koxxic home for next 10 years!!!

[Njw Max 0]

Congratulations to your new home. Mind to PM Mr F contact with me? Thanks alot

[koxxic 2]

Updated
- Selected my "ID", deposit paid (all that's waiting is my new place to come).

[Berried 2]

Congrats! You will enjoy working with him. I know I did

[d3n 14]

On 04/05/2016 at 5:10 PM, koxxic said:

ID/ Contractor Selection
The Chosen One!!!
- Mr Foo from Custom Box

I have gotten many PMs asking for his contact. To be fair, I will only share if you have a proper blog here from now on. You may ask why? Because I want to prevent "contact collection" from folks who simply want a contact to keep in your contact books.

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nobody bother to read this lol

[ddycanne 0]

On 4 May 2016 at 5:10 PM, koxxic said:

ID/ Contractor Selection
The Chosen One!!!
- Mr Foo from Custom Box

I went through a total of 3 meetings with each lasting average of 2 hours. He is able to articulate and share ideas openly and yet absorb your suggestions. If you are brave and confident enough, allowing him to "free play" will add that element of surprise and uniqueness. I shall not go further into details but from the experience I get so far - I would give him a 8 out 10 (remaining 2 will depends on work progress, final design & workmanship), which I know he would get as much as a 9.5 at the end of day.

I have gotten many PMs asking for his contact. To be fair, I will only share if you have a proper blog here from now on. You may ask why? Because I want to prevent "contact collection" from folks who simply want a contact to keep in your contact books.

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Contractor K - H** Interior Renovation
- Had my first meet up with K 2 weeks back. A nice "uncle" with bling bling all over him bringing a touch of friendliness. He has been in this line for years and I remember he was also recommended by members here way back in 2006 when I was going to do up my 1st home. He is experienced no doubt, he grasped your ideas very quickly and simple explanation is enough for him to understand your "wants" and "needs"
Like many other contractors, design or ideas may not be his forte; forget about this part and you will be fine with him. The session with K was pleasant and comfortable but unfortunately, his quotation came back to be the most expensive till date (though he ask to meet up and discuss again to work on the requirement and pricing), he is not cast out yet though as I pend for others.

Contractor N - Renog***
- He came to my attention while I was reading (T-Blog) and on the look out for a contractor. Positive feedbacks (especially on the pricing part) made me sit up and did more research on him. Using the same quotation requirement sheet from K; I got him to quote me. His response was quick, too quick (within 24 hours to be exact) and first copy came back with mistakes, even 2nd copy too (repeating the same mistake). I wasn't too impressed with his quotation, pricing is not as cheap as some of the blog shared; coming in just $3K short of K.
I am still considering if I should drop him.

Carperter Xing H***
- Came across them in my FB feed. From the reviews and feedback posted, I wrote to them and again used the same template from what I got from K. They are typical carpenter and have their own workshop; and what's coincidental was I saw them on some photos posted by Renogu*** customer. Price was the cheapest - a good $12K (though I believe after some plus minus - difference will be around $6-8K). Didn't talk to them at all but the chap who was liaising with me via whatsapp and email was really prompt; if you have your design, know what you want to do and willing to work harder on coordination to save money - they might be just for you.


ID Mr F**
- He's touted as "The One" by many here. The One ID who works more like a contractor but design with flair and class of an ID. I got to meet him last Thursday and I was blown away. He came highly recommended by bro @OceanEleven; I now know why. Though I am still pending for his quotation and design, I can safely say his knowledge, ideas, space planning and willingness to span ideas/ thoughts in your mind to keep you grounded is already reason enough to go with him. I felt really comfortable with him and his portfolio via his FB is also impressive. During the discussion (which took 2 hours till 10.30pm), he continuously adapt ideas while also sharing alternative. Some really bold and wild idea to go with our theme - bringing in material options which I never think at all will/ can be used for home reno (never seen anyone's home using them too). He would also share the pros and cons on the things/ items which I want to do, which again is a plus point (though most would say it's the minimum criteria) but truth is not many ID will bother nowadays. I am definitely shortlisting Mr F**, and if the quote comes back to my budget - I will go with him for sure.

To be continued

hello  

may i request the contacts of all your ID/contractors posted here?  

thank you! 

[koxxic 2]

Renotalkers, I’m back.

Do allow me to apologise for missing this long. Time just wasn’t enough to juggle between work, kids and renovation; it didn’t help that my project took longer than usual to complete too. But I am here now with an open post to all members who is looking to reno their house (now, near future or future) to just contact Mr Foo.

Now, as you would have read my earlier post on searching for that elusive ID; a few was short listed but only 1 or 2 stood out. How I eventually selected my ID was also based on a few criteria, namely:

1)      How he can work around my budget?

2)      How knowledgeable he is?

3)      Ideas & design

4)      Chemistry

One of the usual thing I would do when choosing a vendor (or ID in this case – not that I reno a lot) is to test their responsiveness. Out of the short listed, only 2 came back promptly; Mr Foo stood out in this case because he responded and also took time to meet us (as shared in my earlier post).  The rest is history.

I would start by rating Mr Foo services:

1.       Responsiveness                9/10

2.       Ideas & Design                  8/10

3.       Budget Planning                9/10

4.       Coordination                      7/10

5.       Contractors                        9.5/10

 

*Disclaimer: in the event you do not get any response from him after 1st meeting, please don't take it that he is not keen. I think when it comes to renovation and matching an ID - chemistry play an important part. If there is no chemistry, don't force it because plenty of unhappiness will surface.

Edited February 20, 2017 by koxxic

[koxxic 2]

1.       Responsiveness                               9/10

From start of engagement to the end of project, the percentage of him not answering my call is a mere 1% and it happened because he was in the middle of work when he couldn’t answer. Even when I was with him, he would promptly answer all calls by contractor and his other customers as well. Base on my observation, he truly deserved rating of 9.

2.       Ideas & Design                  9/10

When I first shared my ideas with him, he was really open and receptive but he would always caveat with “Let’s see how on site” or “we can see how the earlier design worked out before deciding”. During the course of my reno, I finally realized why he said that. Some areas and designs need to be conceptualized and fulfilled after another part is completed. One good example was my request to go with grey walls (and the tone of the grey). We didn’t know if it will work out until my kitchen was hacked proper; he took the decision to delay the painting first and only went with it later on. When the 1^st piece of wall was up, the decision to add on further to the hallway was thought to bring more feel to my theme; which again proved to be right.

I also love how he space planned my whole living area. Initial idea of having a shoe cabinet right at my entrance was changed to a full wall that encompassed a 3ft display with storage shelves cum TV feature. The end result was mesmerizing – not only I have ample storage; the design did not “clutter” my entrance and make my place look small. The way he plan the flow of movement and doors is also something you can be assured of.

He also has an eye for matching and choosing the right laminate; which in my case, went perfectly coordinated from living to kitchen. On top of all the above, you will also be hearten to learn that Mr Foo is a very hands on person too and is quite the handy man. There were quite massive DIY works involved towards the end, and he took it like a breeze; handling everything from drilling, to installation (with his folks) and design too. Some of the piping works he did for me was exquisite and one of a kind.

Friend and relatives who visited so far have nothing but praises for his work and design. I even have Singtel and StarHub on site engineer who “refused” to leave after coming to fix my broadband and TV services. Spend an hour extra to ask me about his work and complimenting how different my place is compared to others whom they had seen.

3.       Budget Planning               9/10

My budget wasn’t something any ID will like; in fact many ID would not give it a 2^nd look. I have a neither here nor there of $30K to spend but plenty of things I want to do. He looked at it, worked on it and he met my budget. No guesses why he got a 9 here too.

 

4.       Coordination                      8.5/10

He fared slightly worse off in this area simply because he is overwhelmed hence can be slower when coordinating contractors to come in. But rather than looking at it this way, I like to see it such he is being cautious. Why? Just so he can ensure work before the next contractor who comes in is done proper and cleared before anything else. In my case, it was actually one of the contractors who screw things up by delaying rather than him but all in all, this is just a small part of the whole process.

5.       Contractors                        9.5/10

Electrician, plumber, carpenter, cleaner etc – all I can say is Mr Foo has a dedicated team of contractors who deliver      101% for him. I have to say his team delivered what I expected and more, in fact I couldn’t be more pleased with the workmanship rendered throughout. If not them, it will be Mr Foo himself and his parents. And from our conversation, I can tell Mr Foo is very proud of his team too because they all delivered for him. I am one who is really “in chim” and if I can accept means it’s of certain standard. Moreover, I am very assured Mr Foo will not leave me in the lurch even now that everything is done up and handed over.

 

[koxxic 2]

I will be following up shortly (in the next few days) with photos so do keep a look out for it.

[OceanEleven 203]

Been eyeing this space for the longest time.