Project Muji Home - of white, wood and chrome

[dietgalvon 14]

I have been an avid silent reader of this section since Dec 2016. I have to thank everyone here who is so open to sharing information that I have learnt so much in the past 3 months! My fiance was amazed by the sheer amount of information I found here (hehe). We just received the keys to our flat yesterday and finally it's my turn to share on our renovation journey!

This is the floor plan of our 4-room SOBF flat:

Edited March 5, 2017 by dietgalvon

[dietgalvon 14]

THEME: MUJI-INSPIRED

Before we even decided on a Muji-inspired home, we knew that we are attracted to the a light wood/white theme. It was until we walked into Muji a couple of months ago that I told my fiance - I want a Muji Home!  I like how simple the whole store is, yet it can give off such an extraordinary feel. We decided on the colours that we will use: Light wood, White, and chrome.

This picture just about encapsulates the feel that we want our home to have - open, spacious and homely!

MEETING WITH ID & CONTRACTORS

Our plan is to make our home simple and functional without spending too much. Our initial budget was $30k, but we realized that it was not enough for all that we wanted. Our rule of thumb was - we would not compromise when it comes to our MBR (and my shoe rack ). In that respect, with some tweaks, we managed to keep within our budget (for now, at least).

As newbies, we didn't know what to expect, so we started our search with a plan to visit an ID firm whose projects (on Facebook) I like.

1. ID - N from W*****.com
We walked into this ID firm because we couldn't find the ID firm we planned to visit. We communicated to N on what we like and our budget, and arranged to meet him a week later. The quotation came up to exactly $30k but there were some items we didn't ask for and most of what we wanted were not in the quotation. No brief design layout at all. N was all the while trying to impose his designs and ideas on us and even asked us to sign on the spot or put a $1,000 deposit and he will proceed to draw the design for us. -_- 

Subsequently, N kept texting us and he wouldn't accept that we decided not to engage his services. He kept telling us that everything can be done within $28k. I also did not learn anything from him at all - bad experience! Eliminated~

2. ID - M from C*********

This firm was just beside that ID firm we wanted to visit and I recalled seeing their projects on Facebook. M was quite detailed, and we learnt a little regarding the materials used. We conveyed our style M and followed up with some pictures of the designs that we like. A week later, M showed us a 3D plan. It was not very close to what we expected, and the quotation was way out of budget. Eliminated~

3. ID - Z from A*******

This firm was the one we wanted to visit right from the start. This time, we did not exactly told Z what we wanted because we wanted him to give us some ideas instead. When we next meet, he gave us a brief design layout and we learnt quite a bit from him. Perhaps due to the scale of the firm, the perks were very attractive and the quotation was surprisingly very reasonable. We were very tempted to engage him until we saw a negative review of Z on Facebook. As Z was quite young and does not appear experienced, we did not want to risk having an unhappy journey down the road. Eliminated~

(At this point, I was so drained by all the visiting and we could not find one we could work with. I turned to getting contacts from Renotalk/blog instead - thanks to everyone those who replied to my PMs! I was SO GLAD I did this and wished I did so earlier because that would have saved me so much time! )

4. ID/Contractor - N from R*******

We could tell that N was pretty experienced and he is a very 'straightforward' man. There were some ideas he outright told us was 'ugly' but he also provided us with some good ideas. He gave us a quotation on the spot and said that his is a "no hidden cost" quotation. His quotation was quite reasonable but we were afraid he would not want to do some of the things that we wanted. Eliminated~

5. Contractor - J & E from C*** X**** (THE CHOSEN ONE)

I first met with J and I liked him immediately. We could tell that he is a VERY experienced man and he gave rather insightful comments. I personally liked that bit of 'old school feel' in his book with lots of hand-drawn drawings. E that day seem rather nonchalant and I was honestly quite afraid the renovation journey would be tough considering the reviews of CX (slow to reply, etc). We received the quotation and it was a little over our budget. I was trying hard to reconcile the pictures of their finished projects, the reviews of their carpentry, the cost of the renovation and the managing of the renovation. But I knew that, I really like them!

We next met with E to discuss on the revised quotation and yes I would agree that they require some nudging. But to my surprise, E was very welcoming and nice! The revised quotation just about fits into our budget too. I am totally blown away by their experience in the field and I know I would pick quality over price even if it takes more effort in managing. So, we chose them in the end!

6. Contractor - E from DX I*******

By the time we met with E, we are quite sure of what we want/need already. He is a quiet but nice man, and he also replies fast. I could tell that he is experienced despite how he is a man of few words. His quotation for some items are significantly cheaper than (5), and I was really tempted by the low quotation. However, by this time, I already have 2 very good choices ((5) and (7)), hence this is being KIV until further notice.

7. ID - MH of L**** P****** S*******

This was through a recommendation of a blog I follow. The reviews of MH was very good. Albeit he was a young man, he was quite experienced and REALLY patient. My fiance really like him - he has a soft spot for people who are easy to work with - and he told me after the first meeting that he would pay for such better services. We were really torn between MH and J&E because we want both experience and quality. What was taken into consideration was also my perfectionism that I would prefer to take charge of every single detail in my home. The final quotation was $2k plus more than that of J&E, and we eventually picked J&E.

And that's the end of our painful search for IDs/contractors. I was really, really tired but glad that the recommendations do not fail me!

Edited March 5, 2017 by dietgalvon

[spooky 6]

Looking forward to your updates! I love a Muji feel as well and I'm considering it for my upcomingplace  all the best with reno!

[Viv14344 1]

Muji?

[fifteenmay 40]

On 3/5/2017 at 5:40 PM, dietgalvon said:

THEME: MUJI-INSPIRED

Before we even decided on a Muji-inspired home, we knew that we are attracted to the a light wood/white theme. It was until we walked into Muji a couple of months ago that I told my fiance - I want a Muji Home!  I like how simple the whole store is, yet it can give off such an extraordinary feel. We decided on the colours that we will use: Light wood, White, and chrome.

This picture just about encapsulates the feel that we want our home to have - open, spacious and homely!

MEETING WITH ID & CONTRACTORS

Our plan is to make our home simple and functional without spending too much. Our initial budget was $30k, but we realized that it was not enough for all that we wanted. Our rule of thumb was - we would not compromise when it comes to our MBR (and my shoe rack ). In that respect, with some tweaks, we managed to keep within our budget (for now, at least).

As newbies, we didn't know what to expect, so we started our search with a plan to visit an ID firm whose projects (on Facebook) I like.

1. ID - N from W*****.com
We walked into this ID firm because we couldn't find the ID firm we planned to visit. We communicated to N on what we like and our budget, and arranged to meet him a week later. The quotation came up to exactly $30k but there were some items we didn't ask for and most of what we wanted were not in the quotation. No brief design layout at all. N was all the while trying to impose his designs and ideas on us and even asked us to sign on the spot or put a $1,000 deposit and he will proceed to draw the design for us. -_- 

Subsequently, N kept texting us and he wouldn't accept that we decided not to engage his services. He kept telling us that everything can be done within $28k. I also did not learn anything from him at all - bad experience! Eliminated~

2. ID - M from C*********

This firm was just beside that ID firm we wanted to visit and I recalled seeing their projects on Facebook. M was quite detailed, and we learnt a little regarding the materials used. We conveyed our style M and followed up with some pictures of the designs that we like. A week later, M showed us a 3D plan. It was not very close to what we expected, and the quotation was way out of budget. Eliminated~

3. ID - Z from A*******

This firm was the one we wanted to visit right from the start. This time, we did not exactly told Z what we wanted because we wanted him to give us some ideas instead. When we next meet, he gave us a brief design layout and we learnt quite a bit from him. Perhaps due to the scale of the firm, the perks were very attractive and the quotation was surprisingly very reasonable. We were very tempted to engage him until we saw a negative review of Z on Facebook. As Z was quite young and does not appear experienced, we did not want to risk having an unhappy journey down the road. Eliminated~

(At this point, I was so drained by all the visiting and we could not find one we could work with. I turned to getting contacts from Renotalk/blog instead - thanks to everyone those who replied to my PMs! I was SO GLAD I did this and wished I did so earlier because that would have saved me so much time! )

4. ID/Contractor - N from R*******

We could tell that N was pretty experienced and he is a very 'straightforward' man. There were some ideas he outright told us was 'ugly' but he also provided us with some good ideas. He gave us a quotation on the spot and said that his is a "no hidden cost" quotation. His quotation was quite reasonable but we were afraid he would not want to do some of the things that we wanted. Eliminated~

5. Contractor - J & E from C*** X**** (THE CHOSEN ONE)

I first met with J and I liked him immediately. We could tell that he is a VERY experienced man and he gave rather insightful comments. I personally liked that bit of 'old school feel' in his book with lots of hand-drawn drawings. E that day seem rather nonchalant and I was honestly quite afraid the renovation journey would be tough considering the reviews of CX (slow to reply, etc). We received the quotation and it was a little over our budget. I was trying hard to reconcile the pictures of their finished projects, the reviews of their carpentry, the cost of the renovation and the managing of the renovation. But I knew that, I really like them!

We next met with E to discuss on the revised quotation and yes I would agree that they require some nudging. But to my surprise, E was very welcoming and nice! The revised quotation just about fits into our budget too. I am totally blown away by their experience in the field and I know I would pick quality over price even if it takes more effort in managing. So, we chose them in the end!

6. Contractor - E from DX I*******

By the time we met with E, we are quite sure of what we want/need already. He is a quiet but nice man, and he also replies fast. I could tell that he is experienced despite how he is a man of few words. His quotation for some items are significantly cheaper than (5), and I was really tempted by the low quotation. However, by this time, I already have 2 very good choices ((5) and (7)), hence this is being KIV until further notice.

7. ID - MH of L**** P****** S*******

This was through a recommendation of a blog I follow. The reviews of MH was very good. Albeit he was a young man, he was quite experienced and REALLY patient. My fiance really like him - he has a soft spot for people who are easy to work with - and he told me after the first meeting that he would pay for such better services. We were really torn between MH and J&E because we want both experience and quality. What was taken into consideration was also my perfectionism that I would prefer to take charge of every single detail in my home. The final quotation was $2k plus more than that of J&E, and we eventually picked J&E.

And that's the end of our painful search for IDs/contractors. I was really, really tired but glad that the recommendations do not fail me!

love the airness and spacious of your theme!

[Yplailai 4]

Hi! Could you please share with me the contact for J&E pls? Many thanks

[Viv14344 1]

Muji japanese?

[dietgalvon 14]

@Yplailai PM sent!

Edited March 12, 2017 by dietgalvon

[dietgalvon 14]

On 3/6/2017 at 8:34 AM, spooky said:

Looking forward to your updates! I love a Muji feel as well and I'm considering it for my upcomingplace  all the best with reno!

 

On 3/8/2017 at 0:21 AM, fifteenmay said:

love the airness and spacious of your theme!

Thanks guys! 

[dietgalvon 14]

Over the weekend, my fiancé and I went to check our flat for defects! There were a huge number of defects - if given a choice I would opt out of the HDB options just to save myself the trouble, omg.

ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

I would be getting HDB contractors to do the cement screeding for me, and thereafter lay vinyl flooring. However, there is this area of the flat that I'm not sure what is going to happen to it.

I asked my flooring liaison, he said I need to get contractor to level it with cement so that vinyl can be laid. I asked the contractor, he said I need to top up $200 for him to hack it away, lay concrete to rebuild it to a height that vinyl flooring can be laid. I am not sure which is the 'correct' way, and I certainly hope I don't have to spend too much! Can those who got HDB to do cement screeding and laid vinyl flooring shed some light?

*EDIT*

Thanks to @d3n's advice, we would be laying tiles at the entrance instead. Grateful for the help received here!

Edited March 27, 2017 by dietgalvon

[Viv14344 1]

On 3/9/2017 at 11:19 PM, Viv14344 said:

Muji japanese?

Anyone?

[acertey 0]

hi, could you help to share contact for J&E contractor? Many thanks. 

aceteyhc@hotmail.com

[Williamho14 0]

Can share J&E comtact

 

thanks

[dietgalvon 14]

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 11:41 PM, acertey said:

hi, could you help to share contact for J&E contractor? Many thanks. 

aceteyhc@hotmail.com

 

On ‎13‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 7:46 AM, Williamho14 said:

Can share J&E comtact

 

thanks

PMs sent!

[kayelle 0]

Hi dietgalvon,

Is it possible to share the contacts for J&E with me pls?   Thank you!

Btw, just want to say that I'm also in love with the Muji theme too! I got my SOBF unit in Jan but have been waiting for close to 1 month for HDB to rectify the defects (they have not even touched anything omg). Will be following your t-blog! Jiayou and all the best for your renov!