So you finally get into your home. Once you have gotten over the euphoria about your flat, let's talk about your next steps.
Check your letterbox. Mine had TV cables provided. And a metal tap head for ... I have no idea for what.
Bring something to sit on. The floor is very dusty. If your parents decide to come by on your first day, don't make them sit on the dirty floor. Chairs or picnic mats will be useful.
Bring brooms, a dustpan, a mop and pail. Doesn't hurt to clean up your new home on the first day right? Also it will help to clean up the floors for the next few steps.
Turn on the water. Go to the door outside your unit. My unit had one two doors, one for gas and one for water. Open the one for water. For my block, I share the same two doors as my neighbours'. So when turning on your water, take note which set of pipes are yours. DO NOT turn on the gas. Leave that for Citygas to handle.
Check your floors, walls and ceilings. After cleaning up the place, you need to start checking on everything. HDB gives you some time to complain about defects. So start checking! Check that there are no cracks in the walls and ceilings. Also take note, cracks can appear later, when your neighbours start renovating. HDB has a small office set up downstairs where you can lodge your complaints.
Test your floor tiles. This was the most exhausting part of my day. If you have chosen to have HDB provide tiles for your unit, time to get on your knees and start tapping. I used a pair of wooden chopsticks, and tapped every single tile in the house. Listen out for hollow sounds, to make sure the tiles are done properly, without empty spaces behind them.
Check the windows. Open every window in your home. Make sure they swing out smoothly. Check all the rivets to make sure there is none that are rusty or damaged. Remember, Singapore law is very tough on killer litter criminals.
Check the toilets. Flush. Make sure that works. You will need to check the small levers on the pipes. Make sure they are opened, to let the water flow. Then do take a your first dump in your new home!
Take note where the pipes are. Where the pipes are laid will directly determine what you can or cannot do in your toilets and your kitchens. You will also take note where the heater pipes are, cos that's usually where your heater will be installed.
Check the taps. They also have small levers under the basin that needs to be turned to allow water to come through. Please don't drink it immediately. Let the water run for a short while. Use it to fill up that pail for washing.
Check the power points. Do bring a extension bar that lights up when turned on. I used mine to test every socket in the house to make sure they all can provide power. Do check your power-box to make sure you have turned on the power for your home.
Check your gate. Make sure there are no ugly scratches on its surface. Some scratches are expected, but if yours are too big and obvious, let HDB know. They will send someone to file it off and paint over it. Do note that you might end up with bright patches on your gate, so complain with caution. I had one neighbour who just repainted his whole gate.
Bring an extra lock. HDB provided you with the keys to your home. However, when your contractor starts work, you will not be giving them your home keys. This extra lock will be what you pass to them. I used the lock to lock the gate, however, I did note some neighbours actually used bicycle chains as well for their gate. The keys to this extra lock will also be passed to the HDB office for them to do repairs to your unit.
Check your letterbox. Mine had TV cables provided. And a metal tap head for ... I have no idea for what.
Bring something to sit on. The floor is very dusty. If your parents decide to come by on your first day, don't make them sit on the dirty floor. Chairs or picnic mats will be useful.
Bring brooms, a dustpan, a mop and pail. Doesn't hurt to clean up your new home on the first day right? Also it will help to clean up the floors for the next few steps.
Turn on the water. Go to the door outside your unit. My unit had one two doors, one for gas and one for water. Open the one for water. For my block, I share the same two doors as my neighbours'. So when turning on your water, take note which set of pipes are yours. DO NOT turn on the gas. Leave that for Citygas to handle.
Check your floors, walls and ceilings. After cleaning up the place, you need to start checking on everything. HDB gives you some time to complain about defects. So start checking! Check that there are no cracks in the walls and ceilings. Also take note, cracks can appear later, when your neighbours start renovating. HDB has a small office set up downstairs where you can lodge your complaints.
Test your floor tiles. This was the most exhausting part of my day. If you have chosen to have HDB provide tiles for your unit, time to get on your knees and start tapping. I used a pair of wooden chopsticks, and tapped every single tile in the house. Listen out for hollow sounds, to make sure the tiles are done properly, without empty spaces behind them.
Check the windows. Open every window in your home. Make sure they swing out smoothly. Check all the rivets to make sure there is none that are rusty or damaged. Remember, Singapore law is very tough on killer litter criminals.
Check the toilets. Flush. Make sure that works. You will need to check the small levers on the pipes. Make sure they are opened, to let the water flow. Then do take a your first dump in your new home!
Take note where the pipes are. Where the pipes are laid will directly determine what you can or cannot do in your toilets and your kitchens. You will also take note where the heater pipes are, cos that's usually where your heater will be installed.
Check the taps. They also have small levers under the basin that needs to be turned to allow water to come through. Please don't drink it immediately. Let the water run for a short while. Use it to fill up that pail for washing.
Check the power points. Do bring a extension bar that lights up when turned on. I used mine to test every socket in the house to make sure they all can provide power. Do check your power-box to make sure you have turned on the power for your home.
Check your gate. Make sure there are no ugly scratches on its surface. Some scratches are expected, but if yours are too big and obvious, let HDB know. They will send someone to file it off and paint over it. Do note that you might end up with bright patches on your gate, so complain with caution. I had one neighbour who just repainted his whole gate.
Bring an extra lock. HDB provided you with the keys to your home. However, when your contractor starts work, you will not be giving them your home keys. This extra lock will be what you pass to them. I used the lock to lock the gate, however, I did note some neighbours actually used bicycle chains as well for their gate. The keys to this extra lock will also be passed to the HDB office for them to do repairs to your unit.
No comments:
Post a Comment