The Sky Parlour - An Executive Maisonette Journey

[doubleEM 4]

Yes indeed so it's about which is the lesser evil that you could live with in the end.

[twinklecloud 2]

haha..

so now the issue is to decide for the balcony.. to retain or to extend to the living area

[twinklecloud 2]

just a little history: this place is rather old and needs to redo everything.. basically put in a bomb and redo the house... hope the ID i am going to get can give me a good price as well as a wow factor!

a few things i need tips from the experience people here.. hope can get a few tips along the way as this is my first reno experience.. hope to use this blog to learn from everyone here..

1.balcony to extend into living area (make into indoor balcony with shelter) - other than build a roof on top , what are some of the options i can explore?

2. pipes in the toilets - is it necessary to box up? seen a few blogs they did not box up and leave it open (i heard from some reno company it is illegal to box up true?)

3. changing of WC position- anyone has any experience?care to share?

thank u very much

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/72503-the-sky-parlour-an-executive-maisonette-journey/

my 1st reno journey

[doubleEM 4]

just a little history: this place is rather old and needs to redo everything.. basically put in a bomb and redo the house... hope the ID i am going to get can give me a good price as well as a wow factor!

a few things i need tips from the experience people here.. hope can get a few tips along the way as this is my first reno experience.. hope to use this blog to learn from everyone here..

1.balcony to extend into living area (make into indoor balcony with shelter) - other than build a roof on top , what are some of the options i can explore?

2. pipes in the toilets - is it necessary to box up? seen a few blogs they did not box up and leave it open (i heard from some reno company it is illegal to box up true?)

3. changing of WC position- anyone has any experience?care to share?

thank u very much

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/72503-the-sky-parlour-an-executive-maisonette-journey/

my 1st reno journey

3. Easiest cos cannot change with HDB this is a fixed positions because of the waste pipes for the whole block itself so no changing of position possible at all

1. We explored a lot of possibility with our current Reno for roofing as well and have been told HDB rejects all roofing except the tiled type these days.

So basically all others are done without approval or when submitted will not be approved. Even now to level the balcony floor with the living room have to submit for approval and only specific materials can be used compared to the past so a lot of changes and more restrictions now.

Told by our Id they did a project before with special glass roof but PE took over 6 months and the cost also in 5 fig so was definately a no go for us .

For 2 I'm unsure so no comments.

Hope this helps

[twinklecloud 2]

thanks doubleEM for the feedback. =)

now i have some aircon question: which one is the better choice for EM?

currently I am using daikin inverter, am thinking if i shld continue to use this brand?

any suggestions?

thank you!

[doubleEM 4]

Well not sure if I'm right but the AC guy told me Daikin and Mitsuibishi Electric are the most reliable in market now but Mit is quieter in operation compared to the Daikin and well also a little cheaper on the pockets. So to me in the end not much diff so just settle and go ahead.

[twinklecloud 2]

thanks doubleEM, will compare prices and review here.. hehe

today i tried to call up the roller shutter contact.. the person in charge was so cautious.. refused to divulge any information as she's afraid i might be the competitor and "pretend " to be the customer.. :furious:said i must sms her my full address then she will be able to discuss further... first time i encounter such thing.. anyone has similar encounter regarding roller shutter?

[hc28 0]

just a little history: this place is rather old and needs to redo everything.. basically put in a bomb and redo the house... hope the ID i am going to get can give me a good price as well as a wow factor!

a few things i need tips from the experience people here.. hope can get a few tips along the way as this is my first reno experience.. hope to use this blog to learn from everyone here..

1.balcony to extend into living area (make into indoor balcony with shelter) - other than build a roof on top , what are some of the options i can explore?

2. pipes in the toilets - is it necessary to box up? seen a few blogs they did not box up and leave it open (i heard from some reno company it is illegal to box up true?)

3. changing of WC position- anyone has any experience?care to share?

thank u very much

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/72503-the-sky-parlour-an-executive-maisonette-journey/

my 1st reno journey

Let me share what I understand about no.2.

From hdb website it has been stated that it is ok to box up the pipes. But rightfully need to leave an opening (if not wrong 60x60) for access like inspection or maintenance. Should you choose to box up the whole pipe, u just have to allow their contractor to hack the box up away if there is a need and u have to bear the additional cost.

[twinklecloud 2]

hc28,

thanks for the information!

i hope to get some advise here... hope someone can advise pls

1.aircon compresser - may i know if anyone has put their air con compresser at different location other than the usual above the balcony area?

hope i can get some ideas

2. how can i achieve indoor balcony and yet enjoy the high balcony ceiling without building a roof on top? is this even possible?

thank u so much!

[Ahyong81 3]

3. Easiest cos cannot change with HDB this is a fixed positions because of the waste pipes for the whole block itself so no changing of position possible at all

1. We explored a lot of possibility with our current Reno for roofing as well and have been told HDB rejects all roofing except the tiled type these days.

So basically all others are done without approval or when submitted will not be approved. Even now to level the balcony floor with the living room have to submit for approval and only specific materials can be used compared to the past so a lot of changes and more restrictions now.

Told by our Id they did a project before with special glass roof but PE took over 6 months and the cost also in 5 fig so was definately a no go for us .

For 2 I'm unsure so no comments.

Hope this helps

For the changing of wc position, it can be done by using a p trap wc type instead of the normal s trap wc type.

[twinklecloud 2]

ahyong81,

thanks! i saw on your blog about this! look forward to seeing the final results!

btw did your ID quote u more to change the position of the WC?

[Ahyong81 3]

ahyong81,

thanks! i saw on your blog about this! look forward to seeing the final results!

btw did your ID quote u more to change the position of the WC?

Not much different, just need to pay for the additonal pvc piping and labour about 200

Edited October 4, 2015 by Ahyong81

[twinklecloud 2]

being inexperience and reading thru the quotations from different ID company is no joke..

is there any kind soul out there who can advise what are the main things to look out for in the quotations before we pen our signature down?

I realised some ID company do not include tiles or materials in their quotations and some quote a lump sum like plastering or even windows and kitchen cabinets.. is it a norm?

another question: will the exact quotation be higher after the site survey?

anyone can advise?

thank you so much for dropping by

Edited October 7, 2015 by twinklecloud

[Ahyong81 3]

The quotation must be as detailed as possible, example with the dimension and material provided and the cost of the per feet for carpentry. The cost of psf tiles max price, most set at 3dollar before gst.

Some id will say that if they list down too detail, the price will also go up cause they cannot help customer to absorb cost if its too detailed. Anything on the quotation, they cannot shortchange the customer or use alternative solution.

There is pros and cons. But for me, i prefered everything to be in detail so that i know what is the actual cost of renovation be like. Instead of later part. A lot a hidden cost and exceed the budget.

With everything written in full detail, you will know what is the true cost of renovation and you can then adjust your budget using that by removing some items or use alternative material or solutions.

[ricepapergirl 21]

Hi!

I actually went to register just to post a comment on this, but I've been lurking for a few months now.

We actually also just put in our HDB resale application for what looks like the exact same floor plan resale EM! Almost the same dimensions even (except off hand it looks like your corridor on the second floor is wider than ours).

I just wanted to share that we have also been thinking about the layout and the usage of the rooms in the EM ourselves, not sure whether it would be helpful for you. Obviously we are at an earlier stage of planning than you, so we are not sure how much of it is forbidden by HDB (I have been spending many hours reading the entire HDB website though).

For us, we decided quite early on we would not seal up the balcony. This is because I used to live in an EM and the balcony is super useful for drying clothes. We have also heard from other EM owners that they regretted sealing up the balcony because of the clothes-drying capabilities (once you seal up you cannot get the balcony space back!). If your household is the kind to use a dryer instead, perhaps this is not a concern for you.

For our purposes, we intend to get a wooden pergola/trellis at the balcony, where there would be a row of wooden beams to form a sort of open "roof", where we will mount bamboo pole hooks on top, so that we can hang clothes from the wooden beams without having the usual standing bamboo pole stands (which might be dangerous for kids running around - they might knock into it). Since the wooden beams don't form a complete roof there will still be sunlight coming in to dry the clothes. We are also intending to install a retractable awning on top of the pergola to shield the clothes when it is rainy. Our balcony already comes with grilles up to window level so we will keep those for child safety. This way the view from the MRB on the second floor doesn't get blocked at all by grilles or roller shutters.

We will keep the original ceiling-mounted bamboo pole hooks in the kitchen so that when we want to use the balcony for parties (BBQs! Shut out the oil!) we can still hang our clothes indoors.

Also, the balcony is quite long so we will use half of it for drying clothes and half of it for other purposes: husband wants some outdoor bar stools and table for now and maybe next time when the kids come around we can have it as a play-space.

Originally I had a grand idea of situating the washing machine on the balcony itself, but after the recent spate of haze I figured I'll prefer to have my washing machine indoors so I don't need to venture out into the haze just to wash clothes. Currently the plan is to put it in the kitchen next to the fridge, with a counter-top over it so that we can still use that area for food prep etc.

For the utility room, the previous owner actually removed it but we intend to build it back. We are currently just my husband and me, but we intend to have kids and hoping to stay in the EM for the next 10-15 years, so we think we might have to use all three second floor bedrooms as bedrooms. This means if we have to cater for (a) a maid, (b)need for extra storage or © a room for my parents-in-laws if ever they want to move in with us in the future, we should make sure the rebuilt utility room can serve those purposes. Mainly, we wanted to make sure that my husband's parents can live comfortably with us if ever it needs to happen. So our considerations are that there needs to be a room on the first floor so they don't need to climb the stairs, and the first floor toilet needs to be functional (we intend to change the door facing to open up to the living room instead).

Unfortunately, the width of the utility room is very narrow and currently very small. We are hoping to actually steal some of the kitchen space to make the utility room longer (all the more important laundry needs to move into the balcony) and hoping to make the room big enough for at least a double bed and a closet.

Those are our thoughts right now, hope it helps!