zirhk3355

Aiyo, another victim. I had this problem before and I suspected that I brought the bed bugs back from my trip to a holiday island. Unfortunately, I could never solve the problem and after a few weeks I will get bitten with sores again. Tried all methods like those treatment water from DIY stores, but to no avail. In the end, I called for pest control; 'smoked' the whole unit for about a few hours (with all windows/doors closed), and finally solved. Do read up on some facts for bed bugs: They can actually go into hiding for like 1 to 2 months after just one feed, sleeping away in some unreachable corner of your bed/furniture and come out for their meal later...

Hmmz, in that case I guess we really need to go call up that Lian Cheng Hock (I still not sure about the spelling - anyone knows??) contractor and ask them the exact price for haulage. Then again, the contractor can issue an official receipt of xxx amount, but behind our back cover the ID with commission. So maybe can make two calls on different days, with different tel no: one saying that you are the flat owner asking the price, while another call to say that you are an ID checking out the price of their haulage services.

Try to get a visual of the furniture and see if any carpenter can custom built one for you. Maybe can take photos secretly or take their catalogue...

Not sure about the PE fee, but as sakae-sushi confirmed that our haulage is $950 for 4-rm and $1200 for 5-rm. The ID quote you $750 for haulage...hmmz, so the rest of the amount how? The ID doing charity? Sorry to be straightforward but I would stay away from such ID lor...

Info on renovation is available on HDB website here: HDB InfoWEB: Renovation Scroll down and click on "Applying for a Renovation Permit": ...Depending on the nature of the works and whether the contractors are registered with HDB, the administrative fee ranges from $100 to $600... Haulage fee is paid to the contractor (but sometimes your ID pays on your behalf or absorb into your quotation). The contractor will then pay HDB/town council for using the carpark or land to put the skid. Not sure about "$500 haulage to doorstep", but from layman's terms I believe it means that the contractor will bring the sand up to your door. Maybe there are incidents where the contractor will just deliver to your void deck and somebody has to come down to wheelbarrow the stuff up, so that's why got such terms as 'to doorstep' lor...

No, they do not calculate this way. $5 to $6 psf, but the tile size is 600x600, which has nothing to do with the price. One tile at 600x600 is more than a square foot liao... Good referrals as in IDs? Well u can try the one I selected, which is United Team Lifestyle at Thomson Plaza; the one in-charge of my flat is Lawrence. Disclaimer: I just confirmed him, have not done anything yet. So if it turns out to be a disaster, I am in the same plight as you!

Sorry ah, I just stumbled onto this thread, got excited when u guys want to group buy and didn't read properly! But I am definitely going to get one, cuz when I first saw it I thought it was a wonderful invention... I will go read up and let u know again...maybe can exchange pointers after that, see if can find any reviews or such... BTW I just pm u and kohsw88 - we keep in touch ya?

Oh sorry I didn't read properly... Aug can, no problem. My flat would not be done with reno until end-June earliest, anyway - price might be cheaper then... Do keep my number ya? Give me a ring when the time comes...

Hey, count me in also! Surge can I tongpang your vpost account? Do contact me at 81883355 and see how we can get this deal thru. Not sure if you can get a better deal when you buy two sets...hehe...anyway, Surge will get the rotiprata and murtabak, for me can be nasi padang or mee goreng also no problem! Small token for a big favour done...

Same for me here... Is there any electrical shops out there willing to do this for a small fee??

When the ID includes haulage it means he had already catered for the costs. From what I know usually the ID will engaged the appointed supplier/contractor at our block - supposed to be cheaper this way, instead of bringing in the sand and skid themselves? I checked with the officer at HDB when I was applying for cement screeding today, he told me reno permit is $283.50 for my 5-rm flat. Saw him checking a list, so I supposed its different prices for different flat sizes... Not sure about the fees for PE, though...

Yup, I just checked on that myself from HDB branch office...

Think you referring to the magnetic cleaner, with a device on both sides but clamped onto window with magnet? This is available at Home-Fix and those DIY shops at the shopping centres...

HDB does charge for reno permit leh - I enquired myself at the branch office, mine is $283.50 for 5-rm! !! That's how much our good govt earns for doing some paperwork lor... BTW, haulage is not just about the skid for debris - its also the sand. With the sand ban from Indon, the contractors are taking the opportunity to increase the cost. Last time it was $650 to $850 for 5-rm, but now my ID checked and said its $1200! I asked my ID to give me the original receipt from the contractor so as to be sure he didn't mark up; he said no problem.

Actually to be fair haulage and permit charges are not hidden costs; every reno will have these charges mah. I would rather the ID give me the exact costs of such items and ask me to pay directly, instead of marking up the other items and tell me that he give me 'free' haulage and permit charges. There is no such thing as 'free' in this world one lor... But of course the ID needs to be clear upfront and tell us what is not included in the quotation (ie what else need to pay for) before we signed. Eg for mine he did so, thus I am quite ok with him...

Are your prices based on engaging a contractor or an ID firm? From your extensive experience who would you reccommend I use or get another quote from? PS: Cool blog! Wait, I dun qualify to be considered having 'extensive' experience lahh - just another layman who managed to learn some unit rates during my search with a few IDs and contractors. You will be able to know this as well when you had visited a few more IDs; encourage you to walk-in some IDs and ask instead of just relying on those your friends recommended. And thanks for visiting the blog! Still very short, duno what to write and also got difficulties in uploading photos... Wow $180 a wall? How large a wall would this be? I'm missed including hacking and removal of the whole house floor tiles that's lumped under the $1800, ie. <$900> But on average I'm being charged at $250 for a wall length of about 4-5ft. Oh you mean the $1800 includes that $900 for removal of floor tiles also? So its $900 for the walls at "store room/ living & mbr / kitchen and mbr", or $250 like you said for a length of 4-5ft? Well then its quite ok lor. These would be 600 x 600 h tiles. For price/ quality, nothing specific I think ID mentioned mid range, inclusive of wall tiles for bathroom... this is still ex ya? 600 x 600 is normal size, where there is no price difference. Only if you want like 800 x 800 or 1200 x 1200, then there is some price difference. Do ask what kind of tiles you can choose; usually the IDs will bring you to the tile supplier and tell you that under the package, you can choose tiles from a certain range of the display prices. Market practice is between $2.50 to $3.50 psf type of tiles. And you mean the $8930 also includes the wall tiles?? Usually they don't quote this way leh - you better ask to be sure. If its really all lumped together, please tell him to break it up into floor tiles and wall tiles, and what is the price psf. Ask if you have the option to go buy your own tiles, and if so, how much would he take out from the $8930. And lastly, yes, unless they give you designers' wall tiles (with glass coating, expensive printing with silver patterns) at $28psf type, it cannot be so ex lor. Do note that sometimes the IDs/contractors will mark up items that are compulsory, like hacking of walls, flooring, etc but mark down on optional items, like built-in wardrobes, so that when you take out the optional items they will still keep their margin. Not sure it just a generic item: I'm being charged separately for 20 lighting points, whole house electrical installation. Additional: $1150. Sorry I don't understand this; so exactly how much is the electrical works and does it include the points or not? Study is boxed in 3 sides by glass, 1.2m (x2) & 2.9m (x1). Kitchen Panel including door space is about 2.8m. All are floor to ceiling. Does it include glass doors, sliding or swinging type? Sliding door is more expensive than swinging one, because of the track mechanism. Erm, you can just put your own email mah...?

Its true that some ID takes it out from their quotation, like mine. However, he will do the paperwork for me (eg legwork to HDB and contacting the contractor for haulage) and show me the respective receipts so that I can pay for them accordingly.

Try Besglass at IMM - they sell all types of glass-related items, from shower screens, to bi-fold doors to sliding doors to glass panels for see-thru walls.

Frankly I don't see any premium materials in your quotation leh. Real premium we are talking about things like crystal marble (for kitchen top), acrylic/sprayed-glass panels complete with aluminium trimmings (kitchen cabinets), timber/veneer double framing (for walk-in wardrobes), Italy tiles, marble (for the floor) and such. Other things that could be expensive are those branded mechanisms for your kitchen, wardrobes and glass panels/doors. Are they using any kitchen specialist's mechanism like Blum, Hacker, Rationale? Or wardrobe specialists like Alumix, Fimes or Hoffen? Or glass specialists like Aust Screen and Besglass? There seemed to be none of such in your quotation, unless you did not type them out here. Actually you can scan the quotation and post it here for all to see - use those free uploading websites like yousendit.com will do...

1) Hack and remove walls at store room/ living & mbr / kitchen and mbr <$1800> Hacking only involves using a big hammer and just knocking the walls down. This does not even include rewiring of those in-wall cables. Do also check if this includes touching up the rough edges after hacking, but even if so, does not need to be $1800 lor. For a guide, I hacked my wall at $180 and touch up at $180. 2) Laying of H Tiles in living, dining, kitchen, bedrooms, 2 bathroom <$8930> What kind of homogenous tiles?? Usually those made in china tiles are between the prices of $2.50 to $5.00 psf ($5.00 is considered good one liao), while labour is another $2.50 to $4.00 psf. Sand/Cement is under haulage. You go calculate your square area and do the math - this is far too high. 3) Carpentry work (23ft of dry, wet kitchen cabinet in veneer) <$5750> $5750 divided by 23ft comes up to $250 psf!! Way way too high, even though its in veneer. Usually only about $100 to $130 psf, and remember this does not include your granite surface, which is below... 4) Whole house rewiring (not inclu. of electical pt.s/ installation) <$1900> If does not include electrical points, then what does this price tage of $1900 includes?? Electrical works mostly consists of electrical points lor, which is about $25 to $35 per point. 5) Granite table top, kitchen (16ft) <$2400> $2400 divided by 16ft is $150 psf, also on the high side. Granite surface is usually about $100 to $120 only. 10) Install 2 no.s bi-fold doors to bathrooms <$1300> You can get bi-fold doors with tempered glass and coloured patterns at Besglass at $580 each. If this is a normal plastic bi-fold door with acrylic (or whole thing plastic), this is expensive. 11) Install 10mm tempered glass panel to study area <$2280> 12) Install 10mm glass panel to kitchen area <$1200> How long is this glass panel at your study area and kitchen area? Any doors, swinging or sliding? Is the glass panels from floor to ceiling? For your reference, I am doing a full-height panel of glass (also 10mm thick) with a sliding door for my study area, total 10ft in length, $1900. Disclaimer: This is based on my personal experiences with the limited information as given above. I did not talk to your ID and do not know what the full quotation entails, so I may be wrong. Don't go confront your ID with what I said hor, otherwise he comes after me!! You have to use your own judgement to see if what I said is true for your case... Good Luck!!

Hi, are those rose tiles from Multi-build? My wife went crazy over it...think she will be more crazy when she sees your pics...

Erm, just for knowledge, Class 0 and Class 1 are fire retardant standards, which means it will only matters if your house is on fire and determine how badly your insulation will be burnt. This will be very impt for those people who want the aircon to be in working condition when there's a fire in your house - if you are one of them, make sure the installer gives you the 'high-class' type of insulation. Oops...pun intended... Okok, IMO the brand and the class of the insulation is not impt to me at all - most impt is the thickness of the insulation, which will retain the refrigrant (spelling?) temperature thru' out the trunking, so that it will not take such a long time to cool your room and not make the compressor work so hard...

For me I am not here to earn money, but more to buy a unit exactly where I lived for the past 10+ years, near my parents' and in-laws' residence too. However, always hearing about the good prices set me at ease too lor, in case next time I need to sell at least I know its hard for me to lose money...

Hey, if you guys are keen to get the TV sometime in end-June or early-July, count me in! I am looking at 37" LCD or 42" plasma, budget $2.5k (hopefully by that time the price had dropped this much). Which brand, want to listen to the salesman's sales pitch and decide lor...

TV: If you take my fav brand, Samsung, I won't stop you. But if you want to go for Hitachi at $2.7k, I would like you to consider Pioneer 42" Plasma, $3388, or Panasonic 42" Plasma, $2.8K+. Abit of difference in price, but size is 42". IMO big screens buy plasma better... Aircon: My pick is Mitsubishi starmex/easyclean.