Llpl's New House @ Punggol Waterway Brooks

[teegz 1]

Excited for your progress ! We're having 5 air-con units too, now patiently waiting for the keys , how do you intend to mount the aircon in your living and guest room?

[duomaxwell 8]

Tomorrow (06 Jan 2015) will the laying of air-con piping. So thought maybe can share the quotation for the air-con. We decided on having 5 Fan coils as we planned to have air-con for all the rooms and living room.

3 options were being proposed to us

i) System 2 (26,000 BTU & 10,000 BTU) & System 3 (13,000 BTU, 10,000 BTU & 10,000 BTU)

ii) System 1 (24,000 BTU) & System 4(13,000 BTU, 10,000 BTU, 10,000 BTU & 10,000 BTU)

iii) System 5 (24,000 BTU, 13,000 BTU, 10,000 BTU, 10,000 BTU & 10,000 BTU)

For choice ii) - we were worried about the cooling capacity for the living room (only 24,000 BTU) and also the rooms if all 4 rooms require air-con at the same time.

For choice iii) - tempted by the fact that the outdoor unit is "Made In Japan" but worried that if the outdoor unit is faulty, the replacement cost is going to be higher compared to when either the System 2 or 3 outdoor unit spoiled.

We discussed and finally come to a conclusion that a combination of System 2 & System 3 is more suitable for us. Both Outdoor units will be MXY-3A28VA which can support 3 Indoor units to achieve 26,000 BTU (For Living Room) for the System 2.

We also took this opportunity to

i) upgrade the piping

ii) sign up for the servicing package (2 year contract for system 4 instead of for system 5 to save some money as we might not be using the living room air-con as frequent as the bedroom ).

iii) purchase extended warranty

iv) request for 2nd trip to install fan coil

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 9 (5th Jan 2016) (Plumbing)

The Plumber came at around 11am for the discussion on the laying of water pipes.

He preferred all the raw cement walls & the make good area to be painted first before the water pipes are being laid so that there will not be any paint stain on the stainless steel water pipes. As such the only work he did today was to drill a hole and fix the water pipe which will supply hot water from the gas heater to the kitchen sink.

Plumbing works will only continue end of next week or after next week as painting is scheduled to start next Monday (11th Jan 2015).

Edited January 5, 2016 by duomaxwell

[duomaxwell 8]

There are no updates for 4th Jan (Day 8) since there is no renovation works. The next renovation work will be plumbing on the 5th Jan (Day 9).

Following is the proposed schedule by ID with some additional info added.

Renovation started on 28th Dec and will end on 4th Mar due to the 2 weeks CNY break by the carpenter.

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 6 (2nd Jan 2016) (False Ceiling & Wet Works)

Since 1st Jan 2016 is a public holiday, there are no renovation work being done, so reno stopped on the 31st Dec and only continued on the 2nd Jan 2016.

False Ceiling

Living room False Ceiling and partition wall of the built up room almost done

False Ceiling allowance for Living room's air con

Partition Wall to hide the tracks for the glass door between Dry & Wet Kitchen

Curtain pelmet for bedroom

Wet Works

The space between living room and kitchen (Initially occupied by a wall)

The newly laid tiles cracked (informed ID and ID will get the tiler to replace it on Monday (4th Jan))

Washing machine base is fully done up

Master Bedroom Toilet shower curb with u-channel buried inside

Common Toilet shower curb is up as well

Kitchen Cabinet Base (Left)

Kitchen Cabinet Base (Right)

The finishing of the left and right kitchen cabinet base is different, complained to ID and ID will get the tiler to make it the same (the right kitchen cabinet base will need to be re-done to look the same as the left kitchen cabinet base)

4th Speed bump (Tiles for the right Kitchen Cabinet Base and cracked tiles for the make good area between living room and kitchen)

Why would HDB provide us with a balcony lighting point which is not centred?

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 4 (31 Dec) (City Gas & Wet Works)

City Gas

Called in early in the morning at 8am to lodge a complain to City Gas. Initially City Gas was reluctant to have the gas heater replaced today and suggested next Tuesday (5th Jan) instead. I got to pressured them for them to get it replaced today as the plumber will be coming either next Monday (4th Jan) or Tuesday (5th Jan). Finally City Gas is able to get it replaced and fix an appointment from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

Then again, the City Gas contractor called at 11.30am asking whether they can drop by on Sat (2nd Jan) instead of today, i rejected their request and insisted to get it replaced today.

Then he suggested 12.30pm instead of 3.30pm. I agreed to the timing and rushed down during lunch time as our ID could not make it at such a short notice. Luckily the City Gas Contractor was not late, he arrived at around 12.35pm.

City Gas Contractor got to drill another 3 holes to mount the gas heater (Correct model MA-1210FER) as the correct model is bigger in size. Luckily the Wet works contractor is around and helped me to mend the old 3 holes (drilled to mount the wrong model MA-10FE)

Wet Works (Tiling)

Drop by after my company's team lunch to celebrate the end of 2015 and discovered that the wet works contractor forgot to insert the U-channel into the master bedroom shower curb . Called our ID and he apologise for his mistake as he left this out when he brief them on the work to be done in the morning. Luckily the tiler just cut the tiles into shape for the shower curb and the cement yet to dry up. So the tiler can re-cut the tiles to allow the U-Channel to be inserted.

3rd Speed Bump within a short span of time after the discovery of the 2nd.

Area on shower curb tiles marked out by tiler to be cut for U-Channel

Washing Machine base in the service yard is up

U-Channnel for the glass panel for the Service Yard wall (bottom and top) is installed

Wet Kitchen Base

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 3 (30 Dec) (False Ceiling) (Continued)

By the end of day, the false ceiling for the master bedroom is almost up.

Clearance of the master bedroom air-con. But the false ceiling contractor do not leave the correct allowance, ID will get them to redo it. Haiz. 2nd Speed bump, immediately after the 1st. The comforting thing is that this problem is being flagged out early before the air-con piping is going to be installed on 6th & 7th Jan

False Ceiling for the common walkway is up

Foundation for Living room false ceiling is also done

[duomaxwell 8]

It's so interesting to read about your partitioning of the living room! We'll be doing the same for our BTO just that we might opt for a half glass/half wall partition as it's intended to be a study room. Excited to see the updates!

Haha. We also played with the idea of having a half height partition wall then the other half is glass. Wife was very keen on this concept.

But we were out of budget as the difference in price is quite a lot, we got to top up quite a bit as glass cost a lot more than the partition wall.

Another alternative to bring down the cost was to use acrylic instead of glass. But we were worried about the maintenance of acrylic (prone to scratches when compared to glass) and the clarity of acrylic and glass.

Further more if we got the half height glass, we will need to use glass door instead of wooden door and that is also another additional cost.

But if your budget allow, just go ahead for the half glass/ half wall partition. i believe it will be a "wow" factor for the house

[teegz 1]

It's so interesting to read about your partitioning of the living room! We'll be doing the same for our BTO just that we might opt for a half glass/half wall partition as it's intended to be a study room. Excited to see the updates!

[duomaxwell 8]

Welmate also did the electrical works for my place. I checked and realised that we also used the same ID company, although the particular designer who did my place has since left the company.

Wow, such a coincidence.

One of our ID also left the company. (Initially when we sign up Aug 2013, it was a tag team of 2 ID, but now only left with 1).

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 3 (City Gas) (30 Dec 2015) (First Roller-Coaster Ride)

Initially, wanted to combine this post with the previous. But later decided not to as the city gas water heater turns out to be the first roller-coaster ride for our renovation journey. Delicating this post for our first speed "bump".

1) Arranged with City Gas on 28 Dec 2015 and managed to fix an appointment for installation of Gas pipe & Gas Heater on 31st Dec (Thursday) 10am to 12pm

2) Somebody called me this morning (30 Dec) at 10am asking whether they can change the appointment timing for tomorrow's appointment to 3.30pm instead of 10am as their schedule is packed in the morning. Being kind hearted, i agreed to it. Informed my ID about the change and he mention that he might have another appointment tomorrow at 3.30pm but he will make changes to it so he can be there tomorrow. (Really appreciate our ID's kind move)

City Gas, in the first place if your schedule is all packed on the morning of 31st Dec, why still allocate the morning slot to us? make us scramble by calling us on 30th Dec (one day before appointment date) to request for change of time.

3) Again, somebody called me at 12.15pm saying that they are in the premises and wondering whether they can install the gas pipe and water heater today (30th Dec) later in the afternoon instead of tomorrow as their schedule for tomorrow is packed.

I told him that i will need to check with my ID see whether he is available in the afternoon. Called my ID and he say he can try to rush down from another site but will only reach around 2.30pm. Great, So i called the City Gas person to arrange for him to come down at 2.30pm.

Seriously, can City Gas control their contractors? First change the appointment time, then change the appointment date.

4) To make things worst, they installed the wrong model of Gas Water Heater They installed MA-10FE instead of MA-1210FE.

I only come to realised that they installed the wrong model when i cannot find the remote control in the evening. Immediately called the City Gas contractor and he say that he installed the correct model as the invoice given to him states that it's MA-10FE and they draw out the gas heater accordingly to the invoice and he cannot just change for me, ask me to call City Gas tomorrow. ( I sense something fishy here, who in the world will draw out a gas heater which is meant to be installed tomorrow).

Will call City Gas early in the morning tomorrow to lodge a complain.

So here goes the first roller-coaster ride. Just that did not expect it to happen so fast in the renovation journey (today was just the 3rd day). Cross my fingers and pray hard that the next ride don't come so fast.

Anyway, the following are the position of the gas pipes.

Moral of the story: maybe all this would not happen if i am firm on the appointment date and time. Cannot rush for things to be done, if not things sure will go wrong somewhere somehow.

[Ks Toh 74]

The electrical quote came back to us on the 11th Dec 2015. At first we were quite shocked at the final amount, but our ID mention that we got lots of electrical works for the whole house.

Our ID was ok for us to look for alternative quotes. But we decided to go ahead with their appointed electrician as they are in partnership for a long time and we were worried about workmanship issue if we go out on our own to source for other electricians. Further more, our ID managed to get some discount for us to bring the final price down to $4700.

Welmate also did the electrical works for my place. I checked and realised that we also used the same ID company, although the particular designer who did my place has since left the company.

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 3 (False Ceiling) & Wet Works (30 Dec 2015)

False Ceilings

The team of 2 doing the false ceiling got the false walls for the additional room up within half a day.

False Wall for the additional room is up

Door frame for the additional room is up as well

Foundation for the walkway false ceiling

Full height partition using gypsum board in bedroom 2 (Area highlighted in red) so that the back of the bed head of the single size bed will not have a gap (FOC by our ID ). Further more, he ensure that the partition is able to fit a super single instead of a single.

False Ceiling works will not be completed within the next few days because some areas can only be done after air-con piping installation is completed and air-con piping installation can only be done on the 6th & 7th Jan 2016 even though I tried to arrange on 23rd Dec for air-con pipe installation on 31st Dec because Gain City's air-con installation schedule is all packed, the earliest date available is 6th Jan and 7th Jan is being reserved for us as well since we have one Sys 3 & one Sys 2 to be installed.

So things will start to slow down for the next few days and pick up again after the 6th/7th Jan after air-con piping is installed.

Wet Works

Contractor doing all the foundation works for the plastering of the kitchen tiles and then make good of the areas which are hacked away. will be doing plastering in the kitchen for areas which are "exposed" (not covered by either cabinets or kompacPlus)

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 2 (Electrical Works) (Continue)

Living Room

Master Bedroom

Cables used for electrical works

Cat 6 cables used for the running of data cable from DB box to Living Room TV console

Tomorrow (Day 3) (30th Dec) will be the continuation of electrical works and the start of false ceiling works.

[duomaxwell 8]

Day 2 (Electrical Works)

Today is the first day of electrical works.

Our ID first helped us make an appointment on the 8th Dec 2015 with the electrician and we spend like about 3 hours (from 2pm to 5pm) to walk thru the whole house (area by area) to discuss on the no & position of lighting points, switches, wall plugs.

The electrical quote came back to us on the 11th Dec 2015. At first we were quite shocked at the final amount, but our ID mention that we got lots of electrical works for the whole house.

Our ID was ok for us to look for alternative quotes. But we decided to go ahead with their appointed electrician as they are in partnership for a long time and we were worried about workmanship issue if we go out on our own to source for other electricians. Further more, our ID managed to get some discount for us to bring the final price down to $4700.

Original Electrical Plan Drawn by Electrician

We requested for another appointment on the 27th Dec 2015 (also spend about 2 hours from 11am to 1pm) before work start on 29th Dec 2015 to finalize the electrical works as we got some changes from the initial proposal.

1) using induction cooker instead of gas (Require one additional 16A point)

2) Replace 4 x 13 A (Single) with 4 x 13A (Double)

3) Additional lighting point for Master Bedroom Wardrobe

We managed to bargain to keep the price at $4700 with all the additional works.

Final Electrician Plan drawn by me