Hi All,
Just sharing a very bad experience with a self declared ID. Due to the house still under warranty period and a lot of faults still need rectification i will not post the name here. If anyone interested then PM me direct.
I did not get to see a single 3D diagram from start till end of the project. All design is just simple hand sketching and can tell is very last minutes work. They claimed they have 30 years of experience in renovation and do all sort of renovation project, the company just a simple 2 man operation and the registered business address is a HDB flat.
At the start of the project, they are very friendly and keep meeting for discussion etc and we ask for a comfortable date which the project can be completed from them as we understand now due to covid situation work will be slower and limited number of skiledl workers. They committed a date to us and said they will well complete before the completion date.
Initially they told us to get all the lighting, toilet, kitchen accessories etc purchase upfront so there will not be any delay to the renovation work. They even offer to bring us to purchase these items, we ask if we need to check the items when they delivered. Tell us no need, they will check for us. We purchased all these items from 3 different shop and i believe some shop they markup as we do not get the invoices and pay thru them. I am ok if they earn a cut but what come next is horror to us. All 3 shops delivery got issue. all has either missing items and they only detected when we do stocktake with the ID when the items has delivered for a few days. They did not check at all.
The ID daily come to check the renovation progress but i am not sure what did he check.
1. We replaced the window and window grill as this was a resale flat. Quoted us 3 tracks for the window grill but when installation only do 2 track, he never realised until we tell him. After the windows was replaced, water leaking in my Masterbedroom when heavy rain, we notified him during the renovation. First time after informed, tell us will get worker come fix, water leak again the 2nd time and still no one come fix. 3rd time water leak until 25% of my masterbed room flooded then get someone to come fix. After that still water leaking even though they claim they fixed already. As i am typing now, yesterday heavy rain, water leak again. I also noticed all other window they apply cement to cover the holes/crack etc (hope i get the term right) but master bedroom they cover with silicone which is rubber like material, Not sure if this is the correct way to fix the issue? Any kind souls can advise me.
This is not the end of the window issue. the windows grill is so loosely fitted and the locked spring is already spoilt can feel anytime will drop out. We informed them our concern, tell us the lock spring after long usage will become lose like this, so is he telling me is a used lock they given to us? So after several discussion, they said will get worker to come in and fixed. Initially tell us morning will come, then same day informed change to afternoon. Ended the person only come at night, worst part he only come check the issue and not fixing it. Will schedule for another appointment to fix it.
The windows installation delayed very long and they claim HDB did not approve the permit even after 2 week but when i login to the HDB portal when it was approved and check. The submission and approval was within the same day. There is no delay by HDB.
2. Carpentry work tell us all door hinges will come with 4 screw and even show us picture. Ended all installed with 3 screws. The ID also never detected as usual until all the carpentry work completed and we informed him. 2 days before the initial handover date, we check and realised the kitchen bottom cabinet they used wood to level the cabinet and all the gap is never filled up at all. Imagine if we did not found out and start pour water at kitchen to do thorough cleaning all water will slip in. Again the excuse given to us is too many things not possible to check.
3. Kitchen glass door, we want to do enclose kitchen so they build up the wall and install with a glass door. Initially when everything was up, the gap on the top door frame is even bigger than the bottom one. Even elderly come to see the reno also said not acceptable. The ID offered to used some black rubber tape or some material to cover up the gap, they do not even want to offer to adjust the door frame. Only agreed to do so after we insist. The glassdoor alighnment also out when we fully close the door and they blamed is our wall issue, the Wall surround the glass door was build by them.
4. Aircon piping, we replaced the aircon as it was faulty, again they offered to use their contractor for us and said they have work together for very long and they know the standard of the ID. We realise the pippiing that is running on top of the wall, there are so many big hole and gap not cover up, Again we need to inform and they come check before they get someone to fix it. Imagine some gap/hope is so big that my finger can go in.
5. Flooring, we redo the whole house except the floor tile at the living and bedroom as still is quite good condition. During reno i engage my own curtain contractor to come do measurement, the curtain contractor alert us said the reno work did not protect all the tile flooring, may end up damage it. It really happen as so many place of the tile is crack and got hole. And when we speak to the ID and show pic they did not cover all the flooring area, they claimed already in such condition when they come in to do the reno. if there is so many crack and holes, we sure would have include it in our reno since we already redo almost everything. We also have other ID/contractor onsite to do the quote and check the place out, if really so much of crack/holes they would advise us to consider replace the floor tile. Ended i spend another sum of money to do vinyl as whole house is already completed, no point hack again and redo tiling. I believe the vinyl flooring is again markup as they do not give us the invoice again and they said cannot do skirting. When i check with other vinyl flooring tell me can just paste on existing tile skirting and will be slightly thicker. Not too big an issue to do vinyl skirting. Imagine the flooring was damaged by them and out of good will, they should not markup and charge us. Just charge us as the original price. They still tell us as this is last minutes additional reno task and the handover already delay, they will get more workers to come do and complete the vinyl flooring in 1 day. On the actual day only 1 person come and do the whole flooring.
6. Wall and floor tiling work. Some of the gap in between the tile was not fill up with cement, he can claimed it was fill up and the cement sink in. For me is either you fill or no fill up, do not think got such sink in issue. This is the 1st time i heard of such reasoning, not sure any kind souls can advise me.
7. Plumbing and toilet accessories, they installed the towel bar when i open the toilet door and the door hit the bar. Some position they install the items is at the incorrect position. Basin water leakage, vanity top drill extra hole and scratch. All just brush it off saying extra hole is good for ventilation and such lame excuses
A lot of such issue i find is due to poor supervision and poor workmanship but the ID insist they did their part. All these are just some of the issue i encountered and not all as too many to list out. They claimed they are with 30 years of experiences and their work standard does not show me that.
Best of all the final reno cost me 1.5 time of the original quote and this exclude the cost of the vinyl flooring.
I also not sure if i go CASE what kind of resolution will i get? Anyone aware and shared case reported experiences?
