Hobs & Hoods & Beds Range

Hobs & Hoods

After so long of looking at it, seriously, most of them are very similar. Just which brand you think you can trust or feel its a good brand. I did touch on the topic on the different types of brand in the market so in the end for roy & me is the budget. I doubt i am a heavy cooker that must use the kitchen all the time. So Turbo or Rinnai will be in our Kitchen~ Will look into the pricing and type before posting the final choice. lol

Bed & Bed Frame

Roy and I had been looking the type of beds and the bed frame. I used to like the idea of the storage bed like my parents but sadly the shop dont sell the same time already! :( Can make use of the bottom part of the bed but roy was more interesting in Divan And Mattress type. Well, i had been using magic koil for sometime, almost two years now. I used to complain backaches to roy when i wake up using my old bed mattress. After changing to using magic koil, i have lesser backache problems. Roy & I have that kind of problem so we decided to use back the same brand. We were looking at the sleeppost.com.. the price quite ok and some promotions are on. Maybe can go down to their showrooms to look and see what is the price of their headboards.


You can check out this two website provided by roy

1) http://www.sleeppost.com/
2) http://www.sealy.com.sg/

Sealy give a good insight of how to buy a good mattress. Good read up on that area to give you a basic idea in what to look for in a bed. Not Promoting sealy but i find the information useful. =p

http://www.sealy.com.sg/learningCenter/comfort.html

Comfort, how the mattress feels, is a matter of personal preference. What feels comfortable to one person may feel uncomfortable to another person. Therefore, whoever is going to use the bed should try several different models before making a purchase.

Surface comfort is determined by the UPHOLSTERY of the bed. Upholstery refers to the various layers of material between your body and the innerspring. Both the type and thickness of these materials will produce different levels of feel and therefore different degrees of comfort.

http://www.sealy.com.sg/learningCenter/support.html

The myth "firmer is better" is not necessarily true. Your body type determines what comfort is better for you.

A mattress that's too firm for your body will not support all parts of the body evenly, and may cause discomfort at the body's heaviest parts, the shoulders and hips. The increased pressure on these points reduces blood circulation and will cause tossing and turning. This may result in a poor night's sleep and a far less productive day.

A mattress that's too soft for your body will not keep the spine in proper alignment. This will cause your muscles to work through the night straighten the spine, again leaving you tired and aching in the morning resulting in a less effective day.

http://www.sealy.com.sg/learningCenter/durability.html

No doubt you want a sleep system that is going to last; therefore, durability is very important.

The type of upholstery materials, and the type of steel, and the design of the spring unit impact the durability of the mattress.

The purpose of the Sprung Foundation is to extend the life of the sleep system. It absorbs the major portion of stress and weight placed on the sleep surface. It works much like a "shock absorber" in a car's suspension to eliminate stress in the mattress unit and prolong the mattress comfort life.

A worn-out Sprung Foundation can significantly shorten the life of a mattress. Not using a Sprung Foundation with your mattress can also shorten the life of the mattress. A properly designed Sprung Foundation provides strong support along with some flex.

http://www.sealy.com.sg/learningCenter/mattressShoppingTips.html

Be prepared

• First, find a few reputable bedding retailers in your area.
• Then, before you venture out, dress the part. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing.

Bring your partner

• We encourage sleeping partners to shop together for a bed. Plan on testing a variety of mattresses to find the set that matches each of your comfort needs.

Do the Sealy Comfort test and let your body be the judge

• Sit on the edge of the bed. Do you feel your weight being supported? Now lie down on your back for a few minutes with your feet off the floor. Relax, get comfortable. Roll onto your side all the way to the edge. The mattress should gently support and conform to your body at every point on the surface. You shouldn’t feel any pressure points. And remember, firmer is not necessarily better.

Buy the biggest, most comfortable sleep set you can afford

• Start by testing the best bed and work your way down. (Also, to determine your comfort preference, start by comparing plush and firm beds.)
  
  A good night’s sleep is one of the best investments you can make, so buy the best sleep set (i.e., mattress and box spring) you can afford. Keep in mind that most of us spend as much as one-third of our time in bed. Your investment will cost just cents per night over the next ten years

Update from HDB Officer

Hmm, The ang mo kio town council guy called me to say he will be going down tomorrow but as the conversation goes on he says during the week. =.=" i just hope they can do my rectifications works.
The HBD officer also called me up to tell me that he will change for me on my defects list 2! Yippee. Only disappointing thing is my HHS door. lol that one really cannot fight for it. haha. Only other thing that i was happy that he says to change the lock of the toilet door handle. It was so yellowish and he says they will change. Heh Heh. Better then nothing.

Hmm, just talked to roy on the extra things we might want soma to do. need to email soma on the proposed items.

Finally i linked up gendon blog. Nice done up house. Wow, really love it. Especially the new look on the kitchen and toilet tiles. Looking great! Here is her link to

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=158&

Check out on the kitchen and toilet.. just like new! Cool.. Roy sure to scold me if i want to do that for my kitchen and toilets.. :( lol.. but not necessary for now. My main concern to see what soma can come up with my house.

Defect List Part 2 - Sound of Music

After the company annual dinner event, roy and i went to check on the kitchen and toilet floor and wall tiles, this is what we found

Household shelter door.
The door without closing we can pull the lock to 90 deg. But closing the door to lock we can push up to 45 deg only. Is that a workmanship defect? Sigh.

We found two hollow tiles when we went to check on saturday. Roy did most of the work. He found the first hollow tile. I found the second one. Haha.

1) Hollow Tile at the Kitchen - Label 1
2) Hollow Tile at the Main Bed Room - Label 2
3) There were chip off tiles below the hollow tile in main bed room.Label 3
4) Door stopper hinges were rusty. Label 4 to 9
5) Power Supply at the main door - Plastic Cover cannot close properly without using a tape on. It will drop off.

It was quite tiring since the company annual dinner and didnt sleep much. The HDB officer says most of the defects he will ask the contractor to look into it. Wonder when we can start the renovations.

I asked Soma whether the HDB officer will do any changes for the two hollow tiles, he just laugh and say just try lor. I was like yeah, the workmanship was not bad, at least only 2 only. I do think they had check most of them before we were given the keys.


Didnt take much of the house beside these pictures. So will update once we meet up with Soma. and what i want to get for my household stuff. For now hope HDB will do the rectifications and soma can start work. I guess only end of oct or something since his tight schedule. I didnt know my ID is that busy. Maybe i should disturb him more to start faster. *evil grin*

Mini Update - Review of ID

My dad met with my ID for the first time on 18th Sept 2006.
My parents had a chat with Soma and give abit of suggestions and Soma managed to handle them very well. My mom reveal that my dad feel very comfortable with Soma. Even my aunty says Soma is cute. I was like laughing like mad when my mom told me that.

I believe through time, we are in good hands of our ID. From what we can see, he had been helpful and do his best for us.
He was more hardworking then both of us. He went around to do measuring and check the whole house. I guess he is quite experience with all these. And he came to me telling there is a plant going at ur house window. I was what? Really? Check that picture out.

We went to select our tiles and one of the ladies says he is so popular and busy. Quite a number of the invoices came from him and Soma looks so shy and smiling. Well, we know he is doing quite well and wish him all the best for his job.

Its a new beginning for both of us. The road will not be easy but I guess its a new chapter of our lives. Even I had been with Roy for 8 years but now is another kind of lifestyle. Its living together. From Roy's buddies, they says its totally different kind of lifestyle then what they had before. So both of us have to be prepared for the changes. I think I would
need to adapt to the changes and hope things will be ok for us.

Soma was looking to our Fisher & Paykel Fridge. He suggested E522B Sandstone. I was looking into it and saw the freezer at the bottom.

From reviews from forums, the freezer at the bottom is not so energy savings. So most likely going for the top freezer type. I will go for a smaller litres model due to budget constraint. Lol. Will looking my electrical applications soon.

Defect List - Not fully updated

Defects

Balcony

SCV point - Rusty and Oxidized
Plastic Water Resistance Cover for Outdoor Switch - Rubber Coming Out
Swing Door cannot open properly, stiff and rusty hinges with creaking sound

Dining Area
Single Switch Stiff - cannot on n off properly

Household Shelter
Bomb shelter door cannot be locked completely

Kitchen
Bath / W.C 2
Toilet Bi-folder Door cant open properly,
Toilet Bi-folder Door metal plates are rusty, Handle yellowish
Window Hinges Rusty, Handle cant open and close properly

Study Room
Single Switch Stiff - cannot on n off properly
Window Hinges Rusty , hard to open
SCV point - Rusty and Oxidized

Main Bed Room
Bath / W.C 1
Water Tap Stopper Cannot use - Tile stuck in the in the sink
Window Hinges Rusty, Handle cant open and close properly
Aircon Window Hinges Rusty , hard to open
Single Switch Stiff - cannot on n off properly
Window Hinges Rusty , hard to open
Window Waterproofing Gone, Water Seepage
SCV point - Rusty and Oxidized

Bedroom 2
Single Switch Stiff - cannot on n off properly
Window Hinges Rusty , hard to open
Window Waterproofing Gone, Water Seepage, window wall have air bubbles
SCV point - Rusty and Oxidized

Bedroom 3
Window Hinges Rusty , hard to open
SCV point - Rusty and Oxidized

All places
Telephone Points Yellowish Cover

House Part 2

Ok, it took so long to load so this is the second part just pictures~ The next post is my defect list. Not much but still have lol. Hope HDB will change them.

Another location to see just pictures is my multiply page. Check it out.

Study Room, Going to have display cabinet there.. That is where my collection of Soft Toys will be.. Maybe some roy stuff but its for me! :D Hee hee

Kitchen Toilet View and the balcony. I seems to forget to take the balcony view. Will do so next visit to my place again.

Household Shelter.

Special Picture took by Roy.. lol.. haha i dont know whether Soma will kill me for this! but if he does.. lol will be removed if he request it.. lol then its for me to keep heh heh heh

So far one day with Soma was quite fun, he had helped us quite abit and let us know what defects we can try to report. He could talk to my parents and my aunty and i am glad he enjoy his red bean soup that i owe him so long already. He is quite shy with us.. lol.. Thanks to soma help to make it easier for us.

Soma brought us to tiles and we did most of the selection. All based of Soma Idea, so quite fast for us. We were quite ok with his choices. We went to see other likes sinks and hobs n hoods, i cant make the decision as i still need to do some research on them. Soma told me to take my time to decide. still not critical stage to buy them now. lol.. Ok I think my defects report will delay. I need to work on the list.. Enjoy the fotos in multiply page.

There is going to be alot of pictures.. so bear with the loading.. Thanks~

Well, first time i woke up so early and so excited. Finally we reached to the day that we can call our place our home. We managed to reach HDB Hub about 8:30am, and we ate a burger before going to buy our fire insurance and going to sign so many documents. Roy says i should press that stupid kisok again. lol I was quite hesitant as i dont want to screw up again. End up roy is the one to get us a number. Nice number : 2060 lol. ROOM 146. Anyone buy 4D wins, give me a treat ba! lol

We took about an hr to sign everything and 9:50am we were done and holding our keys. We told Soma (ID) we were done and heading down to our place. He says he will be there in the afternoon as he had to look into another project in Tampines.

We reach our place about 12pm, and we met one of roy ex-colleagues who stayed near by also. It was rainning quite heavily also. We walked one big round to walk through the shelters. We like wat the heck just walked through the rain.



This is our main door and going to be our cosy corner also. :)

Masterbed Room~ Looks like Wee house. (My neighbour in other block) ID, my dad and roy were discussing on the big problem is our aircon trunking.. I dont know what they talked about as three men talking, ladies dont seems to have a place in there lol.. I think will let the guys handle that for me.. Hee hee. At least my Toilet did look as bad as it seems~ Phew!!!


Kitchen~ Phew another place i am glad it didnt turn out so ugly.. Soma says quite lucky.. Phew..
Its not very big compared to my current house but i guess it will look great! Toilet still ok. Will post the next one soon. Too many pictures to upload lol.

1 day to collect Keys~ Yippee, Hob & Hoods

Ok, after everything settled for roy side, now its time to focus on our house. Finally just one more day and we can go and collect keys! We are really excited over it. I think i am over excited about it.
Well, my ID Soma will be there to help us to see the defects and do the measurement of the house. Thanks to Soma for taking time to help us on this :)

Well, roy had been bugging me to settle on my hob, hood and sink, one of the things i had not been focus on as there is really a lot of brands out there. Lol, i am not someone who cooked that much so i dont really know what to choose.

Popular Brands : laGermania, Turbo, Techno, Rinnai, Bellari, Teka, Cuizino etc..

Their website to check out

http://www.bellari.net/

http://www.apsgroup.com.sg/APS.htm <<< Cuizino

http://www.pohjoo.com/hob.htm <<< carries Teka brand

http://www.tecnogas.com.sg/

http://www.rinnai.com.sg/mainpro_hob.html

http://www.teka.com/

http://www.happiness.com.sg/default-new.asp <<< Turbo

http://www.lagermania.com.ph/archive/index.html <<< cant find local website

http://www.rinaelectrical.com.sg/brand.asp << just found out a site carries alot of brand..

From reading from SK forum, RenoTalk and Singaporebrides, basically those brands mentioned above are quite commonly used in singapore.

From the window shopping that i had done, Turbo is one of the cheaper range and more aunty would recommend on it. Teka is one of the more expensive brand range, the rest are inbetween.
Of coz there is alot of brands out there but i feel all these brands more well known in the market.

From Glass top to Stainless Steel to Other colours, we are quite spolit for choice. Basically, i guess it would a preference on what you like to use. For me, I felt quite uneasy with glass though i would say it looks nice in the kitchen. Roy and I decided on the stainless steel type. Its abit on traditional but at least we feel safer.

Of coz there is the induction type. Teka carries most of the induction type. Its very flat and very safe but you have to get those special pots and pans. The cost is more then double of a normal common hobs. With our budget, its totally out for us. Not likely i will be touching on it. Heh Heh =p

Mom was telling legermania was very good brand and one of the first that she ever used. I went to the citygas to check out and the aunties were quite long-winded on their products that they are promoting. Dont get a professional kind of talk with them but at least some information about hods and hoods. Up to now i dont know what to choose.

Lagermania and Turbo comes from italy <<< yet to verify the information

Bellari & Cuizino more on glass hob - Lifetime warranty on the glass hob.

Rinnai - Inbetween s/s or glass.

I know i cant write much as i still dont know which is good for me. There is energy saving type like lagermania, i dont know how far its true, how easy to clean etc.

Will be doing more research and reading up. Good luck to me.. lol.. Sink is another problem. Hahaha. Will touch on Sinks next post or after we see our new house. :D Cant wait.. another 18 hrs i can go see my house~ Yippeee~

Collection of Keys Date change to 18th Sept 06

Due to unforseen circumstances, we had to change our date. Roy grandpa just passed away so suddenly. (Story in Main Blog)

Thanks to Soma (ID) for his understanding and support. He keep telling me to be strong for roy. While i cant be even feeling strong for myself. Its a miracle i still can be calm right now.

Reno might be delayed abit but we dont really follow chinese customs as both side of our parents dont really observe such practises. ROM will remain on same date.

Thanks to all my friends support as without them, i will just breakdown. Thank God for his strength to see me through for roy.

Any updates will be delayed until after we settle everything.

Very tired right now.

Energy Saving Website & 6 Days To go~

Thanks to the reno talk users, i found the NCCC website to be useful.
Check them out :)

http://www.nccc.gov.sg/Households/es_guide.shtm

http://services.spservices.sg/nav_enquiries.asp

http://services.spservices.sg/cs_services_your-u-bill.htm

Check out my F&P fridge Energy savings rate per year

http://www.neec.gov.sg/els/fridge.asp

Brand Model Type Green Ticks Volume (l) AEC (kWh) Est Energy Bill ($)
Fisher & Paykel E440T Refrigerator 2 441 569 $120
Fisher & Paykel E442B Refrigerator 2 442 646 $137
Fisher & Paykel E521T Refrigerator 2 517 638 $135
Fisher & Paykel E411T Refrigerator 2 411 569 $120
Fisher & Paykel E381T Refrigerator 2 380 567 $120
Fisher & Paykel E331T Refrigerator 2 329 550 $116
Fisher & Paykel E402B Refrigerator 2 403 683 $144
Fisher & Paykel E415H Refrigerator 2 411 704 $149
Fisher & Paykel E522B Refrigerator 2 519 751 $159

http://www.neec.gov.sg/els/aircon.asp

I had not studied on the aircon so cant say much. haha But can see how is the energy savings for ur chosen aircons :)

http://gnmrenovation.blogspot.com/

He gave good explainations on aircons.. check it out. ;)

Time does pass quite fast. Just 7 days to go to collect keys. I am quite excited about it.
Well waited since 8th July until now, we finally have news that we are going to collect the keys and open our house door! Its a exciting feeling. I just cant wait. :D

Well, Soma showed me some of the drawings and i fell in love with them! But need to come out some extra cash for the extra nice nice stuff. Ouch!! Sigh.. I guess i have to go for alternative things. I guess Renovations is like that. I just hope it dont go overbudget and we cant afford it. That is my main concern as there is a limit we can go to. I love his designs. Its simple yet it looks so good. Soma had been busy with another project as i think his customer just started renovations. So hardly get him to joke too much. He sounds too tired and i feel bad to disturb him too much. Haha

I think i had confirmed my fridge! F&P is the one of the highest energy savings fridge around. So now aiming for a good price for my F&P fridge. Wanted the S/S type but its too costly to get. I dont know how it will blend into my kitchen design. Only have white, grey and s/s type. I think most likely going for the grey one.. of coz my preference is s/s but.. i think the extra money can make use some where else of my house. Haha. With the extra things i am going to get from soma.. sigh..

I am going for the Toshiba DD inverter washing machine. The cheapest i got is $590 and still sourcing for a good price for it.

Two things in my list is more or less confirmed but just hoping to get a good price. The market rate for F&P fridge that i am eyeing is S$1048. I hope i can find something lower then that.

Was looking at hobs & hoods design. So far i still had not make up my mind which brand to use. Most likely going for the s/s type and i think my budget would be about 600 for both.

Sink and taps still looking. I think can get a nice one for about 300 plus including the tap for sink.

I dont know what else we need to find as quite tiring to walk the whole IMM again. Haha We saw the ID from Future Homes. Talking to his potential customer or deep in discussion. Roy just say to avoid him. Haha Well, at least he dont bug us anymore. GOOD LUCK TO THOSE WHO CHOOSE HIM.. hahaaha =p

Countdown - 11 days to collect keys~

Well, i guess its quite fast already. Now just left 11 days to collect keys. Wanted to go for the 4th but i have to submit my reports on the 5th and i dont think that is a good time for me to go on leave also.

While going home today after meeting Anna & friend and Dini (all from my ex company for dinner), there was this lady was rushing down the bus and i dont know why her big bag aiming at my face! i managed to turn my face away but left my left arm at her bag mercy. I wanted to curse out loud but i just bear in silent. Now it hurts so much even more since i last injuried it. Can check my main blog how i got myself injuried. Silly but guess being over tired do get more careless. Sigh another lady stepped on my toe too.. Sob!

was reading through my multiply page and very glad to see some nice friend i found in the internet to read my blog. I was thinking i do this for fun and some sort of way to release stress. Sometimes i just bottle everything in the office and release all into the blog. Haha. Well i am happy to find friends who shared the same troubles and worries, wedding blues and renovation blues. Seems to come in a package.

I have my yor yor (roy new nick!) and soma (poor ID have to have nicks from me! :D) haha to understand me during this time. Now is a busy time for me at work and cooridnating the renovation is not easy. I gave the $ job to roy as i dont want to handle the money problem too. At least he agreed to do all the calculating and what i need to pay. Since both of us sharing everything, so i just leave it in his good hands. He controlling the money while i am spending it for him. Is that good? Haha. Of coz we have to control and not go overboard on purchases.

i was quite worried that whether i made the right choice on my ID.. i think time can only proof what my decision was right anot. So far, Soma did alot of things to ease my fears.. He is really a sweet person and doing his job very well. He is a dear friend also. Knowing i injuried my arm and asking me to see a doc. Haha I hate to see doc, i guess i dont really like docs very much. Worst still is to take medi. I just avoid them. I guess i would have to find some med to rub the pain away. Typing is getting harder each time as the arm just hurts with every movement. :(

Soma gave me a little surprise last night and showed me a sneak preview of the drawing. Roy and my parents were pleased with it. I cant wait to see the rest of my house. Had not been researching on my items. Will try to do so on the weekend.