reno diary: we wanted these bcos of our parents 👀🤫

both my hubs and I are raised in quite a typical and probably traditional family …

we grow up without

1. digital lock

2. water dispenser

3. robo cleaner

basically anything “smart”

in that era, digital is a v fresh idea, so it’s completely understandable why it’s not being accepted into the households

knowing that renos is a big ticket,

we decided to list (& explain) the things that matters

& believe it or not, these 3 items are amongst the first few we bought … 🤣

❓ are these a need

🙅🏻‍♀️ no, not at all

✔️ but to us, these are impt

1️⃣ 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤

😚 free of keys, lesser things to bring out

& this is the first thing we bought for our house 🥹

✅ worry free mind of not bringing keys out

✅ brain space freed woohoo

brand we chose: yale kyra pro

2️⃣ 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫

yeap, we grew up w kettle boiling

tbh, I’ve never had an issue w this bcos my house is nvr lack of drinking water …

but his house, sometimes does.

& we have to get our water from a heavy kettle.

I ever twisted my wrist from getting water 😂😂😂

😌 with a touch, we now have water of various temp

✅ also …

✅ convenience at the tip of our fingers

✅ no more water boiling - brain space cleared

brand we chose: happie joy

3️⃣ 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐫

my parents are 👏 clean 👏 freak 👏

during my schooling years, I would wake up to my mum mopping the floor (at 5.30am) 🥲

& my parents dont use the mop. they clean the floor with their hands and knees on the ground

I got them a xiaomi robo cleaner when I was in uni

& tbh, it is not as sweaky clean as their cleaning

🥳 but at least, the amt of effort taken reduces!

✅ &&&

✅ time & effort to clean floor, saved!

(time is finite, also choose to save time)

brand we chose: dreame x40 master

to us, these are #mindfulspending

we have friends who chose to move in without these smart devices to free up more budget for reno cost & that’s totally fine!

most imptly, the couple need to identify what’s most impt & the items that help to define “home”

alrighto

that’s about it,

🏃‍♀️ to farm money now

☁️ de

#YearEndRecap #RealTalk #MyFirst #btorenovation

Singapore
2024/12/9 Edited to

... Read moreWhen considering smart home upgrades, installation can be a key concern—especially with devices like the Dreame X50 Master robo cleaner. From my experience, setting up this smart vacuum was straightforward thanks to the detailed instructions and app support. It integrates well with other smart devices and saved us much time in daily chores. On a lighter note, creating a joyful home environment goes beyond technology. Adding personal touches like funny laundry room sayings or quirky decor can lighten the mood and make chores more enjoyable. It may sound trivial, but these small, fun elements add warmth and personality to your living space. Ultimately, whether you're investing in high-tech gadgets or simple home comforts, the goal is to build a home that feels right for you and respects your family values. Balancing tradition with innovation has made our renovation journey truly rewarding.

Search ¡
water dispenser

13 comments

Sherlyn Koh's images
Sherlyn Koh

X40 master is the best !🥰

See more(1)
the Ts :-)'s images
the Ts :-)

definitely getting these as well!!

Related posts

bto reno diary: this ID checklist helped us sm 🥹💖📋
yes, jokes on us, with only 1 month to key collection, we knew we had to choing meet IDs 🏠 mature estate in the east 📆 nov 2018 project 🔑 key collection: mid march 2024 🔨 reno started: mid June 2024 sent a total of 6 enquiries, we met up with 3 different ID companies & spoke to mor
denise ☁️

denise ☁️

74 likes

our highly recommended electrician!! 💯🥰
if anyone is looking for an electrician with reasonable prices, we would highly recommend ours!! this was our main contractor’s contact, and we loved him from our first meeting! he is a super warm and friendly uncle who replies promptly, and his team did up our electrical works promptly with minima
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

567 likes

our $11k kitchen renovation updates 🥰✨
it’s been awhile since our last update with lots of things going on in life - from busy work trips to job change to settling in to our new home! but we’re back with new updates on our renovated home ❤️ first off, the kitchen! we decided to do an open kitchen concept becos T really wanted a big k
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

290 likes

Reno Diary | Week 1–2 ✨🏡
Week 1–2 is officially done! ✨ We’ve wrapped up all our masonry work, and it’s exciting to finally see the space taking shape. Every visit makes the renovation feel a little more real, and we can’t wait for the next phase. 🤍 #BTOReno #SGHome #HomeRenovation #renovation #bto
Jolie

Jolie

44 likes

Week 4-5 Reno Progress 😌
Hi I’m back with another reno progress update!! We both just came back from our vacation in the middle of reno oops hahaha so unfortunately we didn’t make as much progress as we could have but it’s ok!! 1. Tried out wall paint samples 🎨🖌️ - We shortlisted 4 paint colours based on the catalog
Isabel ☺️

Isabel ☺️

183 likes

Our Renovation Nightmare Diary ;;
We’re 2 months in since our renovation works started in our humble 4 room abode… And all we can say is boy, it’s a journey 🤧🥲 // Story Time We first found this ID and thought they were trustworthy and could deliver quality works from the impeccable Google Review + Qanvast review. They even h
The Homebodies

The Homebodies

17 likes

bto reno diary: 3 weeks ltr, we can finally hack 🔨
our hacking permit got rejected not once but twice 😵‍💫 causing almost 3 weeks work delay. (hacking timeline at the end of post!) 🏠 mature estate in the east 📆 nov 2018 project 🔑 key collection: mid march 2024 🔨 reno started: mid June 2024 halp, we are just hacking 1 wall & erecting 2
denise ☁️

denise ☁️

21 likes

Reno Diaries: Revealing our ID’s 3D renders 😍
HELLO! I’m back with more reno content! 🔨 In today’s Reno Diaries series, I’ll be revealing the first cut of the 3D renders we received from our ID!!! 🫣 We received renders for the following rooms that had carpentry: - Living room - Kitchen - Dry pantry - Common bath - Master bedroom
vltyeats

vltyeats

197 likes

READ THIS BEFORE SIGNING THE RENO QUOTE
Activity Review ✨Activity/Experience: HomeReno 💭Thoughts: Disgusted / Sad / Disappointed/ Angry 🤔What i should have done? I felt the need to share this to prevent it from happening to others. Since my renovation is still in progress, I have not disclosed the company yet and have yet to dec
SoreLoser

SoreLoser

247 likes

Reno Diaries Wk 2&3: Electrical, Tiles, Partitions
Hello! Finally have some time to recap about week 2 and 3 of our renovations so here I am! ☺️ Our renovation has been going smoothly thus far, and these were the 3 main things that were happening during week 2 and 3: - Electrical works (week 2) - Tiling works (week 2-3) - Partition works
vltyeats

vltyeats

19 likes

How did our 15K reno hold up?
In 2019, we v happily got the keys to our 4-room SBF 🫰 But bc only I was working then (husband still studying) and my pay then was quite 🥴, we really had no budget to reno. So, my parents very generously offered to cover the reno and furnishings 😭🙏🏻😭🙏🏻 But anyway bc of our circumstances, we k
HouseTo22

HouseTo22

219 likes

🏡reno updates: almost done!! 🙌🏽
Our light reno is coming to an end soon and everything happened quickly after painting is done. Lights and fans were installed within a day. We forgot to get the kitchen wc’s light 😅. One of the works was removing the kitchen wc accessories as we wanted to convert into a washer/dryer area. After re
J

J

7 likes

shopping for textures @ wallhub!
whaaaat a treat to see and touch the various wallcovering options in person! we fell in love with a specific product, stay tuned to see the final product 😉 #homerenovation #sghome #homeshopping #sgrenovation Wallhub | Wallpaper Singapore Gallery
E & C | 93sqm in the making 🛠️

E & C | 93sqm in the making 🛠️

7 likes

Avoid clario.sg at all costs
Sharing my negative experience with Clario SG, the window mesh company that has been popping up all over on everyone’s FYP. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to add more pictures hence will post in comments instead. To the founder aka Alvin: If you cooled down and took a step back to think of what to
🍓

🍓

34 likes

My parents said don't waste $ on door....
My parents said don’t waste money on doors… now they want the same one 😌 📍Address: 1 Tampines North Drive 1 Unit:07-05 S528559 🛒Product Item: Center opening door, with reeded glass and no bottom track #spacedor #renovationtips #renovationideas #sgrenovation #sginteriordesign
Spacedorsg

Spacedorsg

15 likes

0️⃣ RENO NIGHTMARES FOR US 💗 TRUE STORY! 🥰
Visited 7 IDs in the span of 2 months last year and this 3D render was absolutely what won us over! And of course the VIBES with the ID that was in charge of it! 🥰 Hey zesties! Just wanted to share with you guys my reno journey, and the best id ever - yes i’m not even exaggerating. we did hear
˚‧₊✩ ann.

˚‧₊✩ ann.

166 likes

we’re renovating with a main contractor!!! 🏠 🔨
after lots of homework, T & I finally decided to go for a main contractor for our upcoming home reno!! we signed the contract last weekend (whewww so glad one huge thing is off our to-do-list for now😂) our main con was introduced to us through word of mouth recommendation and our journey wi
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

209 likes

How to clean your house fast after reno
Our reno site is slowly turning into a home! 😊 We love how much lighter the space feels after post reno cleaning. Honestly there’s still some fine dust on the floor because we didn’t opt for deep cleaning for our tiles (there’s still a bit of reno works to go). But we can now comfortably move in ou
Toastie Home 🍞

Toastie Home 🍞

15 likes

🚩Read This Before You Start Your Renovation🚩
As the saying goes, “Never celebrate anything until everything is confirmed.” I was so excited to kickstart our renovation journey that I made the biggest mistake by trusting our ID too much and became almost completely hands-off during the initial phase. Friends and colleagues around me were
tattooedaisies_

tattooedaisies_

113 likes

Breakdown of our $30K Renovation!
Let us share our ~$30k renovation breakdown! Finally sharing it now as we just received our final bill payment (yes, after a few months of already staying in the house!) For our self-designed home, we engaged an ID company that was able to provide main contractor services for us. Thus, the
OurBTOhome 🏡

OurBTOhome 🏡

124 likes

Carpentry Learnings & Regrets🥹 What we rectified
Pls dm me if you would like a copy of our carpentry notes with our complied learning & tips, and we will share it with you! 📖 We engaged a carpenter for our kitchen, altar, DB box & wardrobes. Here’s what we learned, save this for your reno planning! ✨ Pre-Fabrication Tips ✔️ Triple
Doobywooo Woobywooo

Doobywooo Woobywooo

408 likes

meeting 12 IDs for our house reno 🫣🫣
it wasn’t our plan to compare so many vendors, and we initially only planned for 5! 🥲 but as we spoke with more ppl and received more quotations, we realized that there was a big price difference between various companies. hence, we collectively decided that we shld speak with more ppl and to do ou
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

48 likes

design tools we used during reno! 🥸
as a designer, i’m a visual creature — i need to see things before i can decide. these free platforms helped me so much in the pre-reno phase and gave us a clearer idea of what we wanted even before looping in our interior designer 👇 1️⃣ Figma – for moodboarding, brainstorming, and annotating id
E & C | 93sqm in the making 🛠️

E & C | 93sqm in the making 🛠️

262 likes

What went wrong with our ID search | 🏠 악몽 🤡
Wish we had known this earlier… As first-time homeowners, we thought using an ID matching service like HomeMatch would save us time and stress. I mean, just give them your budget, timeline, design inspo… and they’ll match you with the “ideal” interior designer, right? 🔥 Spoiler: It turned in
Jo 조앤

Jo 조앤

75 likes

Easily overlooked small reno detail in the TOILET🧴
Just sharing a little reno detail that’s small but lots of thoughts went into it. We also asked other homeowners for advice and benefited from this home reno sharing community 🥰 There are different types of shampoo ledges: /OPTION 1/ - build a niche for shampoo ledge ✅ most aesthetic ✅
B&E

B&E

159 likes

Our Reno Journey: Start Your Reno With Good Vibes
Starting a home reno is exciting but can be disruptive for those nearby. A small, thoughtful gift for our immediate dear neighbours hopefully can go a long way in fostering good relations and softening the impact of any temporary inconvenience. 1) Earplugs Reno can be noisy, so giving our neig
Hellohome🏡

Hellohome🏡

3 likes

how we managed to save $30k on our reno 🤑💚
initially when we went to consult our ID for design & build, we were quoted about $100k for our whole reno. thankfully my husband has a contact for a main con so we proceeded to ask for a quotation from him for the works as well — by providing the work specifications provided by our IDs in our
gen

gen

237 likes

HOUGANG STREET | Warm Contemporary Minimalism
Clean lines to create a welcoming atmosphere that feels timeless, practical, and effortlessly elegant. #MyRenoDiary #myrenotv #WarmMinimalism #ContemporaryInterior #MinimalistHome #InteriorDesign #HomeRenovation #LivingRoomDesign #KitchenDesign #BedroomDesign #CustomCarpentry #ModernHo
MyRenoDiary

MyRenoDiary

1 like

Moving in to our first house soon 🥳
One more month to the completion of our renovation! Started our reno in August and it is finally coming to an end!❤️ Not sure how if all will turn out well eventually but so far it is looking like what we envisioned! There are some good things along the journey such as the contractors from ou
Blush2tomato

Blush2tomato

89 likes

Singapore Rental Makeover (No Drilling/Major Reno)
Hi everyone!👋🏻 Finally done packing and furnishing my rental place. I wanted it to be a tiny, cosy home. Let me know if you want an in-depth post on each individual area ok! Meanwhile, you can follow my home rental deco journey here: Part 1 igstories Part 2 igstories Lin
Grace Brace Tan

Grace Brace Tan

575 likes

How we saved $1.5k on our limewashed walls 👩🏻‍🎨👨🏻‍🎨
We like the look of limewashed walls and how they add texture and character to our wabi-sabi inspired minimal home. It doesn’t come cheap though! Our ID quoted us $1.8k+ for our 5m wall :( I did a quick search and found many videos of people doing it themselves on YouTube! It looks manageable ev
slowhiteflat🏡

slowhiteflat🏡

122 likes

Reno Non-negotiables
As first time home owners, we were open to exploring different design themes and elements but here are a few that we stuck by right from the start 💁🏻‍♀️ ✨ Curved Features Adding curves to your design instantly creates a softer feel to the space. We wanted our false ceiling to end off with a c
🦆🏡

🦆🏡

76 likes

HOW TO PAY FOR UR RENOVATIONS?? 💰🏡
if you’re a new homeowner looking to pay your ID/contractor for your renovations soon, we hope this post will be useful for you!!! we recently made the first deposit for our home renovation, which came up to around $4500, and typically this is done through bank transfer or cheque to your ID/main co
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

140 likes

Reno choices that can turn into REGRETS?! 😰
You’ve been warned! 🚨 These 5 details may seem minor (or you might overlook them) … but they can cause MAJOR problems when you live w it in the long run! 1️⃣ Clearance Space: Many people make the mistake of only accounting space to 'fit' in built-ins or furniture, but NOT enough space t
Qanvast

Qanvast

83 likes

$19k 3-Room SBF Reno? Normalising Affordability 💭
Hi Zesties! 🍋 We spent a grand total of $19,128 on our brand new 3-Room SBF unit’s renovation. Sharing our home reno thought process: 1) Knowing that this will not be our forever home if we want to have kids, we decided to go with just the bare minimum and only work on what was necessary. Th
Yax 🦋

Yax 🦋

397 likes

Quoted $6K for Lighting 😨 How we reduced by 50% 🤑
If you’re looking for a place to get affordable but still aesthetic lights, we’ve got you! We were first brought to Sol Luminaire by our ID to check out the options there. Prior to this, I’ve heard of Sol Luminaire and seen a couple of people using it, so I was excited to check them out too! We
hoos.home.seah

hoos.home.seah

208 likes

Reno regrets pt 2
Not maximising this space! Could have been a niche so that we can put a mirror there + a surface for us to put things like keys or idk #reno #renovationsg #bto
sereal

sereal

59 likes

Legrand Galion switches + Storytime Part 1 🍵
Purchased our Legrand Galion electrical switches and faceplates from Choo Chiang Marketing Pte Ltd (Ubi) and LED/drivers from LED ECO Lighting since both are conveniently located at the same building. We specially took leave to settle both on a Fri as we would be packed with waiting for del
beansand.beams

beansand.beams

86 likes

learning more about carpentry PART #1!!! 🪚
perks of our main con having their own carpentry factory - we get to visit it!!! it was a really interesting experience and we even got to witness their shifu at work 🤩 👉🏻 one key takeaway we got from the visit was about the different types of plywood quality and why it is important for us homeo
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

95 likes

🇸🇬 My 8 Reno Thoughts 💸
BTO renovation is no small feat! So many details to think about — here are some of my reno thoughts come to life 💭✨ Thanks to my hubby for all the support 🫶 #singapore #sg #renovation #bto #renovationsg
veggiexplorer

veggiexplorer

49 likes

Aesthetic lights we'd recommend (below $100!)💡
While searching for lights during our reno, we visited many lighting shops (online and in-store) because we had specific desires and wanted the best choice for each area. Besides the usual spotlights in some parts of our home, we also chose these unique lights from IKEA and Taobao because they&#
ourhouseofgoh

ourhouseofgoh

44 likes

Post reno deep cleaning services - worth it? 👀🫧🧼
Hi 🍋8 pals~ We have recently finished our #hdbrenovation after many weeks and there was SO MUCH DUST & DIRT from the reno! 👀 We decided to opt for having a deep cleaning done by @Be Mitey Clean 💙 and I’m glad to share that we had #noregrets doing so (: Swipe to see what was included
hei.glorious

hei.glorious

56 likes

Reno Nightmare Summary 🚧
Here’s a preview of the nightmare we’ve faced with our renovation. Stay tuned for detailed posts on each problem coming soon! #renovation #homerenovation #hdbrenovation #renovationissues #homeimprovement #sgrenovation #renosg #sghome #interiordesign #renonightmare
Livvie

Livvie

22 likes

shopping in jb - reno edition
We saved >$300 on our hood and hob!✨ ✨Brand: Fujioh 💰 Price: RM 2699 📍Address: JB Adamas
Townerhouse

Townerhouse

89 likes

a word of CAUTION ⚠️⚠️ when going through reno!! 🔐🏠
Today, we thought of bringing up an experience that we shared earlier on during our reno stage on IG to spread awareness. Especially those living in a new BTO - we’ve learnt from our neighbours (sadly they had to experience this :( ) about the risks of a new estate. What happened: Our esta
B&E

B&E

54 likes

Starting reno after 4.5 years!
Hello Lemon8 people!! Starting a new home account to document our reno & home journey, after a long 4.5 years wait for our BTO 😫 RENO WEEK 1 🔨 ✅ Day 1 started with hacking works! No regrets taking down the wall of bedroom 3 which really helped to open up the house. ✅ Popped back to check
Toastie Home 🍞

Toastie Home 🍞

7 likes

☹️ Sadly, I have more Reno Regrets Now!!!!
Often, I find myself reflecting on choices made two years ago that now linger as regretful decisions. What seemed fitting or trendy back then has turned into a source of frustration and lessons learned. Here are the key choices I wish I had reconsidered. 1. Choosing a King Bed Instead of Two Twi
Nat

Nat

93 likes

Reno Pro-tip: Plan your switch placement! 💡🔌
This is one thing that we saw some people wondering, so thought that we can share some pro tips on how you should plan your switch placement! In most of the rooms, there isn’t much of an issue since we have a ceiling fan with a light, so essentially there’s only one switch in that room. Howev
B&E

B&E

91 likes

3+ yrs living with in-laws - advice from a sis 😵‍💫
staying with in-laws in sg is common because of local housing policies and how difficult it can be to move out unless you get married / buy resale which tends to be more expensive. as someone who’s reaching the end of her 3+ year tenure in her in-laws place (lol), i thought i’ll share some personal
Hilary Vannah

Hilary Vannah

117 likes

An UNPOPULAR reno decision we made! 😱
Using just one propellor fan for BOTH the living & dining area? Rarely heard of. 🫣 The placement of our propellor fan is also an uncommon one — as it’s typically placed in a corner of a room. 🛋️ ↔️🍽️ Firstly, why this works for us is that our living and dining areas are SIDE by SIDE. Thu
B&E

B&E

135 likes

We’re glad our home didn’t look like our renders 😂
Prior to collecting our keys, getting to see our renders was honestly the part of the design process that we were most excited for. However, I must say that after receiving them they didn’t exactly ✨spark joy✨ like I hoped they would, which is the reason we didn’t share them much on our socials 😔
Suren & Lowen

Suren & Lowen

45 likes

🏠Why we did Alumnium cabinets!
It is my husband’s idea to do Alumnium cabinets as primarily due to bad experience of rotting cabinets with insects infection from family home 🤮 … ‼️firstly, it is definitely more expensive than usual timber cabinets. We were prepared for it as it is a long term investment as we have no plans to
Nomninjas

Nomninjas

137 likes

6 more weeks of Reno
Wah the start of Reno was a bit 🙃 Our IDs forgot to tell us to get electricity on in time for hacking so it was delayed (and also a vvv stressful New Year’s Day when we realised). AND omg our submission for hacking was sooooo complicated, had to get a PE to do up drawings and submit and subm
HouseTo22

HouseTo22

13 likes

We saved 💰💰 by keeping the HDB tiles - worth it?🥹✨
This has got to be one of our reno NON-regrets. 🥳🤩 When we first got to know that our BTO came with polished porcelain tiles for the living area, we were thankful it came in plain neutral colour. However, the tiles weren’t our top preference (not like we chose it 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️), so we had a dilem
B&E

B&E

678 likes

Don’t make the same mistakes! Our reno regrets
After 1.5 years of living in this home, we realised these areas in our kitchen could have been done better: 1. Should have installed led strip lighting under the upper cabinet for better task lighting. Aesthetically would look nice to have a glow coming from below too. 2. Original socket from
Latte Home

Latte Home

210 likes

Here’s why
There were a lot of thoughts and discussions before we decided as a couple to sell our condo and purchase a HDB. 1) High monthly maintenance fees We have to pay monthly condo maintenance fee that is higher than HDB Service & Conservancy Charges + carpark season parking. The condo maintena
BeRealJustLife

BeRealJustLife

72 likes

Learn from our Reno Scares and Issues 😵
We are halfway through our reno and nothing is worst than scaring yourself or actually spotting something wrong during your weekly site visits 🥴 Cos that means rectification has to be done which could lead to delays to your overall timeline and the list of pending items is increasing again aka more
beansand.beams

beansand.beams

26 likes

See more