GPlan

[caDAVEr 0]

I agree that nowadays renovation can come to big amounts.... hacking, flooring, false ceiling already comes out to quite a fair bit. Not to mention that nowadays most young couples would like to have carpentry like feature walls, walk in wardrobe etc. Even the kitchen cabinets can cost some money.

Initially me and hubby also wanted to work around a budget of 30k. However, we went around and ask for quotations and realised that if we want to achieve what we want, 30k is not enough. True enough some ids can offer much cheaper price from the many quotations we gotten. However, when they showed us their pictures of houses done by them, designs....we were certain we do not want to engage them. We would rather spend more and be assured that in the end, we achieve what we want.

Kelvin was the only id who brought us to all his sites to view the houses done by him. Some places are not even 50% done and he is confident enough to bring them there. Each house we saw, we have something in mind what we want to do for our place. Thus we are confident that Kelvin can achieve what we want in the end. So we bite the bullet and signed up with him although his price is not the cheapest.

However, different ppl have different taste. Think best is to take more time and source around before making a decision. =)

I think being small wall does not matter here. It's not priced by weight of cement hacked down, probably by per job done. Just a guess Are you doing your 2nd and 3rd bedroom? Doing simple carpentry at both rooms will cost you $7-$8k easily. Carpentry is expensive, you might be surprise at how little carpentry can cost tons of $$! Spend within your budget. A cheaper quote may not mean a better deal, probably end with compromising the material and quality. Just take your time and make sure you make the right choice.

I see people writing about his arrogance or over-confident issue. You're not marrying the ID, are you? Ha ha. Since when one's personality becomes such an important factor? If i were to choose, i rather get someone who is over-confident than someone who are lack of confident. At least that is what i think. I don't really care about whether my ID is arrogance or not, as long as he is good, no delay, service is good, workmanship is good and able to do my house as what i hope it turns out to be, then it is a right choice.

Well, I predicted that by posting my previous post, I will certainly get a couple of replies like that...

Anyway, maybe my "england not powderful" enough. Don't think alot of ppl get my point that I never went beyond talking about the carpentry and I kinda got shut out. So this id assumes that everyone has to do carpentry in everyroom etc... Sorry I did not know that it is a requirement to engage him... So it means he does not do minor jobs w/o or minor carpentry.

With regards to the arrogant comment, I think there is some contradiction. Since you do not think that personality is important, why do you still say you rather choose someone who is over confident than confident lacking? And does someone who is confident or not tell me that he is going to be good, no delay, service is good etc...? The issue here is not about that, and I am not sure if G-plan is going to be that. Cos we did not go beyond the first call.

Not to go into a dispute or anything, just speaking my mind. Since I am not going to have anything to do with this id anymore, think it is also not appropriate for me to post anything else in this topic (what a contradiction this posting is... haha) Cest tout!

Edited February 27, 2008 by caDAVEr

[vonzzz 0]

Well, I predicted that by posting my previous post, I will certainly get a couple of replies like that...

Anyway, maybe my "england not powderful" enough. Don't think alot of ppl get my point that I never went beyond talking about the carpentry and I kinda got shut out. So this id assumes that everyone has to do carpentry in everyroom etc... Sorry I did not know that it is a requirement to engage him... So it means he does not do minor jobs w/o or minor carpentry.

With regards to the arrogant comment, I think there is some contradiction. Since you do not think that personality is important, why do you still say you rather choose someone who is over confident than confident lacking? And does someone who is confident or not tell me that he is going to be good, no delay, service is good etc...? The issue here is not about that, and I am not sure if G-plan is going to be that. Cos we did not go beyond the first call.

Not to go into a dispute or anything, just speaking my mind. Since I am not going to have anything to do with this id anymore, think it is also not appropriate for me to post anything else in this topic (what a contradiction this posting is... haha) Cest tout!

Hi all, i went to tease Kelvin about this incident and realised that there may be some misunderstandings. He showed me the email (hightlighted in red) from caDAVEr and it seems that there are some miscommunications when asking for the quotation, for instance the budget was only $20k instead of $30k and some of the stuff to be done is different from what was said in the forum.

*edited: email content deleted*

I guess for other forummers new to G'Plan, i may wish to share this piece of info as this incident may create a bad name for kelvin, who afterall may not be his fault. My intend is more to clear any possible bad impressions on kelvin than to shoot anyone, since caDAVEr may not be in this thread anymore. Hope this clarify!

Edited February 29, 2008 by minee

[caDAVEr 0]

Hi all, i went to tease Kelvin about this incident and realised that there may be some misunderstandings. He showed me the email (hightlighted in red) from caDAVEr and it seems that there are some miscommunications when asking for the quotation, for instance the budget was only $20k instead of $30k and some of the stuff to be done is different from what was said in the forum.

*edit: email content deleted*

I guess for other forummers new to G'Plan, i may wish to share this piece of info as this incident may create a bad name for kelvin, who afterall may not be his fault. My intend is more to clear any possible bad impressions on kelvin than to shoot anyone, since caDAVEr may not be in this thread anymore. Hope this clarify!

Well, I am still here. When I started to ask for quotes, I stated 20K just to test market and apparently it was really too low. Therefore when he mentioned that 20K is too little and if I can increase my budget. I told him 30K will be my max w/o furniture and fixture. He told me that 30K also definitely not enough and he is asking for at least 50+K. I do not have anything against Kevin or what and there certainly was not any misunderstanding. So no matter 20K or 30K I also cannot meet his budget, and if I wanna lie (as you are implying), I might as well say my budget 40K which is still not enough.

Now he is not only arrogant, but he is also hiding facts just to make himself look good? So much for hearing both sides of the story, maybe I should also call him to tease him...

Maybe I should also ask him if it is his habit to show others the email between his potential customer and himself... I should be careful with him and just stick to calling him in the future if required... (not that I have anything to hide, but this is just so wrong).

So new forummers, becareful to check if he is hiding anything from you if you engage him (and don't email him!).

Rest assure I will stick around this thread just to make sure he is not overly protected by himself, or his colleagues/friends???

Edited February 29, 2008 by minee

[hasibee 0]

Well, I am still here. When I started to ask for quotes, I stated 20K just to test market and apparently it was really too low. Therefore when he mentioned that 20K is too little and if I can increase my budget. I told him 30K will be my max w/o furniture and fixture. He told me that 30K also definitely not enough and he is asking for at least 50+K. I do not have anything against Kevin or what and there certainly was not any misunderstanding. So no matter 20K or 30K I also cannot meet his budget, and if I wanna lie (as you are implying), I might as well say my budget 40K which is still not enough.

Now he is not only arrogant, but he is also hiding facts just to make himself look good? So much for hearing both sides of the story, maybe I should also call him to tease him...

Maybe I should also ask him if it is his habit to show others the email between his potential customer and himself... I should be careful with him and just stick to calling him in the future if required... (not that I have anything to hide, but this is just so wrong).

So new forummers, becareful to check if he is hiding anything from you if you engage him (and don't email him!).

Rest assure I will stick around this thread just to make sure he is not overly protected by himself, or his colleagues/friends???

I have been a loyal member of the forum for the past 2 - 3 years and my house was also done by Kelvin. If you search for stories from other forummers, you will see how many of them regret taking cheaper quotes from IDs who are unheard of or with lack of confidence. You will know how many of them were cheated by other IDs firms ; using low quality materials, poor workmanship, coming up with additional hidden costs, delay in project completion. Worst case, some even just abandon the project halfway and disappeared.

However, with Kelvin I could rest assured that my house was taken care off. I didn't had to think about it day and night, call from my office to check how the reno is going. Each time something new is completed, i get an MMS with the updates on what was done. There were even times where me and my hubby did not visit our house during the reno for more than 2 weeks. But still things went on as planned and workmanship was impressive. This is the kind of commitment i get from Kelvin when he takes up a project. He may sound arrogant or over -confident. But that is just because, he is very sure he can deliver what he promises.

It's been almost 1.5 years since the house has been handed over to me and i moved in. Until now, if there are still minor damage done due to our daily wear and tear, i just ring Kelvin and he gets his man to touch up for me. This is the kind of after sales service you get from Kelvin. How many other IDs can promise you such after sales service ?

And you know how much was my reno cost in total ? Only 23.6 K. It all depends on what you want. If you want to work within your budget, look for a contractor. Don't go to IDs. IDs stand for Interior Designers. They service comes with creative ideas and value added service. This explains why they are expensive.

If you want someone to do just what you say, then look for contractors. They are best for such jobs. They will do their job well for what you ask. I am not trying to be rude here........i'm just stating the facts. No offences.......

Edited February 28, 2008 by hasibee

[caDAVEr 0]

I have been a loyal member of the forum for the past 2 - 3 years and my house was also done by Kelvin. If you search for stories from other forummers, you will see how many of them regret taking cheaper quotes from IDs who are unheard of or with lack of confidence. You will know how many of them were cheated by other IDs firms ; using low quality materials, poor workmanship, coming up with additional hidden costs, delay in project completion. Worst case, some even just abandon the project halfway and disappeared.

However, with Kelvin I could rest assured that my house was taken care off. I didn't had to think about it day and night, call from my office to check how the reno is going. Each time something new is completed, i get an MMS with the updates on what was done. There were even times where me and my hubby did not visit our house during the reno for more than 2 weeks. But still things went on as planned and workmanship was impressive. This is the kind of commitment i get from Kelvin when he takes up a project. He may sound arrogant or over -confident. But that is just because, he is very sure he can deliver what he promises.

It's been almost 1.5 years since the house has been handed over to me and i moved in. Until now, if there are still minor damage done due to our daily wear and tear, i just ring Kelvin and he gets his man to touch up for me. This is the kind of after sales service you get from Kelvin. How many other IDs can promise you such after sales service ?

And you know how much was my reno cost in total ? Only 23.6 K. It all depends on what you want. If you want to work within your budget, look for a contractor. Don't go to IDs. IDs stand for Interior Designers. They service comes with creative ideas and value added service. This explains why they are expensive.

If you want someone to do just what you say, then look for contractors. They are best for such jobs. They will do their job well for what you ask. I am not trying to be rude here........i'm just stating the facts. No offences.......

Hi hasibee, thanks for your inputs. I repeat that really do not have anything against G'plan.

However, if you read through what was written again, you can understand that I was just trying to say that I am not really comfortable with the way the call was handled. This has nothing to do with budget, IDs or contractors, whether a job was well-done (subjective). I don't know since when this became me complaining about G'plan charging alot for substandard works-I never said that.

I am sure that many people are very happy that they engaged Kevin (with the support) and he really will be able to provide the value for the stuff he does. Then again, this is not what it is about.

I was advised to narrate what happened and not to blow things out of proportion. What happened next is that I am accused of lying. Worse still, I do not understand why Kevin even showed Vonzzz my email to her to mislead her. Like I said, I am just trying to find a suitable id (or contractor) here. What I stand to gain by maligning G'plan?

If Kevin is reading this, I suggest you recall carefully what was said over the phone that day.

With that, congrats for having a nice home. What I wish now is just to be able to claim in the future that my house is very beautifully done.

[caDAVEr 0]

And you know how much was my reno cost in total ? Only 23.6 K. It all depends on what you want. If you want to work within your budget, look for a contractor. Don't go to IDs. IDs stand for Interior Designers. They service comes with creative ideas and value added service. This explains why they are expensive.

If you want someone to do just what you say, then look for contractors. They are best for such jobs. They will do their job well for what you ask. I am not trying to be rude here........i'm just stating the facts. No offences.......

If you allow me to get my point to you by quoting you.

My house is also the same size as you, and my budget is 30K. I don't need creative ideas and therefore all other ids like ls2, fuse, box.i.d. etc... said that my budget is possible. Most of my furniture (with exception of the study desk) I am thinking to purchase as my family are sponsoring. So do not understand why you say that I need to find a contractor instead of ID??? So by spending 23.6K (maybe we can factor in inflation), you mean you engaged a contractor in G'plan? No offences also...

To state a fact, I was not able to go pass the stage to discuss "to do just what I say..." Hope you get what I mean.

Edited February 28, 2008 by caDAVEr

[hasibee 0]

If you allow me to get my point to you by quoting you.

My house is also the same size as you, and my budget is 30K. I don't need creative ideas and therefore all other ids like ls2, fuse, box.i.d. etc... said that my budget is possible. Most of my furniture (with exception of the study desk) I am thinking to purchase as my family are sponsoring. So do not understand why you say that I need to find a contractor instead of ID??? So by spending 23.6K (maybe we can factor in inflation), you mean you engaged a contractor in G'plan? No offences also...

To state a fact, I was not able to go pass the stage to discuss "to do just what I say..." Hope you get what I mean.

At the time I bought my house in May 2006, the inflation was not so high...also the property price was not rocket high... at that time 23.6K was not considered reasonable for what i requested. My reno was completed in Sept 2006 and I moved in in Nov 2006.

Mine is a brand new house, i had to do flooring for entire house, kitchen cabinets and floors, feature wall for TV and walk in wardrobe only in master bedroom, paint the whole house. This alone for 23K was considered expensive at that time. I could have got all this done for below 15K if i had gone to a contractor. But i am happy with the outcome and the design for my house from what i get from Gplan.

Anyway, all the best for your future home.

Edited February 28, 2008 by hasibee

[vonzzz 0]

Well, I am still here. When I started to ask for quotes, I stated 20K just to test market and apparently it was really too low. Therefore when he mentioned that 20K is too little and if I can increase my budget. I told him 30K will be my max w/o furniture and fixture. He told me that 30K also definitely not enough and he is asking for at least 50+K. I do not have anything against Kevin or what and there certainly was not any misunderstanding. So no matter 20K or 30K I also cannot meet his budget, and if I wanna lie (as you are implying), I might as well say my budget 40K which is still not enough.

Now he is not only arrogant, but he is also hiding facts just to make himself look good? So much for hearing both sides of the story, maybe I should also call him to tease him...

Maybe I should also ask him if it is his habit to show others the email between his potential customer and himself... I should be careful with him and just stick to calling him in the future if required... (not that I have anything to hide, but this is just so wrong).

So new forummers, becareful to check if he is hiding anything from you if you engage him (and don't email him!).

Rest assure I will stick around this thread just to make sure he is not overly protected by himself, or his colleagues/friends???

so much for clarifications, there were indeed more conversations and there is now a case of 'floating' demands & budgets........or maybe kelvin may be smoking me, which may indeed be the case... End state, if there is really nothing to hide, there is nothing to be agitated....esp when personal info was not even disclosed....

by the way, just to share, as potential owners who went to his sites, we are actually intruding into other owners' houses....and owners on the other hand, had also visiting his other sites before engaging him as well...there is this unspoken culture of 'sharing', which i also expect others to visit my house in time to come......so potential customers pls take note if you are thinking of engaging him you must be willing to show others ur house....to me, for ID to to show others my house, it must be of certain standard, else no pt showing also....just my thoughts...

[lifestyle 0]

Edited February 28, 2008 by lifestyle

[lifestyle 0]

To me "Budget" is personal.

when personal info was not even disclosed....

Edited February 28, 2008 by lifestyle

[Cantona7 0]

To me "Budget" is personal.

Agreed Bro. Each got their own acceptable level it maybe high or low, but somehow I still think is not right to show caDAVEr email to others to see and worst post it in the forum.

Jus my personal view.

[lifestyle 0]

Totally agree with you too. I also think it is wrong to let others to see & post confidential info here.

Nobody should post in the public internet forum without checking permission first from the owners of the email.

Where are the code of conduct & ethics for Interior Designers (ID) ? Not sure if there are any in the industry which unlike architects who are professionals, whose standard and code of conduct and ethics are regulated by law, like doctors, dentists, lawyers and engineers.

Mine and most people view

Agreed Bro. Each got their own acceptable level it maybe high or low, but somehow I still think is not right to show caDAVEr email to others to see and worst post it in the forum.

Jus my personal view.

Edited February 29, 2008 by lifestyle

[vonzzz 0]

Totally agree with you too. I also think it is wrong to let others to see & post confidential info here.

Nobody should post in the public internet forum without checking permission first from the owners of the email.

Where are the code of conduct & ethics for Interior Designers (ID) ? Not sure if there are any in the industry which unlike architects who are professionals, whose standard and code of conduct and ethics are regulated by law, like doctors, dentists, lawyers and engineers.

Mine and most people view

Dear Lifestyle & Cantona7, understood both your views (may not be most afterall as a lot of people are posting quotations & budgets in other threads as well).

Actually the intent is to see both sides of the coin. if you do not flip a coin that is lying on the table, you will never see the other side of it. This is the case here as most IDs (at least for kelvin), do not set up an account and share their views. thus, most forummers are only reading what home owners, like us, are saying, but not understanding the pain/misunderstanding that some IDs may be suffering.

I post the mail from the angle that we should get the views from both parties, which in the end there may be no right or wrong for either party...and to allow many readers (who monitor this incident) a chance to better understand Kelvin...who afterall may be cocky, but friendly and cheeky as well (the other side of the coin i am talking about)...

i know i will offend people by posting it up, apologies if i really had....but if i were given a 2nd chance, i guess i will still do the same....

Edited February 29, 2008 by vonzzz

[ryanon123 0]

Let's just move on ... or soon, we will be talking about aliens, universe and ghosts. Hee

[lifestyle 0]

You could have said the Budget was different, etc, etc.. and ask for clarification... instead of posting the entire email with XXX.

Ye...let's just move on as what ryanon123 said.

Dear Lifestyle & Cantona7, understood both your views (may not be most afterall as a lot of people are posting quotations & budgets in other threads as well).

Actually the intent is to see both sides of the coin. if you do not flip a coin that is lying on the table, you will never see the other side of it. This is the case here as most IDs (at least for kelvin), do not set up an account and share their views. thus, most forummers are only reading what home owners, like us, are saying, but not understanding the pain/misunderstanding that some IDs may be suffering.

I post the mail from the angle that we should get the views from both parties, which in the end there may be no right or wrong for either party...and to allow many readers (who monitor this incident) a chance to better understand Kelvin...who afterall may be cocky, but friendly and cheeky as well (the other side of the coin i am talking about)...

i know i will offend people by posting it up, but if i were given a 2nd chance, i guess i will still do the same....

Edited February 29, 2008 by lifestyle