Retrospectrum Meets Modernisation!

[lawry 3]

Lawry, I can't agree more. This statement from you would definitely not be a sweeping statement

For me, Uncle did tell my carpenter (who is the same one aubrey's using) to rectify all the unsatisfactory works. They did try their best and we just tried to overlook some areas that they really have to dismount the entire cabinet if we were to insist that they rectify.

Bottom line is that Uncle is no nonsense when it comes to quality. He would even go to the extent to sack the sub-con / worker if they really sc*ew up their assigned tasks ... Think the carpenter who did my place and aubrey's would no longer have any jobs from Uncle ...

I've personal experience after all.

After my own episode, I have developed zero sympathy for people with absolutely no pride in their work.

Be it cooking, tailoring, designing, carpentry-ing, if they can't make the cut, then prepare to close shop.

You can't have QC failed items selling at full prices, they belong to some obscure factory outlets at 70% discount or more.

I'm very impressive with people with a certain code of professionalism, even if it eats into their pocket.

From what you all have written, Uncle's already charging at a lower price than most id/contractors, all these rectifications/reno might cause Uncle to make a loss instead, whether because of miscomm or unsatisfactory work. But he had no qualms about it, he don't find excuses for screw ups and force it down people's throat. That in itself is worth some respect. How many big companies can do the same?

[growler 0]

Yes Lawry, I totally agree.

In my sad carpentry case, it appears that my carpenter sub-con is going to foot the bill because I don't think he dared to ask Uncle to pay for the rectification as it's an obvious case of sub-standard work. I may be wrong though ... but this is just my gut feel ...

It's the time wasted in doing rectification that's really frustrating ...

[aubrey 0]

hi lawry! oh my i missed u much in RT! ya some unhappiness due to the carpentry. i think i have closed my eyes to a bunch of it, just not my tv console. i want to suan zhang with him for that. i wont force him into a corner but he has to tell me how come my tv console turned out like tt. i think its miscomm between jason and him. but he is definitely not like ah wei, who bothers to talk to the owner direct. for us, we hardly spoke. plus for some reason my carpentry is quite rush so uncle used him.

i cant help but feel the same as growler. he is cutting corners wherever he can and that is annoying. i think i shall cut corners with my payment sum too. not like im paying him any lesser. :/

anyways, update for today. i was out from 4pm onwards to search for my bathroom accessories, spice racks (ppl do u have any lobangs on where to buy???) and went to ikea to buy some small items as well as a new chair for my study table! i lugged it all home by myself! *feels good about achieving much today*

talking about bathroom accessories, can anyone advice if buying from asia excel or rayal fanco is better in terms of price? need to keep everything low now.

the update on work progress is:

- s/s backing for kitchen is done by jason himself ytd. but the backing slid down to the table top and luckily i got home in time to see it and to DIY the rectification works myself.

- granite top was delivered ytd and the same master tiler came over to help cut it for my kitchen. not exactly what i called superb workmanship, just passable as i believe it is not easy since its heavy like crazy.

- ah tan came today to finish up my electricity works. i have to go buy my own switches for those that i want to replace. i will try to clean it with lighter fluid and fix it myself to see if the switches are stiff still. if so, i will just pop by jalan besar to buy it myself.

- bad news of the day: my franke sink is scratched! its a string of small scratches. so heartpain. i dont know what to do with the scratches. my fujioh hood has also obtained a single scratch. quite pissed with all these scratches popping out since i like to take care of my things.

- general cleaning was done today also by jason himself. not a job well done since i believe there is no acid wash. its not acceptable as the wax on the tiles are still there!! how can it be? for kitchen tiles at least need to clean up the wall tiles, floor not so bad. my grout for the wall tiles are yellowish for some. not acceptable too! my mom helped with the cleaning and after reaching home i went to clean it too. painstakingly cleaned the fridge area and WM area since once it's placed there, i wont be able to clean it easily again. have to feed back to uncle about it.

- elder goh did not come today to an shen. apparently pushed back to sunday. was having minor tension with my mom as moving back on sunday is another rush job again. but she said have to since we need to move the shen back home before we can move back. dunno what to say. plus my auntie and cousins are coming again, dont even know where to let them bunk in at. -_-

P.S: tmr for all who are coming, do try to come from 1 - 4pm cos i intend to go out in the evening to get whatever loose ends i need and tie it up b4 i go back to work on monday. but if really cannot i will just have to take leave again or something. oh and please just come as u are and dont need to buy me anything. my house and rented unit is a mess so i wont have place to put anything so pls! come as u are!!

what's pending:

- my window grilles (not very important)

- my iron gate (impt to me! feel naked without it)

- my bookcase & study table (still can delay a little..)

- wallpaper for my tv console is bottle necked till rectifications kick in. good on one hand since i have not settled on wallpaper. need to choose and decide soon

- mounting of tv (boo! was looking forward to watching tv on the new plasma)

- to choose between a 22" LCD TV or a 5.1 home theater system from LG as free gift for buying the TV. any input from anyone on this? all opinions are once again, deeply appreciated. :]

ok me out! need to sleep. so tired.

Edited May 29, 2009 by aubrey

[Reiki 0]

the update on work progress is:

- general cleaning was done today also by jason himself. not a job well done since i believe there is no acid wash. its not acceptable as the wax on the tiles are still there!! how can it be? for kitchen tiles at least need to clean up the wall tiles, floor not so bad. my grout for the wall tiles are yellowish for some. not acceptable too! my mom helped with the cleaning and after reaching home i went to clean it too. painstakingly cleaned the fridge area and WM area since once it's placed there, i wont be able to clean it easily again. have to feed back to uncle about it.

what's pending:

- to choose between a 22" LCD TV or a 5.1 home theater system from LG as free gift for buying the TV. any input from anyone on this? all opinions are once again, deeply appreciated. :]

I salute you, aubrey. It is not easy running around, to get everything, and giving all your energy on renovation.

01. General cleaning

I strongly suggest that you request for machine wash. It is effective and faster.

During my reno, I had the tiler doing it manually - with water and chicken brand steel wool, to de-wax. Manual can be effective but it depends on the individual performing the job. The result - not uniform. At the end, since I was also rushing to move in, I requested machine wash. Those tiles not to my expectation, I manually did it [slowly] after moved in.

For the yellowish grout, maybe you can request to re-grout. It is better to do it now.

02. LG free gift

I will opt for LCD TV. Then again, it depends on your preference and lifestyle. As I hardly blast for surround sound, having a second tv can always be placed in either your room or mum's, and enjoy watching from the bed.

Hmm, just a suggestion, since you have that wall from the living room TV console, maybe can place this 2nd tv back to back.

I am looking forward to your HO, aubrey where everything will be swee swee and, at last, you will be stress free.

[blue_diamond 0]

hi lawry! oh my i missed u much in RT! ya some unhappiness due to the carpentry. i think i have closed my eyes to a bunch of it, just not my tv console. i want to suan zhang with him for that. i wont force him into a corner but he has to tell me how come my tv console turned out like tt. i think its miscomm between jason and him. but he is definitely not like ah wei, who bothers to talk to the owner direct. for us, we hardly spoke. plus for some reason my carpentry is quite rush so uncle used him.

i cant help but feel the same as growler. he is cutting corners wherever he can and that is annoying. i think i shall cut corners with my payment sum too. not like im paying him any lesser. :/

anyways, update for today. i was out from 4pm onwards to search for my bathroom accessories, spice racks (ppl do u have any lobangs on where to buy???) and went to ikea to buy some small items as well as a new chair for my study table! i lugged it all home by myself! *feels good about achieving much today*

talking about bathroom accessories, can anyone advice if buying from asia excel or rayal fanco is better in terms of price? need to keep everything low now.

the update on work progress is:

- s/s backing for kitchen is done by jason himself ytd. but the backing slid down to the table top and luckily i got home in time to see it and to DIY the rectification works myself.

- granite top was delivered ytd and the same master tiler came over to help cut it for my kitchen. not exactly what i called superb workmanship, just passable as i believe it is not easy since its heavy like crazy.

- ah tan came today to finish up my electricity works. i have to go buy my own switches for those that i want to replace. i will try to clean it with lighter fluid and fix it myself to see if the switches are stiff still. if so, i will just pop by jalan besar to buy it myself.

- bad news of the day: my franke sink is scratched! its a string of small scratches. so heartpain. i dont know what to do with the scratches. my fujioh hood has also obtained a single scratch. quite pissed with all these scratches popping out since i like to take care of my things.

- general cleaning was done today also by jason himself. not a job well done since i believe there is no acid wash. its not acceptable as the wax on the tiles are still there!! how can it be? for kitchen tiles at least need to clean up the wall tiles, floor not so bad. my grout for the wall tiles are yellowish for some. not acceptable too! my mom helped with the cleaning and after reaching home i went to clean it too. painstakingly cleaned the fridge area and WM area since once it's placed there, i wont be able to clean it easily again. have to feed back to uncle about it.

- elder goh did not come today to an shen. apparently pushed back to sunday. was having minor tension with my mom as moving back on sunday is another rush job again. but she said have to since we need to move the shen back home before we can move back. dunno what to say. plus my auntie and cousins are coming again, dont even know where to let them bunk in at. -_-

P.S: tmr for all who are coming, do try to come from 1 - 4pm cos i intend to go out in the evening to get whatever loose ends i need and tie it up b4 i go back to work on monday. but if really cannot i will just have to take leave again or something. oh and please just come as u are and dont need to buy me anything. my house and rented unit is a mess so i wont have place to put anything so pls! come as u are!!

what's pending:

- my window grilles (not very important)

- my iron gate (impt to me! feel naked without it)

- my bookcase & study table (still can delay a little..)

- wallpaper for my tv console is bottle necked till rectifications kick in. good on one hand since i have not settled on wallpaper. need to choose and decide soon

- mounting of tv (boo! was looking forward to watching tv on the new plasma)

- to choose between a 22" LCD TV or a 5.1 home theater system from LG as free gift for buying the TV. any input from anyone on this? all opinions are once again, deeply appreciated. :]

ok me out! need to sleep. so tired.

wow...it really tough for u and pei fu u to achieve so much in a day also...

My vote will be Royal Franco. I jut bought my items from them. The owner Henry is good, the qulity is good as well.He did give me a good price and discount. I was in his shop for nealry 3 hours with lots of questions. Thumb up for his service.

I bought a tap,same brand n design at RF for $55, saw it at Excel selling for $165......

[preciousjam 0]

wow...it really tough for u and pei fu u to achieve so much in a day also...

My vote will be Royal Franco. I jut bought my items from them. The owner Henry is good, the qulity is good as well.He did give me a good price and discount. I was in his shop for nealry 3 hours with lots of questions. Thumb up for his service.

I bought a tap,same brand n design at RF for $55, saw it at Excel selling for $165......

agreed with blue...henry is good with his service....we had to cancel an order for ceiling fan, he did it without questions ask and still very friendly....

one of the sink was missing a part, we only know of it when our plumber install....he also changed....

I've good experience with Asia Excel too,they took the trouble to come to my house second time to change a $20+ mirror....delivered wrong one..

overall service wise both good....pricing i would say RF has en edge...

[ivy 0]

Aubrey, u are really a tough cookie! It's not easy to handle reno plus all the planning and QC single handed. Jia you!

[blue_diamond 0]

agreed with blue...henry is good with his service....we had to cancel an order for ceiling fan, he did it without questions ask and still very friendly....

one of the sink was missing a part, we only know of it when our plumber install....he also changed....

I've good experience with Asia Excel too,they took the trouble to come to my house second time to change a $20+ mirror....delivered wrong one..

overall service wise both good....pricing i would say RF has en edge...

yuo yup...pricing sure RF...but Asia Excel do have some promotion as well. i bpught my Franke set from them...

[preciousjam 0]

yuo yup...pricing sure RF...but Asia Excel do have some promotion as well. i bpught my Franke set from them...

also bought the franke set and cuzino set from them...that is really a big big offer which i can't resist....

RF won us over for the rest of the items with its pricing and service....

[familyof4 0]

audrey, your block is it at Rocher centre?

[Smallboy 0]

aubrey, for your spice rack, hope over to Jalan Besar, Royal Franco. Henry will be able to help you.

Good quality, good service.

PreciousJam, myself and some others had good experience with Royal Franco.

[stormcontrol 0]

@aubrey: wah, so tiring to have to do everything alone. I feel for you, cause I've been doing that too (running around, planning, and buying stuff alone ) But lucky that at least from next week onwards my wife will finally be free to help me out.

As for the free gift, I would only get the LCD tv only if i have an appropriate location to place it. 22" is really small you know. Only slightly bigger than a computer monitor! The optimum viewing distance for that (to get maximum viewing pleasure) is less than 1m, and that's is nearly around half the length of a standard bed.

I would get the home theatre myself. Imagine cozying up to a nice movie on friday nights with a loved one/family/friends. Just rent a DVD/bluray, turn off the lights and on your TV+home theatre and you're going to save around $10+ every week on friday night entertainment =)

@smallyboy + preciousjam: does royal franco also sell cooker/hoods/bathtubs/ceiling fan? Prices for these are also competitive? Can't remember from whom i heard from in this forum. 699 for sink, tap, cooker, hood from asiaexcel. Not even sure if that promo is still on =p

[aubrey 0]

hi all, thanks for the input. i think i will just go to royal fanco and check them out. way nearer to me anyway. ytd was really crazy. went to balastier by bus (was with a friend to be fair) then took another bus to tampines ikea (omg that bus ride was 1 hour plus! i thought 1 hour plus rides were extinct!) bottomline is, i can do it since im still young. when im 30.. will think about it again. this is like the last lap of the reno, i must buck up!

i have ppl telling me to get HT for the entertainment value, some that says the HT must be good for best performance but dunno if the LG one is good or not. decisions decisions....

for those who are coming, my place is near sculpture square/SMU/SAM/diagonal from iluma & just look out for a traffic coloured block (green/red/yellow)

[stormcontrol 0]

just a quick check ah aubrey, uncle tell me to call ah di to get address of where to choose floor tiles. Ah di tell me to go eunos ave 7. Did you go there to choose your floor tiles too? Is the selection there good? I got ask ah di got any other location where we can choose floor tiles but he said no. does that mean we die die have to use floor tiles from this place in eunos?

Paiseh ah, i realise the info might be in your thread already but it's very long and i'm leaving the house soon so looking for fast feedback just in case =p

[aubrey 0]

eunos is at sin lek, the one that uncle likes to work with. tiles selection is decent. i went to lian seng hin too to view. tile seection i would say 75% similar to sin lek. uncle can get tiles from them too.