Stage 4 - Found the new place

Right after our apartment was sold, we resumed our new apartment hunting which was put on hold as we see no point of continuing then with the current apartment not sold.

Our criteria remained the same as it was then, which is contained in my earlier blog.

After about a week of viewing (wife did most of it while I was at work), we decided on an apartment which we fell in love with the moment we stepped in. After the viewing, it did not take us long to decide that this is the apartment for us.

Ironically, the apartment do not meet two of our major criteria. The layout is not one of those we actually wanted and the location of the apartment within the block have always been considered a deal breaker. It just so happened that we were unaware of those information until we reach the door step. I guess we can count that as a blessing as we would have skipped the viewing totally should we have known beforehand.

The reason why we decided on this apartment is because the interior design matched our taste (which is more towards minimalist) and the owners maintained the apartment very well. Although certain things did not fulfill our criteria (apart from the two mentioned above), we were able to overlook them when we consider the apartment as a whole.

Another reason why we choose this apartment is because there is practically nothing much that needs to be done, unlike all the other apartments we have been to. 

Below are list all the things that steer us towards the apartment.

- there is no need to repaint and we like the colour scheme.

- the common bathroom opens towards the walkway and a glass divider for the bath area is already built up.
- bathroom tiles and sanitary appliances all looked new.

- hot/cold double piping already done up for bathrooms.

- a built-in long bath in the main bedroom. I actually prefer a free standing bathtub but I can settle for this.

- a walk in wardrobe in the main bedroom (which the wife hopes to have and now she got it)

- the kitchen cabinet are new and matched our taste.

- fans in all rooms

- laminate flooring in all rooms

- store room knocked down and replaced with full height storage cabinets instead.

All the above also means that we save a lot on renovation cost as compared to all the other apartments we viewed which requires a major overhaul which can cost 30-40k easily.

There are a few things which we wished were there like the balcony, which the owner has already leveled up. The partition between the service yard and kitchen have also been removed (which we will reinstate). Of course we still need to do some minor repairs and renovation works.

I guess what many people have said is true. When you buy a new house, it is all about the technicality. When you buy a resale, it is all about how you feel for it.

Stage 2 - Scout for new place (part 1)

After having put up my current home up for sale, it was time to scout for the new place.

I was torn between the space the older generation of 5 rooms offers and the full height glass window and underground carpark plus concealed wiring/piping the newer generation offers. In the end I decided to go with the space instead, for the kids' sake.

I am picky. I only prefer 5 room designs that offers the following

1. All the rooms are tucked on side and there is a passage way leading to them. I hate having room doors that opens to the living or dining area.
2. Common bathroom must be near the common rooms, which usually means along the passage way. Reason being, it will be easier for kids and aged parents to get to them instead to go the long way through the kitchen or service yard. Another reason is that, with the common bathroom in the kitchen or the service yard, you will tend to see things that should not exists in bathrooms, like mop etc.
3. Balcony, or at least it was there previously (a lot of owners prefer to level it up to make it part of the living room). I like the feeling of being outdoors without having to leave the house. This is also why I am against window grilles, unless it was for safety reason. Security reason are just an excuse to me
4. A service yard. I have kids and we wash a lot and I do not like hanging my clothes outside. You will never know what the neighbour above throws down (or spit). I also prefer to go the economy way which is to hang the clothes when possible rather than dry them using a dryer and having a separate area from the kitchen for that makes sense as I do not want to them to smell of the things we cook.
5. A study area. I plan to turn it into a entertainment room instead. Living room is strictly for conversations.

After considering so many, I decided on this particular design, or something similar which is about 123sqm, 1/3 bigger than my current unit.

Renovation: Laminate flooring

If you just got the keys to your house and considering installing laminate flooring, I say go for it!

With improvements in technology, so does the quality of laminate flooring. Gone are the days when horror stories of owners beleaguered by their laminate flooring send chills down the spine.

My current flat was installed with Kronotex laminate flooring and I am very satisfied with it. After 9 years, the quality is still there although with signs of wear and tear which are mostly not the fault of the flooring itself.

If I ever move to a new place, I would definitely go for laminate flooring because of the following reasons:

1. Cost effective

In fact, you already save on the cost for a permit needed for wet works even before we compare the cost of the laminate vs tiles.

2. Fast installation

Take at most 2 days to complete for the whole house. Some can even be completed within a day.

3. Durability

Laminate do last if it is properly installed and taken care of. All the care laminate flooring requires is that you do not let any puddle of water sit for too long. Don't worry about spills as long as you wipe it off just as you would with any other form of flooring. The important thing is they are installed properly by a trained installer.

4. Comfort

Laminate is also not as cold as tiles and it will be suitable if you have small kids or old folks.

5. Easily replaceable.

If you are bored with the laminate you have down the road, you can have it changed without the hassle of hacking works and the costs involved.

6. Safety

It is not slippery like tiles and it also absorbs some impact, it being wood, therefore again suitable for small kids to cushion their falls etc.

7. Easy to maintain

There is nothing much you need to do other than wipe it with a dam cloth/mop. The surface is hard enough to withstand stains which can be easily removed.

8. Choice

Huge choice to choose from. It is practically impossible to not like at least one of the design/type.

Renovation: Water Heaters

Getting heated water to your bathrooms nowadays is easy and affordable, depending on your needs and which method you choose. Most common method is by simply installing a POU (point of use) instant heater and you'll be showering in heated water in no time. However, a POU instant heater can only supply heated water to a specific area (for example the shower area) and you'll need one for each bathroom. If you need heated water from your sink, you'll need a centralised heater as a POU heater cannot perform this function (which will be explained later). You will also need the appropriate piping which can be costly, depending on the type of house you have and of course mixer taps (with hot/cold water inlets) Newer HDB flats where the wiring and piping are concealed already has the necessary piping taken care of. Same goes with most condominiums and landed properties. For older HDB flats however, there are no other options but to lay additional piping for heated water coming from the heater. Unless you are a plumber or have the necessary tools, you'll almost certainly need to call one to do the job. Once the necessary piping is available, all you need to do is to install a centralised heater and you'll have heated water in shower area and from the sink. Contrary to popular belief, there is actually more than one type of central heaters you can opt for. Most commonly used are the storage heaters where it is basically a heater with a tank to hold the heated water. The other type is a tankless instant heater that heats the water up as you use it. If you are wondering if the tankless instant heater is similar to the POU instant heater, you are not far off. The working concept is similar - which is to heat the water as water flows through it. However, you cannot use a POU instant heater as a central one because the POU heater is activated when water flows into the heater while the centralised one is activated when water flows out. That means you will need an on/off tap to supply cold water to the heater while it gets heated up and out from a hose etc. You cannot re route the heated water to another tap as then you will have to turn on two taps which will make it ridiculous So which is a better solution? To tank or not to tank? A storage heater is normally bulky, therefore can be unsightly and is also inefficient as it 1. heats the water up even when not in used to maintain the water temperature. This means you have to turn it on all the time or have it turned on for some time beforehand to allow it to heat the water up. Obviously the latter is not convenient. 2. heats up the whole tank regardless of the amount you actually plan to use. 3. can run out of heated water if the supply in the tank runs low as you are using it. Think of the electric thermos and you’ll get the idea. A tankless heater on the other hand is way smaller, therefore not that unsightly, and more efficient as it is turned on only when being used. This means, you can turn the main switch off when you are not using it and back on when you need to. If you think that it is inconvenient, then you just leave it on and it will only consume energy for the LED indicators which is negligible. There are two types of tankless instant heaters - one is electric and the other is powered by gas. You can install the electric tankless heaters almost anywhere you want but for one powered by gas, it can only be installed in an open area like the service yard. This effectively makes the gas heater not an option if it needs to be installed in the bathroom. Even if it can, having to lay gas piping into the bathroom can be costly and unsightly and even be impossible, due to the location of the gas pipe and the bathroom.

If your service yard adjoins to your bathroom (where the central piping inlet is located), then you can install a gas central heater in the service yard and extend the hot water pipe to bathroom. You have to drill a hole though so be careful that you do not damage any concealed piping as the cost to repair it will be astronomical. You have to also lay gas piping to the service yard. Check out City Gas for their range of gas heaters.

If your service yard is not adjoined to your bathroom, then an electric tankless heaters is your best bet. One such example is the Bennington C600. It is small and considered affordable at approximately $280. 

Take note that a tankless central heater is not a perfect solution and here's why. For one, it is not absolutely instant. Depending on the location of the heater and the length of piping it has to go through before it reaches the outlet, there will be a delay. However, this applies to any centralised heaters as well. So if you have never used a centralised heater before, this is expected. You will also see a drop in the water pressure. For most cases, this should not be an issue as no one uses boiling water in huge flow unless they want to scald themselves. So most likely, after mixing with cold water, the pressure should be just right, at a temperature most people use to shower or wash up. However, if it is an issue for you, it can be easily remedied by changing the shower heads or installing water saving devices onto the tap which will increase the pressure accordingly. Though it may be an inconvenience and even additional investments, the savings (both electricity and water) later on should make up for it. Whichever type of heaters you decide on, you may want to have heated waters in the kitchen or even the service yard since you already have a centralised heater. However, as far as I know, HDB flats with concealed piping do not extend to the kitchen and service yard. In this case you have, again, three ways to go about it. 1. You can extend and lay additional piping from your central water heater to the kitchen. This option saves you the cost of another heater but make sure that
- the piping works does not cost more than the heater 
- piping works are not unsightly. 2. Another way is to install another heater near the outlet to minimise any exposed piping. If you only need heated water for the kitchen sink, you can actually install it under the sink as show below




A storage heater is too big in this case therefore only tankless heater is possible. Since gas tankless heater cannot be installed in confined spaces like the cabinet under the sink, an electric tankless heater is the only option. In this case, the Bennington C600 will again be suitable. Though it will cost you another initial investment, this can be justified if: 1. Additional piping will cost just as much 2. Additional piping cannot be concealed and will look unsightly. However, do take note that you may need to lay a new wiring to support a higher ampere rating depending on the heater you choose. The Bennington C600 on a 13A socket can only run at mid power (3kW). It runs at a max of 4.5kW and requires a 20A socket. All the above options depends on the cost and aesthetic results. So below is a summary of all the available type of heaters

Heater type	Heating	Comments
Point of use (normally called 'instant heater')	Electrical	Pros: Simple to fix without the need for expensive piping Cons: Needs one for every outlet
Centralised Storage (normally called 'storage heaters)	Electrical	Pros: No drop in water pressure Cons: Bulky, inefficient power usage and not on-demand.
Centralised Tankless (or called multipoint heaters')	Electrical	Pros: Small, efficient, available on-demand Cons: Drop in water pressure
Centralised Tankless (normally called 'gas heaters')	Gas	Pros: Similar to its electrical cousin. Cons: Similar to its electrical cousin. May need to connect to an electrical point for ignition. Can only be installed in a non confined space. Additional gas piping required.