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Hehe @fifteenmay is right @matchalatte I used Ikea's butcher block on one side of my kitchen! The "dry side". The other side with sink and hob I used kompacplus. To spare you the agony of browsing through my long & lor sor t-blog, can go see these posts --> Kitchen Pics & Countertop Shopping @ IKEA hahah Another t-blog by a lovely renotalker featured butcher block style countertops from ikea too! But hers is the laminate kind. Can see her kitchen preview and look through her posts for more: https://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/73130-emma-our-em-in-the-west/?page=14#comment-931137

Really fast but nice renovation! Your window views are fantastic!

Assuming you are totally clueless, I suggest you do this systematically. 1. Get a floor plan of your place with dimension. Make a few copies. You need to give this to IDs, contractors, suppliers etc. 2. Go visit show flats, friends' homes, Ikea etc to expose yourself to different styles, concepts, materials, colours etc. Have an idea of what you want e.g. marble, tile or wood floor, what type of built in furniture, electrical. 3. Give the same floor plan and requirements to the different IDs and contractors you meet. This is to allow you to make comparisons. 4. If you are really unsure of what you want to do for your place, or there are budget issues, then I suggest you do the "wet" works first. This means the flooring, plumbing, electrical. Also the kitchen and toilets. Everything else (furniture, electrical appliances, tables, chairs etc) you can buy from Ikea or anywhere, and add them as and when you like. 5. When you sign contract with ID or contractor, make sure the works are itemised and you are able to add/subtract items along the way. You may need to make progress payments along the way but make sure you don't have to pay up almost everything before anything substantial is done.

it gives you a rough price guide for some of the common reno works. if you're getting confused with all the quotes it might be because you did not convey your requirements clearly across every firm. you may have told ID A this and ID B that so its hard to compare. you need to tell all of them the same thing so you can do the comparison. some also do not listen well and will end up quoting you a different material or give you things you did not ask for. some will also not quote you for things you asked for so as to appear cheaper. if anything you're not clear about, you need to ask them. shoot them plenty questions, afterall you're the one parting with your hard earned money. i normally ask for quotes with options of different materials eg. quartz/granite/marble/solid surface, or normal glass/tempered/laminated. i ask them to put in all the prices so it will help me make the decision of which one to go for. if need be, visit as many firms as possible. i will do that (in searching for a contractor) because along the way i become more experienced, and i also learn tons of things from speaking to them. sometimes i may have my own ideas but if 9/10 contractors/ID say its not doable or not practical then at least it will make me rethink my decision.

Hi Veky! Welcome to renotalk! I understand how you feel as it's really overwhelming as a new homeowner to have to decide on the "right" ID/person to do up your home. For all companies you approached, did they quote you on the same items or are they all different? If they quoted based on the exact same items it's alot easier to compare since it's apple to apple. If they all quoted different items, try and decide on the elements/items you would like to do up and let them know to revise the quotes based on your requirements so there is a basis for comparison. But ultimately, you should first decide on a budget you are comfortable with and let the ID know so they can work around it. Aside from the design aspect (which I can't advise much, as I engaged a contractor who didn't give input on design).. one way to compare the quotes between the firms contacted is to calculate the individual pricing for the items they quoted. For example, carpentry usually takes up a chunk of the budget and can be calculated based on pfr (per foot run). Simply divide the $ amount quote by the number of ft listed. For example, if kitchen cabinets cost $3,510 for 27ft it equates to $130pfr. From my knowledge, the market rate is about $110 to $130 pfr for kitchen carpentry works. Similarly for kitchen countertop, prices are calculated based on pfr (appx $75 to $120+++ depending on material) as well. IDs may charge differently for the exact same material so it's useful to know the pfr calculations. I was also quoted a range of prices from $7,000 up to $9,500 for tiling of living room + 3br floors for a 4-room flat. Certain companies charge a little more for certain types of works but may charge less for other things so it's up to you to gauge which price points you are ok with, and most importantly, which person you feel you have the most chemistry with. All the best!

Hey guys, just updated the first post with photos of our completed home. When we say "completed", we actually mean done with the reno works but not done with decor haha. I believe no one is ever actually done doing up their home. There's always bits and pieces which is added on as we go along~ It's also lived in photos, meaning it's not showroom worthy but this is how the place looks after we've lived here for almost 3 months. None of our paintings/pictures have been hung up on walls yet, we've wall shelves that have yet to be put up, there's a half built sideboard lying around in the living room (it doesn't turn up in the pics we posted but trust me, it's thereee), the aircon ledge window in our mbr is covered with kraft paper (hahaha!) to keep out light, storeroom still has no racks so everything is lying on the floor, dressing room is missing a drawer cabinet unit, study room still needs a book shelf, etc etc. You get the gist - there's still quite a list of things to be done! But anyway, we just returned from a trip to NZ where we DIYed our own pre-wedding photoshoot. I've a lovely colleague who loaned us his GoPro for our trip so I took the chance to capture some images of our home in its current state The wide angle of the GoPro is perfect for taking home photos hehe. If ya'll have any questions about our home or would like a closer look at certain things feel free to let me know!