Renovation progress - Part 3

Finally the carpentry work is more or less completed....

However we noticed that the dishwasher was not installed correctly. This is how it ended up...the bottom part of the dishwasher dangling! It turned out our carpenter do not know how to install a dishwasher and neither do our ID! We asked our ID and carpenter to visit the Harvey Norman store where we bought our dishwasher so they could see how it was installed and the sales person who sold it to us informed us that he will be able to explain to our ID in detail. Both our ID and carpenter were extremely reluctant to go and we ended up going to Harvey Norman showroom ourselves and took photos and instruction for our ID as we were not willing to delay the project any longer. So much for counting on our ID to go the extra mile!!! This small issue caused us so much stress. But in the end we managed to get it fixed.

More pictures! :)

We bought a new hydroculture plant (maintenance free) for the balcony.

Renovation progress - Part 2 (Carpentry)

Due to the tight schedule my ID assigned 2 different carpenter to work on my home. One carpenter will be doing the kitchen and bathrooms (light colour laminate). The other carpenter will work on the two bedrooms (dark colour laminate).

Kitchen

Kitchen/Fridge area

Common bathroom

Study cum guest room

Custom desk

Master bedroom wardrobe

Renovation progress - Part 1

The cove lights are done, aircon and dining room mirrors installed...looking good so far! When we bought our apartment there were 2 units of air-conditioner located in the living and dining room. We removed the both air-conditioners and installed one brand new 18,000 btu unit.

Another view of full length mirror, strategically placed on this part of the wall so light could reflect off the mirror and make the dining area looks more spacious. Marble flooring of the living room has been polished till it gleams.

Study cum guest bedroom parquet flooring sand and varnished. We kept the natural colour of the parquet and decide against tinting it a darker shade, which we wanted to originally.

Master bathroom shower screen, bathtub and glass window installed. Loving the bathroom.

This is where rain shower will be installed!

Veneer Doors

Choosing the right type of door for your home is very important. You may wish to save some cost in selecting a hollow door but be prepared...a hollow door has the least sound proofing. If you are watching TV in the living room and your partner is trying to get some sleep in the room, even with the door closed...he will be disturbed. Of course a solid door is not 100% soundproof, but it will definitely help to minimize noise.

We selected veneer solid doors for our bathroom and bedroom. We choose veneer as we think it will give our apartment a more modern look plus there are many options to choose from...you will be spoilt for choice (different colours and woodgrains).

Tip: Make sure your ID indicate in writing the type of door you will be getting (solid, hollow etc) in the contract.

When our doors were installed we were given hollow doors. We discovered this as we found the door suspiciously light...so light that it is impossible to slam the door shut on it's own. Another way to check is to knock on the door, you will know if sounds hollow. Our ID insisted solid doors were installed but eventually admitted that they made a mistake and agreed to change the doors.

We highly recommend you to find time to visit the door supplier of your ID...at least you could speak directly to the sales staff and request them to show you the different types of door, hollow, semi-hollow and solid. This way when your doors are installed you will know exactly what type of door it is.

Tip: When choosing coloured veneer, that what you see on the sample sheet will not turn out exactly the same on actual door. After varnishing, the colour will turn at least a few shades darker.

We selected this colour for our doors. Notice how much darker the actual door turns out?

Below are the pictures of the doors we have installed for our home :)

Master bedroom door

Study cum guest bedroom double door

Top 10 Furniture / Lifestyle stores

1. Air Division

Photo credit: We love air

Our personal favourite (we bought a few items from here). We love every almost everything we see at Air….now if only budget is not a concern :)

http://www.weloveair.com/siteAir/

Address: 28 Wilkie Road, #01-01 Sophia Flats, Singapore 228051

Tel: 6336 0662

2. Commune

One of our personal favourite store as well. Features affordable, modern, wooden furniture.

http://www.thecommunelife.com

Address: Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-52, Singapore 039596

Tel: 6338 3823

3. Lorgan’s

Best known for its retro furniture and vintage accessories. We saw a few furniture that we liked from here and a plus point is they provide customization.  

https://www.facebook.com/lorgans

http://www.lorgansdesignsource.com

Address: Century Warehouse, 100  East Pasir Panjang Road #01-03, Singapore 118521
Tel: 6272 4988

4. XTRA

Beautiful modern furniture (especially their range of outdoor furniture) with a huge price tag to match. Look out for their annual sale which sees some of their furniture at 50% off (don’t be surprised if you still see a four figure price tag even after discount).

http://www.xtra.com.sg

XMAS SALE from 14 November to 31 December 2014 

Address: Killiney Road, #01-01/02, Winsland House 1, Singapore 239519

Tel: 6836 0288

Wardrobe division by XTRA
New wardrobe division located at Winsland House 2, #01-01
Tel: 6737 7288

BOFFI Studio by EXTRA

Showcase BOFFI kitchen, storage and bathroom collection. The showroom features a very modern, clean look in mostly black and white concept. Visit just for inspiration – very high price as well.

https://www.boffistudio.sg

Address: 123 Penang Road #01-13 Regency House Singapore 238465
Tel: 6836 5088

5. Grafunkt 

Lovely collection of wooden furniture with a modern look.  

http://grafunkt.com 

Grafunkt is having their 2014 year-end sale now!

• Swish table collection 25% off
• 30% off Bel bed and Aise table
• GUBI - 30% in-stock items

Address: 85 Playfair Road, #02-01 Tong Yuan Industrial Building, Singapore 368000

Tel: 6281 8465

6. Picket & Rail

www.picketandrail.com

Address: City Square Mall Showroom, 180 Kitchener Road, #03-42, Singapore 208539

Tel: 6509 8390

7. Bo Concept

Contemporary, modern furniture.

www.boconcept.com/

Address: 290 Orchard road, Paragon, #04-01, Singapore 238859

Tel: 6736 0777

8. Barang Barang

http://natural-living.com.sg

Address: 9 Raffles Boulevard, #03-343, Marina Square, Singapore 039594

Tel: 6338 7040

9. Life Story

http://www.lifestorey.com

Address: Great World City, #02-15, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994
Tel: 6732 7362

10. Hock Siong & Co

Pre-loved furniture from five-star hotels, show flats and we were informed that the good stuff are snapped up very quickly. Do check their Facebook for regular update.

http://www.facebook.com/hocksiongco

http://www.hocksiong.com.sg

Address: 153 Kampong Ampat, Junjie Industrial Building, #01-03, Singapore 386326

Tel: 6281 8338

Favourite Home Accessories Store

1. I Wanna Go Home

Picture credit: I wanna go home

Address: Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Road Promenade, #01-35/36, Singapore 237994

Website: www.iwannagohome.com.sg

2. CB2 

Photo credit: I-S

Address: 178A, Peranakan Place, Orchard Road, Singapore 238845

Tel: 6732 5333
Website: http://www.cb2.com/

3D Drawing ~ 2nd draft

Our ID made the changes as per our request and below are the amended 3D drawings with some more minor changes to be made:

Actual door to the yard is white & not brown.

There should be a full height cabinet so the rubbish chute is hidden.

Master bathroom door should be in white with frosted glass.

Wooden window blind should be in white colour.

Inner shelving of bookcase should be in brown colour.
Double door in brown (same colour as parquet flooring).

Kitchen work triangle

If installing a new kitchen is part of your renovation plan, think hard about how the kitchen is going to be used. Do you need a full traditional kitchen if you mostly eat out or do take-away?

Tip: Do keep in consideration the kitchen work triangle when designing your dream kitchen as this will help to facilitate a smooth flow.

The idea of a kitchen work triangle is to to place the three most used work areas mentioned below with a good distance apart so as to minimize traffic through the work zone: 

• Refrigerator - storage area
• Sink - cleaning/preparation area
• Stove - cooking area

If the work areas are far away from each other you will lose time while preparing a meal. If they are too close together you will have a cramped kitchen and it will be difficult for another person to pass through or work in the same kitchen.

My challenge in designing my new home kitchen is to work with whatever tiny space that I have and make my small kitchen fully functional. Below is my kitchen work triangle:

Due to space constraint, I designed the kitchen layout such that the oven will be below the induction hob. The dishwasher will be next to the oven and then there is the sink. We settled for a small stainless steel Reginox sink as we wanted to purchase a dishwasher. Both of us hates to wash the dishes and our Bosch dishwasher has been a lifesaver!

For those who thinks dishwasher is not practical and does not clean so well, this is totally untrue! As long as you rinse leftover food from the plates right after a meal and before you put it in the dishwasher, they will come out looking sparkling clean :) Cooking and cleaning up has never been easier. 

Song Cho stainless steel dish rack - 430mm x 260mm which we purchased. We got a small rack as washing and drying of utensils, pots, pans will be done by the dishwasher, so there is really no need for us to have a big dish rack.

We went to many stores looking for our kitchen appliances such as Best Denki, Courts, Hoe Kee however we found the best bundled deal at.....Harvey Norman Millenia Walk.

Harvey Norman has such huge collection and variety of the appliances. We got a good discount plus Brandt was having a $400 cash back promotion. In the end we got Bosch oven, dishwasher, hood and Brandt induction from Harvey Norman.
  
I have always preferred induction stove over traditional gas stove, reasons being:

• It is extremely quick and easy to clean after use as it is just a flat surface, you just need to give it a good wipe and you are all done!
• Water also boils much faster, food cooks perfectly on all sides, aesthetically it looks nicer....did i mention there is a child-lock safety as well?

There are just so many reasons for me to choose induction :) We spent a lot of time looking for a good induction within our budget as we did not realize that induction could cost so much!

Our Brandt induction hob

For those out there who are interested in induction hob but unsure if you should settle for ceramic hob as it looks the same as induction but cost much less,you may wish to read on.

Both induction and ceramic hobs are made of hard wearing glass. That is where the similarity ends.

• Ceramic hob has an element under toughened glass which starts heating up the zone as soon as you switch it on. The zone will glow red according to the heat level chosen.

• An induction hob heats up only when a ferrous pan is placed on it. As soon as the pan is removed (or when the zone is switched off) the heat generation will stop.

• Induction cooking is a lot more energy saving than ceramic cooking as heat is generated only through the area that is actually touching the pan. The induction zone will automatically switches off when the pan is removed.

• An induction zone will immediately adjust power output when you change the setting to a higher or lower level. Ceramic zone however takes much longer to heat up or cool down. As a result, induction is much quicker than ceramic or even gas.