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ID-Contractor Conundrum: Since I am quite finicky and had some experience with renovation, I contemplated hiring contractor … but was rather worried about the coordinating part. And my husband (aka the boss) is also super fussy, and the best part is, when I describe things to him to ask his opinion, he always gives this face and says, “I cannot imagine” which makes me wanna throw my hands up and bang my head on the wall . So we thought maybe get an ID because at least we'll get 3D renderings to help the boss imagine better. A certain app which-shall-not-be-named, I must say, is a good find! I have found so many pictures of all sorts of things to show the husband and also the ID/contractor when describing is too painful and it has definitely made my life easier. And since they had this promo where you get them to shortlist 5 IDs for you, meet the IDs and get $100 Takashimaya vouchers, I thought, why not? I won’t go much into details regarding the ID selection process, but I prepared a brief which I sent to all 5 IDs and met up with all of them, and during the process managed to fine-tune our requirements even more. The current ID which we decided to engage was from the 5 we met, and I won’t comment on them for the time being. So please don’t ask me for contact first, let’s wait until the end of renovation before I give feedback ya? THE PLAN (aka the brief which I sent out to potential IDs): All areas Change flooring and windows (including full height windows) Plastering & Painting Possible rewiring Replace all air-conditioners – to conceal trunking after Change doors Living Room Modify existing false ceiling, if possible – to create recess at sofa & TV area for ceiling fan TV feature wall & console & display cabinets/shelves – preference for bricks/craftstone Replace existing shoe cabinet at hallway Kitchen Hack down wall to create open kitchen with breakfast counter Wet kitchen at service yard area (next to Store) with glass sliding door Full height cabinet for built-in microwave, oven and drawer dishwasher Master Bedroom Repositioning of bedroom door and bathroom door Queen sized bed frame (already have) Generous built-in wardrobe Ceiling fan Bedrooms Erect wall to divide bedrooms and repositioning of doors Bedroom 1 – built-in wardrobe Bedroom 2 as Study Room – with built-in long table and full height bookcase Ceiling fans for both Toilets Overhaul – prefer slight industrial or resort look Hide pipes No vanity cabinet, vanity counter instead Glass screen for shower area Some things I learned from meeting the 5 IDs: Redoing flooring is expensive business. Firstly, you must hack away existing floor tiles, then the contractor has to screed the floor before laying down new tiles. Due to new HDB regulations requiring all cement to be prepacked waterproof cement, costs for redoing floors in HDB have gone up at least 20-30% more. Condo renovation can still use the traditional mixing of cement with own sand in the contractor’s propriety ratio, but HDB is now no-no. If existing floor tiles are still not too shabby (not too many hollow or popping-out tiles), choose to overlay with vinyl flooring instead. But take note that this will increase your floor height, so existing doors will need their bottoms shaved (labour cost!). Plastering is recommended if the existing walls are very uneven. This is different from making good after hacking. Older flats will likely benefit from plastering. If you have existing bare concrete screed walls and wish to paint over it, plastering is needed to achieve a smoother surface before painting. Can save money by screeding over existing tiles in kitchen and bathroom. Good news if planning to go industrial. Changing of full-height windows in HDB is not allowed. IF really want to, need to get Professional Engineer (PE) to inspect and send letter to BCA, and even then is also subjected to approval. So need to cough up money to hire PE (range of $1-3k possibly), then wait for BCA to approve before HDB will allow you to change. Even then, supposedly need to follow the existing colour and type. Long story short, probably not worth the hassle. Source: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/residential/living-in-an-hdb-flat/renovation/window-works For 4- and 5-room flats, can consider getting 2 compressors for Aircon. However, first, must check if your block supports 40 amps loading. Check here: http://services2.hdb.gov.sg/webapp/BN31AWERRCMobile/BN31SElectrical?loadAction=electrical If your block supports 40 amps loading, then you must get the electrician to install an additional 20 amps switch (40 amps = 2 x 20 amps). Take note 20A is more ex than the normal 13A socket. 15A is usually for induction stove. Modifying existing false ceiling is cheaper than tearing down and rebuilding a new one. Mainly because removing false ceiling is quite hazardous due to the amount of particulate matter generated. The current living room has an extensive false ceiling present, and since our ceiling height is still relatively ok, we’re keeping it with some modifications. Installing a ceiling fan at an existing false ceiling is possible – either they open up a hole in the false ceiling to anchor the fan onto the concrete, then extend the stalk/rod more downwards, and patch up the false ceiling around the stalk/rod, OR they will add a wooden support inside the false ceiling and you install the fan on it. At first I thought must open up a niche/recess in the false ceiling (so the sides remain as L-box and can install the fan directly on the ceiling) but since the false ceiling will have a skeleton inside it, this way is not possible – contractor/ID will just ask you to tear down and install new false ceiling. There are a couple of ways to do up a brick feature wall: Craftstone – most expensive because craftstone itself is not cheap. Price is about $65 per 0.8 sqm (or $7.55 psf, from Hafary) excluding labour. Stucco artist – they will build up the brick effect by using plaster-like material. Advantage is, if you want to change the colour of the bricks next time, you can paint over it. But of course, the brick effect is less 3D than craftstone up close. Brick tiles – cheaper than craftstone. Can find quite good variety even at $3.20psf. More 3D than stucco but less 3D than craftstone. Wallpaper – ugly option . IMO Please don’t ever do this. Cheat people’s feelings only when go up close and then realise it’s all flat. The whole point of having bricks is to have the texture and 3D effect. Sharing some things I learned from my previous renovation (my sister's flat): Doing a magnetic paint wall seems like a great idea. But the magnetic effect is quite weak, so only those really strong magnets can hold up paper/photos. And if you are not painting another layer of paint over it (probably will weaken the hold even more), then be careful not to splash water on it. The paint contains iron element, it will rust (or at least turn rusty-red). In-built liquid soap dispenser which comes with the sink – you will not bother using it after a while as it is a hassle to top-up the liquid soap. And the one we bought from Hoe Kee (Ros brand) rusted barely a year later. It’s an eye-sore now. Regret not asking for thicker plywood for bookcase – the wood has sagged under the heavy burden of my books. Always ask for thicker wood!! Also good to have fixed shelves for the bookcase to avoid this problem. Getting a water-efficient toilet bowl means sometimes the poo-poo doesn’t get completely flushed away. Then you end up flushing more which means more water wastage. Get less ticks and ask your plumber to crank up the water pressure to max when installing the WC. Changing the position of the toilet or washroom in HDB flat is unlikely to ever get approval. Even with waterproofing, HDB will not want the risk of water leakage into your friendly downstairs neighbour’s dry areas. The neighbour will not be so friendly anymore… White solid surface is a big no-no. Stains easily, scratches easily. Sigh… If you want white countertop, go for quartz or KompacPlus.