Tuesday, April 29, 2008

:: We purchase our mattress! ::

Went to Furniture Mall @Beach Rd last Sunday to look out for some mattresses. Saw one shop - Sleeppost, ever heard that this shop sells mattresses cheaper than elsewhere. They also have a website that can order online. Went in to have a look and enquire more on the mattress which we are interested in - the Maxcoil visco-elastic memory foam Queen size. However the salesman quite young, i guess part time only.. duno many things. Everything we ask he also reply "should be, can be.." but we want a confirm answer. At least go and find out if he dun know. His manager was ard lor. Anyway i was thinking if i wanna buy also not from him cos he got totally no knowledge and i will purchase from this shop cos of the relatively low prices.

Anyway we left the shop, taking note of the price. We came across Mattress Atrium. The salesman was much more knowledgeable and explained in details. Seems like there are 2 seperate shops. The one we went in first sells Pegasus brand, Princebed. After intro a few he suggest to show us another brand of mattress. Walk us over to the 2nd shop same name and everything but this shop sells Severus brand. So i assume they seperate the 2 brands apart.

Severus mattress, this name seems quite familiar, must have came across in forums before. Anyway he explained well and asked us to try the diff types of materials eg, pocketed spring, full memory foam, visco-elastic and latex. But we prefer the visco one. And seeing we quite interested in that mattress, he offered us $1600 from the original price of $2020 - complete with GST, delivery, 2 memory foam pillow and protector. Hmm.. we were still considering when his boss came over.

He was very patient and detailed. He had a deep voice with a little accent. We were impress by the way he presented the mattresses to us which was professional and sincere. He even told us the different usages of each materials used. And explained what exactly is viso-elastic and normal memory foam. He did mention that all visco-elastic used by brands such as Tempur comes from the same source, including his brand Severus. But we're paying so much more for Tempur is becos of their branding and marketing. Which i agree. However becos he works by word of mouth, Severus is not widely advertised. Thats why the prices can be lower. Then he asked us what other brands we heard of using visco, we mentioned Maxcoil, having in mind the one we saw previously at Sleeppost. He even asked whats the lowest price we've seen so far.. and we told him $1477. Then after much calculation here and there, he came up with a final price of $1399 incl all the items he mentioned earlier.

It is indeed a good deal. We dun usually purchase things on impulse and usually does our homework before purchasing anything. But he seemed confident and reminded us that he's not always in the office and becos he's here today, he is able to offer us at this rate. Its a one time offer.

Maybe we were attracted by the price, cos we ever did some homework and indeed this price is the lowest for visco-elastic mattresses (putting brand aside). Cos even if i were to get Maxcoil, the lowest is still at $1477.

Not only that, of course most importantly we felt real comfortable with the mattress. At that point of time i didnt really consider the brand, just thought that i came across this brand somewhere in forum. As long as i felt comfortable with it can le.

Another point is he was clear with whatever questions we raised and could answer them promptly and confidently. This brand comes with a 15yrs warranty and he said its made in US.

We agreed on the purchase after some discussion. Deal.. He's a friendly guy. Thanked him and went home happy.




As usual, we went home and did some research on this brand - Severus.
But to my surprise, there's no website on it and indeed there was this brand on some forums but were negative ones.

Seems like according to some, Severus is actually made in Malaysia and the same material use as Maxcoil. Also, the boss claims he's not always in the office, but somehow those who posted that they ever went to this shop was served by this same boss.. coincidence? There were actually more negative remarks like no other places sells Severus mattress except by them, so the warranty of 15yrs is rather doubtful. Who knows how long this company may last. And also the service by this boss is not very pleasant.. etc..

Both of us felt worried and cheated. But since we've bought it.. so be it.. Actually regarding the services, he did not gave us any bad service as far as i know. The only thing is, he probably wasnt truthful in the 'made in where.' *ponder*

My wifey is actually more paranoid then me. Hopefully, everything will turn out fine.

Overall, i do like the mattress and try not to be too affected by what others say lor.. can just use their opinions as reference can le..

"One man's meat is another man's poison."

:: We've got our first credit card! ::

We have finally decided to apply a credit card so that we can have a better cash flow.

Signed up with UOB - The One Card @ UOB roadshow @ AMK. Got myself a free Sanctuary Spa Voucher worth S$200! Yippi! Time to pamper myself.. but jef still prefers the radio-man alarm clock. -_-!!!..
Jef filing up his first Credit Card application...

Cant wait to receive our UOB Credit Card in 2weeks time! Wooohoo!! :)

Fio =)

Saturday, April 26, 2008

:: Painful lesson learnt... ::

Haiz...... =(

We are having some hiccups in getting our deposit back from one of the ID we visited.

Note that the deposit was paid on our first visit when we ask for quotation..
We were promised a refundable deposit in black and white contract while we still deciding if we want to confirm him.

Today is the 3rd week since we have rejected this ID and ask for a refund.

Initially, he told us that it will take 1 week. We waited and nothing happened.

2nd week, called him and he told us he is going down to his main office to collect our cheque. No follow up after the call.

3rd week, (which is today) he told us to meet him at his office to collect the cheque at 7pm. Then called again to postpone to 8pm... Receive his call again at abt 8pm, told us he is willing to give us $1000 off the bill. We rejected and that was the last time we heard from him.

We waited till 11pm... still no sight or call. Tried call him few times, no reply and he even rejected my last call! w%#^$&%#**#

*fUming* Felt like a fool lohr!!

Thinking back, Jef and I were really naive. We actually feel bad initially for rejecting him and even tot of giving him a small token as an appreciation.

Maybe it was the pressure used - if we sign up today, he will include the freebies...
Maybe it was the refundable deposit stated in black and white ...
No matter what it is.. An important lesson to all..

NEVER EVER PLACE A DEPOSIT UNLESS YOU ARE DEFINITELY COM FIRMING YOUR ID. Money easy to go in, difficult to get back....

We are going to bug him tomorrow........ argggghhh... %&%*#&%*#&@$&


Fio & Jef ... :(

:: Tiles, color theme, laminates - selected ::

Met up with Dennis today.

We took the whole morning to select our color paints, laminates, wallpaper and outline the design. Sooo exciting!!!! The discussion was lighthearted and fun! We can relate well to Dennis and he seems happy to design our house. :)

Jef: "Ehh.. i think kitchen cabinets red color and the glass panel black.."
Dennis: "WAhhhhh... you all very gan gan hor.. do your house beri shiok!"

wagagagagaaga.... =P

Dennis brought us to a few tiles suppliers to select our tiles.
What an experience! Never knew that there are so many designs for tiles.. glossy, shiny, patterns, colors and even the material! There were Quartz -super EX but really very very pretty.. Homogeneous - the trend now.. Ceramic - outdated but more designs.. Porcelain - hmm.. Interesting! Mosaic tiles were very super duper pretty and stylish lohrrr! But too bad.. we decided to use the one that HDB have provided due to budget.. soo expensive to do overlay lohr!

+++****+++****+++****+++****


Took a walk at Balestier too and drop by at many lighting shops. So many varieties and prices!! For the same design, some can be as cheap as $100 , while some can go up to $500!! Wah seh... how to chose sia... headache*

Fio =)

:: Our first electrical appliance! ::

We have bought our first electrical appliance on Thursday! - Washing Machine.

Hehe..

We fell in love with this LG tromn 2 in 1 washing/dryer machine.
Gain City is havin an in-house promotion at SGD899nett. The original price was $1500++... hehe.. Being so auntie & uncle lately, we of course went for the good bargain. :)



Fio =)

Monday, April 14, 2008

:: Floor plan.. ::

Our house reno will look something like this...

Before :

After :

So looking forward to our perspective drawing this Sunday! :)

Fio =)

:: Guess who? ::

After weeks of scouting and tensions, we have finally confirm our ID today.

ID Shopping list:
-Crescendo Design (Recommended by HBAY).
-AMAC Design (Recommended by Jef's fren).
-Living Art
-City Design (nt allowed to keep the quotes)
-Wea Design
-Image (ah dee's fav word "I propose.. i propose
-Home Interior
-Vegas (Vomit blood.. CMI)
-Art Trend (MIA)
-Orange Cube (Everything also cannot)

Hmm.. a brief encounter with each ID:
- Amac Design
Er.. cos fren fren cannot comment much. :x
ID was easy going and gave us no pressure. His pricing wise was so-so only despite intro by fren.
- City Design
ID is friendly initially but was too engross in his own design than the listen to our needs. He was pretty hardworking and showed us a few 3D drawing. Unfortunately, he expect us to sign a contract worth more than 25K without even giving us time to think over it. We find it rather ridiculous and lagi worse when his face turn black when we told him we really need time to think thru.

- Image
ID is a young and cute ah dee.. he is full of creativity and very open to ideas. He is really helpful and nice but his quotation is rather high. For those who dun hav a tight budget, can consider ah dee.

- Home Interior
ID nice and easy going guy. Sincere and hardworking... very experience in the trade and even brought me to one of the "renovation in progress" flat. He tkes extra care in the quality of workmanship. However, quotation is abit high

- Vegas
#&&$&$&#$&**U&^(&*) .. no comment. So sway we met him.

- Art Trend
Er.. MIA, totally no news after the first meeting. no follow up, which means not interested in our biz.. so forget it lohr.

- Orange cube
ID seems proud.. stubborn.. all our suggestions seems like a waste of money to him. If we want so simple, might as well dont renovate lo. Anyway, no follow up.

With the above considerations and quotations comparison.. we have finally narrow down to .....

...***DRUMROooooLL***...

TADA!!! (In no order of merit)
-Crescendo Design
-Living Art
-Wea Design

Crescendo Design
Melissa and David were very kind and patient with us.
They were open to our ideas and gave us good designs and advice.
After a few meetings, we were begining to build a frenship.
Their quotes were somewhat reasonable if your are looking for a pure ID.

Living Art
CK.. he was a humble and patient ID. He gave us rather good ideas and tips.
Can tell he is an experience guy and believes in good quality. His efficency and confidence win us over. CK drew us 3 perspective drawing to show us even on the first visit only. He allow us to place a refundable $300 cash deposit. However, his price is also alittle high but then..we do understand "一分钱,一分货" lahr..

Wea Design
Jef first visit was serve by XXXX, very bad impression. @%^*$*&*#W ..kaoz! very inexperience but give good discount -but duno zhun or not. haizyo...
We were about to drop him when Elson and Rachel intro their ID from Wea to us.
ID, Dennis is a funny guy. Honest, sincere and hardworking.
He is open to our ideas and gave us no pressure. We are very comfortable when we interact with him, and he seems happy doing our designs. His fav line : "很美的!"
His quotes are reasonable too.

So.. finally...

**DRUmROOOOOooollll***
**DRUmROOOOOooollll***
**DRUmROOOOOooollll***
**DRUmROOOOOooollll***
**DRUmROOOOOooollll***
**DRUmROOOOOooollll***


We have decided on TAaAAaaaDaaaaa ....
WEA DESIGN, Dennis!!!
Clap clap clap* Whistle*

Sadly, one of the best have to emerge and the rest need to drop. We really do appreciate them and all their efforts -esp to Melissa and David, and CK.

In conclusion...
The main important factors that will affect a person in chosing an ID is probably..
1. Sincerity
2. Whether we can click well with the ID (comfort level)
3. Experience and knowledge
4. Price within a budget
5. Good followup

Sometimes, paying for a reputable ID might not necessarily be safe or reliable.
It still depends highly on the ID who serve you despite the company. Is he responsible? Does he mark up alot and give u lots of freebies/discounts? Any hidden costs? Does he listen? Is he honest? Do U trust him? This is what we have learnt so far.

We hope that we have made the right choice and of course.. more updates to come soooon.. :)

PS: All the above are subjected to individual ids that we encounter and nothing against the companies.

:: Our friendly neighbours..::

Went house hopping last Sunday.
We were invited by Elson and Rachel to their flat to take a look.
Their house is renovated by Dennis from Wea Design.
Since Wea Design is also in our shopping list, we were glad that we are given a chance to "preview" their workmanship.
It was not that bad.. simple and nice.. quite importantly, his quotes are reasonable. The problem with me is.. (or probably all humans in general), the more expensive is the quotation, i felt cheated somehow. The more cheaper it cost, the more worried i felt. hmm.. *Ponder*

After visiting Elson & Rachel's home, we went house hopping with them.
We went to other forumers flats.. they were all nicely done up and near to completion. The more i see, the more excited i felt. Our neighbours are all friendly people and are always willing to share their experience and knowledge. It was a fruitful trip! We were so glad that we met them. :)


Fio =)

Friday, April 11, 2008

The birth of our home..


Our only concern back few months back was our home.
We donated countless $10 to HDB but to no avail.
Finally, ladyluck was with us.


On 21FEB08, the day of the 10million toto draw, Jef received a msg from HDB that we have got our queue for the FEB mature estate balloting - Queue 19!! Wah seh.. this is as good as winning 10million toto draw lohr!


***+++***+++***


On 25FEB08, we were at HDB hub to select our unit.
Our hearts were pounding faster than usual. Sibei nervous lohr! We were so paranoid that the first 18 infront of us would select our ideal unit. Ma chiam we are in a stock market exchange like that lohr, keep checking the computer for updates - fio dun even there to go toilet! I think the lady at the e-counter thought that we are trying to be funny and keep diao at us. -_-!!!..
Finally, at 1130am, we knew we have manage to get our ideal unit @ TPY Central ( our number one choice) Woooooohooooo!! =D


The HDB monitor screen .. or should i say its a heart monitoring screen!
***+++***+++***



No news since we paid the $2000 CASH until last week. YES!! We are finally getting our keys on 02MAY08. So excited!!!!

Our block!

***+++***+++***


Today, we have shortlisted a few IDs.. headache headache.. @_*



Jef have just joined in the community of Renotalk forum and found some helpful and friendly neighbours. We have learnt quite a fair bit of infos on reno & design tips. Hope to know more friendly neighbours. :)

***+++***+++***


Shopping lists for IDs as of today:

- Crescendo Design (Recommended by HBAY).
- AMAC Design (Recommended by Jef's fren).
- Living Art
- City Design (nt allowed to keep the quotes)
- Wea Design
- Image (ah dee's fav word "I propose.. i propose..")
- Home Interior
- Vegas (Vomit blood.. CMI)
- Art Trend (MIA)
- Orange Cube (Everything also cannot)


More updates to come...



Jef & Fio

Start

Hello!!! Welcome to our blOg!!

This is our first post.
Hehe.. nervous* :P

We have decided to start this blog to mark the beginning of our life. :)

In a blink of an eye, we have been together for about 4yrs and still counting..
These 4years have not been easy for us.. - From Poly to army to working.
Fio have to endure Jef's temper, and Jef have to endure Fio's blurness.
Chamz ar chamz ar.. but okay lahr, use to it now. haha.. =P

We have really matured over the years and have learnt alot from each other.
Most of our frens at our age are still talking about latest games, gadgets or fashion whereas we are scouting for wedding packages and home deco. We feel so old lohr.. :(

Of course, getting married is a life-time commitment. We must be responsible not only for ourselves but also to our partner. From now on, life will never be me and myself but we and us. :)

Our journey begins here.. we hope to share our life experience together thru' the blog here.

Till then..
Jef & Fio