Sunzhi's Simple Hut

[sunzhi 0]

Hi all,

Not really sure whether I am capable to write a blog. Apart from time constraint, I really suckz in writing. But I have had lots of information and assistance from members of this webbie that has helped us a great deal in renovating our flat so it’s only appropriate that I do the same here. I will just put up what we have experienced through out our renovation. Bear with me, c&c are welcome

We bought a corner 4-rm resale flat in Serangoon North in August. Completion is scheduled in early Jan ‘08 but we have taken possession of the flat in mid Dec. We are rushing to move in before CNY and the renovation has begun since 18 Dec.

Edited December 30, 2007 by sunzhi

[NiVleK 0]

Lets see some photos!!

[deathcoth 0]

Congrats!

[sunzhi 0]

The original look:

Living room:

Dining:

Kitchen:

Master Bdrm:

Bdrm 1:

Bdrm2:

The flat was last renovated about 5 years ago and condition is still ok. But we have different needs and ideas. We decided to retain the floor tiles and everything else will go. The store-room will be hacked to make way for a small study area. So basically renovating the whole unit.

[sunzhi 0]

.....rewind….

The search for ID:

This is definitely a tough and hectic job. We didn’t have much time to scout around. Armed with the many good posts we read here, we went to IMM on one Sunday. We had planned to approach as many IDs as possible but it was really time-consuming. In the end we only had time for 3.

CityDesign:

This is the 1st company we approached. We were served by a soft-spoken young man from M’sia, BC. He was very friendly and attentive. After listening to what we wanted (basically a simple and practical home for 3 with 1 more member on the way), he sketched out some designs and we arranged to meet again in 1 week for the quotation and more detailed draft. BC doesn’t speak good English but we liked him and felt very comfortable. The experience was great.

G-Plan:

This company, especially one of it’s ID is highly recommended in this webbie. We asked for him but unfortunately, he wasn’t around. According to KL, he has many projects in hand. In the end we dealt with KL instead. He was ok and friendly. His quotation would be mailed to us within 3 days.

Spacious Planners:

We were ushered and briefed through the long company history and past-projects. Pretty impressive I must say. We were also asked to fill a form with our particulars and reno needs. The young ID took down what we wanted and promised to deliver a detailed plan in a week. Very professional but, we felt it was a little too….

[applefreak 1]

welcome to renotalk

are you going to tear down the wardrobes or just re-skin them?

it might be cheaper to re-skin them esp if you are going to 'retain' the design

[Yang Guo 7]

.....rewind….

The search for ID:

This is definitely a tough and hectic job. We didn’t have much time to scout around. Armed with the many good posts we read here, we went to IMM on one Sunday. We had planned to approach as many IDs as possible but it was really time-consuming. In the end we only had time for 3.

CityDesign:

This is the 1st company we approached. We were served by a soft-spoken young man from M’sia, BC. He was very friendly and attentive. After listening to what we wanted (basically a simple and practical home for 3 with 1 more member on the way), he sketched out some designs and we arranged to meet again in 1 week for the quotation and more detailed draft. BC doesn’t speak good English but we liked him and felt very comfortable. The experience was great.

G-Plan:

This company, especially one of it’s ID is highly recommended in this webbie. We asked for him but unfortunately, he wasn’t around. According to KL, he has many projects in hand. In the end we dealt with KL instead. He was ok and friendly. His quotation would be mailed to us within 3 days.

Spacious Planners:

We were ushered and briefed through the long company history and past-projects. Pretty impressive I must say. We were also asked to fill a form with our particulars and reno needs. The young ID took down what we wanted and promised to deliver a detailed plan in a week. Very professional but, we felt it was a little too….

hehe imm is a good place with so many different ID firms

i been to 6 ID firms in IMM 3 mths ago too.

its fun in the first meeting. 2nd meeting naturally u will feel abit stress cos some ID will try to close ur deal. but overall was really a good experience

i went to Gracious Lodge,TheLine,CityDesign,Weiken,Uhome,(cant remember the 6th firm already). have previous experience with G'plan for my mum's hse too. The first company i approached is CityDesign too, same as u, cos the design of the shop is very impressive,u feel like going in to check it out..

have fun anyway! =))

[sunzhi 0]

Congrats!

thanks...

hehe imm is a good place with so many different ID firms

i been to 6 ID firms in IMM 3 mths ago too.

its fun in the first meeting. 2nd meeting naturally u will feel abit stress cos some ID will try to close ur deal. but overall was really a good experience

i went to Gracious Lodge,TheLine,CityDesign,Weiken,Uhome,(cant remember the 6th firm already). have previous experience with G'plan for my mum's hse too. The first company i approached is CityDesign too, same as u, cos the design of the shop is very impressive,u feel like going in to check it out..

have fun anyway! =))

Yup, it sure was fun but also very strenuous. the 2nd meeting was still ok coz we made it clear we would not make any decision until we had gone through all proposals. I think they knew it too as there are so many IDs to choose from

[sunzhi 0]

Decision…

We received G-Plan’s quotation couple of days later. There's nothing for us to compare as our last renovation was done many years back so we were not really sure whether it was ok. The sum was acceptable and within our budget. There was no draft or anything just a simple 2-D layout plan given to us during our meeting with KL. The same too with BC of CityDesign, just a layout plan. BC’s quotation was higher than that of G-Plan.

We were pleasantly surprised when ST of Spacious Planners prepared a very detailed and comprehensive plan which included the lighting and ceiling design. The only problem was, the proposal was totally different from what we had wanted. We had specifically told ST that we need a simple, practical home with lots of moving space and it was nothing but. Lots of hackings and repositioning of walls; toilet was extended (with bath tub or Jacuzzi), bedrooms’ space was significantly reduced and lots of other stuff that were only good to look at. ST even recommended a set of sofa which was under promotion and would really look good with his design. He said worth it, ONLY $10k plus . OMG, we were stunned. We asked him whether his design was done based on what we need, what we have told him the week before and also our budget. He checked his list and said he could modify it. Honestly, the proposal was really nice but it’s just not what we were looking for. We told him nicely not to waste his effort, we would call him again if we need his service. So it was narrowed down to GPlan and CityDesign.

We also went to Tg Katong Complex but approached only 1 ID. More like a contractor, it’s a husband & wife team. They happened to be renovating a member of this forum too. Their price was the lowest.

After careful consideration, we decided to engage BC of CityDesign. Though his was the priciest, we felt very comfortable with him. There’s kinda feeling that we could, err, click? We believe apart from getting a reputable company to do the job, the ID in-charged is equally important if not more. After all he is the one we would have to deal with until the completion of work. There were some negative comments on CityDesign in this forum and we were a little worry. We just had to take the chance and hope for the best.

After paying a $1000 deductible deposit and signing the letter of appointment, BC forwarded us this proposal which we didn’t really like:

Living:

Dining:

Kitchen:

MBR:

Boy’s Rm:

Baby’s Rm:

welcome to renotalk :notti:

are you going to tear down the wardrobes or just re-skin them?

it might be cheaper to re-skin them esp if you are going to 'retain' the design

hi thanks...

we are tearing it down. though the condition is still ok, the aircon trunking is run within and as we are replacing the system it has to go. further, we are boxing up the awkward space below the beam and putting up a feature headboard which would cut into part of the wardrobe.

Edited December 30, 2007 by sunzhi

[sunzhi 0]

We took possession of our unit in mid Dec and the renovation began on the 18th. I had wanted to sign a Radac contract or a more detailed agreement but didn’t have the time. Probably because we were very comfortable with each other and based on mutual trust, the renovation began without any proper contract signed (which is really not advisable ), nor any further payment made (apart from the $1000 appointment fee). The subsequent payment was only made few days back (hacking and demolishing work completed, new wall erected and wall tiles partially up). BC promised us that it would take no longer thn 5 weeks and he would rush it for us (hopefully not at the expense of the quality). So far so good. I counted, there were as many as 10 working there last Friday (wet work, ceiling and plumbing). This is so exciting.....

To date, the ceiling and electrical work (thanks to a fellow member for recommending the contractor) are almost done. Common toilet's wall tiles half-done, new kitchen & fridge wall up. Went down today and took some snaps:

Living:

Dining:

Kitchen:

[Yang Guo 7]

nice 3D drawings..

u got these 3D drawings on the 2nd meet up? or after u place ur deposit?

during my 2nd meeting up with Citydesign, i was only provided 1 piece of 3D drawings..their reno ideas is very innovative

[sunzhi 0]

nice 3D drawings..

u got these 3D drawings on the 2nd meet up? or after u place ur deposit?

during my 2nd meeting up with Citydesign, i was only provided 1 piece of 3D drawings..their reno ideas is very innovative

After the deposit. We were only shown the 2D layout plan during the 2nd meeting but he did show us some of his previous and existing projects (3D printouts) and we were asked which style/theme we prefer.

Edited December 30, 2007 by sunzhi

[sunzhi 0]

before off to dinner, last post for 2007..

!! ~~~~Happy New Year Everyone~~~~ !!

.

Edited December 31, 2007 by sunzhi

[sunzhi 0]

Air condition:

It’s inverter vs non-inverter. We have been weighing whether it’s worth to invest in an inverter system which cost a couple hundred dollars more. We are not heavy user, probably 6-8 hours daily for the 2 bedroom units and 5-6 hours during week-ends for the living room unit. On paper, the saving for the inverter system for 5 years usage may not be sufficient to cover the price difference. Nevertheless, we decided to install an inverter system. Apart from quieter, it’s also due to the variable current setting and the free combination (9k, 12k, 18k or 22k). Lots of useful information in the following website:

http://singapore-aircon.blogspot.com/

When it comes to brand, a big thanks to Jack Neo’s “wipe wipe here, suck suck there”. We have only one system in mind, Mitsubishi Starmex Easy Clean.

There’s big price difference among the major stores, even different outlets and different sales person’s of the same store. I went to Gain City main branch along AMK Ave 3 and was quoted ard $3700 for a system 4 Starmex EasyClean (3x9k, 1x18k). A further $250 for upgrading to R22 (copper) and ½” insulation, $80 for 2 trips and $150 for the bracket. In all, it amounts close to $4200 and the guy said that’s the ‘best price’ and not negotiable. We were introduced to a salesperson in their IMM outlet and bought the same system at $3805 (R22 copper, ½” insulation, bracket, 2 trips and combination of 3x9k and 1x22k). We also took up the extended 1+4 years warranty for $439. This is our system:

A down and dirty trick as taught by a fellow member of this forum, go prepared with quotations (written on the name cards or brochures or anything that bears the company’s competitors logo/name). And the figure is to be deflated (by ard 5-15% of the actual quotation, depending on item) and tell them this is what’s offered to you by their competitors. You will be surprised by how much they could lower the so called “best price”. This may not work all the time as different company has different base price. And yes, I have tried it and it worked.

The installation (trunking/piping) is being done today. It's pretty straight forward as there isn't much option. According to the technician, it will take two days to complete the work. Hoping for the best...

Edited January 2, 2008 by sunzhi

[sunzhi 0]

After many rounds of proposals, these are more or less the final design for our unit (maybe change of color here and there):

Layout plan:

Kitchen:

Living:

Dining:

MBR:

BDRM1:

BDRM2:

Edited January 3, 2008 by sunzhi