Bathroom and Kitchen

I did my own research (thanks to Renotalk again) and picked a couple of shops to visit because of their pricing and reputation. Wanting to be prepared this time unlike when I went tile shopping with Benji and Alvin, I went to visit the shops on my own first.

I visited GR Link Marketing, Royal Fanco, and Hoe Kee (Tanjong Katong Complex). Other popular shops I chose to bypass based on their online reputation: Poh Joo, Heritage, and Hoe Kee (Jalan Besar)

Both GR Link and Royal Fanco are only a few doors apart along Jalan Besar, with another large sanitary ware shop in between them which I did not visit. GR Link had a larger and more organized showroom, more conducive to browsing - especially when trying out the toilet bowls.. Royal Fanco was smaller and cramped. The sales staff (shop boss?) there were alright although pretty old school uncle/auntie types.

I decided on GR Link, and arranged to have Benji and Alvin accompany me there for the actual item selection. The sales guy Benny, and the shop boss also called Benny were friendly and helpful and seemed like honest guys. There are price stickers displayed on their products and Benny claimed that their prices are already discounted. Still, my own Benji and Alvin managed to knock a few more dollars off the total bill.

I spent about S$1500 on 2 sets of WCs, sinks and showers, and a kitchen sink.

Re. the toilet bowl, I really liked the newish 1-piece Baron set where the toilet bowl and the cistern are integrated. It is displayed prominently out front in GR Link’s shop, and is apparently very popular in Singapore. It didn't come cheap though and Benji very helpfully advised me to save the money and go for a regular 2-piece set. I settled on a much less expensive Baron set that had a promotion packaging it with a sink. Great advice, as my Baron toilet works fine, looks good, and well, a toilet bowl is a toilet bowl after all.

The one-piece Baron toilet bowl I did not splurge on

Note that water appliances are labeled with a water efficiency rating in Singapore:  0, 1, 2, or 3 “ticks” under the Water Efficiency Labeling Scheme (WELS). The more “ticks” a product has the more water-efficient it is. For toilet bowls however, a highly water-efficient one might translate into it having a weaker flush.

Pay attention to details such as the tap and sink you select. I unconsciously selected a flat wide rectangular sink basin which looks great however is very shallow, so quite a bit of water splashes out if I am not careful. Also, I did not notice that the sink tap I selected has a flat spout. These tall standing taps which are separate from the sink basin are considered more stylish, however the positioning of where the water hits the basin contributes to the splashing. Not a big deal however in the whole scheme of things though.

My flat-spouted bathroom tap

Another helpful suggestion from Benji was to install a toilet spray alongside the toilet bowl. I have since found the powerful spray to be an indispensable tool in cleaning not only the toilet bowl but also the other areas of the bathroom. Not having one previously in my bathroom I was not familiar with the gadget, so good thing Benji just plain insisted I install it. Where exactly to install the toilet spray is another matter however - too high near the tank and it is too prominent and looks ugly. Too low near the ground however and the hose drags on the floor.

For the minor bathroom and kitchen accessories such as toilet roll holders, towel rails etc I got these at Hoe Kee in Tg Katong Complex. Benji had suggested I find lower cost options at IKEA instead of at GR Link, however I don’t generally like the plastiky stuff at IKEA and managed to find economical options at Hoe Kee. The China sales staff helping me there were also very patient and helpful (it helps if you speak Chinese though).