and other rooms. Nonetheless, it freaked me out so bad that I was whining to the man that I want to get something done over there. My neighbour even joked that that will be the favourite spot for the stalker to stalk me, wtf..

Enquired from Vincent how much will it cost for those privacy films for my service yard windows and he mentioned that it will costs roughtly $100+. But it will be frosted so there will be no sunlight passing through. A bad idea cos this will mean my kitchen will be very dark even when not in use.

So, an idea came to me, which is to pasted frosted sticker over by myself. So I sourced for the stickers by myself on taobao. Costed me less than $10.

Frosted decal link

Using penknife and some water, I managed to DIY and pasted it by myself.

Only pasted the top because I did not buy enough to paste the bottom one and also actually don't have the need to paste the bottom ones cos it is covered by the service yard wall. But for aesthetic wise, maybe can consider buying more for the bottom but right now, I cannot be too bothered about it.

As long as it achieved its purpose, which is to block other people's view of me while I am cooking in the kitchen, I am pretty much satisfied with it.

[snowy89 12]

WIW + study blinds

Decided to go for blind for this room because we did a table along the window. Curtains will be rather irritating because of the fabric.

We chose a white black-out curtain for sunny days and at night for privacy. Otherwise, most of the time, this room's blinds is not in use because my unit ain't in the way of direct glaring sunlight.

This is the beads that come together. Still find it pretty alright. My curtains are certainly value for money. Best thing I liked about my WIW is that when the blind is drawn, you will not notice there is a blind. It stays hidden in my plummet. Also, I am quite happy that it comes in one piece rather than get separated into two. Sunlight will still enter through the tiny gap and that will be just annoying.

Total cost for my curtains/blind - 3 sets of day + night full length curtain and 1 set of blind costs slightly more than 1k only. Very good deal. Please find earlier post #131 for my curtain contact.

Edited February 17, 2015 by snowy89

[snowy89 12]

My ID

My reno is *almost* completed.. so I shall reveal who is the Interior Designer of my home sweet home @ punggol topaz. My designer is Miss Yand she has a profile page in the rezt & relax blog as well.

My ID profile

Details on how to contact her can also be found on her profile page.

The man and I have been very pleased with her services thus far. Found her to be very responsible and responsive. Doesn't scrimp on material and rectifications until we are satisfied. Renovations can be such a headache but I am glad that mine is almost over because she had helped in many ways. I did minimal cleaning because she also arranged for general cleaning and it was good! I only had to vacuum the house once and that was it. It was almost hassle-free with exceptions of the tedious move.

I'm happy that I signed the deal with rezt & relax and they had delivered what they promised.

She also arranged for her plumber to come back and install some other accessories that I have gotten last minute because of some changes at no cost.

My house is also being featured at her page but I think the web designer made a mistake and called my project as punggol opal.. Punggol opal is beside our project so maybe that is why the mix up.

Hope that you guys enjoyed reading my t-blog and I will continue to update (although won't be as frequent anymore) when I start to hang in more accessories and decorative stuffs.

[Zascia 0]

Hello Neighbour.. Nice job done.

Think we stay in the same block and same floor..

See ya..

[kakikaki 1]

My ID

My reno is *almost* completed.. so I shall reveal who is the Interior Designer of my home sweet home @ punggol topaz. My designer is Miss Yand she has a profile page in the rezt & relax blog as well.

My ID profile

Details on how to contact her can also be found on her profile page.

The man and I have been very pleased with her services thus far. Found her to be very responsible and responsive. Doesn't scrimp on material and rectifications until we are satisfied. Renovations can be such a headache but I am glad that mine is almost over because she had helped in many ways. I did minimal cleaning because she also arranged for general cleaning and it was good! I only had to vacuum the house once and that was it. It was almost hassle-free with exceptions of the tedious move.

I'm happy that I signed the deal with rezt & relax and they had delivered what they promised.

She also arranged for her plumber to come back and install some other accessories that I have gotten last minute because of some changes at no cost.

My house is also being featured at her page but I think the web designer made a mistake and called my project as punggol opal.. Punggol opal is beside our project so maybe that is why the mix up.

Hope that you guys enjoyed reading my t-blog and I will continue to update (although won't be as frequent anymore) when I start to hang in more accessories and decorative stuffs.

Hi snowy89,

Appreciated on your prompt feedback on the tap link, thanks.

If you dun mind, I would like to ask whether the reno cost of R&R had included the ID services or we needs to pay separately between the renovation work cost & ID services cost. Btw, I also a new resident of Punggol Topaz, a few block away from yours sweet home. I will be collecting my key after the CNY. Still searching for the suitable contractor or ID for the job, your post really gave me a few ideas on how to proceed, thanks.

[snowy89 12]

Hi kakikaki,

R&R charges their ID services cost separately but that cost was also included in my total quote, which Miss Y has published in her blog profile.

They are not cheap but I think they are still affordable for what they do. We did a comparison between a contractor and our chosen one and decided to go for the more costly one despite of the cost due to their great reputation and well assured quality work. I don't feel short changed, in fact, feel like I gotten lots of extra good stuffs because of Miss Y's generosity. LOL.

Shopping for an ID/contractor requires chemistry and fate. For a peace of mind, take your time to go around asking for quotes to compare prices (so that you don't become too much of a chopped carrot) but in the end, it just boils down to how well you gel together with the ID/contractor and how much you like them because the cost is about the same plus minus.

I guess for us, it just happened and now that we have our dream house, it makes going back home feels like a staycation and a getaway.

[snowy89 12]

Added some more decorations around the house especially since I am currently unloading stuffs.

I love these quotes, find them very meaningful.

"Do what you love, love what you do.."

I hope that everyone is doing what they love, and loving what they do.

For the common bathroom, remember the "ocean" theme. They are in the shade of tiffany blue. I love the whale one, the boat one is just to compliment the whale aka its side kick.

Having these posters help to fill up the empty spaces in the bathroom as well. Too bad the masterbedroom don't really have much space for me to put anything anymore. Hahaha!

I used the double sided tape from daiso to tape these on the walls. So far so good. At least if next time want to remove won't have nail markings.

[vanleoleo 1]

I love your bathroom! SUPER CHIO!

i'm going to renovate mine soon, so i wanted something modern lor. you say yours is sea theme but it also looks modern!

i started a thread but researching nice bathrooms, sorry i crash your thread heehee

are the lights LED? can save electricity if LED my friend said

3D vs Actual

Changed my dining light, table and dining seattee laminate to better suit my theme. I'm sorry that you have to see us stuff all kinds of stuffs in the shoe cabinet display. It was acting as our storage area during our renovation. ID did not charge for the small panel of cabinet near the DB box because of a weird beam that HDB has. So that area is much more shallow and it would be weird if I would be displaying stuffs cos can see that got one part that kanna "eat away". LOL.

I would say my dining area is very similar (other than the furnitures being not the same but this one cannot fault my ID) as compared to the 3D so they managed to make the 3D come true.

Verdict: 90% similarity

Moving on...

Managed to get more drawers out of my ID, which I felt very happy about. The big drawers under the stove is so useful to store pots and pans. I used the big one below to store my barang barang that I only occasionally use, like steamboat/BBQ set.

Changed my glass backing colour at the very end to white because the man and I have concerns that black will make the kitchen look very dark. The white has a slight green tint to it which I have gotten used to it by now. I would prefer it to be pure white but then my ID says that one would be costly. Sent the pics to my friends and they say looks nice so I feel slightly comforted.

If you noticed, I put a metal handle for the pull out larder so that I can have access to it easier. It is alot more stable also.

I feel that this set turned out to be the most different amongst others but it is still quite similar.

Verdict: 70-80% similarity

Next,

My small bedroom cabinet. The only change here is that I have switched the frame to black for a stark contrast. My cabinet has no mirrors, so I bought one off taobao. Looks good having a full length mirror in the room too.

Verdict: 95% similarity

Next one up would be my masterbedroom bathroom...

This one really very similar. Turned out exactly like what the 3D promised.

Verdict: 100% similarity

Okay, one more for the day before I go off and snooze.

My WIW!! This one have to use pano mode to shoot cos the door is in the way. Either than or I need some wide lense camera seriously, which explains why the lines look so weird.

But also I think this one turn out to be exactly like the 3D! I am also amazed when I compared it side by side.

Verdict: 100% similarity

Hopefully I ain't being too biased but my house reno really turn out pretty well, and my house is really looking the same as what my ID churned out the 3D to be. Take note that I am just using my iphone to take these pictures so I am sure with a professional camera it would look even better perhaps?

If you have noticed, I had not done the 3D for my MBR bedroom because we have not put on the mattress cover for my bed. After we put then I take photo again okay?

[snowy89 12]

I love your bathroom! SUPER CHIO!

i'm going to renovate mine soon, so i wanted something modern lor. you say yours is sea theme but it also looks modern!

i started a thread but researching nice bathrooms, sorry i crash your thread heehee

are the lights LED? can save electricity if LED my friend said

Thanks vanleoleo, I love the modern feel for my bathrooms so that explains why both of them (despite the themes) still look modern. I have started my usage at the masterbedroom bathroom and I can say it is utterly worth it to splurge on your bathrooms. Very good place to rejuvenate! Only thing is I find that I have to switch on the heater switch everytime before I bathe and after I bathe so that we can enjoy enough hot water. The hot water can last till the morning though!! After I switched it on again after I bathe.

All my lights are LED, they not only save electricity but also doesn't heat up as much.

[xavi 1]

Hi snowy89, i'm from 258A, you house is done up nicely!

btw for the water storage how long can the heat last when the timer is up?

does 2 person showering at the same time reduce the tempature?

lastly are you able to send me your quote to xavilee28@gmail.com? Thanks!

[vanleoleo 1]

Thanks vanleoleo, I love the modern feel for my bathrooms so that explains why both of them (despite the themes) still look modern. I have started my usage at the masterbedroom bathroom and I can say it is utterly worth it to splurge on your bathrooms. Very good place to rejuvenate! Only thing is I find that I have to switch on the heater switch everytime before I bathe and after I bathe so that we can enjoy enough hot water. The hot water can last till the morning though!! After I switched it on again after I bathe.

All my lights are LED, they not only save electricity but also doesn't heat up as much.

LED is awesome! i convinced my parents to redo their lights with LED, no need to change light bulbs every 2-3 years haaa ! parents are like that... die die don't want to listen, always think they're right. but now they listen to me lah, save them money and don't need to climb up chairs to change light bulbs. bathroom must splurge! i'm actually looking at this chio Ariston water heater, i like the feeling of pretending that i'm rich hehe!! looks atas. it should go nice above a rain shower but hor i need nice tiles to match, that's why i like your toilet with the dark coloured tiles wor!!

[snowy89 12]

Hi snowy89, i'm from 258A, you house is done up nicely!

btw for the water storage how long can the heat last when the timer is up?

does 2 person showering at the same time reduce the tempature?

lastly are you able to send me your quote to xavilee28@gmail.com? Thanks!

I haven't try 2 people showering at the same time. We only try showering at the masterbedroom bathroom separately. It doesn't last very long unfortunately and I don't know why. Think once it is up, need to turn on again before the next person goes in. Otherwise, after a while the water won't be very hot. I asked my sister about it and she says that her heater switch is always on whenever they bathe. In that way, they will always have hot water. I think I need to get used to it cos now I use instant heater at our parents' house.

I will not be sending my quote because it isn't fair for my ID since I signed with them 2 years ago, prices may have been subjected to change. It is best for you to approach Miss Y for a quote should you be interested. My renovation cost me 45k excluding furnishing in total. It is a price that I will gladly pay again because the workmanship is superb plus very fuss-free lah, I say this after seeing other people's renovation. Really nothing to hiam.

My ID is gonna send her plumbers down again to help install some more bathroom accessories and help to pull a water pipe from the service yard because I am installing a water purifier for the new house. The water in punggol is yikes! Have you tried it yet? Got weird taste one.

[snowy89 12]

LED is awesome! i convinced my parents to redo their lights with LED, no need to change light bulbs every 2-3 years haaa ! parents are like that... die die don't want to listen, always think they're right. but now they listen to me lah, save them money and don't need to climb up chairs to change light bulbs. bathroom must splurge! i'm actually looking at this chio Ariston water heater, i like the feeling of pretending that i'm rich hehe!! looks atas. it should go nice above a rain shower but hor i need nice tiles to match, that's why i like your toilet with the dark coloured tiles wor!!

Haha, yeah sign with someone who already thrown in the tiles in the 3D. The black brick-like tiles (for my bathroom feature wall) actually quite costly one, around $4.50 psf and I could only choose $3 psf ones. So I turned to my ID and say, ehhh you promised this in the 3D!! Must give me without additional cost. Otherwise how to look like the 3D??

My ID decided to close both eyes. She always give me what I want within reasonable means. That's why I love her lah.