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Hi there, the toilet walls for BTOs would not be allowed to be hacked/removed for the next three years, starting from the completion date of the block.

Hi Christina, Thanks for sharing. Agreed that the ID whom you engaged plays a big part in renovation. Some IDs I encountered bragged too much about their big company and multiple awards whatnots... but at the end of the day would that ID produce award winning design for my home? It's better to find someone whom you can click with. Makes the renovation process more fun and easy going, and whatever quotations set would appear to be more well spent. For sharing of contacts, the trend here is to wait for someone to post in this thread, requesting for contacts, or someone would privately message (PM) you. Then you would reply via PM. Meanwhile sharing photos of your home would be a nice addition.

Yes, can be done. Seen this design (wardrobe as divider) in the Singapore home&decor blog. And I notice you or the id had thought of placing a large mirror to make the place look bigger. Good design choice! Just a pointer in choosing the lighting at the dresser area. There may not be sufficient natural lighting going into that area so may want to place more lightings (unless you desire a dim look ala Ambercombie and Fitch store!) Also, take note of the aircon placement - ensure the wardrobe does not block the circulation to the rest of the room. One other suggestion may be placing a dressing/changing room curtain to complete the whole changing room atmosphere, but without it is fine too, if the idea is to maintain the whole MainBR look. Oh, also curious to know whether the wall tiles at the kitchen are additions? Looks pretty nice with that!

Hi Eric, no problem with the quotation. Very standard pricing esp if ID had taken actual measurements. Just need to build "chemistry" with this ID. All the best!

Helloz, refer to the Guide to Upload Photo pinned thread under Reno t-blog chat. Looking forward to your 3d!

Hello again! To avoid big shocks... Avoid signing packages. For eg if you saw jimmya's quotation he probably would not get a shock. It's easier to discuss what to include and exclude. During the quotation meetup with id always ask if there's anything missing. A good id would suggest to you additional items you can consider. It's still best to trash out everything before signing the deal! After signing, some additions would be the electrical works, and likely some unforeseen measurements, which can instead decrease cost if some areas did not use as much materials as expected. For this, do check with id what are some these additionals and they should gladly tell you the cost breakdown.

Hi aloha, When it comes to packages, it's hard to see whether the id is giving u a so called reasonable price, especially when that price obviously include the supposedly "free" items. Another issue would be topping up for the extra feet of kitchen cabinet and other stuff. It's seldom where packages could cover an entire renovation work. Do seek a second id or two to compare quotes.

Dba, and all who is reading this - while loosely tied to this topic but would definitely benefit you all... there's this ongoing SG50 consumer electronic show at the expo right now to 2 Aug. Prices are super!! I've been looking at prices of TVs and right now they are offering at the lowest possible price for each spec and size.

djnt - there would always be a few blocks faster... good news is come key collection date you'll probably be the first batch to collect the keys!

Do not take into heart what that reno company said. As long as you have a floor plan with scale, there is something that the designer can work on. It's their loss, not yours, for not taking you up! The reasons why ID would turn you down now (telling you "super early!" and whatnots) are as follows: 1. Too many current projects at hand 2. Budget not up to their expectation (if you tell them you have a 100k budget project, would they not take you up? haha...) 3. Prices are always expected to increase. Suppose you sign up now, today, they would be bounded by today's prices. When say in Jan 2016, prices of certain materials increase... but contract has already been signed! So they can't charge you "accordingly". 4. Higher chance that you would sign up with a particular company when you're closer to key collection date. Right now, you have much freedom to choose but come months later you would have lesser time to decide on which company to do the reno. IDs are after all businesses and they prefer customers who eventually sign up with them and not just merely asking for quotations.

Hi Vicki, to answer your qn - end Sep 15 means it's going to be completed by then. But HDB releases the keys batch by batch. So it might be that you would receive it as the first batch, or about three months + later (last batch). Nevertheless, I see you have started gathering ID contacts - it's a good time to do so. All the best! djnt - for now it's roughly 6 months before the original PCD. 50% archi stage is still some way to go, but you'll get there soon!

I'm not sure about whether price will be lower too. Some ids follow your usual commercialized seasons (GSS, CNY, Xmas, their anniversary etc) and if going by that, there would not be any discounted packages. But for better prices, it's more up to your own negotiation skills (for eg. why this id can offer so and so, can you match this?). That is why I emphasize alot on comparing quotes. As for renovation market, let's just say it follows your housing market. Expect it to be ever-increasing due to higher cost of labor and some of the materials used. However, for furnishings, you can hold off any purchases for now until year end sales. Meanwhile, some good deals can be found in Renotalk's post-renovation forums.

Hi joan, my comments: Price for tiles are ok... but now with the compulsory pre-packed screed ruling you may also consider getting laminate or vinyl flooring for the bedrooms. Not sure why the id quote you "24 ft" of solid surface kitchen worktop. Usually 10-15 ft would do. But price in terms of per foot run is ok - at $80 pfr. You may also want to consider other materials for kitchen worktops, such as granite, quartz, kompacplus etc, if heavier cooking is involved. Meanwhile, consider doing some form of backing for the cooking area of your kitchen wall. For the quotation of casement wardrobe (i.e. the doors open outwards), the price can get you sliding ones if you prefer that. I like how the id termed soft closing hinges as "motion control system". Do continue to look for more quotes and compare the items quoted. All the best!

You've got mail. Cheers

Hi myhomesg, did you get quotes which itemize/list down every single detail and their individual prices? If yes, don't mind sharing it here so we can advise on which component is overcharged or reasonable etc.

Depends on how many id/contractors u have gone to. If you have been to say five of them and all five gave more or less the same quotations, then choose the one you feel most comfortable with. Or if all quotes are too high, relook into your requirements. To me, I can see some advantages in signing early. If you sign up in a month's time, it will be close to the lunar calendar's seventh month. That's the time where renovation works would be at their low, but also means the ID would have more time in coming up with your design. Go forth and do your enquiries! What I do caution though is about signing up for anything on the spot. This is a favorite marketing strategy especially for open houses and expo shows. If the packages offered really suit your requirements to every detail, then you can sign up if and only if you think the price is right. But if there's any slightest doubt, don't pick up the pen just yet and tell them you must consider. After all this is not just a few hundred dollars thing - this is your home.

Hi there, At the end of the day, it is the individual interior designer/design consultant/contractor/whatever they call themselves these days that you engage with that matters. It is in the company's interest to gather certifications as it is a competitive industry. Come to think of it, the reason why Casetrust exist is because of bad egg companies who gave the industry a bad name. Every company, big or small, should be expected to have at least proper business practices and systems. While Casetrust accreditation means that the company follows through the guidelines set by Case, it does not however ensures you the best price and service attitude. As for workmanship, the company going for Casetrust accreditation would have to go through some worksite assessment. They would need to produce one times solid swee swee project (two projects for medium sized companies, and three for large ones) for the assessor. Even when failed assessment, the company can re-attempt up to 3 times. After certification... what about the rest of the projects? Can they promise consistent results? I've engaged some IDs whose companies are Casetrust accredited and there were a few who kept repeating they are Casetrust certified until it's quite unbearable. It's like it's the only thing that matters! A few did explain the reasons they got accredited, and focused more on discussing design matters (imo, those truly deserve the accreditation!). And there were a few... well let's just say no big budget no talk. SO... are they really reliable? Well it's a bonus to have Casetrust, but a small bonus at that. What matters would be the price quoted, workmanship and service attitude, all of which are independent of whether the company is Casetrusted or not. For recommendations, there's quite a few around here that highly recommended, but to build "chemistry" with the person is another thing.

Glad to hear that! One more tip from me - the best way to check workmanship is to arrange a visit to one of the id's existing projects. Even better if the house owner is around when you visit.

Pretty good pricing from this particular id. However, just a note that if this quotation appears to be much lower than the other four ids, do a "safety" check like googling this id, searching on renotalk etc, to find other reviews on this id, where available. Cheers!

This is a startup company and is quite new, made up of young aspiring NUS graduates. They do not have a showroom and the portfolio is what you see on their website. I did not choose them as they unfortunately lost by experience. Price wise yes theirs would be lower than most. Since they are supported by NUS (office located within there), I believe they won't run away with your money... lol. Have you engaged any of them yet?

Do not be afraid of hidden costs... let them be afraid of you! Get a few quotations, compare, and ask the id why never include this, or why include that etc. For workmanship, request to go to a current project which the id is working on. To find your best, much legwork have to be done. Don't be too hasty to sign anything. I myself learnt from this but luckily did not pay too high a price for it. Go forth and do some meetups, feel free to come back here with some quotations you obtained and we can discuss again. All the best!

Hi Janice... haha, not all like that lah. Like for myself, I gave contacts of my shortlisted ids whom I did not choose eventually but still think they are good, cos one is I can only choose one id, and second is a way of paying forward to those who gave reasonable quotes.

Hi kohkindachi, here's my feedback on your quotation: Masonry - your flooring cost add up to $8310. Flooring quotations would add up more nowadays as compared to a quote obtained like six months ago, due to the use of pre-packed screed. Check some samples of flooring that your id can provide to see if you are ok with choosing homogeneous tiles with price range up to $3psf. As for vinyl, ask whether it is high end resilient flooring (HERF) or equivalent. Plumbing - quite standard pricing. check on whether "supply and alter conceal pipe for existing kitchen pipe" is truly needed. Ceiling - ask ID what is the total sq feet for calculating the false ceiling/l-box. If just making false ceiling alone, price is actually not that much, but with cove lighting it doubles the price. Misc - your painting is higher than norm due to the use of 6 colors, others usually put in 5 colors. So it's ok. Is the gloss paint necessary? Check on that. Carpentry - not sure if I'm reading it correctly, if $5270 is the cost for 25 ft in total of kitchen cabinet, it is very marked up (210.8 per sq ft run). As mentioned by the rest, your carpentry quotes in general are on the high side and the hinges (soft-closing, or whether blum system is used etc) are not stated. Do try to find another id and compare their quotes, using similar number of works detailed in this current quotation. Consider whether window grills / doors for whole house are needed too. Cheers!

For reno loan process, the following info is taken from OCBC's website. Bring along these documents to any of the bank's branch: 1. NRIC (although not stated, bring along joint applicant's IC too) 2. Income document - payslip for last 6 months OR CPF contribution for last 6 mths OR latest income tax statement 3. Original Contractor's quotation papers duly signed by home owner and contractor 4. HDB Sales Order (i.e. all those documents signed with HDB, just bring whole file to be safe!) 5. Marriage cert (if joint applicant) If loan is not approved, these are the other alternatives: 1. obtain a smaller amount of loan 2. find another bank (but may face another rejection) 3. seek personal loan (however, the interest rates are much higher, not advisable) 4. seek a smaller quotation from contractor Anyway, joint applications would usually pass through, as long as the minimum income of 24k pa is hit. Most banks offer the loan amount of 6x monthly income, or up to 30k, whichever is lower. So assuming a person earn exactly 2,000 a month, he or she would be able to loan up to 12k.

Hi forkel, Taking up a reno loan depends mostly on the individual borrower's credit assessment, but the spouse's credit situation may or may not affect: 1. Husband has bad credit rating, wife's credit assessment is very gd (AA rating) and has a stable job that is more than 30k per annum. Wife takes up reno loan on her own - Reno loan approved. 2. Husband has bad credit rating, wife credit assessment is very gd, but not working. Wife not able to take up reno loan; husband takes - Reno loan most likely rejected. Speak to bank on whether having wife as joint applicant would allow the loan application to go through. Do also note the minimum income criteria - 30k pa for sole applicant, 24k pa for joint. Also note that it takes about one year to have one's credit rating to be revised (for better or worse). Ps - not an experienced financial adviser here, just a fellow renotalker!