Finally........the keys

Yesterday, I got back the keys to the flat. Wow, there were a lot of rubbish and furniture still left in the flat. I don't know whether the contractor will charge me for disposing of these items. I duplicated two sets of keys at Chinatown.

This morning, I went to pass the keys to the contractor. He had with him two big pieces of laminated florring for me to choose. I decided to stick with what we have chose earlier. He also passed me a sample of the tiles and a bottle of red wine for CNY. Seems like the ID did everything that I asked him to do before he left for Malaysia. To reward them, I passed him a cheque for the 1st payment for $6,600.

Updates

Much has happened over the past few days.

I saw an advertisement in the newspaper advertising a Korean brand side by side fridge for $599. I was very tempted as it is very cheap. The cheapest side by side fridge I have seen is about $899. As I had already bought the LG GR419 fridge from Courts two weeks ago, I decided to go and ask whether they can match the price and change to this model for me. I showed the salesperson the advertisement and he found it hard to believe. He called the retailer (Au**o H**se)to confirm the price. Au**o H**se replied that that price was for a display set and only 1 unit. I find this to be very unethical. Customers see the ad and believe that that is the price, rush down there and most probably will be told that it is sold and we have another model that is just as good for double the price. Anyway, I did not go there in vain. The salesperson told me about one of the LG side by side fridge (GR-B207WLQ) that is on sale for $988. Somemore, it comes with a $200 NTUC voucher. So, I have only to add $100 more if I subtract the voucher. I decided to go for it. This is one big fridge, 537 litres nett.

We have decided to commence renovation on the 2 Feb 2009. This is supposedly a very auspicious date based on the 8 characters of both of us. I told the ID and he told me he will go there, get a hammer to knock knock to signify the start of renovation.

Today, the ID told me that the HDB renovation permit has been approved. Now, the last thing is to get the keys back.

Visit to tile shop, lighting shop and toilet accesories shop

Today, gf and I went to the ID's place at 11.30am. Before that, we met up for breakfast and discussed what will the color scheme be for our two toilets. We decided on a black scheme for both.

When we got to the ID's place, we decided to change the color of the TV console to walnut color instead of white. The wooden beams in the living room will be laminated in walnut as well. The only thing white will be the shoe cabinet. 

We set off to see one project that the ID is handling now. It is almost done. The ID told me the owner paid $1m for the condo. The floor space is about 1200sq ft. The living room is quite big, but the MBR and the other bedroom are really really small. One of the wardrobe in the MBR is so close to the bed that the owner will not be able to stand in front of the wardrobe to put his clothes inside. Omg! Considering that the condo is about 200 sq ft bigger than my flat, I wonder where the extra 200 sq ft went to. And at four times the price of my flat, I would rather buy an executive apartment for half a million dollars and it will be 50% bigger. I wonder what is the fascination with staying in a condo??? Beats me huh???

The ID drove us to the tile shop at Balestier next. We took like about one hour to choose the tiles used for the kitchen and toilet.

Kitchen: Black matte tiles for the floor and glossy black tiles for the backsplash

Common toilet: Black matte tiles same as the ones used in the kitchen floor. Black and beige tiles for the walls. The black tiles has a protruding finish.

MBR toilet: The floor and the wall will all be using the same black tile. All black concept. The only thing white will be the WC.

We then went to eat the famous bak chor mee but I found that it is not as tasty as before.

After lunch, we went to the lighting shop. It is at Jalan Besar, next to Lavender food court. The shop is called Light Makers Pte Ltd. We bought:

4 ceiling fans, 

1 hamburger light for the storeroom, 

2 bathroom lights in white, 

1 kitchen light, 

1 light for hanging above the study table,

1 dining table light. 

Total damage= $1450

Next, we went to the toilet accesories shop. It is at the junction of Boon Keng road and Upper Serangoon road. The shop's name is Genova Indutries Pte Ltd. It is in one two storey building by itself. Definitely bigger than those in Jalan Besar. We bought:

1 Franke kitchen sink in stainless steel, two hole (comes free with sink tap and bottle trap)

1 Joven 35L storage heater with stainless steel tub

Common toilet

1 white color round counter top basin

1 Viva Tower basin mixer

1 bath mixer with lever handle

1 3/4" and 1/2" wall elbow

1 Chrome bidet spray set

1 Baron one piece WC suite

MBR toilet

1 tempered glass bowl basin

1 1/4" dome waste LL (brass)

1 Dia 75mm mounting ring

1 Rain shower set with mixer (upgraded to 10" shower head)

1 3/4" and 1/2" wall elbow

1 Bib tap

Total damage= $1,841

The salesman called Edwin was really young but helpful and very patient.

It was already 6pm by then and the ID has to go somewhere else. I asked him to drop us at Hoe Kee in Jalan Besar. We bought:

1 mirror box for mounting above the common toilet basin

1 UFO tap for the MBR toilet

1 Kris rubbish bin made of stainless steel

4 sets of toiletries holder ( 2 sets each for the common toilet and MBR toilet)

1 towel holder for the MBR shower

2 pieces of hand towel holder

2 pieces of clothes hook ( 1 for MBR toilet and 1 for the common toilet)

1 piece of toilet paper holder for the MBR toilet

1 piece of toilet paper holder for the common toilet that is covered up (so won't get wet when shower)

1 bidet for the MBR WC

Total damage= $623

Total amount spent today= $3,914

Gf paid for the bidet and she asked me whether I will think about her when I go pan sai next time??? Hehehe......... I think so loh. Thanks lah, Ah Lian.

Renovation loan approved

The OCBC renovation loan was approved on Tuesday. I was really happy when I called and received the confirmation. 

Yesterday, my gf and I went to the ID to view the computerised drawings for the kitchen as well as finalise the color scheme for the cabinets, wardrobe and the wall paint. 

Kitchen: We decided on a all white kitchen cabinets with white color solid surface top. The cabinets will be suspended with ground clearance being 8 inches. The tiling in the kitchen will be black and the backsplash will be black as well. 

Living room: We decided to go for white color wallpaper and the motifs are big rose patterns. The TV console will be covered with white color gloosy laminate and will be 10 foot long. The left and right sides will have sliding doors and there will be three drawers in the middle for me to put my CDs and DVDs. The two predomiant colors are mocha delight (brown) and morning dew for the walls and bisque (light brown) for the ceiling.

MBR: We chose a brown and white color scheme for the customised furniture and that includes the study table, wardrobe and the vanity table. The two colors we selected are clamshell (brown) and morning dew. 

We also chose the color for the laminated flooring but I cant remember the name for the color. It is something like Tibetan .........

I will be going back next week to see the updated comupterised drawings and the ID will take us to the tile shop and the toilet accessories shop.

First comptuerised drawings

Today noon, my gf and I went to see the 1st computerised drawings of the renovation. Finally, I am able to see what has been discussed in 3D. The pictures look good. But this is only on paper and what is the final result remains to be seen.

I was shown only the MBR and living room cum dining hall photos. Now, I have a major worry. My stereo set that I brought back from the states. The speaker are really big and they come with crossovers in a box placed behind them. This is a tough job getting them to fit into the TV console without them looking out of place.

After the discussions, we left for a flat that the ID is doing in Hougang. The theme is modern contemporary. Very colorful. My gf was not impressed with the quality of the carpentry. She told me only the ID has dropped me off. I was also not impressed. Some of the cabinents are roughly finished. You don't have that quality kind of feel that you think is acceptable.

Anyway, I will bring this up next Friday when we meet again to see the computerised drawings for the kitchen. We will also be deciding the colors of the laminated flooring, the color of laminates to use for the kitchen cabinets and the wardrobe and the tiles for the bathroom.