Common Problem Faces When Comparing Quotes

[EdmundTan 0]

Recalling more than 6 months ago when i go round singapore looking for ID and Contractor to reno my house.If i never recall wrongly, i have close to 20 quotes for my small 5 rm flat. Thats the start of nightmare.

I remember telling all the ID and Contractor my requirements for my house, however, just a simple fixture wall i can have more than 4 different material recommemdation from them. shapes the same but all quote me with different material and worst all different prices.

-It is totally impossible for me to compare apple to apple

-Everything they said all make sense

-some advice me to hack, some ask me not to as doing budget stuff

-1 single item can have 4 to 5 different quote

-some have only 30 items for my reno, and some come out to 70 items for the same house

ID A (look nice but exp), ID B (cheap but change different material use), ID C (Not cheap and not nice), ID D (everything charge)

Any bro or sis out there facing the same prob.

[josephsbs 1]

basically, you need to have an picture of what exactly you want to do and how you want your home to look like (decide on a theme), instead of leaving it the IDs. all of them will have different opinions and recommendations, thus recommending different jobs and use different materials.

-It is totally impossible for me to compare apple to apple

... only if you fix the "parameters" of the renovation

-Everything they said all make sense

... yup, don't forget they're salesmen too. the more items they convince you to do, the more they will earn from your project. but think deeper, are those sound nice stuffs what you want?

-some advice me to hack, some ask me not to as doing budget stuff

... if on budget, don't hack. think you'll have to piece it back up when you sell the property.

-1 single item can have 4 to 5 different quote

... some will tell you things like this is of higher quality, that is from more reliable brand. you'ld have to do some homework and decide on one, considering your budget constraint.

-some have only 30 items for my reno, and some come out to 70 items for the same house

... you have to check whether the items are the same things; some puts more details so that they can break up the big price into smaller prices, some will simply lump up an overall price. personally, i prefer items to be clearly spelled out for less ambiguity. be careful of hidden items, later they tell you this and that not included then jialat liow.

what i did was to list down clearly with details (including materials and design for some specific items), item by item, job by job in the WHOLE renovation project and ask the various contractors to quote based on that list.

e.g. plastering of walls for whole room, painting whole room with Nippon easywash with teflon paint (5 coluors), quartz table top (i specified it must be caesarstone), ceramic wall tiles for toilets and kitchen (approx $3.50 psf), parquet platform, glass door for master bathroom door, etc etc.

those non-standard jobs or those that needs external contractors (e.g. system 4 aircon) are classified separately so that the quotes for the common job items may be reasonably compared.

if don't want to fix the parameters, then just go for the one that is within your budget and which gives you the best feel

Edited January 10, 2013 by josephsbs

[dreamzgal 0]

Hihi..

Just to share my own experience while ID/Contractor searching for my resale.

I did up a checklist of the items I want/need to do for the house before asking for quotes, this gives me a "clear view" of what I need/want to do for the house. I also specific those items that are "good to have" under Optional items, to have a better understanding of how much more it would cost.

It helps to control the budget as it's indicated clearly in the list what are the "must-do" items & what are the "good-to-have" items.

Just to add on, when selecting ID/Contractor, I believe that the "chemistry" plays a big part (of coz the price should also be within our budget). The ID/Contractor must understand our needs and whether features of the house suits out lifestyle

This thread also provide some useful information : http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=37697

Hope this helps

Edited January 21, 2013 by dreamzgal