Small House Holding Our Big Dreams

[trcd 13]

14 hours ago, kstoh said:

I use Goo Gone to remove stickers, price tags etc. Sometimes for glass, I use turpentine or thinner but need to be careful when using these.

 

12 hours ago, Catt said:

I love Goo Gone! So far I've used it to remove the warning advisory sticker on the fridge, scuff marks on the new tiles, even-out frosted glass, wiped my shoes... ok ok..it's like the American version of the Singapore Tiger Balm/ Ax Oil. Probably can drink Goo Gone to cure illnesses too..joking!!

Hmm, may I suggest trying heat to remove? or rather, a hair dryer?

It's the only reason why I own a hair dryer - the heat melts the adhesive of labels, making them really easy to peel off without using Goo Gone. Be careful and don't burn your fingers though! But Goo Gone works for really stubborn goo from old labels...

[trcd 13]

12 hours ago, Catt said:

All thanks to you @trcd that I've mended my broken heart. 

You chose well! Very happy for you! 

It makes a world of difference when you're at the entrance... Money well spent! And I like the weight of the gate too - feels sturdy!

[Catt 8]

9 hours ago, trcd said:

 

Hmm, may I suggest trying heat to remove? or rather, a hair dryer?

It's the only reason why I own a hair dryer - the heat melts the adhesive of labels, making them really easy to peel off without using Goo Gone. Be careful and don't burn your fingers though! But Goo Gone works for really stubborn goo from old labels...

Agree! The hairdryer works great as well for sticky labels! And turpentine, and thinner and acetone work well too. BTW I noticed the Caeserstone tech used pure acetone to remove paint/ plaster/ glue off the counter. Luckily I have a huge container of that for nail polish clean-up. Not sure if we can use thinner or turp on the counter. When I showed him the bottle of turp he didn't look like he knew what it was. 

[Catt 8]

Update 21 Oct'16:

I guess I won't be logging in or updating as often since my renovation is completed (except for some really minor touch-up to the front door my dad is working on). I've moved in for about a week, and by now, have gotten rid of majority of the packing boxes. Today I can finally sit here and take a break from all the moving and unpacking madness.

On the whole, I think I built enough storage. I don't like having too many build-ins and to a certain extent regret building-in the shoe cupboard because I can't move it... There's more than enough storage space in the kitchen for all my pots and pans and extra Pyrex mixing bowls and bakeware that I ordered on Amazon. I still have empty drawers and cupboard shelves despite only having bottom cabinets.

The only place I wish I had more storage is my side of the wardrobe. I've put a couple of my dresses and ONE handbag at Darkling Half's side. She has resorted to EXTORTING WARDROBE STORAGE RENT from me.

Here are some before and after pictures of the house. My apologies if some of the pictures look skewed or stretched as I'm not a great camerawoman. 

Living Room:

BEFORE (blurry pics from the valuation report)

 

AFTER

 

Bedroom 1 (the larger bedroom):

BEFORE

AFTER

 

Bedroom 2 (master bedroom)

BEFORE 

AFTER

I bought these 2 new night stands from Ikea. Darkling liked them so I broke the non-Ikea furniture rule the 2nd time. I BUILT THEM MYSELF CUZ I'M SUPER BUTCH LIKE THAT. Actually I just like building stuff.

Here's my temporary/ permanent make-up corner. Initially I wanted a vanity table. But I kinda like how I can hide my clutter behind the wardrobe door and also have less furniture in our already minute bedroom. I simply removed a shelf in the wardrobe and stuck the lamp and hairblower into the cavity. The only peeve I have is the wires sticking out everywhere.

Sorry that it is really less than ideal for a vanity table, but it serves my purpose. I have my makeup in the drawers and the pouf is the perfect height for me to sit and put on my face.

 

Before and After to be continued in next post....

Edited October 21, 2016 by Catt

[Catt 8]

Before & After Continued...

Kitchen:

BEFORE (blurry pics are from the valuation report)

AFTER

 

Toilet/Shower room:

BEFORE

AFTER (actually nothing has changed since I took the last reno pics..toilet only... don't think there's anything spectacular).

Ok let me take a moment here to gush about the showerhead which I bought from Qoo10. This is my 3rd showerhead since I've been really displeased with the water pressure and amount coming out at my floor level. I went through a Hansgrohe and the original showerhead that came with the Rubine booster pump instant heater. Together with this Qoo10 showerhead and the booster pump, I get a really decent amount of water for my shower. Wish I could do the same thing for my kitchen tap.

Link to Qoo10 showerhead site

Utility Room:

For completeness, here's a photo of our utility room now. We didn't change anything except to paint the walls and re-tile the floor. I also re-purposed the utility room into a pseudo sun-room. Initially I was worried that I had misjudged the use of the room as a sunroom because it is tiny. I was afraid clothes wouldn't dry fast enough. After a week of daily laundering, I'm confident to say that it takes cotton tees 2-3 hours to dry fully and jeans take 6 hrs to overnight. The wind coming in from Mt Faber/ Telok Blangah Hill is pretty strong.

There are two racks in this room (one is hidden behind the wall to the right), and the reason why we have one rack positioned in front of the door is because it didn't occur to me to install the ceiling clothes rack towards the left rather than right side of the room. If I put another rack on the right hand side of the room, it will hinder the lowering of the rack.

See. Never Plan Properly. But if I have folks over for a party, I guess I will close the utility room door. Out of sight, out of mind.

That's all folks! 

 

Edited October 21, 2016 by Catt

[Catt 8]

Today we went and bounced around on mattresses...seriously who cares about what positive or negative ions...our bodies just want what they want. In the end the bodies chose an expensive super long name Simmons Beautyrest Recharge Star Obsessions mattress after rolling around on all big 3s ( Serta, Sealy, Simmons) in different sleeping postures. I'd better have a full 7 hour deep sleep on it. I'd better live in this house till I have 3 million bucks. 

[Changbp 5]

The sink looks really cool. Where did you get it from and Do you have some close up of the front?

 

btw, I remember you previously had issue with the subway tile corner. How did that turn out?

[slashmylove 5]

On ‎11‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 11:27 PM, Catt said:

Then I had to get something for Darkling Half because she thinks I'm feeling guilty about taking over the L-shaped part of the couch. Which is also why she thinks I bought the poufs for her to prop up her legs when I can just recline on 'my side'. Movie and TV show-buffs will totally understand why a laptop stand like this is absolutely crucial and essential.

Don't know if you'll see this, but could you share where did you get the laptop stand from? Ikea?

[Catt 8]

2 hours ago, slashmylove said:

Don't know if you'll see this, but could you share where did you get the laptop stand from? Ikea?

@slashmylove yes I got it from Ikea. Can't remember which one of our creative Renobloggers actually hacked an item similar to this with marble paper and spray paint, but that's when I fell in love with it. Unfortunately I do not have his diligence!

[Catt 8]

16 hours ago, Changbp said:

The sink looks really cool. Where did you get it from and Do you have some close up of the front?

 

btw, I remember you previously had issue with the subway tile corner. How did that turn out?

Hi @Changbp sorry I missed your post. i bought the sink from Amazon. Will take an up-close photo for you tonight as I'm at work at the moment. 

Subway tile corners are all grouted up and at the end of the day it is acceptable. As how grout usually behaves, there will be tiny cracks in such thick grouting. I'd like to think it adds to the charm of being 'vintage-y' looking. I will probably have to patch the grout over the years if they fall out.

[slashmylove 5]

24 minutes ago, Catt said:

@slashmylove yes I got it from Ikea. Can't remember which one of our creative Renobloggers actually hacked an item similar to this with marble paper and spray paint, but that's when I fell in love with it. Unfortunately I do not have his diligence!

Thanks for your reply! I quite like the current look so I probably won't be so hardworking to DIY hehe  

[Catt 8]

@Changbp here you go!

[Catt 8]

It's here and it's fat! Cheers to good sleep!

Edited October 26, 2016 by Catt

[trcd 13]

On 21 October 2016 at 0:59 PM, Catt said:

Before & After Continued...

Kitchen:

BEFORE (blurry pics are from the valuation report)

AFTER

 

Toilet/Shower room:

BEFORE

AFTER (actually nothing has changed since I took the last reno pics..toilet only... don't think there's anything spectacular).

Ok let me take a moment here to gush about the showerhead which I bought from Qoo10. This is my 3rd showerhead since I've been really displeased with the water pressure and amount coming out at my floor level. I went through a Hansgrohe and the original showerhead that came with the Rubine booster pump instant heater. Together with this Qoo10 showerhead and the booster pump, I get a really decent amount of water for my shower. Wish I could do the same thing for my kitchen tap.

Link to Qoo10 showerhead site

Utility Room:

For completeness, here's a photo of our utility room now. We didn't change anything except to paint the walls and re-tile the floor. I also re-purposed the utility room into a pseudo sun-room. Initially I was worried that I had misjudged the use of the room as a sunroom because it is tiny. I was afraid clothes wouldn't dry fast enough. After a week of daily laundering, I'm confident to say that it takes cotton tees 2-3 hours to dry fully and jeans take 6 hrs to overnight. The wind coming in from Mt Faber/ Telok Blangah Hill is pretty strong.

There are two racks in this room (one is hidden behind the wall to the right), and the reason why we have one rack positioned in front of the door is because it didn't occur to me to install the ceiling clothes rack towards the left rather than right side of the room. If I put another rack on the right hand side of the room, it will hinder the lowering of the rack.

See. Never Plan Properly. But if I have folks over for a party, I guess I will close the utility room door. Out of sight, out of mind.

That's all folks! 

 

Congrats on moving in!!!! 

I must say how I love the look of the kitchen floor tiles and the bathroom tiles. Looking sweet. If I ever have another reno, i'm getting those tiles.

Thanks for the link to the shower head! I'm ordering one as I type... My water pressure sucks and it's upsetting me so much that I'm contemplating changing the whole heater. I have no idea if it's the water pressure or the water heater that is causing that... Also very awkward to ask neighbours 'eh, how is your water pressure?'

And at least you have a utility room to hang clothes! Mine will be in the kitchen. Tak glam.

[Changbp 5]

15 hours ago, Catt said:

@Changbp here you go!

Can provide the link? And How much does it cost.