Strictly Scandinavian (3 Room 65Sqm BTO)

[LalaMANx 0]

Hi, love the progress.

Do you mind sharing the contact of your ID and contractor? If you don't mind, can share with me how much will the renovation cost?

Just collected my keys last week.

[Diluted 0]

7 hours ago, flowersinherhair said:

@Diluted Yes I did saw this.. But I cannot get anything more than 50 inches due to my small living room, so KDK is out. 

Think the 43 inch one comes with 3 tone lighting as well? Or does it not? 

[flowersinherhair 2]

9 hours ago, LalaMANx said:

Hi, love the progress.

Do you mind sharing the contact of your ID and contractor? If you don't mind, can share with me how much will the renovation cost?

Just collected my keys last week.

@LalaMANx Hi, PM-ed!

2 hours ago, Diluted said:

Think the 43 inch one comes with 3 tone lighting as well? Or does it not? 

@Diluted I asked the salesperson but he told me the 3 tone lighting only comes in 60 inches, no other smaller sizes. As I wanted the same fan design throughout the entire house,  I went to look at other brands instead. I did considered Fanco as well but in the end settled for Crestar as the design is nicer. 

[Diluted 0]

11 hours ago, flowersinherhair said:

@LalaMANx Hi, PM-ed!

@Diluted I asked the salesperson but he told me the 3 tone lighting only comes in 60 inches, no other smaller sizes. As I wanted the same fan design throughout the entire house,  I went to look at other brands instead. I did considered Fanco as well but in the end settled for Crestar as the design is nicer. 

Ahhh.. i see.. i was under the impression that the 48” one comes with 3 tone lights as well.. anyway, think crestar is also a reliable brand for fans? Kdk seems to have one of the shortest warranty around.

[flowersinherhair 2]

12 hours ago, Diluted said:

Ahhh.. i see.. i was under the impression that the 48” one comes with 3 tone lights as well.. anyway, think crestar is also a reliable brand for fans? Kdk seems to have one of the shortest warranty around.

@Diluted  Yea I supposed so,  it's quite a common brand and it's from Taiwan. The motor warranty is 10 years, while other parts of the fan come with one year warranty. KDK is only one year warranty IIRC. Just tried out my fans this evening, they are powerful yet quiet, quite happy with my purchase. 

Edited November 9, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 51

There's lots of progress this week! Went down to my new place to check out the lightings and ceiling fans, they have all been fixed up after the ceilings are painted. FINALLY there's lights and fans in my new place!!!  

All my lamps are purchased locally btw, didn't want to order them online as I wanted to see how the lighting looks like IRL. Another of my concern is safety issues, hence all my lights are sourced locally. 

 

 

I'm so in love with my rose gold pendant lamp! It's hanging over the dining table and serves as a great statement piece for the living room. I especially like the 'light shadows' that the lamp cast onto the ceiling. 

Price: $349.20 from Viva Nueva

 

 

This is how my living room looks like now! I love how the track lights' beam are spread out gently around the walls, thankfully no dark spots! 

Price: $24 for the 1m track, $34 for each of the LED bulb, all purchased from Chan Huat Lightings.

I'm so pleased with my Crestar fans, I chose the design with the largest bulb and the lighting is bright enough for the entire living room. The design is clean yet stylish. Performance wise, the winds are strong, but not too noisy at all, you will only hear a considerable loud noise when you turn to the highest speed. 

 

 

My Vento Fino II fan is also installed!! I love the fan so much, it's so cute! I didn't get to try out the fan though, I can't seem to fit the battery snugly into the holder?? 

 

 

My kitchen LED light strip is spoilt, got to bring them down to Chan Huat Lighting for an exchange. 

I got a very simple design lamp for my kitchen, so that it's easier to clean, since kitchen is full of oil and grease. 

Price: $282 from Chan Huat Lighting

 

 

My service yard LED lamp, similar model as the kitchen LED lamp, only difference is that it comes in a square shape. It's bright enough for the entire service yard. 

Price: $170 from Chan Huat Lighting

 

 

Also got a simple 'hamburger' design LED lamp for my bomb shelter, since nobody will see haha. 

Price: $48 from Chan Huat Lighting

 

 

Common bathroom downlights. I did not add LED tube inside the perforated ceiling panel. The right hand side is a bigger LED lamp which can toggle between day and warm light. The right hand side is a smaller one and it only comes in warm light I think. 

Price: $36 for the large downlight (daylight), $36 for the large downlight (daylight/warm light), $23 for the small downlight (daylight/warm light). I got all of my downlights from LC Lighting Centre. 

 

 

Master bedroom's bathroom downlights

 

 

Crestar fan for the master bedroom, it's the exact same design as the living room one, albeit smaller. The LED lamp is bright enough for the entire bedroom. 

 

 

Day light

 

 

Warm light

 

 

Crestar fan for the common bedroom

 

 

On a side, this is how my kitchen cabinet (laminates from lamintak) pairs up with the marble-like solid surface. yay or nay?

 

 

Edited November 9, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[Fishpokpok 1]

Hello! Which FSM did you engage, how much does it cost and what does the package consists of? (i.e. how many visits? how many times will he review your renovation plans? etc) 

 

Currently thinking if I should engage a FSM, would be glad to get some feedback! 

[flowersinherhair 2]

36 minutes ago, Fishpokpok said:

Hello! Which FSM did you engage, how much does it cost and what does the package consists of? (i.e. how many visits? how many times will he review your renovation plans? etc) 

 

Currently thinking if I should engage a FSM, would be glad to get some feedback! 

@Fishpokpok PM-ed!

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 54

It's weekend, time to visit my new house.. A couple of days ago, I bought some dulux testers to test out the colours that I have shortlisted. Decided to go with Dulux as I can purchase their testers to try, I notice that the catalogue colour doesn't really turn out to be as true as the ones painted. The colour testers can only be purchased on Lazada and they are having some promo right now, I got mine for about $4 each. Not all colours on the catalogue are available as testers though. 

 

 

 

My doors are installed!! I think these are nyatoh doors, all the doors (including door frame) will be painted white. 

 

Common bedroom

 

Common bathroom

 

Master bedroom

 

Master bedroom's bathroom

 

Close up of the handle, looks really sleek!

 

As you can see, I opted out bi-fold door for both the bathroom. I wanted a consistent look for all my doors, but I'm kinda worried that the bathrooms will be too cramped with the swing door. Major regrets now.    I checked with my contractor whether this kind of design door can be made into bi-fold or not, he said not possible and will be too heavy to fold?  Oh wells.... 

 

This will be how the doors look after painting into white.

 

For the past few times I dropped by, I have been wondering where's my storage tank (from Rheem btw), I remembered seeing it in the common bathroom and I don't see it nowadays.. It just dawned on me today that the storage tank has been boxed up... 

 

Just some random photos I took today..

 

 

Edited November 13, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 60

2 months since my renovation has started and my carpentry is still not in yet.. 

Anw, I engaged Maison Mod to replace my bomb shelter ventilation cover over the weekend. I only replaced the one above the bomb shelter door. The other has been covered up by the feature wall. I paid $140 for one cover. No more ugly ventilation cover!! 

 

 

The cover will blend in seamlessly with the wall once painting is done. 

Edited November 19, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 62

Service yard's windows are installed. 

 

Kitchen bifold door, love the design

 

I went to check out my bathrooms and to my utmost horror, the wrong shower screens were installed. OMFG!! 

I wanted the aluminium frameless kind (same like the kind in my 3Ds drawings) but there was a miscommunication and my contractor ordered the wrong one...

Common bathroom

 

Master bedroom's bathroom.. I wanted only 2 panels but became 3 panels... 

The panels are so plasticky and 'cheap' looking..... I'M SO UPSET NOW...  

 

Edited November 21, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 67

Carpentry started coming in since last week... Handover is proposed to be in 2 weeks' time, crosses fingers that everything goes smoothly, no more mistakes please.. 

 

 

 

Brandt hood and Brandt 2 in 1 microwave and oven, missing the Brandt induction cooker which has yet to be installed. 

 

 

I got all my laminates from Lamintak.

 

Workmanship is good.

 

Soft closing using Excel.

 

Countertop is not up yet, here's a photo of my sink which is gonna be undermounted. 

 

My Vento Fino II fan spinning in the background, wind is quite strong!

 

My service yard's sink, seems like the workers have to redo the cabinet as the tap cannot be placed right smack in the centre. 

 

 

Common bathroom. I got the 80cm huge mirror from IKEA. I feel very sad whenever I look at the shower screen. It won't be so bad if the contractor has fixed on a milky white frame (like the one that was done for the kitchen bifold door, the colour was perfect!), the pure white frame just look so out of place with the bathroom wall tiles.. 

 

 

 

Master bedroom bathroom, sighhhh.. the shower screen.. 

 

All my doors have been taken away to be spray painted.. White for all the bedroom and bathroom doors. Gray for the main door, hope the colours turn out fine. 

 

Edited November 28, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 69

Dropped by my house today and all my cabinets are in!! Yayyyy~~!! Photo galore!! 

 

First up, living room's display cabinet. I super love the cabinet but OMG... the hexagons are HUGE.. so much storage space wasted, I need lots of storage cos I'm a hoarder!! Small regrets, maybe I should have cut down to 4 hexagons instead, or included a plank in between some of the hexagons so that I can display more stuff..  

 

Is this ABS trimming? Not sure why some parts of the carpentry has the trimming done, but some doesn't have? 

 

Kitchen cabinets are fully done! My top cabinets and solid surface are all pure white but somehow on photos, it looks beige, must be the lighting.. 

 

i'm using this marble-ish like solid surface as my countertop and backsplash. It looks different from iquartz, for this solid surface, on close-up the marble-like print looks slightly blur and pixelated. I'm fine with it as the counter top looks okay from far and it doesn't have the yellowish-tone.  I also like how solid surface curves at the joint between the counter top and backsplash? I don't see any silicon applied to the joint at all!

 

Undermount kitchen sink. The sink looks smaller now.. 

 

Bottom cabinets

 

Top cabinets

 

Pipings are boxed up!

 

Drying racks.. 

 

Super in love with the under-cabinet lights!

 

I wanted to box up the pipings but my ID advised me against doing this as in the event of leakage, I have to tear down the entire cabinet to fix the leakage. Spoke to my contractor and he agreed to do it for me, his thinking is that chances of leakage won't be so high.. *crosses fingers*

 

My laundry sink! 

 

Common bathroom

 

White solid surface top for all my basins.. 

 

Master bedroom bathroom

 

I like all the small touches that my contractor suggested, eg installing a piece of plank near the entrance, display cabinet by the bed side, these are the little details which my ID did not brought up during the design phase.. 

 

My master bedroom wardrobe on the left and display cabinet on the right. My display cabinet is modelled after IKEA's Billy bookcase, hope it turns out fine. I modifed the cabinet to house my 32 inch TV.  My crestar fan has to be re-adjusted further away from the cabinet otherwise when I open the cabinets' door, the door will bang into the fan! 

 

I requested for storage drawers underneath my bed frame for me to store my bedsheets.

 

As I did not want to sleep under the beam, there was some space left by the side, so my contractor did a storage shelf for me to put stuff, it's not a lot of space, but every little space counts for a pigeon hole, need to maximize my storage space!!

 

My dressing table, it is very small in real life, it occupies a tiny space at the corner of the bedroom. The drawer is very shallow, I can't put much stuff inside.. 

 

Edited November 30, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 70

Dropped by my new place today again but unfortunately, there's nothing done to the remaining carpentry works, plumbers are coming down tomorrow to install the bathroom fixtures. My very first piece of furniture was delivered today! 

 

My TV console from Namu is 1.6m long, it's the maximum length that I can go considering the length of the wall available.  It is made of solid ash wood, love the pleasant wood scent..

 

I would prefer the 3 tiers drawer to be made into a single cabinet instead. So much storage space wasted... argh..

 

The wood grains are so gorgeous! 

 

Edited November 30, 2017 by flowersinherhair

[flowersinherhair 2]

Day 72

Counting down to handover day which is this coming Wed, super psyched! 

 

It's painting day! 

 

When I dropped by my house this evening, I saw my door was attached back, I approached the unit gingerly cos I was very worried that the door will look very out of place with the new colour, but oh boy.. I super love the grey colour, it's gorgeous!! I'm gonna have the gates and frames painted grey as well, hope the effect will turn out okay.. 

 

My bathroom and bedroom doors have all been spray painted to matte white, only left the frame and bomb shelter to be painted. The white colours made the walkway look so much spacious! The panels on the doors aren't that obvious anymore though. 

 

Super in love with the IKEA mirror!! It's a statement piece for this bathroom. And the best part is, it only cost me about $150. The mirror laminate matches perfectly with my cabinet laminate (same as the kitchen cabinet laminate)! See how the full swing mirror is blocking part of the basin, I can't close my door any further.. argh, major regrets, should have gotten a bifold door instead. I also got to be careful, cannot splash water on the door! 

 

All the hanging racks, shelves and hooks are tucked behind the full swing door.

 

Grohe tap for the common bathroom, it's the exact same design as the master bedroom bathroom.

 

Grohe shower system, and 2 tier rack from Song Cho. I'm very glad that the HDB tiles for my BTO project look okay, cos I don't have the budget to overlay the tiles!

 

Mirror for the master bedroom bathroom's vanity cabinet.

 

Grohe tap fixed!

 

Grohe rain shower system, super glad that my contractor advised me to take off the ventilation panels so that the bathroom can accommodate a tall rain shower system. The 3 tier rack is also from Song Cho. 

 

I need to get some plants and paintings to beautify the bathroom.. 

 

My kitchen is more or less done! My contractor removed the window panes (cos ain't nobody got time to clean those panes), and he replaces the panes with neat shelvings for deco stuff. 

 

My contractor also installed a single plank for the half cabinet side.

 

Grohe tap, so shiny! 

 

Hansgrohe tap for the mini service yard sink. I should have done the laundry yard cabinet with glossy laminate, instead of matte.. regrets regrets.. 

 

All the cabinet doors have been fixed up. This is how the hexagon display cabinet looks like, it's something different from what you see in most BTOs,  very pleased with the final design, I paid $1.6K for the design package, at least I got something unique from my ID. There were some variations from the finalised 3D designs though, eg the 4 panels are not of equal length, I also chop off the sharp corner on the extreme ends, kept to 3 colours for the hexagon laminates (save $$$). According to my contractor, the workers took a long time to fabricate this cabinet, probably due to the hexagonal construction, hence more challenging. Not sure why the cabinet door does not have the inwardly beveled edge for the fingers to wrap around on one side (I opted for no handles for all the cabinets as I wanted a minimalistic look, and handles might spoil), I notice that for some of the cabinets as well. There is also no ABS trimmings for the joints. Need to clarify this with my contractor. 

 

Common bedroom. Chose a blue colour for this side of the wall (Fountain Mist from Dulux). This photo shows the true colour of the lovely shade of blue. 

 

Sliding cabinet for the study desk. The blue colour here looks a lot darker in this photo. 

 

Likewise in this photo, the colours look darker here for both the wall and the laminate. The grains on the laminate is super gorgeous, immediately shortlisted this piece when I saw the display piece at Lamintak. My advice is... please go down to the show room to see the actual big piece laminate cos you can't really see the patterns and grains on the smaller size sample. 

 

Added a single plank for deco stuff, as well as a hanging rack for clothes. 

 

Lastly, moving on to the master bedroom. This side of the wall is painted pink, Misty Rose from Dulux. The shade is perfect! It's a very lovely shade of pastel pink, the exact shade I have seen in Pinterest. 

 

Master bedroom's display cabinet. Very pleased with the final product, I would prefer the white frame to be slightly thinner though.

 

My TV is hidden inside! There's a mistake with the cabinet. I should be able to slot in the two panels, so that the panels are not blocking my TV view. Also, I should be able to pull out the tray containing the TV (like the ones you see in hotels). Not sure why this was omitted.. hopefully the workers do not need to redo the entire display cabinet. 

 

I'm very pleased with all the laminates chosen. I got all my laminates from Lamintak, they have a good selection and huge pieces on display. For this piece of laminate, there's a 3D effect with the grains and eye figures, you can actually feel the eye figures kinda 'popping' out. It looks pretty cool in real life. 

 

Covers for the bedside cabinet. The cover does not come with a inwardly beveled edge, so it's very hard to lift the cover up. 

Edited December 2, 2017 by flowersinherhair