Kerio

Thanks bro..

LIES. ALL LIES. Even as I squat here outside my apartment, the two painters are inside sleeping, after their lunch and smoke break (inside the house, no less). Painting is NOT DONE. Ceiling will need to be rectified because the air cons can't fit. Whether it's Aron's man's fault or my ID's fault, I don't know yet, but I WILL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS. Barely the first coat of paint is up, and from what I see, their idea of a completely painted room consists of so many white patches I'm not even sure if it's the first or final coat done. And to add to the deception, our ID smses me last week telling me "painting is done. Carpentry will be up next week". We came by on saturday, all eager and joyfully fb-ing that we were on our way to see the colors we chose materialise. Turns out, my ID's idea of painting being "done" refers to a lone painter, struggling to paint all four rooms, with progress made so far on only ONE room, which happens to be the one I'm not sure is done or not. That room, thanks to irony, is also the room I wanted my grandmother to stay in, so she could at least have stayed in her grandson's apartment (I'm the only grandson in the family to own an apartment so far, the rest are too young), and my grandmother passed away on Saturday, barely a few hours after we saw the almost untouched apartment (after more than a month) and despaired that we had been too nice to our ID and allowed her to get away with taking large amounts of money for doing next to nothing. Trash is ALL OVER THE BLOODY PLACE and CIGARETTE BUTTS AND DISCARDED LIGHTERS as well. It's just as well we're fire insured though I'm sure our neighbours, with their children and elderly would really appreciate being burnt alive if my apartment catches fire. We spotted a wall damaged by the workers. The kitchen base is **** SHODDILY DONE. Wife spotted an uneven tile and the bloody concrete isn't even smoothed properly. Right now, I'm at the new apartment, waiting for the hob, hood and oven that are arriving AS PER MY ID'S INSTRUCTIONS and I don't think she's coming by. And here i am, away from my grandmother's wake while my iD earns $42k for her workers to smoke and sleep in my untouched apartment. Right now, my words of advice for those considering Artrend: DON'T. We really should have gone for Square Room instead.

Updates! Went down to Mega Discount to make full payments for all the electronic equipment and to arrange for the delivery of our kitchen hob and hood and oven just this evening! SO MUCH MONEY. Painting is going on this week, and lights are going to be installed next Monday; we mentioned to our ID that we were considering using the guest room (which has no reno done to it besides floor, ceiling, lights and paint) to store our stuff because we were running out of space in our parent's place. ID told us the room could be ready by late next week But that means we'll have to squeeze another 200 out for moving services :< ID's really stepping it up recently though; things are speeding up! Still hoping for a handover next week!!

Ya, my dream shower already faded into the rainshower mist le:(( my MBR originally had a bathtub, which, as it turns out, cannot be fitted inside So my ID didn't smoke us.. That's reassuring! was worried she'd commit one of the ultimate ID no-nos, which is 'lying to the owner to avoid the extra work'. At least our iD is credible and trustworthy enough to not cut corners so far

Also forgot to mention, I still have glass works But need to wait for the final bill to see how much more we need to pay.. cos haven't include doors for the rooms and toilets also >.< Haha, yours is resale flat leh, plus got atas atas marble flooring!! Ours is the poor man's tiles (i.e. by HDB).. Though a surprise came a few days back when my ID tried to purchase the living room tiles from HDB and was told it was $15 per tile!! Xiao ah!! Quality not that fantastic lor!!

Haiz, we decided to air-condition the entire apartment (cos our apartment doesn't "catch" the wind), and the massive air-conditioning pipes needed to be boxed up. Our ID did a fantastic job with it though, the piping is completely hidden in the living room! Ey, we chose the same room to be the entertainment room! Our study/entertainment room air con piping run until quite jialat, but at least there's a daybed and book shelves to conceal a bit. The guest room air con pipes are hideous though, and since we're buying off the shelf furniture, all the pipes will be so obvious!! And some more it's supposed to be our "bright" room, which is supposed to cheer us up whenever we're inside =..= Sound integrity shouldn't be too seriously compromised ba, considering how small the room is? Or maybe can consider padding the walls?

Has the air con guy come by to see how he can run the piping? Mine is literally all over, even after hiding whatever I can in the false ceiling! Then I asked for the skirtings to be changed to White, turns out it looks exactly like the air con piping, so looks like now got 2 skirtings =.=|||

There's still painting, carpentry (incl. Feature Walls, kitchen cabinets, bookshelf and daybed), installation of the various appliances, and cleaning (once by them, and a more thorough one by us)! But yes, it should be fast if no further delays. We're moving in once Reno is complete, so we can stress test the Reno done so rectifications can be flagged out early:)

Wow, 37k is good! Looking at your 3D designs, suddenly feel depressed that my reno is 41k and I think not even as kirat kirat haha.. About the rain shower, here's a pic of the bathroom: Not quite sure why our ID told us cannot fit the rainshower, but we assumed it's because of the box-up. Now that I've read this, I think maybe kena conned liao.

Just as I was lamenting the speed of progress, things start to proceed swimmingly. Wonder if my ID reads my posts 1) We've confirmed our Movers, who will be sending us the boxes this Friday! 2) Tiling is done 3) Painting is either starting, or due to start next week. ID will then install lights and other accessories while fabricating carpentry. 4) Air con installation confirmed 22 Nov 2010! I think maybe need to take some leave to go jaga a bit.. One of our friends from Treelodge will be getting their keys next Monday! So excited for them!

Yeah back!! Haha, unfortunately it's not just because I'm busy, but it's also because not many updates to report until recently =.=''' I think hiccups are to be expected lah.. but of course, looking at some of the powerpacked IDs, not only efficient and responsive but fast and good quality work - we'd of course hope ours would be like that ba? Especially since we'd paying off a rather sizeable renovation loan for the next five years =.=''' Our direct neighbours (i.e. connected via kitchen) are starting their reno this week, tentatively completed end of this year also :-) They go down quite frequently to check HDB rectifications and other related matters, which is why I'm always informed if the house is not being worked on (which is almost all the time). The neighbours connected to them have already moved in! Got one young couple and an elderly couple (likely their parents), think they didn't do much reno from what I see - the tv is simply mounted to the wall (wires showing) and there's a console table for the DVD player. Updates: We've gotten some quotations from movers (including one recommended by our neighbour) and after checking all the prices, decided to go for the one recommended by our neighbour since the prices are very similar. One new development is that boxes are no longer provided unless you specifically ask for them, and there's usually a charge (either deposit for loaning the boxes or payment to buy the boxes) for them. It used to be that boxes were provided FOC to individuals getting moving services (at least, 10 years ago when we last moved), perhaps boxes are now too expensive to provide FOC ba.

You might need to check with your ID again :-) I think my ID was telling the salesperson at the toiletries shop that he should be expecting many refunds from the Punggol Vista and nearby areas for rain showers because of this Does your "WIW" have a door? Cos I heard the open-air ones (particularly for ours, so near the toilet) tend to create mould, and the dust is quite spectacular also..

Thanks banned! I'm not really upset per se, just a bit disappointed.. I had expected at least some updates daily, or twice a week on the progress in the house, and not leave the house empty while the workers concentrate on another apartment. My mother also reminded me when we were looking for an ID to remind the ID to "do slowly, but carefully". That means we can understand delays, but only if it is a result of taking pride in the work being done - to redo things that she feels are not done properly, or to take more time to craft certain parts of the feature wall - we'd not only welcome that, we'd highly recommend the ID to others because that shows the ID is responsible and pays attention to details. And if anyone says a complete renovation can't be done in 6 weeks, just refer to Extreme Home Makeover - they get it done in 1 week, and that includes building the house from scratch. Delays as a result of bad time management and not doing anything to the house over extended periods is just... wrong. But like you (and my wife also) said, as long as done swee swee and manage to deliver within 1 to 2 weeks of the agreed date, we have no complaints. (After all, 6 weeks to 2 months to deliver is the industry norm) Which means that if our ID can handover on the 24th like she promised, all is forgiven, and we'll still recommend her to other people because like we said, the quality so far is quite alright. Plus, we REALLY don't want to turn nasty because of the delays. We just want this to be a relatively pleasant reno experience, and we really try our best not to get irritated whenever we get thrown off guard by certain points in the reno which were not highlighted earlier. This despite the fact that the missus and I are infamous for our tempers (my missus loses her temper easily; and like most men, I tend to remain mildly irritated until my breaking limit, at which point my temper explodes into incandescent fury). Your experience is rather bad too! I think IDs should at least consult the owners before making any decisions - especially since the owner is going to be the one staying in the house. I know of several owners who demanded the IDs undo and redo certain parts of the renovation they were not consulted on!

2 points of clarification to be made here (since I realise I sound very harsh from the previous post): 1) Our ID did tell me she was busy with another project which was demanding an early handover. We can understand slight delays, but don't leave our apartment empty for an entire week or more. Our thinking is, if tilers are needed to do tiles at the other place, at least send carpenters to start on the WIW, day beds, feature walls and so on. The reason we chose this ID company over the main competitor was because we heard that the main competitor ID would do one thing (e.g. Tiling for the kitchen), and only focus on that one thing throughout the week. We're sure other things can be done meanwhile. If you're doing ceiling works for instance, start on tiling in the kitchen. If you're doing tiling in the kitchen, start on flooring in the rooms. I'm sure multi-tasking is not all that difficult given the experience of most IDs. We chose Axtxend because of their promise to deliver in 6 weeks, and we've patiently accepted delays, but one week, two weeks, now another one week and that's one month delay already. Come on, ANYONE would be fed up. 2) We're quite pleased with the quality of work done so far - the laminate flooring was well done, and the skirtings were very neat. A few minor defects here and there (e.g. the WIW wall is slightly dented at the exterior top corner, some patching up of the walls), but other wise quality is pretty ok. The ID is responsive most of the time, but like we said, bad bad bad time management. The other non-ID related gripe I have is that the air-con trunking is EVERYWHERE. Stupid architects for new HDB flats completely fail to address this problem. They should be made to live in the flats they design themselves.

Congrats Rhino!! Finally your turn liao! A quick tip if you're considering a rainshower - we went by to buy the shower head on Deepavali and our ID updated us that we can't fit a rain shower inside because of the casing concealing the pipes Good luck for your reno, and do get a clean 3D design and quotation from your ID! We're having some problems with our design and pricing because these were not finalised prior to reno commencement >.<

Rather disappointed with our ID to date. Reno started on the 28 Sep 2010, but to date, only these things have been done, in chronological order: 1) Kitchen wall hacked 2) Ceiling works completed (over a weekend; I know because I went down to check) 3) Walk in wardrobe walls constructed 4) Laminate flooring and platform done last week Gas piping run and air-conditioning pipes installed (I arranged for the air con piping to be done and went down to supervise myself). Bought lights, curtains and toilet fittings on Deepavali for a tune of $5,180 - which is above our budget by slightly more than 1k. We had cheaper sources, but we considered that our ID was earning commission from these places, and since the prices were more or less within range, we went for it. The problem is, curtains were not in the initial plan - we had a contact on hand that we intended to get after reno was done (when we'd saved enough), and of course, by going for the curtains, we soundly busted our budget. After going over to take a look at the place yesterday, wife and I were rather disgusted at the rate of progress. We'd left the ID to do her work, thinking she'd follow the schedule properly, but besides the 4 items above, nothing else has been done. Our neighbour (who's reno is starting this week) mentioned that the house was always empty whenever she went by on weekdays to check her apartment. In essence, the house has been left empty for WEEKS, which is simply unacceptable considering we're paying $41k plus for services and reno of a 4 room apartment. IDs should have better time management skills - that's the whole reason for hiring them. I could have easily gotten contractors for floor laminates, ceiling works, doors, kitchen carpentry and tiling, painting and toilet fittings and organised it myself if I had the time to do it. After organising and orchestrating my wedding from start to end (logistics, aesthetics, workflow, budget, timing etc); this wouldn't be too big a challenge. Neighbour went by just now and saw the apartment was empty. AGAIN. Despite the fact that kitchen tiles are supposed to be in today and tiling work supposed to commence.

Dunno, I haven't seen it yet All I know is that it comes with ball bearings hahaha.. I was quite surprised too! I thought the normal practice was to wrap with plastic bags too.. anyway, they counted only 2 trips in the invoice, not sure if they'll charge for the 3rd trip. Need to email Aron to check. Ceiling works will be continuing next Tuesday, but ID still estimates work will be completed in 4 - 6 weeks, which is still ok

Air con installation Day! MBR MBR water outlet Living Room Study Room 16mm uPVC pipe. Overall the holes were knocked quite neatly, and since they'll be covered by the false ceiling, it should not be too big a concern, though I'll be popping by over the weekend to confirm it's plastered properly. It wouldn't do to knock holes all over the new apartment, eh? The installers will be coming by tomorrow, as the upgrade to a Class "0" armaflex wasn't communicated properly, so they brought the wrong insulation. The pipes are 16mm, as agreed. Will be checking the copper pipes as well this weekend! Also our very friendly neighbours are lending us a special tool to check for hollow tiles. It's a bit late for that (since rectification period is well over), but we'd rather get our ID to fix the bad tiles rather than have them pop out on us unceremoniously on some random day. Actual unit will be installed after the painting is done, so we won't have to worry about the workers taking long naps at our expense (this sounds slightly inhumane, but I witnessed it once when renovation was going on in our current house - the workers switched on the air con for all the rooms and were sleeping when we went by for an impromptu inspection at around 3+. Best part of the story - the contractor was sleeping too.)

Heh,no worries:) it'd be good to look for an iD that comes recommended from the renotalk forums, it seems to be that reputable companies are now only reputable through word of mouth, not duration or size of operations. A good iD would really save you plenty of time and trouble!

Yeah I thought so too! But I think remodelling's going to be a nightmare though -..- Think he knows about cat 6 wires, but the pulling of cat 6 wires to the various rooms terminating in a rj45 faceplate etc; all those might be too cheem for him (and me). I think I roughly get how to do it, though I need expert advice. Think I'll go check out sim lim and find out before Reno continues. Alternatively, I could just stick to a wireless modem, which would suck. Sigh..

Wall hacked! Went by yesterday to run Aron's installation manager through the apartment and got our ID down to discuss the locations and general technical details. One thing about PV's layout and the unfortunate beams all over the place means that there will be a lot of trunking seen throughout the place. Air Con installation will be on Wednesday, so that piping and trunking can be installed before the false ceiling, feature walls and new skirtings can be put up. ID won't be going by to supervise (although should be quite dependable since we got Aron's installers to do it for us); so wife and I will be taking PM leave to oversee things. The uPVC pipe for the opennet installation is up, though it cuts diagonally across the ceiling (which will be concealed by the false ceiling) and dips down to beside the SCV point on one end, and beside the main door (near the hinges) on the other end. The Cat 6 wires won't be installed, since no one (including the electrician) seems to know how to do it. I'm half tempted to get an external electrician with the skills to do it for me. I do think it's rather unprofessionally done, to be honest.

Yeah! My ID was telling me almost everyone would knock the wall down, which says a lot about the designers for this flat -..- I think after the HDB engineer checked our wall, the rest of the reno permits to hack this wall should be approved without any problems Is it the kitchen wall adjacent to the front door? I think it's probably hollow, but if you're the first to try to hack it, most likely the HDB engineer would want to take a look on the day of the hacking

Backdated post from 28 Sep 2010 - First day of work begins! We wanted to hack down the kitchen wall separating the kitchen and the dining area (circled in red below), and the reno permit was approved soon after the ID applied for it. But the week before hacking was due to start, our ID called me and told me HDB wanted to oversee the hacking. So wifey and I took half day leave to be present. Area to be hacked circled. Apparently, we were the first in the estate to get hacking done, so the HDB engineer had to drop by to see if the wall was "hackable". In a sense, we're quite honoured, though if the verdict had been "not hackable", we'd be devastated to have to pay money to patch back a wall we didn't want in the first place. The HDB engineer (background) and HDB rep (Foreground) arrive! It felt vaguely like a Ministerial Visit. Engineer at work. The worker originally wanted to take a hammer to the wall, but the engineer protested and instructed him to use a, er, machine of sorts. The sort you use to penetrate a pavement with, by use of vigourous vibrations. Meh, no matter how I say it, it still sounds dirty. And the hacking begins! Thankfully, the wall is hollow, so Vista residents; there you have it! The wall is hollow and can be hacked Also designated the location of the sink (near the svc yard since the pipes are there) and the electrical and lighting points. Fruitful day, all things considered. Going over this weekend to take a look at what progress has been made

Reno Permit approved! ID will be sending us the revised quote/invoice. Reno's gonna start soon!

Hi dove! You from 601C also? Need quite a lot of time for hdb rectification and to submit and approve Reno permit if you intend to do hacking wor.. I hope to start Reno this month! Have you shortlisted your IDs already?