Help Needed! 70 Hollow Tiles! What To Do? :(

[JWLT2002 0]

Hi All,

Not sure if anyone can advise us. We are in a bit of a dilemma here. We recently contracted an Interior Design Firm for our new 5rm HDB flat reno. After the tiles are laid, we realised that there are over 70 hollow tiles scattered at various parts of the house (of which 44 of them are over 30% hollow and at least 20 pieces of them are 80% hollow). Can anyone help and advice what we should do?

• Option 1: Let it be, maybe they won’t pop or crack so easily

• Option 2: Spend another 10k and hack away and re-lay all the tiles of the entire house as it’s impossible to cut the 70 hollow tiles individually.

• Option3: Ask the ID to rectify the 70 hollow tiles – the concern we have is that we don’t have any confident that he can actually do the rectification as it was an horrible nightmare experience working with the contractor. Every work items he had done was wrong and in rectifying them, he spoiled other good items. Eg: he built a door frame that is slanted, he try to rectify, still slanted, only the third time it is ok; but by rectifying the door frame (he hit the wall so many times), my bedroom wall cracked in three areas. When he hacked away the HDB wall (with HDB approval), he hacked away 1/5 of the hdb structural beam along with the wall; he buried wired that he not even sure if its “live” or not under the tiles; he pour chunks of cement down the pipes and toilet bowl; built the sink pipes at the wrong place, etc.

• Option 4: Ask other ID firm to see who is kind enough to pick up the tab at a cost lower than hacking away and re-lay all the tiles

Any kind homeowner or renovator can advise us on what to do? Many Thanks.

[JohnsonLim 0]

Hi,

I am sorry to hear about what happened.

Have you made full payment to the errant contractor? If no, then you should withheld it from him until he rectify the defects.

If yes, then your best chance is to ask him to rectify for you. If he refuse to do so, you should take legal action against him and claim for the full cost of re-laying the tiles (ask for quotes from other contractors) and other expenses incurred as a result (e.g.legal expenses).

I hope this helps.