My Experience In Choosing Ids

[Wyorie 1]

Hi! Please pm me your mom's ID too!

Hi MelanieTan!

Will PM you!

[VVV 3]

my Ktichen experience:

for me personally biggest problem face are :

1 - How to get a Good a ID from so many around; majority salesmen are not professional looking and most look like Ah Bengs that look like they are out to rip me off Or will not entertain you much if your budget is low. After I signed up with my ID, i feel the breakdown of cost price actually are Bull**** as its actually the whole kitchen cost how much and use what materials ( eg. i am not sure why he recommend LianHin Quartz top vs Iquartz ? is suspect after that maybe Lianhin can bring him more margin and somemore i regret a bit because Iquart got more colors to choose from.) (eg. similarly there are so many types and name of Cabinets laminates and he didnt tell me which are the newest and costlier one ? same all ? or he pushing the older design one which can bring him more profit margin ?)

2 - Not getting Prompt respond from my ID ( half hour is my limit personally. One ID firm lost my tiny deal because she reply me back 4 hours later. She told me she in a meeting? i suspect later that she is just a junior Id and not really authorise to quote me prices and she got to wait for her Senior to get the the quotation for me)

3 - Complicate with the fact that Cabinets are made from Malaysia thus timing unsure and ID's co-ordiantion with subcontractors..and also I notice some Sub-contractors of ID' firm are a bit of Luck factor. ( lucky if manage to engage good wrokers (eg1. cement base (mine was slant by a noticeable few cm, but i let it go as its not visible when the cabinets are out up) (eg2 - the Quartz top worker came up 2 times to my home without knowing that nobodys at home).

4 - I had to call my ID few time what to do next instead of him calling me what he will do next. (eg. when the Cement base worker coming ? at what stage should call citygas ? or he should be the one calling etc ? i ended up having to pay $70 more for express citygas to open the gas because my ID didnt advice me in advance and do not feel like waiting 4 more days while the kitchen is ready now)

like i say there are too many parties involve but i guess this is unavoidable unless the renovation company is a very sizable one with ongoing projects whole year round. Then they are actually can have their very own Base cement workers, Plumbing team, Cabinets workers team etc. The problem now is during peak months when subcontractors are busy with others IDs firm then delay will be expected or shabby work potential.

so far this is what i can think of..

cheers

Edited October 10, 2014 by VVV

[aluka 32]

IMHO, ultimately choosing an ID depends a lot on the Chemistry.

First one needs to feel there's a trust established between the ID and the home owner. For this the home owner needs to do a lot of preparatory work before choosing an ID. Unless your inner mind says YES, don't sign on the dotted line.

Secondly, the two way communication which must be open, honest and objective. I say objective, is to get the best possible outcome in a particularly difficult situation; there will be definitely many difficult / technical challenge situations when the reno has commenced. The ID and home owner should work together to handle these situations and arrive at an acceptable situations.

Thirdly, I noticed many IDs quote very less in their initial quote. But don't be surprised, as the reno progresses they charge exorbitant rates for any changes or adding-on extra items the owners tend to include as an after thought. As home owners are doing reno only once in many years, it is not possible to think through all the angles and be confident to say - there won't be any changes/alterations/add-ons. So the IDs reasonableness at this juncture cements the bond between homeowner and ID.

[Super blur 0]

Hello Aluka and Wyorie

Could you both PM me your respective ID contact nos please? TIA.

[Wyorie 1]

Hello Aluka and Wyorie

Could you both PM me your respective ID contact nos please? TIA.

Hi Super blur,

Will PM you!

[aluka 32]

Hello Aluka and Wyorie

Could you both PM me your respective ID contact nos please? TIA.

PM-ed you. Good Luck.

[sentinel 11]

IMHO, ultimately choosing an ID depends a lot on the Chemistry.

First one needs to feel there's a trust established between the ID and the home owner. For this the home owner needs to do a lot of preparatory work before choosing an ID. Unless your inner mind says YES, don't sign on the dotted line.

Secondly, the two way communication which must be open, honest and objective. I say objective, is to get the best possible outcome in a particularly difficult situation; there will be definitely many difficult / technical challenge situations when the reno has commenced. The ID and home owner should work together to handle these situations and arrive at an acceptable situations.

Thirdly, I noticed many IDs quote very less in their initial quote. But don't be surprised, as the reno progresses they charge exorbitant rates for any changes or adding-on extra items the owners tend to include as an after thought. As home owners are doing reno only once in many years, it is not possible to think through all the angles and be confident to say - there won't be any changes/alterations/add-ons. So the IDs reasonableness at this juncture cements the bond between homeowner and ID.

Very true, despite this being my 2nd renovation, there are still many areas which I was caught unaware. With hindsight, it's very easy to say I should have engage this sub-con, did this here, do this there but in the midst of the action and with limited time, sometimes I decided to let my id handle it, although I know he will charge a profit for it. I value my time and time is money because I may have to take time off, leave to meet with independent contractors.

It's also difficult to really compare 2 different quotations. I realised that maybe some companies have more leeway to negotiate with their sub-con, or they happen to use a sub-con which is cheaper. So I faced this situation where some items quoted by my id is cheaper and others more expensive.

So far, my id is willing to work with me to overcome some of the situations and I know he did absorb some of the additional costs, i.e. he's not the "niao" type. My previous id gave me black face when I wanted to install an additional toilet shelf ...

2 more weeks to go till completion, fingers-crossed

[aluka 32]

Very true, despite this being my 2nd renovation, there are still many areas which I was caught unaware. With hindsight, it's very easy to say I should have engage this sub-con, did this here, do this there but in the midst of the action and with limited time, sometimes I decided to let my id handle it, although I know he will charge a profit for it. I value my time and time is money because I may have to take time off, leave to meet with independent contractors.

It's also difficult to really compare 2 different quotations. I realised that maybe some companies have more leeway to negotiate with their sub-con, or they happen to use a sub-con which is cheaper. So I faced this situation where some items quoted by my id is cheaper and others more expensive.

So far, my id is willing to work with me to overcome some of the situations and I know he did absorb some of the additional costs, i.e. he's not the "niao" type. My previous id gave me black face when I wanted to install an additional toilet shelf ...

2 more weeks to go till completion, fingers-crossed

IMO, the ID's make it difficult to compare 2 different quotes to hide their margins. Some don't provide breakdown for certain items - others don't provide breakdown for other items.

I did an excel sheet and started comparing item by item. In the end, the difference in certain items are marginal, where in some items glaring. I didn't negotiate in cases where the difference is not so much. Few $ here and there is ok. Where it was reasonable because the IDs are also in the business of making profits. We can't expect them to do charity.

[aluka 32]

It is nearly 10 weeks since I chose my ID and 7 weeks since we started the reno journey together.

I must say I am one of the lucky ones to have a very smooth, trouble-less renovation journey so far. Not that there were no trouble at all - there were challenges, design issues and sometimes work pace etc., But all these were resolved timely and in an acceptable fashion without any major hiccups.

I released the payments on-time and my ID delivered all the work on time & continues to deliver the work on time and more importantly on quality. He is such a friendly, young bloke you will feel extremely comfortable dealing with.

He surprised me quite a few times on :

- his ingenuity in solving difficult issues,

- flexibility: whenever I changed from the original design or asked for additions, he would think hard and give me a good solution

- approachability: he would readily come down and discuss the issues in-person. not to speak of being in constant touch over whatspp.

- honestness: he would also tell you in advance that he is going to be busy for a few days with other projects / client meetings. I really appreciated it; because I believe that I am not his only customer.

Well folks, I am in the last leg of my renovation journey. If you like to read my reno story, click on the t-blog below.

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/66174-5-rm-resale-dream-home-project-strathmore/

I am happy to recommend my ID, if any of you are interested.

[Guest ZQ Wu]

It is nearly 10 weeks since I chose my ID and 7 weeks since we started the reno journey together.

I must say I am one of the lucky ones to have a very smooth, trouble-less renovation journey so far. Not that there were no trouble at all - there were challenges, design issues and sometimes work pace etc., But all these were resolved timely and in an acceptable fashion without any major hiccups.

I released the payments on-time and my ID delivered all the work on time & continues to deliver the work on time and more importantly on quality. He is such a friendly, young bloke you will feel extremely comfortable dealing with.

He surprised me quite a few times on :

- his ingenuity in solving difficult issues,

- flexibility: whenever I changed from the original design or asked for additions, he would think hard and give me a good solution

- approachability: he would readily come down and discuss the issues in-person. not to speak of being in constant touch over whatspp.

- honestness: he would also tell you in advance that he is going to be busy for a few days with other projects / client meetings. I really appreciated it; because I believe that I am not his only customer.

Well folks, I am in the last leg of my renovation journey. If you like to read my reno story, click on the t-blog below.

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/66174-5-rm-resale-dream-home-project-strathmore/

I am happy to recommend my ID, if any of you are interested.

Hi,

do you mind sharing his contact details?

[aluka 32]

Hi,

do you mind sharing his contact details?

Hi,

His name and company details are mentioned in my signature. I will PM you his contact details directly.

Cheers

[Jaychee 0]

Hi! Do you mind sharing the contact with me too? Thanks!

[hippotan 1]

It is nearly 10 weeks since I chose my ID and 7 weeks since we started the reno journey together.

I must say I am one of the lucky ones to have a very smooth, trouble-less renovation journey so far. Not that there were no trouble at all - there were challenges, design issues and sometimes work pace etc., But all these were resolved timely and in an acceptable fashion without any major hiccups.

I released the payments on-time and my ID delivered all the work on time & continues to deliver the work on time and more importantly on quality. He is such a friendly, young bloke you will feel extremely comfortable dealing with.

He surprised me quite a few times on :

- his ingenuity in solving difficult issues,

- flexibility: whenever I changed from the original design or asked for additions, he would think hard and give me a good solution

- approachability: he would readily come down and discuss the issues in-person. not to speak of being in constant touch over whatspp.

- honestness: he would also tell you in advance that he is going to be busy for a few days with other projects / client meetings. I really appreciated it; because I believe that I am not his only customer.

Well folks, I am in the last leg of my renovation journey. If you like to read my reno story, click on the t-blog below.

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/topic/66174-5-rm-resale-dream-home-project-strathmore/

I am happy to recommend my ID, if any of you are interested.

Hi Aluka,

I'm new and i came across this thread and thus came across your post!

i hardly see people recommending their IDs. Met some of my friends and i would say 1 out of 5 recommend their ID to me. Will you be kind enough to share with me?

[hippotan 1]

I have been reading up on reviews of iDs on this forum before I decided on the one for my EC.

Collecting keys next week and hope to share my experience with others.

Basically I only met up with 3 ID cos as follows :

1. Summit design

2. NID

3. Inside Living

Each of above co quoted within the range of 22k to 25k.

No follow up from summit design at all.

We were quite keen on NID as reviews is good. However as inside living were prompt in follow up, I requested to view one of their projects before making final decision.

After viewing, we opted for inside living for the following reasons:

1. Workmanship of the 8 months old flat we visited were good.

2. I like the idea suggested by the designer and its obvious he is a id designer and not just salesman or contactor.

3. Follow up is prompt. If designer is not interested in my business in the first place, I am not sure about entrusting my house to him.

Quote is not the cheapest but I hope I get gd quality finishing and workmanship. Designer will be coming along with us to inspect the house for defects before we could commence on renovation.

So far, he has been v proactive. Hope the reno process is going to be a smooth one and I will share more as we go along.

Hope the above sharing is useful.

Hi Echo, would you mind sharing your ID contact with me? =D I am looking for some trustable ID now.

[Faib2005 0]

Wyorie

Could u pm me your id. Thanks