Taken Aback By Contractor's "vo"

[watervapourbaby 0]

Hi guys, was taken aback by my contractor's variation order which is almost 5K more than what we were quoted originally. Can anyone advise what exactly a VO is? We didn't make any changes to the design except ask for additional box-ups and customised end tables. We had thought that the so called lighting points would have been covered under 'wiring works' in our original invoice but now, the contractor is saying that every point must pay, and even though he said he originally quoted us $50 for installing the instant heater, it doesn't include the water piping ($125) and installing the heater point ($50) . We felt really cheated as he didn't mention this to us earlier, now we are slapped with so many additional charges all of a sudden. Also, the worst thing is that the windows which he gave us were really lousy, whenever there's a thunderstorm, the water will seep thru and soak our laminate flooring...sigh...

I have attached the original invoice together with the new "VO". Hope some kind folks out there can advise us what to do next. The contractor was recommended thru a contact so we don't really want to be rude to him but the many mistakes he made plus the fact that he's trying to make us pay for this so called additional works is really pushing us to the limit

Thanks!

Description Qty Rate (S$) Amount (S$)

A Demolish Work

1 To demolish existing concrete sink support. 01 90.00 $90.00

2 To dismantle existing top & bottom kitchen cabinet. 01 275.00 $275.00

3 To demolish existing (5X4)ft wall between kitchen & dining area. 01 275.00 $275.00

4 To dismantle existing simple cornices **** & dining area. 01 110.00 $110.00

5 To dismantle existing floor skirting ****, dining, balcony & 03 bedrooms 01 198.00 $198.00

6 To dismantle existing full height wardrobe at master & bedroom 2. 01 220.00 $220.00

7 To dismantle existing full height shoe cabinet at foyer area. 01 110.00 $110.00

B Mansory Work

1 To lay over (300X300)mm matt homogenous floor tiles at foyer area.(@$3/-psf). 01 165.00 $165.00

2 To lay over (300X600)mm matt homogenous floor tiles at kitchen area.(@$3/-psf). 01 605.00 $605.00

3 To lay over wall tiles at exposed area and plaster uneven walls at kitchen. 01 1,320.00 $1,320.00

4 To supply & construct cement base for kitchen cabinet, fridge & washer. 01 200.00 $200.00

5 To supply & install stainless steel rubbish chute at kitchen area. 01 200.00 $200.00

6 To hack and make good cement smooth surrounding wall opening between kitchen & dining area. 01 310.00 $310.00

7 Supply wall tiles and floor tiles include wastage 545 3.20 $1,744.00

C Plumbing Work

1 To supply labour to install kitchen sink & lever tap. 01 90.00 $90.00

2 To supply inlet & discharge piping for kitchen sink & washing machine. 01 135.00 $135.00

3 To supply labour to install bathroom accessories for 02 bathrooms 01 55.00 $55.00

4 To supply labour to install 02nos mini Bidet spray at 02 bathrooms 01 110.00 $110.00

5 To dismantle and install 01 toilet bowl in master 01 110.00 $110.00

D Ceiling Work

1 To remove existing cornices erect false ceiling & light pelmet at foyer, living area and master room 01 275.00 $275.00

Flooring Wood Works

1 Balcony cement screed finish to match timber flooring inlay with stainless steel bar. 01 560.00 $560.00

2 To supply & install (Floorich) laminate flooring c/w skirting ****, dining, balcony & 03 bedrooms. (include cut doors). 01 3,110.00 $3,110.00

E Carpentry Works

1 To fabricate & install (3X7)ft full height clear mirror c/w solid ply backing. 01 450.00 $450.00

2 To fabricate & install 4ft(L) full height shoe cabinet with solid ply in laminate finish. 01 830.00 $830.00

3 a To fabricate & install 4ft(L) full height panel with solid ply c/w shelves in laminate finish include filling recess wall. 01 1,820.00 $1,820.00

b To fabricate & install 12ft(L) low storage cabinet with solid ply in laminate finish. 01 include above

4 a To fabricate & install 9.5ft(L) TV wall feature with solid ply c/w clear mirror/ shelving & 3ft(L) storage cabinet in laminate finish. 01 2,400.00 $2,400.00

b To fabricate & install 9.5ft(L) low TV console with solid ply c/w drawers & compartments in laminate. 01 include above

F Kitchen Area

1 To fabricate & install 5ft(L) Bi-fold window with solid ply c/w lourves in white spray paint finish. 01 805.00 $805.00

2 To fabricate & install 5ft(L) suspended service counter with solid ply in laminate finish. 01 4,015.00 $4,015.00

3 To fabricate & install 44ft(L) top and bottom kitchen cabinet with solid ply in laminate finish. 01 include above

4 (45 degree Silver ABS trimming/ 03nos frosted glass panel/ cutlery tray/ dish strainer/ 2 way track.) 01 include above

5 To fabricate & install 3ft(L) low cabinet with solid ply box up rubbish chute area. 01 include above

6 To fabricate & install 26ft(L) solid surface kitchen top. 26 58.85 $1,530.10

7 To supply & install additonal 3ft(L) solid surface top for rubbish chute. 04 41.20 $164.80

8 To fabricate & install 14ft(L) solid top material backing NA

G Bedroom 2

1 To fabricate and install 8ft(L) wardrobe with solid ply c/w swing door in laminate finish. 01 1,700.00 $1,700.00

2 To fabricate and install 3ft(L) full height false wall with partition board in paint finish. (include fill wall recess). 01 400.00 $400.00

3 To supply & install Goodrich wallpaper covering partition board area only NA

H Master Room/ Bathrooms

1 To fabricate & install 12ft(L) full height wardrobe with solid ply c/w swing door in laminate finish. 01 2,125.00 $2,125.00

2 To fabricate & install 3.5ft(L) low chest of drawers with solid ply in laminate finish. 01 380.00 $380.00

3 To supply & install Goodrich wall covering at master headboard area only. 01 NA

4 To fabricate & install 2nos 2ft(L) vanity storage cabinet with mirror in laminate finish. 02 200.00 $400.00

5 To fabricate & install 3ft(L) top hung & 1ft(L) tall storage cabinet with solid ply in laminate finish at common bathroom. 01 605.00 $605.00

J Aluminum Work

1 To supply & install white powdered coated aluminum sliding window and grilles ****, balcony & 03 bedrooms. 01 3,300.00 $3,300.00

2 To supply & install white powdered coated aluminum casement window c/w glass panel include sliding grilles at kitchen. 01 447.50 $447.50

3 To supply & install 01no Wrought Iron gate & fixed panel at main entrance. 01 725.00 $725.00

4 To fabricate & install 06nos panel collapsable door with alum powder coat white frame c/w upper tracking & clear glass. 01 2,415.00 $2,415.00

5 To supply and install fixwd panel with fixed grilles at Balcony. (Remarks :- Metal Railing If necessary). 01 824.00 $824.00

K Shower Screen, Glass Door

1 To supply & install 01no swing door with 10mm clear tampered glass c/w floor spring at kitchen entr. 01 545.00 $545.00

2 To supply & install 01no frameless shower screen with10mm (thk) clear tempered glass at master bath 01 412.00 $412.00

3 To supply & install 01no frameless shower screen with10mm (thk) clear tempered glass at comm bath 01 480.00 $480.00

L Others

1 a To supply & paint whole house wall with ICI emulsion paint. 01 1,540.00 $1,540.00

b To supply & paint main door & 03nos bedroom doors in ICI glossy white paint. 01 include above

2 To apply for haulage service includes sand/stock up/ clear debris by contractor. 01 200.00 $200.00

3 To supply chemical wash/ general cleaning. 01 165.00 $165.00

4 To supply & lay protective covering for whole house. 01 NA

5 To install additional IKEA accessories/shelves in entire house 01 <10pcs FOC

6 HDB submission by Licence contractor 01 FOC

M Electrical work allow

1 wiring work for kitchen and 2 toilets 1 180.00 $180.00

2 to run 13 amp single power socket-3 nos 3 60.00 $180.00

3 to run 20 lighting pt and install fitting (purchase by owner) at new ceiling 20 11.00 $220.00

4 to run 2 water heater pt. 13Amp for water heater purchase by owner. 2 50.00 $100.00

Electrical Total Amount $680.00

TOTAL AMOUNT (SINGAPORE DOLLARS). $39,625.40

N Variation Order (Additional Items).

I Electrical Works

a Kitchen and Common Toilet

1 Wiring for kitchen. 1 180.00 $180.00

2 13 amp single power socket. 3 30.00 $90.00

3 13 amp double power socket. 2 35.00 $70.00

4 Oven point. 1 25.00 $25.00

5 Hood point. 1 25.00 $25.00

6 Hob point. 1 25.00 $25.00

7 Lighting point. 1 25.00 $25.00

8 Install Light fitting. 4 11.00 $44.00

9 Install water heater point at common toilet. 1 50.00 $50.00

10 Install light fitting at common toilet. 1 11.00 $11.00

11 13 amp single power socket washing machine inside common toilet. 1 30.00 $30.00

b Living & Dining

1 Re-run telephone wire from main to dining 1 120.00 $120.00

2 Touch-up repaint wall and casing.(FOC) 1 - $-

3 13 amp single power socket. 3 30.00 $90.00

4 13 amp double power socket. 1 35.00 $35.00

5 Lighting point. 4 25.00 $100.00

6 Install Light fitting. 18 11.00 $198.00

7 Install fan (new point). 1 50.00 $50.00

8 Supply Dimmers. 2 25.00 $50.00

9 Install door bell wiring. 1 30.00 $30.00

c Balcony

1 13 amp double power socket. 2 35.00 $70.00

2 Tel point. 1 35.00 $35.00

3 Lighting point. 1 32.00 $32.00

4 Install fan. (extend to new location). 1 50.00 $50.00

d Master Bedroom & Master Toilet

1 13 amp single power socket. 2 30.00 $60.00

2 13 amp double power socket. 1 35.00 $35.00

3 Install Light fitting. 1 11.00 $11.00

4 Supply Dimmers. 1 25.00 $25.00

5 Install water heater point master bedrrom toilet. 1 50.00 $50.00

6 Install light fitting at master bedroom toilet. 1 11.00 $11.00

e Bedroom 1

1 13 amp single power socket. 1 30.00 $30.00

2 13 amp double power socket. 1 35.00 $35.00

3 Install Light fitting. 1 11.00 $11.00

4 Supply Dimmers. 1 25.00 $25.00

f Bedroom 2

1 13 amp single power socket. 1 30.00 $30.00

2 13 amp double power socket. 1 35.00 $35.00

3 Install fan (existing point). 1 40.00 $40.00

II Mansory Work & Plumbing Works

1 Additional Kurbs for shower screen. 2 100.00 $200.00

2 Additional labour cost for mosaic border works. (Mosaic materials FOC). 1 100.00 $100.00

3 Supply and install water piping to new water heaters. 2 125.00 $250.00

4 Supply and install new stainless steel water piping in kitchen 1 185.00 $185.00

5 To install basin at master bedroom toilet 1 100.00 $100.00

III Carpentary Works

1 Additional basin base cabinet at master toilet. 1 300.00 $300.00

2 Additional bedside night table. 2 300.00 $600.00

3 Mirror for wardrobes (FOC). 2 - $-

IV Ceiling and Box-up Works

1 Supply and install L box ceiling and include box-up aboveL-shape cabinet of ceiling. 1 560.00 $560.00

2 Master bedroom box-up and paneling. 1 250.00 $250.00

3 Master bedroom Toilet box-up and paneling to waste pipe with cement board. 1 300.00 $300.00

4 Balcony box-up and paneling to aircon piping. 1 250.00 $250.00

4 Balcony box-up and paneling to waste pipe witn cement board. 1 300.00 $300.00

V Aluminium & Metal WorksWorks

1 Bi-fold doors for both toilets include repair skirting and frame to master toilet. 2 200.00 $400.00

2 Unit no. sign at entrance (FOC). 1 - $-

A TOTAL AMOUNT FOR ADDITIONAL WORKS $5,628.00

B LESS ORIGINAL ELECTRICAL WORKS $680.00

C LESS ALUMINIUM FOLDING DOORS MECHANISM & TRACKS AT BALCONY $600.00

D FINAL AMOUNT FOR VARIATION $4,348.00

FC FINAL CONTRACT INCLUDE VARIATION $43,973.40

[ashomech 0]

Wow, Yours looks like a expensive reno.

I think 'VO' is common among contractors.

Even my contractor did charge me separately for the electrical work. But, he gave a 'Heads-up' (on the how much will be the charges for electrical work like wiring, fixing the switches, light points etc.,) well before finalising and signing the contract. So it was not a Shock to me.

The 'VO' added the money for the work i included in later stage. And subtracted the money for the item i removed from the agreed quote. So i ended up paying the difference. To be specific, My contractor supposed to Re-pay me over 3k and he did that dutifully during the handover.

Edited September 3, 2010 by ashomech

[ngunadi 2]

Avoid the contractor as plague.

It's obvious that contractor wants to "cut" you.

[matashi 1]

just another typical contractor lah,

i was in your shoes also, in the end change from Mr Nice to Mr Very-Angry-hard-to-handle

managed to deduct some of the unreasonable charges here and there.

learnt my lesson and no more next time from this contractor liao

be it friend intro contractor or not, still do not give them face as it is usual for them to eat you up thinking you wun turn against them to save the friendship.

[hihihi 0]

looks like the bulk of the additional cost came from electrical works.

well, it is partly your ignorance too. can't blame u thou... contractors usually use this tactic to bluff customer into signing with them instead of competitor.

electrical works are counted by points example: even though 1 switch turns on 10lights at the same time (if u are engineer, u'll know actually they're connected in series), they'll still charge u the same as 10 switches turning on 10 lights.

For lights, has a double cost:

- pulling the wires to the site = 1st cost

- installing the light for u = 2nd cost

for more "organised" or "honest" contractor, they'll show u a list of how much they charge per point. if u're not happy with the cost, u can always take out that item, and ask someone else u know or engage another electrician to do the job for u.

[watervapourbaby 0]

Hi all, the VO was a shocker as he didn't mention to us that he'll be charging us for the lighting points etc, it was all supposed to be covered under 'wiring works' in our original quote. Really regretting it now as the reno is inferior and he made so many mistakes - ie: wrong measurement for cabinets, placement of ceiling fans, windows that couldn't keep out the rain etc etc. Initially we were going to close 1 eye as he's a friend's contact and we thought that 40K should be more than enough to cover the costs...but this 'VO' was the last straw. sigh.. this is a lesson learnt for us

[leechaorui 2]

Hi all, the VO was a shocker as he didn't mention to us that he'll be charging us for the lighting points etc, it was all supposed to be covered under 'wiring works' in our original quote. Really regretting it now as the reno is inferior and he made so many mistakes - ie: wrong measurement for cabinets, placement of ceiling fans, windows that couldn't keep out the rain etc etc. Initially we were going to close 1 eye as he's a friend's contact and we thought that 40K should be more than enough to cover the costs...but this 'VO' was the last straw. sigh.. this is a lesson learnt for us

It is important that home owners budget sufficiently for renovation eg. budget an additional 10% to 20% for VO. It is quite common for home owners to add extras. In fact, I added 30% extra power points and telephone points to my house along the construction process

Very often, we have to supervise the contractor's work closely so that they are able to do the work that matches our needs. If the materials and the workmanship fail to meet our needs, this has to be highlighted immediately for the contractor to take remedial actions.

[watervapourbaby 0]

Hi leechaorui, I agree, we also made some changes - adding and removing some of the items so as homeowners, we should always set aside budget for such changes. We were very involved in the whole reno process as well, going on site everyday and acting as the 'runner' for the foreman (our contractor only came down 4 times during the whole process). Unfortunately, there are some things we wouldn't know till we start living in the house - case in point: we didn't find out about the leaking windows till we moved in and discovered that on rainy days, the water will seep into our house. Now we are contemplating what to do next, if we get him to replace the windows, will we incur additional charges? I feel it's not fair as the main purpose of the windows is to keep out the rain right? Which is why we changed all the windows to new ones in the first place.

[leechaorui 2]

Hi leechaorui, I agree, we also made some changes - adding and removing some of the items so as homeowners, we should always set aside budget for such changes. We were very involved in the whole reno process as well, going on site everyday and acting as the 'runner' for the foreman (our contractor only came down 4 times during the whole process). Unfortunately, there are some things we wouldn't know till we start living in the house - case in point: we didn't find out about the leaking windows till we moved in and discovered that on rainy days, the water will seep into our house. Now we are contemplating what to do next, if we get him to replace the windows, will we incur additional charges? I feel it's not fair as the main purpose of the windows is to keep out the rain right? Which is why we changed all the windows to new ones in the first place.

Things such as leaking windows is not acceptable. Could you call your contractor back to rectify the problem? Some of the problems can be rectified without incurring expensive cost such as dismantling the whole window frame. I think talk to him nicely first and see how he reacts.

Edited September 5, 2010 by leechaorui

[Sam Low 0]

Hi all, the VO was a shocker as he didn't mention to us that he'll be charging us for the lighting points etc, it was all supposed to be covered under 'wiring works' in our original quote. Really regretting it now as the reno is inferior and he made so many mistakes - ie: wrong measurement for cabinets, placement of ceiling fans, windows that couldn't keep out the rain etc etc. Initially we were going to close 1 eye as he's a friend's contact and we thought that 40K should be more than enough to cover the costs...but this 'VO' was the last straw. sigh.. this is a lesson learnt for us

From what I see most of the VO come from Electrical, ask your contractor if he is going to rewire the entire house, if yes, then the VO which cover electrical and others might be just above the market rate. If not, then look for other electrician for the electrical work, there electrican that can install light at $8 or even lower.