lightings @ balestier road

*back dated entry*

one of the things that you will need to buy in bulk will be lighting.... for a new flats, you will need about 10 lights of varying sizes depending on the unit size..... my mama actually went around almost the whole of SG to scout for lights last year when she renovated the home & her conclusion is that Balestier road has the most number of lighting stores.... she recommends 2 stores based on the variety of lights available & reasonable prices = chan huat & lighting centre

1. chan huat
343/343A Balestier road, S(329775)
Tel: 6256 1141

bus stop at - after pegu road

 
we took bus 145 from bugis mrt station & drop off at the stop - after pegu road.... the bus stop is at this 333 bak kut teh shop.... once you get off the bus, turn right & walk in front, cross the small road, walk another 20m or so & you will reach the shop

chan huat store at level 1

lighting at second floor

this store has 2 levels, ground floor it sells accessories like bulbs, led panels & etc.... the lighting is on second floor.... since i cant take photo inside the store, i cant post photos here.... I would say the store really has quite a large variety of lights... i go for simple lighting so average price will be $100/piece (including LED panel) which i think is quite a reasonable price.... the store also does free delivery for purchase above $600

2. lighting centre
400 Balestier Road, #01-28/38 Balestier Plaza, S(329802)
Tel: 6560 5300

another big lighting store in the area which is actually located opposite of chan huat....

lighting centre, view from chan huat

pioneer bak kut teh

after you came out from chan huat, in front of you will be the pioneer bak kut teh store... there is a bridge just outside the store, cross over & you will reach lighting centre

entrance to lighting centre

lighting centre also has a wide variety of lights but personally i prefer chan huat designs.... after looking through the whole store, i only like one of the lights.... but this store sell swaroski lights so if you want fancy lighting, this is the place for you...


of cause there are many lighting stores along balestier road, do check out several stores before you make your decision.... my personally observation is that for those stores located on level one, they tend to sell lighting at a higher price, probably due to higher rental.... so do visit stores on higher levels & you may be pleasantly surprise =)

checking for defects

*back dated entry*

I am sure most people will not be foreign with the word "defects" due to the large amount of new flats in the market... so today just want to share some of things we need to take note when inspecting defects for your new units....

1. check the tiles/flooring
i believed this is the most important things to take note of ..... for tiles, you really have to check through every single piece by knocking on all sides with an heavy object... for me, i used the handle of a screwdriver.... i know it sounds crazy to check through every tiles but believe me, is worth the effort... I am sure you guys had seen videos of cracking & crumbling tiles for some BTO flats, so do your due diligence..... for DBSS, the bedrooms will be covered with laminate flooring.... in this case, you dont need to knock on the individual pieces.... BUT check for any uneven layering or damaged laminate....

2. doors + handles
all flats will come with main door which is fire proof = you cant change the door even if you dont like the colour/design/whatever... but do check for cracks or dents ....as for handles check if there are any rusts & the locks are working properly

3. windows
most of the time, windows should be fine since they are installed by HDB but do your own checks

4.drainage
 this include all your sinks, toilets & drainage system..... for sinks & toilets, check if there are any cracks or leakage.... to check the drainage system, you need to pour down a pail of water(at one go) & monitor if the water will be drain off quickly or the water will regurgitate back.... sometimes the workers may just pour down remaining sands or rubbish down the drain, resulting in clog... same goes for toilet....

i guess these are the 4 important things which you need to check once you gotten the house keys... do rectify all the defects before you start your own renovation or else the service center people push the responsibility & claim that your own contractor damaged the items.....

my new flat!!!!

tada!!! FINALLY i received my house key last week!!!! after waiting for like 3months plus... lots of frustrating things happened during these 3 months but i shall elaborate on that in another post.... today i shall share some pictures of the unit..... so yup, i gotten the trivelis 4 room unit.... i know i mentioned in earlier post that i gave up the idea on trivelis but due to the limited supply of resales in my preferred area, we decided to go ahead with the best option at that moment..... prior to making the deposits, me & mama went down to survey the area several times & we even knocked on other residents doors, hoping to get some idea about the place & possibility of viewing their units... thankfully we managed to find several kind souls who let us into their flats & even shared their experience..... from what we gathered, the trivelis units are not as bad as what as publicized by the media... of cause the size issue is true, all the units (3, 4 & 5 rooms) are smaller than the usual BTO size and i would say this is the major downside about this estate.... the other issue about water pipes in service yard is also true, those bloody pipes are really obstructing the place... but based on feedback, other than these 2 issues, most residents are happy with their units.... hence, after much consideration, we decided to go ahead & get one of the remaining 4 room units..... without further ado, lets share the photos...

living/dining area

kitchen

service yard & the notorious sewage pipes

water heater

balcony

view from balcony

view from another side

hallway towards bedrooms

bomb shelter

bedroom 1

bedroom 2

master bedroom

common toilet

master bedroom toilet

yup, this is the current conditions of the unit.... the place looks bigger on picture but in actual fact, the unit is really small.... 80sqm for a 4 room flat... my god.... it really makes me wonder if the developer based  their designs on HK units.... super tiny..... the aircon ledge is even bigger than your kitchen, like what kind of logic is this!?!?!?!? service yard is like size of a table?!?!!??! so yes, the size issue is a real problem.... but there are only 2 of us at the moment, so the place is still big enough for us.... as for workmanship, i would say most of the things were acceptable except for wardrobes.... there are no division or boards inside, it uses this pole system... really an eye opener.... i shall post the picture next time & i bet all of you will be amazed...... depressing things aside, we finally gotten our own home!!!! next step will be doing some simple renovation before shifting in.... so i hope to share some renovation tips along the way =)