A Second Reno

[doubleEM 4]

did check with my aircon man and he thinks its not possible but didnt give me a reason why.

maybe u can give it a shot.

Chances not big but I've spoken to another friend who is an ID too and he says can apply and try been approved before. So no idea yet till I start work then will see.

*fingers crossed*

[home_sweet_home 0]

Hi doubleEM, may i know how fast did you take to get your renovation permit and hacking permit to be approved?

[doubleEM 4]

Hi doubleEM, may i know how fast did you take to get your renovation permit and hacking permit to be approved?

We were quite lucky to have pretty nice sellers who agreed to sign the Hdb permit form for us to submit the application.

So we submitted and have it approved all within a week after my ID helped us with it.

We are now ready to hit the house up once we get the keys on 2nd appt after National Day long weekend.

So permits basically are within a few days for approval unless you doing something in your plans that may get rejected then have to re draw and appeal which then takes longer.

[doubleEM 4]

For anyone looking for bathroom sinks, taps WC can check out Samsei Warehouse sale

Duravit @ 50% off

Scarabeo @ 50% off too

Kludi and some others

Last day today just found out too.

[hc28 0]

Good luck!

Chances not big but I've spoken to another friend who is an ID too and he says can apply and try been approved before. So no idea yet till I start work then will see.

*fingers crossed*

[doubleEM 4]

Been busy so lack the tip to update our latest shopping trip over the weekend. Was reading the papers on Sunday and came across Samsei Warehouse sale for european brands for toilet accessories and it being the last day as well so thought why not?

In the end we ended up with some damage done .

We found 2 wash basins for our 2 bathrooms and purchased them @ 50% off their RRP with them so unsure if its the best deal but I guess we got it at least a good price nonetheless.

Our Purchases

MBR Bathroom

the overall look of this Scarabeo sink we settled for

side view

front view

This piece on lay over on top of the counter so will have to get ID to cut a hole to rest this basin on top.

Common Bathroom

Full view

Side View

This design is normal and we have seen other brands with price range for same design around $200+ - $300+ so the price we got after 50% discount @ $300 odd was good enough for us to make the decision together with our MBR basin which also cost $300 odd after the discount.

Unfortunately we didn't managed to find any basin mixers there that tickled our fancy so have to give it a miss. We did saw one by Stella but the sale was only 20% for this brand so a price of $600 odd for a single basin mixer was a no go for us no matter how much we liked what we saw

If only it was going for 50% off as well.

There were many Duravit items going for 50% off as well but didn't see anything that suit our needs. So another from Scarabeo which is much more unique in its design but unfortunately was sold out.

Personal Considerations for Basin Selections

The Mrs wanted a basin with the tap mount on top of the basin for easy maintenance and cleaning purposes since daily usage will mean water will always trickle down the tap to surface which then puddles and builds up grime over time if left unclean. So with long taps over counter top will mean hard to reach area behind the sink which goes unseen and allows grime to build up over time.

Next was to have a little edge up at the back of the basin so as to prevent the usual puddling on the surface to flow over to the back of the basin and puddle behind again as well. The little edge will keep the pool of water during use to puddle which can then be clean off when completing usage with simple cloth or hands to swipe it off as well so are remains dry to minimise the build up of grime.

Little things we picked up from living in our 1st home over the last 7 years, so experience in home ownership really counts in how you design and pick items for your 2nd home.

So this has lead us to these 2 final decisions and we are happy with what we settled for an that also means another item on our necessary list to purchase is down.

What's left:

Basin Mixers - 2 pieces

Shower Sets

Instant Heaters

Master Bed Frame

Work Desk or Study Table

Office Chair

Bedside Tables

Kitchen Sink

Kitchen Mixer

Light Fixtures

Edited August 3, 2015 by doubleEM

[ZzzMonster 7]

Your sink for the master bathroom is nice.

Agree with your Mrs on the tap... My current tap is mounted on the counter top, there will sure be puddles of water dripping onto the counter top...

[doubleEM 4]

Your sink for the master bathroom is nice.

Agree with your Mrs on the tap... My current tap is mounted on the counter top, there will sure be puddles of water dripping onto the counter top...

Thanks. Well now for the right mixers to match the basins we have settled for.

Wish there was a better way to know about sales going on as we do not subscribe to hard copy it ST.

[doubleEM 4]

Water Heater Considerations

This is an area where a lot of decisions have to be made. Should it be storage or instant. A big headache to be broken down.

Storage

Pros:

High Water Pressure for rain shower

Cons:

Rust issues over age

Big drum to position in toilet for this

Higher electricity cost due to often wastage by over running the switch (forgetfulness)

Instant Heater

Pros:

Instant use

Efficiency on electricity

Cons:

Aesthetic of heater set since it has to be beside the shower set

Low water pressure for use of rain shower

Ultimate Decision:

Instant heaters will be our choice and we have to make do with the best in design and reliability here.

Our choices:

Alpha Smart 18 - Malaysia Brand which we currently use

Rubine - Another Malaysia brand which we only got to know recently so unsure of reliability but we like the matt color choice they offer for their set and slim set design.

Rinnai - Has a great design too but bigger size and costliest of the 3 models here.

Would be great if any of you can share if you have experience with any of these instant heaters here to assist me in making my final decision.

TIA

Edited August 4, 2015 by doubleEM

[nextstep 3]

Love lots of your purchases items, and very nice house design as well.

Thanks for sharing and all the best on your reno.

[doubleEM 4]

Thank you. A lot of moving around and surfing to arrive at our final purchase decisions.

So much more to come Sighz...

[ZzzMonster 7]

Enjoy the process... Somehow I enjoy it so far.

For my wife, she just want to see the outcome, she doesn't have time to go through the process of liaising with ID and sourcing for stuff.

[doubleEM 4]

Yup it's exciting but the travelling to all shops and locations to see and shop for items is taxing especially when we have to lunge 2 kids along who do not understand the need to go into these places instead of toy shops haha

[nextstep 3]

I think soon I have to learn how to enjoy the shopping process as well, but as someone without a car actually I am sure it will be a bit more painful compare to those who drives.

[doubleEM 4]

Welcome to the club a short cut way will be to make use of various Tblogs and shops where we purchased items as your start off points and unfortunately if it's a warehouse sale then without a vehicle makes it a little harder and tougher but a good bargain is always worth it

Be glad to help when yours begin if we can.