Renovation Blues
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Elindra seems to be having tons of that lately. I thought we could start a thread on renovations to share our experiences with this or to imagine how we'd renovate our pad should we do it.
Phua Chu Kang not invited to this discussion, ah!
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ok, firstly, if i ever own my hse
i am gonna lay the floor with parquet or laminate
rip out the built in furniture and replace them with more ex, but longer lasting solid wood
change my pinkish kitchen to brown
repaint, replaster...
i think of more i come post here... -
Lau, I love solid wood too!
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After moving into this apartment (my first apartment) about 10 years ago, I didn't have any money for renovations. All my renovations were forced ones....
I didn't realise that one side of my bathroom was made of gypsum board, covered with bathroom wall tiles (to cover up some pipes inside). One fine day, I was washing up, doing my usual song and mini dance routine under the shower....I slipped and my upper back slammed into the gypsum wall. Since it broke the wall, I had no choice but to replace the gypsum with an artifical marble slab. Contractor charged me $1000 for it!! I still think I got cheated.
Then there were the rotting kitchen cabinets. The washing machine dumped water into a pipe below the kitchen floor. When the pipe got clogged, soapy water would rise from the manhole (in the middle of the kitchen floor) and flood the whole place. In time, this caused the kitchen cabinets to rot. Replaced it finally, at a cost of $1800 (not too bad....done by a contractor who was a family friend).
Then there was the bedroom. When I moved in, it was covered with this thick dirty and dusty carpet which made the bedroom extremely stuffy. Sick of it, I tore out a corner with my own hands to see what was underneath. To my surprise, it was parquet. A bit scratched up, but still, it was parquet. I tore up the whole carpet, used my hand-held drill as a sander (rotating sandpaper) and manually went through the whole floor to even it out (damned tiring for the back), after which everything was covered with fine sawdust. Then I gave it two coats of glossy varnish and it turned out well - could see my reflection on the floor! Cheap.....just the price of sandpaper and varnish. If anyone needs to varnish their floors, please let me know....
I also changed the kitchen and bathroom taps, replaced the toilet flushing system, and replaced the bathroom mirror and shelves myself. Cheap...just bought the stuff, carried them home and fixed them myself. The only problem was when I was walking around Geylang looking for the taps (there are many bathroom wares shops there). When I walked out of the shop, I happened to bump into a friend whose first sentence was "oh, you frequent this place too?".
Thats about all the renovations I've done to my apartment.
Er....I've done some mini renovations to my face too, if anyone is interested? -
Whoa gentlerock... some really serious homeowner's woes there!
I do admire you for the DIY work you did! Superb! I know that in the US and other Western countries, it's very common for the guys to embark on DIY Home Improvement work - when I went to visit a friend in Tulsa, OK, he was working on resurfacing and re-tiling his kitchen work area... all on his own! He was doing the cutting up of tiles to measure, the sandpapering, the cementing, the caulking, etc... Awesome!!
I guess for most of us, the first house we own might not be properly renovated till there's enough cash or till we take out a renovation loan. I think the first property I purchase, I shall have to live with the bare minimum for quite a while.
Ah well.
And oh, btw, TX, the Don and Ged, I managed to change that bathroom light I was telling you guys about!
Thanks for the instructions! I was going to call Eric for help if I couldn't do it. -
Well, I DIY-ed because I was broke from paying the bank...so I was forced to do things myself.
It was fun and did embark me on a good learning curve anyway, except for the DIY scrubbing of mould from between the tiles (learned that in the army already).
Oh, I spent two lonely nights in Tulsa in 1993 on my way to Muskogee. I had an ex-colleague in Florida who built his own single-storey 3-bedroom wooden house! Even had a swimming pool, garage, etc. He even did his own water treatment for his pool (we were all in the water treatment line ourselves back then). -
Oh WHOA!!! You're one of the very rare few Singaporeans who've ventured to Tulsa!!! Everyone else I've spoken to don't know where the hell is Tulsa and all wondered what the hell I was doing in a non-touristy kinda place.Originally posted by gentlerock:Well, I DIY-ed because I was broke from paying the bank...so I was forced to do things myself.
It was fun and did embark me on a good learning curve anyway, except for the DIY srubbing of mould from between the tiles (learned that in the army already).
Oh, I spent two lonely nights in Tulsa in 1993 on my way to Muskogee. When I had an ex-colleague in Florida who built his own single-storey 3-bedroom wooden house! Even had a swimming pool, garage, etc. He even did his own water treatment for his pool (we were all in the water treatment line ourselves back then).
But that's the charm of places like that. I sometimes love to go off the well-trodden path for my vacations, explore the places where tourists still do not know about, visit a place in its 'untainted' state.
This time of year, the Peonies must be blooming bigger than my clenched fist. Awesome sight! And the cardinals must be out bossing the other birds around again.
It's amazing the extent of DIY the Americans do! I helped my friend clean his backyard pool when I was there because hell, I've never done 'yardwork' and 'poolwork' before and it was a thrill of sorts for me. Quite 'sua ku', right?
Riding through the neighbourhood with my friend on his Harley, I saw lots of structures built by the homeowners themselves - decks, gardens, koi ponds, etc. Amazing!
And they're also really serious about their gardening! They even do their own mulching! And they would even bother to plant, remove and replant annuals! Me, I'd rather just grow perennials that can survive the odd day ... or two ... or three that I forget to water or am too lazy to tend to them! 
Say, when you were in Tulsa, did you wander over to Broken Arrow?
And, did you take the famous Route 66? -
when i moved into my current 3 rm flat i renovated only the toilet and nothing else.
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when my folks decided to renovate the house, i did what any self-respecting dude would do...
i ran away on holiday to Ko Samui
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Rhonda,
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I was in Tulsa enroute to Muskogee on business. Just like so many others, I probably wouldn't find my way there if on vacation. Most of the time, I'm pretty mainstream and conformist.
Yeah, Tulsa is quite non-touristy, but there are probably lots of foreigners and domestic travellers arriving there, on business - and their large airport seems to reinforce this point. You would remember that Tulsa houses some of the most famous military aircraft manufacturers in the world.
Broken Arrow was a 90-minute drive from Muskogee, where I spent a week. I was offered an evening visit to Broken Arrow, but some urgent business came up which finally crushed all prior travel plans made.
Actually, I didn't see much of Muskogee either....I was warned to stay in my hotel and not to wander around unaccompanied due to the roaming Texas Wagons at night (pick-up trucks carrying drunks with rifles at night).
Sorry to disappoint you again, but I haven't been on Route 66. Seems like a very mesmerising thing, this highway. I know some who are crazy about riding their Harleys down Route 66 again and again....
I've been on something better than the 66. I've been on the Hershey Highway (that road which passes the main Hershey plant in Pennsylvania). Fat free chocolates!
When it comes to renovations, housekeeping and gardening, I think the Brits are the undisputed champs. I actually know this Brit who rearranges everything in his house every now and then. He would also suddenly stop to admire flowers along the path while strolling around in his neighbourhood. When he visited Singapore, I fetched him to Changi Airport, which was when he commented no end on the umbrella-shaped trees lining ECP...how the branches provided a nice canopy for the streetlights to partially shine through, etc. Really made me felt that we really take things for granted - I mean, how many of us actually notice the trees along our roads?
You helped to clean your friend's yard and pool? Thats nice of you! Well, we're just a day away from the weekend......um.....which is when my apartment needs cleaning (hint hint). -
Sorry sorry....got carried away. Please continue to talk about renovations. Sorry....
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i just started renovation at my place. 21k job.
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Shifted to a new plc recently. Had alot of fun fixing the plc up & i was so exhausted! Need to convince my parents to buy my ideas & did alot of homework, reading FAQs frm tiles, paints, curtains, grills, doors, cabinets & lightings, etc etc.. den decisions DECISIONSsss.
No fun when u haf to run ard everywhere to search or compare prices for everything! -
ahh.. a nice daughter!! unlike me who ran away to Samui Originally posted by Camellias4me:Shifted to a new plc recently. Had alot of fun fixing the plc up & i was so exhausted! Need to convince my parents to buy my ideas & did alot of homework, reading FAQs frm tiles, paints, curtains, grills, doors, cabinets & lightings, etc etc.. den decisions DECISIONSsss.
No fun when u haf to run ard everywhere to search or compare prices for everything! -
A kaypo, fussy & "yim jim" daughter!Originally posted by the Bear:ahh.. a nice daughter!! unlike me who ran away to Samui
Everything muz go thru me 1st. Cannot trust old pple taste lah.. -
then you must have great taste
oh.. do drop by at Muddy's again... and i promise to be sober this time Originally posted by Camellias4me:A kaypo, fussy & "yim jim" daughter!
Everything muz go thru me 1st. Cannot trust old pple taste lah.. -
house is such a mess
(da da da da daaa)
the place is so damn dusty..
(da da da da daaa)
goin' mad i confess
(da da da da daaa)
i'm screamin' and it's so noisy!!
i got them..
i got them...
i got them.. renovation blues!!
yeah.. it's those
it's those...
renovation... blues!!
so won't you take me..
take me..
where i can't hear them tools!!
i got them..
i got those..
i got them...
renovation blues!!! -
Any ladies on the confirmed list?Originally posted by the Bear:then you must have great taste
oh.. do drop by at Muddy's again... and i promise to be sober this time
Am on morning shift & there's training after work. Argh..
Hmm.. We'll see!
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well, i think tare and honghong are going...
and probably rhonda too
how did you like the Bear singin' the BluesOriginally posted by Camellias4me:Any ladies on the confirmed list?
Am on morning shift & there's training after work. Argh..
Hmm.. We'll see! -
How appropriate for the thread. *Applause*Originally posted by the Bear:well, i think tare and honghong are going...
and probably rhonda too
how did you like the Bear singin' the Blues
Alrite den, I'll see how it goes later.
Gotta hit the sack now.. waking up @ 430am!
Gdnite Bear! -
'kay.. goodnight and sleep sweet
and i'll be there waiting with bated breathOriginally posted by Camellias4me:How appropriate for the thread. *Applause*
Alrite den, I'll see how it goes later.
Gotta hit the sack now.. waking up @ 430am!
Gdnite Bear! -
My ideas same as yours!Originally posted by laurence82:ok, firstly, if i ever own my hse
i am gonna lay the floor with parquet or laminate
rip out the built in furniture and replace them with more ex, but longer lasting solid wood
change my pinkish kitchen to brown
repaint, replaster...
i think of more i come post here... I'd love to have a place with parquet flooring & solid wood furniture
This is how I'd like my place to be renovated to look like:
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this will cost you a bomb in singapore.
dont know about australia though. -
SL, that was a lovely little cottage-like house you showed. Good for a bachelorette pad! *starts daydreaming...
Hmm... actually, the kitchen looks a tad small though... There's not enough workarea if you end up purchasing more kitchen equipment that will use up counter space.
It would be great to have a study too! I want one wall where there are bookshelves end-to-end with another row of shelves on a roller-rail in front of the ones at the back. (Whatever do you call those?) You can keep a lotta lotta books with that shelving system! -
That's what we thought too, thus we weren't that keen on buying the house. And dragg, this house would cost approx. 800,000 SGD.Originally posted by Rhonda:SL, that was a lovely little cottage-like house you showed. Good for a bachelorette pad! *starts daydreaming...
Hmm... actually, the kitchen looks a tad small though... There's not enough workarea if you end up purchasing more kitchen equipment that will use up counter space.
It would be great to have a study too! I want one wall where there are bookshelves end-to-end with another row of shelves on a roller-rail in front of the ones at the back. (Whatever do you call those?) You can keep a lotta lotta books with that shelving system! So expensive!