My First Home

[IPineapple 3]

yah.. If they are already not being responsive or 'on-the-ball' even before the deal is clinched.. can't imagine how would it be like to call them back for rectification works after reno started.

yalor..this will be the worst nightmare... hehe

[IPineapple 3]

ok, time to update my blog. Been really busy with work and meeting the IDs past few weeks.

As mentioned before, i will share my experiences on the IDs i have met so far.

Met quite a numbers of IDs, but i will share those I dropped first as the others I still waiting for their proposals & 2nd meetings.

Below are just my personal experiences and might not be the same to you ...so whoever want to protect/fight for their ID, pls do not try to create a flaming session here. Just want to share what i encountered to the reno newbie here for their info. Thank you very much.

D'Home - Loyd

During the first meeting, took down our requirements and only asked us few simple questions like what kind of design/theme we are looking for and what our lifestyles, etc. Told him what we wanted and even showed him my mood board/concept. Overall, he was pretty quiet throughout the meeting and no constructive input from him on our concept or idea, so dun know if he understands or "very confident". Promised to get back to us on the design proposal and quotation in 2 weeks, but never heard from him again. Tried to email n sms him couple of times, but no reply. So case close, since he is not keen. That is VERY RUDE of him , because he should at least have the courtesy to reply and let me know he is not interested or he got other bigger clients and have no time for me. Waste my time basically.

Three-d-conceptwerke - Victor

Met up with Victor. Pretty professional, attentive and listen to what we wanted. Gave us advices on what can be done and cannot based on our concept. First impression pretty good. Again, promised to give me the proposal & quotation in 2 weeks, but never replied. Send him a chaser, at least he has the courtesy to reply. He replied saying my budget would not be able to achieve what i wanted and asked me to revise my plan. WTH...he needs to take 2 weeks to tell me my budget is not enough. During the meeting, i already told him my initial budget (and he said nothing) and also told him I'm willing to increase my budget if necessary. This tells me he is pretty lazy, because he dun even bother to think how to work around my budget or attempt to do the proposal so i can consider. This sounds more like an excuse to me, and probably they have other easiler cases to work on. Anyway, he has lost my trust and i decided not to follow up with them.

Unimax Creative - Yen

I have signed up with Unimax during one of the May interior design expo. Was attracted by their kitchen package which was really cheap (below market rate what i was told) and 8 year warranty. The ID Yen was quite patient and took her long time to explain to me the package to get me convinced. But after much consideration (after few months), I have decided to cancel the package thou its really attractive. I will be getting other ID to do my reno for the rest of the house and I can foresee potential problems if 2 different ID working on the house. It will be better if just one ID manage the whole reno process. Yen is pretty good and helpful, she helped us to get the refund back very quickly. It's a pity i cannot her as my ID, coz her design style is more toward luxurious, condo showroom type which not what i want. I believe she will be a responsible ID for those who are going to engage her.

Good thing is I have met some really creative and good IDs and conversation are still going on. I will update and give my personal experience with them later. Coz now still too early to rate them.

Hope this can give other reno newbies like me some info what to expect from these ID firms. So dun flame me if you dun like what i wrote here.

Thanks....and meanwhile the search for "THE ONE" still continues....

[El LoCo 3]

I shall second yr comment abt Loyd. Met him 3 times and promised to get back after his holi from Italy. Arranged a met up one month in advance and when me and my wife are happily on our way to meet him, call me at the eleventh hours and confessed to me that he has nothing to show me. No quote and no layout plan. He should have the decency to inform me much earlier. He may be good in design but he's lacking in manner.

[IPineapple 3]

I shall second yr comment abt Loyd. Met him 3 times and promised to get back after his holi from Italy. Arranged a met up one month in advance and when me and my wife are happily on our way to meet him, call me at the eleventh hours and confessed to me that he has nothing to show me. No quote and no layout plan. He should have the decency to inform me much earlier. He may be good in design but he's lacking in manner.

OMG, that is really bad and ill manner of him.

[El LoCo 3]

Met up another id also called Victor. Seem enthuse at 1st and show me a mood board of his proposed idea which impressed me greatly (later I found out that the mood board is recycled from previous project). But once u rejected his concept, the mood changes and whatever concepts u have, he'll give a sian look and jot it down to put u off. Arranged a meeting at Mac near my hse to see what he can proposed to me after discussing my concept to him. Decided to buy him bfast since he come down to meet up despite my wife insisting that we r giving him business. Once meet up, ate the bfast and bring up a blank piece of paper. No mood board, no layout, nothing at all. Lucky that i spend 7 bucks to see his true colors, if engaged already even worse. I know its not easy being an id but u r earning the 3rd biggest investment in a person life, after housing and car, efforts shld be made to earn that amount of money. Sorry for ranting in yr t-blog. Hope u find the "ONE" soon!

Cheerz,

LoCo

[IPineapple 3]

Met up another id also called Victor. Seem enthuse at 1st and show me a mood board of his proposed idea which impressed me greatly (later I found out that the mood board is recycled from previous project). But once u rejected his concept, the mood changes and whatever concepts u have, he'll give a sian look and jot it down to put u off. Arranged a meeting at Mac near my hse to see what he can proposed to me after discussing my concept to him. Decided to buy him bfast since he come down to meet up despite my wife insisting that we r giving him business. Once meet up, ate the bfast and bring up a blank piece of paper. No mood board, no layout, nothing at all. Lucky that i spend 7 bucks to see his true colors, if engaged already even worse. I know its not easy being an id but u r earning the 3rd biggest investment in a person life, after housing and car, efforts shld be made to earn that amount of money. Sorry for ranting in yr t-blog. Hope u find the "ONE" soon!

Cheerz,

LoCo

Dun tell me its the same Victor (Three-d-conceptwerke)that I met. Wow we really have the same fate...haha.

Yup, at first looked like really "ON" and excited abt my brief. Asked me to send this, send that.

Then MIA....no proposal, no budget and even following up. Really sian...why so fake. Wasted my time to compile my brief for him. If not keen or any issue they can tell us customer straight. I think all of us are happy to discuss further.

Dun worry bro, its good for us to share these experiences so other reno newbie can know and be prepared when dealing with these IDs.

You are welcome to share your experiences w these IDs.

Another reason i wrote this was they are not much mentions of these IDs here or how they served us, so this can be refer to others.

[El LoCo 3]

The id i mentioned is from diff company. The name and attitude is the same thou. Haha.

I have seen 5 ids. 1 inexperience chap from L*n*w*rk* which is giving my fren headaches over poor workmanship despite high quote, 2 which I have already mentioned have gave me the "Boeing 747" and 1 Ah Beng from Im*g* Uncreative. Haha. That Ah Beng is the very 1st id I went to. He pissed off my wife big-time due to his dao dao attitude. Ask 1 question give 1 answer. Ask for more creative tv feature, keep saying use wallpaper is best. Lazy to think, how to earn more money from me. How many id have u seen already?

[El LoCo 3]

Oh ya. Forgot to include this lady architect which quote me $8K design fee and $60K reno for a 4rm. Her works are good but the high design fee put me off.

[IPineapple 3]

Oh ya. Forgot to include this lady architect which quote me $8K design fee and $60K reno for a 4rm. Her works are good but the high design fee put me off.

Wow....8K design fee + 60K to reno 4rm!! She really got lion mouth.

She intend to do ur house using gold izzit. haha...

Which Id firm is that?

Bro u found ur ID? Now reno buz is blooming...so they not hard up on customers. That's maybe the reason..lot of them can afford to have bochap attitude. Sometime, i felt i'm more desperate then them.

Edited August 25, 2011 by IPineapple

[El LoCo 3]

Will pm u.

[newnyew 1]

sorry for this long awaited layout. am still trying to add more.

let u preview abit first. hehe

[IPineapple 3]

sorry for this long awaited layout. am still trying to add more.

let u preview abit first. hehe

Wow..sis..u stayed up to do this....so touched....

U should take some rest first after busy weeks.

u so creativity..the walk of frame passage...i will email u some of my thoughts.

[newnyew 1]

Eh hello its walk of FAME not FRAME hor. Lol.

[IPineapple 3]

Eh hello its walk of FAME not FRAME hor. Lol.

oops...my bad

but frame also can mah...full of frames with modern art pieces...

[mabaricows 0]

Pineapple!

Still haven't start your reno ah?

Hahaa.. I remembered we started our blogs around the same time..

Lucky you, have newnyew helping out.. haha..

The new layout looks nice!

But the kitchen top corner.. A bit too wide and tough to reach?