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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 

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 - 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.

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 

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 - 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.

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.

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.

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