RENOVATION REGRETS - THINGS WE WISHED WE KNEW BEFORE | 4-Room Singapore HDB BTO

[@simplelifesg3459]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. A few suggestions for your consideration based on my own experience (1) An air purifier in the living room helps when cooking smells seep in from an open concept kitchen (2) Add pull out cabinet organizers e.g. by Lynk to convert inconvenient base cabinets into drawers. Just need an electric screwdriver to install (3) Fabric sofas can be cleaned using sofa/carpet/mattress cleaners e.g.from Bissell or Iris Ohyama. Compact and easy to store (4) Smart water heater switch will enable you to set timers for your water heater e.g. from Tuya. I would recommend getting an electrician to do the installation (5) An adequately sized dehumidifier will significantly speed up drying of laundry in an enclosed service yard, with very little electricity consumption.

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

Thanks for sharing these tips! 😀

[@linweikiatable]

😊

[@TangShuYang]

Thanks for your sharing. I had live with ariston storage heater for many years. Change the unit twice due to corrosion. Unit seems to last only 4-5 years. After 12th year we decide to change to instant water heater as my children hv grown and everyone bathe at different time. With instant heater, you dont have to wait for water to heat up and def save on electricity bill. When the children were small i was able to manage their bathing time at one heating. By the time it was my turn to take my bath, the water is no longer warm enough. Although the instant heater may not look nice and sleek in the toilet but it does serve our needs.

[@ronn0008able]

Perhaps can consider installing smart switch for your water heater

[@cassandraong4067]

Thank you for sharing, we are going to go through renovation. This is definitely a great idea for our references. ❤

[@MJxxxx5]

Thanks for sharing. Even though I hardly cook, I would always have an enclosed kitchen. Over time, the cooking fumes stay on your curtains, sofa and beddings. Not to mention the floor gets oily. I have 2 huge drawers under my stove and they are still good after 6 years. It really depends on the carpenter one uses

[@Missy_Ai]

You can get an air purifier to suck up smoke after cooking, and an air dehumidifer to dry your laundry faster while reducing humidity levels in your service yard and kitchen.

[@zhenxing78]

It is always good to do a reno review after staying in the house for a few years. We did install an automated laundry rack as our service yard does not have any sunlight. No regrets as we can wash our laundry even in rainy weather. 😂

[@Susan-y7t]

I did my reno with the dreamr project, one thing i liked about them was that they delivered the reno within the timeframe. and no problems so far.

[@mdfaruq5800]

For the heater quite normal..but maybe brand plays a part..for the laundry rack..i suggest get a dryer..i was thinking of using electronic ones..but the well known ones are priced similar to dryer..

[@yoongimarryme9053]

Wow thanks for your tips. It will be helpful when I do my reno.

[@aimanfaw7539]

For the sofa issue, you can try out the 3M Scotchgard Fabric and Upholstery Protectors 4101D. Used it and it works! Wont dirty your sofa as much

[@thefairplayer]

I use ariston too but not this model. Within 5min it would heat up enough water for 1 person to shower. Not the warmest temp but warm enough. For the laundry rack, we lowered it slightly, enough for us to hang hangers. We never moved it since as we heard of how the mechanism would be faulty with frequent moving

[@TweezerTree-tv3ys]

We hqvea stigen automatic hanger. It work well for us even on rainy days

[@9ysusan]

ID told me has 2 types of heater-instant & storage. Your is storage; hence takes longer to heat up.

[@alcappacino]

Actually you could always swap your heater switch with a wifi smart heater switch. What this does is you can wirelessly control your heater power or set it to heat on and off whenever it is required!

[@applez187]

tks for ur honest and genuine sharing

[@ethanyca263]

Laundry rack is a must. You won't regret it

[@kgyeo1402]

Your regrets could have been avoided if the designer pointed out the pros and cons.

[@Kalimatullah_Yoh1-1.14]

this is why i m looking to invest in ducting to direct the smoke and smell outside. Nice desk by the way. How much is it including all the accessories?

[@Veiljustin83]

I suggest you buy either a washer/dryer combi unit or separately to wash and dry your clothes. you can finish your laundry and be ready to hang in your wardrobe within hours.

[@TharakaGamage-qw8ph]

You don’t need a wifi enabled storage heater. Just swap the switch with wifi enabled switch like the one Aqara has. This can be configured to heat the water by running an automation.

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

we are using a switch bot for this :)

[@mah_cz]

Thanks for sharing!

[@lawrencelee480]

hi, may i know which kitchen sink did you get! it looks good!

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

hi Lawrence! we bought the Telma kitchen sink from bathroom warehouse at ubi vertex

[@angelinefong8369]

My drawers still intact after 13years, w lots of heavy-based pots, woks & pans. It all depends on the quality of cabinetry & hinges.

[@princessstefip4873]

I dry my vlothes on a rack in the living room under the fan n with windiws open in the afternoon. Hate sliding door wardrobe from 1st owner + it had mirror in master bedroom. We hv discarded itvwhen we did reno

[@moltenbullet]

I'm curious about the 3 burner induction hob. Almost everyone says that a 3 burner induction hob needs 25A to 30A of power, and that HDBs can't support this load, as the main circuit board only can take a maximum of 40A for the entire house. I'm curious if you've had any power issues? Or does this only matter if one turns on all burners to the max at the same time?

[@princessstefip4873]

Get a thermomix. Ikea white metal shelves for ur cabinet.itc9mes in 2 sizes.

[@Fu510nZ]

Hows the reliablility of your brandt dishwasher?

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

It's quite good. Haven't encountered problems with it yet.

[@Fu510nZ]

@@allaboutjakeandemma Thanks for the response! Feel more at ease with our purchase from Brandt

[@eleannng]

@@allaboutjakeandemma can u do a review about it? and how u guys load the dishwasher and cleaning it after that (eg. food debis)

[@aiv.ilo25]

Hi may I know whether your ID installed a water inlet and outlet at your pantry for the water dispenser?

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

hello! our water dispenser doesn't need an inlet/outlet as there is no water filtration involved

[@PowderMonkeyJacket]

@@allaboutjakeandemma does it dispense hot and cold water or only hot water?

[@steventeoh260]

Are you using spc flooring?

[@g.j6142]

Hi, I am a resale home owner, now waiting for my BTO to complete, just wanna tell u that u dun nid to regret abt 'not enuff drawers in kitchen'. I had both drawers and cabinets. The big drawers dun last. after 3 years of using, mine broke. The mechanism broke and if u put heavy pots, the wood will deform also. Not ideal and not lasting. So reaching in to get the stuff is the better option. Just have to do proper organising. I usually put them under the hob. As for storage heater, 15-20mins to heat up is normal. Your previous home shld have a smaller tank (if u are sure its not instant heater). I did a test on switching off and on when need to use and compare the cost of electric with leaving it on all the while, the electric price is the same. u can give it a try.. The reason being when it heats up from cold, it has to be on at the maximum power all the while until u switch it off (coz its hot then u shower consume that hot water, it have to heat again). While if u leave it on, they reach a certain lower temp, it will gently heat up thus consuming less electric. But do give it a try, do a few months of what you are doing now (do maintain ur rest of electric habit, esp on aircon usage to get a better gauge), and a few months with just leaving it on and compare it urself. That way, it solved ur problem of waiting also. Can i check is ur sofa fabric those olden style kind? or isit those that feels like leather or they call it tech fabric? I haven decided on which type of sofa to get.. Side note: i'm gg to get my electric clothes rack from taobao....cheap 😅

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

Hello! Thanks for sharing :) Our sofa is of acacia fabric rather than faux leather. It seems quite durable!

[@keetan8769]

I have been using BLUM drawers for the past 8 years and it’s still working as smooth as the 1st day. It’s expensive but definitely a worthwhile investment. I think it holds up to 30kg for their standard version and the heavy duty ones that holds up to 70kg.

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

Thanks for sharing! ^^

[@moltenbullet]

A better option could just be to have those rotating inserts (cabinet carousels). It's normally made of metal, and will be on a fixed piece of wood that's normally supported by the concrete base, so less likely to warp the carpentry (drawers on the other hand are "floating").

[@santoshgrg779]

Maam thanks you for your honesh sharing. I sub ur channel already. As per u said avoid spelling liquid yes but for dirt buy dyson vaccum & mattress brush will make it clean as new. 😊 few cents.

[@jman2413]

one qns about the heater, can the new btos still use normal water heater instead of storage kind?

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

We think it's possible to install either storage or instant heaters according to your preference

[@TanChinWee-d8u]

May I know where is your sofa from?

[@sheepish86]

Hi love the kitchen cabinet color! May I know what brand/code of the laminate you are using?

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

hello :) We used Lamitak Wintry Grey SCA 1135D for the top cabinets and Black Nickel SCA 5107D for the bottom cabinets

[@sheepish86]

@@allaboutjakeandemma thanks!

[@trufflexiaolongbao]

Hi, what is cooking films?

[@daftone]

fumes

[@YWChyi82]

My home oos also an open concept but with a good hood it doesn’t matter. I don’t have the issue leh

[@eisenklad]

the chimney vents back into the same room. if it was ducted out, it probably would have better results. or no chimney and bigger/thicker hood that has activated carbon filters.

[@eleannng]

can u share what hood do u use?

[@covenantefcmandarindialect3531]

@@eleannng I use Brandt. It lasted me 12 years before I changed to a new one, still the same brand. Important for me is to have windows opened. Also, when I finish cooking, I also spray/diffuse essential oil mist. I also wipe down the cupboards very quickly. Wash the hood's filter immediately when u finish cooking.

[@idhamaljaroo4708]

the sofa is lovely, please get rid of those sofa covers, they don't do justice. just saying....🤐 thanks for sharing, greatly appreciate it

[@sheepish86]

Do you still have your kitchen laminate code?😅😂

[@allaboutjakeandemma]

We used Lamitak Wintry Grey SCA 1135D for the top cabinets and Black Nickel SCA 5107D for the bottom cabinets

[@david888a]

Doesn’t make sense to pay more for a chimney hood n hides the chimney in the cabinet. With chimney hood you will lose the cabinets thus the chimney will be exposed.

[@tanjem]

Expensive home to maintain ....poor Singaporean...rich houses ..full of ...hmm ...designer brands ....that poke holes I'm pocket ..I

[@TanChinWee-d8u]

May I know where is your sofa from?