20 K++ For Kitchen +2bath And Carpentry. Comments Welcome

[Lakmy 0]

Hi All!

Have been reading as much as I can in Renotalk since we decided to look for our own place... so have a year's worth of knowldege- gathering.

Kudos to GnM (Golden nuggets ) deal.gif

, OdieLim (Glad to find a home as colorful as mine will be!) paint.gif

, The Utilitarian Reno (whose kitchen inspired me...) good.gif and loads of others.

I will try to start my blog to run along with my Reno ...or else will note it all down and put it down with pics at the end of the Reno.

For the present what do the experienced and the experts think of this quote? (I have been told the workmanship is quite good and they back this up with a warranty for 8 years!)

Shud I go by my gut feel and go for this or shud i chk out some more quotations??

I have 2 extensive Quotations and this is the 3th which has reached the revised stage.

Plus talked to most ID companies in Expo and got a rough quote...,most of them were almost double my budget

And have preliminary quotes from 3 Id's online.

Is that enuff of scouting around? I am yet to receive quotes from any contractor. Are most of them too busy? Patrick from Ho Bee who is popular on the forum cant spare me an appointment for the next 2 weeks

What do you think of this quote as opposed to a quote from a contractor?

Will there be a lot of savings if I use a contractor?

Rgds,

Lakmy

WORK DESCRIPTION AMOUNT

Masonry Works

To hack away concrete base for the cabinets $150.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for the kitchen and store $1,300.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for the 02 baths $800.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogenous floor tiles for yard $500

To supply and construct concrete base for the cabinets and fridge $350.00

To supply and construct sunken shower kerb for the 02 baths $200.00

Plumbling Works

To supply labour to install 02 WC closets,02 wash basins,02 instant heater,02 handspray, kitchen sinks and toilet accessories $500.00

Carpentry Works

1 To design,fabricate and install a L37ft of top and bottom kitchen cabinets c/w ABS trimming doors carcass,designer handles and shelves @ promo price $2,553.00

2 To supply and install a L16ft granite top as the kitchen worktop @ promo price $1,440.00

3 To design,fabricate and install a L3ft altar with granite top for the store $300.00

4 To design,fabricate and install a L4ft laminated shoe cabinets c/w mirror backing for the foyer $1,000.00

5 To design,fabricate and install a L13ft laminated wardrobe c/w casement doors and TV cabinets at masterbedroom $2,860.00

6 To design,fabricate and install a L5ft laminated casement door wardrobe for bedroom 2 $1100

7. To design,fabricate and install a L6ft laminated casement door wardrobe with dressing table for

bedroom 3 $1,320.00

8 To design,fabricate and install a L2ft vanity cabinets with granite top for 02 baths $800.00

9 To design,fabricate and install a L12ft of laminated books cabinet with workstation $2,730.00

Others

1 To supply and paint the whole house with ICI/NIPPON paint $1,500.00

2 To supply and install 02 10mm tempered glass shower screen for the 02 baths $960.00

3 To supply and clean the whole house using chemicals before handing over $200.00

4 Haulage fess $300.00

5 To supply and install 02 white powder coated aluminuium bi-fold doors for the 02 baths $400.00

Total for this page $21,263.00

7% Goods and service tax $1,488.41

GRAND TOTAL WITH 7% GST $22,751.41

[Devilaz 0]

Hi All!

Have been reading as much as I can in Renotalk since we decided to look for our own place... so have a year's worth of knowldege- gathering.

Kudos to GnM (Golden nuggets ) deal.gif

, OdieLim (Glad to find a home as colorful as mine will be!) paint.gif

, The Utilitarian Reno (whose kitchen inspired me...) good.gif and loads of others.

I will try to start my blog to run along with my Reno ...or else will note it all down and put it down with pics at the end of the Reno.

For the present what do the experienced and the experts think of this quote? (I have been told the workmanship is quite good and they back this up with a warranty for 8 years!)

Shud I go by my gut feel and go for this or shud i chk out some more quotations??

I have 2 extensive Quotations and this is the 3th which has reached the revised stage.

Plus talked to most ID companies in Expo and got a rough quote...,most of them were almost double my budget

And have preliminary quotes from 3 Id's online.

Is that enuff of scouting around? I am yet to receive quotes from any contractor. Are most of them too busy? Patrick from Ho Bee who is popular on the forum cant spare me an appointment for the next 2 weeks

Quotes is never enough. Just that what is the main purpose and what do you want to do for your renovation?

Compare on the quotes may seems to be ok. But still the amount of money you paid will be the grade of material you are getting.

What do you think of this quote as opposed to a quote from a contractor?

It really depends on luck. There are good and bad contractor in the industries same goes to ID too. But in the recent years contractor's negative area seems to be more. There are quite a lump sum of our poor forum mates whom caught into this.

Will there be a lot of savings if I use a contractor?

Not true... The more you save, the grade of material and workmanship will drop too.

Rgds,

Lakmy

WORK DESCRIPTION AMOUNT

Masonry Works

To hack away concrete base for the cabinets $150.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for the kitchen and store $1,300.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for the 02 baths $800.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogenous floor tiles for yard $500

To supply and construct concrete base for the cabinets and fridge $350.00

To supply and construct sunken shower kerb for the 02 baths $200.00

For tiles, what are the range of tiles you are getting? no dimension is being stated either.

On point 4, contruct washer and fridge base, please get what model you want an let your ID/contractor know. So they wont anyhow build it then you will have only a limited model to choose from.

Plumbling Works

To supply labour to install 02 WC closets,02 wash basins,02 instant heater,02 handspray, kitchen sinks and toilet accessories $500.00

Carpentry Works

1 To design,fabricate and install a L37ft of top and bottom kitchen cabinets c/w ABS trimming doors carcass,designer handles and shelves @ promo price $2,553.00

No freebies? Stainless steel rack? no frosted glass nor sandblast glass panel?

Didnt even state what is the internal color too.

Also check on what brands of laminated can be choose from?

2 To supply and install a L16ft granite top as the kitchen worktop @ promo price $1,440.00

3 To design,fabricate and install a L3ft altar with granite top for the store $300.00

4 To design,fabricate and install a L4ft laminated shoe cabinets c/w mirror backing for the foyer $1,000.00

A bit on the high side... $250 per ft. Didnt state internal color for cabinet too.

5 To design,fabricate and install a L13ft laminated wardrobe c/w casement doors and TV cabinets at masterbedroom $2,860.00

Full height or normal? didnt state either.

As for casements door what material is given? Frosted glass or wooden door?

Ask for full height mirror is possible. Most ID will throw in.

6 To design,fabricate and install a L5ft laminated casement door wardrobe for bedroom 2 $1100

If can purchase of the shelf will be good. Unless the shape is odd.

7. To design,fabricate and install a L6ft laminated casement door wardrobe with dressing table for

bedroom 3 $1,320.00

8 To design,fabricate and install a L2ft vanity cabinets with granite top for 02 baths $800.00

9 To design,fabricate and install a L12ft of laminated books cabinet with workstation $2,730.00

Others

1 To supply and paint the whole house with ICI/NIPPON paint $1,500.00

Grade of paint?

How manu colors involve?

2 To supply and install 02 10mm tempered glass shower screen for the 02 baths $960.00

3 To supply and clean the whole house using chemicals before handing over $200.00

4 Haulage fess $300.00

5 To supply and install 02 white powder coated aluminuium bi-fold doors for the 02 baths $400.00

Total for this page $21,263.00

7% Goods and service tax $1,488.41

GRAND TOTAL WITH 7% GST $22,751.41

hmmm... they sure earn a lot... 7% GST...

[Lakmy 0]

hmmm... they sure earn a lot... 7% GST...

Cant bargain on that Rules n Regulations .. in black n white.

will a contractor not charge GST??

[applefreak 1]

GST is charged when a company's turnover exceeds $1m a year

some companies go around this by registering several companies

does your ID/contractor has the GST registration number?

if not then the money will go into their pocket wor

[Lakmy 0]

GST is charged when a company's turnover exceeds $1m a year

some companies go around this by registering several companies

does your ID/contractor has the GST registration number?

if not then the money will go into their pocket wor

They have GST registration also RADAC n CASETRUST n Hbay recognised

[MaCe 3]

They have GST registration also RADAC n CASETRUST n Hbay recognised

if you have read extensively in this forum, you should know that all the above accreditions are useless.

already got horror stories with IDs who have all the above.

read more reviews, check out the renovation firms section for ID/contractors' reputation.

FYI, my contractor got none of the above and yet was well known to be the MOST honest contractor around.

[Lakmy 0]

if you have read extensively in this forum, you should know that all the above accreditions are useless.

already got horror stories with IDs who have all the above.

read more reviews, check out the renovation firms section for ID/contractors' reputation.

FYI, my contractor got none of the above and yet was well known to be the MOST honest contractor around.

Hi Mace! Yeah I couldnt find much to read extensively ....upon this id in particular.....

and maybe that is what is causing this paranoia...

But Whew! I finally found a link with major re-hash.. I did go thro that last nite..right from 2005 upto the present. am glad to say from the feedback:

There are no major negative comments...good, well built reputation, have had occassional hiccups but after-sales service is well noted.

The only thing is considered not the cheapest...but not most expensive either...for eg. carpentry quotes I've rcvd range from 200 pfr to 250 pfr.. they quote 220 pfr and have showed me type quality of material used.

Solid ply with laminate.. Kitchen top is China granite but of good grade..I called up a co. and they quoted 70pfr for a 16 feet piece...so if u consider that they are including backing, installation and polishing etc. 90 pfr is ok...

Most importantly complete within schedule coz they have their own band of trusted sub-con.

I have 2 kids and tho my work hours are flexible (I have the adv of working from home) I have no maid ...so overseeing contractors cud have been too much for me to handle. So I guess there is a premium to pay for having an ID. I will have to swallow that.

[Lakmy 0]

hmmm... they sure earn a lot... 7% GST... !!

Hi Devilaz!

I found your comments MOST helpful.

I have found that I have asked most of the questions u mentioned in my 2nd meeting with my ID:

Thank you for your questions it helped me review the quote.. I have tried to answer all ur questions.

I want an affordable and good quality reno.. they are offering that.

Have confirmed on the grade of material I am getting and have been shown samples ..am satisfied with that now. + will be shown a flat done up 2 months ago by my ID this weekend.

My tenancy agreement is up on 24th Dec and I need to get my reno done within that period...have to yet get keys ..3 months will be up on 10Nov..h*b has said will expedite and try to give asap...My ID has said 1 month and 1 week ..time frame is confirmed.

Contractors may take more time and yes my fren had a bad exp recently in his 4 room in Bedok...and he paid nearly 24K for reno...so price too was not too low.

My ID says that I will get what I'm paying for. No hidden cost but at the same time he wont compromise on quality so no more bargaining on price. He gives 5++yr guarantee on workmanship n material.

Tiles = homogenous non slip 300 x 300 upto a maximum of $3.30 per tile.

I wanted rectangular tiles for bathrooms and he said as long as it fits into the 3.30 range he will let me choose any design or type.

I have already bot my fridge, washng mc, dishwasher.. so will be able to give dimensions.

Hood hob oven Sink...Lights etc. Id said he will accompany me to buy n get me good discount.

He is giving me glass door for drainer and 2 sandblasted door to top cabinets. Will ask for free SS rack

Now shoe cabinet modified by us...will be full height..lower part up to my shoulder so 4 n 1/2 feet will be shoe rack...upper part with glass doors and inbuilt light will be display cabinet ..will help to light up the foyer too. (So 250 pfr seems reasonable..)

All wardrobes are full height. Doors will be wood with laminates from Lamtak of our choice. Will ask for full height mirror on one door

The 5 feet wardrobe is sold at abt 500 $ off the rack. But the shape in this room is odd. 4 feet has 3 feet depth. the remaining one feet is about 2 feet depth. Odd shape. Scared if leave dark damp space behind wardrobe rodents will have a party n invite termites, roaches, etc for drinks so going for custom made!

Lastly grade of paint ICI Duluc wash n wear..upto a maximum of 8 colours...but when I asked he said he will let me choose more.

[dreamgirl 0]

Hi Lakmy,

Which ID are you referring to ? Maybe can start thread on that ID

[Lakmy 0]

Hi Lakmy,

Which ID are you referring to ? Maybe can start thread on that ID

Hi dreamgirl,

Plan to start a blog...with all names and addresses ...but only once I have finalised the ID.

since I 've not signed up and am still in the process of going thro diff firms and contractors

dont feel its right to reveal the name at present.

[Devilaz 0]

Hi Devilaz!

I found your comments MOST helpful.

Glad to help out dude...

I have found that I have asked most of the questions u mentioned in my 2nd meeting with my ID:

Thank you for your questions it helped me review the quote.. I have tried to answer all ur questions.

......

Contractors may take more time and yes my fren had a bad exp recently in his 4 room in Bedok...and he paid nearly 24K for reno...so price too was not too low.

Dude it really depends on the person on the contractor/ID. Even the reputation is good on the company BUT is the person whose skill and knowledge on the renovation. you get what i mean? !!

My ID says that I will get what I'm paying for. No hidden cost but at the same time he wont compromise on quality so no more bargaining on price. He gives 5++yr guarantee on workmanship n material.

There is no such thing as no hidden cost. If no how they survive in this society? They will charge extra on hacking, and capentry. As they will charge on designs and drawings.

Tiles = homogenous non slip 300 x 300 upto a maximum of $3.30 per tile.

$3.30 per tile retail price so would be able $2.50 - $2.80 purchase price.

I wanted rectangular tiles for bathrooms and he said as long as it fits into the 3.30 range he will let me choose any design or type.

I have already bot my fridge, washng mc, dishwasher.. so will be able to give dimensions.

Hood hob oven Sink...Lights etc. Id said he will accompany me to buy n get me good discount.

Would be good u source for urself. THEN other time let ur ID to accompany u.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Devilaz

[haru 0]

if you have read extensively in this forum, you should know that all the above accreditions are useless.

already got horror stories with IDs who have all the above.

read more reviews, check out the renovation firms section for ID/contractors' reputation.

FYI, my contractor got none of the above and yet was well known to be the MOST honest contractor around.

Can I just check, is it still advisable to buy RADAC contract ??

[Devilaz 0]

actually this thingys all are not required de...

this is just to let us feel more secure. but is it really that secure? when things happen sure people will taji here and there.

mine is same as MaCe, dont have GST registration also RADAC n CASETRUST n Hbay recognised. This will require do pay more on it. As they need to fee to apply this.

For me, i find a nice and hardworking ID will do... save the rest of this....

[GnM 0]

Hi Lakmy, Glad to be able to help. As mentioned in my blog, it is the original intend to share my experience with others so that they have a good starting point rather than muck around in the dark wondering what to do

Just came back from my wedding break, so a little late in the reply. Hope I am not too late.

Just to add to what Devilaz has commented, I have inserted mine in blue

Hi All!

Have been reading as much as I can in Renotalk since we decided to look for our own place... so have a year's worth of knowldege- gathering.

Kudos to GnM (Golden nuggets ) deal.gif

, OdieLim (Glad to find a home as colorful as mine will be!) paint.gif

, The Utilitarian Reno (whose kitchen inspired me...) good.gif and loads of others.

I will try to start my blog to run along with my Reno ...or else will note it all down and put it down with pics at the end of the Reno.

For the present what do the experienced and the experts think of this quote? (I have been told the workmanship is quite good and they back this up with a warranty for 8 years!)

Shud I go by my gut feel and go for this or shud i chk out some more quotations??

I have 2 extensive Quotations and this is the 3th which has reached the revised stage.

Plus talked to most ID companies in Expo and got a rough quote...,most of them were almost double my budget

And have preliminary quotes from 3 Id's online.

Is that enuff of scouting around? I am yet to receive quotes from any contractor. Are most of them too busy? Patrick from Ho Bee who is popular on the forum cant spare me an appointment for the next 2 weeks

Quotes is never enough. Just that what is the main purpose and what do you want to do for your renovation?

Compare on the quotes may seems to be ok. But still the amount of money you paid will be the grade of material you are getting.

As long as you think you and your wife are comfortable with the ID/contractor you are considering, then it is enuff.

If there is even a slight doubt that he will not be able to deliver, or if you have any feeling of discomfort about the quotation this fella gave you to do your reno, then look some more.

Lots of reno contractors and ID in the market to choose from. Try not to rush into signing the contract.

Take into consideration your wife's feelings as well. Cos she is as much into the renovation as you are

It happened to us, where I was all ready to go ahead with the signing of the contract, and my wife has concerns about the ID, I dropped the ID with no second thoughts and never looked back.

What do you think of this quote as opposed to a quote from a contractor?

It really depends on luck. There are good and bad contractor in the industries same goes to ID too. But in the recent years contractor's negative area seems to be more. There are quite a lump sum of our poor forum mates whom caught into this. sad.gif

With the Keen competition in the reno business these days, they offer almost the same things already. Contractors are also offering space planning, designing and consultation as well.

Will there be a lot of savings if I use a contractor?

Not true... The more you save, the grade of material and workmanship will drop too.

As mentioned above, the cost savings is really negligible for most, unless of course, you choose some award winning designer to design the reno for your home, then that is another story (eg: Spacious)

Then again, if the price of the reno is too cheap, the alarm bells must be ringing as well!

Think about it. If most of the quotes you get are around, say $20k, suddenly some one is offering you at $10k, would you dare to put your money with them?

Depending on the brands of materials you use, type of material and intricacies of the furniture designs, the cost for the same item (eg a wardrobe) would vary.

Also, expect to have additional cost of about 10% of what you get on the quotations, cos you will never know what you may have missed during the quotation phase.

We did additional works due to the uneven ceilings and walls which require plastering to achieve the look I require for my designs.

The last minute change in some designs to fit the beams and fixtures which we overlooked during the quotations was also added during the renovation itself.

So be prepared to pay at least 10% more for these unforeseen works that arises during the work progress.

Rgds,

Lakmy

WORK DESCRIPTION AMOUNT

Masonry Works

To hack away concrete base for the cabinets $150.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for the kitchen and store $1,300.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for the 02 baths $800.00

To supply and overlay non-slip homogeneous floor tiles for yard $500

To supply and construct concrete base for the cabinets and fridge $350.00

To supply and construct sunken shower kerb for the 02 baths $200.00

For tiles, what are the range of tiles you are getting? no dimension is being stated either.

On point 4, contruct washer and fridge base, please get what model you want an let your ID/contractor know. So they wont anyhow build it then you will have only a limited model to choose from.

as mentioned, there is no dimension stated, so it is hard to compare.

How many rooms is your flat?

looking at the works done, there is a yard, I am assuming it is a 5 room or a EA.

Go thru my site, I have some calculation yard stick for you to use to see if you are being quoted a fair price. Should be on the topics on flooring.

Also, make a trip down to the supplier of your tiles on your own to see what is the cost price of the tile. Usually if you buy thru your ID, your ID would quote you slightly higher as they want a cut in the price of the tiles as well.

The trick to save is to get the supplier yourself, then get the ID to buy from the supplier at the price you got quoted from the supplier. It all boils down to your bargaining skills liow.

as for your sunken shower kerb... you got to get your ID to check if it is approved, especially if you are thinking of doing an overlay. I wanted to do one for my toilet, but it was not approved by HDB... so I had to scrap the idea.

Plumbling Works

To supply labour to install 02 WC closets,02 wash basins,02 instant heater,02 handspray, kitchen sinks and toilet accessories $500.00

Usually, for this, other than relaying of piping, we would try to negotiate for free labour to install the basins and accessories. This would save you about $200-300. See if you can get it reduced.

Carpentry Works

1 To design,fabricate and install a L37ft of top and bottom kitchen cabinets c/w ABS trimming doors carcass,designer handles and shelves @ promo price $2,553.00

No freebies? Stainless steel rack? no frosted glass nor sandblast glass panel?

Didnt even state what is the internal color too.

Also check on what brands of laminated can be choose from? smile.gif

Like what Devilaz mentioned above, ask for the freebies.

you mentioned that you need to hack the cabinet base. May I ask why? Do you intend to do the suspended cabinets for your kitchen?

2 To supply and install a L16ft granite top as the kitchen worktop @ promo price $1,440.00

3 To design,fabricate and install a L3ft altar with granite top for the store $300.00

4 To design,fabricate and install a L4ft laminated shoe cabinets c/w mirror backing for the foyer $1,000.00

A bit on the high side... $250 per ft. Didnt state internal color for cabinet too.

For the Granite you are getting, what kind are you looking at? Dark colors or light colors?

If you are going for the popular galaxy, or black, do ensure that you can get the Indian ones... cos they say Indian Granite is not as porous as China Granite... so the chances of staining is smaller.

As for the shoe cabinets, are they floor to ceiling? What kind of laminates do you get to choose? How high is the mirror? Do note that mirror for doors means lots of finger print... so take note when doing your cabinet design.

5 To design,fabricate and install a L13ft laminated wardrobe c/w casement doors and TV cabinets at masterbedroom $2,860.00

Full height or normal? didnt state either.

As for casements door what material is given? Frosted glass or wooden door?

Ask for full height mirror is possible. Most ID will throw in.

The price is a little on the high side comparing to those that I got about one year ago. Prices may have changed a little, so take a look at the prices you got for your other quotes.

Is the TV cabinets going to be in-built into the wardrobe?

That means that your wardrobe space is going to be reduced.

Take the following into consideration when planning your wardrobe configurations...

a) The amount of clothes you and your wife existing has. Can the configuration you have in mind cater to your needs?

b) The potential amount of clothes that you are gonna get (based on your shopping patterns observed during courtship... do you buy clothes often?)

c) Are you going to have a vanity? Is it gonna be inbuilt into the wardrobe or seperate?

d) How bout storage of bedsheets, towels, blankets...etc? Did you plan for those?

e) How many drawers are you planning? The more drawers there are, the less space you have, the more material you use, the higher the cost.

f) Are there any beams at the place you are planning to place your wardrobe? Do you have to build around it? Cos if there is, the space would be different as well.

Any glass on your casement doors?

What is the laminate they gonna give for your wardrobe interior?

6 To design,fabricate and install a L5ft laminated casement door wardrobe for bedroom 2 $1100

If can purchase of the shelf will be good. Unless the shape is odd.

7. To design,fabricate and install a L6ft laminated casement door wardrobe with dressing table for

bedroom 3 $1,320.00

8 To design,fabricate and install a L2ft vanity cabinets with granite top for 02 baths $800.00

Question... why do you need a vanity cabinet for your common toilet?

9 To design,fabricate and install a L12ft of laminated books cabinet with workstation $2,730.00

Others

1 To supply and paint the whole house with ICI/NIPPON paint $1,500.00

Grade of paint?

How manu colors involve?

you must ensure that ceiling color is not one of the color choices for selection.

Some contractor play their cards such that they give you, for example, 5 colors, but the ceiling white is also considered as one of the selected colors.

You also have to find out if they are going to give you a base coating before painting the desired color.

You also have to find out if they will do minor plastering for bumps and dents for the walls before painting. Sometimes, there are some tiny holes like pimple holes that will be come very prominent after the paint is applied. So minor plastering is required to achieve a smooth finish for the wall.

2 To supply and install 02 10mm tempered glass shower screen for the 02 baths $960.00

Take note though... this is something you have to maintain everyday or the water mark will be very unsightly. If you can, for practical purposes, do without the screen. Toilets in most of the Houses in Singapore is small, there is no need to segregate wet and dry toilet areas... so less one item to wash and maintain, more money in the pocket

3 To supply and clean the whole house using chemicals before handing over $200.00

I managed to convince my contractor to do this for about half the price quoted here... see how good your bargaining skills is

4 Haulage fess $300.00

5 To supply and install 02 white powder coated aluminuium bi-fold doors for the 02 baths $400.00

Total for this page $21,263.00

7% Goods and service tax $1,488.41

GRAND TOTAL WITH 7% GST $22,751.41

I also notice that your quotation did not include electrical works, piping for water, kitchen sink and washer. These are the potential hidden costing for your case.

How bout the shifting of electrical points?

Installation of light fixtures?

Painting of doors? Gates? Sewer pipes?

These are all potential hidden costing... and could add up to a thousand plus minus... so do take note.

Hope it helps...

All the best to your renovations!

Hi Devilaz!

I found your comments MOST helpful.

I have found that I have asked most of the questions u mentioned in my 2nd meeting with my ID:

Thank you for your questions it helped me review the quote.. I have tried to answer all ur questions.

I want an affordable and good quality reno.. they are offering that.

Have confirmed on the grade of material I am getting and have been shown samples ..am satisfied with that now. + will be shown a flat done up 2 months ago by my ID this weekend.

My tenancy agreement is up on 24th Dec and I need to get my reno done within that period...have to yet get keys ..3 months will be up on 10Nov..h*b has said will expedite and try to give asap...My ID has said 1 month and 1 week ..time frame is confirmed.

Do give a buffer of at least 2-3 weeks for buffer due to hiccups. Like for my case, there was a delay in my works due to shortage of sand, and we had to wait for the delivery before works can be continued.

Material selection is also another pontential for works delay... cos we could not agree on some of the colors and that too a while to resolve... so end up works got delayed for about a month

Contractors may take more time and yes my fren had a bad exp recently in his 4 room in Bedok...and he paid nearly 24K for reno...so price too was not too low.

My ID says that I will get what I'm paying for. No hidden cost but at the same time he wont compromise on quality so no more bargaining on price. He gives 5++yr guarantee on workmanship n material.

Tiles = homogenous non slip 300 x 300 upto a maximum of $3.30 per tile.

I wanted rectangular tiles for bathrooms and he said as long as it fits into the 3.30 range he will let me choose any design or type.

I have already bot my fridge, washng mc, dishwasher.. so will be able to give dimensions.

Hood hob oven Sink...Lights etc. Id said he will accompany me to buy n get me good discount.

like what Devilaz mentioned... go shop around on your own. Unless it is free, it is best to look around for something you like rather than let the contractor decide for you. If you need contacts, drop me a message

He is giving me glass door for drainer and 2 sandblasted door to top cabinets. Will ask for free SS rack smile.gif

Now shoe cabinet modified by us...will be full height..lower part up to my shoulder so 4 n 1/2 feet will be shoe rack...upper part with glass doors and inbuilt light will be display cabinet ..will help to light up the foyer too. (So 250 pfr seems reasonable..)

All wardrobes are full height. Doors will be wood with laminates from Lamtak of our choice. Will ask for full height mirror on one door smile.gif

You mean LamiTak? that is a good choice! I did most of my carpentry with LamiTak! They are really good... scratch resistant! And the colors are really nice!

The 5 feet wardrobe is sold at abt 500 $ off the rack. But the shape in this room is odd. 4 feet has 3 feet depth. the remaining one feet is about 2 feet depth. Odd shape. Scared if leave dark damp space behind wardrobe rodents will have a party n invite termites, roaches, etc for drinks so going for custom made!

Lastly grade of paint ICI Duluc wash n wear..upto a maximum of 8 colours...but when I asked he said he will let me choose more.

Better to put it down on the contract... less conflicts later. If he lets you choose more... then good, if not, at least got 8 to back you up

[Lakmy 0]

OOPs I was sooo busy scouting and shopping and counting keys

So the delay in reply

Devilaz and GnM!

WOW Kudos to you guys! Really take the effort to go thro every aspect of the quotes.

Will take into account each of your pointers.. Thank you! Really appreciate your attention to detail.

We have gone on our own scouting trips and have bot most of the accessories on our own.

Our ID mentioned that he is going to take us to Lookz, LA and some other shops in Balestier for

shopping. So we went on our own to those shops 1st and then to others along Jln Besar, Geylan, Bukit merah..and also cross chkd with Ikea.. and we have bought most of the accessories from different shops already.

For eg, we got the vanity top basins from Rigel when we saw a model we liked selling at $68.

We had seen the same at SSC for $120.

Lights we bot from various heartland shops and from Lightcraft at Jalan Sultan as they are the only ones

carrying a certain model that we like.

As for tiles I went to White horse with my ID and selected. He didnt say anything then and let me choose.

But later asked me to chk HAfary and kept pushing for it as its got latest styles.

Kept saying how far Sungei Kadut was. ... i know there must be something for him in it ...but since he keep

insisting decided to make him happy and chose Hafary.

Its better to have some give and take

Hob Hood Sink and OVen I bot From Asia Excel ...with a Franke sink and mixer ...my ID doesnt know yet ..we cook mostly at home.. for $1550. I have reason to believe that is a quite a good deal.

The WC's I am planning to buy from Royal Fanco as I really liked the model they have (its a squarish smooth sided one with soft close at $200) Its much more reasonable than Rigel and we liked the service.

What do you think? How much wud u spend on a WC?

Aircon -- we are deciding to go with AllBEst ...have still not confirmed. Havent chk Hong Tar.

We have tried to get all the points Devilaz and GnM mentioned in writing with my ID.

Anytime we try to haggle on the price ... he keeps reminding us what a good deal we got on the kitchen..which was a promotional price... but then so what!! Its their promotion and they offered it!!

Not my problem.

Anyways rather than change ID's we decided to stick to this one and try and get the best possible.

We have decided to chop the shoe rack off our list and buy off the rack.

About the 10% which may come up later in the rno it already has

after getting the keys to the house we found the bathroom is in a bad shape. ... so we need to factor in the hacking of floor and wall tiles of bathroom. Its been empty for 3 yrs and the bathrooms are in their original 14 yr old condition. Hollow tiles and lots of cracks. So additional.

The study when we ask form break up we found the 8 feet bookshelf costs abt 1600 and the suspended table $1680! SO we cut that out. Wud rather put in our own table!

Still the cost has hit the 27K mark excluding all our accessories!!

GnM U were right ours is an EA, 150 sq metres.