Initially, I wanted to wait for everything to be done before I post this, however, I can't contain my excitement upon seeing the progress of our humble residence.
There were a few disagreement along the way. We did not agree to the cost of the electrical works and the lighting. Hence we pushed for further discounts and deducted a few unnecessary items in the renovation plan (false ceiling for the master bedroom). That wasted at least a week of our time. Eventually, we DID get a good discount of the total cost of the electrical works and lighting.
We are not being petty or stingy. But like I have mentioned before, we are using our personal savings for the renovation and purchasing of appliances/furniture. Hence, it is CRUCIAL that we stick to the budget that we CAN afford and not to go overboard.
The thing about renovation proposal is that, they RARELY include the price of 1) electrical works 2) lighting. When they quote you, let's say $20,000 for your HOUSE RENOVATION, you will find yourself paying them $24,000 in total. THAT is how MUCH lights and electrical works costs.
But there is always a way out, please put your foot down and request for a discount. If the guy insist that is the BEST price he can give, then you can opt out some of the unnecessary items like we did to cut cost. We saved about $2000 from omitting only SOME things off.
This renovation process is really wearing me out. I have been the one liaising with my interior designer during my LUNCH HOUR. I will be the one travelling by public transport from Novena all the way to Punggol. Despite the fact that it IS exhausting, it is rewarding when you see the outcome. Idros was impressed with my choice of laminates and colour.
When everything has been settled (with cash), ONLY did we see fast and efficient progress. Owen and his team of merry men started their carpentry work on the 4th May 2015. Judging by the progress so far, NONE would believe me if I tell them that most of the work are completed in less than a week.
Let the pictures do the honours.
Bought this from
http://www.universalunion.com.sg/
They are having up to 60% off store-wide. This corner glass shelf holds shampoo and liquid soap bottles nicely. And it is clutter free. I have something against the metal holders. They tend to rust overtime.
The colour of ALL of my recessed walls. Smoke Pearl.
The wallpaper design.
Graystone is the colour of the ceiling.
The smoke pearl recessed wall.
The carpenters hard at work. This was done on the afternoon of the 1st day that they started working on the carpentry works. Not bad at all. This is my TV console minus the glass panels. They will install the glass panels next week.
Installation of kitchen cabinet.
Installation of vanity cabinet in the bathroom (minus the mirror), thee sink that Owen purchased for us looks GOOOODDD.
Fanco fans with light in the Kids' and study room, installed. The adapter and remote control for the fan in the study room was NOT WORKING. Luckily my dad helped me out in exchanging it back to the shop. The wardrobe is done up too. I chose white sides and dark grey doors. I wanted to go for all white but Owen advised me against it. He knows my kids well enough by now. They're growing up to be aspiring artists.
The inner part of the wardrobe.
This was not in the plan, but we did a last-minute request to have a nice shoe cabinet (located on the right from this angle). We wanted to make use of the power circuit box cabinet. But if you open it up, you will realise it is too narrow to fit in shoes.
Downlight. Cove lights situated at the side.
Track lights along the pathway to the rooms.
Track lights in the kitchen as well which was suggested by Owen. He said that track lights in the kitchen enhances the look of the kitchen cabinets.
My mother checking if the dish rack is in place. Lol.
The other side of the kitchen.
One step closer.
We will be using kompacplus for the cabinet top. Initial plan was Quartz, but it was crazy expensive, so we opted for Solid Top. But Owen suggested using the kompacplus instead. He said it is of higher quality than the solid top. I chose this exact colour, (New York Teak). Picture below has been retrieved from their website : http://www.kompacplus.com/#!KompacTop: 10.30- New York Teak/zoom/cxfy/image1mkg
My father purchased a crestar fan for my living room. Owen called me up urgently the other day and informed me that due to some miscalculations that he had oversee, the ceiling fan could not be mounted on the ceiling. It was very sad. Because the fan was gorgeous. And it was a gift from my father. I have deep sentiments for these kind of thoughtful things. Therefore, Owen told us to get a standing fan.
I wanted to get myself a bladeless fan from Dyson.
It costs $700+ for ONE. Trust me, you can get a System 1 Air-Conditioner for the same price.
Therefore we decided to settle with the IFan instead. Coincidentally, Eastpoint was having an IFan sale the other day. The 12" IFan's original price is $280 but I bought it at $165. A steal I must say.
My master bedroom, spot the headboard.
Last but not least, a nice gift from my in-laws. A Toshiba 29" TV. I called the bracket and TV installer from https://www.facebook.com/sgbros?fref=ts
They quoted me a reasonable price. $60 for mounting and bracket. They were super efficient I called them the day before and they CAN schedule their man to come down the day AFTER. When their guy came to my house, they called me personally and the guy addressed his concern. He said IF I opt for the 29" bracket, I CAN'T use a bigger TV in the future. I NEED to CHANGE the ENTIRE bracket to do so. He then told me that the glass panel that will be placed on my TV console will hinder his guy to change the bracket later on.
I did the next best thing, I told him to call my husband.
teehee.
After conversing with the guy, my husband purchased a Philips 50" TV which the guy installed WITH a free bracket. He installed the Toshiba 29" TV in our master bedroom. Something that we did not EVEN PLAN to get for our room, but Alhamdulillah Ala Kuli Hal.
The only thing that I do not like is the wire. I told Owen to help me extend the wire and cover it up so it looks neater.
That is it for now. Till the next update.
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