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Byu's Mommie

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Hiya all...

First of First, I really got to give my two thumbs ups for this forum. It's really soooooo useful, helpful, informative...

As a PR that finally "stay-put" in this little red dots that knows barely anything regarding RENO, this forum is like an oasis for us (esp me.. :D ) Been researching deeply recently.. thus.. still.. havent even sign contract with the IDs we went to.

Everything is headache for me. So much to learn, so many to read, so little time. haiz...

After a 'i-dont-even-remember-how-many' flats viewing around AMK, BEDOK, TAMPINES, BISHAN, SIMEI, we finally agreed on a 102sqm 4A Resale @ Tampines. Price wise, it doesnt even provide any luxury of the 'landed-two-or-three-storey-house' that we can get in our homeland.. But hey.. this is 'the-little-red-dot".. What could you expect? lol...

Anyway.. we do really feel greatful for at least, we can have our own house.. But there are times you feel 'sim-thia' a.k.a 'heart-broken' coz you know, you can get something BIG with the same amount in your homeland.. hahaha...

Anyway... back to the topic..

This 4A resale is considered young.. It was born in 1997.. And actually, it was in a move-in-condition. (as so the advert said. lol) But alas.. he dont have build in wardrobe, no kitchen cabinet, the aircons' not working anymore, and the wall colour is SOOOOOOO NICEEEE..... (It's VERY GREEN and ORANGE)... So.. We decide to do some simple reno.. anyway.. this is our first home, rite..

But OMG... we still havent find an ID that click.. Here is where your help and comments are most needed.. Please feel free to comment and advice for the following ID's we went through:

1. ID EMBOSS ==> This is the VERY FIRST ID that we got ourselves into. I'm not sure where my hubby got the contact and everything. What I know is that, he had made appointment with the ID, J. J went to the site with hubby to take photos and see what need to do and blah blah blah and take the measurement. Then he quote us. Then after we settle a good time for meeting, we went to J office for briefing. For almost 3 hours, we chatted. First impressions: J know what to do.. only that he kinda strange.. he kept telling us to look for another ID for comparation. He said it's not fair for us if we just listen to him. I told him we dont know anything about reno in this little red dot, but he kept asking us to quote with other IDs. And eventually, we were quite shock. But still, my hubby kinda like him. And he said, there's no free time for us to check with other IDs and blah blah blah.. So we go back with J promise to re-Quote us.

Then.. out of curiosity... I began to search the net for reno. And just then, i send quote request to the top twenty blah blah blah.. some of them got back to me.. some called.. but yet.. no further contact until now..

These are those so called top blah blah:

1. k* => some ID P called me to set appointment to meet up at their office. And until now, 3 weeks passes.. no quote from them at all.. waste my time and energy to drop by their place.. haiz...

2. PLUSH LIVING ==> a looks like fresh grad and act dont care ID S called me to fix up an app. Then.. she came up and ask me to wait for her spv D to arrive. Then he propose his ideas en evrything. Seems interesting to me. So after she send me their Quote, we set up to meet @ their office. He explain his ideas again to hubby. And seems to me that we need to follow what his idea was.. coz he kept saying: "if you dont trust me.. blah blah blah" Hmph... it's quite a negative respond for me.. It's gonna be my home.. but why i must follow what you want.. another HAIZ...

and then, on a bright saturday.. we went to IMM

we drop by 3 IDs..

1. City Design ==> ID J gave us some idea.. but not really click with him as well.. but he did email us his quote.. but hubby doesnt even consider him.. sorry J.. Thanks for you time, anyway..

2. Spacious ==> ID N greet us with a bright smile. She wrote down everything we need, every details.. and really nice.. when I was confuse where am i gonna put our shoes, she comment: "it's alrite.. no worries.. i will do the thinking for you".. OMG... I like her.. lol... (so called a feminist, am I? :P ) Anyway... she quote us. but yet her price is a bit on the high end.. but until now, we had ask her to re-quote for us. and she said she will email us asap. Oh god.. hopefully this is the one.

3. I forgot the name.. but they dont even bother to email us the quote.. so just forget him lah..

After heavy brainstorming.. we decide to get quote from another ID. I'm not sure if this company is an ID or a contractor. They did my bro's wardrobe and study table. The design is.. so so.. So we ask him to quote. Came out the cheapest.. but alas.. the quote is not as clear and detailed like ID N.. I dunno have to be worry or happy.. And we are bit worried bout the design as well. I dont know if any of you have come across with ID Essential? Please please please advice and comments... The ID himself is quite nice.. They have their own carpentery. But it's a bit strange coz after we said yes to his price and quote.. (my hubby said he will transfer the dp to him, but not done yet) He shows us no design... and directly ask us to go for choosing tiles??? Arrrgghh... is the prosedure is really like that? What about the design? What happened to the design.. come to think of it, he didnt even give us the lay out of the design he propose..

What am i gonna do??? I am panicking here...

Helpp.. helpp.. helppp... Please hellllppp....

 

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Looking for good contractors? Click here for your request
Did u sign any contract with him? if not u can still backout...and no contract agreement can be reached without looking through the EXACT quotes, figures and in your case...a discussion of how your flat should look like.n U can refer to my blog for more advices for renovation..

Seems like hubby sign the contract oredi yesterday.. But haven't manage to pay him at all...

Gosh.. Really headache... :(

 

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Could anybody advice me regarding Solid surface? What is Klassicut? 3S? Which one is good.. My ID quote me a $4,370.00 for 2700x3400mm L shape kitchen with either one of the Solid Surface. Is it too much?

Thanks..

 

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OMG..... Can't sleep... Seems like can't put my mind to rest.. I wonder if out there someone's feeling the same like I do. * sigh...

I mean, I really dunno renovation can cause some kind of brain damage. When you have not find the ID you like, or probably you had signed with one, yet you still feel uneasy, uncertain kind of feelin....

A good ID should be able to give good advice regarding your Reno. Not just said yes to everything you said. Well.. Kinda find that mine is a bit confusing and not honest. He just kinda said YES and CAN to everything. Am afraid that things will turn out ugly at the end of the Reno. Not to mention that his price can't be consider as Cheap. Seems to me like he's some kind of contractor that quote us ID's price. And the most ugly thing is that we stupidly had placed more than 5k downpayment to him.

Gosh.... Am I doomed????

 

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hihi!

Erm, seems too rushed into signing up the ID Essentials?

Especially when though the cheapest but unclear?

the solid top price stated in quotation or its additional topup cost?

If can, look for more quotes.

There's actually some quite good one here, like ID Notes, IdealHouse, Insider Story or was it Living, Intra Design ....

 

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OMG..... Can't sleep... Seems like can't put my mind to rest.. I wonder if out there someone's feeling the same like I do. * sigh...

I mean, I really dunno renovation can cause some kind of brain damage. When you have not find the ID you like, or probably you had signed with one, yet you still feel uneasy, uncertain kind of feelin....

A good ID should be able to give good advice regarding your Reno. Not just said yes to everything you said. Well.. Kinda find that mine is a bit confusing and not honest. He just kinda said YES and CAN to everything. Am afraid that things will turn out ugly at the end of the Reno. Not to mention that his price can't be consider as Cheap. Seems to me like he's some kind of contractor that quote us ID's price. And the most ugly thing is that we stupidly had placed more than 5k downpayment to him.

Gosh.... Am I doomed????

Hi byu, what is the problem your faced in your house reno actually?

since you have placed more than 5K downpayment, I think there is no turning back. Whether it is more expensive than an ID quote, I would say it is quite subjective. At this point, dont compare your quote with others; communicate with your contractor for what you want. Not all contractor are bad; sometimes the idea from ID can be impractical too...

If you think his quote is way too expensive or with many hidden cost, I suggest you to out-source your carpentry, glass work, solid surface, window and grill etc to others. Just engage him for wet work to cut down your total lost.

Edited by yumiko
 

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hey there..

foremost, welcome to RT and indeed, there are hordes of information out here that is really really useful.

think everyone starts off equal i.e there's gotta be a first reno for everyone somewhere down the line imho.

so dont fret, you're not alone ya

getting id or the contractor is prolly the utmost important decision because the reno is gonna be there for years or otherwise, till as long as you are living there.

on top of that, is paying good and big money, so am sure you wanna the best out of it.

hidden charges are the most scariest thing when it comes to quote. id or contractor should be transparent, upfront and attentive to details.

since downpayment is paid, i suggest u pester him for the following first; 3d designs, official quote listing all the brands that he is gonna to use for your reno i.e solid tops, tile cost psf (also very very impt cause it could limit the tiles design available), how many ft cabinets, top and bottom cabinets inclusive?

Could anybody advice me regarding Solid surface? What is Klassicut? 3S? Which one is good.. My ID quote me a $4,370.00 for 2700x3400mm L shape kitchen with either one of the Solid Surface. Is it too much?

Thanks..

not sure about the brands but based on dimensions.

am doing this before heading work, so correct me if i interpret it wrong below;

2.7m by 3.4m translates to 8.8ft by 11.15ft? isnt the dimensions a bit weird for kitchen carpentry? as in the width is 2.7m?

hmm... gotta ask him for details ya.

good luck!

 

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OMG..... Can't sleep... Seems like can't put my mind to rest.. I wonder if out there someone's feeling the same like I do. * sigh...

I mean, I really dunno renovation can cause some kind of brain damage. When you have not find the ID you like, or probably you had signed with one, yet you still feel uneasy, uncertain kind of feelin....

A good ID should be able to give good advice regarding your Reno. Not just said yes to everything you said. Well.. Kinda find that mine is a bit confusing and not honest. He just kinda said YES and CAN to everything. Am afraid that things will turn out ugly at the end of the Reno. Not to mention that his price can't be consider as Cheap. Seems to me like he's some kind of contractor that quote us ID's price. And the most ugly thing is that we stupidly had placed more than 5k downpayment to him.

Gosh.... Am I doomed????

dun worry, it 's normal, me too! these few nights, hard to fall asleep, all my thinking is about the house reno thingy

 

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hihi!

Erm, seems too rushed into signing up the ID Essentials?

Especially when though the cheapest but unclear?

>>> Sadly yes... -_-' Coz we were too tired at that moment. My son got some kind of viral infection and just checked out from KKH when we met up with the company. So kinda just.. okay.. okay.. let's just get everything done.. :(

the solid top price stated in quotation or its additional topup cost?

>>> Solid top is included.

If can, look for more quotes.

There's actually some quite good one here, like ID Notes, IdealHouse, Insider Story or was it Living, Intra Design ....

>>> I'm absolutely not sure we still can do this coz we've got 5K in his hand oredi.. :(

 

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dun worry, it 's normal, me too! these few nights, hard to fall asleep, all my thinking is about the house reno thingy

Finally... someone with similar feelings.. what a relish.. (oopss.. not that i am happy for your situation, whatever it is.. just glad that someone out there kinda understand the state i'm in.. ;)

 

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@ NeOmesis: Unfortunately.. No 3Ds for us.. the design theme and everything is really not clear. Seems like the ID kinda understand what he is doing but he dunno how to describe it even in his 2d drawings. And for sure.. every design he propose is soooooo plain... kinda like.. okay.. we bang bang bang and here's the cabinet.. then you chose the laminated and bang bang bang.. we plester it for you... and taddaaaa.... yippieee... it's donee... :unsure: :unsure:

not sure about the brands but based on dimensions.

am doing this before heading work, so correct me if i interpret it wrong below;

2.7m by 3.4m translates to 8.8ft by 11.15ft? isnt the dimensions a bit weird for kitchen carpentry? as in the width is 2.7m?

hmm... gotta ask him for details ya.

>> This one, me olso not sure.. But last nite I have manage to change the kitchen cabinet into a 2 paralel cabinet. About the measurement, still not clear. Like i post before.. this guy kinda like working by himself and not explaining much, UNLESS you ask. (which in my case.. sometimes i forgot what to ask.. :(

~~~byu~~~

 

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Finally... someone with similar feelings.. what a relish.. (oopss.. not that i am happy for your situation, whatever it is.. just glad that someone out there kinda understand the state i'm in.. ;)

Hey there. Many different ID have different doing, some will draw 3D for you before start and some only after confirmation of quotation. Maybe the designer will match with your tiles after you've chosen it ;). Have some trust in him, many of my customers keeps worrying so much before the whole thing is done. However if you really doubt his design, you still can request to omit out carpentry from him. Cheers

 

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@ NeOmesis: Unfortunately.. No 3Ds for us.. the design theme and everything is really not clear. Seems like the ID kinda understand what he is doing but he dunno how to describe it even in his 2d drawings. And for sure.. every design he propose is soooooo plain... kinda like.. okay.. we bang bang bang and here's the cabinet.. then you chose the laminated and bang bang bang.. we plester it for you... and taddaaaa.... yippieee... it's donee... :unsure: :unsure:

~~~byu~~~

Sorry, i think that is a contractor and not a ID. just my 2 cents.

 

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Sorry, i think that is a contractor and not a ID. just my 2 cents.

From my experience....

Those contractors that I seek quotation, they will give you their quotation based on what you have told them ... Here do this, there do that... Period!

IDs will provide 2D drawings along with their quotations for the proposed items & go through the items with me.

As for 3D rendering, I was shown after we confirmed the theme & colors.

If your ID is reliable, he/she should be able to offer you as much advices, guidance & his professional input & meet your requirements.

 

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Just return from overseas... We got our keys already. Hubby told me the Reno kinda start oredi.. But me not yet see.. Will go location tmrw and see what's going on there.

Feel so hectic recently. With little Byu's turned three.. Fell sick and got rashes all over.. Go back 'home' for annual family gathering... And juuuusssttt arrived @ little red dot.

Hubby simply give me a Dulux ICI colour's catalog. Said that our contractor asked us to choose color for the house.

Soooooooo much to do tomorrow..

Got to buy the hood and hob and built in oven. Any recommend brands from anyone? I'm eyeing either Rinnai or EF. Rinnai coz it's quality is well known in my hometown. EF coz the sales auntie said it is good. But when I found out the EF's parts all made in china, I kinda worried bout the quality. Renotalkers... Please kindly enlighten me..

Then.. We still have to find downlights.. Switches... Lightnings for dining and bedrooms..

Also toilet stuff.. Bowls, sinks, and friends...

Hm... I also forgot the kitchen sink and taps..

Wash basins..

OMG... Still loads to do...

Hubby had bought the Aircon. Mitsubitshi Electrics Starmax system 4. He bought them from All Best. Pipes installed already.

Hope all goes well..

 

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