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LumberJack

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Posts posted by LumberJack

  4. Posted

    Anyone else can share the contact with me also?? Would like to get a fengshui master for my house also. Just move in about 2 months back but doesn't really "feel good". 

    Just wonder any good recommendation? Don't want those fengshui master that use celebrities as their advertisement one.

    Thanks in advance!!

  5. Posted

    On 10/2/2016 at 0:16 AM, ahzhua said:

    I have the same issue too. They used sub standard electrical wiring. 

    I only on my unit once or twice for this room in a year and it failed. 

    Need to be careful about it and highlight to Kaisoon if u still want to use them. 

    Sound like they are using 3core40 cabling for the air-conditioner wiring. Nowadays majority of the air-conditioner technician is using 3 core 70.

  7. Posted

    On 8/17/2016 at 3:17 PM, Lynloh12 said:

    Hi all, 

    My husband and I have been researching through ID companies and contractor companies to renovate a resale HDB we bought in Punggol. However, due to our tight budget and tight timeline (we had to do the renovation before the Chinese 7th month and move in within 2 weeks after getting the keys), we had a hard time trying to find the right ID or contractor. We had asked for quotes through renovation forums which proposed a minimum of 5 different ID or renovation companies each, and my husband had even asked for some of his contacts who are working as IDs, to give a quote. My husband was prepared to give the entire renovation project to his contact.

    We had also research online to have some ideas of what we would like our home to be like and base on the tight budget we have, we are prepared to see what works and what we can do to stretch the dollars. We gave the same basic requirements to the ID and renovation companies, as well as our budget,  and asked for a quote from there.

    However, our experience is that most of the ID companies and even renovation companies are quoting us way beyond our budget, not to mention some of these companies even told us that their quotes do not even include certain fees which they cannot give upfront and which are hidden cost to us. Some of these companies we met were quite pushy and asked us to sign up with them the first time we met by putting a signature and deposit. Another company also kept trying to push us to confirm them (even though they are quite expensive) and said that it is because we have a tight timeline for the renovation. Then there were companies where we gave them all the information, i.e. floor plan, existing conditions, but they did not even get back to us on a quote and basically MIA, even though we had followed up and tried to give them a chance to come back to us.

    Luckily for us, one of the ID person we met is Ken from Areana Creation. The very first meeting with Ken, he came down to my office during my lunch hour (I work in an industrial zone and my office is not easily accessible to MRT etc) knowing that I am tied up at work and can only spare lunch hours.. The meeting was a very pleasant one, as I had already met 3-4 other IDs/ renovation contractors, and I knew the experience was less than ideal, as after the previous meetings, I was left feeling either the IDs person does not clearly have an idea what I will like to do for my home, or they are pushing me to go for something which is way beyond our budget.. With Ken, Ken understands we have a tight budget and tight timeline, but the first thing he understood was what kind of ideas we like, and what we like our home to be like, i.e. the feeling of home to every individual family/ couple. Then base on our ideas, he will propose alternatives if what we initially thought of is really too expensive, i.e. we were initially thinking of building a stone wall as feature wall, but it will be too expensive and later we discover that what we like is minimalist design so a simple yet elegant feature wall for the TV area will bring out the life and the feel in our living room also, i.e. cosy and simple. Ken proposes alternatives, taking into considerations what we like, and giving suggestions on things we have not known or thought about so that we can make an informed decision. Ken also does not push us to go expensive stuffs, i.e. if we wanted to do something that he feels is not worthwhile the price, he will give us his two cents worth so that we do not end up paying for something which is not practical and cost us more at the end of the day.

    Throughout the entire process, Ken followed up with us promptly, and he even prepared some drawings to show us during our 2nd meeting to give us an idea of how the design will look like, base on our initial requirements given to him. And the drawings have been done even before we had confirmed Ken for the renovation project, as we only made the cheque deposit payment during the 2nd meeting, and the drawings were prepare before that (I had the first meeting and discussion with him, and had also some email correspond and phone calls and sms where he asked to understand our needs and requirements, before the 2nd meeting).

    When we had to choose the lights / fan/ accessories for our house, Ken brought us to respective shop to choose them, and he even told us that if we find that their quotes are too expensive, don’t buy from them, and if we buy something in bulk, Ken will help us to ask for a discount from the shop. This made me feel that he is not here to “chop” us but to try to get the best for us, as Ken will share with us what is the market price for certain items and if the prices quoted are reasonable or not.

    Initially I was thinking if Ken has a website where I can look into his projects before we confirm him, but could not find anything. However, some of my husband’s ID contacts showed some portfolio, but did not get back to us or went MIA. Ken on the other hand, has proven to be reliable, trustworthy and he offers suggestions on how we can save money while at the same time offering us advice from an ID point of view what would look nice and practical and what not. His quote is also among the most reasonable, in fact the most competitive even compared to some renovation contractor companies which are not ID companies. The renovation contractor companies did not even meet up with us and only quoted us from an email I sent to them, and they also did not ask for a meet up. The few thousand dollars that we had saved from engaging Ken (instead of other IDs/renovation contractors), allowed us to buy more accessories and furniture. 

    Now that our flat is renovated and done up, we are very happy with the work done and the fact that we can shift in on time within 2 weeks of getting the house keys (Ken has arranged for his carpenter to start the carpentry work 1-2 weeks before us getting the house keys so that the renovation work can be completed on time for us to shift in, and to rush the timeline to start the renovation before the Chinese 7th month). All these would be have excuses or reasons for other IDs to quote us a much higher price and our experience would not have been so pleasant if not for Ken. Overall, we are treated like a friend and not just a customer.

    After the entire renovation is completed, I asked Ken why he did not have a website and some references/testimonials online, as it is quite common that consumers go online to check for project references for renovation; Ken’s reply is very humble and said he has always relied on word-of-mouth and referrals from clients he has serviced, and has not thought of asking for any recommendations or referrals (and I told him he should do so, because he has done a good job).  

    Because of the service rendered, and the very good experience we had with Ken, I really think that he deserves to have more people knowing about what he can offer, and hence even though I am quite tied up with work and family, I wanted to take the time to let people know our experience to show our appreciation for the work Ken has done. I hope that by sharing our experience, home owners / couples especially young couples who have a tight budget will be able to benefit from choosing the right IDs/contractors for their home renovation.  

    Seem like we have the same ID!!! Hahahaha... I would say Ken is a very humour guy. My house have been hand over about 2 months ago and he still very responsive to my request to touch up here and there.

    I have never engaged any ID before as this is my 1st home so i got no ID to compare. But if you ask me how good is him,  i would say Ken from Areana Creation will be the guy who i dare to recommend to my friends and family members without a 2nd thought.

    I have always wanted to come here & write a review about him. But due to work schedule, i can't really free myself to write him a good review on his overall performance. 

    Since Ken have get your house done & you have put up a review about him, don't mind if i "hijack" your post and add on the review about him ya? :)

    Overall, my wife and i very satisfy with Ken. A very sincere guy who look skinny but full with idea. What surprise me more is he not only give proposal on the design, he even draw it out. I'm not sure whether is it all the ID know how to "draw" but according to some of my friends, usually ID will ask some other graphic designer to get the drawing done. That is why some of the ID i meet at expo last time insist want me to place a deposit before they able to provide us with a 3D drawing. Why i know he can draw? Hahah.. I got some amendment quite last mins and he get it done just right in front of me using his "magic" computer. So as a layman in graphic thing, my wife and i was very impressive with him.  We always believe the person who draw and design will always understand well what have we discussed. That is why no much changes on all the 3D drawing when he show us. Thumb up for him!!!!!!!!

    From the starting of reno till the end, he always keep both my wife & i updated (He has created a whatsapp group which include both my wife and i inside). I hardly go down and check on the progress and he never disappointed both my wife and i. 

    There is some minor area that need to be touch up after hand over but he never failed to answer my call or whatsapp. 

    To summarize, i would say his quotation might not be the cheapest and also not the most expensive, but i will not forget for all the services that he provides to me. 

    The only thing not good about him is FREE GIFT!!! He never give me any free gift no matter how hard i tried!!:bangwall::bangwall:

     

     

     

     

  10. Posted

    For those who have pm me for my id contact, i have reply u back. Pls check your inbox. Didn't expect that many of pm though:wacko: Does it mean my quotation is good?:P? looool.. 

    And sorry for the late reply. I don't come in this forum that often due to busy working schedule. So if anyone need it, pls reply here. And hope those that receive my pm can help to share my id contact out if i nv come in here and check. 

     

     

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    1 hour ago, Laozhabor said:

    i think is okay, but can be slightly cheaper abit if u bargain, because he never give you free stuff LOL. Normally nowadays, contractors will free like sink la , cabinet la, aircon lah, blah blah. depends on how u bargain your way. 

    Thanks for the advise! Meeting him this friday. Will try to bargain a bit more.. lool.

     

     

  12. Posted · Edited by summerforce

    I just got my BTO key last week. But due to the tight working schedule, my wife and i got no time to source for a ID. A friend of mine have recommend me an ID and both my wife and i feel alright with this ID. The only concern is the quotation given by him. As we didn't source for any ID, so we unable to compare whether is the price given by this ID is reasonable or not.

    And furthermore my wife a bit worry as she heard sometimes when a ID is recommended by friend, the price will be a bit on the high side as the ID need to cover the person who recommend client to him.

    So we decide to seek advise from experience home owner/ ID here before we confirm the deal with him. 

    Budget a bit tight, so need to kiasu a bit.. lool

    1.jpg

     

    2.jpg

     

    3.jpg

     

    Above is the quotation we received. The final amount is $21838.

    Please advise is the price reasonable? Thanks in advance!

  17. Posted

    I have HDB 4 room house. 110 SQ Meter. We bought about 12 years back. My house is windy so I decided no need Aircon and installed ceiling fan in all room.

    Now I felt I will install Aircon because march april it is getting hot.

    We have 3 Bed room. My Unit is North facing so it is not warm. Myself and my hubby sleeps in Master bed room and my teenage kid sleeps and studies in second bed room. The third bed room we just use it for keeping computer. If my mom comes she uses the Computer bed room. she seldom comes and stays at my place(may be once in 3 months).

    For the Main Hall we do not require Air-Con. My confusion is should I buy Aircon for 2 bed rooms or 3 bedrooms.

    1) Should I buy SYS2 or SYS3?

    Personal opinion i would suggest you to go for a system 3. It is always better to get all the room air-conditioner instead of 2 room as you won't know when will you need to use it.

    And if you go for a system 2, you may facing some problem in the future when you decide to install 1 more in your third room. Mostly is due to the wardrobe or the hassle of removing bulky furniture for the piping installation.

    And not forgetting that for those old flat that using stainless steel bracket, only 1 compressor is allowed to install on HDB flat.

    Additional compressor need to get approval from HDB.

    2) Is there any significantly difference in power consumption if I buy SYS3 and use only 2 Units and seldom turn on the 3rd bed room?

    Yes. There is a difference when you turn on 2 unit and 3 unit. (Full load & partial load)

    3) Any recommended brand?

    It's all depend on the price that you're comfortable with. If you have kids at home, you may want to consider to install Sharp Inverter System 3 which has the Plasmacluster technology. It can purifies the air more effectively and they have the lab test result to support this statement. But this just my personal opinion.

    4)How do I decide the Capacity (BTU)?

    For a standard HDB room, it is advisable to install all 9000 BTU in each room. You may consider to upgrade to 12000 BTU for your master room as usually master room size will be slightly bigger when compare to common room.

    5) I saw courts offering 5 year warranty? Any hidden small font terms I should pay attention?

    Usually the 5 years warranty that you saw from courts is not FREE. It is already factor into the price and they sell it as a package.

    For air-conditioner, you may want to consider to purchase it direct from air-con dealer as you will get more clearer picture on what will you get and who to look for when there's any problem arise.

    6) Any recommended place to buy?

    You may want to consider our offer. Will send a quotation to you afterward.

    7) Any specific information or specification or terms I should look into it.?

    Usually there is only 2 major problem that arise from air-con.

    1. Not cold

    2. Leaking water

    So understand what is the material the air-con dealer provide and is there any warranty on the workmanship given is very important.

    And not forgetting that usually the total length of piping given is 15 meter per indoor unit. So if you have a system 3,

    15 meter x 3 = 45 meter, you will have a total of 45 meter for the installation of the piping. If it exceed the 45 meter given, each 1 meter is chargeable. Usually this is where the dispute come from during the air-con installation.

    Appreciate

    Thank you

  18. Posted

    Mitsubishi starmex is considered as an old model and if you compare the power consumption among all the brand in today market, you will realize that this starmex model have the highest power consumption rating such as 2.18kw for a system 3.

    If you compare the power consumption between Starmex and MHI, the gap is a bit wide as MHI achieve a remarkable of 1.46kw per hour while Starmex is 2.18kw per hour.

    And in term of function, MHI have ionizer and multiple direction air way (controlled through the wireless remote control) which starmex don't have it.

    But it doesn't mean Starmex is not good.

    Clearly understand what you need and what is the purpose of installing an air-con is very important before you make your purchase.

  19. Posted · Edited by summerforce

    Fujitsu Inverter System 2 - $1,899

    Sharp System 3 - $2,599

    Branded Inverter System 2 - $1,899

    (Free upgrade to 12000BTU for 2 fancoil)

    Branded Inverter System 4 - $2,999

    (3 Room 12000BTU + Hall 18000BTU)

    Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Inverter System 3 - $2,850

    Mitsubishi Electric Inverter System 3 - $2,899

    *All price quoted is inclusive of 7% GST and standard installation.

    *Price subject to change once the promotion is ended without prior notice.

    Pm me for more info if interested.

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