Kitty's Cattery

[MaCe 3]

we went to singapore handicraft centre

i actually went there yesterday and saw some bookcases which my dad might like

true enough, he saw one that he likes quite a lot and we all felt is nice

so in the end we bought two bookcases, one low cabinet and a mahjong table

came up to a whopping $4.7k coz it's all made of rosewood

wa...another rosewood lover

sg handicraft is way overpriced though....do check THOROUGHLY when they deliver.

[applefreak 1]

wa...another rosewood lover

sg handicraft is way overpriced though....do check THOROUGHLY when they deliver.

oh dear, serious ah

but didn't know where else to go coz those in chinatown is

any recommendation where to get them at a lower price?

will take your advice and check carefully when they deliver, what should i look out for?

[applefreak 1]

hi all, need some help here

of all the ID / contractors i visited, NO ONE got back with a second quote

how?

thinking of DIYing the whole process i.e. get my own contractors for each item and coordinate the whole process.

my pay is low but leave got quite a lot so will take a few days leave every week if i choose to do my own coordination

for windows, grilles, kitchen cabinets, painting and lights i have a few numbers kindly given by fellow forummers to try. but i'm not sure who to go to for the following:

1. concrete sink support (kitchen fellow or tiling fellow?)

2. install toilet accessories and instant heater - plumbing or electrician?

3. install sink, connect inlet/outlet for sink/wm - plumbing or kitchen?

and please help to see if i have missed anything.

[Cantona7 0]

hi all, need some help here

of all the ID / contractors i visited, NO ONE got back with a second quote

how?

thinking of DIYing the whole process i.e. get my own contractors for each item and coordinate the whole process.

my pay is low but leave got quite a lot so will take a few days leave every week if i choose to do my own coordination

for windows, grilles, kitchen cabinets, painting and lights i have a few numbers kindly given by fellow forummers to try. but i'm not sure who to go to for the following:

1. concrete sink support (kitchen fellow or tiling fellow?)

2. install toilet accessories and instant heater - plumbing or electrician?

3. install sink, connect inlet/outlet for sink/wm - plumbing or kitchen?

and please help to see if i have missed anything.

I am nt sure are u looking for an ID or Contractor, cos they will normally quote it everything in a package.

Edited April 16, 2007 by Cantona7

[applefreak 1]

actually i'm looking for either ID or contractor, whoever comes back to me with a quote. can't take package coz things i want not in package and things in package i dun want e.g. dun want false ceilin/L-box or feature wall etc but i want concrete sink support, grilles/windows

actually wanted to take ho bee but after meeting up to view my home and discussion on what i want on april's fool day, they didn't get back at all. think they are too busy.

so now see if i get any more quotes from the numerous IDs i went to. if really no one comes back, then i'll have no choice but become my own phua chu kang

[Cantona7 0]

actually i'm looking for either ID or contractor, whoever comes back to me with a quote. can't take package coz things i want not in package and things in package i dun want e.g. dun want false ceilin/L-box or feature wall etc but i want concrete sink support, grilles/windows

actually wanted to take ho bee but after meeting up to view my home and discussion on what i want on april's fool day, they didn't get back at all. think they are too busy.

so now see if i get any more quotes from the numerous IDs i went to. if really no one comes back, then i'll have no choice but become my own phua chu kang

Don worry too much, normally for an ID to come back with their quote take two wks or more, depend hw popular they are.

If really cant wait no harm calling them back to check on the status if you really like their ideas.

Becoming PCK is the last resort unless u are familiar in these line, their contact and market rate.

[applefreak 1]

think i gave them more than a month liao

the latest one is LWT, went to them last thu but still no news

met patrick of ho bee on 01 apr but still no news

the others all in march but no one got back

my bf even joked that bcoz i am too detailed so nobody want to quote coz they think i spy

only thing i'm familiar with in the market rate, looking out for contacts now

so far for me not much ideas are required coz only doing kitchen and the various installation works. shifting from my current home to new place so most furnitures and appliances fixed liao. kitchen is in such a shape that galley will be the 'only' choice (good one but boring)...

think will call miki again and see how

[Odielim 0]

hi all, need some help here

of all the ID / contractors i visited, NO ONE got back with a second quote

how?

thinking of DIYing the whole process i.e. get my own contractors for each item and coordinate the whole process.

my pay is low but leave got quite a lot so will take a few days leave every week if i choose to do my own coordination

for windows, grilles, kitchen cabinets, painting and lights i have a few numbers kindly given by fellow forummers to try. but i'm not sure who to go to for the following:

1. concrete sink support (kitchen fellow or tiling fellow?)

2. install toilet accessories and instant heater - plumbing or electrician?

3. install sink, connect inlet/outlet for sink/wm - plumbing or kitchen?

and please help to see if i have missed anything.

1 - i think tiler? sorry not very sure for this usually kitchen cabinet the carpenter will make the size to fit the kitchen sink, and the solid top pple to do the measurement for the sink to put in..

then for urs concrete one.. i think its tiler but i am not very sure.. sorry about it..

2 - plumber

3 - plumber most likely

electrician is usually hod/hood points, gas points - usually city gas own pple..

power points - electrician in the kitchen

instant heater point - electrician

Installing of the instant heater - plumber

[storeberry 0]

Hi applefrak, I thought of becoming my own PCK because I couldn't find a contractor but in the end decided that its prob not worth the time so got a contractor to do it. PM u!

[applefreak 1]

thanks for the PM

me is no choice, if any of the contractor gets back to me with a reasonable quote i'll go for it

it's that no one got back to me

why why why

if i become PCK, i'll be doing the following:

1. grilles / windows up first

2. painting next

3. then the concrete sink support

4. followed by install sink, connect inlet/outlet, install instant heater, install toilet accessories

5. kitchen cabinets next

6. installation of lights follows

7. lastly chemical wash

8. finally moving in

this sequence correct or not? anything i missed?

tomorrow going down to meet the tiling contractor to finalise on the hacking of one side study wall, level up the balcony and removing the balcony door. if level up the balcony then must remove the door liao, if not also look a bit weird

now wondering if they will be changing the kitchen tiles as well, should be done by the same fellow right???

[Homeowner 1]

Dear applefreak...it's really not easy being your own contractor...

IMHO, suggest that concrete support, plumbing, kitchen cabinets be done by the same fellow 'cos close co-ordination required. For example, plumber needs to set up a working tap for the tiler, kitchen cabinet guy need to co-ordinate with the concrete support guy so that your concrete support can have doors. Chemical wash will be done by the same guy.

The biggest disadvantage of being your own contractor, besides the time, is that the various groups may not want to be responsible if there are any problems. They'll just blame the other parties...and you may have difficulty resolving the problem and end up begging one of the parties to help clear the mess. Whereas if you have a main contractor, he'll have to be responsible to clear the mess. E.g. my air-con problem (see my blog), if the main contractor was responsible, he'll have to make sure they drill the holes nicely, clean up nicely, etc. But, since I sub-contracted it to others, I had to swallow all the consequences myself.

Others like grilles, painting, electrical can be easily sub-contracted out yourself...easy to parcel out and easy to monitor.

Edited April 17, 2007 by Homeowner

[Ben3555 0]

Hi.. not recommended unless u have lots of time and can control the workers..i.e. willing to be bad guy, shout a bit and sayang them at other time.. u may want to chase some of those contractor or id to revert..I did it beforre for me previous place and a real headache coordinating the work and timing for the different parties.. all the best...

[Odielim 0]

sometimes abit more money spent give u less headache.. somemore if u are not too fierce or firm with them u feel more stress out and it will affect ur relationship with ur love ones..

of coz if u have alot of lobangs and can find good reliable contractors to be ur own PCK, go ahead, u can save that kind of money...

try to find contractor type to ease ur worries..

all the best..

[storeberry 0]

Hi applefreak, all the best to finding your contractor!! Don;t worry, I was in the same situation as well. Its good to have the forummers here to share & comfort! Hee..

[applefreak 1]

met the tile contractor yesterday but couldn't update coz sent in my lappy for repairs

anyways, met him at my place yesterday. the place is a war-zone but strangely, no one was working there in the afternoon

spoke to him about levelling the balcony and removing the study wall

he quote me $450 to level the balcony and $100 to remove the wall

was quite happy coz $100 to demolish the wall is quite reasonable.

then came the stunner - got to pay another $250 to apply HDB permit

so to hack that 1m of wall will cost me $350

now the question comes (again)

1. $450 to level up the balcony - reasonable?

2. he wants to charge another $500 on top of everything coz he say laying homo tiles is different from ceramic, got to use more sand - got like that one meh???

before going down to my place, went to boon keng there to check out the price of grilles. for the design i want, the guy want to charge $15/sqf for aluminium somemore it's only ordinary aluminium, not powder coated or strengthened or anything

then we visited seng kwong at defu lane, served by a lady

i asked about the kitchen cabinet package and asked if i can change the top 10ft of cabinet into one 3ft full-ht cabinet. she can't seem to grasp what i'm saying and keep repeating - 'our cabinet comes with hydraulic lift and dish drainer', 'it's total 20ft top and bottom, very cheap price already' even after i repeated at least three times that i dun want top cabinet. when i asked about concrete support, she told me it's not 'in' anymore. i told her i wanted functionality, not follow the trend blindly. then she keep repeating the trend now is this, everybody also do this blah blah blah. sigh... quite disappointed loh

oh, and i went down to NW as well.

the lady say she emailed me already and show me the printout

but it's dated 20/12/06

i have not even applied for the flat loh

anyway she just sms me to say she sent the quotation to me again

and i called miki (again) and she also said that she emailed me on 13/04 but i also didn't receive. so she sent again, forwarding the email she sent earlier. turn out the email address she used the first time is wrong . i open the attachment and patrick didn't include all the changes we discussed :fire:

sent the list back to her and ask her to send another quotation based on the list i provided, easier this way.

now to sit and wait again...