From clutter to clean: the unseen side of our service yard 🧺
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A week since we moved in! As we slowly ease ourselves into this space, we’ll be taking you around bit by bit. For a start, welcome to our service yard! 🧺 We hacked away the original demarcation of the service yard, removing the windows and bi-fold door to open up the kitchen. Thankfully, the original HDB tiles in grey blended well with our home’s aesthetic, so we kept them! While we’ve tried to keep the look cohesive with the rest of the home, this little corner still has to be practical—so here’s a look at our functional, gadget-filled service yard where the chores get done. 🧹✨ 
Probably the most “unfitting” corner to our overall aesthetic, but hey — it works! 💡 Tucked in here are a few of our essentials: • Gas Water Heater 🔥 • Robert, our Dreame X50 Ultra Robot Vacuum 🤖 • Handy broom & dustpan 🧹 • Dustbin 🗑️ What worked for us when planning this space: 1️⃣ Plan early — think about the appliances you need. 2️⃣ Check the specs — electrical points, water inlets/outlets, cable lengths. 3️⃣ Communicate these requirements with your ID/contractor from the start! Since we already thought of having a gas stove, it was seamless to get City Energy to extend the gas pipe into the service yard for our water heater. We made sure to cater for a gas inlet, plus water in/out points for it. Sitting right on the floor is Robert 🤖, our Dreame X50 Ultra Robot Vacuum. We snagged him at the IT Fair for $1,599 with the water kit installation included 🙌. We’ve heard how it can be a hassle to fill the tank manually, so we catered for direct water in/out access — now he hydrates himself and disposes of the yucky stuff automatically. We’ve been using him almost daily for vacuuming and mopping, and honestly… we haven’t had to mop manually yet 🙊. Beside them are just some loose items — a broom & dustpan for quick sweeps, and our trusty dustbin. 
On the other side, we have our stacked washer & dryer from Samsung’s Bespoke AI series 🧺✨. So far, so good — it keeps our laundry fresh and toasty, especially on rainy days 🌧️. It’s our first time having a dryer, and let’s just say we’ve been “studying” laundry labels a little harder than usual to figure out what can (and can’t) be tumble-dried 👀 And tucked neatly in the corner — our trusty Magiclean magnet wiper 🧹, which fits just right in its little spot! 
On the ceiling, we’ve got our automated laundry system from Steigen ☀️👕 We swapped out the original HDB clinky-klanky rack for this upgrade — and it’s been such a helpful little assistant for laundry days. With just one click on the remote, the rack lowers down, making it so much easier to hang clothes or clip socks 🧦 It also comes with tri-toned lights 💡 to brighten up the service yard, plus solar heat mode, fan mode, and a timer to keep drying going. A game-changer for us! 🙌 
You might have noticed something missing — the usual chunky HDB pipes? 👀 Scroll down to see where they’re hiding… tucked neatly behind our carpentry 🫢 
And here’s a peek at the clutter that usually stays hidden from sight 👀 Since we hacked down the walls and windows between the service yard and kitchen, those chunky pipes became a lot more visible. Plus, when we think of a service yard, it’s often laundry nets, hangers, pegs, and detergents lying around — and we knew we didn’t want that mess out in the open 🙈 So, what better way to hide the pipes and create storage for the unsightly bits? Carpentry! ✨ Inside, we keep our laundry and cleaning supplies neatly tucked away. Our ID also designed little peekaboo doors for easy access to the washer’s water faucets. Once the carpentry doors are closed, you’d never know what’s hiding behind 🤪. --- If you’ve read this far, we hope this gives you a little inspiration for your own service yard! These are just the solutions that worked for us — and we’d love to hear your tips on what's missing and how we can make chores more effective and efficient. Share them with us below ⬇️ Follow along at @kiaoka.at.home on IG for more little updates from our space 🏡✨
18 August
