finale 2013: transformation of extended living room

my last blog update for 2013 :) a finale entry of my home transformation:

• sketch

• original version prior renovation

living room (facing main door)

living room (side adjacent to wall partition to kitchen)

• design I, II (living area)

3D Review: 27-Mar-2013 (1st draft)  3-Apr-2013 (2nd draft)

• design I, II (dining area)

3D Review: 27-Mar-2013 (1st draft)  3-Apr-2013 (2nd draft)

• final design 

20-Apr: final design of my living room (clean and simple)

20-Apr: final design of my dining console (extended)

living area - notice the neat cabling? or no cabling ha

• finale: my home 2013

my home finally looks completed after delivery of the sofa from avenir maison.  i had pretty bad experiences with their delivery and post-sales service. do drop me a comment if you like to find out more :), i will be more than glad to elaborate on my feedback.

did you spot something special with my dining table *wink*

extended living area with dining feature wall - open kitchen concept with glass door divider

so this marks my greatest achievements for year 2013 *BIG GRIN*.  the actual renovation work took us almost 3 months starting from mid-May till early Aug whereas the sourcing of an interior designer and reviews of the design drawings started as early as Feb (after chinese new year).  during this entire period time, i have learnt a lot about renovation given inputs from my id, search results from various reno blogs and forums.  i also had great support from my family and friends, especially during frustrated times, whom are always willing to lend a listening ear.

last but not least, great thanks to my interior design team: Nick and Janice (you may connect them on http://acespacedesign.com).  like any renovation projects, we had some disagreements and miscommunications along the way.  however in spite of my pickiness, they have maintained their professionalism and adhere to as much as possible of my demands.  the end results is the best testimony to their commitment and dedication to the project.  cheers !

ok dok, goodbye 2013 it has been a very fruitful year for me :)  i am certainly looking forward to 2014 all geared up for new challenges and adventures *super-hyped* 

part 2: transformation of my study room

• sketch

• design I, II

• final design (color theme finalized)

added color to one of the wall, my favorite blue :)

• home sweet home - my "office" is still kinda empty … still trying to locate a comfy chair

part 1: transformation of my kitchen

been kinda busy with work lately that i have totally forgotten about my reno blog updates :-P.  in fact, i have already settled in comfortably in my house for months. so well on this lazy sat afternoon, let's me recap & share parts of the transformation …

• original kitchen 

before reno - long kitchen with only base cabinet

• design I, II

3D Review: 27-Mar-2013 (1st draft)  3-Apr-2013 (2nd draft)

my feedback there & then:

1. structure and layout looks ok (note my kitchen space is shrinked to make room for extended living room)
2. like the vanity sink concept, will love to see the turnout
3. floor tiles not ok, floor tiles will have to be common with living for a unified look & feel
4. color theme can be improved, love the good mix and wood and color laminate

• final design (color theme finalized)

20-Apr - based on floor and wall tile selection

• TADA … my home sweet home with the human vibes *wink* and mess hiakz hiakz

"shorter" kitchen - great color combi chosen by my id Nick.
glad that i use BLUM drawers for base cabinets, i am loving it :)

my mini vanity sink
- had a hard time looking
for a "right" sink with my id Janice 

my kitchen

3D Design Proposal (May 2013)

Actual (Sep 2013)

so did you like my kitchen? well, i adore my investment in Blum tandem box, no more searching for items buried deep in base cabinets *wink*  

most importantly, kudos to id for ensuring that the final turnout is as identical as possible to the original 3D design.

sneak preview - master bedroom bathroom

since last month, i have started staying over at my new home, enjoying the convenience and proximity to town (^_^).  yet till now, i am still in the progress of furnishing my home with daily necessities like cups, plates, bowl, hand soap, detergent bla bla bla... i guess one tends to overlook on these nitty gritty items.  in any case household shopping at ikea, daiso, robinson, john little has now become my new hobby.

after the long wait, let's start with a sneak preview of my master bedroom's bathroom *wink* well as you can see, space is definitely a constraint here.

3D Design Proposal (May 2013)

Actual (Sep 2013)

hmmm ... din realise my toilet roll holder is so prominent until i post this \(-_^)/

too bad i don't have a wide angle camera, so can't capture the equivalent actual completely.  

highlight for me => choice of wall tiles

bits and pieces of "DIY" stuffs ...

lately i have been busy cleaning up the house ... can never imagine having so much dirt left over from a renovation, but i guess the nearby mrt tracks are also active contributors @_@ well for once i am glad that my house is only a 3-room hiakz hiakz

aside from cleaning, cleaning, and cleaning, i manage to get a few "DIY" stuff up :)

• my door plate number - looked simple? yet it takes me a while to ensure that it fits well with the metal gate and most importantly, looks horizontally straight 

• step stool - bought from ikea, super proud with the end result .... verdict - good buy 5 stars

step stool - before & after assembly

• compartmenting my mini-wardrobe - another item bought from ikea (oh the hangers also !!!).  it's kinda too tall, so in the end, have to sacrifice a few slots :(

wardrobe organiser

• set up my dvd player - do you recall my last post where i talk about something "special" on my tv console? well heihei got it right, my wiring has been concealed despite the absence of a feature wall \(^_^)/.  so how do i add a player now?  here's how:

step 1: attached hdmi cable to tv and insert into the wall opening.

step 2 : open the wiring casing on the other side of the wall, run the cable through the casing, and insert back into the wall opening.

step 3: close up the wiring casing

step 2 & step 3

step 4: open console cover and attached cable to player. setup power and TADA !!! done, player up and running !!!

coming soon ...

my living hall is still short of a sofa and i am still contemplating on the material & color.  well hopefully i can get one next weekend ... that will then make the house ready for housewarming, so look out for it :)

shopping items up and running :)

it's been a while since i last updated, are you waiting for the final outcome???
heehee not so fast *evil grin*

first things first, do you still recall my last post abt aircon pelmet?  after throwing a tantrum, this is the best my id can do ...

before vs after

can you spot the difference?  they created another false ceiling above the aircon to minimise the gap from 5 inch to 2.5 inch.  in this way, they maintain practicality for aircon maintenance and at the same time, improve the pelmet visually with a smaller depth.  does the "hole" now look better?  well for me, at least they tried something :)

aside from rectifications and touch up for the house, my new home is pretty much done up ... in this post, let's me share some pictures of my purchases:

• hood & hob - first addition to the house for carpenter to do measurements.  ceramic induction - probably not the best choice for pple who love to cook, but my number 1 choice for ease of cleaning.

• washing machine - i was very worried that my "yard" is too small to house the washing machine and rubbish chute.  but in the end, it din turn out too bad after all.  the only pity is that the washing machine is facing the walkway instead of the window.

• water heater - installed by ever joint (at $50 per heater installation).  do you like the color of the heater ... well they were suppose to be white, but in the end, we have to go with champagne cos white ones are out of stock and for the re-stock we have to wait till Oct (0_0).  well luckily the outcome is surprisingly good hiakz hiakz

• refrigerator - have not got a samsung refrigerator before ... hope it's a wise decision. otherwise i can only blame myself for choosing design over reliability (-_-!)  carpenter and tiler sizing perfect !!! 100/100 for measurement accuracy

• tv - been quite a drama to fix this wall mount.  my id did something special though, did you notice his attention to details? 

the house certainly looks like a home now with all the necessities in... so happy with all my shopping 

\(^_^)/

one & only one door in singapore islandwide

my id has personally helped to customise a one & only door in singapore.

do you like it?

it reminds me of the "three little pig" story ... i will huff i will puff and .... hahaha and yes i am one of the stupid pigs (@_@).  well this is of course not an intended measure.  my main door installation did not go well as planned, there was a very visible scratch mark and in the end, the door guy has to remove the door and arrange for a replacement of the veneer cover.  till then, this is my "customised" door  *jaw-dropped*

trust & age inversely proportional ?

read this quote from the web today ...

對於一個相信你的人,

任何解釋都是多餘的;

而對於不信任你的人,

任何解釋都是徒勞的.

credibility does not build overnight, but yet it can come crashing down in a day.
somehow as we grow older, we become less trusting ... it this consider a sign of wisdom or a loss of naivety?

very very very upset day ... :'(

i have always intended for my blog to keep happy memories.  thus for the past few months, i have always kept to posting the good vibes and things i like about my reno.  however today i can't resist posting this >(-_-)<.

so what made me so angry ... here's why???

false ceiling - before

false ceiling - after with aircon pelmet

do you like the aircon pelmet? well I HATE IT *fuming* it spoils the completeness of the ceiling and this stretch of lights is facing my door entrance ...

let's take a closer look ... my id has explained that the main purpose of the pelmet was for practicality of maintenance.  if i had known about this earlier, for practicality, i would NOT have opt for this layer of false ceiling ... waste $$$ on down lights and cove light *siao ah*

before i can get over the pelmet, the quality of plastering adds on to my frustration ... "BEST" i have seen.

well at least for the plastering, my id did assure me that they will touch up on it. well will update again, hopefully their touchup work can impress me m(_ _)m

what adds on to my anger ...

• at the intial design phase, i have specifically informed about my intention to get a system 3 and asked about where my aircon unit will be. the reply was i quote "for installation of aircon, it is easier to coordinate onsite with the installer" ... this was the so-called coordination !!!
• when the aircon installer was on-site to assess about the location of where to place the aircon, there was NO mention of any aircon pelmet needed
• i have gone with the aircon installer recommended by my id.  this decision was for convenience assuming that they will have better "chemistry" working together.  this is what i get for trust ...

for those folks out there doing reno, please learn from me ... always follow-up on the aircon installation and make double or even triple sure that you follow-up with your id on how the aircon will affect your design of the house !!!  don't end up like me having painful "surprises" :'(

messy ... clean ... messy again haha

since the floor gap on my living room been filled.  my house renovation schedule has been progressing smoothly.  with the carpentry coming in this week and complete lightings up, i forsee my house's transformation should be done by end of this month ... *finally !!!*

sharing some pictures of the latest progress:

• before & after cleanup: love my house after cleanup *wow*. i will definitely miss having this amount of space (-.-!) after carpentry gets in.  after the cleanup, we had a hard time deciding if the floor tile finish was done in quality.  somehow i can feel some uneven-ness along the grout lines ... and as usual the contractors will always claim it's the norm for 600mm x 600mm matt tiles.  maybe i should try using a spirit level if i can get hold of one *hiakz*, erh but what's the acceptable level huh ...

11-Jul: before (left) 13-Jul: after (right)

• different shades of BLUE: for my 2 rooms, i have opt to paint one side of the walls in a different shades of blue.  which do you prefer? or none (-.-) ...

study room (left) master bedroom (right)

• mess back in the house: alamak !!! the carpentry is in and omg i must be crazy for this amount of carpentry.  sighhh what's wrong with me ??? by the way, can you spot my glass panels :) in the picture, i love them !

16-Jul: carpentry 

with the renovation coming to an end, next rounds of updates will probably be the time to reveal my initial 3D designs against reality and also the designers in the back scene ... so as usual do stay tuned !

the drain is filled :)

after much wait, the flooring is finally done ... *super glad*

9-Jun: initially there was gap (left)  24-Jun: gradually it turns to a dumping ground (right)

3-Jul: hdb approved and gap is filled (left) 5-Jul: and now finally tiles are laid (right)

and just as i was about to ask about the stairway <(^o^)>, they did up the edge trimming too.  it's still rather dusty, but general washing is arrange for next week.

by the way, did you spot my door grill gates? erh ... yes, it is GREEN *sigh* "inherited" from the previous house owner.  yucks !!!  however since my id is quoting me additional $150 bucks (cost-to-cost) to paint over, i will have to live with it for now. well i just have to take it that the painter is not keen to take up this job (-_-") anyway maybe i will be in the mood to diy later.

with progress resumed, i m definitely once again looking forward to next week:

• painting work - walls, doors, pipes, ...
• lightings installation 
• sanding of parquet

*phew* finally approved

as seen from my previous post, my reno permit application to top-up the extended living area floor level  has been pending for over a month since late May... and for the last few days, my frustrations grew with no updates of any progress from neither the hdb nor my id.  so in the end taking things in my own hands, i tried calling up hdb again.  that was however fruitless, either i can't get through the line or nobody is calling me back even after i called in the general line to register my concerns *fuming <3* so my last straw?  i started drafting an email to hdb expressing my dissatisfaction and at that time, i was already contemplating my next step if i din hear from them by tomorrow.

so guess what, the hdb responsible called me this morning and ... they told me that my renovation permit is approved !!!! finalliiii \(^_^)/ *hip hip hurray* i will always wonder if it is simply coincidental that the approval comes after my email.

and so now, the ball is at my id's court. let's hope they can cleanup the mess soon and still complete the project before July ends.

oh and a couple of stuff that i have missed out in earlier post:

• toilet doors - sui bo? happy that my choice of "white" turns out good :)

guess which i choose?

common bathroom (left) master bedroom (right)
note: they are of the same color, just difference in lighting *wink*

• delivery of hob & hood - waited for over an hour for the guys to deliver them, my neighbours were wondering what was i up to *heehee* hopefully i can post pictures of the installed products soon

hob & hood delivered on 29-Jun

• 2nd visit to blum showroom - after much deliberation, i decided to *splurge* on blum tandembox ... i simply can't resist.  another hole in my pocket *sob* luckily my id does allow me to purchase directly from blum.  otherwise i will have to suffer another markup from the carpenters.  for those keen on blum products as well, you can check out gallery of their product lines - http://connect.blum.com/index.php/gallery.

does this look different?

my id has been telling me that the color of my parquet flooring will change the first few weeks after layering as the wood "acclimatize" to a new environment.  nature never fail to amaze us huh?
so does the following looks different to you?

15-Jun (left)  after 2 weeks: 29-Jun (right)

of course another contributing factor is the lighting *wink* photography far from the work of a professional.  another thing i have learnt was that for timber strips less than 12", nailing is not required.  i went on-site a couple of time hoping to catch a glimpse of how nailing is done and only got to know later that these are the only nails i will see haha (-.-")

can you spot them?

aside from parquet, do you recall about my "slaughtered" gas pipe?  in the end, check out where it ends ... haha somehow the pipe was broken and they have to "end" it with the nut outside my house instead. well, the good thing is i saved 60 bucks heehee thanks to my id coordination with city gas.

gas pipe

that's all for this week, folks ... before i left, view from my house looks rather worrying. haiz, seems like the haze is coming back *sianz* sure hope i am wrong abt this.