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Hi all! Hubby and I are longtime lurkers of renotalk and finally decided to start our very own renoblog! After a long long wait of over 3 years (from BTO release in March 2010..), we have finally collected our keys on Childrens' Day this year! (Auspicious date! Sign of things to come..? ) Ours is a very very small 3 room in Sembawang, just 67sqm 'big'. Here is our floorplan:

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)

Hi all, Sorry if this is a double post. This is my first time on this forum. my wife and I purchased a resale HDB in Bishan at the end of August, and the renovation completed roughly 2 weeks ago. We were lucky to have chosen an excellent Interior Designer / Contractor, and I would like to share my experience with anybody interested. I would like to say first off that I am not profiting in any way by making this post. We started searching for contractors who were recommended by others through forums and friends. We engaged to such contractors (one was V-Max Interior), and we also randomly engaged two other contractors whose offices were near where we were staying at the time. Of the four contractors, a few things stood out for V-Max interior. 1. Vincent, our contractor, has a very can do attitude. We had some pretty tough requests which we ran by all four contractors (such as hacking down walls, moving doorways, and concealing certain piping). The other three contractors either simply said it couldn't be done, or simply tried to avoid making any promises. Vincent would patiently listen to our ideas, think, and then propose how they could be done. 2. The prices quoted by V-Max Interior were very competitive compared to the other three. Only one contractor offered a lower price, but he had a very negative attitude about what could be done, and noticably, some of our main requirements were missing from the contract he offered us. From the discussions with the four contractors, it was tough to make a decision as V-Max Interior, and another contractor both seemed very promising. In the end we chose V-Max Interior, and we are very happy with our decision. Our house is approximately 100 sqm, and the work we had done included the following main items: 1. Changing the flooring of the whole house except the kitchen and store room. We used HERF flooring which so far has turned out to be excellent (very beautiful too). 2. Re-tiling both bathrooms. 3. Completely changing the layout of the common bathroom (it involved a lot of hacking, and creating of new walls and doorways). 4. Redoing the kitchen carpentry and built in wardrobes in each of the three bedrooms. 5. Installing of kitchen and bathroom applicances and accessories (water heaters, oven, stove, sinks etc). There were of course a lot of minor changes/improvements. Vincent also did a survey of the house and pointed out a lot of issues that needed addressing. The entire renovation took less than 2 months, and Vincent himself was there almost every day to oversee the work being done. As we've only recently moved in, the place is a little messy, and we're still in the middle of buying some furniture. Anyway I quickly took a few photos and I've included them here: http://doaaron.smugmug.com/Other/2013Spnewhouse/32958936_Bhgfs2#!i=2856225878&k=HfzqB9d Honestly these photos don't really do the work justice. I will take some better photos when I have the time. If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. In the meantime, if you are looking for a good reliable contractor, consider V-Max Interior. BTW, I am not profiting in any way by making this post. http://www.v-max.com.sg/ Aaron

Hi all, my wife and I purchased a resale HDB in Bishan at the end of August, and the renovation completed roughly 2 weeks ago. We were lucky to have chosen an excellent Interior Designer / Contractor, and I would like to share my experience with anybody interested. I would like to say first off that I am not profiting in any way by making this post. We started searching for contractors who were recommended by others through forums and friends. We engaged to such contractors (one was V-Max Interior), and we also randomly engaged two other contractors whose offices were near where we were staying at the time. Of the four contractors, a few things stood out for V-Max interior. 1. Vincent, our contractor, has a very can do attitude. We had some pretty tough requests which we ran by all four contractors (such as hacking down walls, moving doorways, and concealing certain piping). The other three contractors either simply said it couldn't be done, or simply tried to avoid making any promises. Vincent would patiently listen to our ideas, think, and then propose how they could be done. 2. The prices quoted by V-Max Interior were very competitive compared to the other three. Only one contractor offered a lower price, but he had a very negative attitude about what could be done, and noticably, some of our main requirements were missing from the contract he offered us. From the discussions with the four contractors, it was tough to make a decision as V-Max Interior, and another contractor both seemed very promising. In the end we chose V-Max Interior, and we are very happy with our decision. Our house is approximately 100 sqm, and the work we had done included the following main items: 1. Changing the flooring of the whole house except the kitchen and store room. We used HERF flooring which so far has turned out to be excellent (very beautiful too). 2. Re-tiling both bathrooms. 3. Completely changing the layout of the common bathroom (it involved a lot of hacking, and creating of new walls and doorways). 4. Redoing the kitchen carpentry and built in wardrobes in each of the three bedrooms. 5. Installing of kitchen and bathroom applicances and accessories (water heaters, oven, stove, sinks etc). There were of course a lot of minor changes/improvements. Vincent also did a survey of the house and pointed out a lot of issues that needed addressing. The entire renovation took less than 2 months, and Vincent himself was there almost every day to oversee the work being done. As we've only recently moved in, the place is a little messy, and we're still in the middle of buying some furniture. Anyway I quickly took a few photos and I've included them here: http://doaaron.smugmug.com/Other/2013Spnewhouse/32958936_Bhgfs2#!i=2856225878&k=HfzqB9d Honestly these photos don't really do the work justice. I will take some better photos when I have the time. If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. In the meantime, if you are looking for a good reliable contractor, consider V-Max Interior. BTW, I am not profiting in any way by making this post. http://www.v-max.com.sg/ Aaron

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I heard that must use hammer. to knock somewhere in the house... any sharings?

After a few years with the orginal toilet condition, decide to go for a complete overhaul for my two toilets. Call up my contractor from Sun Hup Interior Contracts who had previously done up my house renovation. They provide various advises from tiles coloring, conceptual design and type of toilet accessories to compliment the odd layout of the toilet. Overall is very happy with the reno and feel comfortable on the works with the verterans (Kok and Peryln). Kok 97680883 Perlyn 97980883 MBR Toilet before MBR Toliet After Common Toilet Before Common Toilet After (Reposition of shower area and water basin)

Hi All, I'm getting my new hdb home 4room latest by June 2014 I guess... Will like to seek opinions & source for renovation quotation from you guys as well.. Like to know: 1) is it a must to use ID for renovating? looking for reliable & responsible contractors as well... 2) if no ID, is there any good contractor out there that does almost same work scope as the ID? 3) walk-in wardrobe in the bedroom is a must from my partner... looking to spend around $20k, will it be enough...? 4) already opted for flooring & doors done by HDB which I think may be a mistake to do that on my part but already done.... 5) need help from you guys to recommend me reliable IDs & Contractors for these... 6) please leave contact or website if any as well.. Please post your comments or pm me if u like. Thank you very much...

We started hunting for a HDB resale flat early this year and after a long process, we finally found a place that we love in Tampines. As we are starting our renovation, my husband (Tikiman) suggested that we should start a t-blog on renotalk. After all, we have gained a lot of information scouring through this forum, and it would be nice to share our own journey. The reasons we chose to buy a resale HDB unit : 1) Older units are bigger in floor space. 2) We dislike the bomb shelter because it is located in the middle of the unit like a sore thumb. 3) New HDB are built so close, neighbours can share salt/sugar via the kitchen/yard. In our search for a HDB apartment, we identified few requirements to fulfil: 1) Quiet and peaceful neighbourhood 2) Square layout without odd corners 3) No bomb shelter 4) Airy units with large windows / high ceiling 5) Corner unit 6) Last but not least, LOW COV haha... Tampines is a mature estate and individual neighbourhoods show unique characteristics. In the course of our search, we have walked the different neighbourhoods of Tampines at nights, off-days and on weekends to have a sense of the surrounding and to shortlist the neighbourhood that we like. Afterall, we can renovate the internal space of our apartment to fit our taste/requirement, but we usually have little control over the outside surrounding. Will share more details on our unit in the next post... Tikimum

Hi all, I am going to collect my keys to my place next year and have started to look for ID for preparation of my flat. Mine is a 4 room BTO which I have opted for flooring and doors to be done. So far I have went to about 4 IDs, some are too expensive and some way too cheap. I even have 1 quotation from an ID for whole house renovation, including changing of kitchen table top from solid surface to quartz, having a full length mirror at dinning, false ceiling for whole house (except 2 bedrooms) and making dinning bench all for $11,888. As a newbie, I would like any advise on how much a rough 4 room BTO renovation would cost and any recommendation so that I can have a better idea. Thank you!

Hi everyone! newbie here! after viewing almost 20 units, i finally manage to settle on my first house! felt like forever! its so tiring have not fully transacted yet but heres a snapshot of the floorplan i took w iPhone the master bedroom seems tough! any suggestions?? was thinking of taking down the store rm.. Haven really been following the posts here, must really try to absorb as much as much as possible from now on! >.<" Hope to learn more here n share w everyone!

Hi guys, am new here. My house will be completed very soon and am now looking for contractors or IDs. Anybody could tell me bout how much for a full house renovation?

Used small Arco lamp lookalike for sale. Length is extendable slightly, height approx 1.5m, colour dark chrome, with black marble base. Bought for S$200+ two years ago, letting go for only $70 now! Non-neg, some light scratches, self-collect Tampines. Please PM contact if keen thank you!

Hey everyone, Just wanna share with everyone our experience relating to our first home (awesomely superb feeling!) and the renovation works in progress... A little backstory here: Basically my older sis and I are Malaysians working and living in Singapore, and being foreigners here, we never had the luxury nor privilege to have a permanent residence to call our 'home'. For myself, I have been here for almost 10 years and have moved a total of 14 times! Have had a share of nightmarish experience (loan sharks, crazy land-lady, backstabbing housemates) while renting, and despite the sky-high property prices, we have had enough and my sis made a good choice to get a pink IC so that she can buy herself a flat under the singles scheme. So, the place actually belongs to my sis, while I fancy myself a squatter, although my sis views me as her personal ATM (*cough blood*) and sai kang warrior to obsess over the itty-bitty details related to the renovation because I am that particular about aesthetics and comfort - but mainly aesthetics, job hazard, I suppose The story starts about 1 year after my sis got her citizenship, when we found a small, old 3-room with an excellent location (MRT nearby!). COV was painful, but the time saved from the travelling will compensate, at least that's what I keep saying for reassurance. Here's the floorplan:

Good evening all! This is a ranting thread and at the same time, I hope some fellow home renovators can give their 2 cents. Having read about all the contractors from ****, I have never expected myself to meet one (FYI: I have never wrote any bad reviews before, this must really have pushed me to my limit for me to write this). Anyway, we received our keys from HDB last year Jan (to read the incomplete t-blog: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/45921-a-new-beginning-at-treelodgepunggol/) but have not done up the kitchen yet. We've gone through a few contractors but did not commit until we saw this promotion on BLUM's facebook page: Looks like an absolute steal right? $4688 with BLUM system, throw in a 5ft wardrobe (to be fair, they were quite flexible in the sense they allowed us to convert this to a 5ft bar counter with solid top instead) and most of all, there'll be an ID (from a seemingly reputable company with a longish history) to oversee everything for us. Immediately after seeing this on facebook, we make our way down to Blum's showroom, after making a call to confirm the promotion. A guy named W picked up our call and confirmed the promotional details. That was on 21st Apr 2013. **I'm not showing the name of the company, but if you are dying to know, there's no stopping you from going into the Apr archives of Blum's website). So we make our way down. W wasn't free to entertain us. A lady N came to chat with us instead. And after going through the general designs of our kitchen and bar counter, we decided to sign up the promotion with them, pay only $80 deposit on the spot. Shortly after signing up the package, N came to our place to have a look and get a feel of the place plus do some rough estimates of the carpentary work. Not long after, we met up with her at her office after she came up with the 3D drawings. This part of the deal was the smoothest. I was all praises for her (PR skills). I thought I met the dream ID. She was all talks about how her carpenter is ready to measure the coming weekend and we should hurry up and choose the laminate. And gullible me was in awe of how efficient they can be. And I still remember chastising my husband saying he shouldn't take too long to choose the laminate. Also, that was also the day we are supposed to pay up the $2k upon receiving the 3D rendering. And we did, with much ebullience. As the measurements made by N are only rough estimate, the carpenter B has to come to our place to take the actual measurement. Look at the date. 17th May: she said the carpenter is able to come the next day at 2pm. 18th May: As my hubby is supposed to leave for his RT around 3pm, we were abit worried when he didn't appear at 2. So being kiasu, we text N at 2:08 to ask whether the carpenter is coming. She replied at 2:09 saying he can't make it. Within a span of one min?! Are you kidding me? Either she is just beside him (in which she can't be bothered to let us know that he'll be late) or she has forgotten to inform him. We believe it is the latter. Nevermind, we give her the benefit of doubt. So my husband decided that he can forgo his RT and wait, as in his reply. and she said she'll check. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Note the next time they have a conversation is on 13th June. You judge this yourself how would you have react. So we finally managed to meet the elusive carpenter. He was supposed to reach at 7pm. We waited. And waited. And waited. Until the waiting got too much, and my husband had to give N a call. Then he appear. At about 9pm. With no apologies. Face flushed. Breathe smells of alcohol. I decided not be be judgemental because he appeared to be considerably clearheaded and professional. We stayed calm and tried to be professional. We managed to verify some details of the laminate (when we found out that N has provided us some wrong information). He had quite a long discussion with my husband who even gave him another can of bottle before he left. Armed with the actual measurement, we were expecting to receive the 2D rendering (autoCAD) drawings from him to confirm the dimensions before they start work. And the renderings came back..............WRONG. This is the rendering corrected by my husband (highlighted in yellow are the parts that are wrong).

Hi Gurus here, I am about to renovate a resale 3 room flat. Can someone guide me on where to start. An ID and a contractor, any different? Must I sent the floor plan to many company for quotations? Although I am doing a lot of research recently, but Renotalk is always the first place to seek infos. Any kind people, please do guide me. TIA

I engaged singapore carpentry to do some refurnishing to my home after viewing their portfolio at carpentry.sg and I must say that they deliver very good quality products and services. I had my kitchen cabinets and wardrobes done by them. Can view some of their works at their website

Hi all, I need some advises as to whether my kitchen quotation is reasonable for a resale 4A! I will only be doing up my kitchen cabinet, changing it from long layout to L-shaped instead. I am not sure if my quotation is considered steep for such renovation as I will not be hacking off my walls and floors. Appreciate fellow friends who are experience in renovation to help! Breakdown as follows: Hacking Works Supply labour and equipment to hack off existing stove support Supply labour and equipment to dismantle existing top and bottom cabinet Total - $1500 Masonry Works Supply labour and material to apply waterproofing membrane base on HDB standard - $150 Supply labour and material to construct 50mm ht cabinet base with side tiling - $400 Supply labour and material to construct 50mm ht fridge base with side tiling - $180 Supply labour and material to install stainless stain rubbish chute - $300 Supply labour and material to erect new half height wall using hollow blocks - $480 Supply labour and material to apply cement screeding - $280 Total - $1790 Plumbing Works Supply labour and material lay inlet for sink using stainless steel piping - $250 Supply labour and material lay inlet for washing machine using stainless stain piping - $250 Supply labour and material lay inlet for basin using stainless stain piping - $250 Supply labour and material lay inlet for sink using PVC piping - $150 Supply labour and material lay inlet for washing machine using PVC piping - $120 Supply labour for installation of taps - $80Supply labour for installation of kitchen sink - $120 Total - $1220Carpentry Works (Using solid plywood in laminated finished c/w ABS edging for all doors only, cabinet door c/w inhouse soft closing) Design, fabricate and install top and bottom kitchen cabinet using high pressure laminate finish and ABS edging (TOP 17FT, BOTTOM 17 FT) - $4200 Supply and install full height cabinet - $1100 Supply and install solid surface kitchen worktop c/w 50mm ht backsplash and 38mm ht edging - $1190 Total - $6490 Miscellaneous Works HDB renovation application and permit - $200 Purchase of sand - $400 Haulage services - $350 Flooring protection using corrugated board - $250 Clearing off rubbish and debris to designated area - $200 General cleaning for the whole unit - $250 Total - $1650 GRAND TOTAL - $12650

Move in to my new place (resale) two months ago. Till to date, she (lady interior designer) still have not settled my home touch ups. Keep delaying with her reasons. The homogenous floor tiles grout lines have turned dark yellow looks dirty after they completed the floor tiles. She told us it is due to resale flat if i do not believe i can go and check my neighbour's new flat! Box-up for my main door frame have been postponed. 1st time because the carpenter lost the measurement! 2nd time because of the haze! Everything we can accommodate with her but yesterday when we text her told her we are very disappointing in her work etc. She replied us all sorts of reasons and if we want she can deduct the $, we go and settle it our ownself! SO IRRESPONSIBLE! Wanted to complain her to CASE but she is freelance do not act for any company hence i am unable to do so. Just wonder have any people here came across this kind of matters. Need advice! Very sad there is so unethical people around! DO NOT GO TO HER! SHE MAY OPERATE HER OWN COMPANY BUSINESS SOON!

Established in 2002, we strongly believe in designing your dream home with passion. Our philosophy is very simple, cutting edge design element that gives our customers' home a modern, sophisticated look with minimalistic features. This does not clutter your homes but yet bring out a sleek and cozy homes with clean lines. Space planning is one of the most important initial stage in interior designing, which also forms the flow of design combined with the essentials stages after. 3-D max drawings let customers have a feel of the closest effects of the final products with the layout and overall color schemes. Hands on site-supervision and coordination works let you have an ease of your mind while we will ensure the project to run smoothly. Check out our photographs of houses we have designed! You can check out our portfolio at http://goo.gl/ER8Uo ! Or go to http://www.spaces-living.com/ to know more! You can also call 6469 2443 /92338337 or visit us at 144 Upp Bukit Timah Road Beauty World Centre #02-19 Singapore 588177 .

It's finally my turn to share my happiness here after a year's worth of lurking around in Renotalk. After working for 40 few years, LB (老伴, Husband) decided that it's probably time for us to move and have a dream home to retire in. Now tell me how to contain my excitement! So far we're having all the luck, our journey to find a new home & ID came really fast&easy. Chop chop! The COV for this resale EM was within our budget, the view from the balcony seems to be not bad (Fresh air - 10th level) and we see the possibilities in transforming it to our desired living space! LB & I are high in spirits but apparently our bodies aren't really cooperative enough for us to visit every ID firms in Singapore. Believe us, if we could, we would! (Kiasu, Kiasi) So LB&I agreed on an ID referred by my friend lor, sweet and easy. Ps:// I've spent the couple of days forcing my grandson to teach me on how to post here. Muahaha, I must be the most irritating grandma ever.

OK. thanks

Hi, Can we still be able to renovate our hse if it falls on the ghost festival period?

Established since 1981, Hoong Fatt Heng Renovation Pte Ltd, HDB license: HB-09-4071G Specialize/Direct Service: 1) Hacking Works/ Reinstatement for commercial properties, HDB, Landed, Condo 2) Tiling Works for commercial properties, HDB, Landed, Condo 3) Ceiling Works for commercial properties, HDB, Landed, Condo -We assure all our customer that our tilers/skilled workers has a minimum experience of 10-30 years in laying tiles, therefore giving you piece of mind for workmanship -Viewing of tiling workmanship available (Prior to exisiting customers agreement) -Tiles supplier include Soon Bee Huat Trading, Hafary Pte Ltd ,Lian Seng Hin, Taugres, therefore giving customers a huge tiles gallery to choose from. -Alternatively, you can provide us your 3D drawing (if any) from your own freelance designer and we can provide a quote for you. Interested, pls call Tony @ 90061763 or pm me.