Hi Guys and Gals, Sorry for MIA-ing after leaving my first post on Oct 03 because I'm now into getting different contractors to work on my flat. I think the first thing you need to consider is - do you have the time to find and coordinate the work or not? This may help you save some cost but you have to trade in your time for it. If you really think you can fork out time for your reno, then throw in the money and get a trusted ID to work for you. Of course, at first, me and my wife sought out ID to get quotations... this is very important so that you have a rough estimate of how much each entity would cost you if you were to source for your own contractor to get the job done. For example, I got a quote from an ID firm and on the window grille part, he quotes me $8.50 per sq ft, another ID girl quotes me at $6.87 per sq ft. Then I sourced myself and got $6.83 per sq ft. Another thing to remember is, ID A may quote you high on this item and ID B may quote higher on the same item (as in the window grille example above), but ID A may take a step back on other items while ID B may charge you higher, which result in this verdict -- they price roughly the same... perhaps +/- few hundred bucks. Of course, the larger the project, the greater will be the price difference. I think that's all for now because I should be able to give a more details on my encounter with these contractors and the pricing of the items, not forgetting those home appliances. Speaking of home appliances like refrigerator, washing machine, TV etc, just to make it a quick one - go to Best Denki, Gain City, Harvey Norman, Audio House or Courts to ask their sales about the types of appliances you're looking for, and sales person with good knowledge may help shed some light on the product so you have a better idea and picture of which brand fits your needs. But remember... don't get talked into buying from them. They're trained to make you reach out for your wallet on the spot. You can get a lot more cheaper if you buy from retailer shops, unless you want to extend the warranty of the products or you want to pay by installment. Once you lock on the product you like, copy down or take a snapshot with your mobile phone on the model and price of the product, then call Goh Ah Bee (Hougang Kovan), Everjoint (AMK), Hong Liang Electrical (Alexandra), Mega Discount Store (Kallang) to check with them on the price. They're used to giving prices over the phone, so no need to feel pai seh and you don't have to go down personally. And very important, ask whether their prices given come with GST or not. Then, check with one more -- Kah Hock (circuit road). This Kah Hock shop, you don't call them because you'll most likely hear an aunty voice by the name of Madam Tan. She will not give you a good price (if I'm not mistaken, she should be the sis of the boss - Tan Kah Hock - quite a funny guy as I've talked to him at the shop on the day of placing my order). But you can check with the small boss of this retailer - he (nick - Zero) has created a T-blog here and you can pm him about the price of the model you're looking for. If he's not able to beat the price, you can tell him straight whether he can offer the lowest price you have found with other dealers. If he can, you'll save your time and trip from getting from different retailers. Ok lah... past midnight liow... will feed more saver tips and details the next time I come in. I think it will be better for me to share better experiences after I'm done with my reno so you have a solid picture of who should go with and avoid becoming a "carrot". So long... Wind P.S. Sorry ah, to find the contact details of those retailers I mentioned above, simply google (for example) "Goh Ah Bee Singapore". Happy savings!
