Is This Contractor Fishy?

[wendy8 0]

Dear Friends,

I just met up with my contractor. Initially had a good feeling ( he was recommended here) Now, after meeting having second thoughts. Its a 3 rm flat btw.

1) I have not seen the colours for the cabinet ( only showed the picture), wall paint. He brought us to an external tiler after I asked him.

I really will like any help in this matter. first timer here!

Please check through the quote if possible.

S/N Scope Of Work Price

A

Living halls and 3 bedrooms

1

Supply and lay 600 x 600mm Polished Homogenous floor tiles c/w skirtings to living and dining halls, storeroom and 2 bedrooms

$2,980.00

B

Master and common toilets.

1

Supply and lay Ceramic wall tiles x full height to Master toilet .

$1,060.00

2

Supply and lay Anti – slip homogenous floor tiles c/w waterproofing to Master toilet.

$400.00

3

Supply and lay Ceramic wall tiles x full height to Common toilet .

$1,030.00

4

Supply and lay Anti – slip homogenous floor tiles c/w waterproofing to Common toilet.

$400.00

5

Supply and install 2 sets of White Powder coated bi – fold doors to 2 toilets.

$400.00

C

Kitchen

1

Supply and lay Ceramic wall tiles x full height to Kitchen area. – bare finishing behind cabinet areas.

$2,250.00

2

Supply and lay Anti – slip homogenous floor tiles c/w waterproofing to kitchen area.

$1,081.00

3

Supply and construct 3 Bases – fridge, washing machine and cabinet bases.

$280.00

4

Supply and construct ABS laminated finishing kitchen cabinets – total 23ft top and bottom inclusive of box – up sanitary waste pipe – c/w 1 set of drawers.

$2,300.00

5

Supply and construct sink and stove supports c/w homogenous tiles.

$1,500.00

6

Supply and install 5pcs of laminated finishing doors for sink and stove supports.

$475.00

7

Supply and install “ YUTAKA “ or equivalent solid surface c/w profiles – 6.5ft long.

$540.00

D

Plumbing works

1

Re- piping to whole house using copper pipes c/w fittings from water meter – cold supply only. – Diameter 19mm branch to 15mm.

$550.00

2

Supply labour to install 2 sets of basins and toilet bowls, 2 sets of instant heaters and 1 set of kitchen sink.

$450.00

3

Supply and lay drainage pipes for kitchen sink, washing machine and washing machine.

$90.00

4

Supply labour only to install 2 sets of toilet accessories only.

$50.00

E

Painting ( package )

Supply labour and material (ICI wash & wear or Nippon equivalent ) for painting jobs as follows:

Wall surface – emulsion paint – max. 4 colors

Ceiling – Matex white

Bedroom doors – Bodelac paint

HouseShelter door – Bodelac paint

Pipings – Bodelac paint

Door frame – Bodelac paint

Main gate – Bodelac paint

Prices includes supplying includes labour and materials to making good to existing nail holes and hair line cracks before painting.

$950.00

F

Plastering to whole house using ultra hard material – wall and ceilings

$1,700.00

G

Painting of oil sealer to whole house after plastering.

$150.00

H

Haulage fees

$2,500.00

Hacking of existing wall tiles to kitchen and 2 toilets.

Hacking of existing floor tiles to whole house

Disposal of 1 set of kitchen cabinet.

Disposal of existing sanitary wares.

Hoisting of building materials

Clearing of renovation debris.

I

Windows

1

Supply and install 2 sets of adjustable windows lourves for toilets.

$580.00

2

Supply and install Ba sliding grilles at Kitchen area.

$250.00

3

Chemical washings for whole house

F.O.C.

J

Doors

1

Supply and install 3nos of wooden Classic bedroom doors c/w door knobs and magnet stoppers.

$480.00

2

Supply and install 3 sets of wooden door frame in paint finishing for bedrooms and storeroom.

$540.00

J

Electrical re- wiring works ( package )

$1,600.00

a)

Lighting points – 9nos

b)

SCV points – 2nos

c)

Tel points – 2nos

d)

Heater points – 1nos

e)

15 amp a/c points – 1nos

f)

13 amp double socket – 5nos

g)

13 amp single socket – 3nos

h)

Earth Bonding – 1 lot

i)

D.B – 1set

j)

Door Bell – 1no

Lights features must not exceed $150 per nos

$24,586.00

[kuku 0]

the price is ok(not bad,not much hidden cost) from my view

[gordon1985 0]

the price a bit bit high... abit only... but don worry... if the stuff that he use is justifiable then the price is okay... its quite hard for us to say whether is fishy a not because we don't know what material he use... different material, different pricing so ya.. the price is quite okay for a 3 room flat with hacking and stuff.

[Eennay 0]

The price is slightly higher. But we do not know what material is he using. Judge from the materials he use. =)

[jtjw 0]

ask to view his current project!

and go to the showroom to see the materials that u get to choose from.

I decided only when I see the solidtop and laminates that I like in the showroom.

[snapple 0]

hi Wendy,

I take it that "Supply and Lay" means your cost of tiles (Supply) is lumped together with the cost of labour. This is where some contractors try to overcharge their clients.

I'd like to relate my experience to you, it was not a good one, but it alerted me to the fact that my contractor was manipulating the cost of "Supplying and laying" tiles. My contractor had also given me a quotation in the same manner based on a budget of $3 per square foot for the cost of tiles. So I decided to do my own homework of measuring the area to be tiled for my home renovation project. What I did was create an excel spreadsheet and made my own calculations of the cost of the tiles alone. I drew up calculations based on a budget of $3 per square foot and also an increased budget of $4 per square foot just to see if I was being overcharged - and to my dismay, I was being overcharged!

Always ask your contractor for a further breakdown in this manner:

Supply tiles for Master Bathroom Wall - $x.xx

Lay tiles for Master Bathroom Wall - $x.xx

Supply tiles for Master Bathroom Floor - $x.xx

Lay tiles for Master Bathroom Floor - $x.xx

It might probably irritate a few contractors who are unwilling to be transparent about costs, but it's better to be on the safe side and to make sure you know exactly what you're paying for. That way you know how much you're being charged for labour. The cost of tiles are fixed, so they try to overcharge you with labour costs.

Hope that helps!

[bepgof 20]

Wow piang, quotation is always just a quoatation - unless the material/colour/size/brand/makes/country of origin/specifications, etc... are specified, there is no point asking ppl around if the quotation is "cheap" or "expensive".

Suppliers are always "smarter" than end consumers. They know what to hide, what to "play around with", in a quotation. Stick to ONE ID/contractor, down to earth to details (color/size/material/brand.....) get the quotation then start ask ppls for pricing comment, this way makes more sense.

Edited June 17, 2010 by bepgof

[samgalz 2]

if the meetup with the contractor is the first meetup, it is not surprising that he does not hv any colour of cabinet or wall paint colour as he does not fully understand your requirements yet.

Agree with the rest that it is difficult to judge whether cheap or expensive cos of material used. Also the cheapest may not necessary be good. Most importantly, do u hv the chemistry with him, are u willing to place ur trust on him?

[mingming 0]

samgalz is right. as consumers, we choose & compare prices.

to me, their prices are all about the some just a few hundred minor differences between contractors.

of course ID firms will definately be more expensive.

the most impt whether you like & feel comfortable with the contractor???

and definately the cheapest is not a good idea, they will cut alot of necessary things like the bonding agent and all.

i was very comfortable with mine, maybe because she was a female.

[Zelly 0]

I also agree with Sammygalz. Besides having good vibes about the contractors/ids, we need to be practical. The contractors have to earn a living too.

A quotation is an estimated amount required. Usually they will based on the floor plan to give a quote. The actual floor area when measured will be slightly bigger or smaller.

My contractor told me frankly he has to calculate the materials with a certain % excess, this is for odd angles, different shapes and others. There is no 100% accurate/correct the first time done.

Using a kitchen or room cupboard for example. The price difference of a 0.5mm laminate of brand x vs the use of formica 2mm laminates is like afew $100 difference alone. Then u add in solid plywood, colored pvc, etc. Always compare the same material used.

[philzero 0]

Hi, I think cause you never add in the materials cost for laying and skirting materials is around $0.90 psf and skirting you can just count the length and divide accordingly

Normally caculate on plan is about 95% correct, just for your info. and pleaase dun feel cheated, I believe recently most contractor are honest cause it is too competitive in singapore, they need referer to survive:)

Cheers

hi Wendy,

I take it that "Supply and Lay" means your cost of tiles (Supply) is lumped together with the cost of labour. This is where some contractors try to overcharge their clients.

I'd like to relate my experience to you, it was not a good one, but it alerted me to the fact that my contractor was manipulating the cost of "Supplying and laying" tiles. My contractor had also given me a quotation in the same manner based on a budget of $3 per square foot for the cost of tiles. So I decided to do my own homework of measuring the area to be tiled for my home renovation project. What I did was create an excel spreadsheet and made my own calculations of the cost of the tiles alone. I drew up calculations based on a budget of $3 per square foot and also an increased budget of $4 per square foot just to see if I was being overcharged - and to my dismay, I was being overcharged!

Always ask your contractor for a further breakdown in this manner:

Supply tiles for Master Bathroom Wall - $x.xx

Lay tiles for Master Bathroom Wall - $x.xx

Supply tiles for Master Bathroom Floor - $x.xx

Lay tiles for Master Bathroom Floor - $x.xx

It might probably irritate a few contractors who are unwilling to be transparent about costs, but it's better to be on the safe side and to make sure you know exactly what you're paying for. That way you know how much you're being charged for labour. The cost of tiles are fixed, so they try to overcharge you with labour costs.

Hope that helps!

Edited June 20, 2010 by philzero

[snapple 0]

Hi, I think cause you never add in the materials cost for laying and skirting materials is around $0.90 psf and skirting you can just count the length and divide accordingly

Normally caculate on plan is about 95% correct, just for your info. and pleaase dun feel cheated, I believe recently most contractor are honest cause it is too competitive in singapore, they need referer to survive:)

Cheers

Hi philzero,

I guess I failed to give you the entire story. I understand the need for wastages and extra materials and supplies that will be used for the laying and skirting. The cost for all these materials and supplies were included in the quotation. I managed to get quotations from 4 other contractors as well and when we made comparisons, the other quotations seemed more reasonable (I had discussed with them and the cost of wastages and materials for laying and skirting was also included in their quotations) - I discovered that I was being ripped off by about $14,000. This $14,000 was distributed here and there in the labour costs over and above the actual labour costs. I had 4 quotations that had reasonable pricing differences of +/- $2K to $4K. But this greedy contractor had a difference of $14K - I felt that was a ridiculously large amount. Adding to this, he was reluctant to discuss with us the process of tiling and just kept insisting that "It's a lot of work". Having discussed with several friends who had also done tiling works in their homes and also having the additional quotations from 4 other contractors, it was clear we were being fleeced. This contractor was unhappy when we asked if we could purchase the tiles ourselves. He was also reluctant to accompany us to the tile shops and showrooms, it became obvious to us that he wanted us to purchase tiles through him alone. The other 4 contractors were happy to accompany us to the tile showrooms for us to arrange for the purchase of tiles.

There are lots of contractors who are willing to be transparent with their costs. There are also contractors who manipulate numbers and hope that their customers don't notice. Some home owners don't really scrutinize a contract or discuss the materials and supplies with their contractors.