Urban Design @ Joo Chiat

[psk 0]

removed

Edited August 27, 2012 by psk

[psk 0]

removed

Edited August 27, 2012 by psk

[Jgal 0]

Just signed/paid San@urban design last wk

Hope all goes well for renovation. So far he's been very helpful in the planning and quotation.

[cjpoh 0]

Intending to sign up with them soon. Alex seems very patient in answering n attending all my queries.

[disgruntled 0]

Like many in this forum, i too would like to share my experience with Urban Design. 2 words "tiring & trying".

It's been nearly 4mths since engaging their service to renovate my 3 rm re-sale unit & things have been slow moving. As i'm still in the midst of sorting out the various kinks hence will be witholding the name of the id which i've been assigned to.

In the initial month after signing the contract, discussion was smooth flowing. Things somehow progressed in a downward spiral especially after how i was still undecided about the layout - just to clarify, am a newbie in the renovation process & was receptive to suggestions but did emphasised to my id that i did not want a 'recycled layout' (i.e. re-using a standard drawing template just because its only a 3 rm HDB).

problems encountered:

1) tiling: when the day came to choosing the desired tiles (floor/wall), we were left to figure out for ourselves which color scheme/pattern would best fit our proposed layout...while our ID was busy attending to the needs of another couple (yes we had a clash of appts on that day - lucky us!). To date, we're still awaiting replacement of cracked tiles & raw finishing along the edges of tiles - concerns which were raised nearly 3 mths ago.

2) 3D drawings: it takes forever just to have a set of 'stadard drawings', my conclusion; business at Urban Design must be brisk with 3D drawings constantly in demand OR they're simply short-staffed of qualified artist(s). It was rather frustrating when we had to constantly chased up on drawings even if its just for a small are like the living room. Alterations were another added frustration - in all, due to the lack of reliable drawings in the initial stage, think it took nearly 2.5 mths before my partner & I 'compromised' on how best to proceed just to have things moving forward.

3) Gate/Wooden door: not sure if this is the usual procedure, but our poor home was left bare-naked open after they hacked out the existing gate/maindoor. Initially we thought perhaps it was to facilitate the debris removal/plastering/tiling work & we were hoping a temporary door would be affixed in the meantime. Although house is bare, we felt rather 'insecure' that anyone could enter the unit freely considering its corridor facing on a common shared lift lobby. We voiced our concerns thrice but situation remained the same for nearly another 1.5 mths. Gate was finally fixed this wk...at last~

4)Flooring: we were charged a nominal fee for requesting use of congrugated cardboard to protect finishings & flooring. However it was only used once - currently flooring of the entire unit is left unprotected which materials / metal fixtures strewn all over. Have voiced my concerns that no way would i accept a handover in the event my floor is badly damaged - we shall wait & see.

5)paint work / false ceiling: again hiccups encountered with incorrect colors & size of false ceiling even though we went through details a few times

6) Lights / Aircon installation: somewhat disappointed our ID failed to turn up in person despite promising to do so. As a result poor hubby had to sacrifice half a day's leave just to deal with the mess...another work-in-progress.

Shall share further in the weeks to come ~ can't wait for additional challenges ahead, would be thankful if my ID adheres to his meetings as promised!

[Jgal 0]

Sorry to hear abt your experience. Maybe it's the designer. Mine is quite good so far.

We bought a pretty old resale pte apt, the whole estate only 27 units so it pretty difficult to know accurately the piping and the actual floorplan without going onsite. We only managed to get access to the unit after completion and we start almost immediately. He always visit the site to ensure that we can "tackle" all the surprises that are not found on the floorplan.

Surprise 1

The switchboard is at where we intend hacking. So he need to arrange for it to be moved before the hacking starts.

Surprise 2 1 bathrm pipes are exposed. This means that there may be leakages from the heater ontop . Also the false ceiling may need to be changed.Quote and let us know the cost.

Surprise 3 The whole house has false ceiling, but they were of different height. We need to decide what to do after walls are hacked. Provide a few options for us and quote. So that we can decide without delaying the schedule.

Surprise 4The position of the WC is towards the centre of the bathroom. Need to decided where to put the shower screen.

Seriously, quite different from my 1st reno experience when the designer only went onsite once in the beginning of the project. He is there to see to every details I think he also want to avoid any unnecessary rectification because of his neligence.

The journey is still long.. Another 1 more mth to go before expected completion. I hope it continue to be a good experience.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Jgal

[peterng8 0]

yes, I will also give feedback after my renovation that is to be completed in Aug 2012 to share with all you guys on my experience with urban design but of course there will be different with which ID u are dealing with..

Hi, to those who PM to ask for my feedback, I will share with you the experience and my thoughts once my place is done up ....

[Jgal 0]

Hi, to those who PM to ask for my feedback, I will share with you the experience and my thoughts once my place is done up ....

hmm.. you mean havent finished yet ? hmmm.... hope all is well.

I think ID plays a bigger part than the shop itself. So far, my id has been very patient and careful. But i was quite surprise that they use Creation Air for their aircon quotation. Because the mkt has very bad review on creation air. According to post on renotalk/singaporebrides, creation air actually advise customers to use aluminum piping which is not only inferior in quality but also void the warranty of the aircon .

Edited September 3, 2012 by Jgal

[peterng8 0]

hmm.. you mean havent finished yet ? hmmm.... hope all is well.

I think ID plays a bigger part than the shop itself. So far, my id has been very patient and careful. But i was quite surprise that they use Creation Air for their aircon quotation. Because the mkt has very bad review on creation air. According to post on renotalk/singaporebrides, creation air actually advise customers to use aluminum piping which is not only inferior in quality but also void the warranty of the aircon .

Oh..so did u use the air con contractor they recommended? I think the market is flooded with many air con contractors now...competition is stiff...

[Jgal 0]

Actually wanted to let my Id earn but too bad , the creation air review is too bad. I dig out my old contact ; and went with him instead. He helped many of my old neighbours do their aircon and last 5 years non complain abt workmanship issue. Kelvin 91010197. So can rest be assure , no leaking etc. I realize that aircon workmanship is super impt , more impt than cost , for resale condo since all the piping are conceal. If not done properly, it will alot more to rectify .

Edited September 3, 2012 by Jgal

[peterng8 0]

Actually wanted to let my Id earn but too bad , the creation air review is too bad. I dig out my old contact ; and went with him instead. He helped many of my old neighbours do their aircon and last 5 years non complain abt workmanship issue. Kelvin 91010197. So can rest be assure , no leaking etc. I realize that aircon workmanship is super impt , more impt than cost , for resale condo since all the piping are conceal. If not done properly, it will alot more to rectify .

I think every ID has their strength and weaknesses...observe the renovation progress carefully and will be able to tell their strong and weak points as renovation is a whole process not only involving ID itself which is the primary but also involving some services provided by their partners...enjoy yr reno..

[Jgal 0]

But they have 2 yr warranty right. It will be quite silly for the company to work with inferior partners. At the end , they earn less and Loses trust frm their customer.

. I hope they dun only look for supplier that give them good margin but genuinely want to create good name in the industry. They are not the cheapest quote I get. So I hope they believe in quality as I do.

[Jgal 0]

I think every ID has their strength and weaknesses...observe the renovation progress carefully and will be able to tell their strong and weak points as renovation is a whole process not only involving ID itself which is the primary but also involving some services provided by their partners...enjoy yr reno..

hi peter... just for your info the lemon law just come into effect this wk. You have another 6 mths to consider if you can accept the goods

[peterng8 0]

hi peter... just for your info the lemon law just come into effect this wk. You have another 6 mths to consider if you can accept the goods

lol, going to wrap up soon for my reno...having a combined experience with my spouse of more than 2 decades in sourcing n purchasing area..want to hear our feedback?

Edited September 7, 2012 by peterng8

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