House Renovation ( week 8 )

WEEK 8

Installation of new main doorframe and main door.

This week, our contractor from Contat Decor and Transportation came by to remove the old main door frame and install the new door frame and new main door shown above. We did not want the standard HDB type of door offered as standard under renovation packages and went to source for our own main door, having in mind the types found in condos. We managed to meetup with Jonas from Contat Decor and Transportation. He's a young guy who's totally in tune with what young couples like ourselves want in a modern main door. He was very helpful and spend a deal of time bringing out the various samples of the different parts of the main door from the wood lamination to the lockset to the handles etc.

We spent about 780 dollars on the entire main door, doorframe and the door parts such as the lockset, handles etc ( we took the more expensive route of equipping the door with YALE branded items instead of cheaper Taiwanese or China sourced locksets ). It was a worthwhile splurge for us as we feel it complements the contemporary modern look of our apartment. We will put up more pictures of the door once the varnishing of the door and painting of the doorframe is done. You can contact Jonas at 64425270 or email at jonas@contatdecor.com for more details.For those who are keen on such a door, I have provided the specifications of our main door as follows :

Door material : Single-Leaf solid veneer

Wood type : Fancy Dark Oak 816 ( greyish-light brown coloured )

Standard items : 3 Stainless steel hinges / 1 Magnetic stopper / Installation and Laquer /

1 eye viewer piece

Additional items : 1 set Mah Stainless steel Chrome Plated Door Lock / 1 set Yale 521 Roller Lockcase 60mm / 1 set Yale 70mm T-T anti-drill locking cylinder with 5 anti duplicate keys/

1 set Yale Key Covers / 1 set Chrome/Stainless steel Pull Handles ( 25diameter x 450mm) /

1 piece Etech solid chrome Door Guard

Electrical Works Part 2

Shown : LEGRAND Mallia 2 rocker switches, Mallia 1 rocker 2-way switch with LED Green light(For Storage Water Heater) and Mallia double socket switch with Mallia switch boxes.

Shown : Switch Panel for Kitchen Cabinet on extreme right of picture

The electricians arrived also this week to fix up all the switches and sockets plus some of the lighting. We specifically asked for only certain lightings to be put up as there was still alot of shifting and reno works going on. The electrician and our ID commented that the switches and sockets from LEGRAND were quite nice. Our ID Jacky suggested a very aesthetically good idea of fixing a panel for the kitchen sockets flushed with our kitchen cabinet. See Below:

We sourced the LEGRAND switches and sockets from the friendly and patient boss and his staff ( his wife and a older man whom we called uncle) at Kien Hoe Teng Trading Pte Ltd. They were very patient with us. Even though they deal with mass orders for switches and sockets for buildings, they took time off from their busy schedule to sit down and explain the different switches and even how the switches and wiring should be run. They even advised us on things which electricians may try to hoodwink us about. Our LEGRAND switches and sockets were from the Mallia Range. Initially we wanted the coloured frames but as the wiring in our resale HDB is external, there was a need to mount the switches and sockets on boxes which unfortunately are available in only white so a coloured framed switch mounted on a white box would look weird. They gave us a good price on the switches as compared to the prices of similar switches found in DIY shops. Those who are keen, you can drop by the shop at Blk 26 Jalan Berseh, #01-160 S(200026).

LEGRAND Mallia 2 rocker switch ( $4-90 each ) with LEGRAND Mallia 2 rocker box ($1.00 each )

LEGRAND Mallia Double Sockets with box ( $11.40 each ). The switches on the sockets are designed to enable ease of reach with the switches mounted on the outside.
TV / FM Outlet with LEGRAND Mallia box ( $18.00 each )

Lighting ( Part 1 )

The electrician also put up the first phase of lightings for our apartment. We did not want to put up the Hall, Dining lights as we wanted the furniture to arrive first so that the positioning would be accurate. Also , we did not put up the master bathroom light for fear of damage as there was still reno work to be done with the ventilator fan and fixed glass shower panel. Similarly for the main door light and lights for the kitchen due to workers moving in and out.
White basket caged light ( C127 300) from Citilights located in our Orange Rm

Rocket Light ( Common Toilet ) in line with the funky theme

Boxed Spotlights for Walk In Wardrobe

(ABove) Wash area cylinder tube lighting Store Room circular light

Plumbing Works Part 2

The plumbers joined in this week's reno activities and completed the plumbing to the master bathroom and common bathroom. The kitchen and vanity top were left on hold due to the solid top not up as yet. As we could not conceal the piping in the bathrooms, we chose a more aesthectically pleasing stainless steel set of pipes which complemented the chrome of our Hansgrohe and Ferrera Asiapac taps and mixers.

Common Toilet Plumbing works :

We installed our water storage heater(15 Litres) from Italian brand - Ferroli sourced from Rigel. It costs $230 and has energy and water saving and quality thermostat features.

Our Toilet Bowl sourced from Sim Siang Choon ( $200 ). We liked the modern clean look and it comes with slow closing cover. We also attached a water rinser from SSC for $15.The Hangrohe Focus E Single lever basin mixer chrome ($110 after 25% discount) comes with pop up waste installed on a white square sink sourced from Hoe Kee ( $90 )

Sourced from Ferrera Asiapac : 3 spray Celestial Handshower with Creztial silver hose and adjustable wall mounted holder. ( Complete set- $70 )

Hansgrohe Focus E Shower Mixer wall mounted chrome ($114 after 25% discount ) The entire mixer and shower head set. Note steel piping

Master Bathroom

For our Masterbath, we installed Hansgrohe Raindance All Rounder Shower set complemented by a Hangrohe Axor Mixer. We liked the flexibility of the All Rounder design as it can be used as a massage overhead shower and also easily detached to be a handheld showerhead. Wallpaper

This week, the good people from Goodrich came to install the wallpaper for the feature wall in the master bedroom. It is worthwhile to pay more to have their installers do it for you as the workmanship is quite good, in particular along the wire cabling and switches. The white spot near the bottom of the floor is our electrical socket. Total cost was $655 with installation. We chose this design as it was in line with the room's colour theme of grey and the flower motifs were quite elegant with the red giving a bright splash of coulour to brighten the room's grey tone. The motif was also not too gaudy. Oh yes, shown here is also our half installed lighting ( the spiky ball ) for the master bedroom. We have not installed the halogen bulbs and crystal attachments yet for fear of damage by movers for the bedframe and furnishing.

Carpentry Works - Walk in Wardrobe Vanity Counter

Walk in wardrobe vanity cupboard with mounted sink was installed. The sink will be installed later when the solid top is up. As we required more storage space, we asked for overhead cupboard and also below the vanity counter. We chose black laminated covering for the cupboard. We also asked jacky to customize a mirror for the vanity. The cost increased also due to the need for mounting of a solid top to ensure water resistance.

Carpentry Works - Shoe Cabinet
The carpenters did up the installation of the cabinet with black glossy laminate. The shoe cabinet also hides the MCB and provide additional storage shelf space at the top. Black Laminated Shoe Cabinet