#asKingBin About Our Home

[kingandbin 13]

10 hours ago, yakult said:

I'm using Mitsubishi Starmex System 4. So far very good. Cold & quiet. My parents' place have been using starmex for many years & it's still working well. My dad also told us the electricity bill dropped ever since they change to Starmex inverter.

I'm loving my Bosch Tempered Glass Hob (PBD7331SG) ! Super powerful flame & allows great control over flame's power. Give you one example...when i cook luncheon meat (lol), i like it crispy. Last time when i cooked using other stove at my parents & in-laws, it will took super long for the lunchon meat to crisp up. Not anymore with Bosch! Hehehe. And because the control over the flame is good, i can always lower the flame to minimum (especially with eggs) w/o ceasing it.

Bosch slim-line hood is good for normal cooking too.  I'm also using their build-in oven. 

Yay, another Starmex user! Do you recall approximately how much it cost you? Great to hear that it genuinely does help with lowering electrical consumption! 

Just did a quick google search on your hob model number and it looks really chio    Will do more research on Bosch hobs. Hahaha the luncheon meat is a legit example as I love mine crispy too! Our parents' place is currently using the popular Bosch entry level oven but we never truly figured out how to set the timing properly. Still works fine though! 

[ricepapergirl 21]

8 hours ago, kingandbin said:

Hihi @ricepapergirl! Wasn't expecting such a detailed answer! Hehe feeling very thankful 

In our case, for the BTU/number of units we want, the companies we spoke to offer either the 2 ticks or 5 ticks system. Sometimes having no option is better than having one; much less headache lah. 3 ticks is somewhere in the middle so it's something we would be happy to take up if given the choice! Haha. My husband (King) is a heavy aircon user who pretty much turns on the aircon in whichever room he spends time in. So with a higher energy saving system, I can safely conclude that the utility bill savings should be rather worthwhile as long as the system can last its supposed lifespan! Fridges are something to consider too, since they are switched on 24/7 but there really aren't that many fridges within our budget that have many ticks! Is yours one of those with many doors/drawers? Very nice but my thin wallet can't handle it

And yup, we're planning to install a wall fan in the kitchen. My maiden home has a Rinnai hob too and it faces the issue of being affected by wind/breeze as well. The electrical stores we visited last weekend (Gain City, Courts) didn't seem to have Rinnai brand items too, so couldn't check. I've heard that Fujioh hood is great for Asian style cooking so we'll definitely check out this brand of hoods! Thanks so much for the advice!! 

Aww hope it helps somehow!

Wow if one of you is a regular aircon user then I think splurge on the higher ticks model! We didn't care too much about it because we're much less of aircon users (just switch it on for an hour and then we use the overhead ceiling fan instead when we're actually sleeping, and we usually use standing fans or ceiling fans during the day).

Yeah our fridge is the Made in Japan Hitachi series, 5 doors. It was close to $3k. Big splurge but we justified it by hoping that the Made In Japan series will last longer than others. Plus the multiple doors really does help in electrical consumption.

[pankponk 2]

Love your bathroom board especially the one with the seating, that's the concept for my common bathroom.. 

Aircon, we have been using the starmex 2 ticks at our rental flat and my flatmate is heavy user of aircon, they will ON it once they reach home or whenever their at home and our PUB bill is still acceptable. That's why we consider using the same Starmex but was thinking to use 5 tick for more energy saving. After we do our research, the 5 tick don't have larger outdoor BTU and that's was our concern because we looking at system 4 and afraid if we need to turn ON for 1 master + 1 living, the compressor can't cover it. In the end, we back to 2 tick coz it's have larger outdoor BTU and with consideration our rental flat now don't have much problem with starmex 2 tick. 

Hob, Hood and Oven, at first we looking at Bosch package because it quite attractive and within our budget. When we went to Gain City, the salesman introduce us with Brandt and He demo how the good is the suction of Brandt hood and at that moment, "okay I'm sold" , the hob is more stable compere to Bosch and the oven is higher range then Bosch (as what the salesman said) but package price is higher coz of the oven  We did research and in the end get the Brandt hod, hood and oven but not install yet coz our reno haven't start  

After all when choosing Hod, Hoob and Oven, just consider how's your lifestyle, did you cook often or bake and have open concept kitchen..

Edited August 4, 2016 by pankponk

[kingandbin 13]

15 hours ago, lalashir said:

Very looking forward to see your Reno progress! The toilet's mood board looks super nice! Love it! 

We we also went for Starmex 2 ticks because we were told that the 5 ticks one is not as cooling as 2 ticks and 2 ticks is cheaper so we just went for it! We selected this just because seems like it's one of the most popular choices among home owners. So far the aircon were all very cooling and quiet! 

We got Bosch for hood, hob and oven. Hood is the slimline hood and I think the suction is not really super power kind. On one of the weekends I was doing some cooking for family who came over for dinner and I could still smell the cooking smell in the living room the next morning. But maybe because I did not close the kitchen door at all times as there are ppl walking in and out of kitchen and sometimes forgotten to close when I am cooking. 

But very happy with the hob! We got a 3 cooker tempered glass cooker and the length is 78.5cm as compared to the common 90cm. I totally agree with bykaraanne that it is a wise choice to choose a shorter hob because table top space is so sacred in new houses! The hob part is almost all covered in case you have soupy stuffs that spills out it will not sink in to the "holes" hence it is very easy to clean! The flame is also very strong compared to my maiden's house cooking is a breeze now  the city gas guy who came to activate the gas for us said this is a good hob too as it has the safety feature that if there is gas leakage, the hob will shut off the gas automatically. The hob uses electricity to light up instead of battery which I like because no need to be afraid that the battery will melt inside the hob. 

As as for the oven no complaints so far after using a few times though I am still learning on how to use all the functions haha! 

Opps so  sorry for my lengthy post 

Hello @lalashir !  Do you mean the one with hexagon tiles like your home? We wanted to try using those tiles for only the shower feature wall but the sales staff at hafary advised against it. He said it won't look good  If we had the budget to overlay the entire toilet then we would've picked that design! 

Seems like for aircon most of us just go for the popular brand. Strange that they'll say the 5ticks one is less cooling than the 2ticks model; it's like toilet bowls (or WCs) that have weaker flush if they have higher water conservation rating! 

Judging from all comments so far we will likely go for Bosch hob and maybe Fujioh hood. Noted on the shorter hob! We'll keep a look out for the different lengths. Kitchen counter space is so precious! 

Haha don't worry about the long post, I'm quite lorsor also! Sorry I can't reply in kind cause I'm currently out and replying from my mobile (and being a walking hazard lol). Thanks for the feedback & advice 

Edited August 4, 2016 by kingandbin

[kingandbin 13]

5 hours ago, ricepapergirl said:

Aww hope it helps somehow!

Wow if one of you is a regular aircon user then I think splurge on the higher ticks model! We didn't care too much about it because we're much less of aircon users (just switch it on for an hour and then we use the overhead ceiling fan instead when we're actually sleeping, and we usually use standing fans or ceiling fans during the day).

Yeah our fridge is the Made in Japan Hitachi series, 5 doors. It was close to $3k. Big splurge but we justified it by hoping that the Made In Japan series will last longer than others. Plus the multiple doors really does help in electrical consumption.

Yes it does help! We decided to go for the 5 ticks model in the end, considering the regular usage we'll get out of it. 

Your fridge is so drool worthy! We nicknamed the $4k+ model of it the "Mother of all Fridges" when doing our browsing hehe  The husband is enamored by the vacuum compartment which he dreams of using to store durian inside! Pfft, men. 

[yakult 3]

13 hours ago, kingandbin said:

Yay, another Starmex user! Do you recall approximately how much it cost you? Great to hear that it genuinely does help with lowering electrical consumption! 

Just did a quick google search on your hob model number and it looks really chio    Will do more research on Bosch hobs. Hahaha the luncheon meat is a legit example as I love mine crispy too! Our parents' place is currently using the popular Bosch entry level oven but we never truly figured out how to set the timing properly. Still works fine though! 

*Went to dig for aircon invoice*

Ah found it! Bought ours from Gain City, system 4 cost S$4169. Not too sure each model represent what thing... but based on my guess...

• MXY4A28VA x 1 (compressor/motor)
• MSYGE10EVA x 3 (bedroom units)
• MSYGE24VA x 1 (living room unit)

Yay to crispy luncheon meat! hahaha. The model i got is the smaller one (70cm i think). They have another one that's longer (90cm)... both same price & function, just that one is wider. As we wanted more counter space, we opt for the shorter model. If you always cook using wok & big pots, can consider the wider model (if space allows)  As for Bosch oven timer, i think can read their instruction manual. My hubby read it & told me how it works. I love their air ventilation technology. They called it "3D Hotair". So far our baked food (fish, meat, pork) turns out well  You can check out Bosch hob, hood & oven set promo from Gain City & HoeKee  

[kingandbin 13]

12 hours ago, pankponk said:

Love your bathroom board especially the one with the seating, that's the concept for my common bathroom.. 

Aircon, we have been using the starmex 2 ticks at our rental flat and my flatmate is heavy user of aircon, they will ON it once they reach home or whenever their at home and our PUB bill is still acceptable. That's why we consider using the same Starmex but was thinking to use 5 tick for more energy saving. After we do our research, the 5 tick don't have larger outdoor BTU and that's was our concern because we looking at system 4 and afraid if we need to turn ON for 1 master + 1 living, the compressor can't cover it. In the end, we back to 2 tick coz it's have larger outdoor BTU and with consideration our rental flat now don't have much problem with starmex 2 tick. 

Hob, Hood and Oven, at first we looking at Bosch package because it quite attractive and within our budget. When we went to Gain City, the salesman introduce us with Brandt and He demo how the good is the suction of Brandt hood and at that moment, "okay I'm sold" , the hob is more stable compere to Bosch and the oven is higher range then Bosch (as what the salesman said) but package price is higher coz of the oven  We did research and in the end get the Brandt hod, hood and oven but not install yet coz our reno haven't start  

After all when choosing Hod, Hoob and Oven, just consider how's your lifestyle, did you cook often or bake and have open concept kitchen..

Ooh so are you planning on doing a seat ledge for your bathroom? Can't wait to see what it'll turn out like! Have you gotten the keys to your new place already? 

For the aircon we did seek advice from the supplier regarding the main differences in the two systems. They mentioned that for the higher energy savings one, the compressor will be noisier (prolly cause it's working harder ) and aircon likely not as cold. We decided to go for the 5 Ticks system so hopefully it all works out fine!  

Oven will rarely be used so it's there to satisfy sudden urges to bake, etc. As for hob + hood perhaps based on moderate usage. I.e. 4 times a week usage I'm guessing. Wah, I'm impressed that you've already purchased quite a bit of the home appliances already! So fast! 

[kingandbin 13]

MINI UPDATE

Firstly, thank you all so much for the help regarding aircon and hob/hood recommendations! *bows deeply* Was super touched by the detailed responses given!   

Finally decided on a 5-ticks Mitsubishi Starmex aircon system which will be installed later this week. The installation date was quite easy to arrange for and hopefully, so will the coordination of the installation on the actual day! King transferred the full amount to the company instead of the 50% deposit stated in the T&C and got nagged by Bin about being too trusting of others    She was quite paranoid about the company running away *choy! touch wood*

Ah yes, a little update here. Bin had second thoughts about the living room + bedrooms flooring chosen (and to think we were so proud of our "quick" decision made ). Thus off we went to the Hafary outlet @ Ubi this afternoon for a quick trip! An issue with the original tile picked is that the sample we brought home looked suspiciously glossy when it's supposed to be matte.

And upon checking with Hafary staff, they confirmed that the effect may be different from the ones on display due to the tiles being from different batches! And the difference is quite apparent because of the light tones of the tile. Ended up picking some samples from same series but (1) woodier tone, and (2) greyish tone which didn't have this problem. 

At our new place, we checked on the progress of electrical works done and also spent a fair bit of time placing the tile samples in several areas of the new house to try and visualize the effect. It was a good idea to do this with all samples (i.e. tiles, laminates, etc) because the natural lighting in various areas of the house differs!

Also picked up our requested laminate samples that Contractor E helped put in our new place for us to pick up! One of our choices was OOS and they replaced it with a blue coloured sample when the original option was white hahah 

Off topic but is anyone else an aspiring Pokemon Master?? We were walking back and forth in the new house trying to catch Pokemon. Hahaha. Here's a Pideotto we caught while moving between Pokestops.  Life's fun when you're an adult and can justify spending time playing Pokemon Go as relaxation off work (and reno duties)! 

Edited August 17, 2016 by kingandbin

[JohnJohn 13]

I'm quite lucky. There's an accessible pokestop at the kitchen of my new place and I have three pokestops I have access to right from my desk at my office. 

[kingandbin 13]

On 8/8/2016 at 11:31 AM, JohnJohn said:

I'm quite lucky. There's an accessible pokestop at the kitchen of my new place and I have three pokestops I have access to right from my desk at my office. 

Ooh lucky lucky you! There aren't direct pokestops at both my current place and workplace. *sad face*  But who says one should be catching pokemon at work anyway?  Haha

My work does require me to travel down to Orchard area sometimes though, which I'm really happy about now!

[kingandbin 13]

WHITE . THICK . UGLY

Hi guys, were you able to guess what the topic was based on the above 3 words? If you guessed aircon trunking.... TA-DAH! Congrats!!! You win at today's round of t-blog charades!  This is Bin (the wifey) reporting for blogging duty. *salutes*

Some background on how we split the work for our reno thus far.. I'm responsible for most of the decisions to be made for our home. The Market Researcher (for good deals ), "Interior Designer", Tao Bao expert, Finance Controller, and resident worrywart. King (the hubs) on the other hand, is in-charge of the aircon and the reno bills - we're splitting the costs of course, but my i-banking device decided to disappear for the time being. I promise this isn't a coincidence . He also helps discuss/bounce off ideas when decisions need to be made.

So far this system has worked pretty well! One is more detailed and the other is more chin chai. I'd like to think we complement each other in this home reno journey 

Anyway, King's large project took place today as the aircon supplier he chose came down for installations. We opted for 1 trip only as our contractor said that 2 trips were not necessary for our set-up. We only had one request for the installation and it was that they allocated an experienced team to do it. My dad's colleagues had some poor feedback about this company's newer installation team so we were really hoping for everything to go smoothly  

In the morning, King sent these 2 photos which looked rather reasonable imo:

The master toilet's ceiling/side had a beam which blocked the trunking from fitting nicely. Thus, it ran on the wall within the bedroom instead.

Then later at night, I (while happily having dinner at my own home) received a series of photos of the completed aircon works. *Dun Dun Dunnnn*

Upon viewing them, I felt my heart drop to my stomach  Why is the discharge pipe running through the shower area into the drain trap? Won't we step onto it when showering??! Immediately called the husband who's on site to get the installer to rectify it.

So. Much. Trunking. in our MBR 

Double layered trunking on a small portion along the walkway  Why liddat!

Was mentally prepared that the air con trunking will be unsightly but really, nothing prepares you seeing it actually happen to your own place  It's been several hours since then so I've managed to calm myself down already. *breathes in and out* Still, I'm really thankful for King who co-ordinated everything for today! He was still very chill while there despite his wife being so gan chiong about the entire thing.

Tomorrow our tiles will be delivered so we'll drop by in the evening again to check on our new place. Hopefully the tiles will be as we envisioned (and that the trunking will look less painfully obvious in person)!

P.S. Sorry for the grainy pictures, King took them in complete darkness as the lights aren't up yet!

 

UPDATE (JAN 2018):
After living with the trunking for a year, I now find them totally acceptable. When they were first up, it looked very obvious but the painters will paint over them with the same wall colour so it blends in a lot better.

We had a budget to stick to which didn't allow for box-ups, but it turned out fine in the end (:

Edited January 17, 2018 by kingandbin

[kingandbin 13]

TAOBAO ORDER 1

Purchased some items from TB yesterday night via Ezbuy's Prime which has $2.99 nett shipping, along with a free agent fee promo on mobile app. There's still quite a few items which couldn't fit into this shipment as not all the items we wanted to get were under Prime shipping. And some which could be shipped under Prime, had incorrect prices indicated so we didn't order them. We'll probably do another order soon through a different agent/forwarder!

It was auto split into 2 parcels; Express Air and Sea Shipping, and the entire cart came up to about SGD$450. Not cheap as we choose a more expensive type of track lights which were on promotion, but by the time the agent ordered the promo was over and we had to top up the difference!  

Will give a review of the items and entire shopping experience after receiving the items!

(1) Marble Contact Paper

(2) Cordless Track Lights (total 18pcs + 6pcs free)

(3) Lighting Tracks (x 4 pcs)

(4) Flexible Tap for Kitchen Sink

(5) Rainshower for Master Bathroom

(6) Wooden Wall Clock

(7) Ventilation Fan for Toilets (x 2 pcs)

Edited September 23, 2016 by kingandbin

[mwerkz 0]

Can share contractor E's contacts? Thanks!

[kingandbin 13]

10 hours ago, mwerkz said:

Can share contractor E's contacts? Thanks!

Hello! Have PM-ed you 

[Mannequin 0]

Can share contractor E's contacts? Thanks!