george2

Hi Calezero, One impressive thing about Henry is that he was able to take a draft sketch of my expectations and worked a quote for me. From there, the price was firmed and a final drawing was given to me when he came down with his carpenter (This is the copy that you should keep actually as you may have to refer to it when the sub-cons are working at home, esp the electricians.) I did the same with a few others. And this was one of the USPs of Henry. Another thing is that though he would have seen many people renovate houses, he understands the anxiety that all clients will want the best for their house. That is something that IDs need to take note of. for eg, i msged him just now at 10.45pmpm when I had some doubts of today's painting schedule and he replied by 11.06pm. That is something i liked... this way, i actually reduced the no. of days I needed to take leave from work to supervise. (Note: I had a domestic helper at home so that helped me to give feedback too. Saying this so as to set the context). Hope it helps.

Hi ben+san, He is probably working on your quote. It will take some time as he has to find his suppliers and nego the best price with them. My advise is not to rush him. But your anxiety to get the ball rolling is valid. Just give him a call tomorrow and ask him the status and arrange a date for him to view your house if necessary (i called him to view the house str8 away as mine is a live-in home so maybe it is easier co-ordination.) Let me know if you would want to drop by my house. We can see if a date can be worked out. The carpenters will be bringing in the fixtures on Monday (if polishing ends as scheduled on Sat. So far, all schedules have been met.) Thanks and all the best for your reno.

Hi Calezero, Can I confirm if you are renovating your stay-in home or a new flat that you are not going to stay in while renovating? And if so, have you collected your keys? Mine is a live-in home and renovation is on-going while I stay in. Hence, my timeline requires a faster fulfillment. I engaged Henry in December and he already told me that I have to wait till post-CNY as there are a lot of orders. That is something good work ethics coz even though my mom said she wished to have the reno done in Dec sch hols, it would have come at a premium price. Henry strongly advised against it. I appreciate that. Feel free to call and schedule appointments with him. He does some basic drawings to visualize your expectations. This serves to produce a more accurate quotation and also to let you see what the end pdt may turn out to be. And with the drawing, Henry will also advise what is workable and what is not. But, if you feel for something strongly and Henry advises otherwise from experience, and you want it in the quotation, you can always ask Henry to put it as optional cost. This gives you time to re-consider the item while the quote is being prepared. Saves time. This is what I did when deciding if I should change my kitchen cabinet but decided against it later on. Of the few contractors who came to my house, there were others who were competitive but Henry was reliable to me because he knew my needs, replies to SMSes fast, replies emails and lets me know he has replied, calls to update, is available to pick up calls (even when I have called him at 10pm to disturb his sleep... unintended though!). It gives me a peace of mind when I am at work. Let me know if you need anything bro. I know the anxiety when doing reno. It is the point when a house becomes a home.

Hi there, I am an Indian and Henry is my contractor. He has also done major reno works (between $15-25k) for 2 of my Indian friend's houses. Communication is not a problem. On a daily basis, I provide feedback on the things that have worked well and things that need touch-ups. He sees to them immediately. So far, basic electrical works have been done. Yesterday was painting works. Though the people who work on-site are sub-cons, they do their job well. Henry's choice of sub-cons have been good and I appreciate that. For instance, I replaced my room doors. The door man came and replaced all the 3 doors in about 45 minutes and was great work. The painters had some minor patches that needed more work and they fixed it today as I type this, all within a day. I was supposed to take leave and watch over the reno. I have cancelled my leave coz I have nothing much to add when thy are doing the work. But, I have cancelled my leave and only plan to be at home when the carpenter brings in his fixtures as I will need to co-ordinate the exact location of the powerpoints and etc. I also decided to replace my PVC folding doors yesterday and he arranged to have them replaced by Friday. My communication with his was over email: I emailed him the pictures of the doors to make sure that we are speaking about the same thing and he sorted it out for me. On the whole, it is going well so far. Feel free to PM me if you have more qns. I hope I know where to check for my PMs as I am new to this forum and the interface is looking a tad too messy but I will get around it.... While I make it look like it is almost hassle-free, they key is to be as specific as possible when confirming the works that need to be done. It really ensures that work can accomplished efficiently. I am quite ahead of schedule now. Hope this helps.

Hi there, I am surprised he took deposit before you started work. In any case, i dun think you need to worry coz he is honest up till now. My reno ongoing (wiring done, painting ongoing now. carpenter bringing in fixtures next week). My second payment will be end of this week. From my experience, he is honest. Whatever that I add in on top of my quote, he charges. Some may not like this as there are no "free" things thrown in. But I prefer someone who charges me for the work that I need and then add on if i need more later than to charge me extra and front-load me and throw "free bies" later. You can sms him and/or email him to remind you. He replies my SMS fast. But that could be coz I need to talk to him in the fastest time as my work is on-going. In short, i think there is no need to worry too much. He is aware that renotalk is all about him. He would not want anyone to boycott him. haha... Hope this helps.

Hi, I am an Indian, Tamil speaking. No knowledge of Mandarin. He is fairly like uncle type. But, can use simple english to convey idea. Reno is on-going. PM me if you need more info. Glad to help. If anything wrong, he will make right. Anything as i said, PM me as your concerns can be quite specific. Mine were before I started... haha...