Anyone staying in Bukit Panjang

[binbin]

helo wise, heres the reply from my colleague. i joked that he sounded like a pergo salesperson ah.

*********************************
Yes, I'm using pergo on all my bedroom floors. So far it has not failed me, no defects yet. But I believe its quality that we are paying for in pergo laminates. mine is the 8mm version. The hollow sound is independent of any laminates you use. In fact, I dun think pergo will have this problem if its laid properly under pergo-qualified hands. most of the time, its poor workmanship that creates the hollow sound in laminate flooring.....

Your friend just have to watch out for shoddy workmanship if she chooses not to go with pergo.... But if she chooses pergo, the guys from pergo will provide the entire flooring laying services (from delivering to actual laying and finishing) giving you a peace of mind in your home flooring matters.
*****************************

hope this helps!

 

[wiseharmony]

Good morning BinBin,

tks so much.... this really helped.

 

[wiseharmony]

today is FRIDAY the 13th......

 

[hello88]

ya....its Friday the 13th
....so lets get out of more roomssssssssssssssss.........

 

[interrace]

Morning all..

tks binbin...actually hor i nvr ask my ID which laminate brand they will be using..haha..

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

 

[binbin]

Happy Friday 13th!!

celia, welcome! eh....ur nick looks familiar. u play crimson room too?

interrace, me know nuts abt laminates ah, only know pergo hehehhe...

 

[hello88]

Hi binbin,

yup, now in 2nd room (green) and stucked....now not going back to the room as yet and just enjoy reading the threads

 

[pekochan]

wise, my husband is addicted to the rooms.....

 

[hello88]

Hi wise,

I made it out of Viridian room and now going to the next.

Hi pekochan,

yup, really addictive....so your husband managed to get out of the rooms?

 

[hello88]

Hi wise,

me out of the blue Chamber too. Now trying the other website.....

 

[pekochan]

wise, he's into motas...... hw abt u?

 

[hoppinghippos]

Dear all, I've collected my keys and have a few qns I would like to ask you guys and girls, hope you can kindly advise!

1) I saw the notice board at the lift landing, there's a notice on the need to change the window parts like sliders and all from aluminium to stainless steel. Does this affect our estate (blks 65X)? what is our windows parts made of?

2) I understand that there is a wiring at the passageway meant to connect to the doorbell, I didn't take a close look cuz the wires are all bunched up, but is it possible to simply buy off the shelf door bell and wire it up myself? Is it a simple 2 wire, 1 live one neutral kinda setup?

3) the foyer has one ceiling electrical pt, the living rm has 2, but strangely the switch panel at the main door only has switches to the foyer one, and one of the living room one, how did you guys/gals use the 2 living room electrical pts? I'm thinking if I use one of the pts for a ceiling fan, another for L-box, I need one more for a normal single ceiling light (in the event I don't want to switch on all the L-box lights), how then to wire up the switches? (ie add in one more switch) did you have more switches but the switches are not embedded and have electrical trunking running down the wall? Cuz I know its very easily to run more electrical pts and hook up more switches, but from what I know this would require separate wiring which will be external meaning there'll be trunking running along the walls, wondering if its possible to have more pts and switches and avoid the trunking?

Sorry for the whole bunch of qns!! hope I can get some advice! thanks!

)

 

[binbin]

good morning!!

wah celia u sure are fast with the rooms!

hippos! welcome welcome, u finally got ur keys.

so happy for you.

i try to answer ur questions in a layman way, coz i not sure abt the technical details.

1)think its a nationwide initiative to upgrade the grills from aluminium and stainless steel. all hdb estates will be affected. but actually dunno why i din notice the notcie at our block, think i not been reading. this initiave started some time ago, and there was a hoo haa that time about why do we have to pay for something hdb wants to do. now i dunno whats the latest plans i.e. are we paying, when will be the upgrade due date etc etc. but for our existing windows, its still aluminium frame.

2) we bought off-the-shelf bell bell and got it wired up by our contractor. so yes it could be done. but not sure is it the simple 1 live 1 neutral thingie, me no elec engineer pai seh.

and we got our wires hidden in the false ceiling.

3)about the elec points, our plc is mostly halogen lights in the foyer and living area. hhhhmmmm....i have i think 3 halogen bulbs in foyer area, and many in the living room. the living room lights are controlled by a switch on the wall thats beside the study room and the living room windows. u know which wall i talking abt? think thats the default connection. but it could also be done by our contractor, i forgot liaoz. that switch board has 4 on-off switches. one for the lights above my dining table, one for the lights (flouroscent tube) behind my tv console, 2 for the halogen bulbs sets in sofa area. the switch board is hidden behind our ikat fabric. if i am not wrong, the default wiring of our cluster is such that the default lights and wiring are already hidden within the ceiling. only when u branch it out then u have to tink of where to hide. for our case, coz we have fale ceiling, we hide most of it in the false ceiling if i am not wrong, including the wires for the surround speakers. but since u have ceiling fan, dun think u having false ceiling right? we do have some trunking running down the walls, but i dun think it was a lot....have u got a contractor yet? usually they are experts in doing ths, and hiding it. if u paint the trunking box same colour as ur walls, shldn't be too obvious.

 

[binbin]

hey hippos, i remember that i have not answered one of ur earlier queries in the emails u sent. about how to maximise the space in the wardrobe l-bend? there is a space thats quite deep behind the l-bend, so try to store those less frequently used clothes that u dun usually need. for my case, i store my wedding gown and evening gown there.

hehehee...maybe u can store ur suits or leather jackets or thingies....or ur wify's long dresses or winter wear?

 

[hoppinghippos]

Dear binbin,

I think its not the window frame per se, but the rivets and sliders used, and I think the notice gave a deadline, can't rem when tho but I think it was this yr. So I'm thinking whether I should complain to HDB in my defect list to get it changed! heh.... so I take it you haven't changed it yet? But for our estate there is a need to?

Thanks about the doorbell, I"ll get an off the shelf and see if I can self install! Save $$$!

As for the lighting, I hope to do all planning myself first before getting a contractor, or at least know everything there is to know before getting him so his suggestions can be properly considered and compared to alternatives. I think your wall is diff cuz you hack down your wall rem?

I'm not hacking down so slightly diff config than yours.

As for your wardrobe, I take it the L-bend is discontinous? ie its like 2 separate wardrobes put together? I'm deciding btwn that configuration and whether its possible to have a continuous wardrobe interior with L shaped clothes rail too, heh... its fun to think about stuff like that!

Thanks for your replies and advice!

 

[binbin]

helo hippos, oh yah. its the hinges and sliders portion hor. come to think of it, thats what i heard too, dunno why blur me go and think abt frames and even mention grills. think i blur liaoz. oorrhhh.....by yr end? ooops....hhhmmm....but come to think of it, if its sliders (the metal track that allows the hinge to bends and straightens when u open/close the window right?) mine is already stainless steel i think. dun think its aluminium leh, dun look like it.....but then again, i so blur i may be wrong! hahahaaa maybe i ask hubby ah. think for all estates there is a need to. since u have not send defect list, make noise to hdb see what theysay?

no, i hack away the study room wall, but that piece of wall between the study room and the living windows can't be hack mah. that is a load bearing wall. so you have the wall i also have. so dun think got difference? or unless my contractor has helped moved the elec points. all this aircon and wiring thingie i switch off when hubby and him discuss one hehehee....hubby will only ask me when he needs confirmation how many points i happy with. maybe i get him to come in today to answer ur queries if he free ah.

yes u are righto, the lbend of wardrobe is discontinuous. its two seperate carpentry pieces. l shaped clothes rail is a goodie idea but have not seen it before so can't comment.

oh i think u will also have headache when it comes to aircon trunking.....

 

[wiseharmony]

Hi pekochan & ceila,
wah u gals r so smart yah. am still stuck @ room 2.... will play again.

Hi hippos
Congratz!! one happy proud home owner....
am getting key this week.... beli kan chong... ha haa

i thot our 65X area was build in year 200X so changing of the window tingy olso apply to our area? hmmmm...

btw, found this
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/isoa032p.nsf/infoweb?openframeset




Hi BinBin,
Oh... u olso hv a L-shape closet... was planning for a WIW closet... looks liked the area doesnt allow. btw, how much u paid for yr closet? mi sign up wif closetworks for a 10ft... think fit just nicely.

 

[jazz_samz]

Hi Hippos,

Regarding your questions :
1) I saw the notice board at the lift landing, there's a notice on the need to change the window parts like sliders and all from aluminium to stainless steel. Does this affect our estate (blks 65X)? what is our windows parts made of?
ANS :
I believe its still Aluminium, I meant to call HDB up to check if it is necessary for us to change but kept on forgeting... deadline is Sep 2005. Its to change the rivet if I am not mistaken. Will advice again once I've checked with HDB.

2) I understand that there is a wiring at the passageway meant to connect to the doorbell, I didn't take a close look cuz the wires are all bunched up, but is it possible to simply buy off the shelf door bell and wire it up myself? Is it a simple 2 wire, 1 live one neutral kinda setup?
ANS :
Yes you are correct... Its a DC wiring so only two wire, not neutral and live but rather positive and negative... Since your DING DONG BELL is gona be battery operated, only two wires are required that will run from the solenoid / actuator (electric switch)triggering the bell powered by the battery. When someone presses the bell, it activates the switch that closes the DC (direct current switch) that the battery powers, thus activating the bells and chimes.

3) the foyer has one ceiling electrical pt, the living rm has 2, but strangely the switch panel at the main door only has switches to the foyer one, and one of the living room one, how did you guys/gals use the 2 living room electrical pts? I'm thinking if I use one of the pts for a ceiling fan, another for L-box, I need one more for a normal single ceiling light (in the event I don't want to switch on all the L-box lights), how then to wire up the switches? (ie add in one more switch) did you have more switches but the switches are not embedded and have electrical trunking running down the wall? Cuz I know its very easily to run more electrical pts and hook up more switches, but from what I know this would require separate wiring which will be external meaning there'll be trunking running along the walls, wondering if its possible to have more pts and switches and avoid the trunking?
ANS :
I can't seem to recall what was the original switches but if I am not mistaken, b4 reno, I connected light bulbs to the existing wires and from the switch at the main door, it controls both the dinning and living room points.
For our case as we did false ceiling, all the points are well concealed, but if you wish to add on a fan and do not want the trunking to be there, then why not get those fan + light kinda appliance... then use wall lights or standing lights to make it brighter / set the mood of the house.
If you want to have independent switches, then I doubt you can avoid the truncking being evident.
Just my 2 cents worth... have fun..

 

[interrace]

Congrats gals on getting ur keys..me still waiting ..neck long long liaoz..
how do u noe when the key i ready for collection? they will mail u and notify u on the date of collection?

binbin why u mentioned aircon trunking will have big problem? can ur aircon trunking be seen ?
cos i heard if do false ceiling then wouldnt be seen, if dun do false ceiling then will be seen, is that true ?

 

[jazz_samz]

Regarding the retrofitting of the window rivets, I've just made a call to HDB at 1800-2255432 and they told me that they will get the technical officer to contact me whether the replacement would fall under the 'Good-will replacement program list' and will update again.

Hippy, maybe you should call too and MAKE NOISE!!! cos if you were to pay on your own, understand its like $0.90 per rivet or window sia... not worth it. ;P

 

[binbin]

helo wise! closetworks, 11 ft.... so that is along the side of the bathroom wall issit? mine ah? me no remember how much leh. but i knew gotta top up arnd 1k to do the aluminium doors that we wanted.

interrace, just a gentle reminder, hippos is a guy! hehehee... in case he flutters his eyelashes again when he saw what u called him.

yep they will mail you to inform of key collection. no worry, wun be long.

no lah, did i say big problem? i go check my posting.... no leh i only meant headache ah. hehhee...well, yes to a certain extent trunking can be hidden by false ceiling, but not all mah. and aircon water trunking have to be a bit slopping to drain the water. its not a big problem, just have to think abt how to get around those load bearing walls and columns. i din like to think abt such things, so left this to hubby and ID. but its not a big prob lah, so many ppl got it done, hope i din give u wrong impression leh. some of our pipes are hidden in those lobangs below windows one.

hippos, hope jazz helped ur queries.

hehehee..... he's the expert in this, not muah.

 

[jazz_samz]

Our a/c trunking is visable, but well hidden / concealed.

To be honest, its quite inevitable.

 

[wiseharmony]

hi BinBin,
u olso got fm closetworks? any thing to look out for? yr a WIW or normal closet?

sorry wif so many questions.

 

[binbin]

helo wise, no lah mine not closetworks. ours is from our ID, part of our renovation carpentry. its a normal closet, not WIW. wanted WIW but if i had to hack away a wall for it, not worth it. but depends on personal preference ah. what to look out for...maybe u have to think the dimension of the wardrobe can accomodate all your clothes viz. folded clothes, intimates, hanging clothes, jackets etc etc. and if got space to dump your bedsheets in between use hehehe.. try to have some drawers too as our place quite dusty.

 

[binbin]

oh and yah, since urs is seperate closet contractor, try to make sure the colour of the closet matches with the colour of the rest of your room. and the material too.

 

[wiseharmony]

Hi binbin,

OIC. tks.

dusty??? how come? btw, do u our area got lotsa uninvited insects??

 

[matka]

Hello everyone... active active today. I've finally completed one project. Many more to go! *faints*

 

[binbin]

helo wise, uninvited insects??? hmmm...yah sometimes got small small ones found lying dead, dunno come from where. but not so much that gotta go around swapping flying creatures from my face lah. u have? dusty as in, sometimes after 1 week, got thin layer of dust on top of the wardrobe floor. so having drawers is better, keep out some dust mah.

 

[interrace]

Hi Binbin,

hee..i din noe hippos is guy.
sorry ar..
tks for the advice,on the aircon trunking, as my FH was telling me to do false ceiling to cover the trunkings..that will be very very costly.
I am trying to min. or have zero false ceilings loh.
Btw hor, are your aircon inverter type or non-inverter type?cos still pondering if should get inverter or not..FH wants non-inverter..me still in two minds.

ur cupboard are sliding doors or casement?

 

[hoppinghippos]

binbin and sam: thank you very much, this gives me a better idea of how to plan stuff! And I'll prob do up the door bell myself, sounds simple enuff!! btw found this off the hdb webbie:

A11 HDB designs and installs windows in HDB flats according to the prevailing industry standards set by SPRING Singapore. From 1987 to 1998, aluminium rivets were used for the installation of casement windows in HDB flats, as they were the accepted industry standard not just in Singapore, but also internationally.

Where standards have improved, HDB has followed suit. In fact, HDB has switched to the use of stainless steel rivets for casement windows since 1998, ahead of the revised industry standards that were adopted in 2000.

But our flat started building in 97 I think, so I guess its confirmed aluminium rivets. I"ll try and see if it can be considered a "defect" heh...

interrace: yar lah, you never see previous posts? I"m a MAN!!!

a bit sad but it makes me happy to call myself a man..hahahahha..* snort snort*.. anyway with regards to trunking, the aircon man will know how best to run it, so can just get their advice. on non-inverter vs inverter, I think it depends greatly on your usage of aircon, go to any aircon shop and ask the salesman, they'll ask for your expected usage of aircon and help you calculate to see if its worth it or not.

Wise: congrats!!! we have a total of 26 keys to collect!! hahahah damn a lot rite?? but then you calculate how much you're paying downpayment then see how much you paying per key, also alot!! heh... and check your letter box, got scv cables inside. when I finish my "defect list" submission, I'll email it to you, it'll save you a lot alot alot of time and effort compiling yourself.

 

[binbin]

helo hippos hehehheee u beri funny, calculate the cost of each key! so how much issssssit?

u are well the come, and yes why not make noise. sam also make noise and they say will get back to us. lets see what hdb will do.....

interrace hahahahaa...yep he's a MAN! u prob miss the postings regarding this ah, coz we were talkig abt this thingie once or twice. while we are at this, JC also a man ah. hehehee...

as for inverter/non-inverter, hippos answered liaoz.

mine is inverter technology, for the reason that we use aircon very very regularly like every night. hubby can't sleep without aircon. inverter technoloy is more expensive when u buy the units and compressors, but help you save in the long run IF you use often. however, if u do not intend to use often i.e. live and sleep without aircon, and switch on only when there's guests etc, then buy non-inverter. it is cheaper when you buy it, but expensive (elec bills) when u use. if u dun use frequently, u are not billed much anyway, so no effect.

when u say cupboard doors u talking abt those cabinets or wardrobe ah? our wardrobe is sliding doors, but the rest of the cabinets (under window, bookcase etc) are those normal doors.

 

[solonavi]

Yup, Yup. I'm a man.

 

[interrace]

Morning dear all gals & guys,

Hippos..u nick sound like gal mah..hee..pai sey hor.
Jc i noe he is guy ..cos i read some postings on that.hee..
abt the aircon thingy,actually we checked out with the guy and his sayings are, if we only use one room every nite, then can choose non-inverter type,if we use more than two rooms everynite then choose inverter, so quite confused loh.read somewhere in forum here on threads that say, by and large,buying inverter is better due to technology wise...anyway i still go time to ponder ba..wanna save $$ in short term, buy non inverter, wanna save $ in long term..buy inverter..
thank you all for the advices!

hippos,
can you share the defects list with me too? cos will need that when i get my keys ...
also how come got to take so many keys ? and u gotta pay for those keys on top of the 20% ??

Binbin,
oic, was asking abt ur warbrobe, sliding door are like to be more dusty than casement door,as informed by various ID i visited so far lah, dun noe how true, but i prefer casement door, cos most sliding door i see hor..like very heavy to slide type and too big a pcs to slide..hee..

 

[matka]

hihi good morning

Sorry won't be able to help much on the reno / home queries because as soon as my reno was complete, my knowledge on interior, pipings and electrical connections went zilch. Not that there was much to begin with.

 

[wiseharmony]

Good morning everybody.

Hi hippos,
tks so much. think the list will help alot. btw, u got mail.

Hi matka,
ha haaa... yr brain liked hard disk can re-format & throw away the unwanted info to make space for new data.... ke keee.

 

[matka]

Hihi wise, don't tell the rest I'm actually an android. heh heh heh.

 

[okiblur]

good morning all,

it's been some days since i join in

so am pretty lost of what's being discussed here.

congrats hippos on getting your keys. remember to check carefully

when i got my keys, i've also done checks here and there. but b'cos i'm still a freshie at such things, there are a couple of areas which i've missed out and only discovered them after i moved in. dealing with the HDB officer in charge of our cluster was a big headache too. cos that officer was so inefficient - slow to react and bochap attitude.
i wish i had known all of you before i've gotten my keys. then we can share experiences and make sure HDB do their work. hehehe

i am using sliding door for my wardrobe - frosted glass panel from top to bottom. it's pretty heavy to slide but still manageable. got the sliding door one cos of it's modern design

as for aircon, i'm using inverter. but frankly speaking, i really can't tell whether this type save on electricity or not cos i've not used the normal type before

 

[hoppinghippos]

binbin: per key its more than $2K!!! So have you gold plated your keys yet??? heh...

interrace: no prob will share with you once its ready too. And invertor air con is supposed to be quieter than non-invertor too. but aiyah unless you have big family staying with you or have aircon in everyroom, non-invertor should be good enuff. binbin if I"m not wrong, also has aircon in the living rm (rite binbin?) which is prob at least 2 units, so if she on her living rooms units plus say her MBR then invertor will be cheaper to get in the long run. but rem that aircon got lifespan of about 5 yrs or so (acc to salesman), so your cost savings must happen during this few yrs to make non-invertor a worth while choice.

dingdong: which parts did you miss out in your checking? And who was your officer in charge? hope its not the same as mine!

 

[okiblur]

hippos,

i think the officer in charge now is not the same one which handled my case. if i'm not wrong, yours cld be a female.

mainly the tiles, i notice more cracked/chipped tiles to the walls and flooring after i've moved in. you can be more demanding in your request. ask for complete replacement in floor tiles which my neighbour did when we advise them on our situation(unless you intend to replace a different set of tiles or install parquet), change all the taps to new ones, window rivets, etc. can't remember what else i missed out.

 

[hoppinghippos]

Hi dingdong, yep its a female officer now. hhmm I didn't have much of a prob with cracked/chipped tiles tho, maybe need to look carefully again, was it very obvious chips/cracks? or very fine hairline crack kind? And can change taps meh? the taps look ok and work ok leh, how to justify changing? heh...

 

[interrace]

U look at every tiles carefully ar? must knock too rite ? cos is hallow also can change?
actually my frds were saying to throw water on the tiles to see the evenness or the lines or smthg, is that what you are did as well?

are the officer same for the whole of bt panjang area?

over the wkend i went to the fajar shopping centre..not bad leh, got macdonalds, wet market and shop & save there..within cycling and walking distance..

 

[okiblur]

hippos, some are quite obvious but most are fine cracks and small chips here and there.

my friend did change all her taps cos it's covered with some greenish stuff - i think it's algae.

 

[pekochan]

hi everyone!
i oso like matka like tt once reno finished all knowledge gone liao. anyway most of the issues were handle by my hb. i only incharge in giving suggestion and choose paint colors and lightings that's all. in fact we din really do alot of checking, only c the wall got cracks or not... wash the tile tt's abt it lor.
interrace, maybe next time can go mac for bkfast together...

 

[interrace]

pekochan,

do u own a bicycle?
me intend to buy when i move in and got extra cash loh ..then we can cycle and go makan together..hee..
i went to the kopi shop to makan the other day, found the food not very fantastic,but got frd who told me the laksa and lor mee are nice, maybe i went to a diff kopi tiam..

 

[pekochan]

interrace, i dun noe how to cycle...hehehe... u cycle and ton bang me lor... Ya fajar kopi shop the food not so fantastic. there is a halal one at greenridge, u can go wif ur ah bang to eat next time. i tink fajar wet market things are fresh i go there to buy veg n meat sometimes.so hv u contact to MUA yet?When is ur AD?

 

[wiseharmony]

more walking game..... cute cartoon

http://www.abc.net.au/gameon/chasm/chasmgame.htm

have fun & good luck!!!

 

[binbin]

hi interrace, yah sliding doors are heavy so theres usually a limit to the width u can have. but we still prefer that coz look sleeker lah hehehee...like what dingdong say, its different look lah. depends on personal preference. but i do agree with u that it could be the reason for the dust! bbbrrrrr....

oh no lah, u dun have to pay for the keys.

those keys so many coz theres duplicates for every key.

matka, hehehehe can reformat?!! so nice. if only one can do selective formatting, leaving only the good memories .... hmmm.... so hows ur projs coming along?

hippos, yap u rem right, we have aircon units in the living area too, 2 of them. and recently weather so hot hor, usually in the day will switch it on hehehee..... oh only 5 yrs ah? then i better use it more! kekekkee...

2K per key! hehehe so exp.

pekochan and interrace, maybe next time when all are here we can go there for makan ah hehehee....can go macs chit chat during evenings too after dinner? so convenient right. eh, wihch loh mee stall?? got meh? i know the greenwich loh mee stall closed liaoz...so sad....

 

[interrace]

Pekochan,

sure sure, can tong bang u , but fall down then blame me hor, me not expert in cycling ..hee..
got halal meh? good news for him loh, me not a fan of halal food..except for their fried stuff..their soup stuff not as nice as chinese ones...hee..
din contacted any MUA yet..too early too ? my AD is in sept.

binbin,
icic, me will definately be gg for casement doors then..unless got lack of space problem..hee..great great...can go for chit chat ,gossips...and makan ...and sign up for courses with the future cc....me thinking if they got those yoga, areobics, cooking, flower arrangement..will like to participate loh ..will look u gals up as kakis yo..!!
dun noe which lor mee store, is my frd who stays at cck told me one..hee..will check with her which kopi tiam.

 

[pekochan]

interrace, u mean u can eat non-halal food? i thot when u married to a muslim u must oso convert? it's not too early to look out for a MUA, just in case she is booked by someone else. better action fast fast

i oso looking fwd to the opening of the cc, i oso want to participate in the courses

binbin, ok... when interrace moved over we can go together then maybe after tt still can jio the sejarian......

 

[interrace]

Hi pekochan,

have to eat halal food after convert,now still can enjoy my pig organ soup..hee..
but then hor, there are muslims who break the restriction loh ..

yeah....we can go together for the courses!! was thinking, if possible can even try to be the course giver ? earn some extra bucks ? hee..not sure how possible that will be lah.
who are the other segarians ?