Our Home in Kovan

CE2+ CERTIFICATION EN 636-2 S (Structural plywood in internal humid conditions).  Or rated WBP/BWR (water & boil proof)  But I doubt any ID/carpenter would bother to supply this information.    What to look for: Cabinet structure: multi-ply ( 7-9 ply ~18mm) Top hung cabinet base: multi-ply ( 7-9 ply ~18mm) Drawers, dividers: multi-ply (5-7ply ~ 12-15mm) Drawer bottom: 12mm (less if it does not need to support heavy pots and pans)

Ikea Billy Bookshelf Woodchips sandwich with laminates.  It's alright, we know why we buy these, it is cheap and looks good. This 3-door wardrobe is what we are using now, bought it in the neigbourhood furniture shop for around $200?  Comes with delivery and installation.  Not a bad deal for something we just going to use for 2 years.  Although flimsy and feather light to the touch, it manages to hold it's shape better than those chipboard from Ikea. Closer look at the board. Here's what's happening to the Kitchen Cabinet doors above the cook top. More pic I took out a piece Does it look like .... Can you tell which one from the wardrobe and which one from the kitchen cabinet?  Looks the same ins't it?  I better go check what my ID is going to use. 

How to choose a WC?  Surely someone must have figure out a way to test and score the effectiveness? Yes, there is! An organisation called MAP. This is a test lab cater for the north Americans: USA and Canada.  I can't find other setup like this for Europe and certainly nothing like this exist in Asia. MAP uses Soya Bean paste for testing.  Since 2005, Miso paste has replaced plastic ball bearings in toilet testing.  There are two things to look for, one is Water Sense certification and the other is MAP score. WaterSense certification calls for a maximum volume of 4.8l and 350g of waste removal.  This should be the basic requirement everywhere.  MAP score measures the performance: how much waste it can remove.  MAP score of 500 means 500g and 1000 means 1kg. Most of the brands in the database are American.  The ones that come up frequently and available in Singapore are - American Standard, Kohler and Toto. A search on one-piece, ...

Interior Designer Series -- 5 9 Creation, Ubi Road 1 We met with Randall from 9 Creation on the same day as the event mentioned in ID Series 4.  He came across as unassuming and thoughtful.   During our first meeting, after going through our floor plan and our requirements, among other things, he gave us an interesting solution for our storeroom door.  We wanted louvered doors.  But we all know that louvered doors are old fashioned and unsightly.  He showed us a PVC door that might fit our requirement whereas most other IDs had no clue or couldn't be bothered.  Why are we so picky on this?  We stayed in an apartment with bomb shelter used as a store room.   After a year, mould started to developed and ruined many things.  We had to rent a storage to store them for the next few years.  So yes, we think storerooms MUST be well ventilated. He scored bonus points for being the only ID who sent us a 3D drawing.  Whe...

Other than the showroom inside of their HQ, there is another one in Ang Mo Kio. Our friend excitedly told us about it after she went and came back with entire set of Gaggenau at 70% off.  We went last week but I think timing was bad; the great sales must have been so successful it was mostly empty. For those of you looking for Bosch products, it would be worthwhile to go check it out. BSH Home Appliances Pte Ltd Block 4012, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, #01-01 Techplace I Singapore 569628 Operating hours: Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm

The bright and cheery London Telephone Booth beckons!  It is hard to go to the Bosch showroom without stopping by. Inside, it is piled high with teakwood furnitures of all sorts.  The boss, John, was extremely helpful and eager to show us some of his custom pieces. When mentioned teakwood, we would think of furnitures of our grandparents' generation; bulky, heavy and dull.  Yes... mostly true.  But there are some interesting and modern designs to be found here.  Best of all, if you have something in mind, uncle John could custom made for you. Check it out: Teakland Gallery TechPlace 1 Block 4012 #01-03 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 www.teaklandgallery.com Open most days from 10-6pm

Wah ha! So happy that everything went through without a hitch! Were in HDB for our first appointment today.  Three parties were present:  us, our seller/buyer and the seller of Bedok flat.  Our seller bought another unit in Bedok and so will be doing a contra.  For the past weeks, we heard that the Bedok seller was not in a hurry and may hinder the sales process.  We wanted to move in January next year.  Working backwards, we would have to start renovation in early Dec.  In the end, we were all glad that the Bedok owner did not stop us from submitting a letter for an early closure - 6 weeks instead of the normal 8 weeks.  By just two weeks, that's the best we could ask for.  But we would take it as long as we can start early.  Throughout, we were so afraid that the Bedok seller would ask for a 3 month extension, then both our seller and us would be affected.  All the documents signing were done before noon.  Wah haha!!...