Bachelor Pad Reno for Under 20k

[hoWL 9]

Hi all

I have been quietly collecting data, (like a squirrel!) and learning everything there is to know about renovation from this forum for the past 6 months.

Never knew what is kompac-huh? until now, plus there are so many different types of flooring, each week a new type appeared and it's back to good old Google for more research. And dun get me started on those wall tiles selection, there are like a hundred choices out there! Anyway, since I have a tighter than a bark on tree budget, I will have to scale down a lot of stuff and even make-do with whatever existing there is.

So finally, I collected my house keys and now I can start on this exciting (really?) journey to renovate my bachelor pad. It is a 3 room HDB 30 plus years old resale and here is the floorplan.

Do-able for 20k? I hope so. 

 

Edited June 15, 2017 by hoWL

[niwde1980 0]

Hi hoWL can check what kind of flooring you be using ? 

 

[peihao83 2]

Which ID firm did you engage?

 

[hoWL 9]

Hi niwde1980

I will be having vinyl flooring for the following reasons

1) Cost-wise, it is the cheapest option I can find. Initially, I actually thought of buying the vinyl from tabao and lay the tiles myself as it would save me half the cost! But eventually decided against it cos' I'm not very good with DIY. 

2) Easy installation. No need to hack the floor, just overlay the vinyl tiles. And it saves the hacking cost! But overlay is only possible if your floor is level with no cracks or holes, so it is better to check with the supplier first before agreeing to overlay.

3) As with other options, vinyl flooring also offers a variety of colors and textures to choose from. Some even look like cement screed, I like! Vinyl tiles can come in long planks and with wood grains, I like too! So that makes me think vinyl tiles are really cool. (variety attached below)

But the flooring consultant advised that although vinyl flooring is durable and relatively easy to maintain, it is not entirely water-proof and is only water-resistant, can only wet mop but cannot have 'ponding' on the floor. Tho my research online says otherwise but maybe the vinyl flooring I am buying is not the so high quality ones, so was not going to argue with her on that. Also, she says if i drop turmeric powder on the floor while cooking (one in a million chance that will be happening), it will seep into the vinyl tiles and be stained forever.

Despite her horror stories, I am still getting vinyl flooring lah. However, too early to worry about now. My flooring will come after. Right now, I want to hack the walls first..

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by hoWL

[hoWL 9]

@peihao83 I have not found an ID or contractor yet but will be posting my shortlisted ones later.

[hoWL 9]

Here are my renovation wishlist for my bachelor pad.

LIVING ROOM

Craftstone bricks for one side of the wall. I have seen many examples on this forum as well as on other reno platforms and I kinda like that look. Since I will not be having a lot of furniture plus there will be no television nor tv console in the living room, I can leave the brickwall totally plain as it is and have a cave-like look. However, craftstone brickwall in Singapore is not meant for budget conscious aka me. To achieve this look, it will cost me about $3,000 - $4,000 just for a 3.9m width wall. But I was already affixed on the craftstone brick idea, so how? Luckily, there is Tabao  With a few click of the button, plus shipping, getting the required number of bricks will only cost about S$200! Adding labour to install the bricks onto the wall Budget : $1700

Full length mirrors on the opposite side to reflect the space and amplify the 'cave look'. Budget : $800

 

MASTER BEDROOM

Hack away storeroom wall to make Master Bedroom bigger. I have no use for the storeroom and since the walls can be hacked, just need to apply for HDB's approval. Intent is to place a platform bed inside the alcove. Budget : $300

Make good and seal off storeroom door Budget : $500

Construct custom made 2.1m Platform bed with storage underneath Budget : $800

Extend the master bedroom toilet outwards by 4 feet by erecting a partition. Will be changing the entrance facing too. Budget : $500

 

KITCHEN

To hack kitchen entrance walls. By hacking away the walls, the kitchen can align with the living room space and look more spacious Budget : $800

Subway tiles for one side of the wall. Sourcing my own tiles again, so budget is for labour only. Budget : $1000

Kitchen cabinet with top hung shelves and a space for microwave oven. Budget : $4000 ish?

 

OTHERS

Vinyl flooring for the whole house without skirting Budget : $4000

Painting for the whole house Budget : $1500

Replace wiring for whole house (including switches) and install additional lighting points. Since it is an old flat and previous owner did not do any refurbishment, the electrical wiring is in its original form and definitely requires total rewiring. Budget : $1500 - $1800

Plumbling works Budget : $800

Remaining budget will be for the miscellaneous such as disposal of renovation debris, cardboard protection, general washing after renovation and unforeseen must-do, must fix items.

Next up, moodboard...

 

[izong 4]

Looking forward to the moodboard bro!

 

[May_dream1 14]

painting for 3room flat, even from nippon paint specialist, will be less than $1200. but platform bed with storage, i think close to $3k than $800. 

 

[hoWL 9]

16 hours ago, May_dream1 said:

painting for 3room flat, even from nippon paint specialist, will be less than $1200. but platform bed with storage, i think close to $3k than $800. 

 

Thanks @May_dream1

Maybe I dun need a platform bed then... hahaha

[May_dream1 14]

1 hour ago, hoWL said:

Thanks @May_dream1

Maybe I dun need a platform bed then... hahaha

my platform without storage already cost $2k. i wanted storage too but there is a height limit near windows so if i make the platform with storage, it will not pass HDB rules. 

 

[hoWL 9]

Here is my moodboard

Living room - As mentioned in my earlier post, I wanted craftstone bricks on one side of the wall and full length mirror on the other side. My color palette would be white, 50 shades of grey with splashes of green. Will not be having any false ceiling and buying track lights (from tabao!) to create a cave-like look.

Bedroom - Did not plan for much other than I wanted a platform bed. But turned out, it's gonna cost me an arm and a leg, so that idea is out of the window, literally! haha

 

 

Kitchen - I wanted a small dining table that extends out from the kitchen cabinet. And I like to have subway tiles for the wall. I dun cook much so kitchen will not be the place I will spend a lot of time in. 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2017 by hoWL

[hoWL 9]

MY ID ADVENTURE

In my search for the ONE ID, I had met up with a total of 9 IDs but I shall not detail every single encounter and here are the notable ones.

 

H from I*** - Arranged for the appointment at 11.30am at his office and he was late for 20 minutes. Not very impressed at that moment. However, as we sat down and discussed my renovation plan, he was very patient and listened to my ideas and gave good suggestions. His Senior Project Manager/ID, J was very accommodative and gave her frank opinion on my intended layout as well. Me being a novice at this whole renovation thing and it being my very first ID meeting, it was pretty assuring and a very good introduction on what to expect. Quotation came back after a week but was above my budget and thus was dropped. Emailed her to reject her proposal and she replied back with thank you note still.

 

J from I*********  - Although J did not sound eloquent over the phone when setting up an appointment, but when we met at his office, it was like on 'home-turf' and he suddenly became a well-oiled salesman with his sleek presentation and selling tactics.

He tried to understand my lifestyle and my rationale for having certain features. On the spot, he drew on my floorplan to help visualize my overall direction. Showed me several of the materials that I can consider up to a point I was overwhelmed with the amount of choices. He also did a rough estimation on the total cost and told me confidently that he can meet my budget of 20k due to the huge savings I can get from the flooring expense.

All my ideas were possible and he even added a few of his suggestions too. Was almost convinced that I can end the ID search and that this is the ONE even though he was only the second ID I’ve met. Spending almost 2 hours in his office and J really thought of many details and emphasize a lot on workmanship. Definitely gonna shortlist this one, I thought to myself. Just when I was about to bid my goodbye, he stopped me and asked me to sign a contract with a deposit. This is because his flooring promotion is exclusively for that one day only. If I do not take the advantage of this offer and chose to come back another day, there will be no more promotion and I will have to pay full price for the floor tiles. WHAT?!

All the good feelings I had for this ID suddenly vanished. If the flooring was going to be at full price, I can always find another contractor to do the floor separately. Seeing that I was adamant about not signing a contract that day, J relented and further explained that unlike other ID firms, the deposit was just so that they can present a 3D drawing on our next meeting. It will be later absorbed into the contract once it is signed.

I shortlisted him anyway and had a second meeting with J. His first quotation was nowhere near my budget and I decided to take out some of the good-to-have items. But to make the long story short, eventually his quotation was still one of the highest so I dropped him. So much for being the ONE.

 

Jo from I*** - Jo was referred to from Qantvas and he texted me to meet him at his office. Granted that It was a rainy afternoon for our meeting, but the timing was set by him and he was still late. Nevertheless, we had a fairly long session discussing my vision for the house and Jo gave practical advice about my idea of using track lightings in the living room. Showed him pictures on the condition of the house as well as my mood board and he said they are do-able. Just when we were wrapping up, his partner came and joined in the discussion.

Had neutral feelings after this meeting but was hoping that their quotation would meet my budget. No news from this ID until one month later, Jo called to ask when can he visit my flat. When told that I was waiting for his quotation first, he claimed during the meeting, he mentioned that he would only quote after viewing my place so as to give a more accurate amount. Granted that he wanted to give an accurate quotation, but it took him one month to follow up on our last meeting gave me the impression that I am not on his top priority to do. Dropped.

 

O from A**** - He was the first ID to suggest meeting on site which was refreshing. But on the day of our meeting, he was late (because of traffic). Is it me or is it that most IDs cannot tell time. Back to the ID, O was very experienced on site and was very helpful to pinpoint certain can-do and cannot do works. I actually learned a few things from O on site and he gave me a clearer view of what I had wanted to do. Was anticipating his quotation but it came back slightly above my budget and missing a few items we talked about at the house. That is the problem when you do not take notes. Dropped because I did not want to waste more time going back and forth with O as by the time I met O, I was already discussing second meetings with my shortlisted IDs.

 

R from D** - Was highly recommended on this forum and saw pictures of his projects. Convinced that this guy has high workmanship standard. So, I emailed him with the list of items I wanted for my reno as well as my floor plan. Quotation came back fairly fast and the price was reasonable. But there was no follow-up and I was busy then to contact him to arrange for a meeting. No fate, I guess. Dropped.

 

Z from T****** - One of the rare IDs who was punctual for our meeting. Yay! And he took down notes, scribbling down my must-haves and he was not pushy. My outrageous idea of having full length mirror across the hallway did not get shot down. Gave his feedback on my platform bed and offered ideas to enlarge my master bedroom toilet.

Did not disapprove of me getting my materials (craftstone bricks, subway tiles, sink, shower, lights etc) online. Quotation came back after one week of meeting and was within my budget.

Met him again to go through his 1^st quotation and was impressed with his attention to details. Had a general good feeling about Z and was confident that he can bring my vision to life. And so, Z became the CHOSEN ONE.

 

 

[esc 0]

Can PM me the quotation and contact? Thanks.

[lazarus73 0]

the best 67sqm of flat . the wide kitchen and living hall 

[hoWL 9]

1 hour ago, esc said:

Can PM me the quotation and contact? Thanks.

Hi esc

Will not be forwarding out his contact until reno is almost complete. Atm, not sure how it will turn out.

Hope you understand.