Ideal House Id

[cereal Killer 0]

Hi there

I found my Ideal House ID thru the forum too.

However this so-called highly recommended ID, Joh**y is givng us problem.

B4 we sign the contract w him, he was nice and negotiable. After we sign and work starts, he starts giving us his attitude. He often will challenge us, make decision for us (ie..where we wan install some applicances and etc) and when we said we wan it the way we want it, cause we are the ONE STAYING in the house it of course have to suit our needs or preferences, he will make scarcastic remarks "These days only you all like that, the REST OF my home owners LET ME DO WATEVER I WAN, not so leh cheh like u all".

He even laugh at us when we said we dun hv budget to change some things in our house. Most often, he give us this impression that he feel that we DUN HAVE TASTE and dun have money to spend. Hey come on, house is ours, we make it the way we like it, the way it will works for us. He will often say, if this is my house...I will do this, do that, do like this, do like tat!

When come to collect 2nd 50% payment, WOW...he suddenly everything also can, can do, can change, can negotiate. So we tot, ah....he got his wake up call from some other owner. NO! WRONG! After collecting the 2nd payment, SAME FU*K UP attitude appear.

When we ask him to come on site so that we can tell him what needs rectification, he said NO NEED! u just tell me over the phone!?? In my heart, i was tinking, what the fu*k, u are not doing our house for free, WE PAID U EVERY SINGLE CENT as stipulated by the contract. But where is the service level u shld be delivering.

I tink we had been very reasonable owner so far. We dun call him everyday and ask for updates, when we go check out house progress and nothing was done, we dun even call and question him why it was not done, we jus let it be for a while thinking, we dun wan to hurry him. And he also commented b4 that lucky we are not like some other owners he has who will call him everyday and check status or question him how come no work was done for the past 1 week.

He is most good at twisting his words around when u spot his mistake.

While we were telling him to rectify some work, he was busy sms-ing, not even interested in taking note of the areas that we are referring to and i was piss off so i ask him purposely, eh are u listening to what i am saying....still pressing his phone keypad not even looking at me, he said YES i am listening!! The i ask him, u not looking at wat where i am referring to how are u gng to relate to your workers...he said..no need ma, i jus tell them this area this area and they will know what to do!!

That was my FINAL LAST STRAW with him.

And this post is the result of the FINAL LAST STRAW!!!!!!

So if anyone is considering signing up with him....I urge u to reconsider THRICE.

PS: It is your freedom of choice whether u wld like to believe me or not. My starting point is simple, I got recommended to him thru this forum and I am seeing more pple seeking word of mouth referral from this site. What we had went thru, we hope we can help others to siam him. Afterall, the starting point of this site is realli abt helping pple find ID who will and can help us, not bully us, right??

[rumi 0]

hmm diff pple gam with diff pple... mine is not this guy but why need to * his name ahh...

dun pay the last 10% then if u are unhappy with the end result.

[cereal Killer 0]

hmm diff pple gam with diff pple... mine is not this guy but why need to * his name ahh...

dun pay the last 10% then if u are unhappy with the end result.

as much as i wld like to agree with you when u said diff gam w diff pple, i think my expectation of him to deliver what HE HAD agreed during our first meeting is not an OVER expectation case. i am jus asking him to deliver what he had promised. anyway, end of day, we are paying a price for his service right? We too go to work to be paid for doing what our boss expects us to do isn't it?

of cos i won't be gong until i will make anymore payment unless he deliver what he has promised.

[Yenming 0]

Hi cereal killer,

Dun be sad over the renovation ups n downs. Its inevitable to hav minor conflicts along the way. But wat most important is that I believe he will always try to rectify all the problems before the actual handover day.

Let me share wif you our experience. We are also recommended to "him" from this forum. To reduce uncertainty, we even visited the forumer's place to assure that renovation works and quality is able to meet our stringent expectations. Thru enuff, the carpentry wrk is really up to standard.

Similarly, we also have a tight budget and his is aware of it. However, after several comparisons, we finally signed up with Him. During the renovation process, he did make suggestions to change certain things or how and where to put our appliances in order to make our place more spacious (space planning). Of cos, fr a designer's point of view, the place will not be perfect if some things are left unchanged. And that's the reason as to why we r engaging an ID and not a contractor. A good ID will provide suggestions as to how to make the place better. On the flip side, some of us may nt like the idea tt an ID will change our original idea as what our dream place will be. So its up to individuals.

Along the way, he took the initiative to help us think of better designs to improve our ideas. My shoe cabinet is the result of many changes in the design. We told him tt initial design is a bit common. And he went back to think of improvements. We really appreciate his efforts. We are also not "easy" owners. We keep changing our minds. He is also patient and helping us to absorb the additional cost if he can. We dun treat him as an ID but friend. So we even recommended our friends to him and all of them are happy owners.

You mentioned that he's busy sms-ing during your discussion. We actually have the same encounters. Perhaps we r not offended by his actions becos we knew tt he's really busy. He is not serving us only. He is also responsible to other owners and not only us. Wat happens if now my place is facing problems, and he ignore my sms/calls. After sales service to us is also important.So we actually give in to these.

Besides, he is aware of our expectations and he'll settle all our concerns. Even until now, we still went back to him to settle some minor touch-up wrk even though we shifted in 3 mths back.

I hope by telling u our experience can help to you to cool down. Dun worry. Cheers.

[LLhome 0]

Hi cereal killer,

Reali sorry to hear your experience with your id... i think i know who you referring to. he is also our id for our home few mths back. although i agree that we will have some minor conflicts with our ids, but come to think about it, if we don't, its only shows that the id are just doing what we have instructed him instead of giving us ideas to create a better home. then i don't see the point of getting an id.

during our reno, he also provide us other suggestions and do not agree with our initial ideas. but all we did is to sit and discuss with him and consider whose idea to take. so during the reno, we took quite a few ideas from him and end up we reali feel its better taking up his ideas.

Regarding him keep on dabbling with his phone during discussion, i believe every owner has the same experience with all the IDs. If that does not happen, I think it only shows that the ID is really free.

So gotta agree with what yen ming said.

With regards to rectifications, i think there might be a communication breakdown somewhere. Even though he seems distracted during discussions but the truth is even until now, i could not even remember how long since we moved in, we still call him for modifications and rectifications. He still respond to us with urgency.

Oh ya, one more thing, i always sms him the rectifications needed to be done. He can better keep track of it in his sms rather then talking to you and forgetting a big chunk of it ain't it?

We got problems with his payment issues also, because i was the one chasing after him for the final bill and he keeps on dragging me cause he is concentrating on the on-hand projects, Hahahah. So finally paid him the full sum like 1 or 2 month after we moved in.

Like what Rumi said maybe different IDs suit different people. I think most importantly is what when you seek for a ID, you look for some one who is willing to share his knowledge and provide suggestions. We do have little bickers about decisions but our ID only says, quoted directly, "I can only provide you with suggestion, decision is up to you to make". although he sometimes may sound harsh, but i know that he is tryin to do his job well. also he been helpin us to save money during reno by offering other alternatives too.

So far he always make an effort to come to our hse whenever we need him on our hse issue. and until now, he had never fail us on that. me and my husband reali feel fortunate in gettin him as our id. he reali done far beyond our expectation.

like i always mentioned, his workmanship is good and his after sales service never disappoint us. tat is something i really need to emphasize. and i must admit that i am reali a fickle minded owner but he always show his patience towards me.

I believe the best thing to do is to communicate with him and get the house done, as when its on-going, is a stressful thing for everyone. And when everything settles, I believe you'll be in the happy owners group like most of us. try to communicate more with him. i'm sure he is a nice person to work with.

Cheers and best of luck to your new home.

P.S. Actually we have recommended the ID to quite a number of forummers to date. And i believe most of us are now happily staying in our new house. So just try to work this out and stay cool. It'll be fine.

Edited November 30, 2008 by LLhome

[Magnito 0]

Hi, I have been a reader on this forum but after reading cerealkiller's post I decided to write in. We share the same ID and are experiencing some of the same problems. With the other 2 owners who made positive post, good for you that your experience with him is positive. But you can not be too sure that the ID is still maintaining the same service level as before.

Perhaps his attitude has changed for the worse? Maybe he turned complacent with all the previous good reviews? Who knows...

Anyway, everyone has their freedom to share and its important to let other forumers know that things are not as good as projected on this thread.

We share several common problems as cereal killer but jus going to highlight three major ones. Firstly, the ID's attitude. He has mood swings. When I call him and he is in a bad mood, he makes it sound like I owe him money. So we are always wondering, when is the right time to call and when is not? (Doesnt it sound very ironic that we the clients who pay, have to worry when is a right time to call the ID?)

Secondly, the ID does not Want to come down to our house to discuss the house's renovation progress. When we request for him to come, he will say his busy and say communicate thru phone instead. As the ID is the 1 who coordinates and gives workers instructions, Im really wondering whether he is doing his job

Thirdly, dont want to come down ok, we communicate through phone. But after talking through phone the changes still never make. Give us many excuses and reasons and keep us waiting.

If all this problem boils down to him being TOO busy, perhaps it is only professional and ethical to accept as many clients as he can handle. Rather than to take too many clients at the expense of his current clients.

[rumi 0]

I am a very picky and meticulous person..and indecisive keep changing my requirement, add this dun want that..even my bf say if he were the ID he don't even want to do my business. Luckily steven is always very patient and polite n efficient.. So far we are very gam with him.

I agree that if my id were another person, the J guy.. we might have worse disagreement n unhappiness with him coz we would be angry by his attitude as we have high expectation even though our renovation does not cost more than 30K, is still our hard-earned money!

Not to mention, in order to cut cost, we sourced our own stuff like Blum lift system from a hardware store as it is cheaper than by from him. As I was too busy to go collect & he went personally down to pay and collect for me.

We also got our own painter & electrician, hence cutting his margin, but still his attitude is good. Aside from some comments like 'ehh.. ur plc light ur electrician did a bit slanted leh' ur painter painted the ceiling got glossy marks leh..... but his tone was not mocking kind. just some gd will remarks.. to inform me what he noticed and ask me to rectify with my painter and electrician.

Edited December 3, 2008 by rumi

[Cherie 0]

Hi Rumi,

care to share or PM me how much was your quote from Steven? And yours is a new or resale flat and how many rooms?

many thanks.

[LLhome 0]

Hi Magnito,

Its reali sad that there is yet another unsatisfied customer of J....at the same time quite surprised too.

i understand some id might have the "drop of standard" thingy. but when i write in, i have absolute confidence for J as the last time he help us on our hse issue is maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago. that is 9 months after we moved in. he been doing great after sales service that i reali kudos to him. but dun worry, our house issues have nothing to do with his workmanship, its just the change of minds on some designs and the destroys from my doggy. (he didnt earn a single cent from this after sales as we only paid once for the change of bed head which is direct cost from carpenter. others are completely FOC)

that is why i write in with so much confidence on him. i cant believe an id with such great after sale service will be doing a poor job with his exisiting customers.

conflicts or disagreements are reali common between ids and owners. at the end of the day, the most important is still the end result. like i mentioned, we do have some conflicts and disagreements with J during our reno. but we managed to solve every each of them. in the end, we are satisfied with the results and we got all praises and compliments from our relatives and friends on the workmanship and designs.

ids are also human beings like us. we cant expect 100% from them. somemore we are not their only customers. we can't expect 100% good attitude, workmanship, after sales service, agreements, time, communication, etc..... this not only apply to J but to all ids who are trying their best to help create a dream house for us. we need to understand that they always have a tight schedule to meet. although we are paying customers but they are not superman too.

which owner doesnt have any disagreements or problems with their ids during the whole reno process? we do have disagreements with J too. and i would always complaint to my hubby bout J. but that is all i did. afterall there are all common and minor ones. i can't be telling the whole world all those little disagreements i have with my id and forgetting his hard work in helping us on our dream house which now we are staying in. that will be very unfair. afterall those disagreements only reflects J is trying to provide us with other ideas and alternatives instead of just waiting for instructions. end of the day, we got ourselves great workmanship and better designs which is most crucial.

I feel its really polite to consider when u gonna call an ID, besides being your designer. he is also designer for many others and a father to his family. We do the same for J too, in most scenarios, we drop him a msg and have him call us back when he is available to talk. Even for friends, colleagues, we consider if its the right time to call them hence don't think its right to say since you're paying, you can call at anytime u want.

magnito, if u truly is a customer of J, maybe you can try to talk to J on the problems. i'm not being offensive here. its just make me wonder from your first read in this forum to gettin J as your id, you have never once posted in the forum until now. so its kinda strange to me...

[becks150 0]

Dear all,

Can someone give me the contacts of Kenneth and Steven?

Much appreciated!

[morgulboy 0]

Kenneth is good, straight forward and might say things some customer hate to hear, but i feel that hes just being open n honest.

Things like checking of unit when u get ur keys. He says he will look at big things but not small things etc cause he considers HDB contractors as his same line so he wont try to pick on them etc if i didnt interpret wrongly.

He told us for smaller ID firms, reputation n service r the most important and they will go all out for it. If reputation tarnish they no need eat liao.

Then for bigger firms, they usually charge tinted black glass more expensive than clear glass.(THIS ISSUE WE HAD ENCOUNTERED OURSELVES) But for kenneth he charge the same as he felt the difference is not that great n he is ok to absorb the charge. Many small items he also absorb, not like those bigger firms whereby they charge for every single item.

I shortlisted him as 1 of my last 2 IDs. But eventually I drop kenneth because the other ID from IMAGE impressed us with his designs.

My wife and I wanted designs that really have a 'WOW' factor like those in magazines.

My opinion is that if u want a budget control and presentable home, Kenneth is a good pick. Hes good in cost savings n will avoid recommending unnecessary items. PRACTICAL AND COST SAVINGS!

Edited December 7, 2008 by morgulboy

[Cherie 0]

Hi morgulboy,

can I know if the prices quoted by Ideal House and IMAGE are almost the same?

Thanks.

[morgulboy 0]

As i said, cost savings. Idea house is cheaper. And they r always ready to throw in attractive free gift like aircons etc.

My IMAGE ID free me some Chenal wood and a free kitchen glass door.

[lancerguy 0]

Can I have Mr K contacts and the Image contact? Thanks.

[lancerguy 0]

Can I have Mr K contacts and the Image contact? Thanks.

Anyone else got served by Max? Is he able to deliver? Don't wanna be too judgemental on my first visit.