Our First Home

[yakult 3]

Hi Yakult! Here's a photo of the cleaning solution from Self-fix HTH!

Thank you jobb! I've saved the photo. Shall go get it soon!

Btw what is HTH ah? :X

[jobb 0]

Thank you jobb! I've saved the photo. Shall go get it soon!

Btw what is HTH ah? :X

Hi Yakult, it's "Hope that helps!"

[yakult 3]

Hi Yakult, it's "Hope that helps!"

ahhhh i see! thanks for explaining. A bit sua-ku LOL

[jobb 0]

Renovation Reflections (Choosing ID)

Decided to pen down my thoughts on the whole renovation process so that perhaps, I can revisit this thread in future if and when I need to renovate again...

As mentioned in the first post, we started looking for an ID once we decided to purchase our flat. We met a total of 7-8 IDs. Some of the IDs contacted us when I left my requests for quotation at renovation websites while others were via recommendations from other Renotalkers. Can't remember all of them but I shall just write about the more memorable encounters

1) C from Ken Home Design - The very first ID we met ended up being the one we signed up with! At our first meeting, we actually didn't really have much idea on what renovation would be like and how we want our house to end up looking. I only knew I wanted to go with black, white and grey colours while my fiance just wanted something simple, functional and within budget. C sketched out our requests on the floorplan we emailed him prior to the meeting and introduced some ideas to us which we felt were practical. He wasn't pushy and we were comfortable talking to him. However, as he was the very first ID we met, we decided to look around and compare before deciding. He sent us the quotation the very next day even though we met on a Sunday which I thought was really good as it showed his sincerity in wanting to work with us. The quotation was detailed and it eventually became the basis for comparison with other IDs. We met up another 2 times after the first meeting to revise the quotation as we had gained more knowledge and ideas on what we wanted to after meeting with other IDs. He also brought us to view 2 of the projects he had on hand to take a look at the work done which was really useful. The quotation given by him was the second lowest and eventually, we decided to sign on with him as we felt we had the most chemistry with him. Now that renovations have been completed, I must say we have no regrets giving the job to him. Granted, there were mistakes made along the way but most importantly, he was able to resolve the issues which cropped up and he took responsibility for any mistakes made on his part or by his workers. Another good thing about C is that he is super responsive. I only need to whatsapp him any issues I spotted during the reno and he will respond within 2 hours and get them rectified ASAP which is essential for an OCD like me. All in all, we're glad to have worked with him.

2) K from * Interior - He was the other ID we shortlisted as the quotation given was the lowest! Also, as the company is quite well-known, we thought it will be safe to go with him as my greatest fear is to have the ID run away with our money We also met up 2-3 times with him to revise the quotation but eventually decided to drop him as we didn't really feel the chemistry with him. My fiance and I agreed that since renovation is such a huge project, it's important to work with an ID whom we are 100% comfortable with. I must commend K for being really persistent though. After we informed him that we have decided to work with someone else, he kept texting us and asking us to look at the work done by his company in the hopes of changing our minds. Unfortunately, we decided chemistry with our ID is what we appreciate and so, decided to drop K.

3) L from Diva's Interior Design - We got his contact from another Renotalker who gave him really good reviews. We met L at his office and we found him to be pleasant and down-to-earth as described. There were 2 things which made us drop him in the end though. 1) The company is not registered with HDB and 2) His quotation was at least 10% higher than the others and this was already after some items were taken out! So essentially, it was more expensive for less stuff... When we informed him that we have decided to appoint someone else as our ID, he replied our whatsapp with a " " which I thought was so cute...he also asked what his problem was so that he could improve which I thought was really commendable! I think if he was able to include the items we wanted to at least within close range of our budget, we might have considered working with him.

For the rest of the IDs we met up with, I won't be naming them as we had issues with them.

4) A - Was contacted by the ID through one of the renovation websites and went down to their office to discuss our reno plans and ideas. The office is super posh-looking and the ID informed us that they have a different business model in which the customers have to put a $1500 deposit for the 3D drawing before even giving the quotation. He was super glib and explained how this model will reduce variation orders and so have less dispute in the end. He was also extremely adept at drawing out the design we wanted on the spot and we were really impressed by him. At the very first meeting, he asked us to put down the deposit first but we declined as we were hesitant about the fact that the company is not registered with HDB. We wanted to go back and think it through first. He was super nice about it and said no problem. Thereafter, we communicated via whatsapp and we included a list of items we wanted the company to put down in black and white before we even place the deposit. He always replied, "Sure sure!" until we informed him that my fiance is a lawyer and after that, the quotation that was promised never even came. Thank goodness we didn't place the deposit in the first meeting...

5) B - On the very first meeting, he kept us waiting for at least 1 hour...claiming he got caught in the jam as he rushed down from his brother's wedding... Despite that, we waited for him and when we met, we found him to be super enthusiastic. He had a lot of ideas and "money saving tips" which he said he would tell us along the way. He followed up with the quotation a few days later and we found it to be a bit on the high side. Nonetheless, we decided to give him a chance as he was very eager to show us a project he had recently completed. However, when we went up to the place, the style was totally not to our liking at all. He kept exclaiming some of the features as "chio" but was a definite "over my dead body" response for us...needless to say, we dropped him after the house visit and when we informed him of our decision, he just left the group chat immediately.

6) C - A young chap we met up with and the first sign of trouble was when he didn't even print out the floorplan we uploaded on the renovation website. Luckily, I brought along a hard copy but even then, the first impression was not good from the start. Next, as we informed him of what were some of the items we wanted to do, he just took a piece of paper and started jotting down what we dictated. He gave no ideas/suggestions whatsoever and seemed really inexperienced! Promised to follow up with the quotation and never did. Oh well...we would never have gone with him anyway.

7) D - Went to his office after reading really good reviews of his colleague. Unfortunately, there was no chemistry from the beginning and the quotation was higher than the rest. He also didn't seem that enthusiastic to work with us so we didn't bother to follow up with him.

8) E - Another ID highly recommended by fellow Renotalkers. Apparently he's super busy...probably got very famous after the reviews done on him and we only communicated via sms. We contacted him in August and he just warned us that we will only be able to get the renovations completed after next year despite not even knowing what needs to be done for our renovations. All in all, we felt he was too busy with his projects on hand to be interested in our project and when we informed him that we had chosen another ID which could complete our reno by Christmas, his reply was, "Really? Good luck with that." which we felt wasn't very nice of him...

There were a couple of IDs whom we communicated with but nothing fruitful came out of those encounters and so, we can't really remember them now!

So, that sums up our search for IDs and how we eventually decided on our ID.

[xhomesweethomex 7]

Wow! Your Reno is really fast and furious!

Looking good! And yes I agree choosing a reliable and trusty ID/contractor is very important. And glad u chose a good one!

I'm loving your kitchen and dishwasher!! Can imagine the amount of time saved from washing the dishes. *envy*

[jobb 0]

Wow! Your Reno is really fast and furious!

Looking good! And yes I agree choosing a reliable and trusty ID/contractor is very important. And glad u chose a good one!

I'm loving your kitchen and dishwasher!! Can imagine the amount of time saved from washing the dishes. *envy*

Thanks xhomesweethomex! It's fast and furious as I don't like to be inefficient so I pushed my ID really hard. After reno was over, I asked him if I was his most difficult client and he replied in Mandarin,"Still ok lar..."

Thanks for the compliment! I've always wanted a dishwasher as I really hate washing dishes...when I showed the picture of the electrical appliances to my future MIL, she exclaimed in Mandarin,"Huh! You all two people buy what dishwasher?!?!" I sheepishly told her it can wash pots and pans too Hope it doesn't become a white elephant!

[nextstep 3]

Congratulation of the completion of your reno,

So when you going to move in?

[jobb 0]

Congratulation of the completion of your reno,

So when you going to move in?

Thanks nextstep! We're still waiting to get the moving in date from the FSM...apparently he's overseas at the moment We're also waiting for the installation of curtains on 16 Dec and for the new sofa to come in on 28 Dec...hopefully we will get to move in by the end of the year! In the meantime, we're just moving in our stuff bit by bit first

[jobb 0]

It's been awhile since we updates as we've been so busy with moving in and settling down! Never imagined it would be so tiring...

Since our last post, we've gone and returned from a short trip to Hong Kong. On the day of our return, we learnt from my fiance's Mum that the auspicious date for moving in as given by the FSM was 16 Dec. So, it was a mad rush within the next 3 days trying to pack our essentials and transport them to the house before the move in date. We didn't hire any movers as we only had clothes, shoes and miscellaneous accessories which could fit into the boot of my car...and so, we shifted the items from our respective houses bit by bit every day...

On the first night when we moved in and my fiance took his first shower in our master toilet, he noticed the tile which was supporting the upper hinge of our shower screen had cracked! We immediately took photos and sent them to my ID.

Our ID said his workers will come down to rectify together with his painter and carpenter for the remaining touch ups which were scheduled last Saturday.

So fast forward to Saturday, the carpenter came in to replace the strip of chipped laminate above my oven in the kitchen and the painter also touched up those areas I wasn't satisfied with (I'm more picky than my fiance ) The glass installers also came to uninstall the shower screen so that the tiler could replace the broken tile. Luckily only 1 tile was affected and we had extra tiles left. We had to wait for at least 1 day before the shower screen door could be re-installed so we went without one for the next 3 days until yesterday. The shower screen and tiles look as good as new

All in all, I'm happy that our ID was still as responsive and willing to rectify any issues which surfaced only after we moved in even though the fully payment had already been made.

Another issue which cropped up just before we moved in was our ID didn't realize the base of the plasma TV given to us by my friend was so wide! The TV console he built had only 36cm of depth while my TV base was 46cm...there was no way we could place the TV on the console without risking the TV toppling over...so we had to source for a new TV. Before my friend gave us the TV, we were actually looking at getting the MiTV and now that we had to buy a new TV, we decided to just go ahead and purchase one from Taobao...we used Daigou for shipping and the TV was delivered last Saturday! We took quite awhile to un-crate the TV and even broke our hammer head in the process In the end, we were both very pleased with the TV although my fiance said he would rather pay more to get a TV locally as the self-assembly process was too tiring!

Our curtains and blinds were also installed yesterday! Super happy and satisfied with them Vincent and his Mum came down and installed everything in 1 and a half hours! Without further ado, I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Edited December 24, 2015 by jobb

[jobb 0]

The rest of the rooms have also been completed except for the dining area as Vincent realized my ID actually ran a casing within the space allocated for the blind's rod when he came down yesterday. He proceeded to drill the holes and prepare the brackets but said he needed to modify that set of blinds and so, it will only be installed next week.

Our guest room where we store our miscellaneous stuff at the moment...

Our study room...the book shelf was assembled ourselves as we bought it from Taobao

Our master toilet in lived-in conditions...pardon the mess!

The other side of our living room

Edited December 24, 2015 by jobb

[Luxexplorer 2]

I dont think your place is messy at all and it feels very homey and cozy. Great job even though it was fast hand and fast leg Actually your sofa set evem though in the wrong colour looks like it is in the right setup now. It goes with the floor tiles and provides a gentle contrast.

Just curious how come your aircon piping looks like it is running though the top lourve window?

[jobb 0]

I dont think your place is messy at all and it feels very homey and cozy. Great job even though it was fast hand and fast leg Actually your sofa set evem though in the wrong colour looks like it is in the right setup now. It goes with the floor tiles and provides a gentle contrast.

Just curious how come your aircon piping looks like it is running though the top lourve window?

Thanks Luxexplorer! Good question there...the piping was done by the aircon installer and as long as it's not obvious in the rooms, I was alright to go ahead with their suggestion to pass the pipes through the lourve window in the master toilet I'm not sure what the usual practice is though...

As for the sofa set, we've already confirmed delivery of the new one in light grey this coming Monday...so cross fingers that the new one will look as good!

[jobb 0]

Our other inhabitant

[jobb 0]

Another item to strike off the list! Our new sofa and side table were delivered yesterday albeit way beyond the agreed timing I spent 4 hours waiting for the delivery guys and was worried they messed up my order again...Luckily everything was settled by 7pm; old sofa removed and new one delivered by 2 different delivery teams.

The new sofa and old one for comparison...I really like this color and the stitching makes it look less plain It's also a lot more comfortable to sit on! Which makes me wonder if they short-changed us on the old set Anyway, we're just glad this whole sofa saga is officially over!

View of the free side table given as compensation for the delay...it's been useful so far! We used it to eat dinner in front of the TV last night

[panjangowner 2]

Hola, nice blog there! However, seems like the ID and contractor didn't have good communication which ended up in so many issues. I would have exploded if it was me, kudos for being so patient with him.

I guess that is the problem with IDs and they tend to sub-contract the manual aka dirty work to their contractors while they project manage resulting in so much issues. Some of them can design and 3D well without taking note of the minor details but still charge a design fee (hope they didn't for your case). Nonetheless, great to see your house is up and coming!