My Modern Zen 2-Room 35sqm (Type 1) HDB BTO Apartment Renovation Journey

[RyanYTH 87]

On 7/27/2019 at 3:29 AM, Reno2020 said:

Hi Ryan I have been following your entries and am most grateful for your 1 year later honest review of your home.  It was most helpful.  Your content page too.  Many thanks.

Hey no problem, thanks for visiting!

[RyanYTH 87]

Sorry, tried to add Norman Ng's Renovation Blog link to my Epilogue entry
and Renotalk forum decides to hide my entire Epilogue post instead. 

Luckily I still have my Wordpress Blog backup in such an event.
The epilogue page is updated with link to Norman Ng's blog.

Edit: Ok the Epilogue page is un-hidden now. Thanks Renotalk mods

Edited August 7, 2019 by ryanyth

[CaseBlue 2]

Was looking at your rack in the bomb shelter. The link is gone so i wonder if i found the correct one

https://s.lazada.sg/s.hqqD

the door can close despite the hook on the top?

 

Edited October 31, 2019 by CaseBlue

[Melvin Kin 0]

Hi ryanth

Can you explain about the water tanks installation?  @_@ i mean i thought hdb say cannot install but yet still can installL? XD 
Confused on that part.

 

[RyanYTH 87]

8 hours ago, Melvin Kin said:

Hi ryanth

Can you explain about the water tanks installation?  @_@ i mean i thought hdb say cannot install but yet still can installL? XD 
Confused on that part.

 

Was there a rule that restricts the installation of water storage tank in the bathroom? 
There weren't any restrictions when I installed mine. In fact, my flat by default
already have the U-shaped pipe pre-installed specifically for Water Storage Tank in the bathroom.
Maybe its a new rule now?  You might want to clarify with your HDB officer if thats the case tho.

[mytinybto 1]

hi Ryanyth, could I check with you if you specially customised your dining table to be the same height as the kitchen countertop ?  Normally countertop should be higher (as you are standing when prepping food) than standard dining table right?  thanks!

[RyanYTH 87]

6 hours ago, mytinybto said:

hi Ryanyth, could I check with you if you specially customised your dining table to be the same height as the kitchen countertop ?  Normally countertop should be higher (as you are standing when prepping food) than standard dining table right?  thanks!

This is a very good question!
Yes my customized dining table is not the same height as my kitchen countertop.
The dining table area height was measured for the general sitting height needed for a dining table.
Kitchen countertop height was measure to my standing height
I'll take some photos to show the height difference when I get back home later today.

Edit:
Ok i found an old picture when my Kitchen Carpentry was still being made
that can show the difference in height between Countertop and the custom Dining table.
Red Arrow shows the height of the Countertop, Blue Arrow shows the height of the Dining table.
Hope this helps!

Edited December 5, 2019 by ryanyth

[RyanYTH 87]

Since Christmas is coming soon, so I thought i'd decorate my Computer area to make it a lil more festive lol.
The wire mesh thingy and the wire shelves were from Daiso, and I hanged them up using 3 x 3M Hooks.
RGB led strips i bought cheaply from online shopping sites.
Decided to not have a traditional big xmas tree and change to a mini one because it takes up less space, easier to store, i think it looks cuter too lol. ?
Christmas is the perfect excuse to let loose and enjoy an explosion of RGB rainbow colour don'tcha think? hahahaha ?

Merry Christmas Everyone!! ?

Edited December 4, 2019 by ryanyth

[mytinybto 1]

13 hours ago, ryanyth said:

This is a very good question!
Yes my customized dining table is not the same height as my kitchen countertop.
The dining table area height was measured for the general sitting height needed for a dining table.
Kitchen countertop height was measure to my standing height

thanks for clarifying!  my (future) kitchen doesn't have the pillar/wall in the corner, so I was thinking of extending the countertop as some sort of a breakfast bar to double as dining space.  But I really don't like sitting on high bar chairs.  i think i'll have to figure out something.

[RyanYTH 87]

4 hours ago, mytinybto said:

thanks for clarifying!  my (future) kitchen doesn't have the pillar/wall in the corner, so I was thinking of extending the countertop as some sort of a breakfast bar to double as dining space.  But I really don't like sitting on high bar chairs.  i think i'll have to figure out something.

Yea me too. I also didn't want to sit on high bar chairs just to eat at the place.
The kitchen dining area was something I had the most discussions with my ID. I'm really glad it turned out ok in the end.
Mind posting your hdb plan layout so we can take a look at how yours looks like?

Edited December 5, 2019 by ryanyth

[mytinybto 1]

19 hours ago, ryanyth said:

Mind posting your hdb plan layout so we can take a look at how yours looks like?

Mine looks like this (Type 1 too).  One side should be for fridge and washing machine.  Countertop, cooktop and sink on the opposite side.  I thought of making it L-shape or even U-shape to maximise the space.

[RyanYTH 87]

20 hours ago, mytinybto said:

Mine looks like this (Type 1 too).  One side should be for fridge and washing machine.  Countertop, cooktop and sink on the opposite side.  I thought of making it L-shape or even U-shape to maximise the space.

Very nice. I like that your cooktop is right next to the sink.
For people who cook, this is perfect. ?
Also, if you get your measurements right,  you can also make
like my customized mini dining table. Shouldn't be an issue.

I notice they put wardrobe in your bedroom. 
If you don't mind a little bit of stuffiness, i highly recommend do walk-in wardrobe
in Bomb Shelter which will free up alot of space in your bedroom.

Edited December 7, 2019 by ryanyth

[SuperZ 7]

@ryanyth, thank you for very comprehensive blogging of your renovation process. Since you had completed you renovation and have been living there for sometime, looking back what would you have done differently. Please  share with us tips of "do's and don'ts" for our future renovation. I think a lot of new comers here would really appreciate.

[RyanYTH 87]

1 hour ago, SuperZ said:

@ryanyth, thank you for very comprehensive blogging of your renovation process. Since you had completed you renovation and have been living there for sometime, looking back what would you have done differently. Please  share with us tips of "do's and don'ts" for our future renovation. I think a lot of new comers here would really appreciate.

Thanks for reading. Most of my thoughts are already in what I wrote for the 1 year retrospective posts.
Things like wishing my oven was standing height instead of squatting height, wishing I did something
about the wooden skirting around my living room etc etc. 

Here are some tips I'll give to newcomers:

- Remember to always plan ahead. This is very important.

- Do post any questions you have while renovating, especially in Mmo's 2-roomer thread.
It was her good advice that saved me a future headache if I had done Box-up in the bathroom.

- If this is your first time doing Renovation, it is better to get an ID instead of Contractor.
Instead of needing to liase with multiple people, you only need to liase with the ID to coordinate everything.

- If you can do a 3D planning using the Planner 5D software, i highly recommend to do so.
Having this 3D Plan doesn't mean your ID gets an easier job, it means he/she is very clear
on what is the direction you want in your renovation so there aren't any misunderstandings.
(Its also very convenient to show this when you look for your prospective ID)

- When you first sit down and talk with your prospective ID, watch out closely for warning flags
such as ID forgot the time and date, ID seems very busy attend to other things while talking
with you, etc etc. Be especially careful if an ID is a "Yes Man", everything also "Yes". I can't really
explain it, but you need to have a "connection" with the ID.

- For renovation budget, everyone have their own comfortable zone. For me,
I personally feel that my quoted $25k is a max limit for a 2roomer. Anything more,
I feel it may be too much. Your mileage may vary of course. Also, always add an
additional budget of $5k to your quoted renovation.

- Renovation is a very draining and mentally stressful process, especially for 1st timer. You really need to learn
how to calm down and assess situation calmly and objectively when things go wrong. My way of calming down
was writing the blog lol. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride. You will feel you have grown as a person
after you have completed your renovation.

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by ryanyth

[SuperZ 7]

@ryanyth, thank you for your advice.

You brought up a couple interesting points:

"It was her good advice that saved me a future headache if I had done Box-up in the bathroom."
Can you please elaborate? I was thinking of same shower enclosure but I would just go with a one panel shower glass screen (all the way to the floor) without any curb.

"wishing I did something about the wooden skirting around my living room etc etc"

What is it about wooden skirting? I opt out of OCS so I am doing cement screeding and wooden-like tiles with out wooden skirting.

Any thoughts?