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Thanks for sharing. I've read your blog. Goodness, the things these contractors do. Actually, I feel compelled to write a DIY manual for house renovation. Believe it or not, I've got a friend who knows someone who's so fed up with all this contractor crap that he decided to do the reno himself. Laying of the tiles included. Ok, maybe that a bit far fetched for most of us. With regards to contrators using the toilet, I guess that's a grey area. Previously, I did request for the contrators NOT to use the WC after some unsightly event. They continued as normal. They can't help it I guess. The water hole just beckons. They can head to the nearby coffeeshop but that requires a higher level of integrity which you wouldn't expect from most people these days.

Hi, Well, so far we are still ok. She said she's sorry for what happened. We've been friends since 2001 and yes, I've seen her previous work. I liked the styling which was why I asked her. Anyway, it's just too bad for her that both her contractors gave problems this time round. The worst part was trying to negotiate with the Alan guy. I spoke to him last month. He felt I was unfair to him for not paying the last 10%. And just for his amusement, he said he doesn't 'really do HDB flats' and that private property is his specialty. So my reno project is like chicken feed for him. It's a $40k ++ job by the way. I wish I can do more but the best option is to ignore them. I don't have confidence in CASE or any other line of help. No, not because they are incompetent, just my initial ignorance of the much needed black and white. I cannot proceed further if there is no black and white and neither can the contractors. Thanks for all the feedback and replies.

Hi, This is my first post and though I did my reno back in 2004, it seems it's not settled yet. I hope to share, like many have done here, in the hope that the same will not happen to you. So here goes. My dad bought a resale 5rm in Bedok area. We figured the whole house needed to be redone as it seemed nothing could be salvaged. It's a pretty old unit and the 'country' theme just didn't go down very well with us. So I got a friend who is an ID and we worked together with her usual contractor. The work started in late July 2004. At first, all went pretty well until I noticed the workers going missing. Some days, they were there and some days they weren't. And the days began to stretch. You see, I had two separate contractors working. One was doing wet works and the other, carpentry. The main focus of the story here is the wet works contractor. The carpentry guy is a Malaysian. His name is A Lek. The work he's done is pretty ok. The only issue is timing. This guy will go missing for days and at one point for almost two weeks. I was considering a substitute until he showed up last minute. He said his daughter had a wedding and during the ceremony some people came into their house and took away all their money. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Ok so that's A Lek, the carpenter guy. The main contractor, who call themselves Basic Projects, have often used A Lek as the cause of the delay. Similarly, A Lek would blame them as well. You see, I signed up with them on the 17th of July 2004. We only managed to move in on 1st December 2004. Anyone broke this record? My greatest fault in this whole quagmire is that I didn't have the terms in black and white. Working with a friend, I assumed things will be taken care of. I was obviously wrong. The early discovery of this forum might certainly have made the situation better. Ok so back to Basic Projects (they are also known as Lee Kim Tee Construction). Memorize those names ok. The project supervisor, Ong, is a nice chap but it seems he's quite a slacker and is hardly around. Believe it or not, I ended up being the project supervisor. I realized I got the promotion when the workers started to ask me what to do. For the record, Ong went MIA for two weeks. He went for reservist and didn't tell me. Another highlight of my reno boot camp was the day I came late to open the door for the workers. I believe I was about half and hour late. At that point in time, it was rather difficult to ascertain which days they would be there as I think they might be following the Lunar or maybe some Bohemian type of calender. I forgot to tell them I was using the Gregorian calender. So anyway, I was late, for the first time. I found them already working inside. The main fire rated solid wooden door was broken. Yes, these guys sure know how to get in without a key. Needless to say, it had me furious but I had to keep my cool. I asked for the door to be replaced. Well, that door is still there now. They basically knocked it back and plastered over the cracks before painting it over. Breaking doors are just some of the obnoxious talent the workers possess. They also love to throw cigarette butts around the house and during that time, the entire living and dining floor area was covered with cardboard. Cigarette butts and cardboard are a nasty combination. Fortunately, nothing happened. They also helped themselves with the toilet. It's bad enough to urinate in the toilets when the owner hasn't even had the chance, they don't even bother to flush. And I have to mention that there was one day I saw solid waste as well. The toilet doors weren't even fixed at that time. At this point, you might be asking. Aren't you a bit too soft with these guys? Well, not quite. I have confronted Basic Projects on many occasions and was reassured that all will be taken care of. I even, had the manager, Alan, come over for a tea and biscuits. But alas, it was all hot air. We are in the tropics after all. After the move in, slowly but surely, the after effects of Basic Projects began to show. HDB came to inspect our unit and they found the piping of the basin was channeled wrongly. It was actually connected to the 'air vent' pipe. So I got Basic Projects to get back to basic proper construction work and fix it. At this point all payment had been made except for the last 10%. I guess that's the only correct thing I'd done so far. And so the nightmare continues. The rubbish chute area started to leak. There's more. Just recently, Starhub came to service a 'faulty' set-up box. Turned out their electrical guy (Basic Projects) short changed us on the works. The splitter for the cable wasn't there and Starhub can have it done, at a price, of course. I also realized the electrician made use of used 2nd owned parts on the house. I highlighted to Alan and he just brushed it off. Seems the 10% is really more important. Ok, what next? Well, do remember that I am not complaining. Why? It's because I've gone pass that stage. It's so overwhelming you just have to say, I give up. Moving on... Sometime late last year I got another call from HDB. Yes, it's never good news when they call. There seems to be leaking coming in to the unit below. Not one but both toilets. Both are leaking at the same spots, somewhere around the main pipes. It had both HDB and myself baffled. Where is this leaking coming from? Till this day, no one can pinpoint the cause. I've even locked one of our bathrooms and not use it for a month but the leaking continues. The owner below, naturally, blamed it on our reno works. Unfortunately, I don't have any excuses. So right now, I am in the middle of trying to get this situation fixed. Would it be a good idea to get a contractor of my choice or get HDB to provide their contractor? I did call a contractor and he said he didn't want to get involved as the risk of being blamed is there should the leaking persist. And it would be suicidal to get Basic Projects to redo their works. Actually, they agreed to do the work, only after I settle the remaining 10%. After what I've went through, I think they need not come again and I won't be handing over the 10%. Well, they'll have to break through the door again to get it. Very sorry for the long post. I don't normally write like this but sometimes treating a challenge or problem with some humour does help one see and react with sensibility or at least ease things a little. I'd like to thank the other posters who have shared and contributed here in this forum. Always remember, get the terms and conditions on paper. And do not be eager to settle your payments. Thanks for reading. Cheers.