And we have lights! 💡 It has been such a stressful journey after Week 1 of reno and we’re finally back with Part 2 to share more about what went down. Will be sharing more in detail about specifics of the renovation that we paid more attention to: #1 Lights We really wanted a seamless look across the ceiling with a false ceiling but eventually decided on spotlights as the husband wanted to get Philips Hue bulbs for the whole house (more on this another day), and so began our mini nightmare on the location of the lights and fans as we were determined to ensure there won’t be any light strobing effect reflected on the walls when the lights and fans are switched on at the same time. We discussed at length with each other and then conveyed this to our ID and electrician, in which I think they did a great job in following through with our plan and instructions. 
#2 Sink & Countertop We really wanted to do a negative reveal for the countertop installation but because of the miscommunication among the vendors, it was installed in zero reveal. If you have yet done your renovation, we strongly encourage you to remind your vendors to accede to the negative reveal request as it will greatly help with cleaning — the rim of the sink is covered by the countertop hence you can easily swipe food crumbs or water directly into the basin. Aesthetically, it also promotes a more seamless finish! 
#3 E0 Plywood We are so thankful we managed to shave off some of our initial renovation budget to top up for the E0 plywood as health was definitely of higher importance than aesthetics. During the carpentry installation phase, both the husband and I were onsite almost daily and the smell of formaldehyde on the carpentry was really minimal when the drawer and cabinet doors are opened to be aired. However, after closing them for a night, as formaldehyde still continues to emit, we were hit with a stronger smell the next morning when we opened the doors. But compared to our friend’s apartment with carpentry in normal plywood, and had been fixed for a year, the smell we were hit with with the E0 plywood was still not as strong as that. I truly can’t imagine if we did not top up for this, will probably not be able to step foot into the house for a while 🥺 
#4 Final Inspection Matters • Carpentry Measurements During inspection, we also took all the carpentry measurements once more to ensure it was as discussed — this could help trim off your renovation cost at the end as sometimes, proposed carpentry measurements and actual carpentry measurements may not add up (e.g., renovation quote stated 12ft of carpentry but upon inspection only 11ft was built; you can shave off 1ft of carpentry cost from your final payment!) • Toilet Shower Curb We made the error of overlooking the shower curb area and the shower curb in the master bedroom toilet has water leaking under after our showers. After observing for a week, we quickly informed our ID and thankfully the rectification work is stated to be simple — just for the tiler to touch up on the area with putty/cement, and to avoid use for a day. We have been busy in this festive season so we haven’t got that sorted yet but hopefully it’ll be as simple as he had shared. We hope that this has been helpful for you, do share any questions you may have in the comments below! 🤎
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