Owl & Bear's Parisian-Chic-Lookalike Nest

[Freb 10]

interesting tile design!

[Svalz 0]

Can pm me your contractor details? Thks!

[georgieporgie 0]

Hello owlnbear, would you mind sharing ID #07 and your current contracter contacts? thanks! Staying suscribed to you thread

[owlNbear 2]

Hello everyone! Happy Chinese New Year to all HUAT AR!

Thank you all so much for dropping by. I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to update. I also took a short break from the renovation because I felt like I was going to be seriously burnt out if I didn't. And THAT would have been disastrous. Anyways, I'm just popping to say that I'm still alive and no, reno has not killed me yet. Haha

Will be back soon with proper updates so stay tuned!

For those who've asked, I'll be sending pm's your way soon.

Edited February 10, 2016 by owlNbear

[nextstep 3]

Happy New Year! HUAT HUAT ah!!

[owlNbear 2]

Because @matchalatte requested.......

Introducing my very first ever batch of purchased items from Taobao!

The prices are in SGD, and per item. From left-right, top-bottom:

1. Hanging caged lights for bathroom, above the sink. $15
2. Hanging mesh lights for bedroom, above both bedsides. $20
3. Hanging caged lights for kitchen, above the row of bottom cabinets. $10
4. Hanging bird cage lights for living room, above both corners of the living room window. $14
5. Track lights (20w), Track and track connector for all rooms. $4, $1 and $0.40 respectively
6. Hanging wall lights for still unknown (lol). $40
7. Hanging pendant lamp for study room, above study tables. $21
8. Craftstone bricks for living room and bedroom. $6 per box (1 box has 66 tiles and covers 1 sqm)
9. Rustic wall clock for living room. $14

With the time we took searching for the perfect pieces (1 month!), you'd think we would order dozens and dozens of items, lol but....no.

We spent the longest time EVER searching for these items. Because we were new to Taobao, the entire process was completely alien and stressful to us, and it took us almost a month to finally complete the entire process. Though the savings kinda make all the pain worth it. Besides, you really only need to go through it once, and you'll get the hang of it.

The agent that I used is Oops. I was pretty lucky because a friend of mine had used their services to purchase items for her house, and so she was able to give me valuable coaching.

Off the top of my head, here are a few things to take note of:

1. Sea Freight Vs. Air Freight

• Sea Freight
  - Calculated by volume: SGD$11.11/0.1 cubic meter
  - Minimum requirement: 1 Cubic Meter (or pay for the same amount ie. $111.10)
  - Use for big and/or heavy items like furniture, craftstone bricks, etc. Also use if there you have plenty of items
  - Pros: Can be used to ship a large amount of items over, including heavy and bulky items
  - Cons: Slower than air freight. Will arrive in 2-3 weeks time
• Air Freight
  - Calculated by weight: SGD$2.22/500grams
  - Minimum requirement: 500grams (or pay for the same amoun ie. $4.44)
  - Use for light items like cloth, small containers, little items etc. and if you need them urgently
  - Pros: Faster than sea freight, will arrive in 1 weeks time. Don't need to buy in a large volume quantity.
  - Cons: Too expensive to be used for heavy or large items

2. Place Order (Assisted Purchase Service) Vs. DIY Place Order (DIY Reship Service)
Use "Place Order" if you are very unfamiliar with the Chinese Language, or are not confident in making a purchase even after translating the page. Oops (or your agent) will make the purchase for you instead. Conversely, use "DIY Place Order" if you are able to make the purchase on your own.

3. Communicating in Mandarin on Taobao
Be prepared to communicate with the Taobao sellers in Mandarin. Use the little chat icon on the item page, or download the taobao chat tool. You will probably need to ask them about the volume or weight of the item so you can calculate the shipping fees (from China to SG). You will also sometimes need to inform them to add in the local shipping charges (from the seller's location to Oops's China warehouse). Not all, but some sellers will charge for this. If you're not sure, always check with the seller.

4. Taobao Item Refund
Taobao has this nifty function that allows for a full refund (hurray!), as long as your item has not yet been shipped (I'm not sure if the same applies after shipping has begun). All you need to do is contact your seller and inform them of your decision, navigate to the refund page in Taobao, and request for a refund. The seller will then proceed to refund your money, no questions asked (at least in my experience).

I'll make a separate, more detailed post (probably on my personal blog) when I have the time

[owlNbear 2]

Hello! This made me laugh because it's the exact same paranoia I have - xiaoqiangs that cannot be seen! LOL. I'm getting the keys to my resale 3-room flat next week, so I'll be following your T-blog! Love your writing style.

I'm still COMPLETELY clueless as to what to do with my place though - no contractors contacted, no design theme in mind, no mood board, no furniture/lights shortlisted, no nothing. I only know that the ENTIRE place needs to be overhauled and I don't want black tiles/walls/cabinets so that any xiaoqiang will be instantly spotted. Hahaha!

So excuse me now while I go panic.

Hi Sanguine, fellow 3room-resale-kaki! Sorry for taking so long to reply. It's been 2 weeks and I saw that you've already found a contractor and getting started on your reno. Well done It's always the first step that's the most difficult. Btw, Bear says he loves your writing style also. Cos it made him laugh

[owlNbear 2]

This blog is really very helpful owlNbear! Thanks

Really like those subway tiles on your kitchen wall. Nice nice... I am however, planning to leave the wall tiles in my kitchen alone... the current owners have really maintained it very very well, so I am trying to save some money there.. and even then renovation cost is ballooning up like nobody's business! Hahaha... Still deciding between the various contractors and IDs..

Jiayou alprakas! ! ! ! I'm really looking forward to seeing your reno journey as well. I think it's a good call to leave whatever is still in good condition. Especially tiling and hacking. That will really save you quite a bit of money

[owlNbear 2]

interesting tile design!

Thanks for dropping by Freb! You have some really amazing looks going on at your place

[twinklecloud 2]

Because @matchalatte requested.......

Introducing my very first ever batch of purchased items from Taobao!

The prices are in SGD, and per item. From left-right, top-bottom:

1. Hanging caged lights for bathroom, above the sink. $15
2. Hanging mesh lights for bedroom, above both bedsides. $20
3. Hanging caged lights for kitchen, above the row of bottom cabinets. $10
4. Hanging bird cage lights for living room, above both corners of the living room window. $14
5. Track lights (20w), Track and track connector for all rooms. $4, $1 and $0.40 respectively
6. Hanging wall lights for still unknown (lol). $40
7. Hanging pendant lamp for study room, above study tables. $21
8. Craftstone bricks for living room and bedroom. $6 per box (1 box has 66 tiles and covers 1 sqm)
9. Rustic wall clock for living room. $14

With the time we took searching for the perfect pieces (1 month!), you'd think we would order dozens and dozens of items, lol but....no.

We spent the longest time EVER searching for these items. Because we were new to Taobao, the entire process was completely alien and stressful to us, and it took us almost a month to finally complete the entire process. Though the savings kinda make all the pain worth it. Besides, you really only need to go through it once, and you'll get the hang of it.

The agent that I used is Oops. I was pretty lucky because a friend of mine had used their services to purchase items for her house, and so she was able to give me valuable coaching.

Off the top of my head, here are a few things to take note of:

1. Sea Freight Vs. Air Freight

• Sea Freight

  - Calculated by volume: SGD$11.11/0.1 cubic meter

  - Minimum requirement: 1 Cubic Meter (or pay for the same amount ie. $111.10)

  - Use for big and/or heavy items like furniture, craftstone bricks, etc. Also use if there you have plenty of items

  - Pros: Can be used to ship a large amount of items over, including heavy and bulky items

  - Cons: Slower than air freight. Will arrive in 2-3 weeks time

• Air Freight

  - Calculated by weight: SGD$2.22/500grams

  - Minimum requirement: 500grams (or pay for the same amoun ie. $4.44)

  - Use for light items like cloth, small containers, little items etc. and if you need them urgently

  - Pros: Faster than sea freight, will arrive in 1 weeks time. Don't need to buy in a large volume quantity.

  - Cons: Too expensive to be used for heavy or large items

2. Place Order (Assisted Purchase Service) Vs. DIY Place Order (DIY Reship Service)

Use "Place Order" if you are very unfamiliar with the Chinese Language, or are not confident in making a purchase even after translating the page. Oops (or your agent) will make the purchase for you instead. Conversely, use "DIY Place Order" if you are able to make the purchase on your own.

3. Communicating in Mandarin on Taobao

Be prepared to communicate with the Taobao sellers in Mandarin. Use the little chat icon on the item page, or download the taobao chat tool. You will probably need to ask them about the volume or weight of the item so you can calculate the shipping fees (from China to SG). You will also sometimes need to inform them to add in the local shipping charges (from the seller's location to Oops's China warehouse). Not all, but some sellers will charge for this. If you're not sure, always check with the seller.

4. Taobao Item Refund

Taobao has this nifty function that allows for a full refund (hurray!), as long as your item has not yet been shipped (I'm not sure if the same applies after shipping has begun). All you need to do is contact your seller and inform them of your decision, navigate to the refund page in Taobao, and request for a refund. The seller will then proceed to refund your money, no questions asked (at least in my experience).

I'll make a separate, more detailed post (probably on my personal blog) when I have the time

the items are awesome! definitely fit into your house theme perfectly.

I am still in the mist of hunting.. tedious process..

thanks for the taobao introduction.

staying tune to see the progress!

[tohlianseng 0]

hi

can pm me your contractor contact and detailed quote.

thanks you.

[pankponk 2]

Hi owlNbear,

Your tao bao items is amazing thanks for the link

bookmarks all the link!!

Edited February 16, 2016 by pankponk

[chiffon 1]

Because @matchalatte requested.......

Introducing my very first ever batch of purchased items from Taobao!

The prices are in SGD, and per item. From left-right, top-bottom:

1. Hanging caged lights for bathroom, above the sink. $15
2. Hanging mesh lights for bedroom, above both bedsides. $20
3. Hanging caged lights for kitchen, above the row of bottom cabinets. $10
4. Hanging bird cage lights for living room, above both corners of the living room window. $14
5. Track lights (20w), Track and track connector for all rooms. $4, $1 and $0.40 respectively
6. Hanging wall lights for still unknown (lol). $40
7. Hanging pendant lamp for study room, above study tables. $21
8. Craftstone bricks for living room and bedroom. $6 per box (1 box has 66 tiles and covers 1 sqm)
9. Rustic wall clock for living room. $14

With the time we took searching for the perfect pieces (1 month!), you'd think we would order dozens and dozens of items, lol but....no.

We spent the longest time EVER searching for these items. Because we were new to Taobao, the entire process was completely alien and stressful to us, and it took us almost a month to finally complete the entire process. Though the savings kinda make all the pain worth it. Besides, you really only need to go through it once, and you'll get the hang of it.

The agent that I used is Oops. I was pretty lucky because a friend of mine had used their services to purchase items for her house, and so she was able to give me valuable coaching.

Off the top of my head, here are a few things to take note of:

1. Sea Freight Vs. Air Freight

• Sea Freight

  - Calculated by volume: SGD$11.11/0.1 cubic meter

  - Minimum requirement: 1 Cubic Meter (or pay for the same amount ie. $111.10)

  - Use for big and/or heavy items like furniture, craftstone bricks, etc. Also use if there you have plenty of items

  - Pros: Can be used to ship a large amount of items over, including heavy and bulky items

  - Cons: Slower than air freight. Will arrive in 2-3 weeks time

• Air Freight

  - Calculated by weight: SGD$2.22/500grams

  - Minimum requirement: 500grams (or pay for the same amoun ie. $4.44)

  - Use for light items like cloth, small containers, little items etc. and if you need them urgently

  - Pros: Faster than sea freight, will arrive in 1 weeks time. Don't need to buy in a large volume quantity.

  - Cons: Too expensive to be used for heavy or large items

2. Place Order (Assisted Purchase Service) Vs. DIY Place Order (DIY Reship Service)

Use "Place Order" if you are very unfamiliar with the Chinese Language, or are not confident in making a purchase even after translating the page. Oops (or your agent) will make the purchase for you instead. Conversely, use "DIY Place Order" if you are able to make the purchase on your own.

3. Communicating in Mandarin on Taobao

Be prepared to communicate with the Taobao sellers in Mandarin. Use the little chat icon on the item page, or download the taobao chat tool. You will probably need to ask them about the volume or weight of the item so you can calculate the shipping fees (from China to SG). You will also sometimes need to inform them to add in the local shipping charges (from the seller's location to Oops's China warehouse). Not all, but some sellers will charge for this. If you're not sure, always check with the seller.

4. Taobao Item Refund

Taobao has this nifty function that allows for a full refund (hurray!), as long as your item has not yet been shipped (I'm not sure if the same applies after shipping has begun). All you need to do is contact your seller and inform them of your decision, navigate to the refund page in Taobao, and request for a refund. The seller will then proceed to refund your money, no questions asked (at least in my experience).

I'll make a separate, more detailed post (probably on my personal blog) when I have the time

I really like your light choice #6 & your clock #9, really has that Parisian feel!

[kitkitkit 0]

Hi OwlnBear, loving your posts! The mood board looks fantastic..

May I ask for a Pm for details of your selection for ID and contractor no.7 and the one you ve chosen no.8?

Also may I ask for the ID who did the 3D for you? I didn't know we can hire them specifically for this purpose! Haha

Thank you!!

[owlNbear 2]

hi

can pm me your contractor contact and detailed quote.

thanks you.

Sure, will PM you.

Hi owlNbear,

Your tao bao items is amazing thanks for the link

bookmarks all the link!!

Thank you! Help yourself to the links and happy shopping

I really like your light choice #6 & your clock #9, really has that Parisian feel!

Thanks for dropping by! Glad to know that I made the right purchases

Hi OwlnBear, loving your posts! The mood board looks fantastic..

May I ask for a Pm for details of your selection for ID and contractor no.7 and the one you ve chosen no.8?

Also may I ask for the ID who did the 3D for you? I didn't know we can hire them specifically for this purpose! Haha

Thank you!!

Sure! Will PM you.