Cement Screeding

Despite what most people say about cement screeding done by HDB we decided to go ahead because we simply do not have the budget to pay our ID for cement screeding (HDB does cement screeding FOC for those who intend to laminate their flooring). Some people had complained about the long waiting time before the screeding is done. Others have had issues with the workmanship of the cement screeding.

The application process is pretty simple. All you have to do is to drop by the nearest HDB Branch Office and submit the application form. There is usually a queue so the waiting time is usually between 2 weeks to 1 month.

But we were lucky! Sel had submitted the form on 22 June, Wednesday and HDB did cement screeding for the 3 bedrooms while we were in JB today. We had dropped by to see the outcome but it was too dark to really see. Hopefully, it's nicely done. *fingers cross*

Masterbedroom

Parent's Room

Study/Guest Room

Touring Jade Spring with Jason

It's quite depressing going through our unit with Jason. We showed him what was planned where and most of the ideas that we have agreed with Gary will be change. In comparison, we much prefer the ideas given by Zhiqi and Kenny.

Well, since we agreed to give him a chance, we went along and view the other units at Jade Spring that he had worked on. Sel had recognised one of the unit as she has been chatting with the owner on MSN. It was Christine Yeo's house. Her house was quite well done. It's not perfect but the imperfections were quite minor. The other unit that he had worked on was not impressive at all.

He understood that we wanted to move in as soon as possible and promised to get back to us on his revised quote at his earliest convenience. Frankly, we don't know how much longer we can wait since we're almost sure that we're going to give Kenny a shot.

Quotations from the 2

OMG! Both ID firm burst our budget!

• Kenny from U-Home Interior Design quoted S$32k


• Zhiqi from Artrend Design quoted S$44k

Vin liked Zhiqi's ideas very much. Although all that she can provide us at this point of time is the quotation and the space layout proposal, she had went an extra step by putting post-its on a few magazines to show us a rough idea of the designs she had in mind for the space. Unfortunately, S$44k is just too much! Even if we're to compromise the designs/materials, it's unlikely that we can cut S$10k off the quotation. Then the effects might not be the same as what we've pictured right? If we have the money on hand, at least we can consider. The fact is we don't have such luxury!

After scrutinising both quotations, it clear that even the exact same item cost more with Artrend. Vin can't possibly force this through. And Sel was quick to point out that overspending will be a burden to the household. We still have a few big items to buy for the house. Plus, we both have more than enough good ideas/designs for the spaces.

Anyway, we're meeting Jason from Design36 tomorrow to view some of the units at Jade Spring that he had worked on. So let's see how it goes tomorrow...

Another Happy Buy

Most IDs' had told us that it's not practical to place our fridge, sink, hob and hood in the same row because it will limit our workspace in the kitchen. We're quite adamant about it especially we had bought a mini hob and hood (it's only 600mm wide!). So we're in pursuit for a mini sink as well. And it's not that hard to find.

From Choong Ying Pte Ltd

Undermount Sink (strainer not included) & Tap - S$500.00

They sell lights and fans as well and they had quite a variety too. After going around the warehouse a couple of times, we eventually settled on the lights below.

Ceiling Light - S$95.00
(Master Bedroom Welcome Light)

Hanging Light - S$165.00
(Walk-in Wardrobe in Master Bedroom)

Now, Sel wants a sink cover so that the sink can be converted into a workspace when not in use. Anyone knows where to get one?

Air Condition Installation

It took Gain City 1.5 days to complete the installation. It's quite well-done even if we say so ourselves! Although Sel was alone overseeing the installation, Vin was happy with the positioning of the air-cons. Sel, however, have doubts on the position of the air-con in the master bedroom.

She had seen most of the Jade Spring residence install the A/C on top of the bathroom door. That way, most of the A/C trunking is hidden or only exposed in the toilet. The current position might cause the A/C to be 3/4 blocked by the walk-in wardrobe and expose more of the A/C trunking. But Vin is quite adamant about the position. His point is installing the A/C on top of the bathroom door is too far from the bed. Oh well, it's done and over with. We'll have to live with it now.

Living Room A/C

A/C trunking through kitchen & service yard

Study/Guest Room A/C

Parent's Room A/C

Master Bedroom A/C

Toilet trunkings (Top - Master Toilet, Bottom - Common Toilet)

Compressors on A/C Latch

After the installation, we tested the A/C and realised we have overlooked the fact that we have only one isolator on the air-con latch. Gain City have advised against sharing an isolator for the 2 compressors as there was an incident whereby the circuit breaker caught fire after tripping a few times. Now, we have to call the electrician again to install another isolator. *Doink*

The Follow-up with Design36

Since we've paid a deposit, it felt wasteful to let the ID firm go just like that. So we thought why not see who's taking over our renovation and try to make do with it. We found out that Jason is the boss of Design36 and he'll be handling our renovation moving forward.

Our first impression is that he's a decent guy. But we don't quite feel comfortable with him. Some of the ideas that we had agreed with Gary initially have to be changed. Going through the quote with him made us realised that the quote that we had signed with Gary is quite messed up!

We were honest with him by sharing the fact that we're looking at other ID firms since we found out Gary had left. He understood and agreed that we should start from scratch. All he asked was that we give him a chance to show what he can offer, in terms of design, price and workmanship.

That sounds fair so we went with it although we were really upset with how Design36 handled Gary's departure. Let's just see how it goes.

Down to 2

After the first point of contact with the few ID firms at IMM and Balestier, we're pretty sure of who we'll end up with. To the IDs, the first discussion is more on requirements gathering. It's all about space planning, concept and our priorities. To us, it's about how the ID can help improve on our ideas and how they manage our budget to deliver the renovation.

Base on the first impression, we liked 2:

• Kenny from U-Home Interior Design (IMM)


• Zhiqi from Artrend Design (Balestier)

The reasons:

1. They're both open to our idea. As in they're very suggestive and yet they do not force their ideas on us.


2. They're both organised and meticulous when we were going through what we wanted on our floorplan.


3. There's somehow a chemistry.

Kenny had promised to provide us with a quote in just 2 days (which is impressive). Zhiqi will try to get back to us in a week (which is kind of the standard turnaround time). Anyway, we gave them the same ideas, budget and deadline. The ultimatum is we want to spend our Hari Raya this year in our new home.

Now let's hope that the price is right.

Shear Bad Luck

We had started planning for renovation for the longest time. The progress:

1. Keys - Collected


2. Electrical works - Completed


3. Air-condition installation - Scheduled on Friday, 11 June (as requested by our ID, Gary from Design36)

The only problem now is that Gary is uncontactable! URGH! What is going on? We've tried calling and messaging his mobile, calling his office line and have yet to get a response from him. We were initially angry. Then, we started to worry if anything had happened to him.

Later, we finally managed to get through to the office line and was told by the staff that he had left the firm. It's now time to PANIC!

Vin printed a few copies of our floor plan for us to scout for a new ID at IMM. So now we're almost back to square one.

What a Steal!

A few days ago we had browse around the lighting shops at Geylang to look for LED downlights for our living room. In the midst of it, Sel was looking for a suitable welcome light for our small foyer. It so happens that the one we both liked was with Swarovski Crystal and it wasn't cheap. Vin was tempted to get it there and then but Sel was quite sure she saw a lighting shop at Balestier selling mostly Swarovski Crystal lights.


True enough, they found the shop, it's Casa Nuovo. Spoilt for choice, we had our usual disagreement. It was sorted out maturely by a game of Scissors-Paper-Stone and of course Vin won. Here's what he chose:

Swarovski Melody Crystal 4 Reflex Luminaires - S$196.88

(Foyer Area Welcome Light)

Vin was grinning from ear to ear all night long. He was so pleased with the buy!


We actually found out that our fellow Jade Springer had bought the exact same lights for S$388.00. Gosh!

Unexpected Buy @ Funan

Window-shopping for us usually resulted in actual shopping so we thought let's go window-shopping at Funan. It's mostly IT stuff and we've got no intention of buying any IT related product. Oh well, we still ended up spending.

We stumbled upon Sony speakers at Challenger that sounded quite good and was within our budget. Vin was happy with the fact that we just bought the last 2 units available. We bought the Prolink wireless keyboard and APC surge protector from Challenger as well. Lastly, the Belkin surge protector was from South Asia Computer.

Sony SRS-D4 Speakers - S$60.00 x 2

(Master Bedroom & Parent's Room Speakers)

Prolink PCML-5308G Slim Mini Wireless Touchpad Keyboard - S$89.00

(Living Room PC)

APC Surge Protector - S$37.90

Belkin SurgeMaster - S$62.00

I Heart U XO XO

This song truly reflects how I feel on most days.


I know that I've been having a hard time managing my temper. I can blame it on the hot weather, stress and frustrations at work/home or you for just grinning foolishly at me. Whatever the reason for my outburst, I know that it's usually blown out of proportion so for that, I'm sorry.

Thank you for your tolerance and forgiveness.

I hope that you had enjoyed the cupcakes I made for you with love.

I <3 U
XO XO

Love,
Sel

Lights & Fans from JB

At the end of the day, we're 2 happy shoppers! The total damage is RM1,632.00.

From Tampoi Lighting Centre Sdn Bhd

Panasonic Inverter Ceiling Light - RM169.00

(Kitchen Light)Panasonic Inverter Ceiling Light - RM159.00

(Study/Guest Room Light)

KDK 15Y6 Ceiling Fan - RM478.00

(Living Room Fan)

KDK 14Y9 Ceiling Fan - RM278.00 x 2
(Master Bedroom & Parent's Room Fan)

We had bought our doorbell there as well (maybe we'll post the picture and the price another time). We wanted to buy downlights and switches from them but had decided to reconsider because of our budget.

From D-ONE Electrical Sdn Bhd

Hanging Light - RM270.00

(Dining Room Light)

We had bought Clipsal switches from them and it's so much cheaper than SG! We'll post some pictures and the total price when we have finalised on our electrical wiring works.

There are plenty of lighting shops in JB. There's one particular shop that we found very welcoming, Indah Lighting Gallery. Edmund who was attending to us sounds very knowledgeable and yet not pushy. In fact, we had found that they have one of the brightest LED downlight with a diffuser (and it's made in Taiwan) at RM330.00 per peice. If only we have the budget to get it! Sponsors? Anyone?

Splurged Again!

As if the total amount spent on the air conditioners earlier today was not enough, we went on a hunt for our hob and hood. Considering that our kitchen is uber small, we decided to go a more squarish hob which is smaller than what you see in most kitchen. Of all brands, we fell in love with Bosch. Oh boy, it doesn't come cheap!

Bosch PCH-615FAU Hob & DWW-062750 Chimney Hood - S$1,540.00

For sure there'll be no more spending today. Got to save some for tomorrow! We're heading to JB first thing in the morning to source for our lights and fans. Hope to be able to get good deals there. Wish us luck!

The Superficial Us

We've been looking for air conditioner for our house for the longest time! Most people had recommended Mitsubishi Starmex System 4 inverter. Some sales representative had tried to convince us to buy whichever brand that was the inhouse promotion just because it would be the cheaper option. But we had stick to our guns and bought the Panasonic Econavi System 3+1 inverter.

We love it for

1) the new design; it's silver in color, not like any other brands which is usually white.

2) it has the Econavi dual sensor which help reduce energy waste by self-adjusting the cooling power according to what is actually needed and thus saving energy.

3) it has a e-ion air purifying system with patrol sensor which help purify the air when needed.

Panasonic System 1 Inverter 18,000 btu/hr - S$1,540.80

(Living Room Air Conditioner)Panasonic System 3 Inverter 9,000 btu/hr - S$2,825.00
(3 Bed Rooms Air Conditioner)

Ok, some sales representative had mentioned to us that the Econavi dual sensor and patrol sensor could be or are just marketing mumbo-jumbo to buy us in. Also, it seems that we do not need an inverter air conditioner for the living room if we do not use it much. That would have saved us a few hundreds but we insisted that we wanted them. And our reason for it? We wanted the brand Panasonic and we wanted a silver color air conditioner. How much more superficial can we get?!

Welcome to Our Half Paid Flat

Vin took leave half day to collect our keys today. Sel fetched him during lunch time and we went straight to HDB Hub after that. We were there about 1 hour earlier than the appointment time and it took us about an hour to complete the whole process (i.e. bought our home insurance, finalise our HDB loan and collected our keys, opening of the SP services account). We grabbed a quick lunch at the nearby Fork & Spoon foodcourt before heading to our flat.

Entrance to Living Room

Storage Area

Kitchen & Service Yard

Dining Area

Living Room

Us by the living room window

Study/Guest Room

Parent's Room

Common Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Floor Plan

All the rooms are about the same size. The master bedroom is bigger because it's longer. If the pictures give you the impression that rooms are small, that's because they are really small. You can barely fit a queen-size bed in bedroom 1 and bedroom 2. Vin's parents will probably have to walk "crab-style" in their room! Nonetheless, we're happy with the flat we've chosen. We still get a bit of the park view that we wanted.

Gosh, the feelings we felt today is undescribable!

For Our Mothers & Aunties

It was a last minute arrangement. Sel's sister, Jah had been messaging all her cousins all afternoon to finalise on the time, place and booking of the karaoke room.

Dinner was taken care by Sel and her brother Mili. They could call for delivery for had to do KFC takeaway. The beautiful cake is courtesy of Sel's cousin, Yana.

Happy Mothers Day!

More pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/vinz.selz/MotherSDayCelebrations2011

There was singing and screaming, clapping and whistling, dancing and jumping. Everyone had a blast! Perhaps this will turn into an annual affair?

Is it Finally Ready?

We've been following the Jadespring Yishun group on FB since we knew it existed. Waiting for our BTO flat had been a see-saw of emotions. It's been a joy to see the building progress in the initial stage. It's been depressing for us to watch Phase 2 being completed earlier. In fact all our neighbouring flats are ready. Some are in the midst of renovation while others have already moved in. It's been a humbling experience to realise that S$219,800.00 can only get you a 92 sq m 4 room flat that can barely accomodate to a family of 3 generations. To be honest, we're not so concerned about the price of the flat but rather the size.

Nonetheless, we're still excited with the idea of having a place of our own. It just feels different to buy something with your own hard-earn savings. There's this sense of satisfaction/acheivement.

Today, someone from the Jadespring Yishun group on FB (who is on the same block as us) posted that they have received their appointment letter from HDB to collect their keys next week. It dawn on us, "could it finally be our turn as well?"

The answer to that is YES!!!

Sel couldn't stop grinning that day.

Draft of 3Ds by Gary from Design36

It's the right concept but not the colors we wanted. Anyway, it is just the first draft so there will be a lot of work to be done on it.

Foyer - Hidden Household Shelter & Full-height Cabinet

Living Room - Feature Wall & Sette

Dining Area - Hacked Half Wall for Tempered GlassKitchenCommon Bathroom - Vanity Top & Shower ScreenParent's Room - Mini Feature Wall & ShelvingMaster Bathroom - Vanity Top & Shower ScreenMaster Bedroom - Mini Feature Wall & Shelving

Actually, we've been liaising with them since November 2010 but we're uncertain as to when the keys to our home will be handed over. The first-two draft of the 3D designs are kind of overdue since we had paid our deposit of S$1,000.00 in January 2011!

Home Theater System

Vin has been eyeing to get this for awhile now. He's been to the CourtsThe regular retail price is S$999.00. We were quite hesitant to get it at the Courts Megatex Expo 2011 because we were hoping to get a better deal for it. Oh well, S$100.00 lesser is better than none!

Yamaha Sound Bar YHT-S400 - S$899.00

(Living Room)

Not the cheapest and not the best, but it will do!

Wig-titude!

Family fun at the Costa Sands Resort Pasir Ris (while the kids are playing in the swimming pool).