Love Odyssey

[sumobear 0]

I had emailed ICI Dulux Paint Head Office yesterday night and someone called to clear my queries this morning. I am really pissed with my contractor once after hearing the explaination from the ICI's staff because She told me that all ICI Dulux Authorised shop will canned their paint into ICI paint can only and color accuracy is 99%.

What my contractor given me is his self-claimed "ICI paint" in Jotun can. The ICI's staff has also told me that Jotun paint is 20% cheaper than ICI paint so I have to be careful with what I am paying for.

I smsed all the information from the ICI's staff to my contractor and he called me back immediately to explain things and honestly told me that it is really Jotun Paint inside the can and he will rectify the problem for me ASAP. Probably bring me to buy the paint.

Still quite pissed that he is trying to get his way through the whole matter.

Edited April 17, 2007 by sumobear

[sumobear 0]

Its time to say BYE BYE to my cement floor....initially I thought my home is going to be completed by this friday but unfortunately or should it be lucky that my cement flooring has failed. My contractor has failed his job in doing my cement floor, there are so many ugly patches every where because of retouching and he tried to grind and do acid wash. In the end what I got is a floor with spider web crack lines every where which is no longer acceptable. My trust and confidence level in him has dropped ever since the paint issue and so I can no longer allow him to continue to mend floor.

What I am planning to do now is to get him to hack everything out and do normal tiling for the floor. So it is price negotiating again....

Looking at the bright side that everything bad happens before I pay and moved in. I am fated not to have cement floor...sigh

[Homeowner 1]

Oh dear...good thing you settled the paint issue. So, you'll buy the paints and the contractor provide the labour? I've opted for Self-fix to paint my flat in the end; expensive but dare not trust the low price ones 'cos don't see how they can make any money without mixing paint.

Don't feel bad about the cement floor. IMHO, think that it's really hyped up. In the old days, houses and flats came in cement floors and people put linoleum over them and change them to ceramic when they can afford them. All hdb flats have cement floor in the void decks...so you can enjoy the cement floor when you come down for a walk, markan, or grocery shopping.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Homeowner

[sumobear 0]

Oh dear...good thing you settled the paint issue. So, you'll buy the paints and the contractor provide the labour? I've opted for Self-fix to paint my flat in the end; expensive but dare not trust the low price ones 'cos don't see how they can make any money without mixing paint.

Don't feel bad about the cement floor. IMHO, think that it's really hyped up. In the old days, houses and flats came in cement floors and people put linoleum over them and change them to ceramic when they can afford them. All hdb flats have cement floor in the void decks...so you can enjoy the cement floor when you come down for a walk, markan, or grocery shopping.

Well...I am currently digging my contractor's grave, made so many mistake towards the end and still trying to tell lie and hope he can cover things up.

He had re-quoted my re-flooring meaning that there are hacking and tiling to be done. After studying the quotation, realised that his price is kind of fishy and he tried to explain things to me which I find it hard to believe because it is like a "cry wolf" situation.

[Homeowner 1]

Since the trust is lost and relations are so difficult now...dunno whether it is better to cut your losses and get another contractor?

[sumobear 0]

Since the trust is lost and relations are so difficult now...dunno whether it is better to cut your losses and get another contractor?

Thought of that but I think I am going to stick with his company because I do not wish to release the last payment to him. I want to hold him responsible for everything. Actual fact is that I do not have any loss for the flooring because I am not required to pay for the damaged cement floor. I just need to top up some more $$$ to get my floor tiled and it will definately be alot more durable than cement floor.

I am really disappointed with my contractor who is initially someone that I am happy working with.

[Homeowner 1]

Well, best wishes to you for the rest of your reno.!

[sumobear 0]

The situation of my home renovation seem to have changed and it is getting more complicated. My appointed contractor is leaving for another company this week and due to the complication of the renovation, he is suggesting to me that I can consider to terminate the renovation work with his current company and continue with his next company. With that kind of arrangement, he say he will try to arrange someone cheaper to do my flooring because his current company does not allow him to lower the price to compensate my flooring.

OOOOHHHHH....my gosh! What am I writing????? Does anyone knows what am I writing? Its so complicated....................

[Homeowner 1]

It's your flat...you must weigh the costs and benefits carefully. Depends on you, whether you are willing to give the contractor a second chance and believe in his word or whether you prefer to just terminate and start over with someone else with a more trustworthy record.

[sumobear 0]

My contractor and I had come to a conclusion yesterday night after a heated discussion. I have decided to continue the renovation with the current company to avoid the complication of signing of termination and handling over letters. So there is a twist to my renovation, my cement floor will be gone and will be replaced by tiles. Very worried that my completed walls and fixtures will be damaged but he have verbally ensured me that he will do all the necessary precaution before the hacking and tiling work start. Now I have to reshuffle my fundings between home renovation and wedding to pay off for the tiled floor.

As mentioned in one of my blog entries about my sixth sense giving me some pre-warning of my wrongly fixed bathroom, my sixth sense seem to have worked again recently. On Tuesday night, I had a feeling that my floor is rejecting the cement floor and should I abandon the plan of cement floor and go for the conventional tiled flooring. Then on wednesday morning when I met my contractor, I was told that he has completed an acid wash to the flooring and caused the whole floor to crack even deeper and almost beyond repair. I am really upset to know that and after a discussion with my wife, we decided to abandon the cement floor and go for floor tiles. Thanks god that my contractor has admitted his fault and never ask me to pay a single cent for the flooring. Do not know if the things that are happening are just coincidences or what...kind of spooky. My home is like alive and able to communicate with me.

[kenmura 0]

My contractor and I had come to a conclusion yesterday night after a heated discussion. I have decided to continue the renovation with the current company to avoid the complication of signing of termination and handling over letters. So there is a twist to my renovation, my cement floor will be gone and will be replaced by tiles. Very worried that my completed walls and fixtures will be damaged but he have verbally ensured me that he will do all the necessary precaution before the hacking and tiling work start. Now I have to reshuffle my fundings between home renovation and wedding to pay off for the tiled floor.

As mentioned in one of my blog entries about my sixth sense giving me some pre-warning of my wrongly fixed bathroom, my sixth sense seem to have worked again recently. On Tuesday night, I had a feeling that my floor is rejecting the cement floor and should I abandon the plan of cement floor and go for the conventional tiled flooring. Then on wednesday morning when I met my contractor, I was told that he has completed an acid wash to the flooring and caused the whole floor to crack even deeper and almost beyond repair. I am really upset to know that and after a discussion with my wife, we decided to abandon the cement floor and go for floor tiles. Thanks god that my contractor has admitted his fault and never ask me to pay a single cent for the flooring. Do not know if the things that are happening are just coincidences or what...kind of spooky. My home is like alive and able to communicate with me.

woah.

thankfully he's absorbing the cost as it's his fault....

hopefully everything will turn out fine!

PS Your 6th sense got any 4D numbers? ;p

Edited April 19, 2007 by kenmura

[Odielim 0]

hmmm

i guess sometimes fate with the place i dont know how to explain it but sometimes six sense works wonders..

hope things goes alright with you.. at least he didnt ask u to pay up..

sorry to hear that things went complicated for u...

hope things will be better soon..

[sumobear 0]

woah.

thankfully he's absorbing the cost as it's his fault....

hopefully everything will turn out fine!

PS Your 6th sense got any 4D numbers? ;p

I wish I could have 4D number....but I think so far my sixth sense has never give me a directly hint of where to get money. And anyway I do not pursue this kind of money.

hmmm

i guess sometimes fate with the place i dont know how to explain it but sometimes six sense works wonders..

hope things goes alright with you.. at least he didnt ask u to pay up..

sorry to hear that things went complicated for u...

hope things will be better soon..

Thanks for the encouragement...I simply feel good with this new home and it is like what I say it is alive and able to "communicate" with me.

[mist 0]

oh dear! so many things happened. its a pity the concrete floor cant be done anyway think of it as a blessing in disguise lor.. tiled floors easier to maintain, wont get cracks that easily and next time if sell your house your buyers wont use the bare concrete floor to nego for a lower price.

Hmm the cracks maybe due to wrong mixing of the cement sand water mixture. or no expansion joints.. or maybe he didnt allow for sufficient drying time..

But hmm if your contractors cant do a smooth cement finish.. then he has enough knowledge to do proper tiling or not? he will have to do some hacking to the floor now if you need to lay tiles, or else the tiles wont grip.

and what was the thickness of the cement floor finish that he layed for you? i think HDB has ruling that floor finish cannot be too thick.. so if u add the cement floor finish + tiles thickness, may be too thick..

[sumobear 0]

oh dear! so many things happened. its a pity the concrete floor cant be done anyway think of it as a blessing in disguise lor.. tiled floors easier to maintain, wont get cracks that easily and next time if sell your house your buyers wont use the bare concrete floor to nego for a lower price.

Hmm the cracks maybe due to wrong mixing of the cement sand water mixture. or no expansion joints.. or maybe he didnt allow for sufficient drying time..

But hmm if your contractors cant do a smooth cement finish.. then he has enough knowledge to do proper tiling or not? he will have to do some hacking to the floor now if you need to lay tiles, or else the tiles wont grip.

and what was the thickness of the cement floor finish that he layed for you? i think HDB has ruling that floor finish cannot be too thick.. so if u add the cement floor finish + tiles thickness, may be too thick..

Hi Mist...

The possible reason why the cement floor failed could be due to the contractor's poor judgement of cement overlaying existing tiles and his worker did not do a proper single spread of cement and ended up having ugly patches because of digging and patching. On top of that, this is the 1st time that my contractor do cement screed and he never expect to have so much problem.

I am doing a 100% hacking...meaning getting rid of the cement screed and the old tiles that are buried below. Tile laying is not a problem because he has laid tiles in my kitchen and toilets.

I am looking forward to the completion of renovation so I can go shopping for home accessories and start my DIYs