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I started looking for an ID in Dec 2016, three months before the keys of my 4-room HDB resale flat were ready for collection.  I went through the postings in the forum on Renotalk.com to look for IDs with good reviews & eventually, arranged to meet a dozen of them.  Most of them came with their quotations & were happy to discuss some details regarding the layout plan & my requirements.  However, some of the IDs did not consider my budget seriously & proposed items which exceeded my budget; a few did not follow up on my queries and there were two who went MIA after our meeting.  

Randall Tan from NID Design Studio stood out from the rest right from our first meeting as he came with his laptop which he used to show me a 3-D drawing based on my house floor plan.  I was impressed with his effort of doing that despite it was only our first meeting.  He also considered my budget & proposed items which fit my budget, giving priority to basic items, such as vinyl flooring and kitchen cabinet.

To ensure that my family members were comfortable with my choice of ID, I arranged Randall to meet them.  Randall also took us to visit two houses which he had just completed renovating.  Finally, I shortlisted three ID firms to discuss more specific renovation details at my new house.  In the end, I decided on Randall as I was confident that he would do a good job.  On top of that, my family was also comfortable discussing issues with him.  

Randall took my budget seriously & assured me that the total renovation cost in the quotation would not increase unless I requested additional work / items.  Indeed, the total amount I paid for the completed renovation, compared to the initial quotation, had only increased by the extra items (a bigger wardrobe for my room & a fire-rated main door) which I had requested Randall to do after the renovation had started.  I am happy to say that Randall is quite generous as there were times when he tried to absorb some costs, eg. I requested a few more electrical points & one more paint colour up from the maximum 5 colours.  In my opinion, I think that the items & prices in his quotation are by & large reasonable.  Although his price is in the mid range compared to the quotations from other IDs, there were no hidden / unspoken items that were chargeable during the renovation.  It is a good thing that there was no unpleasant surprise & dispute during the renovation process.  I am also happy with the workmanship which is of reasonably high quality.

Randall is knowledgeable about renovation & gives practical ideas.  For example, he not only advised the position & number of light points in the living room, but also proposed the light switches corresponding to the light points, so that the two light switches allow minimal, moderate, or extra brightness.  This gives me & my family the flexibility to decide which switch to turn on based on the intensity of the natural light, thus provides some cost savings on electricity as not all the lights need to be turned on even when the natural light is very dim.  Another example is how he advised where the electrical & air-con wires could be placed in order to minimize the amount of casing used to box up the wires, so that the entire house looks more spacious and aesthetically pleasing as the amount of unsightly casing that runs on the wall is minimized.

Throughout the renovation, Randall always responded to my queries within 24 hours and gave clear explanations to my queries.  As with any house renovation, there were some minor hiccups during the renovation process.  When these happened, Randall focused on quickly resolving the issues either by rectifying them to achieve the original plan or coming up with the next best alternative.

My house renovation took about two months to complete which was ok for me as I was in no hurry to move in.  Post-renovation, there were some minor defects which I conveyed to Randall, and he was quick to arrange for the relevant people to fix those issues.  For example, I was not completely satisfied with the plastering work in the living room as the wall surface was not smooth for most parts.  Randall did not mind arranging the plasterer & the painter to come over to my house twice until I was satisfied with the wall.

Randall has lived up to his promise to his clients, he treats his client's renovation like renovating his own house to ensure the outcome of the renovation is a comfortable and practical home.  I strongly recommend Randall (his mobile number 9386 8081) to people who are looking for a good & reliable ID to renovate their home.

Edited by Hans Wee
 

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