Ahh.. The master bedroom. The place where I will spent a third of the rest of my life sleeping in. That's if I do get to sleep a full eight hours a day. Which usually does not happen. But anyway...
The mattress is not cheap, but worth splurging on. How good your mattress is, will strongly impact how well you sleep and thus affect your overall health. So you must have a good mattress. Decide with your spouse, are you looking for soft or hard mattress. Mine was Nightingale from Cellini, as it was bundled together as a package.
How big your mattress is depends on the size of your room. Make measurements of your room so you know what size of mattress you can actually fit in. Decide how you want to place your mattress, and what is the space available on the sides of your mattress. Also take note your bed frame will also take some space as well. My master bedroom can only fit in a queen sized bed. One very interesting fact I learnt! Mattresses are not all equal in size. Queen size in Singapore is different from Queen Size in US. So take note of the actual size you are getting, instead of just relying on the term "queen size"
Bed frame with storage space is very useful. I have to admit, one of the criteria when I was out picking my bed frame, was that it should have space underneath to store things. So I finally decided one that allows me to lift up the whole bed to get to the storage space beneath. It is also a frame from Cellini as it is part of their package. I do have one regret, is that though the whole frame has hydraulics to help with the lifting, it still takes a fair bit of strength to lift it. Which means when I get older, I'll probably have problems with the frame.
A dressing table for the lady of the house is very important. This is the corner where the wife will do magic and transform into a beautiful woman. Make sure she have space to place all her make up and creams. Include a huge mirror for her to prim herself at. And make sure you get her a comfortable chair.
The "TV in the room" decision. I had mixed reactions when I told people I had mounted a TV in the master bedroom. Some says it's a great idea, others say it should never be in the bedroom. I guess the decision is up to you to decide. It will be a distraction at the end of the day, when you want to sleep where your other half prefers to watch a late night show. Make sure the two of you are in agreement on whether to have a TV or not.
I had mine mounted on the wall, because with the Queen sized bed in place, we only have walking space left for that side of the room. I picked up a wall mount frame from Courts. Had to really look for it as it was hidden in a corner of the store.
The wardrobe have to big enough for both you and your spouse. Generally speaking, ladies have more clothes than guys. It is hard to look beautiful if you only have a set of clothes for each day of the week (that would be my style). But anyway, make sure you have space to hang clothes, and space to place clothes that you fold. Some small drawers to keep your belts and accessories. Locked cupboards are useful for things that need to be under lock and key.
A full length mirror is always useful in a bedroom. I find this very useful for me to check myself after I got dressed for work. I can make sure that the tie is straight or that my hair is combed properly.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Friday, 28 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - Bedroom 3
Bedroom 3 is to be the study room. It will be where I will spend most of my time when I am on my laptop. So let me get started with what I did here.
Have a study corner built. Since this is the study, I need to have some space to place all my folders with my bills and letters. So shelves are needed. And some cupboards to keep stuff. Table space for placing the laptop and desktop. And drawers to sweep everything on the table into. Your contractor should be familiar with study room designs. Let him show you what he can do.
Have enough power points to power everything. This bit was something I left out. A study room have many things to power on. I had to buy 2 power extensions to provide enough three-pin sockets for all the electronic devices.
What if someone wants to come over to stay for a night? Having a sofa bed, lets you have a place to sit, and doubles up as a bed when you need one. Same things to look for in a sofa, e.g. fabric, texture, etc. One thing to note is that since it is a sofa-bed, it is bound to have moving parts. This means you better get a good one, or else it might just get rusted in place by the time you use it. Don't get those one-seater sofa beds. Those are just too narrow for anyone to sleep in.
My wife and I decided to have a sofa bed in the home even before we gotten the flat. So we looked at sofa-beds at IKEA, Courts, and a number of other places. Nothing really caught our fancy. Until Cellini, the place where we gotten our dining table and sofa, had an offer on Flow Sofa Bed. My wife loved it on first sight. She loves it, we buy it.
Extra storage space always helps. I also included two IKEA BILLY cupboards to place our CD and DVD collection. Gotten an extra shelf so that I have four shelves each. I bought a pair of glass doors for one first, and realised it did not look really nice. So instead of buying another pair of doors, I gotten two Doraemon doorway drapes to cover up the front. Unique two of a kind cupboards, done!
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Renovating your HDB Flat - The Bathrooms - The Bath Tub
The single most expensive thing in your toilet might be the bathtub. If you like to have long relaxing soak in hot steamy water, this is your chance to invest in a bathtub for your own home. Why do I call it an investment? Because it can be quite expensive and you might end up not using it often. Questions you want to ask yourself include..
Do you want a jacuzzi or a simple bathtub? For jacuzzi, you need to have power going into the tub. And their sizes are usually quite big and might not fit in most HDB toilets. But of course, they are the pinnacle of luxury living But then, having looked at quite a number of jacuzzi, I decided to just stick to a normal bathtub. Jacuzzi are just too expensive for me to afford!
Do you want a free-standing tub or a build-in tub? A free-standing bathtub means I just need to move it into place and have a plumber hook up the pipes underneath, to the drain. A built-in bathtub, means I need to have my contractor build the cement base for me to slide in the bathtub from the top. I picked a free-standing tub, even though it is more expensive overall. This is because if one day I need to throw it away in the future, I can just rip and throw.
What materials are there available? A decision that you might have not thought of, is what material is the bathtub made of? Typically in Singapore, you will see acrylic or fibreglass bathtubs. The material will determine the quality of the bathtub but will also push the costs up, so you have to strike a balance on what you want.
What materials are there available? A decision that you might have not thought of, is what material is the bathtub made of? Typically in Singapore, you will see acrylic or fibreglass bathtubs. The material will determine the quality of the bathtub but will also push the costs up, so you have to strike a balance on what you want.
Can you actually move it in? Make sure you have space to move the tub into place. This includes your main door, corridor and toilet door. Most bathtubs will not be easily moved into place. Your bathtub's length should not be an exact fit for your bathroom's walls. My bathtub almost did not make it into my bathroom. Took a lot of manoeuvring to get it in place.
You should still have some leeway on the edges or else you will have problems fitting it in. Also take note that the toilet bowl and the shower will also get in the way of installing your bathtub. And if you end up with a bathtub too small to lounge in, then you're better off without it!
Consult your contractor. Discuss with your contractor on whether he can help settle the bathtub installation. Ask for his opinion as he may have experiences he could share, which can help you guide your own decision.
You should still have some leeway on the edges or else you will have problems fitting it in. Also take note that the toilet bowl and the shower will also get in the way of installing your bathtub. And if you end up with a bathtub too small to lounge in, then you're better off without it!
Consult your contractor. Discuss with your contractor on whether he can help settle the bathtub installation. Ask for his opinion as he may have experiences he could share, which can help you guide your own decision.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Renovating your HDB Flat - The Bathrooms
Honestly, the two toilets are ready to be used from day one, because HDB already provided the toilet bowl, the basin and the shower. So what I cover now will be the extra stuff you might want to use to fill your toilet with.
Shower head is still changeable. If you really don't like the HDB shower head, feel free to change to something else. I did spot a few nice ones out there, but decided to hold off buying a new head, since I have not even started using the one provided. So far, the HDB shower head is very functional, but does not have all the fancy features you can find outside.
Shower head is still changeable. If you really don't like the HDB shower head, feel free to change to something else. I did spot a few nice ones out there, but decided to hold off buying a new head, since I have not even started using the one provided. So far, the HDB shower head is very functional, but does not have all the fancy features you can find outside.
Thinking of where to place that toilet roll holder. Since I'm a practical person, I picked one that offered some water protection from times when I need to wash the toilet. Honestly, I spent more time thinking where to place the holder than picking the holder. For both toilets, I picked places away from the shower and reachable from the bowl. This might surprisingly be difficult, depending on your toilet layout.
Take note of those red and blue tapes. Your bathroom will also have all those red and blue tapes to show you where the pipes are behind the walls. Make sure you take note of them, to avoid hitting them in the future.
Take note of those red and blue tapes. Your bathroom will also have all those red and blue tapes to show you where the pipes are behind the walls. Make sure you take note of them, to avoid hitting them in the future.
Keep up with modern toilet designs by having a bidet spray. This is one thing I see in many homes. And it doubles up nicely as a water spray for times when you are washing your toilet. You will also need to buy a valve to control the water strength. They do not always come together.
Picking your shower rail and curtains. I recommend getting the GÖMMAREN shower curtain rod from IKEA. It's decent and with it's three rods, you get to choose the length and the shape. You might need to saw off part of the rod if the original lengths are not what you need. And if you don't like the curtain designs at IKEA, you can still buy the curtain from other places. One option that I have considered is buying an adjustable rail from Toyogo. It is good for those rails where you require a straight bar, placed between two walls. However, for my requirement, I needed a L-shaped bar, so I went with IKEA.
Of course you also need a place to hang your towels. Just make sure you have enough rails to hang everybody's towels. You will also enough space to place your clothes. One interesting option is to get railings where you can adjust the length. However, I always believe that the less moving parts there are, the less likely I need to replace them in the near future.
I always liked to have a little space above my basin to place stuff. Having a glass shelf above my basin, gives me a place to put my spectacles when I shower. It can also hold your toothpaste, facial creams, etc..
Mirror cabinet to provide a place to hide all your toiletries. I needed a place to keep extra toilet rolls so that one can get more rolls within the toilet when one runs out of paper. The cabinet also have all my spare tubes of toothpaste, spare facial wash and hair gel. It's a great idea to have some space in the toilet. I picked up two LILLÅNGEN mirror cabinets from IKEA.
Have a shower shelf to hold your soap and shampoo for easy access. In the corner of my toilet where the shower is, I have installed three metal shelves to allow me to stack in my shampoo and shower bottles.
I chose nice metallic shelving for the master bedroom toilet. After installation, one regret I have is that I did not space out my shelves far enough. I have one shower bottle that just barely squeezes into the shelf space.
For bathroom 2, I picked up one GRUNTAL Shelf set from IKEA when it was on discount.
I chose nice metallic shelving for the master bedroom toilet. After installation, one regret I have is that I did not space out my shelves far enough. I have one shower bottle that just barely squeezes into the shelf space.
For bathroom 2, I picked up one GRUNTAL Shelf set from IKEA when it was on discount.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Renovating your HDB Flat - Filling up the rest of the home
What else did I had to buy? Surprisingly quite a fair bit. I will not talk about the daily essentials, like toilet rolls, etc... but things that are important and useful to a home.
GENERAL
Rubbish bins. One for every room. IKEA bins are the best! But I did get one that comes with a lid for the kitchen, so that I can keep the cockroaches and flies out. That one came from Toyogo.
Plastic Chairs. For those occasions when you are planning your house-warming. Grabbed twelve stackable chairs from Toyogo.
Metal Ladder. For the times when the light goes out and you need to replace the bulb. Got mine from Giant.
Power Drill. You will need this for any handy work that needs to be done around the home. The problem is though you will not use it often, which makes buying one a difficult decision. Thankfully, my dad has one, so I just borrowed from him. Thanks dad!
Blu-Tack. It is amazing how useful this putty is. Absolutely a must have for everyone.
Foldable Table. For that big party you promised your friends once you have your own home. I got mine really cheap at NTUC Fairprice.
Cordless Phones. How else to make phone calls while walking all around your home? Starhub or Singtel would have provided a free land line for your home with your subscriptions. Just plug in your cordless phone and you are good to go. I grabbed a pair of them from Courts.
Cordless Phones. How else to make phone calls while walking all around your home? Starhub or Singtel would have provided a free land line for your home with your subscriptions. Just plug in your cordless phone and you are good to go. I grabbed a pair of them from Courts.
KITCHEN
Aluminium Splash Guard Sheet. Use these around your stove area to keep the splatter from cooking oil from splashing all over your kitchen. You can find these in big supermarkets like Giant Hyper and Fairprice X-tra.
Hot Thermal Airpot. This lets you have access to hot water when you want it. Pick one that does not use electricity so as to save electricity. But that also means you will need to boil water to pour into it. I bought mine at OG.
Cup stand. I got myself a cup stand that allows me to place six cup, inverted. I figured that will let the cup drip dry, and not collect dust inside. Bought it at either John Little or Robinson Expo Sale.
Mini Toaster. Needed to heat up those egg tarts cos they only taste great when hot! Bought this at Cornell Warehouse Sale.
Rice Cooker. Duh. Unless you don't eat rice. I got this free! Or more accurately, I got two of them for free. Somehow families seem to have a spare one lying around for years.
Hot Plate. This is totally optional. I got one from a Cornell Warehouse Sale early in the year. Had two great grilling sessions in the comfort of my home. Cleaning up was not that great. Do use aluminium foil.
DINING ROOM
Tabletop cover. I have a glass table. It looks beautiful. So beautiful, I could not bear to have it scratched. So, on goes the tabletop cover to cover the table. Thankfully, it still looks great. I bought it from OG, which sells them by the meter. Look for the huge rolls of tabletop covers.
BEDROOMS
Chairs. I got mine from IKEA. Where you have to buy the base chair, then the handles that go along with them.
BATHROOM
Toilet Bowl Brush. The toilet bowl will not clean itself. Unless you have a wonderful wife living with you. Then it is like magic. :) I bought these guys are Toyogo.
Plunger. I always thought I will only need a plunger after a few years or so, thinking that there is no way a brand new home will be problems with the pipes so soon. Lo and behold, within the third month, I need the plunger to unclog my kitchen sink. Bummer. Bought mine from a provision shop downstairs.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - Bedroom Two
I call this bedroom two, because that is what was labelled in the HDB booklet for my estate. It is the room between my master bedroom and bedroom 3. I did not do a lot of renovation work for this room as I do not have a specific idea what to do with this room. Hopefully, in the future if I have kids, this room will be a children's room. Till then, it will just be a spare store room for me to keep stuff in.
Built-in cupboards to keep stuff in. Since this room might become a bedroom in the future, no harm adding some cupboards for storage space. Gotten my contractor to add cupboards to the room, with the cupboard reaching all the way up to the ceiling.
Adding storage space. I bought two EXPEDIT shelving units from IKEA. I placed one on it's side, and the other standing up. I added inserts with doors for the standing unit, so that I can keep dust out of the shelves. Honestly, installing the inserts was back breaking work. But after 3 hours, I can stand back and admire my own hard work in setting up the cupboard. Stickers are added on later to make it look really nice!
Adding display space. OK, so my wife and I ran out of display space in the living room. So we decided to fork out a bit more money for a display shelf. We checked out a number of places for glass displays, sold at around $90 - $200. Around this time, the DETOLF glass-door cabinet at IKEA goes on sale for $64.99. Adding a bit more money for transportation, I happily added another display cabinet for my home collections.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - The Living Room - Sofa
The sofa is another big ticket item you are going to buy. My wife and I spent hours sitting and lounging in sofas, just to find that perfect one to laze in all day long.
Become a sofa expert overnight. Check out EBay's Complete Guide to Sofa Buying.
I think you should get the best sofa you can afford. You are likely to spend most of your time on the sofa. The first thing you friends are going to sit on in your home is your sofa. It could very well be the centrepiece of your living room. In light of that, you should get one that is really good, where you can really lounge in for hours. This is one item I do not skimp on. Only the best for my behind.
Material matters. A few common choices you will see in Singapore. Most of the sofas I have seen are either leather, fabric, wood, or faux leather. When you are looking at any sofa, do check what materials they are made of.
Choosing to use leather or fabrics needs some thought. The thing about fabrics is that if you will need to frequently remove the fabric and wash it whereas leather maintenance is usually just the occasional wipe with a cloth. Of course, with fabrics, means that if there is real damage, you can just replace the fabric cover. Can't do that with a leather sofa.
If you want a leather sofa, make sure it is real leather as there are many kinds of faux leather sofas out there. The furniture store will usually be eager to tell you how authentic their leather is. If there is no certification label, it might be fake?
How many people you plan to have on your sofa? Based on this number, make sure your sofa is big enough to accommodate that number. Also take note if you really have enough space to have a sofa that big.
How soft is your sofa? This is the key reason you must try out the sofa of your choice. Some sofas out there, just sinks in when you sit on it. Some people might like that, but it is not for me. I want a fairly solid sofa, not as hard as wood, but at least supports my weight properly. Sit sit sit!
Think about how high the back of your sofa needs to be. I picked one high enough to rest my head. There are quite a number that doesn't really reach that high, so do take note. One actually had a movable head rest, that can be hidden back onto the sofa when not in use.
Do you need the bells and whistles? There are quite a number of interesting features for sofas. Levers on the side to release the leg rests. Sofas that hide a bed underneath it. Or storage space. L-shaped sofa provides sleeping space. Hidden compartments. Do shop around and see if anything strikes your fancy.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Become a sofa expert overnight. Check out EBay's Complete Guide to Sofa Buying.
I think you should get the best sofa you can afford. You are likely to spend most of your time on the sofa. The first thing you friends are going to sit on in your home is your sofa. It could very well be the centrepiece of your living room. In light of that, you should get one that is really good, where you can really lounge in for hours. This is one item I do not skimp on. Only the best for my behind.
Material matters. A few common choices you will see in Singapore. Most of the sofas I have seen are either leather, fabric, wood, or faux leather. When you are looking at any sofa, do check what materials they are made of.
Choosing to use leather or fabrics needs some thought. The thing about fabrics is that if you will need to frequently remove the fabric and wash it whereas leather maintenance is usually just the occasional wipe with a cloth. Of course, with fabrics, means that if there is real damage, you can just replace the fabric cover. Can't do that with a leather sofa.
How soft is your sofa? This is the key reason you must try out the sofa of your choice. Some sofas out there, just sinks in when you sit on it. Some people might like that, but it is not for me. I want a fairly solid sofa, not as hard as wood, but at least supports my weight properly. Sit sit sit!
Think about how high the back of your sofa needs to be. I picked one high enough to rest my head. There are quite a number that doesn't really reach that high, so do take note. One actually had a movable head rest, that can be hidden back onto the sofa when not in use.
Do you need the bells and whistles? There are quite a number of interesting features for sofas. Levers on the side to release the leg rests. Sofas that hide a bed underneath it. Or storage space. L-shaped sofa provides sleeping space. Hidden compartments. Do shop around and see if anything strikes your fancy.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - Air Conditioning
The air-conditioning system was a difficult choice to make. There are quite a number of choices out there and so many different brands to choose from. So after talking to so many different people, here is what I learnt.
Read a blog. So I was thinking, how to pick an aircon, then someone else already have done a blog on that particular topic, so, i will not talk too much about it.. Check out Singapore Air Con : How to Select and see it can help shed some light. It is an old blog, done in 2007, but still have some good advice for everyone.
The living room is the most difficult to cool. As in typical HDBs, the living will be the biggest room in your flat. If you plan to have air-conditioning there, you will need two inverters for your whole home. Do take into consideration on whether you really need air-conditioning here as it will cost you. I forgo having air-conditioning in my living room as I did not want to waste so much electricity to cool such a big space.
Do research on service quality, and how the shop handles their aircon sales. My aircon was purchased from NTUC, which actually sells the aircon on behalf of Best Tech Air-con Engineering Pte Ltd. There are a lot of complaints about Best Tech. I had thought NTUC was a trusted brand, so buying from NTUC is "safe".
My problem with Best Tech is that trying to book a session for them to come do installation is near impossible. I call and call, never managed to get in touch to anyone on the other line. After 3 weeks of trying, I went down to one of their stores and got the sales lady helped me arrange for the installation. Funny thing is she tried to call the same number as well... and she also could not get anyone to answer.
That said, I still have to add that the guy that come help do the installation, is quite professional and installation was very smooth. I was so nervous after reading the online forums about how bad they are, I was grateful everything was done in one day.
A lot of drilling is required. The technician will discuss with you how you want to place the aircon units, and how you want the pipes to be laid.
HDB already provided you with a opening in one of the toilets, for your pipes to come through. So some work is saved there. The technician just need to lay through that opening, to the three bedrooms. There is also one small pipe he will place in the toilet to let water flow out.
My problem with Best Tech is that trying to book a session for them to come do installation is near impossible. I call and call, never managed to get in touch to anyone on the other line. After 3 weeks of trying, I went down to one of their stores and got the sales lady helped me arrange for the installation. Funny thing is she tried to call the same number as well... and she also could not get anyone to answer.
That said, I still have to add that the guy that come help do the installation, is quite professional and installation was very smooth. I was so nervous after reading the online forums about how bad they are, I was grateful everything was done in one day.
A lot of drilling is required. The technician will discuss with you how you want to place the aircon units, and how you want the pipes to be laid.
HDB already provided you with a opening in one of the toilets, for your pipes to come through. So some work is saved there. The technician just need to lay through that opening, to the three bedrooms. There is also one small pipe he will place in the toilet to let water flow out.
I previously wanted to place the aircon units above the doorway, but the technician say it will not look nice, due where the pipes need to be laid. I ended up with the aircon unit in bedroom 3 placed to the side of the door, with less piping required, because behind the same wall is where the aircon unit in bedroom 2 is.
Air coolers are not cool. I think this kind of cooling is just a scam. I do not have any good feedback on these cooling fans. They basically require you to add cold water, which is supposed to cool down the air that the fan blows at you. I have one, but it really does not make the air cool enough to notice.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - The Living Room
The Living Room. The space where you use the most often. It's where you do most of your "living". I guess there will be two major items in this space, the TV console and the sofa.
The TV console must be big enough. Make sure you know what is the size of the television you plan to buy, and ensure there is enough space for it. Cater for future growth, when you got more money to buy that 80+" TV. Include space on the side of the TV so that you can access the Starhub cable connections.
To let it stand or wall-mounted. Both have it's pros and cons. Standing means it is easier to shift around. No need for extra drilling work on the wall. You can also access the connectors on the back of the TV easily. Wall mounting means you have more table space for other stuff and the overall design of your console looks more streamlined. Take note that the wall mount usually do not come with the TV purchase.
Remember that the TV is not a standalone device. Your contractor should know what else is needed. Make sure you have space for that Starhub or MioTV console, and video recorders. And home entertainment systems. My contractor gave me some space underneath the TV, with a black glass front so that the remote controls will still work.
You will also need to provide space for the electrical cables, Starhub coaxial cable, etc. Your contractor should put some effort making them easy to access yet hidden from view.
Show off your stuff. Let every person I know, you are sure to have collected souvenirs and gifts over the years. What better place to show them off than a display case right at the sides of your TV. Make sure you have enough height for each shelf to place your collectibles.
The coffee table decision. To have or not to have a coffee table. This was not an easy decision. New HDB flats tend to have very little space for an average coffee table. Furthermore, I need space for playing XBox Kinect. So, no coffee tables for me. However, I did purchase two small white tables from IKEA that are easily moved, so that I can have some table space to eat my dinner in front of the TV, whenever I want to yet be able to move them away when I need space.
Ceiling lamp must look good. I actually took effort to really pick a ceiling lamp that I really like for the living room. This is because this is the room where all guests will spend the most time when in my home. I picked a brown coloured lamp, to match my sofa color. It has multiple bulbs so that if one fails, I would still have light in the room. I even gotten a matching lighting for the dining room space.
Cooling your room with a fan. Some folks might want to consider buying a ceiling fan. It is quite popular as I spotted it in many homes around my flat. It is also very easy to spot, as the ceiling fan is very obvious from the first floor, looking up into other people's living rooms. I personally did not like it as I have concerns about maintenance and reliability. I just stuck to buying a standing fan.
Marking your territory. Just one final note, is that do think about where to place your wedding photo. I'm pretty sure when you got married, you gotten one big framed wedding photo. Do hang it up, in a prominent place. Not only it looks really great, it will also remind you of better times, when you get into an argument with your spouse, and hopefully, remind you to just forgive and forget.
Cooling your room with a fan. Some folks might want to consider buying a ceiling fan. It is quite popular as I spotted it in many homes around my flat. It is also very easy to spot, as the ceiling fan is very obvious from the first floor, looking up into other people's living rooms. I personally did not like it as I have concerns about maintenance and reliability. I just stuck to buying a standing fan.
Marking your territory. Just one final note, is that do think about where to place your wedding photo. I'm pretty sure when you got married, you gotten one big framed wedding photo. Do hang it up, in a prominent place. Not only it looks really great, it will also remind you of better times, when you get into an argument with your spouse, and hopefully, remind you to just forgive and forget.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - The Dining Room
The dining room is the first place you will see when you enter my home. These are the design thoughts that have gone into the design.
Think about that slope at the door. HDB provided a slope at the front of my door. I did not like it simply because if the cleaners come to wash the outside area of my unit, the water will rush into my unit up that little slope. So I had my contractor remove it and change it to a little step.
Keeping your door open. You are going to need a way to keep the door open. Options include installing a magnetic door stopper or step-on door holder. Or you can just be like me and just buy a rubber door stopper.
Keeping your shoes accessible and out of sight. I had my contractor built one shoe cabinet near my home's front door. It reaches up to the ceiling, providing a lot of space. But my advice is to only use the top shelves for keeping new shoes, socks, etc. This is to avoid you pulling out a shoe and having dirt (or anything else you stepped on before) fall onto your face.
Making the dining space look bigger. This idea is repeated by many friends. Place a large mirror on one of the walls, to make the typically small flat look bigger. So I placed my mirror, right beside my dining area.
I chose a black edge for my mirror, and it is installed higher than dining table, so that I do not accidentally bang the table against the mirror.
Choosing the right dining table takes some thought. I considered my flat to be too small to accommodate a big round table, so I looked at rectangular tables. I bought the Manhatten dining table from, whose package include a dining table, sofa, bed frame and mattress. The table had tempered glass top, with metal legs.
Know how much space you have available. I had a choice of 1.4m or 1.7m length dining table, at the same price. After making some measurements at home, I decided I can still squeeze in the 1.7m table. Make sure that you measure your dining space before placing that order for a table. Also consider the extra space needed for the chairs, and have space for pulling chairs out so that you can sit in them.
Know how much space you have available. I had a choice of 1.4m or 1.7m length dining table, at the same price. After making some measurements at home, I decided I can still squeeze in the 1.7m table. Make sure that you measure your dining space before placing that order for a table. Also consider the extra space needed for the chairs, and have space for pulling chairs out so that you can sit in them.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - Shelter
The smallest room in my house. Since there is not a lot of talk about this space, I am taking a short break from the daily stresses in my life to fill up this portion of my guide.
Know your Household Shelter. Check out why we have this small little room in every HDB in Singapore at SCDF's website on Household Shelters. You should also know about types of renovation works permitted within your shelter. Key thing to note, you need to be able to move the shelves out and hide inside the bomb shelter in times of crisis.
You must leave at least one of two ventilation openings unblocked. You are not allowed to seal off both.
You must leave at least one of two ventilation openings unblocked. You are not allowed to seal off both.
Ready-made vs custom-made. You might want to think a bit about this. Ready-made ones, means you just go into some shop, see the shelves you like, and buy it. Make sure you can assemble it yourself, cause most of the time it requires some DIY skills. This type of shelf will not fit in your storeroom perfectly. There will be some space on the sides, which maybe you can use to place your very bulky items.
A custom made one, will fill two walls, end to end. giving you more storage space. And it might be cheaper than ready-made ones, depending on the material of the shelves.
My contractor provided me with my shelves. Basic metallic frame, with a wooden plank for each level, cut to the exact width of the walls. The shelves form an L-shaped design, giving me one corner to keep my foldable table and other big items.
Keep some space between each level. I find my perfect spread, is with three planks of wood. This gives me enough height to put big boxes, yet enough levels to dump my thing in. Don't go and squeeze as many levels as possible into this space. If you plan to use this space to store things, you are going to need to
Lighting is cheap. I don't really recommend buying any expensive lighting for the storeroom. I just kept mine cheap and simple.
There are connectors in the storeroom. There are power and TV connectors in the storeroom, meaning if you want to convert this space into a mini lounge or game room, you are halfway there!
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - Service Yard - Washing Machine
A washing machine is one appliance you will be using very often. (Unless you only changes your clothes once a week) There are a number of things to note when picking out this big appliance.
Take note on what is the biggest item you plan to wash. There is a variety of options in terms of what washing machine to choose. The key concern I constantly had on my mind, is how much can it wash. They are rated by the weight of the loads they can support, so those families with heavy woollen blankets, you will need a one that supports at least 10 kg. The largest machines I have seen in Singapore stores supports 12 kg. Most families should be able to get away with 9 to 10 kg washing machines.
Top Load or Front Load. Top loading means you dump your clothes from the top, but also means you cannot stack anything on top of your washing machine, e.g. a dryer, washing detergents. Front loading means you open it from the front and throw your clothes in that way, note that you're going to do a lot of bending over to do your washing. I personally have no preference for either, but my wife and I are more familiar with using a top loading washing machine so that's what we bought. If you need to think more about this, read it up at About.com
Water Efficiency saves money. Singapore washing machines also have a water efficiency label to help you decide which one is more environmentally friendly. Introduced in 2006, picking one with more ticks means saving more on your water bill.
Inverter or Motor. Using inverter technology means its more energy efficient and there is less wear and tear. It will last longer than your typical motor-based washing machines so some companies actually provide a longer warranty period. It will cost more, so do keep that in mind. It is supposed to be quieter, but honestly, I still think it's quite noisy.
Raising the Machine off the floor. New machines usually allow you to adjust the height so that they do not rest on the floor. This is to avoid water damage from flooding in the service yard. If you can, go get those blocks used by our earlier generation under their washing machines and refrigerators. Look for them at Toyogo.
Know where the water will come and go. HDB provided me with one corner that have a tap, a power point, and a covered pipe on the floor. So that is where my washing machine will be placed. Also note how much space is available, cause the pipes in the service yard might limit the size of your washing machine.
Raising the Machine off the floor. New machines usually allow you to adjust the height so that they do not rest on the floor. This is to avoid water damage from flooding in the service yard. If you can, go get those blocks used by our earlier generation under their washing machines and refrigerators. Look for them at Toyogo.
Know where the water will come and go. HDB provided me with one corner that have a tap, a power point, and a covered pipe on the floor. So that is where my washing machine will be placed. Also note how much space is available, cause the pipes in the service yard might limit the size of your washing machine.
The pipe opening on the floor is for you to drop your washing machine's waste water into. It has a screw-on cover for you to use. My wife always puts the cover back after washing, to prevent creepy crawlies coming back up the pipe. I am still on the look out for any methods to avoid the need to keep replacing the cover.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Monday, 3 March 2014
Renovating your HDB Flat - Service Yard
The service yard is a small area, but there are some things to take note during your renovations.
Take note where the everything is. Before you start deciding on the how your service yard will look like, you need to take into consideration where the pipes are placed. You also need to take note where tap for the washing machine will be. This will help you plan where everything else will go in the service yard. I have a friend who had to scrap some of his design ideas, just because those pipes are in the way.
Get some shelves space into this area. You need space to place your washing detergents, clothes pegs, bleach. If you bought cupboards for this area, take note that their legs might one day get wet so make sure you can raise those legs slightly higher off the floor.
Get some shelves space into this area. You need space to place your washing detergents, clothes pegs, bleach. If you bought cupboards for this area, take note that their legs might one day get wet so make sure you can raise those legs slightly higher off the floor.
Install grilles and windows for your service yard. By default, your service should have a wide open view. So that means anything placed there might be picked off by birds, or worse, reached by climbing thieves. There is a guide provided by HDB, on what types of grille patterns you are allowed to install in your service yard. One quick look at other people's renovated service yards, will tell you that few people bothered reading the guide.
Include windows, so that when you are cooking, you can stop gusts of wind from blowing out your hob's fire. Having a grille also gives you some extra places to hang your clothes. I bought a few hooks to hang my broom, mop and dustpan from the window grille.
Include windows, so that when you are cooking, you can stop gusts of wind from blowing out your hob's fire. Having a grille also gives you some extra places to hang your clothes. I bought a few hooks to hang my broom, mop and dustpan from the window grille.
Moving that heater. I gotten this idea from a neighbour. HDB provides you with the pipes for your water heater in the toilet. However, the heater I had bought, is a 35l model. Which means, there is barely enough space in the toilet. So I had the plumber lay pipes from the kitchen, to the service yard, and installed my heater there instead.
Drying space for your clothes already provided. HDB provides a retractable clothes rack attached to the ceiling of the service yard. It can be lowered by a strap on the side. There is also space outside the service yard to hang clothes. Do wipe them clean first, as there is usually a lot of dust accumulated on them.
I found the ceiling rack difficult to lower as it will only come down when you hold the strap taut at a certain angle. So I just use the rack as it is without lowering it.
I found the ceiling rack difficult to lower as it will only come down when you hold the strap taut at a certain angle. So I just use the rack as it is without lowering it.
Check out the rest of my Renovation Blog
Master Bedroom | Bedroom 2 | Bedroom 3 | Bathrooms | Dining Room | Living Room | Shelter | Service Yard | Kitchen
Lights and Electricity | Air-conditioning | Bath Tub | Sofa | Washing Machine | Sink, Hob and Hood | Curtains | Filling up the rest of the home
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