Mrcontractor

Thanks for the feedback! I think electrical is one of the most sought after works. I will cover that in my next topic. Stay tuned!

definitely is not allowed in hdb rules. just make sure it will not cause danger will do. when next time you are selling your house, you have to reinstate back. or not i have customers who put casing just for show during selling. lol. if any case hdb do a sudden inspection, and they found out just don’t sabo the company can already. unless it is a big illegal modification like hacking/erecting of walls which are not approved or extension of toilet illegally, they usually will not penalise the owner. it all depends on the officer handling your case if caught. one more point to note. it will cause a bit of inconvenience if u need hdb to come for inspection when things like leakage from upstairs or any relevant hdb maintenance works.

hahaha. for sure they will ask the question. next time you should try telling them you are the contractor and you will be amazed by the kind of tone you will be receiving from them!

great! always call the officer if you need help from hdb side.

agree with you I have seen customers who are all in to FSM and do accordingly to FSM instructions. On the other hand I have customers from other religion who don’t even think about it at all. Everyone of them have their own beliefs and having a peace of mind. I have been through the very superstitious point of life where I almost go crazy. ask me if it works? I just can say 宁可信其有，不可信其无。 I believe most importantly in my life is my own self thoughts. waking up everyday with a positive mind will solve most of your problems. Look forward to everyday’s life and believe that all problems can be solved you will realise you are your own best FSM.

Dear all, would like to have feedbacks on the kind of topics which most of you will benefit from. I am trying to put my knowledge into words to allow others to benefit from it. feel free to let me know which are the areas needed. mrcontractor

usually it takes about 1 week or so. call the hdb officer and rush them. They don’t entertain ID but they listen to home owners. Sometimes there are delays if the officer require more information or need ID to amend the drawings or measurement.

I have done up some information for tips for reading. hope these will help those who are looking for contractor/ID Topic 4 How to prevent getting cheated and scammed by contractors/ID Recently I read about many of the scams and cheats in this industry. Why is that so? Because it is simple for them to open and close down companies without having the need of being sued. The amount for a customer to be cheated of during renovation scams hardly to be above hundred of thousands per person. Therefore, going through all the civil proceedings will waste even more money on the victim’s side and there is no guarantee that he/she may get back the amount. Then, the culprit goes off scott free! I feel the need of giving advices on prevention of getting into this kind of scenario. 1. Reviewing the contractor/ID’s reputation This might not be 100% accurate because there are some firms who advertise themselves. but for sure, those who advertise themselves but doesn’t deliver as promised will have their bad reviews coming by. Keep the minds open and even if you see bad reviews, do contact the home owner to get more facts. And on the other hand, you can get more info from the good ones as well. 2. Research on HDB and ACRA If you are renovating your Hdb, be very sure that the company is a licensed hdb contractor. most importantly, the contract which you are going to sign bear the letter head of the hub registered one instead of some other names. They will usually say that it is due to GST etc. Although there are those who are really sincere in business but just to be on the safe side. ACRA search is one of the important one as well, give it a search and screen through the company address and make sure it is valid. If at any point of time now you feel something is not right, I will suggest getting another contractor/ID. Because better to be safe than sorry. 3. Ask for showrooms/ reno in progress flats Do ask the contractor/ID if there are any REAL showrooms instead of those in the office etc. look for projects the company done before. and also current ones. where you can see that the company is really into business. If possible, ask for a timing where the owner is in to research more on the firm. I will recommend minimum 2 showroom flats to view and one of it have to be going to complete or just completed. when you are at on-going sites, be sure to find the renovation permit from HDB to double confirm their license as well 4. Be alert Be alert in the payment progress. Do not give much more than what you see in your house. there is no fix rule for this because different quotations works differently. If you stay alert, you will have better control of your money. even if the company winds down, you do not lose the maximum. Some might wonder why I did not recommend for checking on RADAC, CASE etc. Because no matter how many prizes, trophies or accreditation the company have, it only help to the minimal when there are problems arising. To prevent ourselves being a victim, we have to know if the company is a true and operating for legal profits through hardwork and sales. HDB licensed contractor will be a safer one because to become one, they will have to submit invoices of minimum $50k to support and also to be in the business for minimum of 1 year. HDB will then contact the various house owners for feedback before grant. The most important is that when you sign the contract, there should be no room for doubts. All questions should be cleared by then. of course sometimes we are so unlucky when all things seems to be alright and yet suddenly the company shut down. I have seen a few friends in this line whose business are good but due to some unforeseen factors, they are forced to close. but they are not cheaters or scammers, it is pure business failure. Feel free to ask if you have any questions! I might not be free everyday but i will try my best to reply. I hope all these tips will be useful for home owners and fellow forummers

first of all, your ID needs to be comfortable with it. some groups of sub con will not interact so much with each other. For e.g, the doors or windows with the air-con. But definitely, your schedule of works need to flow nicely and correctly. the sequencing must be correct. some Id who is helpful enough will be able to plan it out for u. There are some who needs to work closely with though. Examples, the tiler and the plumber, or the electrician and carpenter. Do up a detailed schedule and stretch out the days just in case there are any delays. you don’t want to be caught in a situation whereby the electrician delayed the works and the painter and carpenter will have to reschedule their installation days. Sub-cons have their scheduled worked out as well, if you delay, sometimes they are not able to come on the specific date you want. do not put any valuable things or items in your house unless you are there to supervise throughout the whole day. if anything goes missing or damage, no one will admit and you will have a headache with all the finger pointing games. Give yourself more than enough time for the project. Hope these helps!

most likely you will be looking at aluminium frame with acrylic. but acrylic can be easily scratched. got to maintain it very well.

hi, The install the ceiling fan, you will need to put reinforcement in the false ceiling where you want to put the ceiling fan. To change the whole house wiring without hacking the false ceiling, your con/id will need to access with a cut out hole to see if it will be possible. Cutting of a hole in the false ceiling is about 5-10mins simple job. if the wiring inside is too complex, you will then need to take down the false ceiling for rewiring. If it can be done, con/id will then patch back. Do compare the prices of with and without removing of false ceiling as well. some will charge exorbitant prices for just cutting and patching of the holes. I agree with colloncream which shouldnt exceed 800 for the whole house. Hope these helps

Getting direct to various sub con is possible, but of course with more coordinating works to do. If you are not doing a major overhaul with complex design, it can be done with some effort. First of all you will need to know the flow of the project, and do be there when a new work is starting to prevent conflicts between the sub-cons. You will need to arm yourself with some renovation knowledge (renotalk have plenty) and monitor the project closely. Be prepared to take some off from your work days if you are having office hours jobs. I worked with some customer who engaged me for a minority of works but outsource others to various sub cons. The bad experiences ones are always with sub cons which delayed the jobs. Get it all planned out and work closely, I am sure you will have a great sense of satisfaction!

Topic 3.2 Direct pricing and tips on Carpentry works Hi everyone, I managed to retrieve my account in renotalk! today, I am going to write about carpentry works Most of renovation projects consist of a major part in carpentry. Especially in residential properties. And it is the most crucial part of the project which plays a big part in your design and the overall look of the house. I have worked with many carpenters before and of course at times having a big headache on the workmanship issues. The most important thing in carpentry works is the quality and 2nd the workmanship. Let me give you a rough idea of how does the direct price looks like when contractor hire sub-cons to do it. Kitchen cabinet : $80-$100 per ft run Casement door wardrobe : $160-$180 per ft run Glass sliding door wardrobe : $200-$220 per ft run Tv console feature wall : $15 psf Tv console : $90-$100 per ft run Vanity cabinet: $90-$100 per ft run Full height cabinet : $250-$300 per ft run This can be use as a reference. However, there are many many different prices in the market for carpentry because of con/ID mark up and also the workmanship. I have personally used the cheapest and the most expensive ones as comparison. I cannot say that the most expensive ones gave me the best quality though and the cheapest doesn’t mean the lousiest as well. The easiest way to see the quality of wood is the weight of the doors. there are some who gave solid wood which was real heavy. But do take note that at times, solid wood will have warping issues. Since the carpentry works start off in the factory before it comes to your house, it is important to have QC once it start installation in your house. I will recommend home owners to take a look while they install just in case if any mistakes of placement. And the con/ID will be checking on the workmanship and finishes. Other than the quality of wood, I suggest getting better brands of laminate instead. Your con/ID will probably restrict you to specific range of laminates. There will always be a price list in the catalogue itself (some remove it though) and you can do a check accordingly if you want to know the price of it. Outsourcing in the carpentry works can be done very easily if the design is not so complex. that subjects to the con/ID will be comfortable with it as well. Most carpenter will be able to show u simple drawings. Do make sure you make an initial on the finalised drawings with measurements preferably and keep a copy for yourself. To prevent any conflicts or misunderstanding in between. As the dimensions of carpentry works is very important. The price in the con/ID market for carpentry is really WIDE. it can range even more if you are getting a premium one. My advice is that, Do ensure the quality of works is reasonable for the amount paid for. Carpenter industry is pretty hot right now due to the Bto especially. the price will probably go up in future when more and more carpenters are needed. I received many PMs for questions on renovation. But that was dated last year, sorry for the delay all! you are free to PM me or post here if you do have any questions. Have a good day everyone!

Hi Kooky, if say 850sqft then the cost should be much more lesser, based on the calculation posted above, you can try to calculate it out. to make it simpler, add all the cost together : $3+$1.50+ $0.50 = $5 and if your flooring is 850sqft it should be $4250. the markup depending on your comfort level. i would say at least a 50cents psf mark up for the contractor/ID. but it's up to both of your negotiation as well. Do take note that contractors/ID might reduce prices during low peak season and raise it when they have many jobs on hand. but of course there are too many kinds of business making, so depending on their pricing strategy as well. feel free to clarify if you have any questions=) Have a great CNY ahead!

Hi, to give you a more clearer detailed breakdown: Tiles: $3psf x1000sqft = $3000 Labour 1.50 x1000sqft = $1500 Cement, materials etc : 0.50x1000sqft = $500 (more than enough but calculating the skirting cost it should be just nice) $1.50psf markup : 1.50x1000sqft = $1500 The markup is up to your comfort level. however, do take note that the tiles already have rebate in there. so if say would like to save but not short changed the contractor. you can choose to source tiles yourself and get a $0.60 psf discount which add up to about $600

Hi, regard to your quote, i think a might be able to help on the advices=) Demolision Works 1) hacking of floor & wall tiles for all 3 toilets 2) hacking of living & dining existing floor and wall tiles 3) hacking of kitchen existing floor & wall tiles 4) hacking of balcony floor tiles 5) demolish wall between Study & Kitchen for new layout 6) demolish wall at Staircase for new layout 7) remove all cornices & ceiling works 8) demolish wall at 2nd store toilet for new layout 9) Haulage services, debris removal & transport material **Cost: $4700** Hacking works seems fine, but can be slightly lower if possible. A better amount should be between 4000-4300 Wet Works 1) supply & lay homogeneous tiles Living, Dining, Balcony,Study & Kitchen c/w skirting - $7300 Assuming the tiles is $3-$.20 psf. and your area is about 1000sqft, the quote can be lessen to $6500. See if you can bring down to 7k if possible? 2) supply & lay homogeneous tiles on floor & wall for all bathrooms w/c water proofing - $5700 Can be lesser i think. the tiling works seems to be on e high side Ceiling Works: 1) to construct new ceiling works for lower level - $2,800 2) to construct new ceiling works for upper level - $2000 I cant comment on this as I not sure of how your ceiling is like Timber Flooring Works To repair affected parquet floor and vanish after completion - $1,500 Cheap IMHO. the cost can go up to 2k. Perhaps you can cover back some at the tiling side Timber Door & Glass Door Works 1) supply and install partition board to box-up 3 bedroom ventilator above bedroom door - $300 Can be cheaper. a quote from direct supplier is only 30 per box so cost price should be 90. after having earnings, should be only max 200 2) supply and install 1 x solid door fram and 1 x louvers door for storeroom - $480 3) supply and install 1 set of solid wood door frame for bedroom 2 - $200 4) supply and install 3 tempered glass casement door at 2 toilets & kitchen - $1350 5) supply and install 1 bifold door at 1st storey WC - $220 6) supply & install 10mm tempered glass shower screen for 2 bathrooms - $1100 7) supply & install sliding tempered glass for new build-up half wall between living hall and balcony - $900 8) supply and install sliding tempered glass for counter - $1000 9) supply door for Study room - $1380 The restof the above door works seem fine to me. its just a little extra and little lesser. so overall its somehow at the market range pricing Carpentry Works 1) 8ft TV console c/w feature wall living area - $2400 2) 8ft full height storage cabinet - $1600 3) 19ft storage cabinet below recess window - $2280 4) 6.5ft TV console at master bedroom - $1950 5) 8ft sliding wardrobe at master bedroom - $2000 6) 5ft casement wardrobe at bedroom 2 - $1150 7) 8ft casement wardrobe at bedroom 3 - $1840 8) 10ft drawer storage cabinet below recess window - $1500 you can try to bargain. at least a 5% off the total amount on the carpentry Painting and cleaning works 1) supply labour and material to paint the whole unit - $2400 2) provide chemical washing and general cleaning for whole unit - $800 Painting is fine, but washing at $800?! i think quite ridiculous. the direct price is only $200. Others build new clay tiles roofing at balcony c/w 1 hour fire rated ceiling board and window - $4500 I not sure how big is your balcony but given a size of approx 100sqft, u can bargain slightly lower.

Hi, the flooring have a 50 50 chance as the colour runs seem to be a little reddish/pinkish. so there are chances that the stain has been seep in. polishing it will make it better if say it has become a permanent stain though. as for the counter top, it should be only a surface stain.

Topic 3.1 (Direct/Market prices for renovation items) Tiling As many will know tiling is covered in most renovation and it is always one of the major items as once done, it will stay with you for at least 5 or more years as changing it will cause inconvenience. I think most con/ID already start to arrowing me. Nonethless, im gonna provide more information for renovators for them to self equip with more knowledge and prevent those nonsense from bad con/ID. Basically when con/ID hire tilers or to say sub contractor tilers. The tilers does not provide materials. they only provide equipments and labour. so the below pricing is WITHOUT materials and tiles. Kitchen wall/Toilet wall tiles : $1.80-$2 psf (Avg toilet size about 180sqft so about $320-360) (Size up to 30x60cm) Kitchen floor tiles : Lump Sum of 150-170 Toilet floor tiles : 50-60 lump sum toilet kerb with tiles : 30 per kerb Waterproofing membrane for toilet : 30 per toilet (Depending on some subcon who does not charge) Water proofing for kitchen : NIL ( will fill more details below) cabinet base : 10-15 per ft run fridge/washing machine base with tiles : $30 Living room homogenous tiles 60x60 :1.50 psf Skirting : $0.50 -$1 per ft run Making good of wall : 50-70 per demolished wall Lintol for room entrance : 60 per set Sink/Stove support :250 per set of 3ft or 70/ft run Since the above does not include materials. To let you have a rough idea of it, the material cost is roughly about 300 plus for 3 room overhaul, 400 plus for 4 room and 500 plus for 5 room. kitchen and toilet material cost is about 150-200. The mark up for con/ID is always about 1-1.50psf for all areas. And floor wise it depends, some doesnt earn from the kitchen/toilet flooring if it is a major overhaul. Imagine a contractor were to quote $1 psf more, a 5 room with 400sqft of kitchen wall, 400sqft for 2 toilet walls, 1000sqft for living floor, it would mean 1k plus profit. but that doesnt end here, more below on the tiles. How come there is no charge for kitchen water proofing? because in current renovation practice, the waterproofing use in toilet and kitchen is different. Majority of the contractor or ID does not use many layers of waterproofing for kitchen. Usually it does not pose a problem. unless you are really concern then perhaps can let the contractor or ID know. A tip for you, if you want to make sure the waterproofing for toilet and kitchen is the same, do a site visit every day to see the finished colour or texture of the floor after they finish work. make sure there is lights. Waterproofing for toilet i would reccomend at least 3 times. and an upturn of 300mm which is required by HDB. To make it safer, you can always do the whole of the shower area to prevent water from seeping through the wall to your room. Tiles selection is also another tiring process. I have seen couples and families quarreling over the type and design. witness a big arguement at the showroom as well. Anyway, it is always good to visit showrooms to get free samples and take your time to choose. I would prefer going to at least 2-3 tile showroom for a bigger variety. I will only name the 2 bigger tile shops (not advertising but just stating the bigger showrooms). Soon Bee Huat and White horse ceramic tends to be the more established one. of course there are tons of them at balestier road and defu lane or even sungei kadut. Tile shops give rebates to contractor and IDs. price between $0.80-$1 psf for all tiles. Sometimes more when it comes to mosaic tiles. That's why sometimes contractor/ID limit you to a few tiles shops as the rebates are much bigger. to take a $1 psf, the profit for tiles will be $1800 for a 5 room flat. with the workmanship profit, it comes up to a 3k markup just for tiling. Time to stretch your dollar! You can always find your own tile shop and walk in as a customer/homeowner. Usually they will give a 20% off the retail price so you save $0.60 psf. but of course, that is when your contractor/ID agrees. Some of the tile shops doesnt do that but most of them do. Just let them know that you are a walk in without any contractor/ID referral will do. And when your contractor order the tiles, they will probably earn the rest of $0.20-$0.40 psf. so they still have some earnings while you have savings. Win win situation isnt it? There will be more to come on carpentry, aluminium, glass etc etc for the prices. after that I will cover on the things to look out for during renovation in more detail. eg, what kind of materials and how to know if you are getting good stuff etc. Stay Tuned=)

Hi, I am sad to hear your story. i can totally feel you because there are simply too many dishonest contractors/ID around. For your case on the HDB tiles, he should go to the building services side if it is a BTO to check on the tiles supplier address or contact. Usually will need to ferry the tiles themselves. and per sgft should not be more than $3. Alternatively, can purchase from the haulage guy whose number is always sticking on the lift lobby. Let me tell you a story about my own experience. I have been a good contractor who rarely (I cant say i dont quote high at all, only to certain district or projects) quote highly or using dishonest methods. However, the other way round, i start to lose money in business due to customers trying to squeeze everything out of me. Of course, it doesnt mean that i would agree with dishonest methods. Just too many of these kind of black sheeps making contractor/ID being labelled as "dishonest people". Another story to share, once, i tried settling a dispute between my customer and his neighbour. His neighbour then said; " you are a contractor, I definitely dont believe in what you say". It makes me upset and felt so demoralized. The other hand, I have seen customers like you letting the ID/contractor squeezing them out. I think we should all stand up and fight for ourselves instead of spending so much money to let dishonest merchant earn. For your case, the ID said previously quoted wrongly etc, it is THEIR problem. of course you overlook as a layman as they did not go through the quote very thoroughly. That's why i listed out as detail as i can to help forummers to make sure what they are signing is correct. Please do not continue letting your contractor adding on the cost and giving you lesser items. a few steps you can take to turn the table around. Take the initial quote. and then the revised one. Is there any terms stating that there will be no free items if quotation is less than than 60k? if no, fight for it. if you are afraid that they will do a shobbly job, keep that in mind and bring them to small claim at the end of the day if they refused to honor the contract terms. High chances which you will be winning and they will have to pay you whatever cost worth the free items. I am advising not to harm anyone, it is just that from your siude of story, it seems that he is trying to play around with the quotation. Should give them a lesson not to bully customers who are layman in this trade. I would suggest people having problems with contractors/ID to come forward and protect themselves from dishonest business earnings. I will try and help as much as i can. from what i understand, most of customers who experience tihngs like you, are afraid to fight back because they have limited knowledge on renovation and if contractor/ID decided to drag or give them shobbly works, they will be in a lost. I supposed its time to help people like you to fight back your rights. Do post here or PM me if you need more advices. I will be more than willing to help=)

Hacking might cost you 1k or so including the touch up. you can save by not putting any tiles for the demolished part. just cement screed and smooth it will do. will help you to save more.

I cant comment on most granite cleaning products as i have not experience any miracle with them. To get the granite back to the old "look", you might want to consider buffering off the coating of granite and then repolish it again. just like how ppl does it when they have a newly laid marble to make it smooth. however, if there are stains which actually went/seep into the granite. Then this way cant help. the only way is to remove the granite. From what you describe i doubt it will seep in as it is only on the surface. you can try getting a granite polisher specialist to do a non obligation site survey to know whats the reason. or you can PM a pic perhaps i can try to see if it is a surface stain or not. the cost for buffering/polishing granite might range you about $2.50-$5 psf.

Hi, regards to your question: 1. You mean the to remove the whole of the store room? demolishing the wall only or including the floor? 2. yes. there is defintely risk. for eg. While clearing of debris, the direct hacker might refused to clear the rubbish if lets say there is "purposely" more than what is expected. And like i mentioned, the tiler and hacker is always linked together due to the waterproofing membrane of the toilets. They wouldnt want to let others do it while having them using the HDB license in case any leakage in future etc. 3. Wall is usually not charge by metre. for a 2m long full height wall. you can expect 100 from direct hacker and contractor price to you might go all the way from 200-450. my opinion is that if you engage a contractor/ID you should get a reasonable price of 200-280. Or if you are lucky to get 100 or even F.O.C

Hi, 40k can be sufficient if you do not do much carpentry works. I have done one 5room overhaul with less than 40k. a simple one however. Dont worry, I am not advertising, as I have retired from this line:)

Topic 3: Direct/Market prices of renovation items (Hacking) I am sure many people will be interested in knowing the prices of the renovation items. For existing ID/contractors, i know you guys will hate me for this. But well, when i was working as a contractor, my customer basically knows the market pricing. You just need to press a few clicks and you will know what you are getting. I always tell my customers the market price is definitely cheaper than my quote. reason being: I need to make a living. Common sense right? And most of them will accept it. If everything is quote by the direct price then there wont be any contractors/ID in Singapore right? Interested to know how much a contractor earns? We earn 20-30% of the contract price. Some with sharp knives will earn 30-50% of it. I earn 50% only when it is a commercial project. Reason? It is more risky and more work. One of the major reason is the so called "market profit". Hacking works: (All items are listed with direct price from various sub contractor) 3 room hdb with kitchen cabinet : 1600-1700 4 room HDB with kitchen cabinet: 2000-2100 5 room HDB with kitchen cabinet : 2400-2500 Kitchen and 2 toilets (wall and floor) : 1300-1350 Kitchen wall and floor: 700 1 Toilet wall and floor :300 Built in wardrobes: 100-150 1 room false ceiling :80-120 I cannot commment on condo as it comes in variety of sizes. Unlike HDB which is more standardize. For condo, if heavy vehicles cant go in, then the cost might be higher. Usually what you seeing from the contractors or ID will be 0.5-1.5times more the direct price. This is because, you cant engage your own hacker as you will need HDB license. And hacking people will definitely take up the tiling works due to the water proofing required by HDB. So it makes no difference by engaging direct or non direct. Dont be suprised that this price include the haulage of sand, clearing debris etc. This is always one of the most profitable item stated in the quote. Dont be fooled by the breakdown for the demolition. Sometimes the price adding up can be more than a lump sum quoted. Since demolition is very straight forward, alwways look at it in a whole, instead of comparing item by item. But makr sure all items are in. Unless there are items like demoliton of wall as optional, move it away from the total price. For HDB rules, before hacking, the contractor have to inform at least 2 neighbours THREE days beforehand. It is best to inform 3-4 neighbours. especially neighbours downstairs/directly beside you. Next topic: Tiling * Feel free to PM me for advices or questions

yeah. but through my years of bring a contractor, I have customers who are linked to a big family. however, there are some who were disatisfied with my service. So i can say, it all boils down to your comfort level:)