tyan_tan

Yup usually marble should be able to just do repolishing...unless you don't like the color/pattern of the tile? because the most of the renovation costs are due to flooring and carpentry, you would be able to save quite abit; and some would say marble is quite ex so next time your flat would have a higher resale value. and how old is your place? overlaying is not recommended for old houses as the waterproofing layer would have been worn off. repainting is 1200-1600 for 6 colors, for 5 rm flat should be closer to 1500. have any ideas on what concept you would like to pursue? modern?

it's a tough world out here for real designers, or even designers who graduated from local design schools. even when they spend all the time and effort, good designs don't sell simply because of price. and many ppl rather engage a cheaper "contractor style" firm and copy the designs. (no offense to anyone ) I myself studied ID for 4 yrs, and am currently a sales designer. I love to create beautiful designs, and seriously it's a joy to be able to do that, to craft and create the perfect home. And I take pride in my designs. Due to budget contrains, it's expected that the design will change,and surely the concept is altered as well. Ultimately, it may or may not turn out as nice as it could be. All I can do, is work hard and strive for a brighter tomorrow. And hope more and more people will appreciate the advantages real designers have over contractor firms.

yup i would agree the reno you want is really quite straight-forward. and if you're just doing these, a contractor should be able to cover everything since it's mostly "items" that you require and not concept. though since you've decided to reno, might as well do nice nice and get some designs.

Hi there, it's totally possible to engage designers and contractor separately. i would say the designer is the brain, and the contractors is the brawn; and they're definitely not replaceable by each other. the designer will go thru with you their concepts, give u advice on styling and furnishings; and provide you 2d and 3d drawings. after that, usually the designer will give u all the info, and you can proceed on to looking for a suitable contractor to do the job. (in this case you seem to have a gd choice in mind). however, do bear in mind that in this case the designer's responsibility ends when he/she hands over the info. and all the scheduling and oversee-ing of progress will have to be done by yourself. this can be quite tedious, esp when you're working and renovating at the same time. some ppl can take leave and wait for the contractor to deliver the materials to their place say what time, what time. but many do not have the luxury of time and spare energy to do this, thus engaging an ID will ease some anxiety and lessen the stress of renovating. so unless your relative is the contractor, you can trust them with your keys (if you have not moved in) or your valuables at home (minor reno at home, perhaps kitchen or bath rm reno only), I'd say it would probably require quite a bit of coordination. if not, engaging a separate contractor should be fine hope this helps.

Hey there, sometimes it's not just the price, did they in the 1st hand propose a good design? like a design you see liao go WOW... as for the quote, seems ok since you're doing quite a lot of carpentry. it will only worth it, if the design is something you really like.