happypie 0 Report post Posted December 11, 2009 welcome!! all the best in ur reno journey! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 welcome!! all the best in ur reno journey! Thanks happypie. Still months to go but really excited about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 RENO TIPS Basis the result of 5 quotes ( 1 of them no news to date ), sharing what we know 1) Have in mind how you want to do your house. This is important. You are the one paying. ID or contractor may propose things which are not practical ! Ask yourself if you wanted them just to be nice or more importantly durable ? 2)ID will markup in everything. ( Tiles , Cabinets, doors, installation of accessories, etc . Well cant blame them especially since they created the design of the whole house, including things that will be FOC if you ask a contractor to quote) 3)ID marked up about 10 to 15% as compared to a contractor. 4)ID we sourced so far asked for 6 to 8 weeks for completion. Some contractor are able to commit 4 weeks . I think the rationale is ID will be coordinating a few contractors. Hence they need more time ! 5)Generally ID may not supervise the work as closely as contractor (ie. also provided you get a good one ). The IDs we have spoken to do not seem to be able to answer technical questions as well as contractor. Eg. Type of Sealer , Type of Plastering corners - PVC , Type of material use for false ceiling, etc 6) Always ask for a detailed itemised quote. That allows you to do a side by side comparision via excel ( Make sure you ask for similar stuff, otherwise it may not be really comparable ) 7) The biggest bulk of the quote will likely be the tile. Do check out the unit PSF costs. You may have a higher quote simply because the ID or contractor uses a higher price tile to quote you. That doesnt mean his quote is unreasonable. Homogeneous tile , so far all our sourced ID uses $2.80. Black Galaxy alone, some quote at $9, some $10, some $12. Ask them to separate the labour costs and the tile costs. That will give you a better idea when comparing quotes. 8)Casement cabinets are cheaper than sliding . Tracks cost $$ 9)Aluminium Windows are cheaper than powder coated. Remember if you do powder coating, be prepared for wear and tear in a few years. It will come off ( check out your neighbours who have them !) 10)Tinted windows are prettier ? but more expensive. Plain clear or black glass is cheaper. 11)Sliding windows according to one ID today is supposingly cheaper ?? I need to reconfirm this with the contractor we are going to use. Maintenance wise in the long run, this may be true. 12) Balcony Doors - Glass Frameless is the most expensive. Wooden Frames and Aluminium frames are comparable. Consider the material and the maintenance in long run. Will rain get to " rot" the wood ? 13) Matt White ceramics may turn yellow in years to come. 14) Kitchen walls and Toilet walls preferably get those with smooth surface. ie ceramic glossy finish. Easy to clean and upkeep than matt finish. 15) Homogeneous Floor tiles, avoid too rough kind. Very difficult to clean in the long run... dirt will trap in the " lines " 16) False Ceiling- Check out the sealer. Oil base ( more ex ) encouraged. Sometimes seepage from your neigbour upstairs or walls outside your flat , may result in dampness... your false ceiling in 3 to 4 years will show a " yellow staining ". Oil Sealer reduces the chance ( we think ) 17)Use PVC corners when plastering . Our current 4 room, the ID that did ours used metal..... They will rust in the long run, and your paint will come off. We need to repair + " touch up" ourselves in the end. 18) Veneer skin is better than laminate. Though they will " fade " in colour if exposure to sunlight for a long time. However your can varnish or laquer it and they will look as good as new. 19) Laminate comes with more choices in colours/design but may pop in the long run. ID assured laminates these days are better quality ??? Hope so since we are also going for laminate. 20) Some quotes may quote a lumpsum for electrical. In reality, each power point has a different unit charge. Ask for the unit rates. Take your floor plan to start planning the no. of heater points, light switches, SCV point, tel point, etc. Markup for ID appear to be $5 each 21)Some packages comes with toilet bowls, basins, heater fittings. Ask for the quotes to be broken into Supply and Installation. This allows you to check if it is cheaper to get them on your own. 22) Cupboards are charged by PSF. It doesnt matter how complex it is inside. The length determine the pricing. 23) All solid surfaces are made of acrylic ( according to the contractor we are going to use ), what differ is the brand name. To have a comparable quote, get the brandname and ask all ID /contractor to quote the same. 24) Hacking costs will depend on how many fixed cabinets, floor area, etc. Do be as detailed as possible. Else ID or contractor may underquote and ask to increase the costs later ( not sure ) 25) When you compare your itemised quotes closely, you may realise one forget to quote things you wanted. One of the ID forgot to quote the bedroom windows and window grilles ! 26) Be brave to challenge your ID or contractor if you see the the price is quite different. Eg. Hacking may be higher because some quote replacement of old windows under hacking. But some quote as Replacement & supply. Eg. Wall tiles pricing may differ because quote may be for exposed area only. Some may quote inclusive of area that contain cabinets. 27) Be thick skin to ask for free stuff. Ask for overall discount after finalising. Asked for Eg. Free installation of curtain rods. Free planks for living room . We asked for free planks for store room instead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pisces_land 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 Hey I just bought a 5 room flat also. It has the same layout as yours! I am still searching for ID/ contractors also. I feel that generally ID charge alot more. So planning to get a good contractor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 Hey I just bought a 5 room flat also. It has the same layout as yours! I am still searching for ID/ contractors also. I feel that generally ID charge alot more. So planning to get a good contractor. Oh really ! When you are ready create your T-blog as well and let's exchange some tips ! When's your 1st appointment ? We are more or less decided with our contractor. Just need to make some more fine tuning before we finalised the quote. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 Getting Ideas From ShowRoom[ A few weeks ago , we visited the stretch of Tiles Shop along Balestier Road. It feels good to check out these places to have some ideas of how current designs are like. More importantly, because I am visual, I really need to see for myself to help in planning. Today ( or rather Sunday since so late already ) we visited Soon Bee Huat's Showroom at 3A Toh Guan Road This place is really huge. The ground floor like a" mega mart of tiles". 2nd level will be the showroom which will give you good ideas of how you want to do the tiles for your bathroom, kitchen, living, dining areas ( Comes with furniture !) Really Cool ! Do check it out yourself ! After that we also went to Sunget Kadut to check out for new displays of Zen furniture ( we are transferring our existing Zen sofa set to the 5 rm ), followed by Star furniture ( which happen to be on sale upto 70% ) But it is really to early to be buying anything right now. Just window shopping really. Lastly we past by another tile mega showroom " White Horse " which specialises in Ceramics and Homogenous Tiles. Really an eye opener! Took some pictures and I am all ready to show to my selected contractor when I next meet up with him. Some pictures to share. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 (edited) Getting Ideas From ShowRoom Edited December 13, 2009 by purecat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hcbing 0 Report post Posted December 13, 2009 Great stuff! Thanks, purecat. The tips are definitely helpful! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pisces_land 0 Report post Posted December 14, 2009 Ha I am too lazy to create leh. My 1st appointment over le. Will be getting the keys on 30th dec. Really can't wait. May I know who is your contractor? Oh really ! When you are ready create your T-blog as well and let's exchange some tips ! When's your 1st appointment ? We are more or less decided with our contractor. Just need to make some more fine tuning before we finalised the quote. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted December 15, 2009 Ha I am too lazy to create leh. My 1st appointment over le. Will be getting the keys on 30th dec. Really can't wait. May I know who is your contractor? Hi Pisces_ land please check your PM. Rgds Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pisces_land 0 Report post Posted December 15, 2009 thanks! I received it. Hi Pisces_ land please check your PM. Rgds Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2010 (edited) 006 TILES SELECTION Mosiac Tiles to use for bathroom Combination of tiles for both toilets. Blue for MBR, Black for Common Toilet. Toilet Tiles Kitchen Tiles ( But we decided to drop the brown one because the cabinets will likely be wooden laminate ) Living Room/ Dining & BedRooms Floor Tiles Edited March 9, 2010 by purecat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hcbing 0 Report post Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) Hi purecat, Just dropped by Allan's place today. Saw the spray-coated samples as well. Pretty good if one is thinking of saving the costs of replacing wall tiles. Are you gonna go for that? Allan said your reno's starting soon! Have fun! Edited March 20, 2010 by hcbing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted March 25, 2010 Hi purecat, Just dropped by Allan's place today. Saw the spray-coated samples as well. Pretty good if one is thinking of saving the costs of replacing wall tiles. Are you gonna go for that? Allan said your reno's starting soon! Have fun! yah i was quite impressed with that sediment flakes paint... we are doing it for the balcony walls ! Kitchen because i want it plain white or cream colour, so will change all tiles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purecat 0 Report post Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) 007 Lightings From Chelsea Lightings @ Jurong East ( Opp Chinese Garden MRT) Total Costs =$1660 + 2 more downlight to order Living Room Main Ice Cubes Series Lighting ( Multi colour changes + white light ) Dining Room Ice Cubes Series Hanging Lights Master BedRoom ( All combination of warm or white lights ) Celeste's BedRoom ( chosen by her ) to be continued.... Edited April 5, 2010 by purecat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
