Builder Vs Architect

[voltes5 0]

On 25/10/2017 at 6:27 PM, MetalTab said:

PMed

Hi MetalTab,

Tried to message you to get your builder contact but it says that you are not able to receive messages.  Can you pm me the contacts?  I've just bought a corner terrace and looking to do recon.  Much thanks.

[Ron41 0]

  On 7/21/2015 at 10:38 PM, MetalTab said:

In the midst of re-con of a 2400 land inter

2-sty to 3-sty+roof terrace

from 2700sf to 4900sf

started Dec14 and TOP inspection next month.

Very happy with builder who has his own stable of workers - mix of PRC supervisors and Indian/Bangladeshi workers.

Builder organises them into 4 teams and each specialises in different stages of the building process - initial removal of walls, digging of RC trench; team 2 for the laying of the cement structures, footings and steel structures, team 3 for the brickwork, plastering, glasswork and tiling, team 4 for the painting, general cleaning.

He works with others for air-con, electricity and plumbing.

must say that these 8 months have been anxious period for my wife and I since this is the first time we are undertaking such a massive project.

But the builder has been a god-sent. Truly.

Not money-face

Not Mr VO (many I hear in the industry will come in cheap for quote and VO us to death...)

Not Mr Lazy

Not sub-standard

He is very responsible - they have been on schedule, in fact ahead of schedule by 3 months.

He does not take short cuts - I witnessed him instructing his workers to hack up some cement flooring that I thought was fine. I asked him why, and he said that he wasn't satisfied that the old flooring was good enough standard. OK, the cynics will say that he wayang... but that's hacking up 2 rooms of such old flooring after what seems like all cement work has been completed. And that took another 1week to re-do.

We went to the site almost everyday... and each time, there were about 8pax of workers around. They seemed to know their jobs, and were a happy bunch.

The carpenter I employed remarked that the kungfu of the workers were very good (my eyes can't really tell, but he told me that the quality of finishing shows their pride in their work).

Oh, my wife can be fickle ... changed the paint colour for different parts of the house like 2x and each time, the builder said "mei wen ti" (no problem). We felt bad, but he said that he wanted us to be happy as this is a big investment to us.

And he is quite fierce to his workers; was told by the supervisor that he can scold them until cry... I suppose it's good that they fear him...

Can't believe this right? Well, if you told me this, i wouldn't either... as in truth, this is my second builder... the first run off after I paid close to a CAT A COE of deposit... and set us back by a good half a year. So I suppose things even out in the end.

Guess, the industry is dipping with fewer projects, and choosing the right builder is most important.

Hope most of you will get the same type as this second builder.

About a month+ to go... and what a journey it has been.

Albest to all under-going and about to undergo their re-build, re-con, A+A.

Hi Metalstab,

Would you mind share your builder with me? I am looking for a good reliable builder to handle my reconstruction.

Much appreciated,

Chong (cqc535@gmail.com)

[Goodenf 3]

I would like to give an update on the progress of my A&A on inter terrace. We bought a 2070 sqft land with 1500 build up terrace and needed to extend front and back of the house to add build in area with additional ensuite bedroom.

The search for a builder was daunting because we have architect that quoted us almost $750k to builders quoted $150k. In the end, we went with the second lowest quote because we are more comfortable with this builder. Our requirement was to be functional, minimize wastage, build the space we need and deliver on time. We wanted progressive updates matches with the payment schedule. Avoid variation orders and open communication. I have to say, my experience so far with my builder has been excellent. He is not perfect but he has a good attitude and most importantly trust worthy. He gives us comfort that he is always watching out for us and provide us with budget conscious options. The subcontractors he uses are reliable and the entire project was always need and tidy. He cultivate good relationships with my neighbors which make things easy for us.  Where there are VO, the quote he source for us have been very competitive ( yes I did my comparison and research). We had to put in an RC Trench and chose  to upgraded 3 phase electrical connection.

We are scheduled to complete by Christmas for move in. So far he gave us confidence of the progress. Of course it's yet to be seen but I wanted to give him a fair comment up to this point. I have to agree with some of the comments that this experience is very dependent on picking the right people to work with and so far we have been quite lucky. That said, on our part, we recognize that we have to be reasonable ourselves, be collaborative and work on making this a pleasant experience for everyone. I will continue to provide updates as I progress along

i hope this is helpful for anyone going through this same process as us. I am happy to help answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.

[Alwaysb 0]

On 7/21/2015 at 10:38 PM, MetalTab said:

In the midst of re-con of a 2400 land inter

2-sty to 3-sty+roof terrace

from 2700sf to 4900sf

started Dec14 and TOP inspection next month.

Very happy with builder who has his own stable of workers - mix of PRC supervisors and Indian/Bangladeshi workers.

Builder organises them into 4 teams and each specialises in different stages of the building process - initial removal of walls, digging of RC trench; team 2 for the laying of the cement structures, footings and steel structures, team 3 for the brickwork, plastering, glasswork and tiling, team 4 for the painting, general cleaning.

He works with others for air-con, electricity and plumbing.

must say that these 8 months have been anxious period for my wife and I since this is the first time we are undertaking such a massive project.

But the builder has been a god-sent. Truly.

Not money-face

Not Mr VO (many I hear in the industry will come in cheap for quote and VO us to death...)

Not Mr Lazy

Not sub-standard

He is very responsible - they have been on schedule, in fact ahead of schedule by 3 months.

He does not take short cuts - I witnessed him instructing his workers to hack up some cement flooring that I thought was fine. I asked him why, and he said that he wasn't satisfied that the old flooring was good enough standard. OK, the cynics will say that he wayang... but that's hacking up 2 rooms of such old flooring after what seems like all cement work has been completed. And that took another 1week to re-do.

We went to the site almost everyday... and each time, there were about 8pax of workers around. They seemed to know their jobs, and were a happy bunch.

The carpenter I employed remarked that the kungfu of the workers were very good (my eyes can't really tell, but he told me that the quality of finishing shows their pride in their work).

Oh, my wife can be fickle ... changed the paint colour for different parts of the house like 2x and each time, the builder said "mei wen ti" (no problem). We felt bad, but he said that he wanted us to be happy as this is a big investment to us.

And he is quite fierce to his workers; was told by the supervisor that he can scold them until cry... I suppose it's good that they fear him...

Can't believe this right? Well, if you told me this, i wouldn't either... as in truth, this is my second builder... the first run off after I paid close to a CAT A COE of deposit... and set us back by a good half a year. So I suppose things even out in the end.

Guess, the industry is dipping with fewer projects, and choosing the right builder is most important.

Hope most of you will get the same type as this second builder.

About a month+ to go... and what a journey it has been.

Albest to all under-going and about to undergo their re-build, re-con, A+A.

Hi, can I have your builder contact please. Jastayal@gmail.com

[Alwaysb 0]

On 10/20/2018 at 12:16 PM, Goodenf said:

I would like to give an update on the progress of my A&A on inter terrace. We bought a 2070 sqft land with 1500 build up terrace and needed to extend front and back of the house to add build in area with additional ensuite bedroom.

The search for a builder was daunting because we have architect that quoted us almost $750k to builders quoted $150k. In the end, we went with the second lowest quote because we are more comfortable with this builder. Our requirement was to be functional, minimize wastage, build the space we need and deliver on time. We wanted progressive updates matches with the payment schedule. Avoid variation orders and open communication. I have to say, my experience so far with my builder has been excellent. He is not perfect but he has a good attitude and most importantly trust worthy. He gives us comfort that he is always watching out for us and provide us with budget conscious options. The subcontractors he uses are reliable and the entire project was always need and tidy. He cultivate good relationships with my neighbors which make things easy for us.  Where there are VO, the quote he source for us have been very competitive ( yes I did my comparison and research). We had to put in an RC Trench and chose  to upgraded 3 phase electrical connection.

We are scheduled to complete by Christmas for move in. So far he gave us confidence of the progress. Of course it's yet to be seen but I wanted to give him a fair comment up to this point. I have to agree with some of the comments that this experience is very dependent on picking the right people to work with and so far we have been quite lucky. That said, on our part, we recognize that we have to be reasonable ourselves, be collaborative and work on making this a pleasant experience for everyone. I will continue to provide updates as I progress along

i hope this is helpful for anyone going through this same process as us. I am happy to help answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.

Hi, can you provide me your builder contact please? Jastayal@gmail.com. I also just bought an inter terrace. Just wanted to extend front and back and add 2 more toilets. Maybe need to change electrical and roof also because there seems to have a supporting beam which I need to remove to give way to a larger bedroom

By the way, how to determine whether to change electrical, any idea? Why need phase 3 electrical? 

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Alwaysb

[snoozee 98]

9 hours ago, Alwaysb said:

Hi, can you provide me your builder contact please? Jastayal@gmail.com. I also just bought an inter terrace. Just wanted to extend front and back and add 2 more toilets. Maybe need to change electrical and roof also because there seems to have a supporting beam which I need to remove to give way to a larger bedroom

By the way, how to determine whether to change electrical, any idea? Why need phase 3 electrical? 

 

you can't simply remove a beam from your house especially if your house is quite old. many old houses were built together and many times, your beams are connected to your neighbours houses beams. if you really want to remove, then you need to engage a PE to determine if the beam is safe for removal and what/how a replacement beam can be constructed. anyway, best is to leave the beam alone and design around it instead as structural changes isn't going to be cheap and most probably would require submissions to the authorities as well.

for electrical, you need to check how much ampere your existing incoming is providing. if it is 63A, then you need to consider how much electricity you will be using at one instance in time. ie: how much aircon is turned on, how much kitchen appliances are running and how many water heaters are turned on. aircon can take up from 3amp to 13amp depending on what brand/model and configuration you have. say if you have 2 big ceiling cassette or wall mounted aircon in your living room and both are turned on at the same time, you might be using about 26 to 28amp of electricity already which is almost 40% of your available 63amp available. if you decide to use your oven (about 12amp) to roast something and also use your induction cooker (about 15amp) to do cooking at the same time, you may be reaching your max available ampere.

so whether to change from single phase to 3 phase largely depends on your lifestyle and what you wish to do in your house. if you do not plan to install and use many electrical appliances, then a single phase may be sufficient. if you like cooking, entertaining and use aircon most of the time, then it would be better to spend a few thousand to upgrade to 3 phase.

[Karlimm 0]

On 10/20/2018 at 12:16 PM, Goodenf said:

I would like to give an update on the progress of my A&A on inter terrace. We bought a 2070 sqft land with 1500 build up terrace and needed to extend front and back of the house to add build in area with additional ensuite bedroom.

The search for a builder was daunting because we have architect that quoted us almost $750k to builders quoted $150k. In the end, we went with the second lowest quote because we are more comfortable with this builder. Our requirement was to be functional, minimize wastage, build the space we need and deliver on time. We wanted progressive updates matches with the payment schedule. Avoid variation orders and open communication. I have to say, my experience so far with my builder has been excellent. He is not perfect but he has a good attitude and most importantly trust worthy. He gives us comfort that he is always watching out for us and provide us with budget conscious options. The subcontractors he uses are reliable and the entire project was always need and tidy. He cultivate good relationships with my neighbors which make things easy for us.  Where there are VO, the quote he source for us have been very competitive ( yes I did my comparison and research). We had to put in an RC Trench and chose  to upgraded 3 phase electrical connection.

We are scheduled to complete by Christmas for move in. So far he gave us confidence of the progress. Of course it's yet to be seen but I wanted to give him a fair comment up to this point. I have to agree with some of the comments that this experience is very dependent on picking the right people to work with and so far we have been quite lucky. That said, on our part, we recognize that we have to be reasonable ourselves, be collaborative and work on making this a pleasant experience for everyone. I will continue to provide updates as I progress along

i hope this is helpful for anyone going through this same process as us. I am happy to help answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.

Couldn't pm to you, but pls ask if your builder will be keen to take  new project q2 in 2020 and contact me

[teohlj 0]

For those who hired builder directly, do you have to provide them with all the design ideas, or are they also capable of giving design input?

Especially space planning ideas as my place is quite small and there are several limitations in terms of windows placement etc. I would like to add skylights and possibly an airwell, but not sure how best to place these. Can a builder provide these advice? 

Do they also do the drawing proposals, and selection of materials with you? 

just purely for interior works and no submissions to authorities, I got quoted by an architect a whopping 20% of building cost. Seems uneconomical if I'm not doing structural works.

[snoozee 98]

architects either charge by lump sum or by percentage of construction cost. since your job is small, the 20% may sound excessive to you but it's seems to be around the normal range the architect would quote if you base on dollar value.

on whether the builders can provide all the services you require, I guess it all depends on the builder. at the end of the day, you need to understand that a builder is not an architect or a ID. there may be builders who have an eye for design, etc but it all depends on your luck on whether you can find one or not.

your airwell and skylight may require submission to BCA and involve a PE as well so do take note and put aside some $$ for this.

 

[petetherock 13]

Adding skylight = new roof or touching it means potentially exposing it to leaks

 

adding a three phase system - I highly recommend it

enough even if you have seven air cons and two pools running plus a lot of electronics 

[AWS 6]

Just to chip in a bit. I have used the same builder as MetalTab. Any forummer that is interested to get a second opinion on this builder, feel free to PM me.  Doing my part to contribute back to this forum. 

Edited November 29, 2019 by AWS

[ZZEC 1]

On 7/31/2019 at 11:00 PM, Alwaysb said:

Hi, can I have your builder contact please. Jastayal@gmail.com

 

On 11/29/2019 at 8:43 AM, AWS said:

Just to chip in a bit. I have used the same builder as MetalTab. Any forummer that is interested to get a second opinion on this builder, feel free to PM me.  Doing my part to contribute back to this forum. 

Hi guys, could you share with me your Builders contacts too? We are looking to extend our inter terrace and do a whole renovation, upgrading electrics, piping a and changing roof.. Thanks!

[ranrandy 0]

I am looking for a builder for my new house reconstruction. any recommendations?

[hushbwn 0]

On 3/26/2018 at 5:36 PM, Goodenf said:

Hi Metalstab,

Would you mind share your builder with me? I am looking for a good reliable Design and build to handle my A&A.

Much appreciated

goodenf@live.com

Dear Metaltab, could you also share your builder with me? Thank you. hushbwn@gmail.com

[mayflower 0]

Dear Iamken,

 

i just finished my renovation of A&A on my 2 storey inter terrace house. It was a very old run down 50years old house . I skip the archi design part because i have budget restriction which can save me est $30K for the design fees. I design it myself and it is now completed and its look like a brand new showhouse. ?. So my advise is to go direct to builder to save all the money cause as you mentioned it was just a terrace house and the value cant increase because of who who designer.... Enjoy your renovation. Have fun...