Ho Bee

[Guest IceCreamhouse]

hi of all ,,,,

would like to noe more about ho bee, what kind of service they really provide to us when we are ask to buy our own tiles , lighting and etc..... i mean for tiles at least ho bee's consultant should bring us go and select plus general advice on the spot.if we have to buy our own tiles , then if we buy a lousy tiles , how??we as a client will feel very sad when our home sweet home that we have dump the money in ended we have to stay in with the lousy for at least 5years down the road.there is not secure for us. i mean after reading one of the article of their client have post , i dont think they show their service. just want to understand more, no hard feeling. if they really that good please point out their service.

icecreamhouse

Edited March 29, 2008 by IceCreamhouse

[BunBun 5]

Ho Bee is a contractor company, not an ID company. So choosing the tiles is entirely yours as long as they have provided you with the list of the tile shops that they get their stocks from.

The difference between contractors and ID is that contractors just fabricate according to your specifications, no fanciful designs or designer stuff. For IDs, they are responsible to meet your needs in terms of aesthetic & practicality purposes. So you can't expect much from Ho Bee but one thing for sure is Ho Bee has good service. Just like my experience with Ho Bee, I also had to choose the tiles on my own from a shop on their list. The tile shop staff is very experienced and took the effort to give pointers on which tile selections are good. So there is no complaints with the tiles.

[MaCe 3]

Nothing is free in this world.

if you want a salesperson to bring you to tile/sanitary/lighting shops;

1) this service is added into your total bill but of cos they said it's free but you do PAY more.

2) The tile/sanitary/lighting shops NEED to give a cut(commission) to the salesperson.

Go do your math.

Lousy tiles = there is NO GUARANTEED GOOD tiles out there, whether China or ITALY, even marbles/granite. It all depends on the batch even if it's from the same factory. I was told the only tiles with the LATEST DESIGN dont have problems cos the "cutting knife" is still new and everything will be in alignment.

Edited March 29, 2008 by MaCe

[vowsh 1]

hi of all ,,,,

would like to noe more about ho bee, what kind of service they really provide to us when we are ask to buy our own tiles , lighting and etc..... i mean for tiles at least ho bee's consultant should bring us go and select plus general advice on the spot.if we have to buy our own tiles , then if we buy a lousy tiles , how??we as a client will feel very sad when our home sweet home that we have dump the money in ended we have to stay in with the lousy for at least 5years down the road.there is not secure for us. i mean after reading one of the article of their client have post , i dont think they show their service. just want to understand more, no hard feeling. if they really that good please point out their service.

icecreamhouse

Like what others have said. Ho bee is juz a contractor. You tell them what to do as if will act like an ID.

If you juz laying of tiles and simple cabinet, then u can engage contractor

But you talking of renoor revamp everytig to create a condo style feeling then u better engaged an ID that able to present you with 3D drawing with the tiles you select. Not nice, change till u satisfy. You are making a home not a house.

[Guest IceCreamhouse]

***post removed

[Melissa Ng 1]

Wow

i dun think you know about renovation , did you enter the correct forum my dear fren, engage a contractor and your contractor go and engage other contractor. how can be trust . a responsible contractor is to do every thing under one roots. as wat you mention is not to the point whether there is 3D drawing presentation, my point is why cant a contractor all do in one line. come on man, your word "not nice change till ur satisfy", you sound like contractor or ID film are nothing worth of value. they got their professionalism to propose the design base on the understanding of what we as a client want. do you think they so stupid enough to keep on draw and draw without knowing what their client want. I think this is very pity for you if you have met this kind of ID or contractor film.....

dont let me laugh at your post my fren, pls noe wat you are posting.

icecreamhouse

p

Hi Ice,

Wow, you seem to understand a contractor's job very well..

Anyway if you don't feel the chemistry with Ho Bee, or don't like the way they work, you're in no obligation to choose them. Every contractor / ID hv their own different styles. Instead of wasting time, why not you just concentrate on finding other ID/ contractor that you feel more comfortable with? Why do you still want to understand more abt Ho Bee when you've already decided Ho Bee's not the one for you?

Good luck!

Edited March 30, 2008 by mel

[JuzChris 1]

This thread is being watched. Kindly do not get personal on postings to avoid violating the forum T&C. Stay cool

[Max383 1]

Wow... icecreamhouse... please try not to get too personal. vowsh is offering his views... you can disagree... but kindly refrain from insulting anyone. We are sharing experiences, such posts are counter-productive.

There are all sorts of contractors.... full services verus no frills type. At the end, you get what you pay for. Some people prefer no frills because they have all sorts of ideas so they just one someone to make things happen. While others are clueless and need help and suggestions.

Yes... some contractors will accompany you to the tile shop and offer advise... but very often, they offer advise just to keep you within their preset budget inside the package or quotation...and you also always feel like you are being rushed to make a decision since his time is "valuable"... not a whole lot of value add. In fact, chances are, the tile shop guy can offer you better and more unbias advise.... and I like to take my time to choose the tiles I will stare at for at least 5 years.

My view... no free lunch in life. If the contractor brings you to buy lights, taps, tiles... chances are... these efforts would have been factored in, either into the package price or via commissions. I rather choose my own stuff to suit my tatse. Store owners are in a better position to offer advise. Lousy tiles or not...well... it is usually price vs quality.

Many times, contractors are simply a project manager. It is not economical for him or her to do everything. Many works are sub-contracted. This is ok, as long as the contractor has good control over these sub-contractors and ensure quality work. On your own, you would not have much bargaining power over the electrician, plumber, tiler...etc. These people can make mistakes (or outright cheat u) and walk away from individuals.... but they would not want to make the contractor look bad because they depend on him for future business.

My two cents.

Wow

i dun think you know about renovation , did you enter the correct forum my dear fren, engage a contractor and your contractor go and engage other contractor. how can be trust . a responsible contractor is to do every thing under one roots. as wat you mention is not to the point whether there is 3D drawing presentation, my point is why cant a contractor all do in one line. come on man, your word "not nice change till ur satisfy", you sound like contractor or ID film are nothing worth of value. they got their professionalism to propose the design base on the understanding of what we as a client want. do you think they so stupid enough to keep on draw and draw without knowing what their client want. I think this is very pity for you if you have met this kind of ID or contractor film.....

dont let me laugh at your post my fren, pls noe wat you are posting.

icecreamhouse

p

[vowsh 1]

Wow... icecreamhouse... please try not to get too personal. vowsh is offering his views... you can disagree... but kindly refrain from insulting anyone. We are sharing experiences, such posts are counter-productive.

There are all sorts of contractors.... full services verus no frills type. At the end, you get what you pay for. Some people prefer no frills because they have all sorts of ideas so they just one someone to make things happen. While others are clueless and need help and suggestions.

Yes... some contractors will accompany you to the tile shop and offer advise... but very often, they offer advise just to keep you within their preset budget inside the package or quotation...and you also always feel like you are being rushed to make a decision since his time is "valuable"... not a whole lot of value add. In fact, chances are, the tile shop guy can offer you better and more unbias advise.... and I like to take my time to choose the tiles I will stare at for at least 5 years.

My view... no free lunch in life. If the contractor brings you to buy lights, taps, tiles... chances are... these efforts would have been factored in, either into the package price or via commissions. I rather choose my own stuff to suit my tatse. Store owners are in a better position to offer advise. Lousy tiles or not...well... it is usually price vs quality.

Many times, contractors are simply a project manager. It is not economical for him or her to do everything. Many works are sub-contracted. This is ok, as long as the contractor has good control over these sub-contractors and ensure quality work. On your own, you would not have much bargaining power over the electrician, plumber, tiler...etc. These people can make mistakes (or outright cheat u) and walk away from individuals.... but they would not want to make the contractor look bad because they depend on him for future business.

My two cents.

Thks Max383. I am cool.

[Guest IceCreamhouse]

**post removed

Edited July 1, 2010 by admin
ADMIN NOTE TO IceCreamhouse. You have been banned as we have identified you to be related to another Renovation company. Please respect the forum terms of use.

[Guest IceCreamhouse]

Wow... icecreamhouse... please try not to get too personal. vowsh is offering his views... you can disagree... but kindly refrain from insulting anyone. We are sharing experiences, such posts are counter-productive.

There are all sorts of contractors.... full services verus no frills type. At the end, you get what you pay for. Some people prefer no frills because they have all sorts of ideas so they just one someone to make things happen. While others are clueless and need help and suggestions.

Yes... some contractors will accompany you to the tile shop and offer advise... but very often, they offer advise just to keep you within their preset budget inside the package or quotation...and you also always feel like you are being rushed to make a decision since his time is "valuable"... not a whole lot of value add. In fact, chances are, the tile shop guy can offer you better and more unbias advise.... and I like to take my time to choose the tiles I will stare at for at least 5 years.

My view... no free lunch in life. If the contractor brings you to buy lights, taps, tiles... chances are... these efforts would have been factored in, either into the package price or via commissions. I rather choose my own stuff to suit my tatse. Store owners are in a better position to offer advise. Lousy tiles or not...well... it is usually price vs quality.

Many times, contractors are simply a project manager. It is not economical for him or her to do everything. Many works are sub-contracted. This is ok, as long as the contractor has good control over these sub-contractors and ensure quality work. On your own, you would not have much bargaining power over the electrician, plumber, tiler...etc. These people can make mistakes (or outright cheat u) and walk away from individuals.... but they would not want to make the contractor look bad because they depend on him for future business.

My two cents.

hi hi

yes man i agree price vs quality.... if reasonable price , good service, by all mean let the contractor and ID earn their commission , is just a credit of token ,, why not.. we didnt have to bother them ,if they are earning any commission if they can provide a good service and reasonable price. i mean commission let them have it. quotation for renovation price is very open to market, everyone know where is the price up to.ever yourself.frankly speaking ,how they sub or not sub to other contractor .only one description, one contractor play the all role. they show the trust.. the word trust is very important. pls dont use the word cheat, nowadays do you think client like us and you be easily cheated by cons... ha ha... agree.

thank for your feedback(price vs quality)

haha

just a disccussion

Edited March 30, 2008 by IceCreamhouse

[Melissa Ng 1]

Wow... icecreamhouse... please try not to get too personal. vowsh is offering his views... you can disagree... but kindly refrain from insulting anyone. We are sharing experiences, such posts are counter-productive.

There are all sorts of contractors.... full services verus no frills type. At the end, you get what you pay for. Some people prefer no frills because they have all sorts of ideas so they just one someone to make things happen. While others are clueless and need help and suggestions.

Yes... some contractors will accompany you to the tile shop and offer advise... but very often, they offer advise just to keep you within their preset budget inside the package or quotation...and you also always feel like you are being rushed to make a decision since his time is "valuable"... not a whole lot of value add. In fact, chances are, the tile shop guy can offer you better and more unbias advise.... and I like to take my time to choose the tiles I will stare at for at least 5 years.

My view... no free lunch in life. If the contractor brings you to buy lights, taps, tiles... chances are... these efforts would have been factored in, either into the package price or via commissions. I rather choose my own stuff to suit my tatse. Store owners are in a better position to offer advise. Lousy tiles or not...well... it is usually price vs quality.

Many times, contractors are simply a project manager. It is not economical for him or her to do everything. Many works are sub-contracted. This is ok, as long as the contractor has good control over these sub-contractors and ensure quality work. On your own, you would not have much bargaining power over the electrician, plumber, tiler...etc. These people can make mistakes (or outright cheat u) and walk away from individuals.... but they would not want to make the contractor look bad because they depend on him for future business.

My two cents.

Heheh, I also prefer to choose the tiles myself Yesterday hubby & I went to SBH n took our own sweet time to choose. I saw many ppl also choosing the tiles themselves or with the SBH sales people - who are very helpful & gave good advice. When finish they gave us the samples to bring home and prices written clearly on paper. It's very easy & fun - like shopping

[Max383 1]

Yes... lots of fun to collect all the samples... then go home and toy with different combinations!

The great thing is when everything is layed on the actual flat and you see it for the first time... you will have a sense of accomplishment... you chose the tiles and it looks great!!

Heheh, I also prefer to choose the tiles myself Yesterday hubby & I went to SBH n took our own sweet time to choose. I saw many ppl also choosing the tiles themselves or with the SBH sales people - who are very helpful & gave good advice. When finish they gave us the samples to bring home and prices written clearly on paper. It's very easy & fun - like shopping

[Melissa Ng 1]

Yes... lots of fun to collect all the samples... then go home and toy with different combinations!

The great thing is when everything is layed on the actual flat and you see it for the first time... you will have a sense of accomplishment... you chose the tiles and it looks great!!

[buibui 0]

NOrmally i feel Places that ID bring are more exp. My friend need a piece of stone in the hosue so ID offered to bring her here and there. and she bought a piece of stone at $50... Then one day while shopping with my fren, we saw the same piece of stone selling at $40. and the worse thing is, we saw the same thing again at another shop and it is selling at $38.