Renovation Of Our Home At Casa Clementi - Long And Stressful

[oqs 0]

Hi all,

Have been reading the posts here for a long time. Would like to sincerely congrats all of you who went through the renovation journey smoothly. To all those who had some hiccups here and there, I feel you.

We are first-time flat owners and got our flat in April and started our renovation in June. We were told that by September, or latest October, the flat will be ready to be handed over to us. But as the usual story goes, our renovation has not been completed as of today, or tomorrow or probably December.

Progress was rather slow in the beginning, we were okay with it because we were not in a hurry to move in. All we wanted at the end of the day is to get good worksmanship and a comfortable place to stay in. Electricals, tiling and plumbing was done and we paid 60% of the cost. The problem came after the carpentry came in and we did a check on the worksmanship. It was terrible. There were defects everywhere. We insisted that the defects be corrected before works continue. They were rectified and we paid for the 3rd 30% payment, which means the renovation cost is 90% paid for.

As works continued, we noticed more defects on the painting and carpentry that were unacceptable. We requested them to be rectified too. The contractor agreed and set a date (10 Nov) for the touch ups to be done. However, the day before the touch up, we received a e-mail that says that the touch up will be postponed, without any reasons given. We immediately called the contractor to ask for the reason and to arrange another date, but he did not pick up the phone. We tried calling many times the days after, but he did not pick up anymore. That was until we called him using an unknown number, he finally picked up. His attitude was very bad and rude, and he said he will not be doing anything to our house anymore.

Although we kind of expected that to happen with the many unanswered phone calls, we were still shocked at how he can suddenly change his mind and decided not to do it at the last minute. So we are now stranded, with an unfinished house that we can't move into yet, and all this after more than 5 months of waiting and paying 90% of the renovation cost, and suffering a lot of stress dealing with all this.

We will really like to tell the world to beware of this contractor, but we still hope to be able to resolve this amicably with the contractor. So if you are interested to know in case you are choosing your contractors currently, pls PM me.

We are thinking of going to CASE as a first step. If anybody has any advice to help us deal with this, please let us know too. We will be most grateful. Thanks.

[tkcltoh 0]

Hi,

Feel sorry for what happens to you. Can you PM me the contractor's name?

Thanks

Hi all,

Have been reading the posts here for a long time. Would like to sincerely congrats all of you who went through the renovation journey smoothly. To all those who had some hiccups here and there, I feel you.

We are first-time flat owners and got our flat in April and started our renovation in June. We were told that by September, or latest October, the flat will be ready to be handed over to us. But as the usual story goes, our renovation has not been completed as of today, or tomorrow or probably December.

Progress was rather slow in the beginning, we were okay with it because we were not in a hurry to move in. All we wanted at the end of the day is to get good worksmanship and a comfortable place to stay in. Electricals, tiling and plumbing was done and we paid 60% of the cost. The problem came after the carpentry came in and we did a check on the worksmanship. It was terrible. There were defects everywhere. We insisted that the defects be corrected before works continue. They were rectified and we paid for the 3rd 30% payment, which means the renovation cost is 90% paid for.

As works continued, we noticed more defects on the painting and carpentry that were unacceptable. We requested them to be rectified too. The contractor agreed and set a date (10 Nov) for the touch ups to be done. However, the day before the touch up, we received a e-mail that says that the touch up will be postponed, without any reasons given. We immediately called the contractor to ask for the reason and to arrange another date, but he did not pick up the phone. We tried calling many times the days after, but he did not pick up anymore. That was until we called him using an unknown number, he finally picked up. His attitude was very bad and rude, and he said he will not be doing anything to our house anymore.

Although we kind of expected that to happen with the many unanswered phone calls, we were still shocked at how he can suddenly change his mind and decided not to do it at the last minute. So we are now stranded, with an unfinished house that we can't move into yet, and all this after more than 5 months of waiting and paying 90% of the renovation cost, and suffering a lot of stress dealing with all this.

We will really like to tell the world to beware of this contractor, but we still hope to be able to resolve this amicably with the contractor. So if you are interested to know in case you are choosing your contractors currently, pls PM me.

We are thinking of going to CASE as a first step. If anybody has any advice to help us deal with this, please let us know too. We will be most grateful. Thanks.

[Nexer 1]

Hi all,

Have been reading the posts here for a long time. Would like to sincerely congrats all of you who went through the renovation journey smoothly. To all those who had some hiccups here and there, I feel you.

We are first-time flat owners and got our flat in April and started our renovation in June. We were told that by September, or latest October, the flat will be ready to be handed over to us. But as the usual story goes, our renovation has not been completed as of today, or tomorrow or probably December.

Progress was rather slow in the beginning, we were okay with it because we were not in a hurry to move in. All we wanted at the end of the day is to get good worksmanship and a comfortable place to stay in. Electricals, tiling and plumbing was done and we paid 60% of the cost. The problem came after the carpentry came in and we did a check on the worksmanship. It was terrible. There were defects everywhere. We insisted that the defects be corrected before works continue. They were rectified and we paid for the 3rd 30% payment, which means the renovation cost is 90% paid for.

As works continued, we noticed more defects on the painting and carpentry that were unacceptable. We requested them to be rectified too. The contractor agreed and set a date (10 Nov) for the touch ups to be done. However, the day before the touch up, we received a e-mail that says that the touch up will be postponed, without any reasons given. We immediately called the contractor to ask for the reason and to arrange another date, but he did not pick up the phone. We tried calling many times the days after, but he did not pick up anymore. That was until we called him using an unknown number, he finally picked up. His attitude was very bad and rude, and he said he will not be doing anything to our house anymore.

Although we kind of expected that to happen with the many unanswered phone calls, we were still shocked at how he can suddenly change his mind and decided not to do it at the last minute. So we are now stranded, with an unfinished house that we can't move into yet, and all this after more than 5 months of waiting and paying 90% of the renovation cost, and suffering a lot of stress dealing with all this.

We will really like to tell the world to beware of this contractor, but we still hope to be able to resolve this amicably with the contractor. So if you are interested to know in case you are choosing your contractors currently, pls PM me.

We are thinking of going to CASE as a first step. If anybody has any advice to help us deal with this, please let us know too. We will be most grateful. Thanks.

Can pm mi?

[Whitewonderland 0]

Hi, can pm the contractor name n co? Many thanks..

[Verstehen 0]

Hi

Sorry to hear about what happen.

Could you Pm me the contractor name.

[theitsybits 0]

hey i feel you..and there are too many of such contractors/IDs around..it's simply appalling, and it all boils down to $$ and profits..the same contractor can close down their existing company and open another with a different name and still continue to be in business..

going to CASE wouldn't help much and it'll simply be a long-drawn battle that will drag for a long time..you need to consider if it's worth your time and more stress or to find a solution to rectify things to satisfaction and start enjoying your new home..sometimes money can solve some problems and avoid more stress and CASE may not even recover any amount..having gone through this myself, i would say people capable of such acts will amazingly shrink all responsibility and claim you're the unreasonable one..

give some thought and see if it's possible to get someone else to salvage existing carpentry and repaint the place?

[Buttercap 0]

Oqs & theitsybits - you both very poor thing, both got carpentry woes...

Oqs, u want to show us some photos of the bad workmanship??

[oqs 0]

hi guys, thanks for reading.

Just an update, we got a mediator who has helped to call the contractor. He referred the contractor to us previously but we really didn't want to go back and trouble him as we know that he is a busy man. But we really don't know what else to do anymore. Anyway, after his conversation with the contractor, he suggested that we do our checks and e-mail the list of defects to the contractor and arrange for a date to rectify them. The problem here is we already did and he flew the aeroplane on us! And when we tried to contact him to arrange another date, we can't get him anymore. Now he paint the picture so nice, like we didn't do our checks and didn't e-mail him the defect list. never mind.... in order to settle this, we will swallow this and e-mail him soon to arrange a date. Hopefully the mediator talked some sense into him.

We read your t-blog too theitsybits. We're sorry that you have to go through all that too. Yeah, money and profits are what they are after. They can do all sorts of things that are against their conscience, if they still have one. We hope our post didn't make you upset all over again. You have a beautiful home nevertheless and you should be proud of it.

Buttercap, we don't have photos of the latest defects. It got really tiring to take so many defect photos after a while. But we do have some pictures that shows the kind of workmanship that was presented to us as completed works.

Close up of paint crack/drop at the whole set of plaster beading.

Cracked laminate. Check out the edges above it too. The laminate is supposed to be dark brown/black. The whole stretch of lighter parts are all damaged edges of the laminate.

[theitsybits 0]

hi guys, thanks for reading.

Just an update, we got a mediator who has helped to call the contractor. He referred the contractor to us previously but we really didn't want to go back and trouble him as we know that he is a busy man. But we really don't know what else to do anymore. Anyway, after his conversation with the contractor, he suggested that we do our checks and e-mail the list of defects to the contractor and arrange for a date to rectify them. The problem here is we already did and he flew the aeroplane on us! And when we tried to contact him to arrange another date, we can't get him anymore. Now he paint the picture so nice, like we didn't do our checks and didn't e-mail him the defect list. never mind.... in order to settle this, we will swallow this and e-mail him soon to arrange a date. Hopefully the mediator talked some sense into him.

We read your t-blog too theitsybits. We're sorry that you have to go through all that too. Yeah, money and profits are what they are after. They can do all sorts of things that are against their conscience, if they still have one. We hope our post didn't make you upset all over again. You have a beautiful home nevertheless and you should be proud of it.

Buttercap, we don't have photos of the latest defects. It got really tiring to take so many defect photos after a while. But we do have some pictures that shows the kind of workmanship that was presented to us as completed works.

Close up of paint crack/drop at the whole set of plaster beading.

Cracked laminate. Check out the edges above it too. The laminate is supposed to be dark brown/black. The whole stretch of lighter parts are all damaged edges of the laminate.

These ppl are good at shirking responsibility and will end up blaming you for their mistakes..I would advise you to take photos and keep records of all correspondence including emails and SMS just in-case..it will not change their attitude nor improve things but at least you have something to substantiate and prove your claims..last thing you want is for them to deny everything and blame it all on you with nothing to prove your story..

[Seewichai 0]

These ppl are good at shirking responsibility and will end up blaming you for their mistakes..I would advise you to take photos and keep records of all correspondence including emails and SMS just in-case..it will not change their attitude nor improve things but at least you have something to substantiate and prove your claims..last thing you want is for them to deny everything and blame it all on you with nothing to prove your story..

Hope everything turns out well for you. Do pm me the name and contact no. of this irresponsible contractor. I do not want to kana one as well.

[lady081980 1]

Hi all,

Have been reading the posts here for a long time. Would like to sincerely congrats all of you who went through the renovation journey smoothly. To all those who had some hiccups here and there, I feel you.

We are first-time flat owners and got our flat in April and started our renovation in June. We were told that by September, or latest October, the flat will be ready to be handed over to us. But as the usual story goes, our renovation has not been completed as of today, or tomorrow or probably December.

Progress was rather slow in the beginning, we were okay with it because we were not in a hurry to move in. All we wanted at the end of the day is to get good worksmanship and a comfortable place to stay in. Electricals, tiling and plumbing was done and we paid 60% of the cost. The problem came after the carpentry came in and we did a check on the worksmanship. It was terrible. There were defects everywhere. We insisted that the defects be corrected before works continue. They were rectified and we paid for the 3rd 30% payment, which means the renovation cost is 90% paid for.

As works continued, we noticed more defects on the painting and carpentry that were unacceptable. We requested them to be rectified too. The contractor agreed and set a date (10 Nov) for the touch ups to be done. However, the day before the touch up, we received a e-mail that says that the touch up will be postponed, without any reasons given. We immediately called the contractor to ask for the reason and to arrange another date, but he did not pick up the phone. We tried calling many times the days after, but he did not pick up anymore. That was until we called him using an unknown number, he finally picked up. His attitude was very bad and rude, and he said he will not be doing anything to our house anymore.

Although we kind of expected that to happen with the many unanswered phone calls, we were still shocked at how he can suddenly change his mind and decided not to do it at the last minute. So we are now stranded, with an unfinished house that we can't move into yet, and all this after more than 5 months of waiting and paying 90% of the renovation cost, and suffering a lot of stress dealing with all this.

We will really like to tell the world to beware of this contractor, but we still hope to be able to resolve this amicably with the contractor. So if you are interested to know in case you are choosing your contractors currently, pls PM me.

We are thinking of going to CASE as a first step. If anybody has any advice to help us deal with this, please let us know too. We will be most grateful. Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your situation, pls pm me the contractor who done a disaster job to your house.

[LadyTeal 0]

Hello! Can you pm me your contractor too? I just confirmed mine. - your future neighbour at Casa Clementi

[oqs 0]

Hi again,

Just wanted to give a quick update. We finally managed to contact the contractor and arranged for the final touch up to be done last week. A very big thanks to the mediator. If not for him, we don't think this can ever be resolved. Some of the rectifications were not done, partly also because we have lost confidence in the workers, especially the tiler. So we told the contractor to forget about the problematic grout, and finish up the rest of the work. Well, some work was not what we expected, but since we wanted to get it all over and done with, we just accepted them. Anyone heard of Blum Aventos hinges for dish rack that cannot soft close? Our house has a pair We were told if we want the hinges to hold the door in place at various positions then it cannot soft close, and vice versa. Oh well, forget it, we just want to move on.

Anyway we redid the grouting for the tiles in the rooms ourselves over the weekend. It was really tiring but fulfilling to see that the grout is finally up to standard. No more bull**** excuses from incompetent people. There's more work to be done at the house before we can call it home. Lots of DIY stuff to learn from Youtube (thank god there's Youtube! ). And also furnishing the house. Hope everything carry on fine from now on. Fingers crossed. Will update more pictures in time.

[Ketua 0]

I'm new here.

Wonder if there's forum rule that prohibit praising or shaming of ID / contractor?

[jsll 2]

Sorry to hear that.

Can pm me the irresponsible contractor name and company? Scare to deal with such ppl...