Hi guys, just want to share a lobang. Recently I renovated my house through my friend's contractor. Very good service and nice workmanship. And most important very reasonable pricing! I had saved almost 20% on the total work done with respect to the cheapest quote I had gotten. And flexible payment scheme.

What happened is that he will come up a quote for me with all the break down of the work to be done and charges in cost price. Then he will ask his workers to do the job for me. Upon completion of each stage of the work I made payment directly to his workers and raw material suppliers like cement and tiles. So everything is transparent to me with no hidden cost. He in turn get rebates from his suppliers which cover his fees in helping me to coordinate all the reno works. Only additional cost is that I need to pay his friend to get a HDB permit about $300 as he seldom do HDB projects and specialize in private projects.

Also we have a great discount on the purchase of tiles as he told me usually the price shown at the tiles show room is "mark up" to cover the commission of the ID that bring us to select the tiles and he can get special price for them.

Quite a good deal as I dun have to come up with 50% of the total reno cost before start work and no hidden cost to me as payment is made directly to the suppliers. After the whole reno I compare back to the quotes I get I got a shock how much ripping off I will be getting if I engaged a regular ID to do the job for me.

Why not share the details of all the payments you made & the renovation works you received?

HDB does not charge for processing renovation permit application & issuance as such application must be submitted electronically via APEX (Application of Renovation Permit Electronic Transaction) System.

You have contravened Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006 when you engaged a renovation contractor who is not registered with HDB.

Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006

The Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006 require flat owners to engage an HDB Registered Renovation Contractor to carry out renovation works in the flat.

The following are offences, upon conviction, could lead to a fine up to $5,000 and other penalties:

1. Flat owners who engage a non-HDB Registered Renovation Contractor to carry out the works and/or breach HDB's renovation rules/guidelines.
2. HDB Registered Renovation Contractor who breach HDB's renovation rules/guidelines.
3. Non-HDB Registered Renovation Contractor who carry out renovation works or hold himself out as an HDB Registered Renovation Contractor.

Housing & Development (Composition of Offences) Rules 2006

The Housing & Development (Composition of Offences) Rules allow HDB to compound offences committed under the Housing & Development Rules. If the offenders fail to pay the composition sum, they will be prosecuted in Court.

Your Contractor has violated the Terms Of HDB Registered Renovation Contractors' Scheme, in particular, Section 13:

13. Use of Name or Permit

The Contractor shall

• not lend or allow to be used its name /logo and/or its HDB renovation registration in any application for a renovation permit unless the Contractor is executing all the Works stipulated in the application.
• not execute any Works for and on behalf of any contractors who are not registered under the HDB Registered Renovation Contractors' Scheme.

Edited July 14, 200818 yr by DSA

Why not share the details of all the payments you made & the renovation works you received?

HDB does not charge for processing renovation permit application & issuance as such application must be submitted electronically via APEX (Application of Renovation Permit Electronic Transaction) System.

You have contravened Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006 when you engaged a renovation contractor who is not registered with HDB.

Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006

The Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006 require flat owners to engage an HDB Registered Renovation Contractor to carry out renovation works in the flat.

The following are offences, upon conviction, could lead to a fine up to $5,000 and other penalties:

1. Flat owners who engage a non-HDB Registered Renovation Contractor to carry out the works and/or breach HDB's renovation rules/guidelines.
2. HDB Registered Renovation Contractor who breach HDB's renovation rules/guidelines.
3. Non-HDB Registered Renovation Contractor who carry out renovation works or hold himself out as an HDB Registered Renovation Contractor.

Housing & Development (Composition of Offences) Rules 2006

The Housing & Development (Composition of Offences) Rules allow HDB to compound offences committed under the Housing & Development Rules. If the offenders fail to pay the composition sum, they will be prosecuted in Court.

Your Contractor has violated the Terms Of HDB Registered Renovation Contractors' Scheme, in particular, Section 13:

13. Use of Name or Permit

The Contractor shall

• not lend or allow to be used its name /logo and/or its HDB renovation registration in any application for a renovation permit unless the Contractor is executing all the Works stipulated in the application.
• not execute any Works for and on behalf of any contractors who are not registered under the HDB Registered Renovation Contractors' Scheme.

I know but he is using his friend's permit to do the job so the money is paid to his friend cos he says in the event of any screw up like leaking or what his friend will be fine and award demerit point or something like that. Anyway since I can save alot on the reno so I dun mind paying his friend for the fee.

And the permit fee is only for resale flat I think. Cos my friend whom recommend me this contractor did not do the permit for her cos he says for new flat if no hacking to be done then no need to apply HDB permit.

Edited July 14, 200818 yr by starkybaby

I mainly do up my kitchen and 2 toilets and change my front gate. This is roughly what I had paid......

Demolition / Haulage Works $1,300.00

Wet Works labour $1,640.00

Raw Material cement, water proofing, chemical cement etc..$465.15

Raw Material ( Tiles ) $1,617.84

Plumbling whole house change stainless steel pipe $1,500.00

Painting 5rm $1,000.00

Ceiling Works false ceiling and L box living only $520.00

Carpentry $2,597.50

Tempered Glass door for kitchen $310

Wrought Iron gate $380

Toilet aluminium Bifold door X 2 $160 each

Electrical Works (whole house rewiring) $1,800.00

HDB license fee $150.00

Chemical washing for whole house $160.00

The permit is $150. I pay $300 bcos my old house need to redo back to original condition cos the buyer dun like the layout. So is he apply 2 permit for me for $300

Hi guys, just want to share a lobang. Recently I renovated my house through my friend's contractor. Very good service and nice workmanship. And most important very reasonable pricing! I had saved almost 20% on the total work done with respect to the cheapest quote I had gotten. And flexible payment scheme.

What happened is that he will come up a quote for me with all the break down of the work to be done and charges in cost price. Then he will ask his workers to do the job for me. Upon completion of each stage of the work I made payment directly to his workers and raw material suppliers like cement and tiles. So everything is transparent to me with no hidden cost. He in turn get rebates from his suppliers which cover his fees in helping me to coordinate all the reno works. Only additional cost is that I need to pay his friend to get a HDB permit about $300 as he seldom do HDB projects and specialize in private projects.

Also we have a great discount on the purchase of tiles as he told me usually the price shown at the tiles show room is "mark up" to cover the commission of the ID that bring us to select the tiles and he can get special price for them.

Quite a good deal as I dun have to come up with 50% of the total reno cost before start work and no hidden cost to me as payment is made directly to the suppliers. After the whole reno I compare back to the quotes I get I got a shock how much ripping off I will be getting if I engaged a regular ID to do the job for me.

Hi can pm me the contractor's contact? I am keen..thanks

I ask my contractor about the permit thing he says he is working under his friend whom is a license HDB license contractor. He himself dun apply for a permit cos he mostly doing private property and condo project. Only when his existing customer's friend ask him to help to do their HDB flats he ask his friend to do the permit for him. He and his friend hired the same pool of worker for the job and their permit is under his friend's company so it is not against any HDB regulation. Just that he is consider a free lance under his friend company therefore he is not accountable to the profit margin to his friend ask he tell me usually the ID under his friend's company usually "mark up" about 15%-25% profit from the whole reno which is split by the ID and the company boss. That's why if I go directly to his friend's company then I will kanna carrot. But if I engage him direct then his method of charging will be different cos he is the boss himself so no need to split profit with any sales ID. Actually I also dun care as long as I can save $$$ thats most important. And nowadays every thing up GST up taxi UP petrol UP only my hubby salary no UP...

So can save $ is most important now ya....

Quote looks alittle vague... could you expand on the things done just to share?

Hi Starkybaby,

I'm interested in your contractor's contacts.

Can you send me at my email address below pls? thanks!

fuchsiapetals@hotmail.com

Hi Starkybaby,

I'm interested in your contractor's contacts.

Can you send me at my email address below pls? thanks!

fuchsiapetals@hotmail.com

I think Starkybaby is the contractor himself... self-promoting...

The HDB license is tied to the company, so contractors/id can lend or borrow it to use? The risk is if the contractor get caught, the HDB license tied to that company will be revoke the license pls minus demerit point. That why many Reno company register under many name under their parent company? Have you ever seen GST or renovation company. Only those well-known company quotation will have GST, cause they do not want open another company under same company.

Like that, HDB license can not gurantee the consumer, and what is the purpose?

Let say you have engaged an HDB unlicenced contractor and later discovered some serious violation of regulatory rules/codes, who should you claim? Will you claim against your contractor or the HDB's licenced contractor who had applied for the renovation permit but do not have a direct contract with you?

Can you see the different now?

Although this kind of dealing can be base on trust, but it is defintely not allow according to HDB rules.

Bear in mind, you are going to stay in the house for long-term.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006

The Housing & Development (Renovation Control) Rules 2006 require flat owners to engage an HDB Registered Renovation Contractor to carry out renovation works in the flat.

The following are offences, upon conviction, could lead to a fine up to $5,000 and other penalties:

1. Flat owners who engage a non-HDB Registered Renovation Contractor to carry out the works and/or breach HDB's renovation rules/guidelines.

2. HDB Registered Renovation Contractor who breach HDB's renovation rules/guidelines.

3. Non-HDB Registered Renovation Contractor who carry out renovation works or hold himself out as an HDB Registered Renovation Contractor.

The Housing & Development (Composition of Offences) Rules allow HDB to compound offences committed under the Housing & Development Rules. If the offenders fail to pay the composition sum, they will be prosecuted in Court.

Your Contractor has violated section 13

13. Use of Name or Permit

The Contractor shall

• not lend or allow to be used its name /logo and/or its HDB renovation registration in any application for a renovation permit unless the Contractor is executing all the Works stipulated in the application.

• not execute any Works for and on behalf of any contractors who are not registered under the HDB Registered Renovation Contractors' Scheme.

You need to engage an HDB registered renovation contractor to renovate your flat (including works which do not require a renovation permit). The registered renovation contractor is required to apply for a renovation permit for certain items and carry out the renovation items in accordance with the guidelines/conditions governing the items as set out in the guidelines for building and sanitary works in HDB flats. As for the interior design works, you can engage any interior design company to provide if you wish. Such works are not regulated under the HDB registered renovation contractors' scheme.

Edited December 8, 200817 yr by johnnyong

I think Starkybaby is the contractor himself... self-promoting...

cant agree more.. but who knows? ha

Hi,

I just bought a 4 room resale and my budget around $20K or lesser. Can you please email me the contractor contact number? my email is vian2906@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Hi I would like the contractor no too. Pls pm me, thanks.

Hi could you PM me the contractor contact please.

Hi,

I am currently looking for contractor. Do you all have any reasonable and reliable contractor to share?

Pls pm me or email me at yvonne_nxl@hotmail.com. Thank lots