blueocean

The people that you met were companies offering "design" and "build" contracts. I think the term "interior design" or "interior designer" is very loosely used. It seems that the profession is not willing to regulate the use of the term. For example, the use of the term "financial adviser" is defined in law. Same for the terms lawyers, dentists, doctors etc Most "ID" firms are actually general contractors with a retail storefront and provide project supervision and basic designs and 3D rendering. How often do we as consumers ask for their qualifications and a portfolio of their actual work done (not 3D CAD designs) ? Interior designer would charge a design fee for their work done and may not necessary execute the "build" part.

Quite hard to bargain after signing. Its the same when you buy a house ... once OTP is signed, you cant argue about the pricing after that. If the contract that is signed has very vague specifications, they can always justify it by saying "using more expensive material" etc. Signing a contract with vague specifications is like signing a "blank cheque".

got family admission ticketing price or not ? comes with drink also ?

Additional delivery fee is such a usual sales tactic ... They will quote on something then add delivery fee ... Some of the items are actually delivered by the agent and not the shop itself ...

$6k is just for TV feature wall, L box and alteration of MBR wardrobe ? What are the dimensions of your living and dining ? You need to check on what you have signed in the contract. Although the deposit is small, it still represents acceptance of the contract. Was there any mis-presentation involved ? Fortunately, your contract amount is small and is within the powers of the small claims tribunal. But it is hard to argue if it is just on the pricing itself though.

You can go down to the agency. For the big agencies, there is usually a complaints officer. Subsequently, if no payment is made. The agency will file a claim with the small claims tribunal to enforce payment. Then you need to be prepared to argue for the reason for breach of contract. Was there any fraud or misrepresentation involved ?

hey fencer ... have you seen this thread .. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?sh...=14591&st=0 It sometimes makes one feel fortunate to be able to move into the house after renovation. Some guys have been renovating for almost a year. In that particular case, the company shut down and opened up with another name ...

That depends on what was signed or agreed before transaction took place.

what do you think of those portable induction set ? does it work similarly to the induction hob ?

was thinking of going to philips carnival tomorrow ... hope parking is ok there ...

That's the problem with internet forums as there are lots of stealth advertising ... In the end, consumers have to open their eyes big big ...

It is similar to asking whether the roof top terrace can be enclosed and whether a extra room can be constructed there. Most of the time, it is not approved but please do check with the relevant authorities on this. If i was the developer, i would have achieved 110% efficiency in utilising the approved GFA (additional 10% through "bonus GFA" via open balconies etc) for the development. Every sell-able floor area counts including roof terraces and if i could build an additional floor for that loft unit, i would have directed the architect to do so.

Cos difficult to search for info ... so easier to ask again ...

1. You probably need to obtain approval from the MCST else you may be directed to remove the alterations at your own expense. 2. Building an additional floor at your loft unit involves increasing your build-in area, which in turns increases the GFA of the development. This requires URA approval.

Just some comments (without prejudice) : Consumers have the right to exercise their rights to the fullest extend. And the basis of comparison of the standard of workmanship is to that of a reasonably skilled contractor. If something is cracked or slanted, why should the consumer accept it especially if he is paying so much $ ? Ok. It may be a matter of luck ? Let's say a healthy person goes for a routine cataract operation under local anesthetic (a very low risk procedure), and is it going to be a matter of luck whether the person survives the procedure ? This example may be extreme but it highlights that although life may be full of uncertainties and randomness, gross negligence or to fall below a standard expected of a reasonably skilled contractor cannot be condoned or accepted.

Yup ! There should be more awareness about all these issues. Recently i was reading the forum about how some people had bad experiences in buying furniture - the shop practiced a form of "bait and switch" sales tactic eg they bait you to put a deposit and then influence you to switch to another product that has a higher profit margin for them. Besides buying a property, the next biggest expense is home renovations (besides wedding) and is something everyone would have to spend. Consumers deserve much better than what we are getting now ....

Hey ... It is nice to be able to get the keys to a brand new condo soon ! How's the car parking there like ? The other condo being build next to yours has 10% less parking spaces compared to the number of apartment. It depends on what sort of ID you are talking about. There are some who are "pseudo-ID" which is generally those that you see commonly. These are actually general contractors with a retail storefront and they offer "design" and "build" contracts. The bigger ones have a in-house ID that will do the 2D drawings whilst some will outsource the 3D perspective to 3rd party. Some "recycle" the 3D perspectives and just change the colour/laminates ... The real ID usually charge a design fee of a few thousand dollars (for the good ones). And they can also help you to co-ordinate and "build" if required. These IDs would be able to come up with an original design ... It depends on how much your budget is. For me, i like to explore and do up my own designs - look through magazines, internet etc and do my own 3Ds. And so i usually tell the general contractor what i want. Generally, it is important to do your own preparation studies else you will get "smoked" by the contractors The reason why i mention about the "drilling" part is my contractor drilled into the water pipe although i gave him all the plans. In retrospect, i should have labeled with a red tape all the hidden pipes ! Yup. Bay windows will be a thing of the past nowadays as it no longer is excluded from the developers' GFA.

The developers usually only give you the detailed unit floor plans on keys handover. Also, there may also be rectifications you want the developer to fix eg leaking sink, damaged tiles, chipped glass etc But from the preliminary floor plans, you can still estimate the measurements from there and can already get preliminary quotations from the IDs. You can also start doing your lighting plans. Any plans to do any ceiling works ? Laminate or cushions to your bay windows or having study tables over the bay window ? Once you get the detailed floor plans, study the electrical, water pipe and gas plans carefully and see where they are concealed. The contractors sometimes drill at places they shouldnt. You apartment is big and i like the attached bathrooms for the other bedroom too ...

I dont know how effective my dog is with pests ...

My maltase doesnt paw me .. she would just jump on our bed and try to lick me After she has eaten her breakfast ... she will start playing with her stuff toy and will run to us with the stuff toy and play tug-of-war And also unfortunately, i cant really tell my dog to wake me up later on the weekends ... so everyday, i got to wake up at the same time.

Actually, if your contractor is giving you so much problems, why dont you see your friendly Member of Parliament at the meet-the-people session and see what they can do for you. I think consumers deserve more protection and should regulate the renovation industry further. Is there a case of mispresentation or fraud here by the contractor? I dont think doing a renovation should end up being so complex and stressful. After all, you are not even gaining anything from this situation and what you want is simply to get what you paid for.

hmm ... wah .. you contractor is testing you on HDB regulations ? is it MCQ or short answers ? i think every owner need to study before starting renovations lor ...

I remember that to buy a HDB flat via a bank loan, the lawyer's fees was about $2000 (but the nett is less as there is bank subsidy). Hmm .. to sell it is $1400? The fees still remain so high although most of the paperwork is done by paralegal staff ! Wah ... do make a 70% payment before work commences is crazy. For small item purchases with value less than $500 or so, i dont mind making 50% deposit etc but if the contract value is so huge $30k to 40k, it is scary to put such a big amount ahead ....

hahaha ... my dog wakes me up in the mornings to get to work !

That's great news ! Hmm ... was it a lot of hassle in getting it back ?