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Hi All! Apologies for having fallen off the radar for quite some time due to work and reno commitment! First off, thank you OceanEleven and Lazyfatcat007 for your input! @OceanEleven We do really appreciate your advices and suggestions! As there will be no wardrobe in the MBR at all, does that mean that the room would comfortably sit a King size bed with 2 bed-side tables with a wall mounted (no feature wall) television of about 55" under the assumption that the length of the bed runs parallel along side the window of 3225? We would have our walk-in wardrobe (most likely) to take up most of the Bedroom 2 while Bedroom 3 will remain largely empty. Please pardon us for the mistake, as the ikea compartments are not actually known as the Kompartment, but rather, Komplement. Our guess is that its meant to complement most existing wardrobes. The Komplement as per our understanding can be "torn" apart and be bought drawer-by-drawer on a need basis. So we have decided for a built-in walk-in-wardrobe (still contemplating pole system though) to make it up for the gap if we were to get a loose fixture wardrobe. Finally, for the shower screen, we have decided to leave it up to the ID we have engaged. Yup! ID...we will get to that part soon...[or probably not so soon] @Lazyfatcat007 We have actually gone through your T-Blog, but must apologise that haven’t had the time to properly get back to you! But anyways, your pole-system has been done up pretty nicely such that Mr. is still contemplating between a wardrobe and a pole-system. Shall KIV and sit on it for now. @bipps Over the past few days when we dropped off the radar, we took a little trip down West to BigBox and quite enjoyed ourselves there. We ended up placing a deposit for a LG 55” 4K UHD television with a sound bar and a wireless speaker for $2,500 inclusive of extended warranty. After which, it struck us that we forgot to get your friend’s contact! But it’s not too late if you can help us out a little here as we are eyeing a fridge and a washing machine. The sad thing is that we were approached by this super aggressive PRC sales personnel who turned the both of us off very much with his service attitude that even though we were so ready to place a deposit for the two items, we decided not to! Luckily, the deposit for the television was placed with a nice sales person, who was really helpful throughout, but too bad he was only in-charge of the television section. So if you could drop us an intro/referral to your friend via PM, we would sincerely appreciate it very much! Anyways, regardless, thank you all who have visited and special thanks for all the valuable sharing session! Keep them coming! So, now, back to topic! Of course, there was a twist of developments over the past weeks! First of all, after a lot of ding-dong here, there and everywhere, we finally received the notification for keys-collection! Being the poor people as we are (no offence to anybody here), we've decided to take up a reno loan. Clueless like blind mice, Mr did some research and managed to identify a potential “solution”, and this is where our adventure began… PS: As it is getting late, we’ll continue soon…but just hang in there…

Hi keltan8, Tried to PM you, but think you may have disabled the function to receive PM. Let me know if you want me to re-send again.

Hi underkurtverism Perhaps we may be neighbours by proximity like as in the case with ATZW1980? His reno seems to be going really well, quite envious, while we are still waiting for keys collection and all the headaches here and there. Imagine its just the initial stage! Anyways, would you be collecting your keys soon or have you already engaged an ID/contractor? By the way, congrats and good luck!

Hi OceanEleven Our floor plan is as below, many IDs and contractors have commented that our floor plan is very nice and easy to "play with" but at the same time, the exact and actual measurements may vary a little. Currently the plan is to leave Bedroom 3 empty with the intention for it eventually be designed and used as a study room. But due to budget constraint and the lack of a confirmed idea/theme, we have decided to leave the room empty for now and will only do flooring. For Bedroom 2, it will be designed solely for a wardrobe along the wall closest to the Master Bedroom (MBR), with the rest of the space remaining to be "free to explore". The initial idea was actually to have a built-in wardrobe, but after some referencing and research, we agreed that both of us preferred a walk-in concept. Then along the way, we chanced upon pole-system photos/pictures online and was attracted to its clean-cut and neat look, hence our dilemma. If we were to go for the pole-system, it'd probably be the same as what you had, a walk-in pole-system wardrobe. The problem is that we are very very very attracted to and sold by Ikea's highly customisable Kompartment design. We have checked with all contractors, and they are willing to do the installation for us. Mr J and Mr Y also told us that it would be substantially cheaper in terms of their quotation as they only have to provide labour. They did warn us though, that the overall cost may be cheaper or more expensive depending on what compartments we get and how many we get. So for now, its between a walk-in-wardrobe and a walk-in pole-system. The rest of the house, aside from having a mounted television with two side tables in the MBR and a feature wall in the living room, we are just gonna change both toilet bowls and build a shower screen together with a vanity top in each of the two toilets and of course, the standard kitchen package. Overall, our reno is expected to be one that simple with minimal hacking intended, this is also because we do not wish to "live to regret" after hearing "regret stories" about hacking from the people around us. Hence, considering this, we've also dropped a number of IDs when they were pretty insistent on their ideas which involves hacking of wall, especially in the MBR, even though some suggested to only partially hack it during our ID/contractor search.

Hi kalimantan No worries, no hard feelings

Met up with Mr J at his Bedok office to discuss and request for a 2nd quotation. Had a good long 3 hours talk, mostly because Mrs and him drifted off into the topic of FS before Mr can pull them back to the intended topic. Overall, we have decided to make some minor changes, design not touched, just some material details to clarify etc. Mr J was also kind enough to not only share some of his knowledge on FS with us, he also advised us what we can get from online or where we may be able to get them cheaper. He also advised us on what to purchase and what not to purchase first. We have also decided to inform him of our impulse purchases as listed above and were relieved to say that if we were to engage him, it would not be an issue as all we have to do is to give him the measurements when we sign the contract. *Lucky!* Can anyone advise if a pole-system is better than a built-in walk-in-wardrobe? Personally, we have no preference, but when we see the pole system, we were wowed by its clean-cut and neat arrangement, while for the built-in walk-in-wardrobe, Mr J is able to something quite to our liking, so thought that perhaps we can weigh the pros and cons before we finalise on which to build. Also, Mr J does not do pole-system; that's 2 out the 3 shortlisted contractors who do not do pole-system. Probably most contractors neither fabricate nor construct pole-systems? However, plus point is that Mr J did mention that the market rate, if he remember correctly, and if there is no price change, to construct a pole-system is about $300 to $330 pfr, would anybody be able to help verify? Also, would really appreciate if there is recommended pole-system specialists/professionals we can consider. Google searched and was returned with quite a number of results, but too little reviews to help us with our decision... Hopefully his second quotation is friendly while we look forward to our second appointment with Mr R from TPY.

HI kalimantan Please be assured that I am not here to stir trouble, and kindly accept my apologies for my bad English and content structure which may have made my post a little confusing. On the same note, I would like to apologise if I sound blunt. But based on your reply, I find it difficult to take your reply as polite or respectful. In fact, unless I am thinking too much, you sound kindda rude and offensive, as if to challenge my opinion, which I'm not here to debate. Regardless, it may be just me thinking too much, and if so, I apologise. All I am trying to say is that I have 3 different contacts on hand. Of the 3 contacts I have, I've engaged 2 for different readings/service. In any case, I am quite satisfied with both of their services so far. I understand that FSMs, in general, probably do not mind people sharing their contacts online since its kindda like a form of publicity for them, and if anybody who receive their contacts through here eventually engage any one of them, the post will translate to business for them. The reason I am not releasing and will not release their contacts out openly (only through PM) is because I wish to avoid conflict (generally something like what happened above). This is also because I strongly believe that regardless tangible or otherwise, the perspective of good and/or bad in anything and everything is subjective. All I am saying is that, I would like to help contribute as I've also received and is still receiving valuable advice and information from here. In my case, I also went through the frustration and worry of being cheated and if anybody wants the contacts, I do not mind receiving and replying PMs; something that I would personally appreciate. Do correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that I do not benefit from receiving and replying multiple PMs, except that I probably would have to take time off to reply all the PMs received, if anything. Of course I understand that it's troublesome to some if they have to request via PM, so I don't even mind if its requested through here, and I would still reply via PM (you may wish to verify this). In most cases, I've also clarified in my PMs as to whom I've engaged and who I've not engaged as well as for what service/reading. If, in any case you are skeptical about me, I believe that I do not owe you any obligation, and I would appreciate if you just ignore and/or sweep past my post. I am aware that you have more +, posts, and seniority in this forum than I have, meaning higher and more credibility, but to be honest, if its not too much to ask, I would appreciate a little respect here. Thank you.

Hi bipps, will definitely check them out! The Hood that we bought was a simple slim hood as Mr would be the one cleaning at the end of the day. As for the Hob, it's just a 2-stove simple hob with safety valve (not exactly sure what this is). Hopefully we are able to get something from Mustafa and/or Big Box! Looking forward to your review! If you don't mind us asking, is your Hood a chimney Hood? Anyways, just an update, we have finally received Mr Y's quotation late Monday night! To our delight, it was just as competitive compared to the other 2 shortlisted contractors! But this is also the reason for our headache because it means that we have not eliminated any of the 3 contractors yet... Mr will be going through the quotation soon, but the grand total was within our expectations though Mr had hoped for a lower quote *cheapo alert!*. Regardless, this officially marks the end of our ID/contractor search! We can now finally get down to deciding who we wanna engage and from there, the details! With Mr Y's quotation, we have decided to arrange a second meet-up with Mr J from Bedok first. Wish us luck! Just a quick check, is it normal to go for a second quotation/review with all the shortlisted ID/contractors (in our case, 3 different contractors) before deciding on who to engage, or do IDs/contractors generally assume that you are going to engage them when you go down for a second review? Admittedly, the typical Singaporean blood still runs in us, hence we cannot deny that, to a certain extent, we are very kiasu and kiasi. Initially, we had wanted to simply decide on the contractor based on their first quotation, but Mr said that there were some variations between all 3 contractors that were inconsistent and he did not feel good about deciding on what he claims to be an "unfair" comparison. Hence, we thought that it would be better to request for a second quotation from all 3 shortlisted contractors before deciding. After all, this is our first home and would like it to be as perfect as possible albeit a little simple and budget. By the way, does anybody has recommendation for pole system contractor/professionals? We are not sure if the contractor that we will be engaging can do pole system or not, as Mr Y for one, did tell us that he does not do pole-system. But still not a strong enough reason for us to drop him

Thank you all who have chipped in! OceanEleven: Having considered the points which you have raised, we have decided to revisit and review the positioning of our built-in-oven. This is also partly due to the fact that after visiting your post which penned your considerations for your built-in-oven, we felt that the ergonomics of a built-in-oven under the hob/stove is a pretty dumb move, though aesthetically, it may be more appealing. In addition, we may have to get our contractor to work with our FSM to suggest the sink-hob placement to allow for a potentially wider space between for preparation. Thank you! Bykaraanne: Have visited your post and must say that your little London theme was fantastic! In fact, we would probably consider a London or Italian/French theme if not for Mr's insistence to have something more timeless and classic as we are both rather lazy. Anyways, back to point, thank you for the 'Made in' information! Regardless, after much deliberating, we decided that being the 肤浅 (superficial) people as we are, we are still sold by the 'Made in Italy' marketing. It is not to say that we did not consider changing, but rather, just too lazy to do so as long as it's not a "bad" choice. Which I hope not, right? bipps: Thanks for the info! We totally did not consider Mustafa as it is often less associated to renovation. Will keep it in mind and pay a visit soon! Many have also recommended Big Box, so we would check it out as well! On the same note of Hood and Hob, we noticed that there aren't many reviews available except for brands like Ariston, Bosch, Brandt, Fujioh and Teka etc. on the web. Would you be able to briefly review your take on your Tecno Hood and Hob (i.e. the model and price you have purchased)? Reiken: Thank you and looking forward to your review! The ID whom we thought was really sincere was Mr J from PL. Ms A from UD was more chatty and friendly rather than sincere-sincere (don't get us wrong in assuming that she was insincere though!). Overall, we had a relatively good vibe from her. The down side was that she did not share much ideas with us, agreeing with most of our suggestions and design, which we thought she could improve on. At the same time, we also appreciate that she did not insist on imposing her ideas on us like some of the IDs did. Aside from that, the reason we did not sign up with her was mainly due to the fact that we worry about hidden costs, as UD seemed like "too big a firm". Finally, it is also our understanding that most IDs and contractors run site-visits during the day and return to office to do sales and quotation as mentioned, although we do understand where you are coming from when some IDs give you the impression of being solely sales-driven. Just to share, we had a rather nasty experience where the ID wanted us to sign with him on the spot despite us telling him that he was the first and only ID we've visited. To be honest, his quote was the "lowest", but once we got a feel of things, it was obvious that he had excluded way too many things that if we had signed up with him, our overall cost would have at least doubled or almost tripled from the agreed price, and we aren't even trying to exaggerate! So the conclusion which we came to was that, in looking for an ID or contractor, aside from reviews and chemistry, the gut feel is just as equally important!

Hi OceanEleven Thanks for pointing out the above. It was also our concern when we review our purchases, however, we felt that as the other blocks in the same project have started renovating and some have even moved in, we thought we were quite behind without having decided on an ID or contractor. While the purchases were hasty, the positioning of the built-in-oven is planned to be under the hob and hood with the sink beside, opposite the fridge. Understandably, the positions of all these would still be subjected to our FSM's approval, suggestion and recommendation. For now, we are open to suggestions with regards to the points you have mentioned as we have considered daily usage but not its ergonomics and convenience aspects. Perhaps you would be able to advise as it would definitely help us to plan when discussing with our FSM and contractor. For the King size bed, it will be the one and only item in the Master Bedroom with no wardrobe or any other accessories save for two bed-side tables, an air-con and a mounted television. The points you have raised was also one of our concern, as we worry that a King size bed would not be able to fit into our MBR. We have checked and consulted the various IDs and contractors who all assured us that King size bed is fine. Actually, my layout is exactly the same as ATZW1980's though the measurements may be smaller than his. Perhaps you may be able to advise if new BTOs today can comfortably fit a King size bed if there is nothing else to be added to the room. Oh! We would also appreciate if you are able to suggest where we can find decent and reasonably price bed frames as we have not seen any bed frame that got us "excited" enough to purchase it. Lastly, we are not considering any furniture such as dining table, sofa etc at this point of time as we thought that it would better to leave it until after our consultation with our FSM on the layout, design and colour. It should be okay for now right? Thanks!

Hi ATZW1980 Thanks for the recommendation! I spy with my little eye, that we are future neighbours by proximity! Anyways, the thing about Gain City is that they can't hold our orders too long and some branches are too small that they do not carry models where another one does. So don't know which one has what, would be good if I can get most of my stuffs from them though, coz already confirmed that our System 4 air-con is getting from them. Just not sure what brand yet. Shall drop by Big Box for a look some time soon. Went to your blog and noticed you have a link to TOTO wc, will need to take a look at that! We settled for a pair of AS coz TOTO was too expensive. Maybe can revisit TOTO again. Thanks a lot!

Not sure if this thread is inactive or dead, but I've got 3 FS all recommended by friends. Consulted 1 for unit selection and another one for wedding date the last have not tried, but heard he is good as well from recommendations. Unit selection one is price friendly, and was quite accurate in reading our Ba Zhi. As for the wedding date one, well, once you've been to his place, you would probably want him to be your designated FSM. The last one no comment, coz never try before, but based on experiences shared, he is good and reasonably priced. Personally we have agreed to consult the second one for our new place. If anyone interested I can PM you all 3 contacts, maybe can share your views/experience after that too..

As mentioned in the previous post, we would soon update the small purchases bought (on impulse), thanks to Mrs Gan Jiong Spider. First stop first, Hoe Kee. Mrs was just randomly browsing through Dayre when she chanced upon her daily reads that Hoe Kee was having a sale, and off we went. Initially, Mr did not intend to purchase anything, but had only wanted to go see-see-look-look as we have never even started considering anything at all. But alas! Never question the power of a gan jiong spider. Without doing any research or whatsoever, we ended up placing deposit for the following at Hoe Kee on the spot that day itself. Would appreciate if renotalkers here would be kind enough can help to comment/review our purchases as we are still able to make changes if need be. With the help of Uncle Tony (Hoe Kee @ 8 Genting Lane), we placed deposit for the following items: Blanco Naya 6 Sink + Blanco Mida Sink Mixer + Waste and Fitting (not sure what's this) @ $4xx Tecno T22TGSV Hob @ $4xx Tecno 969 Hood @ $3xx Grohe Rainshower @ $5xx Grohe Basin Mixer @ $1xx Grohe Shower Set @ $4xx Bidet Spray @ $2x each After placing the deposit and walking out of Hoe Kee, it struck us that we did not even try to negotiate the price nor did we even take time off to think and do a quick research online. Afraid of being scammed as neither of us had any idea of the price, we decided to go look around, but to our surprise, the prices we paid for at Hoe Kee was reasonable, and uncle Tony did not exactly chop us. *phew* However, a couple of weeks after, we reviewed our purchases again as Mr was being kind of a pain in the S and feeling a little ngeow. But, instead of saving our hard earned moola, Mrs managed to convince him to "upgrade" the Blanco Naya 6 to a Naya 8, and it is when Mr discovered that money has always been fuelled on Red Bull because apparently they have wings. Though we have yet to settle the upgrade, it is confirmed that the upgrading will be taking place. Up next, Mr decided one fine day at random, to take a look around AT bedding after doing some online research, (mind you, the intention was not FOR bedding) and as you ladies/guys may have already guessed, it didn't end well for our pockets. Although a couple of months back, out of randomness, we went bed trying, and thought that we would settle for a Simmons bed, we ended up choosing another bed. The initial considerations competing with Simmons were its obvious competitors such as Englander, Sealy, Serta and Dunopillo etc. However, Mr being picky decided on Simmons though now he questions why. A gap in between now and then, we fast forward to present day, Mr discovered a brand, H (nope, not Hermes, but the status of the bed is just as 'atas') and a trip was made to Park Mall. Tried the beds and was pretty much convinced by the sales person that the price tag was worth it, we almost placed our deposit, but as Mrs was a lot more sensible, decided that we should take another look around. Next, we went Omazz, but somehow, we didn't quite like the feel, perhaps dulled to the posh status associated to the H brand we had previously tried. After taking a few more tries at the other brands, we dropped Simmons and agreed that the H bed was better. Luckily, Mr's backside itchy and did some research again; found out about EB and immediately arranged for an appointment. Here, was when the faithful day mentioned above, took place, when a Heveya King size mattress was purchased without a frame. Thus, if any kind soul who have read up to this point can help, we would sincerely appreciate if you are able to suggest as to where we can source or find a decent bed frame. After purchasing the said Heveya mattress, Mr suggested a break, but that was not to be. Mrs then decided a couple of weeks later that we would require a built-in-oven, and thus, the hunt resumes. Coincidentally, Bosch was having a sale at its HQ, but the trip proved to be a disappointment. Deciding not to waste the day, we revisited Hoe Kee with the intention to check out the prices for a built-in-oven. This time, we visited its Tanjong Katong Complex's branch, and like the 'evil' place it is, we placed a deposit for a Tecno TBO-7006 at a "special price" from Mdm Quah. Now, against the agreement with Mr's intention of not having a "set", we own a "set" of Tecno equipment. The only redeeming point according to Mr was that the Tecno set purchased is Made in Italy (perhaps, somebody would be kind enough to verify if its true?). After purchasing the built-in-oven, Mrs left a happy bird while Mr's mind wandered off course thinking about when and where the next purchase would once again strike their pockets. He didn't have to wait too long. A couple of days later, like some evil force, Mr decided that the washing closet (WC)/toilet bowl provided by HDB was not good enough, so decided to go research and look for a replacement. A trip was made to Balastier, and it didn't turn out to be as fruitful as expected, and like the 'evil' place it is, returned to Hoe Kee at 8 Genting Lane to look for uncle Tony again. Here, Mr set his eyes on a pair of American Standard Acacia WC and decided to purchase it. As luck would have it, as we did not bring the invoice from our previous purchase, uncle Tony advised that we bring it back for him to reissue an invoice to "upgrade"our Blanco sink as well as the purchase of the AS Acacia WC. So we left to return at a later date. Then it dawn upon us that GSS is just around the corner and thus, decided to hold off until then to see what's in stored for us. Finally, here's a list of our confirmed intended purchase, and would appreciate if renotalkers here are able to advise where to get them: Panasonic NR-CY557GW Refrigerator - Saw it on Qoo10 going at $1,399 while Harvey Norman is selling at $1,499 (not sure if Qoo10 is reliable) Hitachi SF-130XTV Top Load Washing Machine - Saw it at one of the stores, but cannot remember where nor can we remember the price A.O Smith 40L Storage Heater with Digital controls - Currently cheapest at Best Tech and Lucky Khoon, includes delivery and installation. But the problem is that there were negative reviews for both and would like to find out if any other place sells the same model and that's all folks! Until the next update! Meanwhile, we look forward to you kind assistance/suggestions/comments/recommedations which may help us in any way possible, even if its to warn us which store/shop/brand to avoid!

Hi All! We are just a newbie couple who would sincerely appreciate if anybody and everybody can help chip in comments, suggestions or anything which may be of help to us as we are just too lost. So much more lost than words when one is shocked. But anyways, the point is, we would like to seek the opinions, suggestions and comments of renotalkers here. We are expecting to collect our keys this quarter (2nd Q 2016) and we have just started ID/contractor hunting. Armed with a list of 14 ID/contractors; our hunt began, and at the end of the day, we have shortlisted, coincidentally, 3 contractors, through recommendations and references. But as of today, we have not decided on who to engage. Contractor 1 Mr R was introduced to us by a friend who has recently completed his renovation with him on a tight budget. Met on a Friday night at TPY. Even though he was really busy, he sat down with us for 2 - 3 hours going through our floor plan and space design. Overall, the chemistry is there, and we quite liked his suggestions, but we had reservations based on his suggested design; as we thought that his quote would be way out of our budget. 2 weeks in, upon receiving his quote, we were surprised that while it is slightly over budget, there were things that we could do without and removing them would comfortably fit his quote into our budget. Contractor 2 Mr J was another contractor introduced to us by another friend. When we visited his office at Bedok, there was already a couple who was there signing up with them. Good impression, good chemistry. While there were talks on the works we would like and want, suggestions for space design was minimal, as we mentioned that we may want to consult a feng shui master so he suggested some ideas, but mentioned that he would not lay-out the plan too much as it would still be subjected to changes from the FS master. Price quoted was reasonable and perhaps the lowest. Contractor 3 Mr Y was a contractor found through renotalk. Even without mentioning his name, many here would have already guessed and know who we are referring to given his legend-wait-for-it-dary reputation here. Visited him alone as Mrs was busy (and tired from running around visiting the many IDs and contractors). Sat down with him for less than hour (about 45 mins to be exact) and was left impressed. He suggested various ideas and alternatives which no contractor or ID has suggested and not only were they good aesthetically, but were also practical. Told Mrs about it, she was skeptical, but after she did her homework, we have decided to shortlist him even though we have yet to see his quotation. Why not ID? Initially, we did not consider IDs as we thought that their quotes would be higher than that of contractors. But lost in the maze at the start of the renovation process, we were more or less forced to explore the alternative. During our journey from North to East to West (save for South, we have, perhaps, travelled all around Singapore in search for an ID/contractor). There were some IDs that were pushy, or those that simply did not bother, while others either "see us no up" as we were like a pair of xdd and xmm asking on behalf of our parents. Others viewed us walking "carrot heads", but there were also the better ones who were accommodative, suggestive, sincere and friendly. The latter ones would have had left a good impression. Amongst the few firms that we have visited, there were some of ID that we have and would have considered if not for the many other factors. ID 1 (Good feel, good impression) Met Ms A from UD (along Balastier) and she came across as friendly and was able to understand our ideas and concept easily enough without making much changes. We felt that she was both a plus and a minus as the intention of engaging an ID was to help with ideas, but thought it was also good in a way as she did not try to impose her ideas on us. Brought us to their showroom as well as their tile supplier to have a look. Overall, her quotation came out to be a lot lower than expected, and its even before discounts and vouchers etc were negotiated or thrown in. Would have gone with her if not for the fact that we worry that she may run into trouble on-site if we engage her, as she was dressed more like a bank RM than an ID, and there was also the concern of hidden cost, though we have to clarify that it has nothing to do with her, but rather the impression of the firm she is with. ID 2 (Sincere) Found his contact online and arranged for a meet up at Expo as he was there for the fair. Mr J from PL was really sincere, however, we felt that the chemistry was lacking and not strong enough to pursue. But if the factor of chemistry aside, we may have considered him. ID 3 (Suggestive and proactive) The last ID to make it to the list was G from BM. Initially was contacted by B from BM but closer to the date was contacted by G who told us that he would be attending to us instead. Was a little disappointed but decided to meet anyways. G was a young chap who was able to suggest what to do and what not to do. Even brought up a point which we and most (not all, as the shortlisted contractors also pointed it out without us mentioning) ID/contractors have overlooked. There was good (comfortable) follow-up on his part and was not too aggressive. Thought he was okay, but Mrs didn't quite feel "right". Points to Note: During the hunt, we discovered that the contractors we have visited all quoted higher than IDs when comparing apple to apple (not so much of item to item, but rather the inclusion as a whole package). IDs, save for Ms A, often offer vouchers, discounts etc. to deflate their prices while contractors' quotations do not include such vouchers and/or discounts. For our case, after factoring possible vouchers and goodwill discounts, ALL contractors whom we have visited, their quotes are still a tad higher than that of IDs. (example, IDs hover between 20ish to 30ish while contractors all go beyond 30) Ultimately, we shortlisted the 3 contractors due to Good reviews and recommendations (cilent's experience) Positive chemistry Experience (Ideas and suggestions were better than most IDs) Quality (based on reviews and recommendations) Now, we are just waiting for Mr Y's quotation before running our second "interview" with all 3 shortlisted "candidates". Wish us luck! PS: Please feel free to review or comment below if you happen to know/heard of experiences with our shortlisted "candidates"! Good and bad welcomed! P.PS: Gan jiong spider Mrs has also brought us down to make some small purchases. Will update in our next post for renotalkers here to help review if we have been chopped like carrot heads or not.