Happy Couple Decorates: A House, Not Yet A Home

[ProjectH 0]

Absolutely agree! After engaging him, I almost became the main con myself.. looking back, i'll rather spend the money and find a better (albeit more ex) main con or even ID to do the job...

Just remember to follow up all your conversations with him with an SMS text.. it'll back u up a little and less arguments along the way... feel that there are many generous and kind souls here whom readily give him the benefit of doubt to say that he is forgetful... i can only say 日久见人心.

Thanks Simplehuman for the advice! Seems liked u had a tough time. Hope overall u had a lovely place end of the day

[Makanology 29]

Absolutely agree! After engaging him, I almost became the main con myself.. looking back, i'll rather spend the money and find a better (albeit more ex) main con or even ID to do the job...

Just remember to follow up all your conversations with him with an SMS text.. it'll back u up a little and less arguments along the way... feel that there are many generous and kind souls here whom readily give him the benefit of doubt to say that he is forgetful... i can only say 日久见人心.

Hi simplehuman, we faced the exact plight as you. That's why we said, we can graduate to be a main contractor after our renovation with him. Seriously if we ever switch industry, I think we will give him a good run of his money.

[Makanology 29]

Hi Vi, finally your renovation has started and you must be really eager to see it done and move in soon. Can totally understand your excitement!

As what simplehuman said, keep a copy of the messages with Alan. We used whatsapp to communicate and till now, never deleted any message with him. It has served us very well when there were discrepancies & disagreements. Jia you!

[macuser77 1]

Hi simplehuman, we faced the exact plight as you. That's why we said, we can graduate to be a main contractor after our renovation with him. Seriously if we ever switch industry, I think we will give him a good run of his money.

Ok then we'll be your very first customer. My wife said since you love eating we'll meet up at famous food joints for discussions haha

Edited September 18, 2013 by macuser77

[ProjectH 0]

Hi Vi, finally your renovation has started and you must be really eager to see it done and move in soon. Can totally understand your excitement!

As what simplehuman said, keep a copy of the messages with Alan. We used whatsapp to communicate and till now, never deleted any message with him. It has served us very well when there were discrepancies & disagreements. Jia you!

Thanks Mrs E for the encouragement. We need it. And thanks for referring D and I did call up her up but when she heard our budget, could tell she doesn't want to do our job.

I hate it when pple give me the look when I tell them our budget. With a low budget, really not much choices out there who will take our job. Alan didn't which makes us feel at else. And so we stick with Alan. I can just hope with our simple design, it will be smooth sailing. *fingers (& toes) crossed*

Read that the tilers and carpenters are okie, so hopefully is the same for our case. Read about your lousy electrician. May I know the name. Will try to source outside if Alan only has one contact.

Am sure you and Mr E are under tremendous pressure with wedding and reno ongoing. I will probably go nuts as well. Hope all the rectifications have been done and the two newly weds are enjoying the new place.

[ProjectH 0]

Ok then we'll be your very first customer. My wife said since you love eating we'll meet up at famous food joints for discussions haha

I don't mind joining the makan session! haha ... yummy good food in the west!

[ProjectH 0]

On a happier note.

I can't DIY liked some of the gurus here but I can surely shop. And so this is the first item I bought out of my own pocket. Its $$$ that even my hubby doesn't know how much it cost. Haha.

Why so ex. Because it is from a small shop in UK that sells vintage stuff. It is one and only because it is hand-made by the owner with vintage cloth. I have a thing for peony, that unique looking bird and the the colour is just gorgeous.

Cushion by Vi&Seb, on Flickr

Cushion Front by Vi&Seb, on Flickr

Cushion Front by Vi&Seb, on Flickr

Cushion Back by Vi&Seb, on Flickr

Edited September 18, 2013 by ProjectH

[macuser77 1]

Hi projectH

It's the Mrs here, don't worry too much! I'm sure everything will work out well! in any case, there's always renotalk you can turn to for help and advice.

By the way, I like the vintage cloths! Which part of uk were they from?

I've been buying a fair bit of stuff for the house from UK as well, very addictive I must say!

[Makanology 29]

I hope your tiler is Ah Meng (mustache uncle) as he is very efficient, friendly and good workmanship!

Ah Keong is the electrician; he seems to be the boss of the electrical team. His work is ok but his team seems forgetful. We told them the exact electrical points to be fixed with height measurements but they can still fix wrongly even though Mr E was there to monitor daily!

(If you are buying your own ceiling fans, think it will be better to get the shop to install them instead of the electrical team. They didn't do a good job to balance the fans).

Ah Gui (carpenter) is nice & easy-to-talk-to and his workmanship is pretty good too.

Ah Beng (plumber) is true to his name, really an ah beng! He does work fast but prone to eating snake. He disappeared quite often.

Basically Mr E was there daily, met all of them and has all their numbers!

[Makanology 29]

Oh I really love your vintage floral stuff. Do you think TB would have something similar but hopefully cheaper?

[Makanology 29]

I don't mind joining the makan session! haha ... yummy good food in the west!

Oh I so miss Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak! When you move in, be sure you go try it!

[jaykr 0]

Hi Project H,

Finally your blog is up! woo hoo! Congrats!

I agree with a lot of the folks who highlight the issues with Alan. I was there practically everyday and to make sure they don't get my specific design correct, my wife and I had to communicate directly with the sub contractors or else it can go haywire. At the final stage, I actually locked the door so that I know when a sub con is coming and follow them to see and make sure everything is done correctly.

However, all these happens ONLY if you have specific design needs or a particular about certain things , like the gap between the toilet door and outside etc... or how the design should look like etc...

After saying all these, I understand with a minimal budget the restrictions you have and totally understand why you went with Alan. That said, I want you to do the following to make sure everything goes smooth for you:

1. Write down and document everything you want Alan to do get him to acknowledge it. If you can draw or take pictures from or from other renovations and show exactly what you mean. The purpose of this is to make sure that later if there are differences , you can use the proof to show that it was their fault. If they cannot fix it, then bargain with them to reduce the price or refuse to pay unless they fix it ( if it is fixable). I had a lot of disputes in terms of the design and related areas and often I took out the design specs and showed to him and told him that they were wrong . I refused to accept the work .

2) Also, I got Alan to quote me multiple times as he got the details in the quote wrong leading to me having to pay more. So I vetted the quotation and calculated the cost to make sure there is no errors. Please validate all the items in the quotation and make sure he has actually done it. If you had requested additional items after you have signed the contract , please make sure to check the price of the additional items before you agree to it. If you don't, later he can charge you any price he wants. I always get him to quote me before they do the work. If they did it without asking me , I informed him that I would not pay for it or would pay based on market rate if I think it is needed.

3) If it is possible , get someone to be in the house when the sub-cons are doing the work. In my experience and from what I have heard and seen from others is that Alan forgets a lot of what you tell him. His sub cons sometimes don't know the specific request you have made. If you want the design to look the way you want, it would be best to be there to make sure it is done correctly the way you want it to be. My wife and I practically dealt with all the sub cons, without which some of the areas would look totally different from what we had requested.

4. Don't just accept the price he offers, check the market price with other reputable contractors etc. Example, I needed an extra 15 amp plug point but my circuit board did not have any more space for an addtional 15 A point. When I asked Alan, Alan quoted me 1400 for changing the Circuit board and additional plug point. He aid there was no choice but to do that. So what I did was check with a couple of other electricians I got to know. The electrician did the plug point and the additional single circuit breaker as well as check my breaker from a 32A to 40A all for 350 bucks. Big difference! I did that for quite a number of the items in my quotation.

These are some of the things I wanted to advice you to have a smoother journey.

In terns of fixing things after going wrong, most of the times he agrees to fix them, but a for number of things, I had to have " Interesting conversations" with him.

Hope these help you.

On 9/18/2013 at 10:33 PM, Makanology said:

I hope your tiler is Ah Meng (mustache uncle) as he is very efficient, friendly and good workmanship!

Ah Keong is the electrician; he seems to be the boss of the electrical team. His work is ok but his team seems forgetful. We told them the exact electrical points to be fixed with height measurements but they can still fix wrongly even though Mr E was there to monitor daily!

(If you are buying your own ceiling fans, think it will be better to get the shop to install them instead of the electrical team. They didn't do a good job to balance the fans).

Ah Gui (carpenter) is nice & easy-to-talk-to and his workmanship is pretty good too.

Ah Beng (plumber) is true to his name, really an ah beng! He does work fast but prone to eating snake. He disappeared quite often.

Basically Mr E was there daily, met all of them and has all their numbers!

[Dreamcatcher 0]

Omg! All these reviews on Alan are starting to make me worried! 😱

[ProjectH 0]

Hi projectH

It's the Mrs here, don't worry too much! I'm sure everything will work out well! in any case, there's always renotalk you can turn to for help and advice.

By the way, I like the vintage cloths! Which part of uk were they from?

I've been buying a fair bit of stuff for the house from UK as well, very addictive I must say!

Oh I really love your vintage floral stuff. Do you think TB would have something similar but hopefully cheaper?

https://www.facebook.com/nicholasandsteele

It is a small brick and mortar shop in wimbledon, london but they have e-biz as well. The wife does sewing & sourcing vintage stuff and hubby has his own does carpentry workshop!. Very talented couple. Unfortunately with the poor brit economy and rising rental, they are now in midst of selling their house and moving elsewhere. But they did mention they will continue with the e-biz.

Their vintage china teapot an cups are to die for. Very flowery but the shipment would cost a bomb so i only order the bolster without the stuffing as well as a vintage Jane Eyre book.

Mrs Marcuser77, which shop did u buy ur stuff from? Good to know anor lover of vintage stuff from uk. If only it is juz next street and ransack the shops for cheap and gd bargains.

Mrs E, not sure whether TB has anything similiar. Do let us know if u managed to source it. Holly got her vintage cloth from car boot sales and cut it and sew and patch it herself. I wish i hv her talent and no need to spend so much money buying it.. Shld hv study harder during home econs class.. Lol.. I think we both like girly stuff so i think u will find their stuff lovely.. Their vintage jewellery are lovely and cheap to mail across.

[ProjectH 0]

On 9/18/2013 at 10:34 PM, Makanology said:

Oh I really love your vintage floral stuff. Do you think TB would have something similar but hopefully cheaper?

On 9/19/2013 at 12:21 AM, jaykr said:

Hi Project H,

Finally your blog is up! woo hoo! Congrats!

I agree with a lot of the folks who highlight the issues with Alan. I was there practically everyday and to make sure they don't get my specific design correct, my wife and I had to communicate directly with the sub contractors or else it can go haywire. At the final stage, I actually locked the door so that I know when a sub con is coming and follow them to see and make sure everything is done correctly.

However, all these happens ONLY if you have specific design needs or a particular about certain things , like the gap between the toilet door and outside etc... or how the design should look like etc...

After saying all these, I understand with a minimal budget the restrictions you have and totally understand why you went with Alan. That said, I want you to do the following to make sure everything goes smooth for you:

1. Write down and document everything you want Alan to do get him to acknowledge it. If you can draw or take pictures from or from other renovations and show exactly what you mean. The purpose of this is to make sure that later if there are differences , you can use the proof to show that it was their fault. If they cannot fix it, then bargain with them to reduce the price or refuse to pay unless they fix it ( if it is fixable). I had a lot of disputes in terms of the design and related areas and often I took out the design specs and showed to him and told him that they were wrong . I refused to accept the work .

2) Also, I got Alan to quote me multiple times as he got the details in the quote wrong leading to me having to pay more. So I vetted the quotation and calculated the cost to make sure there is no errors. Please validate all the items in the quotation and make sure he has actually done it. If you had requested additional items after you have signed the contract , please make sure to check the price of the additional items before you agree to it. If you don't, later he can charge you any price he wants. I always get him to quote me before they do the work. If they did it without asking me , I informed him that I would not pay for it or would pay based on market rate if I think it is needed.

3) If it is possible , get someone to be in the house when the sub-cons are doing the work. In my experience and from what I have heard and seen from others is that Alan forgets a lot of what you tell him. His sub cons sometimes don't know the specific request you have made. If you want the design to look the way you want, it would be best to be there to make sure it is done correctly the way you want it to be. My wife and I practically dealt with all the sub cons, without which some of the areas would look totally different from what we had requested.

4. Don't just accept the price he offers, check the market price with other reputable contractors etc. Example, I needed an extra 15 amp plug point but my circuit board did not have any more space for an addtional 15 A point. When I asked Alan, Alan quoted me 1400 for changing the Circuit board and additional plug point. He aid there was no choice but to do that. So what I did was check with a couple of other electricians I got to know. The electrician did the plug point and the additional single circuit breaker as well as check my breaker from a 32A to 40A all for 350 bucks. Big difference! I did that for quite a number of the items in my quotation.

These are some of the things I wanted to advice you to have a smoother journey.

In terns of fixing things after going wrong, most of the times he agrees to fix them, but a for number of things, I had to have " Interesting conversations" with him.

Hope these help you.

Thanks Mr & Mrs E. & Jay for the advice! Much appreciated! Never see u guys b4 but its seems liked i know u guys for the longest time becoz have been following ur t-blog! Shld arrange a makan session to extend my appreciation for all the advice! (Stayed in jurong for 8 yrs with parents but nv once tried the boon lay nasi lemak.. Haha)

Unfortunately no one can be on-site during the day (too far from office n limited leave) so we can only inspect the house after work and it gets too dark. Likely to hv to do check over wkend. Do u guys get a schedule? Alan suddenly said to get the toilet bowls ready but hub away this wkend (which was mention to him earlier). But i m not gg to rush shopping these two days So he juz have to wait. boo ..

To be honest, me n hub are too nice. After reading jay post, i quickly check my quotation and found that there are stuff that are diff from the final quotation he emailed me. He add 1.5 ft to kitchen carpentry and tiling of wall tiles in kitchen but i only want to cement plaster and paint over. . I guess with alan we cannot assume and hv to be more assertive. Will see how it goes for the next couple of wks. With a tight budget, hopefully wont exceed by too much.

But he did call me to check how i want my brick wall tiles need how many mm gout etc and not take the easy way of juz doing the normal way. And to cfm selection of tiles.. Luckily he did coz we wanted 3d subway tiles but he ordered normal.

So yes, wish us luck!