charemme 0 Report post Posted November 20, 2009 wah... what did you keep?? I got 2 and hands are full already Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wennykoh 2 Report post Posted November 20, 2009 Hi welcome to RT... Not sure whether this will work out...he mentioned you can add or remove things that you like...so the 20% paid presume your total sum of reno 40K...will be 8k.... Can you just do 8k of work...perhaps like Capentry work or even just the hacking work... I dun think you should get them to do tiling work if they got attitude problem... then the rest get other contractor to do it... Helo, Dont be sad ok, Cheer up.... Like what danny say, hope you maximise 20% you have pay with the lousy ID. Is it ok to post the name of your ID here, so others will learn of his "style" and not engage him again. Btw, when your reno starting? Hey peeps, Im just wondering, Say wenny have paid $8k, and she only ask the ID to do maybe only $2k of work. After HO, cant the ID return $6k to her?? Since the contract only state 1) deposit is 20% of total contract amount 2) no minimum sum of reno works to be committed 3) ID agree, items can be add or remove from final quote Ya the 20% deposit is $8.6k... My reno just started this week on Tuesday. I will post the ID firm name as soon as I have completed my reno. Anyone is welcome to PM me to know who is my ID. We emailed s our floor plan with the list of reno items we wanna do to 5 ID firms, but only 3 replied and their quotation are $55k to $75k and some didn't even include certain reno items we wanna do in their quotation. We were sort of impress that this ID firm was able to cover most of the things for $43k. On the 1st meeting, we spent 4 hours in his office as he was patiently explaining on every item in details and at the same time giving suggestion eg. not necessary to change window & grill if the condition is good so we can save $$. ID requested to give a 10% deposit in order for them to propose with the 3D artist impression design. We feel that since housing agent has recommended many clients to them, so should not be that bad. 2 weeks + later when the proposed 3D design was done, ID recommended to select tiles. So he companied us to one of the tile shop in Balestier Road. He mentioned that in his quotation that we were quoted $1.60 psf for living room floor tiles and $1 psf for toilet floor and wall tiles, if we selected anything below the quoted price he would minus of accordingly but we need to top up the difference if we selected above what was quoted. We had no idea how much psf does floor tile cost at that time. When we visited the tile shop, we realized that a decent tile at least cost $2.5 to $3.5 psf. I asked the ID where got $1 psf tile, he said got and showed us. Those $1 psf tile range are what 10 - 20 years ago my parents use for their flat. In the end, we had to top up $4.2k for the floor and wall tiles we selected. ID requested us to paid another 10% deposit in order to order and secure the tiles and avoid delay in the completion of the reno. So we paid them another 10%. There were a few revision on the quotation according to my reno requirement eg to do parquet flooring for my 3 bedrooms then more and more hidden cost started to pop out eg. tuas disposal cost of old furniture, change of toilets water piping, etc. As I unsure of whether certain items are necessary, I began to look at other renotalk members posting esp their quotation and realized many items quoted were xx% more expensive. In order not to lose my 20% deposit, I only engaged this ID to do all re-tiling works, except 3 bedrooms, toilets fitting and kitchen cabinets. I was afraid he didn't want to do the cabinet base or water re-piping connection for my kitchen if I didn't engaged him for the kitchen cabinets carpentry. My damage with this ID is $34k. Hi wennykoh: so sorry to hear abt your experience....it sometimes depend on our luck to find a good ID/contractor. The ID who did reno of our current flat @ Sengkang in 2004 was pretty good. Everyone who came to our place likes the color scheme, zen design of our flat. But, when we wanted to engage him again to do reno for our new flat, we found out that his company went bankrupt not long after he did reno for our Sengkang flat (lucky....). Although a bit worried, we decided to give him another chance & met up with him in End Sep 2009 to discuss our new flat's reno. The meeting went well & he promised to get back to us ASAP & we also decided to give him the job although we knew his history (i've checked the records...looks like he's still an undischarged bankrupt). A week passed by & still no news, so my hubby tried to call him , sms him, email him...Not a single reply from him. Up to now....nothing...he disappeared just like that. BTW, 20% for confirmation sounds quite expensive....we nego to 10% & for the rest of the payment schedule. Cannot let them get too much before the last stage -- handover....cos sure need to touch up before the flat is handed over. We thought to get a contractor instead of ID, but after reading some comments @ this forum, it looks like that we'll need to know exactly what we want (design, color scheme, etc) if we engage a contractor. So, we decided to go to an ID firm.... although we already hv some ideas what design & color we want. ---> we managed to grab quite number of design books (i use "books" cos some of the booklets are quite thick lor...) from those ID firms we visited previously....heheheeh.... Hi spring, Luckily you engaged your ID for your Sengkang flat before he went bankrupt... I also thought of engaging a contractor instead of ID but my hubby worried that we need to monitor/ coordinate most of the time compare to ID in order to reno to our requirement. Nowadays overall reno pricing doesn't make a very big difference between ID and contractor. I somehow agreed and assuming he had checked around with his colleagues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wennykoh 2 Report post Posted November 20, 2009 Wah lao 3 dogs i got 1 i already ta boleh tahan liao leh hahahahaha wah... what did you keep?? I got 2 and hands are full already 1st we got Maltese (hb bought her when we par tor), 2 years later hb bought husky (he likes big dog esp husky), again 2 years later leg itchy went to see puppies in pet shop and saw a Westie. Even though we like very much but didn't get her right away. We decided for 3 days if that Westie was still available we would get her to company my maltese. True enough she was still there in pet shop window. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joseeng 0 Report post Posted November 20, 2009 Ya the 20% deposit is $8.6k... My reno just started this week on Tuesday. I will post the ID firm name as soon as I have completed my reno. Anyone is welcome to PM me to know who is my ID. We emailed s our floor plan with the list of reno items we wanna do to 5 ID firms, but only 3 replied and their quotation are $55k to $75k and some didn't even include certain reno items we wanna do in their quotation. We were sort of impress that this ID firm was able to cover most of the things for $43k. On the 1st meeting, we spent 4 hours in his office as he was patiently explaining on every item in details and at the same time giving suggestion eg. not necessary to change window & grill if the condition is good so we can save $$. ID requested to give a 10% deposit in order for them to propose with the 3D artist impression design. We feel that since housing agent has recommended many clients to them, so should not be that bad. 2 weeks + later when the proposed 3D design was done, ID recommended to select tiles. So he companied us to one of the tile shop in Balestier Road. He mentioned that in his quotation that we were quoted $1.60 psf for living room floor tiles and $1 psf for toilet floor and wall tiles, if we selected anything below the quoted price he would minus of accordingly but we need to top up the difference if we selected above what was quoted. We had no idea how much psf does floor tile cost at that time. When we visited the tile shop, we realized that a decent tile at least cost $2.5 to $3.5 psf. I asked the ID where got $1 psf tile, he said got and showed us. Those $1 psf tile range are what 10 - 20 years ago my parents use for their flat. In the end, we had to top up $4.2k for the floor and wall tiles we selected. ID requested us to paid another 10% deposit in order to order and secure the tiles and avoid delay in the completion of the reno. So we paid them another 10%. There were a few revision on the quotation according to my reno requirement eg to do parquet flooring for my 3 bedrooms then more and more hidden cost started to pop out eg. tuas disposal cost of old furniture, change of toilets water piping, etc. As I unsure of whether certain items are necessary, I began to look at other renotalk members posting esp their quotation and realized many items quoted were xx% more expensive. In order not to lose my 20% deposit, I only engaged this ID to do all re-tiling works, except 3 bedrooms, toilets fitting and kitchen cabinets. I was afraid he didn't want to do the cabinet base or water re-piping connection for my kitchen if I didn't engaged him for the kitchen cabinets carpentry. My damage with this ID is $34k. tks for sharing your reno woes with us, at least we will take caution against such irresponsible ID. You house agent gotta shoulder some blame as well. I am not surprised if your house agent gets some comm from the ID too. Disgusted with such unethical people who are out to cheat our hard-earned money! hopefully you can finish your rest of the reno without any issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluewater 0 Report post Posted November 21, 2009 Hi Wendykoh, I seriously feel that this ID is carroting you. 6k for windows is ridiculous, unless you have 40-50 panes of windows!!! My contractor only quoted me 2k+ for my 20 panes of sliding windows. For re-tiling works (excluding bedroom somemore!!!), toilet fittings & kitchen carpentry, costs already amount to 34k is daylight robbery if you ask me. I spent ard this amount doing a complete overhaul for my 4RM (109sqm). Personally, I recommend to do minimum for your house if there's still time to turn back. Rest can still look for a recommended contractor to do it for you. From your narration, he seems to be someone of lousy attitude & profit sky high seeker. Good luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charemme 0 Report post Posted November 21, 2009 I love big dogs too.... I always wanted a husky, golden or a samoyed.. for a small dog will be maltese, Shih tsu, another schnauzer (white) or poodle. But hands are so full at the moment to have a 3rd. hmm, the tiles psf he quote is way too long.. i think this is where he wan to 'earn' most of us here got a range of $2.30-$2.60, for my case.. my ID said if overshoot a bit also never mind.. choose first than decide. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coffee_o 1 Report post Posted November 21, 2009 Eh seriously i think he is trying to chop carrot, nowadays where to find $1 psf tile ?!?!?! :angry: the range that my contractor quote me range from $2.5 - $3 in fact some of the tiles i selected for my toilet cost me $5.5 psf so the price he quote is ridiculous i agree with char, think he is trying to make the overall price looks "attractive" and earn from the VO. I would suggest you let ppl aware of his company so that nobody else would be con by their tactics. i love husky too but hor i find their eyes look scary leh hahahaha also how are you gonna walk all 3 of them ah ? :huh: hmmm.....think you, me and char can have a doggy party since we stayed so near hahahahaha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purplesky 0 Report post Posted November 22, 2009 Hi, welcome to the blog. Good to hear that you started your own blog but sorry to hear about your those bad experiences. My opinion is, for the sake of the 20% paid, stick with them but try as much as possible to cut any items you sign with them, that is...to give excuses that you change your mind about certain reno plan, etc......I think they too will not be in the best of workmanship services for you since already not happy about your simple request....it's easier said than done...it's just my opinion, but you hv to stand firm on your decision/instruction to them....my best of luck to you...and keep up the posting. Cheers! Hi Wenny, Sorry to hear abt yr ID problems. I fully agree w what CJREDDEVIL has mentioned above. If now confirm cannot cancel the contract already, and u have no choice but to continue w him for the basic stuff (in order to not lose yr deposit), then what I can suggest to u is that, for all the things that u have to do w him, pls make sure u go through all details/measurements/colors/layout & etc, basically all things worth mentioning, pls do take the effort to go through w him. No need to be fierce or aggressive, but need to be firm. Best if have it in black n write (esp measurements for the kitchen carpentry), in 2d measurements and have it signed. Reason being, I ‘m sure that since u have basically kind of cancel the deal to do w him except for the basic, I’m sure he’s not happy already, and so if there’s anything that u nv go through before, that’s a possibly that they will any oh how do, or do it their way, which may or may not be what u like. Trust me, I have learned a very hard lesson w regards to reno. I realized that the saying of “ if u want people to be good to you, and u have to be good to them first” does not really work esp w reno IDs/contractors. U be nice and kind to them, they just treat it as necessary and take u for granted. For my reno, from last year Nov’08 till as of now I’m typing, have not hand over to me yet!!!! Every thing/items that they do, sure will have wrong, even w very simple things like eg. Cabinet handles, they can installed it titled and half of them w the brand name upside down! When get them to change, all the right side one, becomes wrong now! So all my handles are installed upside down now!!! Don’t know is I really damm unlucky, or they do it purposely. Best thing is most of my items some more still have black n white proof, but they just say already do, so cannot change. And scream and shout at me when it’s obviously their fault. Anyway, more than half of the wrong that they done, they are not willing to change, and expect us to accept it. For the rest that they are still able to change/amend, they will take their own sweet time. It’s a really horrible & miserable long roller-coaster reno ride. Hopefully, u will not experience this. So go through all the items u can w yr ID. And when they are working, try to go site visit as often as u can, so that any mistakes u can spot first, if not they will just say cant change or do anything abt it anymore, and u have no choice but LL accept it. Wish u all the best. Take care. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wennykoh 2 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 Hi Wendykoh, I seriously feel that this ID is carroting you. 6k for windows is ridiculous, unless you have 40-50 panes of windows!!! My contractor only quoted me 2k+ for my 20 panes of sliding windows. For re-tiling works (excluding bedroom somemore!!!), toilet fittings & kitchen carpentry, costs already amount to 34k is daylight robbery if you ask me. I spent ard this amount doing a complete overhaul for my 4RM (109sqm). Personally, I recommend to do minimum for your house if there's still time to turn back. Rest can still look for a recommended contractor to do it for you. From your narration, he seems to be someone of lousy attitude & profit sky high seeker. Good luck Ya lor... the most angry part was he said that he quoted 10% more expensive just in case my windows are bigger than other EM but after he did the measurement, price also didn't become very much cheaper. He said that he has 18 years experience in renovation, in my heart how come with his 18 years experience he can't do a very close estimation... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CJREDDEVIL 0 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 Hi Wenny, Sorry to hear abt yr ID problems. I fully agree w what CJREDDEVIL has mentioned above. If now confirm cannot cancel the contract already, and u have no choice but to continue w him for the basic stuff (in order to not lose yr deposit), then what I can suggest to u is that, for all the things that u have to do w him, pls make sure u go through all details/measurements/colors/layout & etc, basically all things worth mentioning, pls do take the effort to go through w him. No need to be fierce or aggressive, but need to be firm. Best if have it in black n write (esp measurements for the kitchen carpentry), in 2d measurements and have it signed. Reason being, I ‘m sure that since u have basically kind of cancel the deal to do w him except for the basic, I’m sure he’s not happy already, and so if there’s anything that u nv go through before, that’s a possibly that they will any oh how do, or do it their way, which may or may not be what u like. Trust me, I have learned a very hard lesson w regards to reno. I realized that the saying of “ if u want people to be good to you, and u have to be good to them first” does not really work esp w reno IDs/contractors. U be nice and kind to them, they just treat it as necessary and take u for granted. For my reno, from last year Nov’08 till as of now I’m typing, have not hand over to me yet!!!! Every thing/items that they do, sure will have wrong, even w very simple things like eg. Cabinet handles, they can installed it titled and half of them w the brand name upside down! When get them to change, all the right side one, becomes wrong now! So all my handles are installed upside down now!!! Don’t know is I really damm unlucky, or they do it purposely. Best thing is most of my items some more still have black n white proof, but they just say already do, so cannot change. And scream and shout at me when it’s obviously their fault. Anyway, more than half of the wrong that they done, they are not willing to change, and expect us to accept it. For the rest that they are still able to change/amend, they will take their own sweet time. It’s a really horrible & miserable long roller-coaster reno ride. Hopefully, u will not experience this. So go through all the items u can w yr ID. And when they are working, try to go site visit as often as u can, so that any mistakes u can spot first, if not they will just say cant change or do anything abt it anymore, and u have no choice but LL accept it. Wish u all the best. Take care. hi purplesky... you mean your reno from Nov'08 untill now still not handover .. ..? Really so bad situation? It's so disturbing to hear that there are such irresponsible ID/contractor....no better than a loan-shark! Sorry but may i ask.... how are you able to cope after these 1 yr+......must be very very disgusting.. ... Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wennykoh 2 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 I love big dogs too.... I always wanted a husky, golden or a samoyed.. for a small dog will be maltese, Shih tsu, another schnauzer (white) or poodle. But hands are so full at the moment to have a 3rd. hmm, the tiles psf he quote is way too long.. i think this is where he wan to 'earn' most of us here got a range of $2.30-$2.60, for my case.. my ID said if overshoot a bit also never mind.. choose first than decide. Eh seriously i think he is trying to chop carrot, nowadays where to find $1 psf tile ?!?!?! :angry: the range that my contractor quote me range from $2.5 - $3 in fact some of the tiles i selected for my toilet cost me $5.5 psf so the price he quote is ridiculous i agree with char, think he is trying to make the overall price looks "attractive" and earn from the VO. I would suggest you let ppl aware of his company so that nobody else would be con by their tactics. i love husky too but hor i find their eyes look scary leh hahahaha also how are you gonna walk all 3 of them ah ? :huh: hmmm.....think you, me and char can have a doggy party since we stayed so near hahahahaha Even though I already tried my best to go with the minimal with this ID...but I felt 34K damage overall... he still carrot chop me a lot... very heartache... I also dare not select very expensive tiles, knowing that I need to top up a lot more if I did, so the most expensive tiles I selected is $3.2 psf for my living room... and thes rest is either $2.3 or $2.5 psf How to walk my 3 dogs? my hb holds the husky and I hole the 2 small ones... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wennykoh 2 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 Hi Wenny, Sorry to hear abt yr ID problems. I fully agree w what CJREDDEVIL has mentioned above. If now confirm cannot cancel the contract already, and u have no choice but to continue w him for the basic stuff (in order to not lose yr deposit), then what I can suggest to u is that, for all the things that u have to do w him, pls make sure u go through all details/measurements/colors/layout & etc, basically all things worth mentioning, pls do take the effort to go through w him. No need to be fierce or aggressive, but need to be firm. Best if have it in black n write (esp measurements for the kitchen carpentry), in 2d measurements and have it signed. Reason being, I ‘m sure that since u have basically kind of cancel the deal to do w him except for the basic, I’m sure he’s not happy already, and so if there’s anything that u nv go through before, that’s a possibly that they will any oh how do, or do it their way, which may or may not be what u like. Trust me, I have learned a very hard lesson w regards to reno. I realized that the saying of “ if u want people to be good to you, and u have to be good to them first” does not really work esp w reno IDs/contractors. U be nice and kind to them, they just treat it as necessary and take u for granted. For my reno, from last year Nov’08 till as of now I’m typing, have not hand over to me yet!!!! Every thing/items that they do, sure will have wrong, even w very simple things like eg. Cabinet handles, they can installed it titled and half of them w the brand name upside down! When get them to change, all the right side one, becomes wrong now! So all my handles are installed upside down now!!! Don’t know is I really damm unlucky, or they do it purposely. Best thing is most of my items some more still have black n white proof, but they just say already do, so cannot change. And scream and shout at me when it’s obviously their fault. Anyway, more than half of the wrong that they done, they are not willing to change, and expect us to accept it. For the rest that they are still able to change/amend, they will take their own sweet time. It’s a really horrible & miserable long roller-coaster reno ride. Hopefully, u will not experience this. So go through all the items u can w yr ID. And when they are working, try to go site visit as often as u can, so that any mistakes u can spot first, if not they will just say cant change or do anything abt it anymore, and u have no choice but LL accept it. Wish u all the best. Take care. Hi purplesky, Thanks for sharing... Wow Nov 08 till now not completed with the reno hand over... that is toooooo much.... I can fully understand your stress... I am also worried that I might experience same situation as yours... as my new place is in the east but my work place is in the west (hb even though his company is in the east, he is station in the west most of the time) it is really tough for us to drop by as and when unless we have to take leave... I really how I can manage this monitoring all the time, as we can only drop by on Sat to see... Well, wish you all the best too for your reno and hope everything can settle ASAP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bergkamp 0 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 Sad to hear about your trouble. I am having my own fair share. When you use different contractors to do different tasks at the same time, conflicts are likely to occur. Unless your ID very understanding type, s/he will not be happy coordinating with other contractors. I had similar experience with my earlier ID. Best of luck with your reno. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Angel81 1 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 (edited) Wah! Angel your can hang outside har...Mine don't have leh.. Hee, my layout allows me to do so mah. Think each layout got their own good points bah. I like ur square balcony with the lovely white doors. So chio! I was telling my hb.. Next time wen we got budget, we'll change our balcony doors to those like urs. can but not much lor and my mum says she does not like the idea of hanging outside the kitchen area so i would be fixing the ez lift at my balcony there Har? At ur EM balcony arh? Why not in the kitchen? Then wen u relax at the living rm will see all the clothes hanging in the balcony. 1st we got Maltese (hb bought her when we par tor), 2 years later hb bought husky (he likes big dog esp husky), again 2 years later leg itchy went to see puppies in pet shop and saw a Westie. Even though we like very much but didn't get her right away. We decided for 3 days if that Westie was still available we would get her to company my maltese. True enough she was still there in pet shop window. Wah~ so many doggies arh? Should be very re nao when they are playing together. Edited November 23, 2009 by Angel81 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluewater 0 Report post Posted November 23, 2009 Ya lor... the most angry part was he said that he quoted 10% more expensive just in case my windows are bigger than other EM but after he did the measurement, price also didn't become very much cheaper. He said that he has 18 years experience in renovation, in my heart how come with his 18 years experience he can't do a very close estimation... Sometimes we must really stand firm and not give in to them... Just that current situation is pointing towards his favour as you have already signed the paper. Like I say, I'll do the minimum if I'm in your shoes. Just treat this minimum damage as learning lession. Bo bian liao. Now can only wish he will do a good job for you with the works assigned under his charge. At least no aftermath clearing sh*t job for you to polish up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
