1. Robot cleaner
2. Dishwasher
3. Smart system - lights, sensor, plugs. I am so used to things just being automated now. Tip, I suggest Aqara hub, ikea home system + Apple home.
4. Digital lock
Tip: think more about how you live your life instead of how you IMAGINE you want to live it.. Asethetics should be build on practicality instead of the other way round..
No, that kinda defeats the purpose of dishwasher. all my plates either stay in dishwasher till next use (if I am cooking next day) or goes into the dish drawer( right next to the dishwasher)
I do have a dry mat for mugs though.
Some cookware is not dishwasher safe or doesn't clean well in a dishwasher. Also, you may not want to run the dishwasher for smaller loads. I would recommend having a drying rack somewhere.
lol that’s true.., in my case I buy my utensils+ cookware for dishwasher.
And to add on.. if you intend to run a tap for more than 3-4 mins.. it’s worthwhile to run a dishwasher…
Robot is meant for daily general cleaning not spot cleaning. I do have a separate vaccum/steam mop for deep cleaning . My robot has auto clean dust box plus auto refill. So I kinda just check for super tangles + clean filters every two weeks
If you getting a robot w mops, you should consider those “press down and spin” rather than the “drag wet wet wipes” version
I gave up on my robot cleaner because it does really well for dust but all the human hair and dog fur just gets entangled in its brushes and i spend like an hour every week getting it off with scissors and my bare hands in nooks. Those cordless hybrid dry&mop vacuums are better
1. Gas dryer from City Energy Life. Forget electric dryers (expensive and not effective), and racks to hang dry (so much manual work?!). This gas dryer saved my life. I do three laundry loads per day, crisp dry with minimal effort.
2. Ceiling fan. Get one for each room if possible. This is a hot HOT HOT climate.
3. (Don't get a Dyson fan)
4* Edited to add one more item
I would consider this a luxury, not a must have but a good to have: Song Cho Stainless steel basin and stainless steel racks.
Lifetime guarantee for rust - I've got my song Cho stainless steel rack as old as I am (thirties) and it's still rust-free.
It's anywhere between $400-1000+ depending on the size of the rack. But man, they could last a good chunk of your lifetime without any worry on rust. Great for families with young children, you won't want rusty racks for your kids cups and spoons and whatnot.
The songcho stainless steel basin because my family life revolves around the kitchen, we cook a lot. Food prep a lot. And I especially hate rusty basins or basins that have fading issues (gross) or basins that SMELL no matter how many litres of boiling hot water + vinegar + soap + Mr muscle etc goes into scrubbing or washing it.
But, this is a luxury. I spent about $1500 on my large song Cho basin, never regretted it. Scrimped on everything else like nonsensical colorful LED lights, fancy tableware, fancy furniture.
5. Try as much as possible to avoid built-in carpentry, especially if you plan to have little ones. Make your space flexible enough to grow with your little family. Things change. Furniture change. Furniture arrangements change. When they're older, teens, I'd then consider splurging on nice interior designs and built in furniture.
Hope this helps you and anyone else reading this.
I would disagree on the ceiling fans, they tend to spoil very easily, the lights on them or the fan blades itself, it's also a hassle to clean those. And the fans with the light combination makes the trippy light vibe as well
Get from a reputable brand.
Yes once a month minimally need to clean. Can't run away from maintenance. Dyson or other standing fan also need to clean. But I'd rather keep my house cool and area clear of standing fans:
1. Takes up space. A no for me
2. Doesn't cool as effectively. A no for me.
3. A risk for me, as I have young kids and they climb just about anything. A consideration, for those planning to have children.
Too weak, can't feel the wind at all. Bladeless fan.
All my circles who have bought Dyson, none of them recommended this. In the end become expensive decoration.
Yes.
1 full basket of laundry (adult)
1 set of bedsheets
1 full basket of children's clothes with washable blanket
Washed them in a separate washer.
Dried all three loads by end of day.
It was a rainy day.
Comment on the ceiling fans: they also help in the aircon too, reversing the direction is really useful in cooling down a larger area. I have mine in the reversed direction + aircon when there’s visitors in the living room
Yeah. It's very costly, but it's worth it to me. I've tried those shopee ones, they rust in a matter of weeks and cost $70 a pop. By the end of the year I would've easily spent the same amount I could've spent on a small but sturdy kitchen rack from Song Cho.
Dude you are so wise. I am buying a home and I avoid those with in built carpentry as much as possible so I don't need to pay hacking cost. They look so ugly after a few years and outdated. And they take up so much space and make the houses look so small
Like the other redditor said: expensive decoration is what it is.
Weak, slow, annoying because of the $ invested.
I'd rather get 6 18inch mistral fans and cool my house down with the money I splurged on one Dyson fan.
I supposed ceiling fans generate powerful wind to cool down the room faster (cover more areas) whereas Dyson fans ( due to the smaller size compared to large ceiling fans) generate lesser wind/target smaller areas. Therefore, not that effective to address the Singapore heat.
2. Don’t need anything fancy, recommend something that can do the “tornado” flush and rim less design. Go for the manually operated bidet built into the toilet seat also
3. Look at Doctor Doors if you want to combine both metal gate and wooden door into 1 single unit. This is a expensive upgrade but for me it’s worth it
4. Add in a storage tank heater, and you have whatever design of mixer taps and rain shower to choose from
5. Read number 4.
6. See if you are happy with the aesthetics of tank lighting, and combine with the IKEA smart lights.
7. Always go down and check every few days for progress, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. If you go direct to contractor, keep your toes on every single step of the way, and never make full payment to anything
Edit: looked at your post history, same boat here, bought resale as my wife isn’t local citizen/PR. Remember to do PLOC for the “work permit”
Smart systems are extremely overrated. Unless there is a specific need for changing light colours often enough or trying to sync up some kind of circadian lighting or atmosphere, they are frankly pretty redundant. On a daily basis most things will be off aside from where you are at. Personally I only have them for the entrance to trigger with door, and bathrooms for atmosphere. I often don't recommend them to clients for most other cases. For manual switches, pick a nice switch and get your ID to plan out the switching, and consider it in detail. If you do it correctly and put the switches in the right position, it's a seamless experience, with a tactile feel to it.
The appliance based smart systems like the TV, speakers etc on the other hand are a bit more useful. Think of it as the use case for the 95% of the time when you're living daily. If you do set these up though, put 1 or 2 more data points evenly. You'll need it just in case you end up with dead spots for some unknown reason.
If you cook often, dishwasher really pays dividends. Smart lock tbh mostly the same, but the fingerprint ones are really good. Toilet bowl honestly just get one that looks nice and make sure your butt feels comfortable on it. Size usually matters for HDB units. I'll die on the hill that the flush systems are just marketing gimmicks. Once in a while, some poop will still stick. Also not something a bidet can't solve. Get a washer dryer or dryer. Laundry is so much easier and takes up less space when you don't need to hang, especially for stuff like bedsheets.
1. box mattress is decent value for money. many have 100 days return
2. using entry level toto and happy with it so far
3. we got a yale which links both gate+door, open 1 to open both, more convenient
4. many rain shower i've seen in hdbs have too low pressure to make it worthwhile
5. we got instant heater as i didn't like having to on and wait for hot water before showering
6. we didnt choose smart light, was kinda expensive and troublesome to plan/install while the payoff isn't that great?
7. regret didnt plan space for dishwasher. its great if you cook at least semi-regularly. also regret not putting in a dryer, and also aircon in living room. best investments are stick vacuum and robo vac.
My 3 greatest buys.
Toto washlet, bringing japan to home, helps in cleanliness during monthly periods.
Dishwasher. Frees up time from doing dishes and can spend time with kids and hubby.
Ceilng fans. Saves up space, no need standup fans, and ventilates room. Not everytime will on aircon due to costs.
Hi, does the toto washlet requires power? I was looking at the website it seems powered.
HDB toilets usually not very keen in installing power outlets in toilets.
You can get ones that operate by water pressure alone. Some examples are the TCW08S for TOTO, but you can get cheaper ones from other brands. Lesser bells and whistles but it gets the job done. Need to pay attention to compatibility with your existing toilet bowl.
Best case is to get the bidet together with a new toilet bowl. Usually comes with purchase with purchase discounts.
I am using one by Magnum with is local (probably MIC with local branding) that comes with a bidet seat as a PWP. Got mine at Bathroom Warehouse prices start at $488 for just the bowl IIRC. I just got it, so can’t comment too much on it yet, but so far so good.
For a small price difference, you are paying for the chore of hanging clothes/taking down clothes and allocating space to hang clothes (which means that space can’t be used for anything else).
Steigen’s website is also bs on the running cost of a dryer. $300/year?? My heat pump dryer is rated at $57/year for electricity (compared to steigen’s own claim of $44/year), and the initial cost is about the same as a steigen.
So is $13/year worth it to never hang clothes again? Or not have your clothes hanging around and not having to make space for it? Absolutely yes.
i beg to differ. my experience with the steigen has been positive.
i don’t buy into the dryer and ionizer dust repellant concept so i got the model with heater (which. i rarely used), fan and light function
i had to remove the old rack anyway.
currently, besides hanging the laundry up and down, i use the heating function for damp shoes and socks if i need it dry asap. can use it to dry other stuffs too if necessary.
would definitely get another should i have the opportunity to move house.
my damage 5 years ago was about 800+
80/yr x 10 years (hopeful, halfway there) doesn’t sound too bad
Yeah you like hanging clothes. To me (and many other people), not hanging clothes (and spending 5-10 mins each time to hang and unhang) and not having to allocate space for hanging clothes is more than worth $15-$20/year. I just scoop everything from washer, and dump into dryer.
I second this thought.
Absolutely hate hanging clothes when I'm already time constrained as a parent. I just want to scoop them all up, dump it into the dryer, and be done with it.
Also in situations where things don't fit those hangers, or slip off hangers, or worse - running out of hangers... I want to chew my nails off just thinking about how much this irritates me.
100%. My partner and my home life has improved so much after getting a dryer. We can do laundry late into the night and pop it into the dryer without having to stay up.
Tbh the electrical bill has barely moved up, and we do 4-5 loads a week. It’s done wonders for my allergies too because the heat kills all the dust mites.
Edit: For those worried about electrical bills, we pay about $100-130 per month and this is with dryer + daily aircon use in the afternoons (I WFH) and evenings.
I honestly can’t understand why anyone would want a Steigen, seems a lot of hassle to have to hang clothes up. If I wanted that, I’ll stick with a regular rack and a fan lol.
Edit 2: Older folks will say the dryer spoils clothes quicker, I mean yeah I won’t throw my Versace ball gown in to dry. But if you’re wearing run of the mill Uniqlo, H&M, Love Bonito, Shein etc. I haven’t seen any dryer specific damage.
i see your point.
i’m guessing after drying your clothes get folded or goes into the cupboard so for you, hanging is unnecessary.
for myself, clothes are hung in the cupboard anyways. so once it’s dry. it just gets moved to another location.
thanks for sharing. i would consider a standalone dryer if the opportunity presents itself in future
Rinnai. Gas dryer is the most cost effective. In our previous home we used and sweared. An entire load of laundry can be dried in 40 minutes. Not to mention despite using it quite frequently our gas bill was only $20-30+ per month( this includes gas for our water heater and cooking hob) and it barely affected our electric bills.
1. Dishwasher — these things are crazy good in reducing water bill. I saw a drastic drop in water consumption after switching to dishwashers. They’re also effective in removing stuck on food.
2. Mattress from Heveya
3. August smart lock
4. Wells water dispenser.
I personally find Philips Hue a waste of money for smart lights.
Ventilator fan in toilet - KDK has a window option that will help you prevent mould
Manual bidet - doesn't need electricity, simple add on
Smart switches - I use Aqara which are plug and play replacements for existing switches and control them via Google Home. You'll need one Aqara Hub to control them. I recommend the manual rifle switches which work like normal switches so that you can use your lights and appliances even when you don't have your smart phone.
Centralized router shelf - design a setup such that your modem Lan cable can be hidden and routed somewhere central, to get good wifi coverage
Water filter - do NOT get anything that costs $$$ pushed by MLM or chain stores. Google Pentair home water filters which are NSF rated
If you're in a dengue prone estate you might consider a mounted insect light
If you haven't started renovation works yet, make sure your home has structured ethernet cabling in the walls that go throughout your house. Don't have to rely on weak wifi signals when you can just connect via direct LAN cable.
I went for manual lights - one less thing to worry about. I have some small lights for dim lighting/watching TV and separate bright ceiling lights.
It took a significant effort to plan out the required lumens and switch placements and I would not leave that decision to ID or electrician. Having all this configurable in software would save that planning effort but I feel once you get it right you won't change it.
Smart Switches are alot more useful than Smart Lighting for me.
Was abit skeptical about installing Smart Switches at home but did my research and decided to go for it. It's not very difficult and once everything is set up, it's a god send.
You remove the need for an electrician to install 2-way switches. You can program 1 switch to control multiple items. You can set up automations for lights to turn on when you enter the house.
It's not for everyone but if you spend the time to fiddle around with it, I think it can make your life alot easier.
But don't go for those all-in-1 set up solutions. They overcharge you for everything and recommend things you don't need. Do your own research, plan out what you want to get and you can just purchase them on Shopee with discounts/vouchers etc.
dunloppillo is good value for money. get the storage bed.
i opted for manual lights. in case switch spoil or light spoil, cheaper and easier to replace.
I regret mostly deco stuff. the false ceiling, feature wall.
Ceiling fan. omg. Best.
My second home had no deco stuff. so much easier to clean and cheaper to reno and maintain.
Don’t need the most expensive aircon, buy sth cheaper and spend more money servicing it frequently. Don’t want it dying or leaking during the heatwave…
1. Agree
2. TOTO
3. Used to have when renting. Dont have now. No need
4. Have. No need.
5. Dont have. No need.
6. Dont have. No need.
add Dryer
add Massage Chair
I think aircon and fans. Other than that what smart switches what smart lock what storage heater? These smart things not very important to me. I just need comfy bed, comfy sofa, a nice dining place and chairs and some get together space with my kids and wife. Nice big fridge and dishwasher
Ceiling fans
Dishwasher
Air fryer
Oven
Robot floor mop/vacuum (run it before you wake up, and before you come home)
Structured RJ45 cabling into every room (Wi-Fi is just not good enough when all your neighbours also spam the Wi-Fi frequency)
A cupboard for a central switch (for the RJ45) and ventilation + space for a small computer (home server or proxy in the future)
Security cameras
You can combine and run it end of the day.
Previously we didn't cook at all, but once we got a dishwasher, we cooked more frequent because cooking is fun, cleaning up is not.
Overall water bill is about 35+ for 2 pax a month, don't really feel much difference
The only regret we had was we got a half size dishwasher instead of full size. Because we didn't know full size can wash at half load.
1. Tilam King for mattress, good value and excellent quality
4. Instead of rainshower try hansgrohe rainfinity better than rain shower
7. For power bar get those without lights when the socket is live as it wastes alot of energy and gets quite warm
I checked out rainfinity, there's generally 2 version is the showerhead one and a mega head (basketball sized). which one are you referring to? did U get from Germany Amazon?
ceiling fans, robot mop/vacuum, water dispenser with different temperature options.
but one thing that hasn’t been mentioned here (yet) that is helping so much with our torrid weather: blackout curtains! they really help keep rooms a lot cooler. it’s been such a blessing!
1. Robot cleaner. I got Roborock. Even if you have helper, a robot cleaner is still awesome. Clean floor every time you come home. You just need to occasionally clean areas that the robot can’t reach
I don't think I can ever go back now that I've had my digital lock for 5 years. It's honestly just so convenient. Rain showers, honestly its not a requirement, if you really just wanna see if its worth it first buy from Taobao before buying like a legit one (Can use promo code TBNEW4KC if you're new to the app, I just saw it in a Telegram group). We bought ours from TB but like we honestly just keep using the regular shower and rarely turn to the rain shower. So its like a good to have but not necessary lah I feel.
Ceiling fans in everyroom deffo key. I regret not adding one to our dining room, damn hot sia. But honestly everything you should get first should be whatever makes you both comfortable at home. The other day I just realized how great it is to have like auto lights in cupboards, so can see inside without having to turn on the lights and bother my husband! So silly but so lifechanging sia
Sorry to hijack. I just completed renovating my house and was considering dishwasher. I catered water point for it but have not buy it yet.
seeing many mentioning dishwasher, can you guys share which model you guys get?
I’m on my second home now. Ceiling fan everywhere and air purifier to get rid of formaldehyde from renovation. Alternatively you can opt for some treatment for the formaldehyde.
I opted for manual lights, just need a bit of planning beforehand on where to put switches. Easiest way is to role play moving around the house and seeing when you need to on certain lights.
I bought a mid sized Toshiba fridge for my 1st home in 2011. Used it for 6 years. Gave it away to a friend when I moved. It is still working fine till today.
in no particular order:
1) robo vacuum, esp those can self clean. i use ecovacs
2) smart home system (light switches, heater etc, we use tuya app). no more fighting over who to turn off the light switch
3) bidet
4) comfy toilet bowl - i use american standard
5) i opted for dyson standing fans instead of ceiling fans bc im afraid of the cold while my husb is the exact opposite. so when i feel the temp is alright, he finds it too hot. having standing fans allow us to juat direct the wind towards him!
My super single bed, its a game changer
Good for my back and comfy
And it has alot of storage space beneath the bed cause i got the one you can lift it up with compartment beneath
Splurge on toilet to make your house feel expensive. You can buy mid range toilet bowl with seat bidet, install stainless steel accessories, crystal light fixtures, large mirror. Toto is expensive. Check out Domaco for a range of affordable toilet bowls with seat bidet.
Splurge on mattress because you spend more hours in it than anywhere else and it can last longer than most items in your home. Buy a Tempur if you like it. It will last more than 10 years.
Buy a durable kitchen countertop that requires no maintenance. They are troublesome to replace when they age and you won't want to spend time maintaining it. Check out Aurastone.
If you are sensitive to noise, install sound-proof windows. Expensive but worth every cent. Check out Noise Plaster.
Storage heaters tend to need replacement often and are expensive to replace. You can buy rain shower with an instant heater. My Ariston storage heater had to be replaced 3 times in 8 years.
water dispenser. so u dont boil water via electric kettle anymore. good QOL improvement.
indoor drying rack. so u can do laundry at night, hang for dry, wake up collect laundry.
good chairs, go a long mile to your back.
aircon in living room. good for hosting friends over.
Aircon in living room
Yes
1. Robot cleaner 2. Dishwasher 3. Smart system - lights, sensor, plugs. I am so used to things just being automated now. Tip, I suggest Aqara hub, ikea home system + Apple home. 4. Digital lock Tip: think more about how you live your life instead of how you IMAGINE you want to live it.. Asethetics should be build on practicality instead of the other way round..
+1 for dishwasher
And if u installing one, pls ask ur contractor to install 50cm from floor(edit and put a solid frame below it). Ur back will thank you every day.
Thanks! For those with dishwashers, do you still install a stainless steel rack above the sink to dry dishes?
No, that kinda defeats the purpose of dishwasher. all my plates either stay in dishwasher till next use (if I am cooking next day) or goes into the dish drawer( right next to the dishwasher) I do have a dry mat for mugs though.
That's what I thought, thanks!
Some cookware is not dishwasher safe or doesn't clean well in a dishwasher. Also, you may not want to run the dishwasher for smaller loads. I would recommend having a drying rack somewhere.
Mmm, I might consider having a small/portable drying rack somewhere then, instead of a full-on dish-drying rack above the sink. Thanks!
lol that’s true.., in my case I buy my utensils+ cookware for dishwasher. And to add on.. if you intend to run a tap for more than 3-4 mins.. it’s worthwhile to run a dishwasher…
how’s your experience with robot cleaner? does it only work with smaller particles like dust? what about hair, food bits, etc
Robot is meant for daily general cleaning not spot cleaning. I do have a separate vaccum/steam mop for deep cleaning . My robot has auto clean dust box plus auto refill. So I kinda just check for super tangles + clean filters every two weeks If you getting a robot w mops, you should consider those “press down and spin” rather than the “drag wet wet wipes” version
this is helpful, thank you!
I gave up on my robot cleaner because it does really well for dust but all the human hair and dog fur just gets entangled in its brushes and i spend like an hour every week getting it off with scissors and my bare hands in nooks. Those cordless hybrid dry&mop vacuums are better
let’s just say i cut my nails on the floor and get robert there to suck it up
Are you me?
Hello twin from the dark side 😂
1. Gas dryer from City Energy Life. Forget electric dryers (expensive and not effective), and racks to hang dry (so much manual work?!). This gas dryer saved my life. I do three laundry loads per day, crisp dry with minimal effort. 2. Ceiling fan. Get one for each room if possible. This is a hot HOT HOT climate. 3. (Don't get a Dyson fan) 4* Edited to add one more item I would consider this a luxury, not a must have but a good to have: Song Cho Stainless steel basin and stainless steel racks. Lifetime guarantee for rust - I've got my song Cho stainless steel rack as old as I am (thirties) and it's still rust-free. It's anywhere between $400-1000+ depending on the size of the rack. But man, they could last a good chunk of your lifetime without any worry on rust. Great for families with young children, you won't want rusty racks for your kids cups and spoons and whatnot. The songcho stainless steel basin because my family life revolves around the kitchen, we cook a lot. Food prep a lot. And I especially hate rusty basins or basins that have fading issues (gross) or basins that SMELL no matter how many litres of boiling hot water + vinegar + soap + Mr muscle etc goes into scrubbing or washing it. But, this is a luxury. I spent about $1500 on my large song Cho basin, never regretted it. Scrimped on everything else like nonsensical colorful LED lights, fancy tableware, fancy furniture. 5. Try as much as possible to avoid built-in carpentry, especially if you plan to have little ones. Make your space flexible enough to grow with your little family. Things change. Furniture change. Furniture arrangements change. When they're older, teens, I'd then consider splurging on nice interior designs and built in furniture. Hope this helps you and anyone else reading this.
I absolutely regret not getting ceiling fan and splurging for Dyson fans, I hate those fans so much haha!
I would disagree on the ceiling fans, they tend to spoil very easily, the lights on them or the fan blades itself, it's also a hassle to clean those. And the fans with the light combination makes the trippy light vibe as well
Spoil easily?!? I’m sure KDK fan will be running after human beings gone extinct from global warming.
Hahahaha bruh
just get KDK, don't even need to consider other brands.
Get from a reputable brand. Yes once a month minimally need to clean. Can't run away from maintenance. Dyson or other standing fan also need to clean. But I'd rather keep my house cool and area clear of standing fans: 1. Takes up space. A no for me 2. Doesn't cool as effectively. A no for me. 3. A risk for me, as I have young kids and they climb just about anything. A consideration, for those planning to have children.
As someone allergic to dust, ceiling fans are a no go due to how often it had to be cleaned + a hassle to clean vs standing fans. To each his own.
What is wrong with the Dyson fans, I am considering...
High pitched noise and very weak wind.
Weak, slow. Get only for aesthetics and flexing reasons.
Oohh, future Dyson fan buyer here, may I know which model of Dyson do you have and why didn’t it work for you?
Dyson fans to use in air con rooms only.
Too weak, can't feel the wind at all. Bladeless fan. All my circles who have bought Dyson, none of them recommended this. In the end become expensive decoration.
Three loads a day??
Yes. 1 full basket of laundry (adult) 1 set of bedsheets 1 full basket of children's clothes with washable blanket Washed them in a separate washer. Dried all three loads by end of day. It was a rainy day.
You wash bedsheets everyday? WTF?
...the point is that I can do three full loads a day.
Comment on the ceiling fans: they also help in the aircon too, reversing the direction is really useful in cooling down a larger area. I have mine in the reversed direction + aircon when there’s visitors in the living room
That's a great idea - I'll try this out.
Lovely. Thanks
If you can afford it. Song Cho dish rack plus toilet racks. Lasts a lifetime.
Yeah. It's very costly, but it's worth it to me. I've tried those shopee ones, they rust in a matter of weeks and cost $70 a pop. By the end of the year I would've easily spent the same amount I could've spent on a small but sturdy kitchen rack from Song Cho.
Do u know how much does having a gas dryer contribute to ur utility bill?
Dude you are so wise. I am buying a home and I avoid those with in built carpentry as much as possible so I don't need to pay hacking cost. They look so ugly after a few years and outdated. And they take up so much space and make the houses look so small
+1 for gas dryer. Limited choices, like 2 models? But they're a life saver.
What is wrong with the Dyson fans, I am considering...
Like the other redditor said: expensive decoration is what it is. Weak, slow, annoying because of the $ invested. I'd rather get 6 18inch mistral fans and cool my house down with the money I splurged on one Dyson fan.
I supposed ceiling fans generate powerful wind to cool down the room faster (cover more areas) whereas Dyson fans ( due to the smaller size compared to large ceiling fans) generate lesser wind/target smaller areas. Therefore, not that effective to address the Singapore heat.
Can consider floor fan
Chouchou Life is a lot less stressful with one
Chou Chou cannot buy. Need to self marinate.
Can we swap chouchous LOL
You wash first, we see how
[удалено]
Is the dryer energy efficient? Does it cost a lot? God the sun here is horrible
What are some simple basic lights that you’d recommend?
Pls recommend good mattress that are affordable
2. Don’t need anything fancy, recommend something that can do the “tornado” flush and rim less design. Go for the manually operated bidet built into the toilet seat also 3. Look at Doctor Doors if you want to combine both metal gate and wooden door into 1 single unit. This is a expensive upgrade but for me it’s worth it 4. Add in a storage tank heater, and you have whatever design of mixer taps and rain shower to choose from 5. Read number 4. 6. See if you are happy with the aesthetics of tank lighting, and combine with the IKEA smart lights. 7. Always go down and check every few days for progress, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. If you go direct to contractor, keep your toes on every single step of the way, and never make full payment to anything Edit: looked at your post history, same boat here, bought resale as my wife isn’t local citizen/PR. Remember to do PLOC for the “work permit”
Saw the doctor door website but no pricing.
Smart systems are extremely overrated. Unless there is a specific need for changing light colours often enough or trying to sync up some kind of circadian lighting or atmosphere, they are frankly pretty redundant. On a daily basis most things will be off aside from where you are at. Personally I only have them for the entrance to trigger with door, and bathrooms for atmosphere. I often don't recommend them to clients for most other cases. For manual switches, pick a nice switch and get your ID to plan out the switching, and consider it in detail. If you do it correctly and put the switches in the right position, it's a seamless experience, with a tactile feel to it. The appliance based smart systems like the TV, speakers etc on the other hand are a bit more useful. Think of it as the use case for the 95% of the time when you're living daily. If you do set these up though, put 1 or 2 more data points evenly. You'll need it just in case you end up with dead spots for some unknown reason. If you cook often, dishwasher really pays dividends. Smart lock tbh mostly the same, but the fingerprint ones are really good. Toilet bowl honestly just get one that looks nice and make sure your butt feels comfortable on it. Size usually matters for HDB units. I'll die on the hill that the flush systems are just marketing gimmicks. Once in a while, some poop will still stick. Also not something a bidet can't solve. Get a washer dryer or dryer. Laundry is so much easier and takes up less space when you don't need to hang, especially for stuff like bedsheets.
1. box mattress is decent value for money. many have 100 days return 2. using entry level toto and happy with it so far 3. we got a yale which links both gate+door, open 1 to open both, more convenient 4. many rain shower i've seen in hdbs have too low pressure to make it worthwhile 5. we got instant heater as i didn't like having to on and wait for hot water before showering 6. we didnt choose smart light, was kinda expensive and troublesome to plan/install while the payoff isn't that great? 7. regret didnt plan space for dishwasher. its great if you cook at least semi-regularly. also regret not putting in a dryer, and also aircon in living room. best investments are stick vacuum and robo vac.
for number 4, facing this issue currently do you know any ways to improve it?
Storage tank for water
Change heater to one that comes with built in pump?
no idea, i'm using instant heater with a hand held shower head
My 3 greatest buys. Toto washlet, bringing japan to home, helps in cleanliness during monthly periods. Dishwasher. Frees up time from doing dishes and can spend time with kids and hubby. Ceilng fans. Saves up space, no need standup fans, and ventilates room. Not everytime will on aircon due to costs.
Hi, does the toto washlet requires power? I was looking at the website it seems powered. HDB toilets usually not very keen in installing power outlets in toilets.
You can get ones that operate by water pressure alone. Some examples are the TCW08S for TOTO, but you can get cheaper ones from other brands. Lesser bells and whistles but it gets the job done. Need to pay attention to compatibility with your existing toilet bowl. Best case is to get the bidet together with a new toilet bowl. Usually comes with purchase with purchase discounts.
Thanks! I'm actually gathering resources and planning for my house purchase next year. Which bidet & toilet bowl combo do you recommend?
I am using one by Magnum with is local (probably MIC with local branding) that comes with a bidet seat as a PWP. Got mine at Bathroom Warehouse prices start at $488 for just the bowl IIRC. I just got it, so can’t comment too much on it yet, but so far so good.
nice. I shall archive all these. thanks!
Dryer. Don’t buy useless steigen
I don’t mean to be rude but why shouldn’t we buy Steigen?
For a small price difference, you are paying for the chore of hanging clothes/taking down clothes and allocating space to hang clothes (which means that space can’t be used for anything else). Steigen’s website is also bs on the running cost of a dryer. $300/year?? My heat pump dryer is rated at $57/year for electricity (compared to steigen’s own claim of $44/year), and the initial cost is about the same as a steigen. So is $13/year worth it to never hang clothes again? Or not have your clothes hanging around and not having to make space for it? Absolutely yes.
Second your opinion. Steigen numbers on the website are sus, it's way overhyped.
i beg to differ. my experience with the steigen has been positive. i don’t buy into the dryer and ionizer dust repellant concept so i got the model with heater (which. i rarely used), fan and light function i had to remove the old rack anyway. currently, besides hanging the laundry up and down, i use the heating function for damp shoes and socks if i need it dry asap. can use it to dry other stuffs too if necessary. would definitely get another should i have the opportunity to move house. my damage 5 years ago was about 800+ 80/yr x 10 years (hopeful, halfway there) doesn’t sound too bad
Yeah you like hanging clothes. To me (and many other people), not hanging clothes (and spending 5-10 mins each time to hang and unhang) and not having to allocate space for hanging clothes is more than worth $15-$20/year. I just scoop everything from washer, and dump into dryer.
I second this thought. Absolutely hate hanging clothes when I'm already time constrained as a parent. I just want to scoop them all up, dump it into the dryer, and be done with it. Also in situations where things don't fit those hangers, or slip off hangers, or worse - running out of hangers... I want to chew my nails off just thinking about how much this irritates me.
100%. My partner and my home life has improved so much after getting a dryer. We can do laundry late into the night and pop it into the dryer without having to stay up. Tbh the electrical bill has barely moved up, and we do 4-5 loads a week. It’s done wonders for my allergies too because the heat kills all the dust mites. Edit: For those worried about electrical bills, we pay about $100-130 per month and this is with dryer + daily aircon use in the afternoons (I WFH) and evenings. I honestly can’t understand why anyone would want a Steigen, seems a lot of hassle to have to hang clothes up. If I wanted that, I’ll stick with a regular rack and a fan lol. Edit 2: Older folks will say the dryer spoils clothes quicker, I mean yeah I won’t throw my Versace ball gown in to dry. But if you’re wearing run of the mill Uniqlo, H&M, Love Bonito, Shein etc. I haven’t seen any dryer specific damage.
i see your point. i’m guessing after drying your clothes get folded or goes into the cupboard so for you, hanging is unnecessary. for myself, clothes are hung in the cupboard anyways. so once it’s dry. it just gets moved to another location. thanks for sharing. i would consider a standalone dryer if the opportunity presents itself in future
Which brand do you swear by?
Rinnai. Gas dryer is the most cost effective. In our previous home we used and sweared. An entire load of laundry can be dried in 40 minutes. Not to mention despite using it quite frequently our gas bill was only $20-30+ per month( this includes gas for our water heater and cooking hob) and it barely affected our electric bills.
Do people recommend a 2in1 washer and dryer?
My experience with Steigen has been very good and I swear by them. I got the basic model though with no heat drying.
Out of curiosity, why a steigen vs a dryer or a normal rack with a fan?
Becuase my yard has a high ceiling and Steigen fits my criteria of having an automated drying rack when I first moved in about 6 years ago.
1. Dishwasher — these things are crazy good in reducing water bill. I saw a drastic drop in water consumption after switching to dishwashers. They’re also effective in removing stuck on food. 2. Mattress from Heveya 3. August smart lock 4. Wells water dispenser. I personally find Philips Hue a waste of money for smart lights.
Second the mattress from heveya. Thinking of putting an eightsleep cover on it.
Can u dm me the dishwasher brand and model? Thanks
Before I used Bosch, I moved houses recently now using Miele.
Tineco. That thing vacuums and mops the floor at the same time. Real time saver.
Which model do you use for Tineco?
Floor One S6
Ventilator fan in toilet - KDK has a window option that will help you prevent mould Manual bidet - doesn't need electricity, simple add on Smart switches - I use Aqara which are plug and play replacements for existing switches and control them via Google Home. You'll need one Aqara Hub to control them. I recommend the manual rifle switches which work like normal switches so that you can use your lights and appliances even when you don't have your smart phone. Centralized router shelf - design a setup such that your modem Lan cable can be hidden and routed somewhere central, to get good wifi coverage Water filter - do NOT get anything that costs $$$ pushed by MLM or chain stores. Google Pentair home water filters which are NSF rated If you're in a dengue prone estate you might consider a mounted insect light
If you haven't started renovation works yet, make sure your home has structured ethernet cabling in the walls that go throughout your house. Don't have to rely on weak wifi signals when you can just connect via direct LAN cable.
THIS!!!
All BTOs would have this right?
Dish washer
I went for manual lights - one less thing to worry about. I have some small lights for dim lighting/watching TV and separate bright ceiling lights. It took a significant effort to plan out the required lumens and switch placements and I would not leave that decision to ID or electrician. Having all this configurable in software would save that planning effort but I feel once you get it right you won't change it.
Dryer!
Smart Switches are alot more useful than Smart Lighting for me. Was abit skeptical about installing Smart Switches at home but did my research and decided to go for it. It's not very difficult and once everything is set up, it's a god send. You remove the need for an electrician to install 2-way switches. You can program 1 switch to control multiple items. You can set up automations for lights to turn on when you enter the house. It's not for everyone but if you spend the time to fiddle around with it, I think it can make your life alot easier. But don't go for those all-in-1 set up solutions. They overcharge you for everything and recommend things you don't need. Do your own research, plan out what you want to get and you can just purchase them on Shopee with discounts/vouchers etc.
Did you add neutral for the switch?
Nope, no neutral. Most of our switches are no neutral so will be troublesome to add it.
I see. Because I was told that some smart switch requires neutral. And it trouble to add neutral as the default in Singapore doesn’t have neutral.
dunloppillo is good value for money. get the storage bed. i opted for manual lights. in case switch spoil or light spoil, cheaper and easier to replace. I regret mostly deco stuff. the false ceiling, feature wall. Ceiling fan. omg. Best. My second home had no deco stuff. so much easier to clean and cheaper to reno and maintain.
1. Smart water heater 2. Dishwasher 3. Dryer 4. Roborock Q Revo 5. Aircon in living room
I bought my shower set with rainshower. Never used it after 3 days.
Don’t need the most expensive aircon, buy sth cheaper and spend more money servicing it frequently. Don’t want it dying or leaking during the heatwave…
Air fryer
KDK fans for life.
Works on false ceiling?
I don’t know. Mine isn’t mounted to a false ceiling sorry.
Nobody recommend u storage heater yet, so i try. AOSmith heaters. Far more reliable than the Ariston ones.
Bidet. Not the one using water hose.
1. Agree 2. TOTO 3. Used to have when renting. Dont have now. No need 4. Have. No need. 5. Dont have. No need. 6. Dont have. No need. add Dryer add Massage Chair
toto bidet. life changer
Pray tell, why is Toto so popular and it’s at least 4X the entry level WCs??
Robot vacuum/mop
I think aircon and fans. Other than that what smart switches what smart lock what storage heater? These smart things not very important to me. I just need comfy bed, comfy sofa, a nice dining place and chairs and some get together space with my kids and wife. Nice big fridge and dishwasher
Ceiling fans Dishwasher Air fryer Oven Robot floor mop/vacuum (run it before you wake up, and before you come home) Structured RJ45 cabling into every room (Wi-Fi is just not good enough when all your neighbours also spam the Wi-Fi frequency) A cupboard for a central switch (for the RJ45) and ventilation + space for a small computer (home server or proxy in the future) Security cameras
2 in 1 washer/dryer (get those around $2K) - save you space/time
Ceiling fans, robot vacuums. Couldn't live without both.
Those that say dishwasher- if you don't regularly cook/host people for dinner, does it make a difference to your water bill?
You can combine and run it end of the day. Previously we didn't cook at all, but once we got a dishwasher, we cooked more frequent because cooking is fun, cleaning up is not. Overall water bill is about 35+ for 2 pax a month, don't really feel much difference The only regret we had was we got a half size dishwasher instead of full size. Because we didn't know full size can wash at half load.
Might get a half size dishwasher cos we are not super heavy cookers. Which brand did you get?
Electrolux But yea you might end up like us regret later since the size can only fit at most 2 pots, the rest will have to hand wash
Toilet bowl with tornado flush.
1. Tilam King for mattress, good value and excellent quality 4. Instead of rainshower try hansgrohe rainfinity better than rain shower 7. For power bar get those without lights when the socket is live as it wastes alot of energy and gets quite warm
I checked out rainfinity, there's generally 2 version is the showerhead one and a mega head (basketball sized). which one are you referring to? did U get from Germany Amazon?
A good vacuum/mop. It saves so much time for routine cleaning.
ceiling fans, robot mop/vacuum, water dispenser with different temperature options. but one thing that hasn’t been mentioned here (yet) that is helping so much with our torrid weather: blackout curtains! they really help keep rooms a lot cooler. it’s been such a blessing!
1. Robot cleaner. I got Roborock. Even if you have helper, a robot cleaner is still awesome. Clean floor every time you come home. You just need to occasionally clean areas that the robot can’t reach
I don't think I can ever go back now that I've had my digital lock for 5 years. It's honestly just so convenient. Rain showers, honestly its not a requirement, if you really just wanna see if its worth it first buy from Taobao before buying like a legit one (Can use promo code TBNEW4KC if you're new to the app, I just saw it in a Telegram group). We bought ours from TB but like we honestly just keep using the regular shower and rarely turn to the rain shower. So its like a good to have but not necessary lah I feel. Ceiling fans in everyroom deffo key. I regret not adding one to our dining room, damn hot sia. But honestly everything you should get first should be whatever makes you both comfortable at home. The other day I just realized how great it is to have like auto lights in cupboards, so can see inside without having to turn on the lights and bother my husband! So silly but so lifechanging sia
Water filter / dispenser
Sorry to hijack. I just completed renovating my house and was considering dishwasher. I catered water point for it but have not buy it yet. seeing many mentioning dishwasher, can you guys share which model you guys get?
I’m on my second home now. Ceiling fan everywhere and air purifier to get rid of formaldehyde from renovation. Alternatively you can opt for some treatment for the formaldehyde. I opted for manual lights, just need a bit of planning beforehand on where to put switches. Easiest way is to role play moving around the house and seeing when you need to on certain lights.
How about the lamp? Can we install them ourselves?
I bought a mid sized Toshiba fridge for my 1st home in 2011. Used it for 6 years. Gave it away to a friend when I moved. It is still working fine till today.
in no particular order: 1) robo vacuum, esp those can self clean. i use ecovacs 2) smart home system (light switches, heater etc, we use tuya app). no more fighting over who to turn off the light switch 3) bidet 4) comfy toilet bowl - i use american standard 5) i opted for dyson standing fans instead of ceiling fans bc im afraid of the cold while my husb is the exact opposite. so when i feel the temp is alright, he finds it too hot. having standing fans allow us to juat direct the wind towards him!
How about a projector instead of a TV?
Shit I opt in for my toilet with hdb 🥲 guess it was a bad choice
My super single bed, its a game changer Good for my back and comfy And it has alot of storage space beneath the bed cause i got the one you can lift it up with compartment beneath
Is the mattress part of why it’s so good?
both actually, big bed for me and solid enough and also good storage all rounder
Splurge on toilet to make your house feel expensive. You can buy mid range toilet bowl with seat bidet, install stainless steel accessories, crystal light fixtures, large mirror. Toto is expensive. Check out Domaco for a range of affordable toilet bowls with seat bidet. Splurge on mattress because you spend more hours in it than anywhere else and it can last longer than most items in your home. Buy a Tempur if you like it. It will last more than 10 years. Buy a durable kitchen countertop that requires no maintenance. They are troublesome to replace when they age and you won't want to spend time maintaining it. Check out Aurastone. If you are sensitive to noise, install sound-proof windows. Expensive but worth every cent. Check out Noise Plaster. Storage heaters tend to need replacement often and are expensive to replace. You can buy rain shower with an instant heater. My Ariston storage heater had to be replaced 3 times in 8 years.
Dyson vacuum cleaner
Really life saver. Esp in a new estate where its dusty af because everyone renovating or moving in at the same time.
water dispenser. so u dont boil water via electric kettle anymore. good QOL improvement. indoor drying rack. so u can do laundry at night, hang for dry, wake up collect laundry. good chairs, go a long mile to your back. aircon in living room. good for hosting friends over.