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Hi, I am looking for some recommendation for a good and reliable contractor to renovate my 5 rm flat. Any good ones to recommend? TIA

My first experience in choosing IDs so far: I uploaded my floor plan on Renotalk website and requested for quotations. Initially, I was flooded with many calls from several IDs. Almost all of them AGAIN! asked me to send the floor plan to them, even though I uploaded the floor plan on the website in the first place. Also all the IDs wanted to meet me and see the site. I asked all the IDs to drop me an email with their first quote based on the floor plan and my initial requirements for me to consider before I can meet them up. If not, I need to spend next many weeks just to meet them all! Surprisingly, most of the IDs never send me any email after the call. Only a handful few sent me emails some with standard package offers inspite of me mentioning what I wanted to do! Few of them sent me intro email and after that no response! I was impressed by Vincent Blog (http://www.vincentinteriorblog.com/) on his knowledge and advice to new home owners like me. I reached out to Vincent and sent him my floor plan and requested for quotations. (similar to Renotalk). I was recommended to 2 IDs by Vincent. Unfortunately AGAIN, no response by both the recommended IDs, inspite of me waiting for over 3 weeks for them to respond! Looks like every ID in this business is very busy with loads of projects! Appears to me that ID business is a good business to be in! In the next part, I will write about my experience in shortlisting the ID’s – thanks to the Renotalk friends feedback and some personal contacts.

Hello renotalkers! I have benefited from this forum immensely and it's about time for me to pay it forward. I bought a resale apartment and obtained the keys only in late July. It's a 1 BR, only 52 sq metres (560 sq ft) in size. I was drawn to this space as it was relatively square-ish, not many bay-windows, no balcony, 2.9m ceiling height and floor to ceiling windows in the living room. Knowing that size was a limitation, my challenge is to make the space feel bigger than it is. The original floor plan (ignore the PES - the apartment does not have any PES) This was how I envisioned the new layout Red lines indicate the walls which I wanted to knock-down Blue line is where I would like the new wall to be erected Yellow lines is where I envisioned a concrete plaster appearance Besides the challenge of opening up the space, I wanted to keep the budget low and time-line relatively short, yet achieve a specific industrial look. I'll be dedicating quite a bit of my blog on how I kept costs low while maintaining decent quality. That means I will describe my thought process for contractor selection, material selection, purchasing from taobao etc Hope new home owners that plan to renovate will benefit from my blog. I shall post the before pics soon and some interim pics as reno is currently on-going. Happy reno-talking! EDIT: I realise that it is very cumbersome to go through an entire thread without a contents page. So I have compiled the links here 1. My thoughts on ID vs contractor. All home owners struggle with this question and meeting IDs/contractors can consume a lot of time and effort. 2. How I shortlisted and chose a contractor. The key considerations which led me to chose among the shortlisted contractors. 3. My taobao shopping list. With all the links from taobao sellers which I bought from. 4. My before pics. Demolition pics if you're into that sort of thing. 5. General Info on shipment of bulky taobao items to Singapore. 6. Since it's very difficult to estimate how many cubic metres each item is and the shipping charge is based on cubic metre, I came up with a way to estimate total cost of the bulky taobao item based on my first shipment when I purchase through peeka. 7. Some chinese keywords for shopping on taobao. Although taobao is cheap and therefore tempting, there may be instances of dissatisfaction. To provide a balanced view, Another poster's negative experience with taobao items. How I minimize risk of purchasing low quality items on taobao. 8. Info on the fibreglass concrete panels in my living room. 9. A guide on choosing paint colours for your wall. 10. Kompactop final pics 11. Info on artificial turf for balconies/planter/baywindows 12. Final pics - after 6 months of living in my place, this is more or less the final look of my place, though it tends to evolve with time (and clutter). To be included at some point.

Hi all, About to finalize our ID soon for a HDB 4 Room Resale flat at Tiong Bahru. The unit currently is in default HDB condition with no renovation done so we're looking at doing a full overhaul. Most of the quotes received from IDs are in the range of 40-44k. Wanted advice if any of the following items seem out of place: Thanks

Hi All Expert, Could you kindly help me see through if this quotation is reasonable? I am very new in this and my flat is coming either late 2014 or early 2015. Demoltion & Hacking Works To provide labour and tools for the following hacking works: 800.00 To hack partial wall at Master Bedroom To dismantle door and frame at bedroom 2 Masonry Works To make good doorway between Master Bedroom and Walk-in Wardrobe. 400.00 To construct concrete hollow block wall at former door way at Walk-in Wardrobe. 450.00 To construct concrete shower kerb at Common and Master Bath. (Tiles to be purchased seperately) 600.00 To construct wall panelling with cement boards in cement screed finish ****. (TV wall only) 2,850.00 Carpentry Works (All cabinet interiors finished wfth white PVC finish, c/w BLUM soft closing hinges, unless otherwise stated.) Kitchen To design and construct top and bottom cabinets in laminate finish along Hob side. (L 2600mm) 2,380.00 To design and construct top and bottom cabinets in laminate finish along Sink side. (L 2100mm) 1,960.00 To design and construct full height cabinet with oven compartment in laminate finish. (L 600mm) 980.00 To design and construct top cabinet in laminate finish above fridge. (L 900mm) 460.00 To supply and install solid surface work top to bottom cabinet counters. (L 4700mm) 1,390.00 To supply and install coloured glass backing between top and bottom cabinets. (L 4700mm) 1,050.00 Walk-in Wardrobe To design and construct casement wardrobe in laminate finish. (L 5700mm) 5,320.00 To design and construct low heght cabinet with glass top and drawer with pigeon hole compartments in laminate finish. (L 1000mm) 750.00 To design and construct sliding door in laminate finish c/w mirror on one side. 1,200.00 Master Bedroom To design and construct bay window settee with storage in laminate finish. (L 2400mm) 1,230.00 Master Bath To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w solid surface top. (L 800mm) 690.00 To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w mirror on doors. (L 800mm) 590.00 Common Bath To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w solid surface top. (L 800mm) 690.00 To design and construct vanity cabinet in laminate finish c/w mirror on doors. (L 800mm) 590.00 Sllower Screens To supply and install fixed shower panel at Master Bath. 490.00 To supply and install corner unit sliding glass shower screen at Common Bath. 1,200.00 Door Works To supply and install semi-hollow doors in veneer finish to 2 Bedrooms. 760.00 To supply and install tempered glass swing doors at 2 Baths. 1,500.00 Option to install PO door at 2 Baths. ($900.00) Plumbing Works To supply and install stainless steel pipes for gas heater. 180.00 To install kitchen sink and tap with supply pipe and waste pipe connection. 180.00 To dismantle old basin and install new basin and mixer at 2 Baths. 240.00 Others To supply labour to paint whole unit's interior only, with ICI paint, Max 5 colors. (Minimum 2 coats) 1,100.00 To provide labour and material to lay protection board and plastic cover for renovation work. FOC To provide labour and material to do professional cleaning for whole unit after renovation, includes cabinet interiors, windows and doors. (2 trips) FOC Project management and site coordination services. FOC

Scandinavian Modern Farmhouse Inspired Hi Renotalk Folks & Friends, Firstly, many thanks to a lot of the Brothers & Sisters here for the Reno sharing and valuable tips/notes over the past 12 months. I learnt that over the course of planning, it is rather difficult to keep to the budget as we built our dream house. My initial budget has increased almost twice! From wanting to keep it simple and save cost, we have decided to "invest" more for the long term and keep ourselves happier. Preparatory stage (Mar - Aug):- 1) Decided on the overall theme 2) Decided on my essential renovation requirements (family lifestyle, basic fengshui, etc) + Optional requirements (more carpentry, etc) 3) Meet up with recommended ID/contractors to compare quotes and doing research on them. 4) Request to view the ongoing projects for the shortlisted ones to check on workmanship and quality. 5) Confirm actual site conditions(amount of natural light, wind conditions, ceiling beams, etc) and then reassess my design plans, subsequent material selection and colour theme. 6) Enjoying the Reno Journey

If any one has a decent and fairly priced electrician to recomend please send me his contact. Need to do up DB box and electricals for my office. Had taken qotes from 2 contractors, and they are asking $90 and $78 per double socket electrical point. i beleive this is high in reference from the othe forum posts? Much appreciated!

Hi evryone, I just got a quotation from an interior designer and the total package quoted to me was $20,466.49. This exculdes the electrical works. Is the quote ok? Got a few other quotations that are like $35k, $26k and this was the cheapest. They are a small company and not so renowned, but the ID was efficent in sending me my amended quotes. Going to meet her this sunday and will update everyone here. Water Terrace II 5rm BTO Premium Punggol Flat 1 Consultation & Design Proposal2 Space Planning & 3D Computerized Perspective Drawing3 Product & Material Proposal4 On-Site Supervision & Project Management5 Haulage of Materials, supply Cement & Sand ( By HDB Approved Contractor )6 Transport to Clear & Disposed of Debris ( By HDB Approved Contractor ) MASONRY WORKS1 Showet kerb for 2 toilets complete with tiles finished2 To supply & construct kitchen cabinet base complete with matching HDB tiles3 To supply & construct fridge base complete with matching HDB tiles.4 To supply & construct washing machine base complete with matching HDB tiles. PLUMBING WORKS1 To supply & lay conceal drainage piping for kitchen sink.2 Extension of copper piping for kitchen sink3 To supply Material & labour to install 2 nos. of instant heater or 1 no. of storage heater4 To supply Material & labour to install 2 set of bathroom accessories.5 To supply Material & labour to install 2 nos. of mirror6 To supply Material & labour to install kitchen sink & tap. PAINTING WORKSTo supply & paint whole unit wall & ceiling with Nippon/ICI emulsion paint. Max 5 paints CEILING WORKS1 To supply & install Flase Ceiling at foyer & dining area2 To supply & install Flase Ceiling at bedroom passage way3 To supply & install L-Box **** area CARPENTRY WORKS1 To design & fabricate 24ft kitchen cabinet using solid plywood in laminated finish (14ft top & 10 ft bottom) a.Postfoam kitchen worktop.b.Designer handle.c.2 tier stainless steel dish rack.d.Cutlery tray.e.Supply & install white solid top surface at kitchen's cabinet table top area with backsplash 10ft 2 Design & fabricate T.V Console **** 6 ft 3 Deisgn & fabricate feature wall for living room 6ft4 Full height swing door wardrobe for master bedroom (L Shape or walk - in wardrobe)12 ft5 Deisgn & fabricate full height glass display unit **** room 3 ft6 Vanity cabinet top for masterbedroom and common toilet 2nos MISCELLANEOUS WORKS1 Chemical washing upon completion of work.2 Laying of protection sheet upon completion of flooring works.3 HDB permit Handling Fees Additional Item1 Tempered glass shower screen w/ door for master toilet ( wall to wall ) for master bedroom2 Tempered glass shower screen w/ door for common toilet ( L-shape, sliding ) for common toilet3 Install aluminium sliding grilles for service yard4 Install windows for Service yard5 To supply & install Brick Wall design wall at foyer/entrance to block the view of the living area6 To construct and build a kitchen door entrance ( L-shape, with the wall facing the living room to be top half glass tempered screen and bottom half hollow wall)

Hi all, I recently renovated my house, I did my kitchen, did a full length cabinet, a settee and some shelves. I just did standard designs and the prices were very reasonable with no hidden costs. I visited several interior design firms and contractor companies. They quoted me ridiculous prices and packages and I was so frustrated and thought of just putting my renovation on hold until I saved enough money but I really wanted it done quick as my son's psle exams are coming. Thankfully when I went to church, my friend recommended this contractor to me. After comparing the prices, I decided to engage his service. So far, I am quite happy with his service and the quality of the workmanship.

Hi, anyone know it's possible to rebuild the whole old kitchen cabinet without destroying the wall and tiles?

Does anyone have any reviews on the co./engaged them before?

Ya I agree, got some tracks from them, seems like it does not last. Most of their plugs spoil within 2 years, some plugs LED no longer working, USB Charger spoil 4 times within 1 year, some plugs melted from overheating. All fluff no substance. Hope someone comes up with something better and cheaper to compete with them.

Some sharing on how to get the best electronics deal.(TV,washing machine, fridge and etc Excluding aircon). 1) Walk around a few store like Mega Discount store, gain city, harvey norman, courts and visit the expo when there is special sale. This is to search for the ideal model if you dun't have one in mind and have a feel of the general pricing of all the major retailer. (You will be surprise that the same model can varies from at 49-3xx and some retailers have additional charges for delivery and installation which is not shown on the item. Do not be in a rush to buy during those electronics fair thinking that you clinch a good deal as the price of all these goods is almost fixed, so if you go asking around another retailer you will get the same or even cheaper than those in the fair. Therefore, doing the ground work would prevent from being chopped in those fair. take note of the freebies in each retailers and before you commit, do ask the sales person as sometimes the freebies is from the distro and either the sales person is trying to 'eat' your freebies or they are not aware. If you are lazy to go down to all the retailers, take note of the model you fancy and give each retailer a call to request for a quote. Getting the best deal, go to the retailer of your choice and if the price of the model you are looking at is more expensive then retailer M which you have source around , ask the sales personnel to match the price , if he/she doesn't, call up the other shops to do a price match. Note: By doing this, you will observe that usually 2 retailers will have the same lowest price and the rest of the retailers's prices are pretty jacked up alot. Please note for big retailer like Harvey Norman,Courts and Best Denki please note that not all the outlets offer competitive pricing. Eg. Yishun outlet might not buldge even a dollar off but however at milenia walk, you can shave off few dollars off the mark.

My place is currently being handled by Living Gaia Interior. So far so good and I am very pleased.

the rate my contractor gave me was $120 per foot run for kitchen cupboards, casement wardrobe is $230 per foot run for full height, sliding full height is $250 per foot run. workmanship is good. let me know if you need

Hi Aron, Can you please PM me your contact details and quote for the following? I am looking for new aircon for my resale flat. 3 bedrooms + Living/Hall. Old aircon is in 3 bedrooms only. Regards

Here is my floor plan, and below are some of the IDs that I have contacted and a summary of them. Quite a common floor plan, nothing fancy. My budget for the renovation is a low one, just to do up the kitchen cabinets, some wall flushing due to recess area in my son's room and a divider for the main hall, and electrical works etc. Now for the contractors / IDs that i met up with... J**k (Contractor from Home 13 Reno) - Introduced to my colleague/friend who is currently doing her renovation with him in East area. - J**k is very friendly, chinese-speaking uncle. On telling him my budget, he is very accommodating and mentioned that he will do his best to find ways to help me save money. However, as J**k is a contractor, I was rather worried. Reason being i am very new to the entire renovation process and materials etc, and feel that I may not be able to tell him exactly what i want. However, this put aside, I would have gone with him. - My friend has updated me that as J**k is a little busy, his reno time may be longer then normal, but for his low price, some may be able to forgive this. Ta****n (ID from Atelier Concept) - Received an email from her via a website, either Renotalk or another website. - She was very prompt on her responses to my requests during the quotation stage, and was always fast to reply via whatsapp. However, the quotation was too pricey for me and exceeded my budge by a few K. Their portfolio was quite nice as well. On meet up, she was friendly (although late for 30 minutes) and followed up with an amended quotation very quickly. Sadly their quotation was just too pricey for me. I***c (ID from WHST Design) - Received an email from her via a get quote request through Livnn website - He was very quick to followup with a quotation, but the quotation was too vague and did not meet my requirements. On meeting up, felt that he was not very experienced and after the meet up, he did not followup with me, perhaps he felt my project was too small? Kelvin (ID from Design Profession) - Sent an email to them based on a friend's recommendation - Kelvin was quick to reply and followup with a quotation that met my requirements. Through our communication, he has always been very responsive in replying fast to my whatsapp inquiries and also to call me directly when he needed to explain something to me. This was even before I had committed to doing the renovation with them. On meeting up, felt that Kelvin was very experienced and able to understand my needs for the reno work. Even though my reno is a small scale project, he still put in the effort to follow up with amendments to the quotations and etc. Hence I have signed up with them to do my reno.

So it considered finally over. After many sorry-s & psps-es for delaying minor touch ups. My house is currently without a unit-number plate, with cracked floors and existing sharp edges pending for "touch-up" which I still dunno when ("tmr? next week? maybe?"). Anyway, I want to SAY that MY electrician is SUPER freaking good! LOVE him MAX. He did the fan, some added cove lightings and some of my Taobao wall decor on behalf of the ID's electrician (because the person never exist?). Its a RIGHT choice to find our own electrician. He will pop-by my place randomly to check on my renovation progress. I bump into him twice in my new place and he said he was nearby so he came up to see if there is anything he could do (no one ask him to). Even before we start our renovation, (those "empty" weeks waiting for the hacking approval from HDB) he went up few times to see if anything can be done instead of us having to call him up. Super nice and proactive guy (boss). Also, his answers to our requests is either "ok, can" or "nope, cannot", no complaints and no excuses which I appreciate loads. Thumbs UP!

Went to pick out tiles yesterday with Mr Foo. Pretty quick process because I'm only doing the bathroom and the kitchen and I already knew what tiles I wanted. For bathroom, on one wall with a black border and the rest of the walls cement screed. For the kitchen, half height subway tiled backsplash, the top of the wall will be cement screed After measuring my bathroom sink area, I realized that the sink that I wanted to get would be too big, hence had to rethink the vanity area. After much thought, finally decided on re-creating this vanity solution with a similar sink from taobao and the Ikea grundtal trolley. The dimensions should be just nice to fit the Ikea grundtal trolley in the corner of the bathroom to house all those extra toilet paper and toothbrushes etc. Right now, waiting for my hacking permit to be approved. It's been a week already!

I have done up some information for tips for reading. hope these will help those who are looking for contractor/ID Topic 4 How to prevent getting cheated and scammed by contractors/ID Recently I read about many of the scams and cheats in this industry. Why is that so? Because it is simple for them to open and close down companies without having the need of being sued. The amount for a customer to be cheated of during renovation scams hardly to be above hundred of thousands per person. Therefore, going through all the civil proceedings will waste even more money on the victim’s side and there is no guarantee that he/she may get back the amount. Then, the culprit goes off scott free! I feel the need of giving advices on prevention of getting into this kind of scenario. 1. Reviewing the contractor/ID’s reputation This might not be 100% accurate because there are some firms who advertise themselves. but for sure, those who advertise themselves but doesn’t deliver as promised will have their bad reviews coming by. Keep the minds open and even if you see bad reviews, do contact the home owner to get more facts. And on the other hand, you can get more info from the good ones as well. 2. Research on HDB and ACRA If you are renovating your Hdb, be very sure that the company is a licensed hdb contractor. most importantly, the contract which you are going to sign bear the letter head of the hub registered one instead of some other names. They will usually say that it is due to GST etc. Although there are those who are really sincere in business but just to be on the safe side. ACRA search is one of the important one as well, give it a search and screen through the company address and make sure it is valid. If at any point of time now you feel something is not right, I will suggest getting another contractor/ID. Because better to be safe than sorry. 3. Ask for showrooms/ reno in progress flats Do ask the contractor/ID if there are any REAL showrooms instead of those in the office etc. look for projects the company done before. and also current ones. where you can see that the company is really into business. If possible, ask for a timing where the owner is in to research more on the firm. I will recommend minimum 2 showroom flats to view and one of it have to be going to complete or just completed. when you are at on-going sites, be sure to find the renovation permit from HDB to double confirm their license as well 4. Be alert Be alert in the payment progress. Do not give much more than what you see in your house. there is no fix rule for this because different quotations works differently. If you stay alert, you will have better control of your money. even if the company winds down, you do not lose the maximum. Some might wonder why I did not recommend for checking on RADAC, CASE etc. Because no matter how many prizes, trophies or accreditation the company have, it only help to the minimal when there are problems arising. To prevent ourselves being a victim, we have to know if the company is a true and operating for legal profits through hardwork and sales. HDB licensed contractor will be a safer one because to become one, they will have to submit invoices of minimum $50k to support and also to be in the business for minimum of 1 year. HDB will then contact the various house owners for feedback before grant. The most important is that when you sign the contract, there should be no room for doubts. All questions should be cleared by then. of course sometimes we are so unlucky when all things seems to be alright and yet suddenly the company shut down. I have seen a few friends in this line whose business are good but due to some unforeseen factors, they are forced to close. but they are not cheaters or scammers, it is pure business failure. Feel free to ask if you have any questions! I might not be free everyday but i will try my best to reply. I hope all these tips will be useful for home owners and fellow forummers

Please check your mailbox. Thank you for your interests. PHYLUX

Here is the post about lights which we got from Taobao through OOPS.sg. Very cheap lights but we don't know the quality yet as they are still on a ship in transit. Some pictures of the interesting lights we bought. Walk-in Wardrobe Bedside Lamp

Hey Ocean! I can't wait too!

Hi...please pm me your contractor..thanks

I agree with you, mine oso done by a contractor. house done up liao and staying liao. What is important is to save $$$$$$$$$$$$$

Hi guys, take a look at this Toshiba Sys 2 aircon quotation from hong tar and tell me whether its worth to buy? Option 1 Scope of work Amount [1] To supply and install one set of “Toshiba” 18,000BTU multi split aircon, $1,380.00 M/N: RASM18UAX / RASM10NKPX x2 [2] To supply and install one set of stainless steel bracket $ 120.00 Total (Incl 7%GST): $1,500.00 To supply and install the air-conditioners in surface mount with standard one roll of copper pipe, Class “O” thermaflex insulation for indoor unit and Class “1” Allflex black rubber insulation for outdoor unit, 16mm pvc pipe, pvc trunking and Singapore cable. Price excludes stainless steel bracket, power point and any items not mentioned. Currently. there' no stock in hong tar and gain city..toshiba so hot! Another thing, do i need to change a new steel brackets since it is already installed by the previous owner 10 yrs ago..