Week 6: Kitchen Carpentry Almost Done

More pieces to complete the puzzle.

The kitchen cabinets are being installed this week. The brushed aluminum laminate looks like actual stainless steel. Love the way the cove lighting reflects on the shiny surface. Also, it goes really well with my 'disco' mosaic backsplash.

We chose a darker color for the bottom cabinets to tone down the 'bling'. The brushed black laminate will blend with the black appliances. The Corian solid top will be black with silver recycled specks called 'Night Sky'. Twinkle, twinkle.

See Week 6 progress here: Work in Progress

Week 6: Appliances & Fittings Are Moving In

Now you know why I'm so broke!

It's like early Christmas. I've scheduled deliveries for kitchen appliances and bathroom fittings over the next few days. The carpenter should finish with the kitchen cabinets by the end of the week, and the plumber should finish with the toilet installation by tomorrow.

It has finally started to sink in that I'm moving into my new flat in 3 weeks. My first owned home. How surreal!

See Week 6 progress here: Work in Progress

End of Week 5: Living Room Transformation

Before

After

Time to furnish the living room.

The living room is now cleared and the parquet wood floor polished. The overall ambience of the living room has been transformed. The room looks brighter with the white brick feature wall, yet it feels warmer with the parquet wood floor. Can't wait to move in the new furniture to complete the loft-look for the room.

See Week 5 progress here: Work in Progress

End of Week 5: Lighting Done

Let there be light.

The electricians completed installing the PLC lights in the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. There are a total of 18 PLC lights throughout the flat!

There is a combination of wall and hanging lighting in the bathrooms. Love the search lamps in the bathrooms (just in case I can't find the toilet in the night :)

Also, we added cove lighting in the kitchen and living room to create a cosier ambience.

The designer hanging lamps will be installed last as we don't want no broken glass.

Next week, we will start on carpentry and plumbing installation.

See Week 5 progress here: Work in Progress

Week 5: Installation Begins

Most important fixture installed... Airconditioning!

The aluminum/glass guys installed two sliding doors, a bi-fold door and two sliding windows. The new doors and windows look good, except for the sliding window in the master bathroom. I requested for clear tempered glass but they installed the window with tinted tempered glass. Dess has informed them to change it to clear tempered glass next week.

The Pure Aircon team installed the new Panasonic Envio aircons in the bedrooms. Nice design but looks a little bulky. They've to come back next week to rectify the condensation outlet and change the compressor box. We found a foot print and a dent on the top of the compressor! It's absolutely unacceptable.

See Week 5 progress here: Work in Progress

End of Week 4: Correct Them As We Go

Before

After

Looks better with the plastic casing hidden.

Dess and I started marking areas for corrections and improvements this week. It's better to make changes at each stage of the renovation, rather than at the end.

Luckily there were no major corrections. The list includes hiding more unsightly aircon trunking and wire casing, leveling plasterboards and re-positioning the shower outlet.

See Week 4 progress here: Work in Progress

End of Week 4: Paint Work Delayed

Before

After

Too late, the feature wall is now white.

The painter has white-washed the ceilings and started to prime the walls for the first coat of ICI Dulux paint. I've selected Barely Grey for the walls downstairs and Sail White for upstairs. The bedroom walls will be accented with Swandown. I want to keep the whole flat bright but not stark cold.

The paint work was supposed to be completed by the end of the week. However, the paint crew was short-handed. So there is going to be a 2-day delay. I guess if they do a good job, a slight delay is acceptable. I'll be going around with a roll of musking tape to mark the imperfections.

Next week, we will start on lighting installation.

See Week 4 progress here: Work in Progress

Week 4: One Down, One More to Go

Round or square rose? We decided on the round one.

We've a touch-down! Dess and I resolved the piping issue with the rainshower today.

Serene from Living Phenomenon was very helpful with the fixture solution. In the end, all we needed were a mixer diverter, a rainshower rose and a connecting pipe.

We'll be able to use the Grohe shower mixer and shower set that I bought from the warehouse sale. Phew! That'll save me some "ching ching" for more "bling! bling!"

So one fixture down. We need to hunt for the corner basin tomorrow.

Week 4: If It's Exposed, Box It Up

Before

After

Amazing how a few plaster boards could make such a big difference.

We're almost done with the "heavy lifting" work. I'm sure the neighbors are relieved that there will be minimal "banging and drilling" from now on.

The guys who did the plastering weren't as precise as the rest of the contracted crew. I guess most home owners don't usually go around with measuring tapes to check on their work. Not me! We had the supervisor come back today to rectify the errors including sloping surfaces and poor finishing. I'll be going back tomorrow morning to check on the corrections.

Fortunately the painter was sick today (I don't mean it that way! Get well soon!) But we can't start on the paint work until the plastering is complete. So the one-day delay actually worked out well in the hand-over process.

Dess and I will be heading down to Balestier again to find the "perfect" rainshower for the master bathroom and corner basin for the powder room. These two fixtures are giving me a big headache. Hopefully, it'll be resolved tomorrow.

See Week 4 progress here: Work in Progress

Shopping Is Almost Complete

The damage is done. Here's the list of items:

• Soundbar, Living Color Lamp - Philips Showroom Toa Payoh
• Sofa, Ottoman, Throw - Cellini Park Mall
• Dining Tables, Bench - Scanteak Park Mall
• Dining Chairs, Outdoor Furniture Set - Custom Design Eunos
• Lighting - Lumiere Balestier (iTre), Lightology Balestier, New Tai Wah Electric Jalan Besar, City Lights Jalan Besar
• Hob, Kitchen Sink & Mixer - Asia Excel Balestier (Ariston, Franke, Teka)
• Hood, Oven, Microwave, Dishwasher, Washer & Dryer, Vacuum Cleaner - Electrolux Showroom Toa Payoh
• Refrigerator - Euromark Electronics Toa Payoh (Fisher & Paykel)
• WC's, Semi-Recess Basin - Toto Showroom Bukit Timah
• Corner Basin - Spazio Bath & Kitchen Balestier (Nobel)
• Rainshower, Bidet - Living Phenomenon Balestier (G. Ferretti)
• Shower Set, Shower & Basin Mixers - Grohe Showroom Park Mall
• Gas Heater - City Gas Showroom Somerset (Paloma)
• Rugs, Throws, Cushions, TV Consoles, Side Table, Bathroom Mat, Kitchen & Bathroom Accessories - Ikea Alexandra & Tampines
• Pots, Cutlery - Robinson's Centrepoint (WMF), Tangs Orchard & Vivocity (Scanpan)
• Knives, Cutting Board - Isetan (WMF, Neoflam)
• Kitchen & Bathroom Accessories - Zone Denmark Great World City & Raffles City, Robinson's Centrepoint & Raffles City, Tangs Orchard & Vivocity, Carrerfour Plaza Singapura, Object Living Amoy
• Cushion Covers - Lifestorey Warehouse Upper Paya Lebar
• Towel Rack, Bed, Study Table & Chair, Bench, Vases - Barang Barang Plaza Singapura
• Bed Linens, Pillows, Bedding, Bathroom Mat - Aussino Plaza Singapura, Simmons Warehouse Shaw Tower, Robinson's Centrepoint
• Towels - Spotlight Plaza Singapura (Koo)
• Fans - Home-Fix DIY Novena Square (Soundtech), Choong Ying Geylang (Amasco)
• Wall Clock - Epitome Marina Square (Invotis)
• Door Locks - Shanghai Tong Lee Jalan Sultan (Mobile), Equip Designs Plaza Singapura (Kwikset), Yiap Heng Cheong Balestier (Viro)
• Door Bell - Home-Fix DIY Thomson Plaza (Soundtech)
• Laundry Basket - Manila Furnishing Thomson
• Homogenous Tiles & Mosaic - Lian Seng Hin Balestier (Rusty Copper, Metallic Mirror Mosaic)
• Aircon - Pure Airconditioning (Panasonic)
• Kitchen System - Blum
• Solid Tops - Dupont Corian (Night Sky, White Jasmine)
• Laminates - EDL (Brushed Aluminum), LamiTAK (Brushed Black, Natural Rattan)
• Electrician - Zenterra Engineering

View my purchases here: Shopping List

End of Week 3: Plumbing Work Completed

The pipes are installed... we've water!

At first, I was concerned with the number of pipes running through the bathroom. It is a silly housing rule that requires the water pipes to be exposed. However, the plumber did a neat job by laying the pipes in clean lines. Dess and I agreed to paint the exposed pipes with the same wall color and hide the rest with cabinets. Problem solved.

Did I say I love my kitchen mosaic wall? Well, we decided to add more mosaic behind the kitchen hood. Who says we can't have more bling! in our lives?

The parquet wood floor is almost done. It'll really add warmth to the living room by breaking up the white tiles that run through the space. Nice addition.

The carpenter came to take measurements yesterday. He'll be back to install the kitchen and bathroom cabinets after the paint work is done.

Next week, we will start on plastering and paint work.

See Week 3 progress here: Work in Progress

Week 3: Tile Work Completed... Absolutely Fabulous

I've a disco wall in my kitchen.

The tiler completed the kitchen feature wall yesterday. Bling! Bling! There are little mirrors mixed with the metallic squares. It looks much better than a standard sheet of stainless steel.

The plumber will start to lay the water pipes tomorrow. The "not so interesting" but vital bit of the renovation. Don't want no leaky pipes in the flat.

See Week 3 progress here: Work in Progress

Week 3: Tile Work Continues

Feature wall in the living room is done.

The tiler did a great job with the brick wall. One by one, he laid the tiles meticulously in straight lines and equal spacing. It's definitely the work of an artisan.

He started working on the rusty copper tiles for the bathroom before I left this afternoon. I'm sure he will complete the bathroom walls before the day ends. He's a speedy gonzalez!

He'll start on the kitchen backsplash with the metallic mosaic tomorrow. The mosaic was one of the great finds from my shopping spree along Balestier Road. Although it blew a hole in my budget, I'd to have it as the feature wall for the kitchen.

The City Gas guys came to lay the gas pipes for the hob and water heater. They were fast and efficient. But they'll come back to install the water heater and turn the gas supply on before I move in.

See Week 3 progress here: Work in Progress

End of Week 2: Powder Room Completed

Yes, there is going to be a Powder Room!

We are putting the toilet back on the 1st floor so my guests won't need to climb upstairs. It'll be small but an interesting space. Dess used a plastic scraper and dragged it across the wet cement. Viola! The result is a textured feature wall in a small space.

Our aircon guy, Eddie came back to assess the installation. He instructed his team to shift the casing up by an inch and align it with the edge of the ceiling beam. It was a small adjustment but it made a big difference to the visual height of the ceiling. Best of all, he didn't charge me for the correction. Three cheers for the Pure Airconditioning team!

Next week, we will start on gas piping, plumbing and parquet flooring.

See Week 2 progress here: Work in Progress

Week 2: Tile Work Begins

It's like building Lego.

We started dry laying the tiles for the bathroom and living room today. I think the rusty copper tiles will glow when the light hits the rusty areas. How awesome!

The brick wall will give the living room more character. Hopefully the tilers will do a good job with the actual tile work. We want to age the brick wall so that it has an old shophouse loft feel. The brick wall will eventually be painted white to match the rest of the walls.

See Week 2 progress here: Work in Progress

End of Week 1: Cement Work Completed... Well Almost

The walls are looking real smooth.

The bathroom walls are ready for us to lay the tiles. We'll carry out the dry lay this Friday so that the tiler can mark them. I can't wait to see our first piece of art to be completed.

The electrician came by to dismantle all the lights and rewire the electrical points. Everything looks good except for the bathroom light point. They need to move it higher otherwise the lamp will be shining in my face.

The disappointing news is the aircon installation. The trunking was installed without supervision so it was done incorrectly. The aircon guy will have to come back to shift the casing and redirect the condensation outlet. Hope I don't have to pay more for the correction.

Next week, we will start on tile work.

See Week 1 progress here: Work in Progress