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Living room. As you can see, there is no view whatsoever if you look straight ahead at the windows. Just another block directly opposite us. This is what we can see if we look to the left when we stand at our living room windows The view on the right. Will there really be a columbarium after all? Don't know, don't care

Hi Been spending the past month looking through the forums and visiting the IDs and contractors; just thought that I should contribute too some of the things that I have learnt which might be useful to people who are looking at renovating for the first time. I will probably be writing something about the list of IDs that I have shortlisted and visited; Disclaimer: The information is the result of my personal opinions and research and is only meant for sharing purposes. Not expert advice Things to note during interaction and initial checks with ID and tips on how to read the quotation · 1st meeting with ID to discuss requirements; list of questions to ask include (not exhaustive) I. No of projects currently he/she is doing (not to over stretch; average number would be between 4-8; anything more is too much) II. No of years of experience (the more experience ones charge slightly higher but they are over to contribute ideas and take care of details which may be overlooked i.e. whether a certain design will be practical etc III. Portfolio of past or current projects (IDs should be keen to do this) IV. Discuss with them the theme or ideas you have in mind and their opinions etc; they should be keen to contribute ideas etc V. Request to see a nearly completed project or ongoing (this request should be met and ID should be enthusiastic or open to showing; idea is to check the workmanship and actual concept as opposed to mood pictures or 3D drawings VI. Check the origin of workers i.e. some workers have better workmanship VII. Is there GST involved; the number of years of guarantee (most companies offer anything between 1-3 years; be sceptical of unrealistic numbers simply because the ID concerned can resign or the company can close down VIII. Be wary of packages; they usually contain lots of hidden costs or specific type of materials; usually you ended up topping up quite significantly IX. If possible, try to get a sensing of the ID’s work flow etc; those at exhibitions are usually the sales staff that are different from the actual IDs; make sure it’s the actual person who is serving you; the “chemistry” and comfort level is important. Some IDs are very insistent on their own ideas or value design over practicality; a lot of things are good to have and but they are additional costs. Sometimes it pays to overlook the minor inconveniences. · 2nd meeting with ID ; usually to see workmanship i.e. carpentry I. Checks the surfaces (both top and bottom) of the shelves usually outside cabinets and kitchen drawers; the standard now is to use soft-closing/anti-slam with the most popular ones being Blum; Ikea also uses Blum but it’s a much cheaper range. There are some house brands e.g. ***** and other cheaper brands II. Avoid the white internal PVC kind; they tend to turn yellowish after a few years and some issues may crop up. They are of course much cheaper in terms of cost. Try to ask for the internal coloured PVC as a standard (either smooth or rough finishing with the latter being more lasting; there are a few brands to choose from depending on the IDs); ABS trimming (quite standard nowadays) which usually follows the colour of the cabinet III. For cabinets and drawers, open and close a few times and check the hinges and also make sure they close properly IV. For surfaces, some IDs save on cost and the bottom part of the cabinet is not treated i.e. basically you feel the raw wood surface. The better IDs will not do that. V. Check for extra holes that are being drilled; usually it does not happen because it means that there are mistakes made; otherwise check for overall build and quality VI. Caveat: Because we are not trained as carpenters, they will always be mistakes that is not easily spotted so as long as one feels that the work is acceptable, it should be okay · 3rd meeting with ID should be to discuss quotation and space planning (meaning that they will show you what and how they think the general furniture should be placed and some may suggest or show you a lighting plan) I. Prices for quotation will vary according to materials and the length of the piece of project II. Electrical works are excluded from all quotations because that depends on the owner’s decision and final discussion on the type of lightings; usually 1 lighting point is one cost, LED down and cove lights generally cost between 15-30 dollars; try to get them at a discount or google around or go Malaysia; the shops that IDs bring you to usually gives the IDs a commission of 3-5%. Cost for electrical works generally cost between $1000-$3000 depending on how complicated they are III. The quotation will generally include the fixed items like design planning, submission of HDB permit, perspective drawing (except contractor) which are all FOC; Things like overlaying of floor protection sheet and chemical washing (after renovation is completed) are also included either FOC or somewhere in the cost depending on the company. Haulage removal and fees is given to HDB and should cost less than $200 (there is a standard range but I cannot remember offhand) IV. Quotation is usually written in either a) type of works e.g. masonry, plumbing, ceiling , glass etc or b) via work area e.g. bedroom, bathroom, living room etc V. If running City Gas, there will be a slight charge of $150-$300 dollars to extend the piping; because the City Gas Guy will only extend it to one part of the house; if you have two bathrooms etc, your ID will have to run the extra piping himself and that is a cost VI. Overlaying of tiles is rather expensive with those wall tiles costing almost twice as much as the floor tiles; because the type of cement and the work is much more complicated VII. Check the quotation for the price of tiles; it is usually anywhere between $2.40-$3.80 (China tiles); the slightly better tiles cost above $4 dollars while the Spanish and Italian tiles will cost anywhere from $6 dollars and above. VIII. Kitchen tops are quoted psf; There are pros and cons for each worktop depending on your needs, for solid surface, it cost about $80 psf while quartz cost between $100-$130 psf. A relatively new type of material called Kompacplus (which I think is really nice) cost about $120 although you can bargain down to $110. Anything more than $130 is too much. So if you have 12ft kitchen top, it’s the amount multiply by 12. IX. The section behind the walls of the kitchen top is called backsplash and there are many types of materials to choose from. The easiest to maintain and most expensive is probably tempered glass (make sure the ID uses tempered glass and not ordinary glass which wouldn’t last; I met one who keep insisting that she has used it for many projects without problems and didn’t write the word “tempered” in the quotation). Other common materials include tiles and mosaic tiles. X. The last part that appear in the quotation for kitchen is usually the cabinets itself; most standard quotations will include 4 sets of soft-closing full extendable drawers, chrome or stainless steel dish rack etc; just make sure what they promised (including dimensions and brand of materials is being stated clearly in the contract) e.g. To supply labour and material to construct top hung storage cabinet in laminate finish with Blum hinges or something like that… XI. Constructing of kerb for fridge, kitchen and washing machine are rather standard; although some people don’t construct one for the fridge nowadays, I feel that it is useful especially when you washing or mopping your kitchen. XII. Most IDs will quote casement windows for the service yard; depending on your needs and budget, you can always do it later but a little rain might get into the service yard during times of heavy downpour XIII. For bathrooms, there will be labour charges for installing/dismantling of toilet bowl, wash basin etc.; a shower kerb will normally be constructed and that cost money as well; the quote will generally include vanity mirror with storage etc.; depending on the ID, sometimes it may actually be cheaper or more cost effective than to get it off the shelf from places such as Ikea which charges about 10% of the cost if you want to get their sub-contractors to install the item. For one, the quality by your ID or contractors is usually better. XIV. The rest of the items are mostly glass, carpentry and ceiling works; the cost depends on the type of materials and length of height of the items; remember to specify whether the doors are casement or swing doors or sliding doors with frosted glass or tempered glass etc XV. Depending on the size of the companies, they do charge GST although some offer to absorb out of goodwill; don’t fall for freebies etc; it may look like some savings initially but in the long run, there might be additional costs involved XVI. Check the payment schedule too; just make sure than the final payment (usually 5-10% is not paid until you are satisfied with the work done (within fair limits of course)) XVII. For furniture delivery, air con etc, discuss and let your ID do the coordinating work; most will include it as part of their service. For air-con the way they run the piping is very important. Some forum guys are much more versed in that. For cheap furniture, can try neighbourhood shops like Goh Ah Bee (which don’t offer credit) or places like Parasilk, Lion City Company etc; just shop around and even places like Best Denki or Harvey Norman do offer rates beyond their advertised rates (not a lot but usually they can throw in free delivery and some freebies) XVIII. Plan your budget and make sure you confirm the design and drawings with your ID before starting work; otherwise, it may cost a lot more….