Installation Day One.

Boxes everywhere

Same China carpentry order as the recent remodel — Jishang from Foshan. Delivery day is done; this is day one of install. I was not there to micromanage. Just to see how things go.

Floor protection is still down — the same stuff from the waiting post. Good. The room is packed with flat cardboard boxes. Some stacked, some leaned against the wall. Installers are starting to open things up.

I am not sure if it is the same team or different teams fixing up the house. People were talking while they worked. I mostly listened.

Room packed with flat-packed brown carpentry boxes on white floor protection foam, installers starting work — Day one — boxes everywhere on the floor protection. Install starting.

LED strip (and the brown tube)

One of the first things they opened was a long brown cardboard tube. That is the shipping casing for the LED strip — packed that way to prevent damage.

Installer cutting open a long brown cardboard tube with a utility knife, carpentry boxes stacked behind on floor protection — Opening the brown tube — shipping casing for the LED strip.

Hand holding a slim aluminium LED channel strip with coiled wires; brown FRAGILE shipping tube on boxes behind — Slim aluminium LED channel out of the tube. FRAGILE sticker still on the casing behind.

The wood up close

Quick quality check on a cabinet panel before it disappears into a carcass. Light wood grain, edge banding looks clean, pre-drilled holes where they should be. This is the board quality I wanted to see with my own eyes.

Close-up of light wood-grain cabinet panel with matching edge banding, pre-drilled holes, and a small barcode label — Cabinet board up close — grain, edge banding, pre-drilled holes.

Singapore plug — not the usual China two-pin

This was the funny bit. One of the installers exclaimed that the manufacturer actually shipped the Singapore plug. I asked what they meant.

They said it is not normal. Other houses they install usually ship with a China two-pin plug. Shipping the Type G version goes beyond the usual scope.

Jishang ships the Singapore version. In the box I can still see the China plug — but they also send an SG plug, knowing locals need Type G. A lot of people convert themselves. A friend did. I would not mess with electricity.

Not sure if this applies to all Jishang customers. Hopefully yes. I am glad I got it.

Hand holding a coiled black power cable with a Type G Singapore three-pin plug over floor protection foam — The Singapore Type G plug they were talking about — not the usual China two-pin.

Testing the LEDs before they go in

Before mounting the LED strip to the carpentry, they tested it. Powered up with a 12V 60W driver — lit, working. Better to find out on the floor than after it is buried in a cabinet.

Two aluminium LED strips lit cool white on floor protection, connected to a white 12V 60W driver during testing before mounting — Testing the LED strip with a 12V 60W driver before mounting — still from that check, not a playable clip.

Storage behind the door

They started assembling a tall light-wood storage unit behind a door — the kind of behind-door storage you see a lot on Rednote. This is that idea here, going into the recent remodel.

Installer drilling shelves into a tall light-wood storage carcass behind a door, floor protection down — Storage behind the door — common on Rednote; this is that idea here.

Storage and shoe area

Near the entrance, more carcass work — open storage with a shoe area at the bottom (narrow pull-outs). Still mid-assembly. Entrance door in the frame.

Tall open light-wood storage carcass with shoe area at the bottom near the entrance door, protective foam draped over — Storage and shoe area in progress.

Study area still wrapped

In the study, the carpentry (or wall panel) is up, but the protective wrapping / packaging film is still on. The holes look a bit like a pegboard at a glance — they are not. That is just the wrap, not removed yet. Wires still poking out. Compressor and nail gun on the floor protection.

Study area carpentry or wall panel still covered in protective packaging film with holes, wires at cutouts, air compressor and nail gun on floor protection — Study area — protective wrap still on; not taken off yet.

More later

End of day one: nothing is fully complete. A few areas are up in carcass form. That is all.

One miscommunication: the TV feature wall is incomplete — missing a light point for the LED driver. Yongjin Electrical is accommodating; they are coming the next day to add that point.

I will not go down that next day — work. I will update again later. Overall I am pretty pleased with the speed.

Full story hub is still the recent remodel.

Feel free to send over any questions.