Ho Bee

[yokine9a 1]

Met Patrick in TPY on my way home on Friday evening.

Asked him about Ah Keong's leaving, he didn't seem to want to talk abt it and changed to another subject by saying he needed to park his car before he could continue to talk further.

Well, feel sad for Patrick as he is a really nice guy. Hope he can find another good carpenter after Ah Keong leaves Ho Bee.

[goodrealm 0]

Hi guys, can I have the contact person and tel from Ho Bee?

Thanks.

[mud3210 0]

mine just finished reno with Ho Bee on 10/5/2008.

spoke to Ah Keong on his departure from Ho Bee.

Seems like he is adamant in leaving Ho Bee and feels glad about it too.

im thinking, if someone start a thread on Ah Keong soon will this thread be dead in a year? *okok im being wicked *

i been to Patrick and he's quotation is a SHOcKKKK cum disappointment, i was initially thinking, if he really give me a contractor price, i will surely let him do my hse lor, .based on SO MANY GOOD testimonials here, but too bad for me lah.. he just too pricey for a contractor.

Must BE he's toooo famous liao..

but when u see their showflat, its really no faboulous as wat the ppl say in here, it's JUST AVERAGE lahh... seeing is beliving! go try! hurhurhur* But hor if i am contractor, one day become famous, i will also up my price lah, even if my workmanship may not be fabulous, but i can give good after service and ppl will still worship me.

SO.. maybe without Patrick, Ah Keong will be cheaper yeah?

anyone has his hp can Pm me pls? on the account i had shared so many valuable info w u'all in renotalk

Edited May 17, 2008 by mud3210

[applefreak 1]

hmm to be fair to patrick i can't say patrick is good only because of ah keong

i'm very satisfied with the painter and the masonry works

although ah keong was the one who came to take measurements and 'design' the carpentry works, he wasn't the one who put up my cabinets and wardrobe

have to say that his brother was a disappointment coz the completed product was a little disapponting...

check out my blog on the 'defects' on my wardrobe

won't say it's anything serious but it goes to show that the installer didn't care about denting the drawers...

[yokine9a 1]

Love you so much, apple jie jie, you really spoke out the words that I wanted to say in my heart

I didn't want to tell my side of the story initially cos everyone here seems to talk great abt Ah Keong. I tot I was just being too fussy

Yes, Ah Keong came to my house to take measurements and did drawings. His drawing skill is great. But my cabinet was not done by him. It was done by his workers. When 2 of them came to my place to fix the handlers, I asked several qtns. From their response, I can easily tell that they don't seem to bother or care very much abt the quality of their work. And yes, no big mistakes, just small little things that can tell how serious you are when you do your work, ie. gaps between drawers not standardise, top and bottom drawers not align, left and right drawers also not in line, drill a hole at the wrong spot but don't want to throw it away yet don't bother to cover the hole with something etc.

If anyone of you saw my comments on Ho Bee, I ever wrote that my bf complaint abt the dish tray door and the carpenters gave me a replacement. They changed the door twice and yet they didn't seem to get the measurement correct. The first replacement door was totally out of alignment and couldn't fit in. The 2nd replacement door was still out though could fit in. My bf wanted them to change the 3rd time but I stopped him. I was just tired abt all this and didn't want to pursue further. I cannot understand, they took back the original glass door, why couldn't they follow the exact measurement and give me another perfectly-fit door?

Before I gotten my kitchen cabinet up, after reading so many comments abt Ho Bee, I told my bf how great Ah Keong's skill was. When my cabinet was up, he kept asking me, this is what you said very good ah? Ah Keong never checks his worker's work meh? I don't know what to say, I just replied him, maybe Ah Keong is good lah, but his workers not so good lor

I don't expect them to treat my cabinet as a piece of artwork, but at least, one must like and satisfy with the product before it is delivered to the client.

Sorry for the long-winded story

Hi godrealm, contact person for Ho Bee are Patrick (96792934), his wife Mrs Quek (67885841), email (queksurf@pacific.net.sg). Just a sticky note, Patrick is a busy man, if you can't reach him, call his wife.

[Melissa Ng 1]

Well, feel sad for Patrick as he is a really nice guy.

Yar..i really agree Patrick is nice guy.. and he is definitely not the MONEY-HUNGRY type...Although he has started my reno, everytime i bring up to him abt payment, he keep saying 'no rush no rush'..maybe cos he understand my situation & we trust each other? Till now i still haven't give him even the deposit...pai seh Even so his workers have been hardworking & fast. I hope ppl dun take advantage of him cos he's nice. Anyway i'll insist on paying him some amount next time we meet

[CutePinkElephant 0]

Yar..i really agree Patrick is nice guy.. and he is definitely not the MONEY-HUNGRY type...Although he has started my reno, everytime i bring up to him abt payment, he keep saying 'no rush no rush'..maybe cos he understand my situation & we trust each other? Till now i still haven't give him even the deposit...pai seh Even so his workers have been hardworking & fast. I hope ppl dun take advantage of him cos he's nice. Anyway i'll insist on paying him some amount next time we meet

after i read from all the review about ho bee i really like it and can give my trust to them, EVEN i havent meet patrick lerrrrr.....

im a very kiasi type, so very afraid being cheat (by contractor),but with all master here trust patrick so much so i'll rest assured and confirm gv my reno work to Ho bee.

help help lerrrrr ask patrick call meeeee and give me a quotation,,,,,,huik hiik

[jane71 0]

anyone has contact to ah keong.

i am looking for a carpenter

[Melissa Ng 1]

after i read from all the review about ho bee i really like it and can give my trust to them, EVEN i havent meet patrick lerrrrr.....

im a very kiasi type, so very afraid being cheat (by contractor),but with all master here trust patrick so much so i'll rest assured and confirm gv my reno work to Ho bee.

help help lerrrrr ask patrick call meeeee and give me a quotation,,,,,,huik hiik

Hi CutePinkElephant,

Have u called Patrick to make appt to see ur house first? As advised by yokine9a u can call Patrick (96792934) or his wife Mrs Quek (67885841). You can make appt 1st, then email your floor plan to queksurf@pacific.net.sg for him to give u rough estimate of the quotation first. Once meet up, u can revise the quotation based on actual site observation by Patrick. I mean that's what i did & he was pretty fast in response.

Don't mind, when my husband & i first saw him, we feel he dun look like contractor Hahah.. He's quite small frame, dressed very simple & neat (with long sleave), not the boisterous or salesman type, a little shy, but he get straight to the point always, so far will only give me opinion when I ask him, but I can always ask him anything, n he's pretty knowledgeable ( like when i ask him what's his suggestion for toilet, or what kind of tiles shld choose for kitchen etc, he'll explain a lot). He's very humble n nice guy. Sometime when he pick up phone he will sound 'kan cheong' , probably cos he's busy meeting customer or on the way to somewhere .. but he entertain us even on weekends, public holidays or emergency fickle-minded decisions at night (pai seh ). Just my personal opinion & observation of him

[jaCKY777 0]

Hey all,

- i had seen a prj by HB.

- e workmanship is so-so only, nothin 2 shout abt.

- e flooring? Average only.

- so if consider pricing against workmanship base on contractor's rate, & feedback frm forumers, izit worth it?

- u decide then.

[CutePinkElephant 0]

Hi CutePinkElephant,

Have u called Patrick to make appt to see ur house first? As advised by yokine9a u can call Patrick (96792934) or his wife Mrs Quek (67885841). You can make appt 1st, then email your floor plan to queksurf@pacific.net.sg for him to give u rough estimate of the quotation first. Once meet up, u can revise the quotation based on actual site observation by Patrick. I mean that's what i did & he was pretty fast in response.

Don't mind, when my husband & i first saw him, we feel he dun look like contractor Hahah.. He's quite small frame, dressed very simple & neat (with long sleave), not the boisterous or salesman type, a little shy, but he get straight to the point always, so far will only give me opinion when I ask him, but I can always ask him anything, n he's pretty knowledgeable ( like when i ask him what's his suggestion for toilet, or what kind of tiles shld choose for kitchen etc, he'll explain a lot). He's very humble n nice guy. Sometime when he pick up phone he will sound 'kan cheong' , probably cos he's busy meeting customer or on the way to somewhere .. but he entertain us even on weekends, public holidays or emergency fickle-minded decisions at night (pai seh ). Just my personal opinion & observation of him

ya....i call patrick and told him already, and call mrs quek too...and she said will get back to me soon. maybe im the one who too kan cheong . by the way isit ok only ask them to do flooring +kitchen and partition only? not whole house? thanks

[h4happy 1]

There is pros and cons for every id/contractors. You cannot find one id/contractor totally 100% error free. Give and take is a must or else there will be lots of problems.

Renovation is just like taking a gamble, you loose (big or small), you win (big or small), or you draw (average). Just like I sign with Classic Design doesnt mean they are super good, we must learn to sometimes close one eye and constantly ask yourself can we accept it?

Even my friends (another id/contractor) told me the same thing, you need to close one eye for certain thing which you find that it is still acceptable. If not, the renovation will be a lot of **** for you and your family.

My 2 cent worth.

[Melissa Ng 1]

by the way isit ok only ask them to do flooring +kitchen and partition only? not whole house? thanks

i think should be no prob, i read some where in thread they accepted even small jobs like just the kitchen. However i think it also depends on their schedule. When i told patrick i outsource some stuffs in house, he's oso very ok, nvr question me at all.

There is pros and cons for every id/contractors. You cannot find one id/contractor totally 100% error free. Give and take is a must or else there will be lots of problems.

Renovation is just like taking a gamble, you loose (big or small), you win (big or small), or you draw (average). Just like I sign with Classic Design doesnt mean they are super good, we must learn to sometimes close one eye and constantly ask yourself can we accept it?

Even my friends (another id/contractor) told me the same thing, you need to close one eye for certain thing which you find that it is still acceptable. If not, the renovation will be a lot of **** for you and your family.

My 2 cent worth.

Yeah, i agree with you no id/contractor will be able to please every single person on everything. For me i also hv reasonable expectation. In terms of pricing every id/ contractor earn their profit in different ways, they'll definitely need to compensate certain cost with cheaper material or higher price for some other items. If not how can they make a living, especially with the price hike of raw materials now? (pls see news below)

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_218951.html

"March 21, 2008

Home makeovers hard hit by price hikes

Spike in building material prices, labour crunch pushing renovation costs up by 20% this year

By Jessica Cheam

ESCALATING PRICES: The cost of reinforcing steel bars has increased by about 60 per cent in the span of one year, while cement prices have gone up by 30 per cent.

PLANNING to renovate your home? If so, be prepared to pay 20 per cent more.

Construction costs - for both big projects and home renovations - have risen due to a rise in raw material prices and labour costs. And they are expected to increase even more this year.

Industry experts say overall construction costs are expected to rise by another 15 to 20 per cent this year - following a 40 per cent spike in the last two years.

A global spike in raw material prices, and a construction resources and manpower crunch here, are to blame for the relentless rise, say market players.

In particular, prices of reinforcing steel bars - used extensively in construction - have soared 64 per cent from $753 per tonne in January last year to $1,235 this January, according to data from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Rising global demand for steel, fuelled by a building boom in developing countries such as China, India and Vietnam, is pushing prices up sharply.

The price of cement rose 30 per cent to $117 per tonne in the same period.

Consumers' pockets are hard hit by the price hikes. Contractors say home owners now have to fork out up to 20 per cent more for renovation works.

Renovating a 110 sq m five-room HDB flat, for example - which would have cost $80,000 at most at the start of last year - would now mean forking out $100,000, said contractor Steven Koh, 51, of Colorado Design.

But there is good news: the extra cost of building a new home is unlikely to be passed on to flat buyers.

Real Estate Developers Association of Singapore executive director Chia Hock Jin said developers cannot simply pass on the costs: 'It's the market that determines the prices.'

Given the recent cooling of the property market, price hikes for homes are also unlikely.

Local developer Frasers Centrepoint Homes said it has partly absorbed the rising costs and has also tried to mitigate them by adopting more efficient ways of building and securing raw material in bulk.

Construction costs typically make up 20 to 25 per cent of the total cost of a development, with the bulk coming from land cost, said Mr Seah Choo Meng, executive chairman of quantity surveying firm Davis Langdon & Seah Singapore.

Meanwhile, main contractors are starting to feel the pinch, with price rises eating into their profit margins. Wacon Construction & Trading, hired for a $5million spruce-up of MacRitchie Reservoir, was recently reported to have gone bust due to the hikes in raw material prices.

Mr Simon Lee, executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association Limited, said contractors had only a small margin in factoring such rises into building tenders.

One source of relief is the stabilising prices of sand, granite and concrete. BCA's latest data show prices of these materials are easing, after an artificial spike following Indonesia's abrupt ban of land sand exports last February. Still, compared to January last year, these prices have escalated and, in some cases such as sand, even doubled.

Mr Lee said there was concern that developers were slow in paying contractors, especially those affected by the sand ban, which might exacerbate contractors' cash-flow problems.

Mr Seah said he does not expect the construction crunch to abate, predicting that constructing demand will go up to $27 billion this year."

Edited May 19, 2008 by mel

[CutePinkElephant 0]

got quotation from them already

[Prettibride 0]

Hihi..I would like to check with those who've engaged Ho Bee. I am in the final stage of selecting an ID/contractor..Patrick's 2nd revised quote is still very much on the high side. He charged at least $1K more for painting job compared to other quotes that I've got.

So just wondering, do u guys have experience with slashing Patrick's price by a significant amount? Or can we request for a overall bulk discount from Patrick..eg. 5% off the final price? So far seems like Patrick will only offer a round off from his total sum...but just like to know if anyone here managed to slash his price by at least $2-3k without taking out items from your quote?

I'll need him to slash his quote by at least $4k in order to fit into my budget..really headache...