Mansionette Owner

[hello88 2]

Dear all EM owners,

Will be getting key late October and have been getting rough quotes from IDs. At least 60 K for EMs. Is that true? Wondering if still able to engage a contractor and not supervise as working full time.

I noticed that some EMs like tinkle, homeowner and kreez talks about 30-40 K range. Is that last year's prices? or we do seriously have to hire contractors and work part time. May end up saving more money.

the bulk of reno damage comes from wall tiles of kitchen and toilets. Carpentry is also another huge culprit. If u merely doing overhaul, i.e wall and floor tiles, painting, kitchen cabinets then sure can cut down. For instance, a custom made shoe rack can easily add into your reno cost by between $450-900+- depending on length whereas a off the shelve shoe rack can easily cost a mere $50 to $500+-. The same goes to feature TV wall and TV cabinet for your LCD/plasma. Don't forget u also need to budget for your furnishing unless u can get those FOC from relatives.

If u're like me, everything gotta change from wall to floor tiles, to windows to grilles, all bedroom doors to main door, expensive kitchen cabinets then boh pian. I eating grass now. Very siong!

[MaCe 3]

ya, cos EM dun really need any upgrading. But i cant imagine staying in newer flats where there's no rubbish chute.

best thing is - STILL must pay garbage disposal........

[hello88 2]

best thing is - STILL must pay garbage disposal........

yalor. If really kena SER, wonder how much HDB gonna compensate us?

[MaCe 3]

yalor. If really kena SER, wonder how much HDB gonna compensate us?

compensate? TKK lor...

[hello88 2]

compensate? TKK lor...

have la....some cash payouts plus discount for taking the new flats lor....but not forgetting we gotta pay cash levy n bank loan.

[fishpond 0]

Dear Hello88 and Tristesse,

Thank you for the reply. We need major work. Will try to post some pics so you have some ideas. Would like to save on aesthetics but spend on quality and functionality i.e space planning. Worried that if we were to do it through contractors only, may forget to include electrical power points, or some other functional thing.

Will probably do the kiasu thing and get as many quotes as possible. They are quite tardy in replying. Maybe they are busy or they think we are not serious. Besides IMM, Balestier and Defu, are there any other places with a group of ID/contractors can be located?

[arknuss 0]

Dear Hello88 and Tristesse,

Thank you for the reply. We need major work. Will try to post some pics so you have some ideas. Would like to save on aesthetics but spend on quality and functionality i.e space planning. Worried that if we were to do it through contractors only, may forget to include electrical power points, or some other functional thing.

Will probably do the kiasu thing and get as many quotes as possible. They are quite tardy in replying. Maybe they are busy or they think we are not serious. Besides IMM, Balestier and Defu, are there any other places with a group of ID/contractors can be located?

Hi fishpond,

I know how you feel. I am in exactly the same boat as you are in. My budget for total reno, including constructing balcony awning is 40-45K. I also budgeted 15 to 20k for furnishings. Some ID firms have quoted me a min of 60K for the scope of works that I want to do.

I figured that going with a contractor would be best. I too was worried that the design may end up mismatched or some critical space planning consideration was not taken into account. Thats why I invested some $ to buy an ID software. It helps me with the space planning at the very least. If I have the patience, it will help with the colour coordination as well. It also allows me and my wife to have a meaningful discussion on what we want for our house as we can see what we are talking about.

[tristesse 3]

Dear Hello88 and Tristesse,

Thank you for the reply. We need major work. Will try to post some pics so you have some ideas. Would like to save on aesthetics but spend on quality and functionality i.e space planning. Worried that if we were to do it through contractors only, may forget to include electrical power points, or some other functional thing.

Will probably do the kiasu thing and get as many quotes as possible. They are quite tardy in replying. Maybe they are busy or they think we are not serious. Besides IMM, Balestier and Defu, are there any other places with a group of ID/contractors can be located?

Hi fishpond,

An experienced main contractor would definitely be able to advise on electrical power points and the what nots. Contractors I feel are typically more attuned to functionality than anything else - and because they're usually a lot more "hands on" than IDs, would probably be able to anticipate problems that may arise that IDs may not forsee.

To cite a personal e.g., my husband and I are intending to install a bathtub in our master bathroom. We made appointments for 2 contractors and one ID to visit our place so as to provide a quote for the scope of works we required. When we initially mentioned the built-in bathtub that we intended to have, it was the contractor who pointed out that drainage would be a challenge as the location we wanted the bathtub was over the drainage trap for the bathroom. The contractor was also able to offer us solutions to resolve this - while the ID did not even realise that this would prove to be a problem further down the road.

Based on the contractor's assessment of the potential problem, we eventually decided to opt for a stand alone bathtub instead - the drainage for the entire bathroom will not be affected with that.

Just check out contractor recommendations around the forum - there are several that have received very good feedback. My advice (based on personal experience) would be to seek out 3-4 for a quote and decide thereafter based on your assessment of their workmanship, attitude - and of course their ability to understand your needs. Approaching too many will only give you a headache in the end. (p.s. I approached 5 for just quotes, and felt that was already one too many).

Typically I find that contractors charge, on average, 10-30% less than larger ID/contractors firms.

[fishpond 0]

Dear Tristesse,

We brought a contractor and an ID to view our place and the contractor were saying installing bathtubs are difficult to maintain etc and that we should stick to showers. We wanted to build a maid's room under the stairs but the contractor came up with a lot of objections. We are not sure why but he seems reluctant to do work that potentially would need after work servicing or the hassle of going through HDB's red tape. I think I will try to get a few more contractors from the forum to compare.

Dear Arknuss,

I like your idea. I played around with some free software but not very successful. Tried Google sketch after seeing some really nice ones on the forum but mine was disasterous. Will give it another try.

[Homeowner 1]

The area under the stairs is really small. Did you measure to see if you can fit in a single bed?

Just a suggestion: Instead of building cement walls which costs a lot, maybe you can use gypsum boards. They are a lot cheaper and can be easily dismantled if you choose not to have a room under the stairs in future.

[MaCe 3]

The area under the stairs is really small. Did you measure to see if you can fit in a single bed?

Just a suggestion: Instead of building cement walls which costs a lot, maybe you can use gypsum boards. They are a lot cheaper and can be easily dismantled if you choose not to have a room under the stairs in future.

ya sounds torturing....

[tinkle 0]

Dear all EM owners,

Will be getting key late October and have been getting rough quotes from IDs. At least 60 K for EMs. Is that true? Wondering if still able to engage a contractor and not supervise as working full time.

I noticed that some EMs like tinkle, homeowner and kreez talks about 30-40 K range. Is that last year's prices? or we do seriously have to hire contractors and work part time. May end up saving more money.

It depends on what u want. Before u do the reno, talk to several contractors/ ID before u decide.

My reno cost is in the $30-35k range... that's bec i didnt do any false ceiling or have lots of carpetery work.

[fishpond 0]

Dear Homeowner,

I do feel bad about it as Harry Potter sleeps under the stairs as well. We have done the measurements and it will just fit a bed in with some walking space. It was suggested by an ID. Not meant for concrete walls. More for build in cupboard (carpentry) so that it can be removed in the future. It is like staying in a wooden (MDF/HDF) room. Still waiting for ID for 3D picts.

We would would like to do mainly, retiling of lower floors (homogenous), Laminate upstairs (supreme) and kitchen cabinets with master bedroom walk in and "Harry Potter" room. The three toilets. I thought that is standard with most renovation of old flats. Need to learn how to get images onto here to further illustrate what we are thinking of.

[bekind 0]

hello all,

i just bought a EM is hougang and paid high high COV..will be getting my key in dec . Went to the law firm to sign some bank document today and the administrator actually commented that we are the first she seen to pay so much for a HDB.i feel so lousy the whole day .My husband try to make me feel better by explaining that the administrator has only been processing Jurong West Em that's why she never seen such high cov transaction. Haaaaa..still my heart is aching over my hard earn money.

what worst is that the fengshui master said that the house facing is not suitable for our "8 character" he would not recommend we buy this house if he has seen it before we execise the OTP.

Hate it... and very upset.

Hai......live still go on... God has plan for everyone.........

now looking for reno ideas that will cost cheap but looks expensive and durable .. cos i will rent it out after one year if all the badluck befall......

[mitoev91 0]

Hi how much did you pay COV?The fengshui cant do anything to overcome or other solution?