Week 1
We had more or less an idea of how long the demolition process will take, which is why we went down to the flat three days after our renovation started, and were duly impressed by how thoroughly the previous renovations had been torn down.
The next step was another meeting with the ID where he confirmed the designs and materials for the items that he will be installing next in our home. From the meetings we had so far, not only his depth of experience in renovation impresses us, but his meticulous way of handling our renovation set our hearts at ease. He confirmed our windows and doors/ door frames and showed us the tiles that arrived, making sure that those are the tiles we want before the tiling begins. He also took the tiles for each room and arranged it on the floor for us to determine what directions we would like the patterns on the tiles to be arranged, all in all a hot bothersome job for something which we had not even thought about but appreciate when he did it.
Week 2 -3
Another couple of weeks went by, we were visiting regularly after work and things were happening really fast. Stuff that were not there yesterday will be completed today, floor tiles, skirtings, bases for cabinets in our kitchen, wall tiles in toilets, low wall in kitchen, etc. Our ID met us at our home at the end of week 3 for a update and to set up more meetings for the next week, and also to arrange with us on some items not covered in our renovation contract which we have to start organize ourselves, such as our air-conditioner.
Week 4
This week was busier for us, I took a day off for the installation of air-con piping as our ID said it will be better if I am there and he can also go through our water piping and electrical wiring details with me. We went on to meet him in his office that evening to lock down on the designs for our carpentry and other details such as door locks, gate, glass doors, toilet doors, etc. It was extremely draining on all of us and took us about four hours plus to decide on colors, materials and design for all our carpentry.
Week 5
We are mostly done with all the decisions regarding our renovation by now, and there is frankly not much for us to do but sit back and wait for the masters to convert our dreams into reality. We had to run some errands such as getting LED lights and HDMI cables, stuff which will be integrated into our home's design but are not included in the renovation quotation. The false ceilings went up this week as well as all the water pipes and electrical wiring.
Week 6
This was an interesting week, they had taken down the old gate and door fame and had put up our new door frame. But the door is not installed yet, so they build a wooden panel 'door' to lock up the flat. Painting is done and the tiler came back to finish up our bath and foyer area. The most important thing that happened this week for us was that the flat was cleaned for the first time this week. For the past 5 weeks, the flat just seems to us like a construction site, this is the first time that we can visualize what our home will look like when it's done. After the cleaning, the carpentry for our customized furniture began. On our end, we had started our crazy shopping spree. Over the past 3 months, we had been on the look out for appliances and furniture we like, and when the deal is good we brought some but we held back on most items. This week, the seal had been broken, and the wallet's is unleashed. By the end of the week, we had gotten a Bed for ourselves, TV, Sofa, Dining Table and Chairs for the living room and Fridge, Washer/Dryer, Microwave Oven, Kettle and Rice Cooker for the Kitchen, plus a Vacuum Cleaner and a couple of Fans. All set to be delivered on Week 8, handover day.