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brendabb

The results of choosing a contractor over an ID !

By brendabb, in Renovation Contractors, Interior Designers & Suppliers Reviews

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brendabb    5

brendabb
Posted

dcotor123,

totoro0268

 

i think both your inbox and outbox are full, please delete old messages so i can send the contact details.

 

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gabrieltangg    0

gabrieltangg
Posted
On 2/15/2017 at 11:37 AM, brendabb said:

in 2013, my boyfriend and i purchased a small 2 bedder condo apartment around 650 square feet, and it was ready to move in 2016. So began the shopping for decor materials, furniture and of course to short list ID to do a simple renovation. Condos usually have kitchens, aircon and electrical already installed and I didnt want to do major hacking. My plan was to do up carpentry and some additional electrical points. New condos are small, and i really needed a lot of storage for both our stuff, and also the kitchen needed additional storage as well.

Shortlisting ID is a tiring process, let me tell you. First, we have to do online search on renotalk and facebook, to find nice design from ID and go meet them. Then the games begin! We met up with 5 ID, 1 from IMM, 2 "well known" featured on magazines, and 2 from those expo shows. The initial sketch they provided was never exciting, and we were really disappointed from the 2 "famous" ones. Maybe our budget of 20k was not interesting for them! They will always ask what your budget is, and eventually the quotation will land at that figure or more. They will give a generic design, then you have to describe what you like to them, or show them a picture and they will adapt. Or they will rehash all their previous design, old trick looks fresh to new customer haha. One ID even wanted to charge additional 2k for design fee.

So we figured, whats the point of engaging an ID if we end up providing all the design input. We then started looking for a contractor instead. We only met up with our contractor, after comparing 3 quotes. He had some mixed reviews on renotalk, but we used him. To be frank, we really didnt know if it would work out fine or not, and even if we met 5 contractors, all would all be risky. But that guy seem ok and we decided to give a try. The best part is that using a contracted means significant savings compared to using an ID! 

The contractor's team were quite good I must say. The carpenter was very detailed and slow and meticulous...it was hilarious discussing the design with him. My boyfriend specifically wanted a home theatre in our tiny apartment and this was achieved! The electrician was a "silent killer"...looked unfriendly but helpful and very accommodating. All in all, the entire experience was fuss free and we are pleasantly surprised. We are sharing our home photos and we also hope that your home reno experience will be as pleasant!

 

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Hi Brenda! I love the design and what you have done with the place. Is it possible to PM me your contractor's details or email me at gabriel.tangg@gmail.com please? Thanks! :)

 

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