bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Our home came much quicker than expected, cus I was 30 out of the units available and signed in April 2013, but we just got the HLE letter and saw that the fences have already been torn down. Apparently ours is the first block and it's only been a little more than two years (Nov 2012 BTO, though!). Anyhow, we chose a 3R because (1) We balloted for PLENTY of 4Rs and just didn't have the "luck" for it, so we thought maybe that's just not God's plan for now; (2) I was just starting a business then and we didn't want to carry debt. We are super young (23yo) and debt-free, and this house is quite low maintenance for us so we are quite happy with it! No plans for children but even if we have one it can take it. Haha!So I am quite excited to get the house going but we have a great place to live right now so we're not in a hurry to move. Having lived in an area that's surrounded by renovations / construction, I know how "vomit blood" it can be to clean it everyday. And I've heard stories from other RenoTalkers. But somehow, the people in my estate don't believe how hard it is to clean! Haha! We went down to see our block since it was unfenced (but stairs still sealed up, only got to go up to the carpark) and generally was happy with what I saw. Love the colors and placement of things, and love the way everything was built. Should be a happy 5 years (or more)! Starting with our floor plan: We are meeting 3 contractors next week, and probably a 1 - 2 more in the next few weeks. Met with an ID but I have such a clear vision of how I want everything to look in my head (I am a designer, albeit not interior designer, by trade) and the IDs really disappointed me and bombed us with ridiculous amounts like $44k even though I didn't need that much. London is my second home and holds a super important place in my heart. I've collected various London trinkets from our honeymoon and our longish trip this year, so I hope to bring a piece of it here. So many IDs keep interpreting it as "victorian" which isn't what I want, so hopefully the contractors can help me out! And this is also why our home will be "Little London" -- like Little India or Chinatown. Haha! Will update as time passes and link everything to a content post in the next post! Hope I can help fellow 3Roomers as we're SO hard to find but I personally love 3 Room transformations! Edited July 9, 2015 by bykaraanne 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Because Photobucket decided to take away all the pictures from third-party hosting, these links will usually return no images. I've updated the thread with a 2015 post (during move in) and 2017 post (today), and update for 2 years living in the 3R and how everything held up. CONTENTS: Idea Organization using Evernote Contractors and Budget Theme and Highlights / Inspiration Bare House Furniture 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Electronics Lighting Chosen Tiles | Actual Tiles Air Con Installation (and the super slanted ceiling) IKEA Kitchen (scrapped) Custom Kitchen | Before Solid Top Master Toilet with Bathtub (Progress Shot) Painted! DURO Master Key System | Doors Taobao Buys | More! | And Some More! | And EVEN more! Amazon Buys | More! Gloria Solid Top Test Art Sinks MiscellaneousMove-in Review (after ~5 months)Kitchen drawer organization COMPLETED LOOK: Living Room Dining Area Entry and Foyer Area Kitchen Guest Bathroom Master Bathroom Master Bedroom Home Office Service Yard Bomb Shelter Edited November 21, 2017 by bykaraanne Photobucket removed all the images Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
congtan 0 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 Wow! This is interesting...will be camping for more of your updates! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Freakerz 5 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 congrats on getting your keys soon. London theme ?let me guess , chesterfield sofas , fire engine red bricks ,elements of industrial ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 congrats on getting your keys soon. London theme ?let me guess , chesterfield sofas , fire engine red bricks ,elements of industrial ?Heh, not really. Not a fan of the bricks cus I feel like it's overdone! More of parisian x london I guess! You know the apartments you see along Hyde Park? Bright, airy and classic! Chesterfield sofas, maybe!! Still thinking of this vs comfort level haha! More of "old London" than "new London" I guess!Think classic paintings (museum style); marble; gold on white etc. Will post the inspiration pics here soon! I don't think I'm really theme-focused, but I have a great idea of what I want my home to look like! Thanks for visiting! And PS my area also under WP! Only area in SK! haha! Wow! This is interesting...will be camping for more of your updates!Thank you!! Will update soon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 Wanna share how I organize my ideas and to-do list... I also put contractor, lighting and curtain contacts in this folder. It's a verrrrry long doc. Also another table for Furniture items.Gonna post more of my "inspiration" pics once I meet the contractors! Maybe this can help those who don't know where to start! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eastlovin 1 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 Hi bykaraanne, looking forward to your interpretation of London in your Little London home! Having myself lived in London for over a decade, I think I know what you're trying to achieve. This sounds like a fun project- good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 Hi bykaraanne, looking forward to your interpretation of London in your Little London home! Having myself lived in London for over a decade, I think I know what you're trying to achieve. This sounds like a fun project- good luck!OMG So blessed!! We actually took 3R also because we are thinking of relocating before we are 30. Thank you for your kind words! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chiffon 1 Report post Posted July 13, 2015 Parisian x london theme! It sounds very exciting!! Would love to see your interpretation, hope everything goes well for you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Parisian x london theme! It sounds very exciting!! Would love to see your interpretation, hope everything goes well for you Thanks!! Excited but tired to start this journey. LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) MEETING AND DECIDING ON THE CONTRACTORS:Decided not to go with an ID in the end because we met one and (1) they didn't get our vision at all, kept trying to push for the trendy elements now and (2) they were hella expensive. We had no budget for this reno, but we didn't feel like the cost was worth it. So ended up meeting 4 contractors and maybe meeting a few more... Not too sure yet. I guess we're tired already. Going through a very busy few months for both hubby and me... And hubby's not the most invested in the house stuff (he's like just sign and go type, while I worry about more things haha!) so I am burnt out -- and it all hasn't even started here.We met N*** from R******* and E***** from D* I*******.Still waiting to meet K**** and K******.N was definitely like his reputation -- straightforward. We talked for quite some time. Quote was okay in our opinion but I haven't really found the connection so KIVed.E was straight to the point but more polite I guess for lack of a better word. No fuss, just asked us simply what we wanted in each room and gave us a quote. Quote was reasonable but we had to make some changes. We are leaning towards him so far but still have 2 more to meet. Waiting for his revised quote.We ended up with a budget of $18k for renos alone. We did not opt-in for anything from HDB, and after comparing quotes this seemed like a reasonable budget for our small home. I am not the biggest fan of built-in carpentry as well. DECISION TIME:We decided to go with Edmund from D* Interior, his straightforwardness and sincerity really won both my hubby and I over (and my hubby is a jaded policeman... So he is typically very cautious of people!).Even though our project is really, really small, he is really nice and never once made us feel like we were being "cheap" or weird. He always advises us for practicality and longevity, and my "snazzy" ideas koped from online, he always tell me what can do and cannot do. Still deciding on whether to let him do my kitchen carpentry work or go with IKEA. Budget now is $16k for everything with Edmund (we did not opt in a single thing) except kitchen. We're doing well, even with electrical.IKEA Cabinetry + SileStone countertop will cost us about $4.5k.Which means my reno still exceeded my initial budget of $18k. Edited September 15, 2015 by bykaraanne Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) THEME AND HIGHLIGHTS:Our theme is a bit Londoney, but most of all airy and bright with gold and artsy elements. I think it's what we would call Modern Classic? Which is a bit of an oxymoron but gets me correct searches on Pinterest! Basically I wanna juxtapose classic elements (like cornices, a simple fireplace, "fancier" furniture) against clean lines and more contemporary pieces. We wanted a faux fireplace as a TV console but this aren't always the most well done here, so we're still talking to people about this and looking into it. Our home will be put together mostly by the art on the walls (can't wait to start curating -- no famous pieces, just pretty ones from all around the world). Small cornices in the living room + applied mouldings (attempt to DIY!)Repaint main door and gate (really really dislike it)We also need a small study area in every other part of the house (living room and MBR) since the whole 2nd bedroom is going to be my home office as I work from home.No cove lighting / false ceilings / L boxes. I want to keep the house as fuss-free as possible, but also, the ceilings as high as possible.On the hunt for the simplest, smallest in height cornices we can find. Not an easy task! (DONE! Contractor found this!)Marble-esque counter tops for the kitchen. We settled on Caesarstone but it has had mixed reviews worldwide and with the contractors we've met. If we can find an iQuartz with similar marbling (remember seeing one but asked our contractor about it, waiting to hear back), we might go for that, too. Another option is Silestone but I haven't heard from anyone about this. We are also redoing the floors for our kitchen, and might plaster the walls, and overlaying the toilets. Kitchen and toilets will be costing the bulk of our reno because we don't have much elsewhere, the house will really be made by the details! Since my hubby is hogging the toilet now, I decided to update with photos that inspired my entire home: Edited September 15, 2015 by bykaraanne Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doubleEM 4 Report post Posted July 29, 2015 Nice theme for your place...can't wait to see the final outcome of how it looks. Like the white feel if that will be what you are going with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xhomesweethomex 7 Report post Posted July 30, 2015 very unique theme and concept!Can't wait to see how your dream home turns out! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bykaraanne 30 Report post Posted July 30, 2015 Nice theme for your place...can't wait to see the final outcome of how it looks. Like the white feel if that will be what you are going with. very unique theme and concept!Can't wait to see how your dream home turns out! Thanks guys! Sharing my inspiration + updates on contractor soon!And xhomesweethomex, I did see your crib from Nick! I met with him but didn't choose to go with him in the end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
