BlueFly

Yes, I agree, whether you use ID or contractor you must still check regularly on the work yourself. That said, I wld still engage an ID. Indeed I wld feel sorry for myself if I had to deal with the contractor/workers myself, because in my case the workers made several (fatal) errors and made excuses for them when I asked them to rectify. Like for instance, side-by-side door frames that were of different height!! That was a serious flaw to me. When I pointed out the mistake made to the ID, he immediately asked the workers to rectify, and they dutifully complied. I was impressed. There were other instances too of the contractor arguing with me e.g. when I told the contractor I didn't want a kerb for my bathroom or toilet he said he has to build a kerb because the kitchen floor already cld not be layered "higher" than the toilet floor so as to make the kerb redundant. He said HDB regulations require a certain floor-to-ceiling height for the kitchen to be maintained and he wld lose his license if he flouted the regulation. What can one say when he made an argument like that? In the end I prevailed because my ID helped me. You can read about that when I have time to detail it on my blog. Was that incident a "put on" b/w the ID and the workers for my "benefit"? I didn't think so, because I had renovated before and the present flat was my second renovation. The contractor/workers are beholden to the ID for a continued flow of jobs and wld listen to him, otherwise the workers couldn't be bothered by the flat owner (they still get their daily rated pay whether or not the work is excellent or average). BTW, I need to point out that getting an ID does not guarantee you wld have no problems with the workers or contractor. It all depends on how much influence the ID has with the contractor. Some IDs are as good as useless -- from the postings I've read on this forum. Do a search if you wish to find out. When I have time I will detail other instances on my blog. PM me if you need my ID's contact. Hope this helps.

It is possible if you are on a landed property, and not possible if you're living in an apartment, whether private or public. In an apartment the location of the discharge outlet/hole on the floor for the toilet bowl is fixed by the sewage pipe. If you move the bowl to another location, your plumber has to consider how to connect the bowl outlet to that discharge outlet on the floor. Even if the plumber can come up with an ingenious solution, he wouldn't dare try as HDB would not approve. There is also the risk of blockage for any unauthorized sitting of the toilet bowl. Even when using offset, I was advised not to use one that is more than 1-inch, otherwise I risk future blockage (with use) because some type of tissue accumulates and gets caught in the offset arrangement eventually. In the end I opted for zero offset as I prefer to sit my bowl apart from the wall behind -- like a standalone throne

I am quite satisfied with my ID for the work carried out on my flat. Your intended scope of work appears quite similar to mine: hack wall of bedroom, remove door frame, replace WC, tiling, etc. You can check out my blog on the workmanship and progress. Send me a pm if you wish to contact him. !!

It is quite possible the plumber may have over-tightened the bolt/nut(s) that connect the toilet bowl to the floor during installation. If your renovation was handled by an ID, then seek recourse from the ID. He may be able to get the plumber to come to some settlement with you. Otherwise the ID must bear some responsibility. In my case, I ensure my ID accepts responsibility for a period of 3-months after the handover of the renovated flat e.g. kitchen floor waterproofing, flaking paint, current leakage in oven, air-con, etc. Any problem due to poor workmanship will usually surface within 3 months. The sanitary ware supplier rarely accepts responsibility once the buyer has acknowledged and signed for receipt of the goods. The supplier in fact made this clear to me when I asked about warranty terms. He said the only warranty is to make good any defective goods on delivery; hence the buyer must doubly check there are no cracks (or signs of cracks) on the sanitary ware before accepting delivery. In fact, cracks on sanitary products are encountered so frequently due to poor handling and installation that mfrs usually warn against over-tightening of bolts in the leaflet that comes with the product. BTW, if you should decide to replace and/or install another toilet bowl, suggest you make the (new) plumber accept responsibility for any breakage, etc of the bowl for 'x' months after the installation. What that 'x' is depends on the negotiation between you and the plumber. Hope this helps.

This post deals with the preliminaries / preparation and choosing an ID / Contractor to handle your renovation. Read forumers' postings to get an overview ============================ First, go through this forum to read through experiences shared by forumers with their ID / Contractor. Get a good sense of the problems faced by flat owners when dealing with their ID and the standard of workmanship available / expected from photos posted by forumers. Be aware that some ID posed as owners to "entice" business from forumers seeking IDs or contractors, giving generally unashamedly strong recommendation on this ID or that ID. When you read these postings you can generally guess whether the recommendation is genuine or not. Why? Well, no ID or contractor is ever as good as some forumers have made them out to be. Almost all renovation works will encounter mistakes or the owner generally will have some unhappiness with the ID, hence any posting that praises an ID to the skies is generally suspect, in my books. In my case, I decided to get a quote from an ID from this forum last Nov / Dec (you can search for that post), although I had felt the post could possibly be a self-promotion attempt, either by the ID himself or by his friend / colleague posing as an ex-client. So why did I still decide to get a quote from him? Well, simply because the popular IDs recommended in the forum were being "chased" by almost everyone else and it took too long for me to get a timely response to my request for quotations &/or discussions from these IDs. So I gave the newbie ID a try. After all, every ID needs a start on this forum, and I could give him a chance as I had some prior experience dealing with contractors and IDs in my work. Next, prepare checklist and questions you may have ================================== You should also prepare a list of questions you may have that you want to ask the ID. Further, you should have an idea of what you want for your renovation. Could be as simple as "I want a total makeover" or "I want to hack this wall to enlarge the living space", etc. Have some preliminary idea of what you want done before you contact the ID for quotations. When I ask for a quotation, my prepared checklist of work I want done follows the same format (as amended to suit my own needs) given by most contractors/IDs when they submit their quotes. This way it is easy to make comparisons as how much each ID quote for e.g. "hacking the wall" or "Supply & lay homogeneous tiles to Living Room", etc. Third, shortlist 4-5 IDs to obtain quotes ========================== Once you have a shortlist of 4-5, contact them for their quotation, either by email or in person. I drop those IDs who don't respond within a week, depending on how much I want him to handle my job e.g. give longer time for one who was genuinely recommended by people you know. I also drop those IDs who don't seem to be "hungry" for my job. Or who came across as "busy", "loftiness" or "exclusivity", because the truly good IDs -- in my experience -- are usually humble and down-to-earth. Depending on the rapport you establish with the IDs, you may also ask to take a look at his actual work done for other clients, whether on-going or completed. That would give me an idea of his competence. [Note: This step should never be left out once the ID has given you his quotation.] Some IDs only give you a show-around of his projects after you have accepted his quote, although some (the more confident Ids) may be willing to do that before you sign on the dotted line. Bottom-line: Always ask to see an ID's work, whether he has been highly recommended or not. See for yourself the standard of workmanship done. Ask to see not only one job site but a few, to guard against "passing-off". Generally if the owner of the flat is around when you see the project, you could ask the owner for his/her opinion of the ID too. Next post: How do you protect yourself against unscrupulous ID/Contractor?

My ID is reliable and responsive, and except for some (minor) faults, I am prepared to endorse him. Reason for my endorsement is -- the workers listen to him. As everyone knows, in any renovation work there are bound to be mistakes. When that happens, a good ID becomes essential to have. My blog detailed some (serious) mistakes made by workers and how the problems were finally resolved after the workers tried to initially "worm" their way out of their mistakes. The fault I find with my ID is his inadequate forward planning. His workers stopped work on 1-Feb-08 for LNY and up to now work has not commenced. It is already the 16-Feb, for goodness' sake Sure, the ID said he can't help it coz everyone wants to celebrate LNY but to me that is poor forward planning. Other than that I think I have gotten a better-than-average ID. As long as the workmanship is up to expectations, I am satisfied However I do not want to endorse him openly, in case he gets thick in the head. He still has to complete his contract work for me. Will only let him know of my endorsement after those who asked me for his contact no (and seen his work) decide to use him. And if you need advice on how to negotiate a good contract price, drop me a note.

Hi All: I benefited from the sharing of other forumers in renovating their apartment, particularly their experience -- good and bad -- with their ID / contractor, and wish to pass on what I've learned and / or gained from my own experience working with a specific design firm and the ID. My primary motivation is to assist those seeking to renovate their beloved apartment for the first time, particularly as several forumers have shared horror stories of their renovation work outcome. To them I can only empathize, and thanked them for their sharing because I too benefited from their (bad) experience. So I will tell it all -- where praise is warranted I will say it like it is, but where problems were encountered, I will not spare criticism, because in any renovation work there will always be issues and problems. It is how the ID / owner resolved the issue / problem that will determine the renovation outcome. I have informed the ID of my intentions, and has his permission to tell it all, warts and acclaim, if warranted. He was game enough to permit me carte-blanche. My ID was [ edited out on 2nd thought to make this a general posting and not a recommendation of a specific ID or firm ]. Of the 5 contenders for my job, he was my last choice () and how I ended up with him is another story. But to start off, I will jump right in, and share how I managed to save some money engaging an independent paint contractor instead of waiting for my ID to do the painting / plastering after LNY. It was a gamble that paid off. http://renovation-greencoal.blogspot.com/2...-paint-job.html.

i could not believe my eyes when i saw examples of the tiling and other work photos you provided ! the work was indeed shoddy, and i can understand yr pain. it wld be even better if you post photos of the ids, workers, bosses, etc involved, as i feel they were operating a scam, as not only you but there were other victims too, judging from comments posted on the other forum. thank you for sharing, and maybe yr post should become a 'sticky' as an alert / warning to others looking for a reliable id / contractor firm. in my case i am thankful i hv got a reliable and good id to handle my renovation, and that is why i maintain a blog to showcase the workmanship done, simply because i have benefited from other forumers who shared their experience with their id / contractor and wish to pass it on. i do not know if u can withhold further payments -- i wld if i were you -- because i m sure contractors / cheaters perpetuating the poor workmanship wld be afraid of publicity, and i think if u 'blow' up the issue they may back away from demanding further payment. i don't want to suggest u take legal action (as it is throwing good money after bad), though i wld if i were in yr shoes as i am a stick-in-the-mud kind of person and am outraged at these sorts of irresponsible contractors out to fleece innocent consumers. the only protection for consumers these days are forums like this, where bad / good publicity from flat owners is the best and probably only tool to ensure you get what you pay for.

please don't make the mistake of demolishing yr storeroom ! in fact, i consider a storeroom an essential room in any flat, so much so that i spent much time agonizing over where and how to create my storeroom -- before i called in the renovators. the 4R resale flat i bought recently was built in those days (70s and 80s) when hdb focused on providing flats quickly and cheaply to house the population -- so balcony, attached toilet in mbr, storeroom, were considered luxuries, and were not provided for ! i can do without the balcony or attached toilet (though nice to have), but i cannot do without a storeroom ! the storeroom is where i keep my cleaning eqt (vacuum cleaner, brooms, dust-pans, even pails & mops as i don't want my bathroom to look cluttered), ladder, extra stools, etc. i finally created the storeroom as part of the kitchen -- what a coincidence, exactly as in yr case, b/w living room and kitchen! in my case, i wanted a bigger living room, so i hacked away one bedroom instead, the pictures later will be uploaded on my blog .

gosh, in that case -- you're right -- might as well bite the bullet and tile or screed it. cement screeding, if done properly (read == artistically), can look real beautiful. seems to be the "in-thing" quite recently. more economical too, than re-tiling work. can't recall where i've seen them (maybe on tv programs such as debbie travis?), but screeding got some interesting effects e.g. some ppl mix colored glass bits into the cement mix and screed on the wall, resulting screed is striking, others use pebbles or small stones, whilst yet others simply use a combination of techniques (ragging?, whorl, marbling pattern?). dunno if got ppl with such skills locally.

Before I pm you the contact, I need to caution you on the negotiation part. Most of these contractors will quote a low price over the telephone to 'entice' you, then later when they visit yr flat, they will jack up the price. So make sure you tell the contractor you are getting a few quotes, so even if they visit yr flat to give a final quote, you are not obliged to use them. That way you will get a good & reasonably low-price & competitive quote ! Second, make sure you tell the contractor exactly what you want -- whole flat plastering or simply "touch-up". The contractor will tell you whole flat plastering, but later claimed he meant only "touch-up" when you have given him the job. So you need to be very clear and specific about what you want -- before you agree with his quote. Point out the areas in your flat you need smoothening and plastering, so there is no ambiguity later. This was a lesson I learnt, not that I am complaining. As for paintwork, be clear about how much sealer you need. The painter will quote say $250 for the sealer coat, but the fact is, he does not need to apply sealer coat to the whole flat, only those areas where there is fresh cement or plaster. So if he does not plaster all the area of a wall, you need not pay so much for the sealer coat. This I found out from my experience. I could have bargained for a lower price for the sealer but didn't because I was not aware of the tactic. Now I am a bit wiser, I share it with you. Now for the actual paint job. Tell him what you want painted -- don't forget pipes, ceiling, door frames, etc. And the number of coats. They will use this as an excuse to jack up the price. I told him what I wanted on the telephone before he came to my place. The contractor will show you a glossy catalog. And you pick, say, ICI Light and Space or All-in-One. Later you are surprised when he used ICI Maxilite, a cheaper grade of paint for paint contractors. They don't tell you this at the time they quoted for the job, like in my case. Too bad I only learnt about that tactic after I had agreed. In my case I decided not to make an issue when I saw the team did a good job of the plastering -- you can see my blog for the Before and After photos -- so I let it pass. In any case the painter gave me what was specified for the final coat -- Dulux Light & Space, and the overall plastering-and-paint job was good. I was patient and understanding only because his quote was lower than what most others were charging. For the price I am not complaining, but am pleased with the result. PM sent. Use my name ("Roland") to knock down the price he quoted. For yr guidance, this was what I paid: plastering $350 sealer coat $250 painting $800 total = $1,400 I got him to reduce to $1350. BTW, he asked for a 50% deposit. I refused (to be safe in case the contractor not bona-fide and out to cheat) and said I will pay $400 only after he started work. When I saw he kept his word and started work in earnest, I decided to pay him $500 at the start of the 2nd day. Also, he didn't ask for payment after he had completed the job, I paid him instead but at his suggestion withheld $50 as he wants to return later to finish some little touch-ups that I had pointed out to him. If you encounter any problem with him, it will likely be communication. I think his communication skills are not too good.

A glass screen is a single glass panel that blocks the water from splashing to another area, same function as a shower curtain over a bath tub. A glass shower cubicle, on the other hand, is usually sited at a corner of the bathroom, and consists of at least 2 (or more) panels, depending on the design, so that you get an enclosure with a sliding or casement glass door. Glass screens are much cheaper -- some contractors charge $300-400 whereas a glass enclosure or shower cubicle costs $1,000 upwards (i/c installation). Offhand I don't have any pictures to share, but I could shoot some photos at some of the many showrooms aound (e.g. Sim Siang Choon, Hoe Kee, etc) and put them on my blog. Alternatively, you could visit those showrooms yourself for a better feel of the product and pricing.

My electrician also wanted to charge a $400 () fee for PS testing after the installation and/or the rewiring. I disputed this charge with my electrician, because according to the govt, testing is conducted by PS free-of-charge. However, most consumers do not know this, and meekly pay the fee to the electrician. Even my intended electrician did not know this when I pointed this out. He checked with his boss, and his boss is adamant and insisted I pay the fee. We are still at a stalemate. To avoid the issue, I said I will apply for the PS testing myself after the installation -- since it is free-of-charge -- and if there is any issue with the installation the electrician has to make good or he will have to answer to the EMA, and that may result in a cancellation of his electrical licence. At this point I have not decided whether or not to use him. Probably will look for another electrician and apply for PS testing myself after the installation, though I don't need to tell my electrician I will do that (why get his approval, since his work is supposed to pass muster if he is licensed?). === I am aghast at the practices of most contractors in pricing for their services. Sure, all want to make money -- question is, what is reasonable and what is an unfair attempt at profiteering at the consumers' expense, simply because consumers aren't any the wiser? Take for instance the $120 charge for running earth wire to the pipe in nautilus id's quote. Surely earth wiring is required and mandatory in a household wiring that any licensed electrical worker must and should do? How could the rewiring pass PS test if there is no earthing? That the electrician itemised a $120 cost for earth wiring in his quote implies earth-wiring is optional. If that is true, I will simply leave out the item (i.e. not do earth wiring, just to push my point) and tell the electrician I will apply for PS testing, then see the electrician face turns red when he tries meekly to back down and include earthing in his scope of work without charge. Sheesh... the things contractors do to cheat innocent consumers, like charging a fee for PS testing or earth wiring. Surely "arranging" for the test with PS does not cost the electrician anything? If consumers fail to rise up and protest, contractors in time will levy a fee to apply for HDB renovation permit, if they are not doing already Consumers should unite and spread the word, thanks to forums like this one. Note: Link to the requirement on electrical testing may be found at my blog. Or you could access the EMA website directly.

ya, it is possible generally, depending on your sink and toilet type. a good plumber can do that. a glass screen (as opposed to a glass shower cubicle) should not cost more than $500, similarly for a glass frosted door, altho' those are simply my estimates. check out the classifieds and call to check around first. you'll be surprised at the wide range of prices quoted -- it all depends how 'hungry' the contractor is e.g. my id quoted me a total of $2,900 to plaster and paint my 4R resale flat. I got someone else to do it over the lunar new year holidays for $1,350 !

i just bought a 4R resale flat that is in the same condition as you mentioned spalling concrete, rusted windows (they used iron windows in those days), broken concrete along the kitchen window ledge, broken squat toilet bowl, and walls that give you a nightmare -- so i am doing a drastic makeover ! actually, you don't have a problem deciding whether to paint or re-tile: simply paint the toilet and shower cubicle first to see how you like it, then if you don't like it you could do re-tiling 1 or 2 years later.

not to worry -- as long as you wipe the silicone seam dry after you use the sink, it should be okay. silicone is applied to top-mounted sinks to seal and prevent water seepage; problem is, algal mould tends to grow around the silicone seam after some time unless the seam is wiped clean to keep the edge dry. with under-mounted sinks algal growth is less of a problem because the silicon seal is usually hidden out of sight or not applied at all. depending on the model and design, some people don't apply silicone to their under-mounted sinks (or if they do, they apply it thinly under the top edging) as it is less likely for water to 'seep' or flow into the cabinet below. silicone is easy to apply and remove. if you don't like the way your plumber applied the silicone seal on your sink you could ask him to redo it. btw, you have a pretty sink !

What a neat idea for a kitchen organizer ! What will they think of next? Cool !

thank you for yr clarification -- you restored my confidence in that sink model, especially when you mentioned the blancometra 9 is no longer in production in the UK. i checked the blanco website and found that particular model don't seem to be listed in their current catalog. however, i like the big bowl size and the overall design, so will go ahead with the purchase, as long as it is functional and practical for my needs.

Wow, applefreak, seems you got a good plumber with dexterous fingers ! It is difficult to tighten the nuts on the underside in such a confined space, and likewise, if you need to remove the tap / dispenser in future, it is difficult to reach the nut from the underside. But not impossible, as you have shown with yr nice picture. I like my sink to be under-mounted too and asked william of hoe kee what he thought. he agreed with me that it is difficult to change taps / dispenser after the under-mounting. kudos to your plumber ! btw, what is that metallic piece above your nice sink?

Probably the painter did not paint an undersealer coat first. Mine did because I asked painter to smooth out the irregularities in the wall first before he started painting. So he plastered the wall, then painted an undersealer coat, then 2 coats of paint. I am more than happy with the result, though when first negotiating with the painter you must ensure the paints (and quality grade, and other items too) you specified are written down in BOLD LETTERS.

I am considering to buy the blancometra 9 too. When you mentioned the "water don't seem to flow smoothly to the drainage", are you saying you have to use your hand to "push" the remaining water to the drainage hole, otherwise the water don't drain out of the sink totally, leaving little puddles of water in the sink? Makes me want to rethink my purchase. Thanks in advance for yr feedback.

If you under mount your Blanco sink you may be unable to change the kitchen tap and/or the soap dispenser in future if the item needs to be replaced / repaired. However, most mixer taps or dispensers rarely give problems if they are properly mounted, hence the issue of replacement may not arise. In my case, I had to replace my mixer tap 2 years ago -- after it had given me 10 years of good service -- and was able to D-I-Y because my kitchen sink was over-mounted. Undermounting looks nice and neat, but for practical reasons, I intend to over-mount my Blancometra 9 sink for the resale flat I bought recently.

Hi, wld appreciate if anyone cld pm me benedict, frankie's contact ? Thanks a lot !