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Hi, I will be a new house owner soon, expecting my keys within 6 months in Punggol With the house in sight, think its time that I start my renovation planning. Reading all the articles here, its going to take a minimum of 4 months to identify a good contractor. First, my preference is a direct contractor rather than an ID. ID's prices seem to be very high, adds complication to the process. Can make a mess. I'll be really thankful if you could PM me the contacts of some good "Direct" contractors. Sure will give you a gift if I take your advice. Right now, my budget is around 25K. Within this, what I expect is; New house is a premium BTO, so; 1. Flooring is already done 2. Kitchen has full tiles and Sink 3. Bathroom has full tiles and amenities My renovation requirement; 1. Do a nice kitchen setup with cabinets, door, etc 2. Master bedroom, full length wardrobe 3. Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2, full length wardrobe 4. Hall - TV area, Shoe rack, false ceiling 5. Full length cabinet, study area for Study room 6. Cabinets in Toilets 7. Do a nice laundry setup in service area with cabinet 8. Aluminum grill for all windows 9. Simple wire grill for balcony 10 Plastering, Painting, Cleaning, Polishing 11. Additional carpentry work where required to do a nice house In addition, I will do the following, if the contractor is reasonable in pricing 1. Sofa with coffee table 2. Master bed 3. beds in 2 rooms 4. Dining table The most important is QUALITY. Looking for a Simplistic and Functional design. NO TRICKS, NO GIMMIKS. Like a contractor who says, white as white and black as black. I can share my floor plan when required. Thanks Jerry

Hi my 3 room premium bto ( I have opt out the doors ) will be ready for key collection early next year.i have a tight budget and I just want to keep my house simple , any good contractor to recommend & any idea the cost will roughly be like ? Below are the stuff which I thought of doing : 1) kitchen - masonry (montar base), plumbing , carpentry work , installing of sink etc 2) service yard - montar base for washing machine , plumbing work , windows at service yard etc 3) doors - 2 bed room doors & 2 pvc toilet doors ( either cellular foam bi folding / folding doors ) 4) toilets - installing heater 5) electrical works 6) installing the lights 7) painting Seek all your advice & many thanks .

Dear all, We have just gotten our keys to a new standard 4-room HDB flat. Totally clueless about reno quotation. Would appreciate any advice on the quotation below - is it reasonable or not? Thanks for all the advice. Masonry works – tiles range $3 psf and below Homogenous floor tiles **** and dining area (60 by 60cm) – $1950 Homogeneous floor tiles at passageway (60 by 60cm) – $525 Overlay kitchen floor tiles – $850 Overlay common toilet floor tiles – $480 Overlay common toilet wall tiles – $1350 Overlay master toilet floor tiles – $480 Overlay master toilet floor tiles – $1350 Construct kitchen base c/w side tile finish 19.5ft – $350 Construct fridge and washing machine base c/w tile finish - $200 Construct shower screen kerb at master toilet c/w side tile finish - FOC Construct shower screen kerb at common toilet c/w side tile finish – FOC Lay craftstone at dining area L8ft x H8ft - $2400 Lay level up floor level at 3 bedrooms – by client Laminate flooring works Lmainate flooring master bedroom - $975 Lamiate flooring bedroom 2 – $715 Lamiate flooring bedroom 3 – $715 Kitchen Kitchen cabinet top hung laminate finish 17.5ft- $2100 Kitchen cabinet bottom hung laminate finish 17.5ft- $2100 Granite kitchen work top black galaxy 17.5ft – $2100 Full height kitchen cabinet for built in oven in laminate finish - $600 Install dish drainer – FOC Install kitchen hob and hood – FOC Main Entrance Full ht shoe cabinet in laminate finish 3ft – $840 Living Area Full ht feature wall in laminate finish 6ft – $1680 Suspended TV console c/w flip up glass door in laminate finish 6ft – $900 Designated sette c/w storage in laminate finish 11ft - $1650 Master bedroom Designated 6” height platform c/w storage 90 sqft - $2340 Designated half-height cushion bedhead for queen size bed approx. 6ft x 2ft - $650 Walk in L-shaped sliding and casement full ht wardrobe in laminate finish 11ft – $3520 Master bathroom Suspended vanity in laminate finish 3ft – $360 Solid surface vanity top 3ft – $240 Storage mirror in laminate finish 3ft – $420 Plumbing Works Supply labour to install 2 set of bathroom accessories ($150) Supply and install tap, inlet and outlet piping and kitchen sink ($120) Glass work To supply & install a 10mm clear tempered glass at kitchen entrance. 3ft W x 7ft H $ 600.00 To supply & install 1 set 10mm swing clear tempered glass shower screen at master-toilet. (1 fix panel & 1 swing door) $ 388.00 To supply & install a 10mm clear tempered glass at master toilet entrance. 3ft W x 7ft H $ 600.00 False Ceiling 1. L-Box cw false ceiling Living & Dining Hall. ($900) 2. false ceiling at passage way. ($400) 3. L-Box cw false ceiling Living & Dining Hall at Master bedroom. (FOC) Window Grilles based on 3ft height – Lump sum $1200 To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at Main bedroom (SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at bedroom 1(SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at bedroom 2 (SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver **** room (SMG 361) To supply labour and material to install sliding window grilles aluminum silver at service yard (SMG 361)

Is it really more cost effective if u look for Contractor directly compared to Interior Designer? Interior Designer: Some have said that the first fee the IDs charge will be the design, concept, planning and maybe even decorating. Next, the IDs will get the relevant contractors to come in and the contractors may markup the price so the IDs can get a cut off it. Gd news is they will work hand in hand in most cases and give u lesser worries but that may also take away some of ur participation. Contractor: To go for a contractor straight, i would say you hv some form of an idea what you want in a hse. The material cost may not be necessary cheaper as usually they will not give u the discounted price that they give to IDs for them to mark up. Alot of participation may be required as they may not knw things like where to place the lighting or wiring etc as usually IDs will advise them. Some of the more experienced contractors may knw what u want and need and even give suggestions but would they cost more, im not sure... Any seniors here can share their thoughts on who is better or cheaper? Getting my keys in under 18mths. I would say i roughly know wat theme or decor i need in my hse but not sure does it gel up together in whole and currently trying to get as much ideas as possible.

I would be getting my keys at December end this year. Its for EM at Tampines. Would like reasonable IDs with good workmanship to contact me with their quotes for the following works required.... Any recommendation would be really appreciatable. > 1) Kitchen cabinet 20 ft (L-shaped) - floor plan attached.- > 2) Polish of Marble (Study, dining, living, rooms) > 3) Chemical wash for tiles in Kitchen, staircase,balcony & 3 bathrooms > Add-ons if provided by your company > 1) Change of rubbish chute to the new model > 2) Shutter shelter for balcony. > 3) Change door for storeroom under staircase > 4) Change existing wrought iron gate > 5) TV console 6 fts Your soonest reply would be very much appreciatable

I will like to share my experiences with you, now that my unit is 85% done. Since early 2013 i have been trawling this website looking for information and engaging in a self learning process of ways to renovate my brand new unit (just TOP). I just want to say that one of the most commonly made mistakes everyone here make is to fall into the trap of looking for something / someone that is the "cheapest" out there. I also played with the idea of getting a design drawn and hiring my own contractors to do the job. Well, i am glad i didn't. Here's why. 1) There is no way to compare 'quotes' from one ID with another. Unless the quotes are fully itemized (they never will be) and branded properly, there is no way to compare the quality of fixtures and materials used by one ID versus another. 2) Things are bound to go wrong during the renovation process. There will be delays, there will be ad-hoc problems to be solved. One should include the price that one pays for the ID to involve their problem-solving capabilities. 3) One of the biggest reasons why one uses an ID is their ability and responsibility of managing the main contractor, carpenter, soft fixtures (curtains + wall paper), etc. One cannot just look at their prices quoted and know how good they are in doing this. Keep in mind these people (contractors, etc) are a different breed - they are difficult to manage. You can read about all the horror stories posted here regarding them. Before selecting on my current ID, i went out and got 3 competing quotes. I almost fell into the trap of choosing the cheapest ID. Now that i am 85% done with my stuff, i wonder if i will be as happy now if i had selected the cheaper alternative. Here's why. 1) My ID is very much on the ball - so much so, he PUSHES me to meet all my deadlines. When there is a problem, it is an instant phone call and we work together to solve the problem. 2) My ID is passionate about his work and talented. So much so that many of my earlier suggestions have been proven wrong. 3) There is no limit to the number of times he has visited my sites to make sure the contractors are working on schedule, and constantly rectify things on the spot if mistakes are made by them. 4) He controls the timing and schedule of his workers very well and adheres very strictly to the proposed schedule and handover timing between us. So in a nutshell, i am blessed because i made the right decision. Is 1-4 a reason why i had paid a premium (10-20%) versus the cheaper alternative? The answer is yes. It's a small price to pay for 1) things to happen and finish on time 2) Furnishings and fixtures to be top quality 3) Full transparency of things paid 4) Ability to pay and set up things myself (furniture, soft furnishings) while he focuses on the (fixed features) to jointly reduce the total costs of renovating 5) High level of trust. Having read many threads here on selecting IDs, i would recommend that forummers here do NOT fall into the trap of going for something that is the cheapest Go for a personalized service and think if one will pay a premium for all the intangibles as what i wrote above. In short, go for someone whom your friend/family/relatives/colleague have used and have high marks for execution and talent. In short, use the power of referrals in your selection process. In my case, this particular ID was used by my brother and that's how i settled on him because he did a great job for him. Never under estimate the power of referrals and relationships when it comes to choosing the right ID for your renovation work!

Hi Guys, Please leave your comments below. thank thank Or any of you have other good IDs to recommend? Our budget is 40K, can do an average sort of renovation? Mindy