inthekohzwu
Slow living in a cozy space called home | 屋
Think You Know Your HDB Flat? Hidden Reno Tweaks!
3112
Recognise anything missing from my main entrance? Something that we take for granted yet, it can be an eyesore at times. Something we use it occasionally when needed but it is not really needed all the time. 
It is our ever trusted doorbell. The big white square which everyone cannot miss out. I knew that my door and gate lock had a door bell therefore, I have no use of this original HDB doorbell. Anyway, the previous owner took out the chime and I cannot find it anywhere in the house. During reno, I casually mention to my ID that I have no use for it and it is ugly. A few days later, he got his contractors to remove it for me! I didn't know (at that time) that it can be removed! 
During my reno, my block was doing HDB exterior block painting. I managed to get the painting guys to come and paint over that patch! Removing the useless doorbell is way better than trying to cover it up with some display/decoration box or just pretending it is not there when it is a daily eyesore. 
After hacking down the carpentry that conceals the bombshelter, this black bumper know is exposed. This bumper was meant to prevent the bombshelter door from hitting the wall. Likewise, it can be removed by removing the screw first, bumper then the wall plug. Of course, you'll need to put putty to seal up the hole. I chose to remove in order not to have an outstanding black bumper sitting there out of nowhere. 
Previous owners decided to put a black bumper outside on the corridor wall. Of course, the first thing I did was to remove it. 
One point of caution which I learnt through this process. After my ID removed the bumper and exposed the wall plug, I made a request on LifeSG app to ask the painters to come. They removed the wall plug and painted over the mark for me as they were still around for the block painting revamp. They were wonderful as they not just painted over that area but touched up on the other black portions of the wall. Then, I was informed that this wall plug along the corridor is considered as vandalism to public areas. Therefore, do be mindful not to drill anything onto the public walls outside of your home. Just use removable transparent bumpers will do! They are small, not very visible to our eyes yet serving its purpose without sacrificing aesthetics! 
The newer HDB's entrance is sloped for easy access to wheelchairs. However, it is also easy entry point for dust and dirt to be blown in. Not forgetting the creepy crawlies easier entry into the home. 
I hacked the slope and redo it as a normal kerb like the old school HDB. There will still be dust and dirt entering but it is way lesser! It also adds on to the vibes of the home instead of having the slope. This allows the entryway to be tiled and leveled with my vinyl. Because I chose to overlay vinyl on top of the original HDB tiles, it was supposed to be slightly higher than the slope. Hence, hacking the slope and redoing it up solves this problem. Also, using vinyl all the way to the corridor is not advisable due to corridor washing. Eventually, the vinyl will pop and spoil due to excess water over time. These are some things that I never knew could be done till I was doing my own renovation!
25 June
