Urban Design @ Joo Chiat

[ktyeo2013 0]

I have just got my house done by Urban Design recently, by the way they have just shifted to Balestier Road few months ago.

The person in charge for my project was Susan Loy. She is very knowledgeable and patient during the sales stage in giving advise to client. Throughout the renovation, Susan was extremely flexible, patient and accomodating to our schedule. She is responsive and follow-up was terrific.

The key Strength I feel about UD are

- Strong relationship and management of the subcontractors/suppliers they use

- Prompt and complete follow-up. No questions ask, give us a piece of mind

- Good Scheduling and PM skills, on-time delivery of work

- able to provide experience sharing and advise to us during selection of material/color etc.

Most of all, UD delivers what it says it will do, while their price is somewhat mid-range, I wouldn't swop it a cheaper one. They gave me good assurances and security , especially post renovation follow-up warranty. Great service !

[minakoyu 0]

Hi, can anyone pm me Susan/Alex/Kent's contact? Are they still with Urban Design?

Edited January 3, 2014 by minakoyu

[ktyeo2013 0]

Hi, can anyone pm me Susan/Alex/Kent's contact? Are they still with Urban Design?

Susan's number 98354995

[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.

It's been more than 1 yr since my renovation...

I just a small update on aftersale service that i received from San@urban design..

One of my downstair neighbours complaint 2 wks back.. And i contacted San immediately.

And he went down to check the VERY NEXT DAY ! . And mind you .. it's nearing CNY (their rush period), so most ID will just tell you they will get back afterwards if not "disappear" .

No regrets getting him to renovate my place.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Jgal

[Joechew 0]

I would like to share my experience with Nicholas Teng from urban design whom I had engage in nov 2013. As all of us knows, it's nearing Chinese New Year and my concern is the time frame worrying if I will be homeless during Chinese New Year. For your info mine is a resale hdb with a lot of carpentry work (2 wardrobe, 2 feature wall, dressing table with mirror, kitchen cabinet, dining table, shoe cabinet, alter cabinet, display cabinet and storage cabinet (there's no store room in my house) and hacking of all the flooring and wall tiles. It is a major renovation with rewiring for the whole house. Initially he mention that he will try his best to get it done before Chinese New Year but I was glad that because the the situation I am in, renting a place paying monthly rental which is a cost to me, he actually expedite the renovation works and I manage to move in on the 18th of jan 2014. The overall experience is great, he is very experience and knows a lot regarding regulatory requirement. He will go on site to make sure that the work is done proper unlike some of the other interior designers who will just sub contract out and goes missing in action till payment time. I had made the full payment and realized there's a minor touch up to be done to my feature wall. I called Nicholas and the very next day he came up to have a look and will arrange for someone to come to my house within 2 days. So far it is a good experience and I would definitely refer my friends over.

[Sabrinang 0]

We are happy with the work done by Alex Eh from Urban Design. There were few hiccups along the way and were resolved in a respectful manner. Responsive, ethical and reasonable charges are among the few points that make our heart melt with Alex's work. No hesitation to recommend him if anyone needs a referral.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Sabrinang

[kscorpio76 0]

Hi All,

I would like to share my experience so that those of you who want to get a great ID done can benefit.

I recently (q3, 2013) had my house renovated under the professional care of Spenser Lim of Urban Design. We got quotations from several companies, but what stood out from Spenser was that he understood our design needs even before we described it to him. A common aspect of this industry seems to be they like to "recommend" not to do certain designs that are not profitable. However, Spenser was not only was flexible to our design needs, he went further to advise us on the best value for money option. Spenser was also very understanding of space constraints and gave us his expert advise whenever space was limited or a design was difficult to execute.

Basically, I describe his style as youthful yet experienced, modern yet flexible to clients' needs, aware of space constraints and looks at big picture yet gives attention to detail.

He is also great when advising us on other aspects that fit perfectly with the ID done; like curtains and furniture. This is important as the whole look is critical and not just aspects like flooring or paint.

Thank you Spenser and I am glad to have found you. Hope that you will continue helping many more people with your great talent.

[jarci 2]

Hi All,

I would like to share my experience so that those of you who want to get a great ID done can benefit.

I recently (q3, 2013) had my house renovated under the professional care of Spenser Lim of Urban Design. We got quotations from several companies, but what stood out from Spenser was that he understood our design needs even before we described it to him. A common aspect of this industry seems to be they like to "recommend" not to do certain designs that are not profitable. However, Spenser was not only was flexible to our design needs, he went further to advise us on the best value for money option. Spenser was also very understanding of space constraints and gave us his expert advise whenever space was limited or a design was difficult to execute.

Basically, I describe his style as youthful yet experienced, modern yet flexible to clients' needs, aware of space constraints and looks at big picture yet gives attention to detail.

He is also great when advising us on other aspects that fit perfectly with the ID done; like curtains and furniture. This is important as the whole look is critical and not just aspects like flooring or paint.

Thank you Spenser and I am glad to have found you. Hope that you will continue helping many more people with your great talent.

Hi,

do you have any pics of your flat?

[rise93 0]

We were very happy to have Chris from Balestiar Urban Design as our Home Designer for our house. Our renovation project has successfully completed within the expected time range. We are satisfied with the final results and would like to compliment his effort in ensuring great standards of service and results for our house.

His professionalism guided us on selecting the styles and colors that suit the theme for our house. He was prompt in answering and adjusting the design throughout the whole project. His effort in ensuring that the high quality of the renovation is maintained is being recognized. Besides that, he never fails to listen patiently to our requests and always tries your best to fulfill our demands. They are fast to resolve and act on all kinds of touch up I requested. The carpentry and electrical team worked closely and handed over to the next group seamlessly.

Overall, it was a great experience and we are very satisfied with his high level of customer service and expertise. We are really lucky to engage Chris and will surely recommend our friends to Chris. Thank You.

Yours Sincerely,

Ravindran & Sandra

[nerrad19 0]

Any photo from those who have posted good review on the UD.

Thanks

[tjoseph78 0]

I will like to reiterate on the good review for Chris, likewise I submitted a request for quote through an online forum and Chris responded in a short time with a very attractive quote and after meeting up and discuss in detail my concept and also the selection of materials, I would say the 3D perspective is already close to what I really wanted.

Chris kept quite closely to the renovation schedule and updated daily on the progress and what's going to be done the next day. Throughout the concept process we kept active communication on my requirement sometimes even after working hrs as I may forget due to my busy schedule the next day. Chris responded without any complaints and I am truly appreciative for this. Throughout the renovation when I am not happy with some minor details, Chris was professional enough to amend to my satisfaction.

I have just shifted in to my new house and very satisfied with the final result and will like to also compliment him for the job well done. Being a real estate agent who is involved in new launches and have seen countless of showrooms, I am happy with the overall outcome of my finished unit.

Working with Chris is likewise a great experience and I am very satisfied and I will also surely recommend my friends and customers to him.

I will be happy to share pics of my unit through private msg. You can contact me also at 97998253.

Joseph Tan

Edited March 27, 2014 by tjoseph78

[SitiHajarAswadi 0]

Hi, prior to getting our house keys, we sent out a request for quote and Chris from Urban Design had gotten back to us fast with a quite reasonable qoute range. During our first meeting with him, we felt that he was attentive to what we wanted for the house. We explained the concept we wanted and he was knowlegeble in the materials that we needed to use as well as its qualities. He then came out with a 3D plan that we liked. Upon receiving our keys, Chris came to look at the house the following day and we felt that due to the layout of the house, certain things needs to be changed. Chris was open to new ideas that we suggested and even recommended which materials to use.While the renovation was ongoing, Chris gave us updates on what they were doing for the house. That gave us alot of assurance that the house was in good hands.Although along they way there were some hiccups, it was all rectified almost immediately . This was what we liked about Chris and the way he worked. Now the renovation is done and we are happy with how it is looking. I would recommend Chris to friends

Regards,

Siti & Sollihin

[Sheann 0]

^{Hi, I would like to share a few cents of thought of my house renovation which was done by Urban Design, in charged by Chris Choo. I submitted my renovation quotation request for my hubby's house through an online platform as we were getting married soon back then.}

^{I received quite a number of calls from different designers. Chris was not the first one to contact me but was someone that I felt the sincerity and professionalism during our conversation over the phone. During his visit to the house, my hubby had a few requirements/ suggestions which Chris was able to accommodate (some other renovators told us that it could not be done) and also provide his inputs to us.}

^{The rates quoted by Chris was compatible with other designers and his attitude is one of the reasons we chose Urban Design. Our house's renovation was just a refurbishment, did not consider a big project as compared to others, yet Chris payed his attention to our needs and keep updating quotations according to the changes requested which i am truly appreciated.}

^{Chris supervised the work progress personally to ensure the works were done properly and able to complete the work within the stipulated timeline (or even earlier). He came to do a final check to ensure nothing is left out just before the renovation ended.}

^{I will definitely approach Chris again when my hubby and I get a our own house in future and in fact, i have recommended his service to our friends.}

^Cheers,

^{Shawn & Sheann}

Edited June 9, 2014 by Sheann

[jarci 2]

So weird huh.. So many good reviews about the IDs but none of the reviewers have photos to share nor started a blog documenting the renovation process and most of them only have 1 post after creating their account.

[Miss_P 0]

We had the opportunity to work with Chris from Urban Design when we had issues with our main contractor and were left without a wardrobe and granite counter top. Chris impressed up with his good attitude and work ethic in being willing to go the extra mile to help us source for a whole piece of granite as we did not want our granite to have a joint line. Unfortunately, his contractor was not able to deliver as they did not have experience with such a large piece of granite but both he and his contractor did not take their grievances out on us and returned our payment promptly.

We did do a 8 ft wardrobe with Chris and the finished product was up to our expectations. However, there was a strong "sour" smell to one of our cupboard shelves that Chris quickly solved by getting the contractor to replace it once we mentioned it to him.

He was also kind enough to help us box up some gas piping in the kitchen that our previous contractor left exposed.

Overall, we had a good experience working with Chris and will recommend him to any our friends and family in need of a enthusiastic and reliable ID that delivers what he promises and even a little bit more with a smile and a "no problem!" (and really mean it) which is a rare trait in today's world.

C+M