From An Empty Shell To A Comfy Home

[rulz 0]

Wifey and me are expecting to get the keys to our 5-room BTO flat in Punggol sometime in the fourth quarter of this year and we are so very excited. We have begun reading the various renovation magazines in the bookshops to get some ideas and decided that we should start our very own blog here to record down our thoughts and feelings on the whole renovation process.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will be a smooth and joyful process.

We also felt a blog is a good way to share our experience and learn from other forumers here. This is our first home and we are novices in renovating. So, we hope you guys will give us your honest advice and support.

Do drop in to say hi!

[Z3phy 2]

hullo ruls

welcome to the online world of recommendations and feedback. =)

the bto flats in punggol quite popular these days. any reason for choosing that area?

[rulz 0]

I was reading a couple of blogs from other forumers and just love how their renovations are progressing. One thing I realised is that some of them actually selected their IDs way before collecting their keys.

1. Is this advisable?

2. When is the best/optimal time that I should start looking for an ID? I am just afraid that some IDs might not even be bothered with us since we haven’t even gotten our keys yet. For instance, I might be interested in this particular ID.. but because I approached them too soon, they don’t prioritise me and give me bad impression and thus I forever won’t go back to them.

We were thinking of going for the Scandinavian look (eg: light parquet or the water-proof laminate flooring with white walls.. basically keeping everything clean and clutter-free) but after going for an ID open house recently, I think wifey and me are leaning towards modern contemporary concept instead.

The ID that we are talking about is Thom Signature. Frankly, I have never heard of them before but they advertised their open house in my development’s Facebook page and wifey nudged me to go.

We went and was quite happy with what we saw.

Thom is quite a friendly person who seems eager to show us around and answer our questions – which is not a lot as we have no idea what to ask in the first place!

The living room was designed nicely and they installed quite a number of built-in wardrobes. Apparently, one of the guys from the company told us that they have their own carpentry workshop. Is this true? They also used the Blum system for the kitchen cabinet. Nice.

Apparently, the entire house renovation, excluding furniture and appliances, with no hacking (I saw none), is $36k for a 4-room standard BTO. The person who tended to us (not Thom) said it was because this particular client has lots of carpentry work, including platform beds, built-in wardrobes, etc.

If we go for a standard 5-room package, it would be around $24k. This is just a general gauge and they want me to send my floor plan via email so they can make some preliminary design.

So now wifey and me are trying to settle what we want in our house before we send the email.

[rulz 0]

hullo ruls

welcome to the online world of recommendations and feedback. =)

the bto flats in punggol quite popular these days. any reason for choosing that area?

Hi Z3phy, thanks very much for the greeting! Am definitely looking forward for recommendations and feedback from other forumers!

I currently live in the east.. so Punggol seems to be somewhere in between my parents and in-law's place. hehe. Decided to be fair find a place in the middle. So, next time, if have kid, we can alternate between my parents and in-laws' place.

Saying that, Punggol was the only option available to us when we applied for the BTO. Got more than 5 friends there already. Haha. It is going to be easy to visit them during festivities. In any case, with the mall and future plans for Punggol, wifey and me also felt that there could be some appreciation in value in the future.

Heard that 5-room flat in Punggol now are selling for around $500k +..

[bubble-ling 0]

Hi rulz,

its always gd to prepare yrself well before commiting yourself to a contractor or ID.

its a coincidence im using thom signature for my current EM reno.I din go for overhaul but just did some changes to level one flooring and carpentary etc

Thomas is my ID a very accomodating guy and right now my hse is in installing carpentery stage..so far so gd ..very good workmanship.

too bad this time round im lazy to start a reno blog and I din monitor closely the reno process due to being tied down with 2 kids and work.

[Z3phy 2]

u are right. flats are now priced way above the sky. 5 rooms flats sold for 700k here in pasir ris. it's madness.

[rulz 0]

Hi rulz,

its always gd to prepare yrself well before commiting yourself to a contractor or ID.

its a coincidence im using thom signature for my current EM reno.I din go for overhaul but just did some changes to level one flooring and carpentary etc

Thomas is my ID a very accomodating guy and right now my hse is in installing carpentery stage..so far so gd ..very good workmanship.

too bad this time round im lazy to start a reno blog and I din monitor closely the reno process due to being tied down with 2 kids and work.

Hi bubble-ling,

Thanks for the advice and two-thumbs up on Thom Signature. Really appreciate the honest opinion. My first opinion of Thomas is the same as yours. I would definitely put the company in my shortlist.

The problem is.. I would need to start my shortlist first. Haha!

As you rightly mentioned, I am also a firm believer in surveying around before committing.

Renovating a house is no small deal and after reading so many horror stories shared on by other forumers, there is a little part of me that is afraid of being conned!

In any case, what should I look out for in an ID other than the designs, workmanship, rapport and pricing? Any hidden things that I should really look out for?

Another ID which I am contemplating asking a quotation from is OMUS Living. The designs on their FB page are to my liking. They also have more than 9000 fans. That’s a lot! But I can’t seem to find any reviews on them.

Anyone engaged them before?

[summersann 6]

I was reading a couple of blogs from other forumers and just love how their renovations are progressing. One thing I realised is that some of them actually selected their IDs way before collecting their keys.

1. Is this advisable?

2. When is the best/optimal time that I should start looking for an ID? I am just afraid that some IDs might not even be bothered with us since we haven’t even gotten our keys yet. For instance, I might be interested in this particular ID.. but because I approached them too soon, they don’t prioritise me and give me bad impression and thus I forever won’t go back to them.

It's good to start visiting IDs/contractors before you get your keys, because the process can be a long one (popular IDs may have their hands full at the moment and can only get back to you later when they've cleared their projects; the discussion process is to-and-fro and can take a while before you settle on ideas; IDs may take a while to do sketches for you to see). We started looking for IDs after we made the offer for our resale flat. That's about 3 months in advance before we were scheduled to get our keys.

However, I don't think it's wise to confirm on an ID until you have officially gotten your keys. In your case, because you are waiting for a BTO, maybe chances of any last minute crop ups are unlikely (I don't know because we don't have experience with this). But in any case, you should never confirm with an ID and make any payment until you have your place. All the IDs we considered met us many times without any confirmed payment (the ones that used tactics like limited offer and package deals to pressure us into paying first were immediately axed). We only confirmed and made payment on the day works started on our new place.

There are too many horror stories about IDs and contractors, so always exercise caution. Packages may sound good on the onset, but check to make sure there aren't hidden costs (e.g. having to top up later if you choose to pick anything outside their stated list of materials for the packages, etc.).

Okay, that was lengthy we went through a lot of research and heartache meeting IDs, so just hope to help

[rulz 0]

It's good to start visiting IDs/contractors before you get your keys, because the process can be a long one (popular IDs may have their hands full at the moment and can only get back to you later when they've cleared their projects; the discussion process is to-and-fro and can take a while before you settle on ideas; IDs may take a while to do sketches for you to see). We started looking for IDs after we made the offer for our resale flat. That's about 3 months in advance before we were scheduled to get our keys.

However, I don't think it's wise to confirm on an ID until you have officially gotten your keys. In your case, because you are waiting for a BTO, maybe chances of any last minute crop ups are unlikely (I don't know because we don't have experience with this). But in any case, you should never confirm with an ID and make any payment until you have your place. All the IDs we considered met us many times without any confirmed payment (the ones that used tactics like limited offer and package deals to pressure us into paying first were immediately axed). We only confirmed and made payment on the day works started on our new place.

Hi summersann,

Thanks for the tip. U managed to pay only the day works started? Wow, you must be good in negotiating. Not too sure if other IDs would follow suit though.

In the meantime, the search for an ID/contractor continues.. haha. I am also looking at the various electrical appliances. Aircon, TV, wireless sound system (I don't like wired items. I think it just makes the room messy..

[summersann 6]

Hi summersann,

Thanks for the tip. U managed to pay only the day works started? Wow, you must be good in negotiating. Not too sure if other IDs would follow suit though.

In the meantime, the search for an ID/contractor continues.. haha. I am also looking at the various electrical appliances. Aircon, TV, wireless sound system (I don't like wired items. I think it just makes the room messy..

We didn't negotiate at all actually. We verbally confirmed with our ID that we would use their services, but only paid the cheque on the day works were to start. It's a matter of trust I guess. Find the one you feel you can trust

[rulz 0]

Ah.. Finally able to log in to Renotalk forum again.

I hit the bookstores yesterday and went straight for the home designing magazines. Squarerooms and Home & Décor seem like the magazines for SG interior designs!

I quickly realise that I am drawn into the kitchen appliances and toilet fixtures advertisements more than the living room or bedroom pics. Haha. Weird but true! I was simply drawn to the sleek wash basins, toilet bowls and even the colourful shower heads by Grohe. Droolicious.

Just look at the pic above. I think I will look forward to work a little bit more in the morning.

Just wondering how much it would cost in the first place.

In any case, I was in the bus yesterday when I passed by the Singapore Expo. There seems to be 2 events there at the moment – Classic Living 2013 and Megatex.

Are they worth checking out? I know of some forumers who went, liked what they saw but was subject to some hard-sell tactics.

Edited April 17, 2013 by rulz

[Macwood 0]

have a look at this webpage since you like Blum

http://connect.blum.com/reviews

This is a review portal from Blum where home owners can leave reviews about their renovation experience for other home owners to read.

Maybe you find your right renovation partner from there

Good luck

[dreamzgal 0]

Hi rulz... welcome to RT.

It'll be good to start shortlisting your ID/contractor now as the whole process will take a while (eg finalize layout, discuss abt price, etc).

I believe recommendations does help to reduce the risk of problematic ID/contractor.

My experience with the home & furnishing exhibition is that prices for furniture may not necessary be the lowest and negotiation is a must.

For the floorings, curtains or other items.. I do think that prices are lower but again have to negotiate and only pay deposit and not the full amount.

I have been to Gain City & Harvey Norman expo sale and find that their prices are lower than stores... but since you are only getting keys in last qtr of the year, it's advisable to buy the appliance much later as there could more exhibitions or sales during the year-end period and newer models... keke

Just my 2 cents worth...

Edited April 17, 2013 by dreamzgal

[rulz 0]

have a look at this webpage since you like Blum

http://connect.blum.com/reviews

This is a review portal from Blum where home owners can leave reviews about their renovation experience for other home owners to read.
Maybe you find your right renovation partner from there

Good luck

Hi Macwood,

Thanks for the link. I found it particularly useful to see which ID/contractor has the experience and certifications to install the Blum fixtures. I like!

However, I find the various Blum product categories to be quite confusing - AVENTOS, TANDEMBOX intivo, TANDEMBOX antaro, etc – they are all kitchen fixtures right what!

On a side-note, seeing all these nice cupboards make me think about demolishing the a wall and extend the kitchen. Seeing that wifey is not going to cook that much, maybe an open kitchen is nice.

That said, how much will hacking a wall generally cost? Is it worth hacking away walls in terms of future resale value or even practicality?

Edited April 17, 2013 by rulz

[rulz 0]

Hi rulz... welcome to RT.

It'll be good to start shortlisting your ID/contractor now as the whole process will take a while (eg finalize layout, discuss abt price, etc).

I believe recommendations does help to reduce the risk of problematic ID/contractor.

My experience with the home & furnishing exhibition is that prices for furniture may not necessary be the lowest and negotiation is a must.

For the floorings, curtains or other items.. I do think that prices are lower but again have to negotiate and only pay deposit and not the full amount.

I have been to Gain City & Harvey Norman expo sale and find that their prices are lower than stores... but since you are only getting keys in last qtr of the year, it's advisable to buy the appliance much later as there could more exhibitions or sales during the year-end period and newer models... keke

Just my 2 cents worth...

Hi dreamzgal,

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am currently looking around for some IDs/contractors. Currently it is a blank slate although we have been to one open house organised by Thom Signature.

Right now, wifey and me are in the “what kind of theme and look we want” phase and are trying to compile a list of IDs to call and meet up. I must say that this forum has been a great help in educating us about the horror stories and we are slowly striking out some names from our initial list.

Do you have any recommendation? I believe word-of-mouth recommendation is better than relying on photoshopped advertisements.