Home Sweet Home: Part 8 – Nearing completion

It has been almost 2 months since we have collected our keys. And I am pleased to say, we are nearing completion in about 2 weeks’ time. I can’t wait to bid this non-stop action goodbye as I am honestly feeling a tinge of weariness amidst the joy and excitement. Especially after today’s action-packed morning of rushing up on a taxi to open the door for the contractors and then rushing down back to city area within the next hour. I really wish to be able to move into our home and enjoy the fruits of our labour soon.

What are my reflections from this process? I just wished I knew how to do plumbing, electrical works, retiling, carpentry etc. all by myself, so I won’t be so helpless and have to rely on the contractors/vendors to do them for me. I won’t have to be repeatedly worry whether the workers will do their job well, or create more problems along the way. There won’t be the mindless game of waiting, just waiting for them to come by to fix that particular spot or tile for instance.

But really glad to have the support of my family and Mister along the way to help shoulder some responsibilities:) It is way too taxing to be handling it alone. Now I know why some people prefer to buy showflat units, because it is already nicely done-up and is in move-in condition.

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Home Sweet Home: Part 7 – Of colours, lights and grilles

I am so happy that our house looks nothing like its bare state anymore. For a start, no more plain white walls. And the lights have been installed. And yes, the grilles are up too. Not that I dislike the bare state of the house, in fact, I find it great and beyond expectations. But being able to renovate our house the way we want it to be, the feeling is just so great and amazing.

Colours

We decided to top up a small fee and opted for the Nippon Easywash series. Reason being, I wanted maintenance to be as easy and fuss-free as possible. We were told that for the ‘Easywash’ series, stains can be easily removed and this is definitely pleasing to know. That means no more grubby palm prints on the walls.

For our colour choices, I have to admit we were really bold. Maybe too bold with 5 different colours. Nonetheless and thankfully, they turned out well in the end.

We chose Barley White (8158) as our main (default) colour for the house. It is off-white with a strong tinge of yellow. While it turned out more yellow-ish than what we have visualised, the end product creates a cosy feel and is pleasing to the eyes. I have no doubts that the wood/brown furniture will blend in seamlessly.

Barley White goes really well with the Stream (8137) that we have painted as the contrasting colour for bedroom 3. I really like this shade of blue – while it is a few shades darker than baby blue, it is still bright and cheerful. Whenever I look at the wall, I can’t help but shamelessly fish for compliments from Mister for choosing this colour.

We painted the walls at the entrance and the dining area the colour Zing (8117) which is a bright orange. I read online that the colour orange lifts one’s mood and improves appetite. And I really wish that all our guests will feel happy in our house and have great appetite. I have just discovered that orange wall and warm light is one of the greatest combination of all time. And I’m not joking. It was pure ‘wow’ when we saw both in action for the first time ever.

As for the master bedroom, I would say it feels like a totally different world of its own. The pink and purple walls are so contrasting to the rest of the house. I chose Lightest Lavender (8180) with Carnation Petal (8189) as the contrasting colour. The end result, it feels like a princess’ room all in all.

Thanks to my obliging Mister, who never once doubted my colour choices even when I proposed the idea of an orange wall to him. He was very supportive and even reaffirmed me in those moments when I started to doubt myself and my choices before we saw the final product. Thankfully I didn’t disappoint and didn’t have to spend more money to repaint the house.

Lights

Our neighbours and friends have been raving about Tampoi Lightings in Malaysia for their cheap prices. We were almost set on a weekend trip to grab all our lightings from across the Causeway. Then one fine weekend (the same day we bought our Electrolux products), we came across a leaflet in on the floor about Ion Lightings. Since we were in the East, we decided to give them a chance and so glad we did. From the salesperson Wenlong, we managed to understand the differences between ceiling fans bought in Singapore and Malaysia – hooks and after-sales service. We found that the prices of the Crestar ceiling fans may be more expensive than Malaysia, it is very competitive compared to other local shops. More importantly, there was a suspend light to my liking (although I chose another one in the end). And since we wanted a one-stop solution, we decided to head back to Ion Lightings to purchase the lights the next weekend. Wenlong was really accommodating too. He allowed me to purchase a suspend light and split them up FOC into 3 individual lights for my balconies. He promised me brown base plates to match the lights and he really delivered his promise. He was also able to give good advice as to which lights are more suitable for each area. Since their rates for installation was very competitive, we arranged with them to do the lights installation as well. Their after-sales service was wonderful too. One of our track lights malfunctioned on the first day of installation and they are more than willing to do a 1-for-1 exchange with no question asked. Now the house is all brightly lit up, and we can spring surprise attacks at night now before we actually move in proper.

Grilles

This was something that we debated for a while whether to do it at this point in time, especially when we do not have an immediate need for it. But after hearing all the advices, we have decided to do it now together with the roller blinds and curtains to avoid hassles in the future. Yes, we are very concerned about hassles. Should we decide to do the grilles in the future, they will need to take down the blinds and curtains, and in the process of doing so, there’s no guarantee that the $3k blinds and $1.5k curtains will be perfect. And hence the final decision is, let’s do it now.

We got a quote from our MA-appointed supplier Specs Decor for the grilles (invisible and galvanised steel) and the roller blinds. We felt it is quite competitive as I have done quote comparison on each item with other vendors. And also, since we did the full package with him, he was able to give further discounts after we have confirmed. More importantly, he is able to coordinate his own timing such as a 2nd re-measurement of the roller blinds after the blinds have been installed to ensure higher accuracy.

One thing to commend is their service level. Before the installation date, I discovered that there is a problem with the installation of invisible grilles and blinds at one of the balconies. I immediately called the salesperson Mr Tan and he was quick to respond and did another on-site visit to explain to us the implications. While our concerns were unfounded in the end after the actual installation, I am most impressed with his customer-oriented service prior to the installation.

[Updated on 15 June 2016]

We eventually realised that the invisible grilles were actually subcontracted out to LeHome. And LeHome’s workers cracked a balcony tile during installation and kept silent on their mistake. I only realized it when I went down to inspect a few days later. I immediately complained to the salesperson to ask them to rectify their mistake. Good thing was, LeHome was willing to acknowledge and fix it despite the hassle of dismantling the grilles, replacing the tile and re-installing the grilles. Bad thing was, they created more problems along the way. There were 2 hours late for their original appointment. And for the make-up appointment, they spoilt another 2 tiles during the hacking process and replaced a total of 3 tiles, and scratched my balcony light when carrying long casings to my balcony. Very annoying indeed 🙁 Be really careful when these contractors and workers come by because they do not take care of your furnishings at all.

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Home Sweet Home: Part 6 – Electrolux Grand Slam

After last weekend, the number of Electrolux products in our house have exponentially increased from 0 to 7.

It all started when we have decided on our preferred washer and dryer from Electrolux. Hearing that there was an Electrolux sale last weekend, we decided to head down to see if we can secure a better deal for the washer and dryer. While they do have a huge collection of washer and dryer on display, they were either previously display pieces or rejected pieces (with dents/scratches) etc and comes with significantly-shorter warranty period if we were to get a brand-new piece. Alas, the prices of a brand-new washer and dryer weren’t the most attractive that we have been quoted.

But absolutely no disappointment at all, as we proceeded to sweep 4 household/kitchen appliances in a short period of time. An iron, a electric kettle, a stir blender (food processor/hand mixer/blender) and a PWP electric rice cooker.

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That’s not all. We were eligible to take part in a lucky draw having spent $200 and above and guess what, we won an oven toaster from it. Initially, we were thinking to ourselves “okayyyyyy, why do we need another oven in the house”, but the Electrolux staff were really excited for us insisting that it was one of the top prizes up for grab. But our mindset has changed 180 degrees after a conversation with Ivy. Guess my guests should be having some otah once in a while!

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No prizes for guessing the last 2 Electrolux products. Yes, we purchased the washer and dryer that weekend to complete our own version of an Electrolux Grand Slam. If only the oven and hood/hob that came with our kitchen were Electrolux’s as well, then the Grand Slam would have been even more grand.

I tried to Google online for some product reviews and noticed that Electrolux is lacking in this aspect. Once I get the chance to put these gadgets into action, I will consider writing some reviews along the way.

Photo credits: www.electrolux.com.sg

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Home Sweet Home: Part 5 – Ideas and brainstorming

Coming up with a theme for the house was easy and in fact, it came naturally. Our house is blessed with good natural lighting and this sets the tone for a Scandinavian-inspired theme with white and wooden elements. This also explains the reason for our purchase of a solid wooden dining table eventually. We have never wavered from this theme once it was decided. As our unit came complete with flooring, cabinets and sanitary fittings, the renovation works we have in mind were not extensive.

Scope of our renovation works:
1) A display/shoe cabinet at the entrance
2) TV feature wall
3) Storage bench for dining area
4) Kitchen cabinets in WC toilet
5) Study table in master bedroom
6) Electrical works (whole house)
7) Plumbing works (kitchen sink/WC toilet)
7) Painting (whole house)

What kept us from progressing in the initial weeks were actually our choice of contractor (a story for another day) and the ever-changing ideas for the TV feature wall and the master bedroom. For the rest, once decided, they were never changed.

I was really keen on having a TV feature wall because I always see it as the focal point of the house and I felt having one helps to enhance the theme of the house. While this is not an important factor, the TV feature wall can help to hide unsightly wires from a wall-mounted TV. And I never had one in any of my previous houses and I really wanted to have one when I finally and eventually can have a say. And I cannot be more grateful that my wish was granted in the end. Coming up with the design of the TV feature wall was challenging for me as well. I used Google images and the 3D drawings of the other ID firms as reference, and very importantly, I used a large chunk of visualization and imagination along the way. And I finally decided on the traits of my feature wall. It won’t be anything fanciful, just a simple full ceiling to floor feature wall with wooden laminate and a suspended console.

Our ideas for master bedroom is constantly evolving. Initially, we wanted to buy a mini table (width ~90cm) so that there will be sufficient walking space around the bed. Then after speaking to a contractor, we were sold on a built-in wardrobe/study desk idea, but eventually decided against it fearing that it may be too claustrophobic. Next idea was to build a 5ft study table perpendicular to our wardrobes instead. And that’s what we are sticking to at the end of the day.

There was also the debate on whether to have a fireplace next to the feature wall. Here I was feeling proud and hopeful of this amazing idea and childhood dream but it was mercilessly shot down by the contractor in less than 1 minute. Yes, mercilessly shot down but I will let it slide because he does make some sense on hindsight.

Most of the major defects have been rectified by the developer after repeated chasers in the past week. Our contractor came by last weekend and we have communicated our choice of painting and laminate. Works will be starting this week and hopefully everything will turn out well. *fingers crossed*

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3 years

3 years ago, we were blessed with a good queue number and thankful to have secured our choice unit. We signed the SPA which signified the beginning of our journey as proud homeowners, which unfortunately also marked the end of our financial freedom.

In these 3 years, much have happened in our lives, individually and together.

For me, I am still with the same firm but have completed a few more audit peaks. I have also started and completed the SQP programme in this period (thankfully). I have also picked up crafts along the years and love doing handmade gifts for occasions. I have also lost some weight alongside some eyelashes and hair. My eyesbags got bigger and my dark eye rings got darker. But physical changes aside, I feel I am the same self who continues to go gaga over dogs and bear plushies, and still am addicted to matcha latte and bubble tea.

Mister, on the other hand, started work at his new firm mid of last year and is fast approaching his 1st anniversary with the firm this coming July. He also ditched his spectacle frames after his lasik procedure last June and this allows him to show off his mesmerising double eyelids and deep eye sockets to the world. With or without spectacles, I love him 200x all the same!

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As for us, we got married at the end of 2014 (refer to ‘Wedding Bells’ series), and took a good few months to find that equilibrium of living together as 2 individuals with vastly different living habits. As with all other couples, we have our fair share of good and not-so-good days but we continue to enjoy each other’s company everyday, be it squeezing in late night iced lemon tea dates on weekdays or short grocery shopping dates on Sunday nights. We celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary last December at Boomerang and fast approaching the 1.5 year mark in 1 month’s time. 3 years on from committing to a house together, we have collected the keys, chosen a contractor and hopefully renovations will be starting soon.

So I was right when I said much have happened in our lives, wasn’t I? I wonder how the next 3 years will be like for me and for us and how different our lives will be then. If I can remember then, I will blog another time-check post 3 years later.

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Home Sweet Home: Part 4 – Shopping Time

I love shopping for furniture and appliances, especially when we get good deals! A few weeks ago, we have already started looking around for potential furniture and appliances. Both of us discussed about the requirements that are the must-have, good-to-have, and outright-no. Such discussion makes it an easier process to nail down the exact model that we are eyeing on.

We have purchased a few big-ticket items thus far: dining table, television and refrigerator and more to come!

Dining table

This was our first purchase for the house. I was keen on a 6-seater solid wooden dining table and one day after lunch, we popped over to Park Mall to have a look around. It was then I realized that 1) there are many types of wood – teak, oak etc and 2) solid wooden table is expensive.

Initially we had our eyes on a 1.8m oak table (quoted ~S$1.6k) from White Woods. The price was attractive but we wanted to have cooling off period to avoid any impulsive purchase. That very weekend, we popped by Knocknock at IMM and we were highly recommended a recycled teak dining table. The table has a groovy texture to it, and the concept of recycled teak is refreshing to us. The shopkeeper demonstrated that water remains as bubbles on the surface which gives us sufficient time to deal with it (regular oiling is recommended to retain such feature). However, the non-early bird price that we were quoted was above our initial budget. If you purchase via the early bird scheme, the table will arrive 4 months later, but the sweet part of the deal is that you pay the price of a 1.6m dining table instead of a 1.8m one. But the 4 months waiting time and not having a dining table till September didn’t resonate well with me.

Hence, I was swayed towards the original oak table and went down to White Woods the 2nd time to enquire more about the maintenance aspect after some online reading. The shopkeeper was very patient at answering my questions and I discovered that oak needs to be oiled regularly every 6 months to minimize damage from water stains and it was this fact that discourages me on placing the deposit. As I continued to venture around the basement of Park Mall, I discovered that SY Living (parent company of Knocknock) carries the same recycled teak dining table model and could offer us a more attractive price due to some promotion of the month. Besides they have ready stocks and can hold delivery till end June. And he actually reassured me that if I am really worried about water spillage, I could consider adding a glass top on the table. And he also explained that teak is much more suitable for our tropical climate since teak comes from tropical countries while oak comes from temperate countries. Hence after much thought, one day after work, I went to place the deposit for the 1st purchase of our house – a 1.8m recycled teak dining table! And I have separately customized a glass table top to go along with it for easier maintenance. Which it pushes up my actual spending on the dining table, and leaves me grotesquely over-the-budget, I believe in the long-term value of the glass top in ensuring easier maintenance and longer lifespan of the teak table. To the many parties that we will host with this dining table!

Television

Both of us didn’t know much about televisions so we enlisted the help of my brother-in-law who is much more knowledgeable in this area. We told him about our budget and preferred size (~50″). He recommended us a few models, with and without 3D function. Initially, we believe that we didn’t need the 3D function since we probably will never use it. Then last Saturday, we popped over to Best Denki IMM when they had some promotion and was given the opportunity to try the 3D glasses for the first time. While it was cool, we both felt that it was a good-to-have feature in our TV. The promoter quoted us a very low price for the Panasonic 49″ 3D 4k TV and we were like why not. Just when we were about to pay for it at the cashier, he discovered he has made an error and feeling disappointed, we left for the day to think about our decision again. So from this, we learnt that when the price is too good to be true, it is probably not true. The next day, after much deliberation, we decided to take advantage of the ongoing promotion and went back again. And this is when we realized things happen for a reason. On that Sunday, Best Denki had some crazy promotion, a Panasonic 55″ 3D 4k TV was selling for S$1,688 (I just checked, the lowest online listing price is S$2.3k) and on top of that, it comes with S$150 groceries voucher. How awesome was that. It was an almost an instantaneous go-ahead for us! So a bigger tv, with 3D features, at such a low price – we definitely felt like a king and queen walking out of Best Denki!

Refrigerator

Shopping for a refrigerator was definitely one of the easiest for us. I had very specific requirements – no water dispenser function, and it must fit all my Wilton cake carriers and KitchenAid mixing bowl. With such specific requirements, it was almost immediately that we narrowed our option to the Samsung model RT53K6257BS and the cool-looking Black Inox colour was a bonus. Its current listing price is $1,499 but last Sunday, since Best Denki IMM had some promotion – and we managed to get it at a more attractive price (slightly below $1.4k) and comes with other freebies such as a 16″ standing fan (perfect for Bedroom 3) and $150 groceries voucher. It could be partly because we bought the TV as well so we had more negotiating power with the promoters. Can’t wait for this black beauty to stand proud and tall in our kitchen soon. Yes very soon.

Bargain hunting can be tiring yet so fun. And we are looking forward to hunt for more good deals for our washing machine and dryer this coming weekend at the Electrolux sale. Wish us luck!

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Fit and Fab: Week 5 Update

Good news – I survived 5 weeks of BBG! Think about 5 weeks of 6am resistance trainings and lunchtime LISS trainings. I realized how true it is when people said it’s all about making adjustments to your lifestyle and I can’t agree more.

In terms of results, visually and personally, I really feel like I looked the same. Weighing scale indicates that I have lost 1kg. I probably should give myself more credit because every kg counts, isn’t it? Nonetheless, one of my friend commented that my face looked sharper. And my mum thought I looked slimmer. Perhaps other people are more objective than oneself 🙂

Anyway, I felt like I have become stronger. I find doing tricep pushups in Pilates easier than before. And I feel less tired after the Parc Oasis run. So all’s good I guess. I have to state my disclaimer though, I follow the exercise guide but not the recommended diet plan, so that may have affected the visual results that I am seeing.

Will I be continuing the BBG workout? For now, yes until one day I find my body not strong enough to continue the workouts with ever-increasing intensity. So let’s continue to push on with BBG then. 7 weeks more to go!

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Home Sweet Home: Part 3 – First peek of our house!

We collected our keys last Saturday, and I was so excited that I woke up at 530am and couldn’t fall asleep thereafter. As a result, poor Mister was woken up too and was only served Macs breakfast at 7am. Before that, we bought a $2.50 pineapple from the wet market which we have been looking forward to roll into the house at door opening! And on hindsight, that pineapple which I randomly chose was really sweet!

We sent Father to Japanese class and reached at around 930am. We initially intended to walk around the estate before our scheduled appointment at 10am. But before we could begin our self-guided tour, the MA representative ushered us into the function room and we started the keys collection procedure! Boy, there was some documents/checklists to sign and we got a luggage – a file with documents, a pouch with keys, and a bag of aircon remote controls. We were accompanied by a Frasers representative to our unit. We requested for him to let us roll a pineapple into our unit first and I got a 10sec video of Mister happily rolling it into the unit and shouting “Huat ah!”

The Frasers representative allowed us to have a first peek of our house before he continued with the handover process. We were like 2 excited kids zooming around the house to show each other our latest discoveries like, how we can really see the greenery which we have been hoping for and a larger area of the swimming pool than we had imagined. I love how our house is so bright and airy and we have fantastic views of the forest and the pool! And I can’t stop imagining how our house will look after renovation and I can’t stop thinking about living in the house and cooking/baking up a storm for Mister and the many parties I hope to host!

I can’t help glowing in the happiness that we have collected the keys to our 1st house together. I hope this happiness and excitement will keep me positive and optimistic as I wrestle with the developers on the defects and the contractors on the renovation. The process may not be the most enjoyable, but I know at the end of the day, we will have a beautiful house to look forward to where we will begin a new stage of our lives together!

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Home Sweet Home: Part 2 – Defects checking

We have finally made our appointment to collect our keys this coming Saturday! While we are super duper excited about taking the first peek at our house, we are aware of the administrative work that will follow closely – defects checking. My parent’s experience has been nothing pleasant so we are hoping for the best. We are not hoping for nil defects but rather not-so-serious defects which will be relatively easier to rectify.

I have been reading up on blogs to look at various ideas to effectively check for defects. More importantly, I hope to collate the items that we should bring along to aid us in the defects checking process.

Items to bring:
1. Masking/Coloured tapes – to stick on defective areas (coloured tapes help to state the order of priority – red: urgent; yellow: not-so-urgent etc)
2. Black markers – to number-tag the defects for easier tracking
3. Torchlight – to check on ceilings/out-of-reach areas
4. Stools – to check on out-of-reach areas
5. Coins/Marbles – to check on hollow tiles
6. Clorox Tru-Blu toilet bowl cleaner – the blue-coloured liquid makes it easier to identify water leakage during flushing
7. Pail/Broom/Mop/Scrub/Sponge – to clean the floor before checking for defects on the floor
8. Cleaning liquid (e.g. CIF/Mr Muscle) – to identify removable/non-removable stains
9. Camera – to take photos of the defects for recording and tracking
10. HP charger – to check that all electrical sockets are working
11. Spirit level – to check whether a surface is level

Great, now we are all set for the actual hands-on defects checking:

Things to look out for:
1. Flooring
-> uneven surface/uneven coloured tiles especially in corners
-> holes on tiles/unsightly gaps on tiles
-> hollow tiles

2. Windows
-> no cracks on glass windows
-> windows can be fully opened
-> operating window latches
-> no gaps with walls i.e. windows have been fixed properly

3. Cupboards/cabinets
-> no signs of water condensation (lumps on the inside)
-> no chip off
-> doors can be properly opened
-> no rusty latches

4. Walls
-> no cracks on walls
-> no bubbles (i.e. indicative of water leakages)
-> crooked walls (neighbours spotted a unit with crooked walls based on naked eyes)

5. Doors
-> all doors can be closed properly
-> door stopper in correct position
-> no signs of scratches on doors
-> no uneven colour tone

6. Power points
-> electricity can be switched on

7. Water points
-> water pressure
-> water leakage (e.g. around toilet bowls and sinks)
-> flooding (water cannot be channeled to drains)

To be continued.

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Home Sweet Home: Part 1 – Welcome!

My wedding journey was documented in this space, and I hope to be able to do so for our next milestone – the upcoming house renovation. We haven’t gotten our keys, but we are optimistic that it should be happening very soon.

We have looked and asked around some contractors, and have decided on the style and feel that we are looking to create in our house. Nonetheless, despite the ideas in our minds, our hands are tied at the moment since we can’t purchase any big item furniture (no matter how much we love it) until we have the exact measurements of our house. But hey, I have got the pots, plates and cutleries ready for the many house parties I am looking forward to host!

I am not idling away at the moment. I have the ‘Welcome’ board ready to greet the guests the moment they step into the house. The original board was bought during a summer trip to Furano, Hokkaido last year, but alas, some of the dried flowers started to drop since then. Lots of effort went into repairing the board so that I can save it from a fate in the rubbish chute – like the butterflies, ladybirds, ‘Life is sweet’, ‘Home sweet home’ etc. And I am definitely pleased with how it looks now. So happy and cheerful, exactly the way I want it to be.

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I recently completed the bouquet of crochet flowers over the weekend after much effort in sewing the buttons on, sticking green tape on the wires etc., and they looked lovely in the shades of pink, red and white.

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Can’t wait to complete more projects and showcase them the next time round. For now, I’m counting down excitedly to the keys collection day so we can go furniture shopping proper.

 

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