Hi all, Just thought that I will contribute to this forum as I have personally benefitted from it during my pre-renovation phase. Simply put, I am “paying it forward”. My and my then fiancée(now wife, though I very much preferred her when she was a fiancée but then again thatz wishful thinking ) got our keys to the flat in amk around Oct 2011. From then it was a mad rush to clear defects with developer (ours is a dbss unit). Personally, I was quite disappointed with the finishing of the flat as I expected it be way better for the price I paid but the layout and location far surmounted my disappointment. And so the developer started clearing my defects and it took almost three/four months as some items were not in stock and some had to be redone again and again as I am very particular with alignment and nitty-gritty details (not a perfectionist but reaching there…) Thereafter, the hunt for the best ID(within my meager budget)began. With me working office hours and my wife flying the friendly skies , I had only my lonely Saturdays to meet up with prospective id’s. Things were moving painfully slow(did I mention that I am a procrastinator?!?) and it was already mid march 2012(my wedding was in June 2012). Meeting IDs and explaining the same things over and over again on Saturdays was pure torture. They were those who listen patiently and take forever to revert, then there were those who block your ideas and propose theirs and insist those are better, then there were the other ones who claim to be freelance(i.e; no overhead) but hit you with quotations more expensive than branded name companies. By this time I had met a total of 8 ID’s with quotations ranging from 45k to 25k(mind you, this is a DBSS flat with aircon, kitchen cabinets, floorings, cupboards and sanitary fittings). My main requirements were only false ceiling, lots of carpentry work for storages in all rooms, painting and electrical work. I explained the same requirement to every id with hugely differing quotes which were miles away from my budget(20k). With time slipping by , I had to grudgingly prise away some money from my wedding budget and add to reno budget to match the lowest price reno quotation of 25k(cos even that was out of my budget). It was then that I met Nicholas from a certain ID firm(from this forum recommendation). In my mind, I have already decided to go with the another id who quoted me 25k but with an appt already made to meet Nic, I just went ahead with the meeting out of goodwill AND THAT WAS THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE( ….other than marrying my fiancée, of course ). Initially when I met Nic, I was a spent force cos I had just met two ID earlier and was tired of explaining the same all over and Nic looked too laid-back to be considered serious. And during my explanations, he even had a blank face at times which made me think that he was not even remotely interested in my requirements. He took notes sparsely and even had to borrow my pen as he claimed he left his in his car. At the end of my briefing, he sat down on the floor and started doing some calculation with his iphone and asked me for my budget. I never liked id’s to ask me for my budget cos I feel they all are out to maximize profits and will definitely exceed my budget even if my reno cost is lesser. So with this twisted view and previous id quotations, I undercut and told him my budget was only 18k maximum. To my ultimate surprise, he said he can do it and even throw in additional freebies ( marble top for my bar counter). I was shocked outta my wits. From a high of 45k, I have someone offering to do the same reno for 18k. We talked further and he conveyed that he is going to leave his present company and start off on his own (RenoGuyZ pte Ltd, Hp:9690 7887 ) and if I’m agreeable, I’ll be his first customer. My personal view is that the ID is more impt than the company and I was totally fine with this which means lesser overheads and I can squeeze him for more(just my devious thoughts). Anyways, i just wanted my reno done and whichever company/individual could do that without busting my budget gets my vote. We discussed further on my requirements and I found him to be honest and trustworthy but maybe a little too frank for his own good cos he even showed me his cost price and how much he earn from this. Some minor items, I was told to just pay cost price directly. He sent me an official quote 3 days later for 18k and I immediately transferred the deposit and confirmed him Another thing with Nic is that though initially he seems quiet, he is very infectious with ideas once you get to know him better. A lot of my exchanges were thru whats’ app and this was easier and very casual. I also transferred my money to him whenever it was due. His subcontractors(carpentry, electrical and false ceiling) have been with him a long time and they come back promptly an rectify and mistakes or touchups without fuss. My reno sans the touch-up finished a month prior to my wedding and I was left with buying furniture and electrical items and minor touch-ups. Overall, slight delays were there but mainly due to me cos I took a long time to choose the laminates. His comments were valuable as it added practical concern to my requirements cos I was focusing solely on the aesthetics. And his easy-going nature meant that I am comfortable in telling him to amend/add anything without having any reservations . He also did my mother’s house TV feature wall for $1500 when I had a quotation for $3500 from another contractor. He does not insist on bringing u to his contacts lighting /furnishing shop to earn more money. He recommends a few only if u ask. I bought my lighting and furniture from Malaysia used his recommendations only for price comparison…. Overall, I am very happy with his service and will gladly recommend him to anyone who needs an ID who will give maximum bang for your buck….As we all continue learning in life, I too learnt an important lesson from my virgin renovation experience…..” NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER” and in Nic’s case this was extremely true….. I’ll try and post pics once me and wifey have arranged all my barang-barang into cupboards and cleaned.…tks for reading and take care. Note: and for those who need Nic’s contact, his details are : RenoGuyZ, Hp:9690 7887.
