We have been thinking about the new house a lot lately. We started with renovations in mid-June I think. And we are already almost a month in. It feels like a long journey. mainly because we got the house in January or February and we are still here halfway through the year. It took a while to get started and then it’s taking a while to get to the end.
Still, I can’t wait for things to be ready. Painting started this week. So hopefully lights will be up soon. We are still discussing doors and windows here. Doors is a big discussion because mostly I just want to have the same type of doors that the previous owner had. I know, why didn’t I just refurbished them. They were beyond refurbishing. And the frames were really in a bad shape. But I know that I wanted to have similar doors to what they had. the kitchen will only be done in August. So hopefully August is the month where we will get to not think of the renovations so much. We are not in a hurry to move because we are still staying with my mom but having to think so much of the renovation day to day is a bit tiring. I know, it’s just something that is not such a big deal I guess. It’s just something we wish we can not think so much of now.
But yes the house. When we first saw the house, we already saw a few houses, none that made us like oh this is nice. Location was also important because we wanted to be close to mom and also close to things because we are used to where everything is and with a kid, it’s important to us. and then we saw this house. It has a different layout than the usual 3 room bedroom HDB flats that we have been seeing. And it’s really great too because it has lots of windows. and it just have this really nice and cosy layout and when we first saw it, we immediately liked it. It’s a resale flat so we didn’t really expect much on the condition, this one needed a lot of work though. But we were ready for that I guess. So we were ok with the condition and was just like we have to have this house and so we did.
Like I’ve said a lot(haha)the house was not in the best conditions but they had some good ideas for the house, like the double doors, and an entrance/hallway. Having an entrance was like a big plus for us too. We like this separation, and this is not common here to have an entrance and the storage room is just there too which is great. And then I saw these little niches, there’s one in the picture by the kitchen here and there’s another one by another wall. The previous owner had some nice ideas I think. The kitchen door and windows are such nice touches to the house I think, it makes the house feel cosy even though it wasn't in the best condition when we saw it. And then I think for a 3 room resale flat, they have a good amount of windows around the house which is great. The owner was already not living there too so there wasn’t any sort of maintenance going on for a bit I think. But yes these are some of the features about the house that made us think. oh this is different, and this is nice.
So the bulk of the renovation was removing almost everything. It’s a old house so we want to be careful with the pipes and electrical wirings, so in order to do that we have to take out everything. One thing I kind of regret is removing the door/door frames but it wasn’t also practical to keep them because they were either already falling apart or just doesn’t come off nicely. even the tiny niche by the kitchen window wasn’t spared. We had to redo everything. For now we are over those demolishing days, and painting is done. So far, most things are ok, except for maybe a lot of installation of electrical stuff, and plumbing. and of course the kitchen. and the doors and windows too. It’s been slow. but hopefully we’ll get there soon.
And I am hoping that we will still be able to retain that niceness that the house had when we first saw it. It felt like home so let’s hope we can make it into that :)
till next time, m