Any Interior Design Firms to recommend?

[Kaylin]

Wow... item G... Aircon ...mit sys 2...

>3000 plus!! this one clearly chop carrot kill ppl set fire!

eh mine is 2 big ones, 18K and 24K BTU. i think if buy from gain city or what around the same price.

 

[SecretAgent]

eh mine is 2 big ones, 18K and 24K BTU. i think if buy from gain city or what around the same price.

ok.. i see... your's is the bigger ones...

Yah i agreed yours need alot of coordination.. perhaps in your case, ID might be better. The IDs should have all the right contractors for your job.

Seriously.. for mine.. I already think and planned until head pain.. I really can't imagine yours.

All the best!

 

[Kaylin]

ok.. i see... your's is the bigger ones...

Yah i agreed yours need alot of coordination.. perhaps in your case, ID might be better. The IDs should have all the right contractors for your job.

Seriously.. for mine.. I already think and planned until head pain.. I really can't imagine yours.

All the best!

best is just drop all the ideas and dont do anything haha. u started hacking already? pm me all the other lobangs u have leh lol

 

[EmPtYsOuLz]

neither will i, luckily i started early. else when kan chiong everything will just accept. nowadays quotations v tricky. they like to itemize & break down every single thing so they can charge more.

anyone thinks the quotes i received are too ex pls feel free to recommend contractors that do cheapo reno thanks lol

Itemise and breakdown is actually better if the items should to be itemised. At least you will be assured that you will not face a hefty bill for a variation order halfway through the renovation.

I took a quick look at your contractor quote, the itemized breakdowns are reasonable but he/she is overcharging you for certain items such as

• Washing machine base, market rate is $120 - $150 only
• Overlay Bathroom wall tiles, $4400 to overlay is very expensive, that would probably be the price charged when you lay new wall tiles on a hacked wall
• Kitchen Cabinet price ranging from 130 - 150 psf, market rate (with internal white pvc) only 120-130

Not much comments on the remaining items as I don't have such heavy customisation in my quotes received.

But to be honest you did also include quite a lot of carpentry in your kitchen and living room
1 set of kitchen cabinet, 1 set of 17ft ushape cabinet (how do you even fit so much carpentry into a bto kitchen?), 1 full height cabinet, 1 island cabinet

2 sets of Vanity and 2 sets of storage in the toilets (BTW the contractor copy and pasted wrongly by attributing all 4 carpentry to your MBR toilet)

The amount of carpentry quoted would have been enough for a 5 room BTO so really quite surprising to see it all squeezed into a 3 room.
Unless you are not considering to upgrade to a 4rm/5rm in the future, I would suggest to go easy on the carpentry and just go for the bare necessities.

 

[EmPtYsOuLz]

Anyway I agree with you contractors doesn't necessarily mean cheap these days so I will suggest that you widen your horizon by talking to some IDs

I have met 7 IDs and 4 contractors so far and 2 of those contractors came back with quotes higher than the IDs
I had initially intended to see mostly contractors only (cost conscious) but my fiance convinced me otherwise
Most of the IDs didn't make my shortlist but I'm glad I spoke to so many as I managed to "leech" valuable ideas and tips from each one of them

 

[Kaylin]

Itemise and breakdown is actually better if the items should to be itemised. At least you will be assured that you will not face a hefty bill for a variation order halfway through the renovation.

I took a quick look at your contractor quote, the itemized breakdowns are reasonable but he/she is overcharging you for certain items such as

• Washing machine base, market rate is $120 - $150 only
• Overlay Bathroom wall tiles, $4400 to overlay is very expensive, that would probably be the price charged when you lay new wall tiles on a hacked wall
• Kitchen Cabinet price ranging from 130 - 150 psf, market rate (with internal white pvc) only 120-130

Not much comments on the remaining items as I don't have such heavy customisation in my quotes received.

But to be honest you did also include quite a lot of carpentry in your kitchen and living room
1 set of kitchen cabinet, 1 set of 17ft ushape cabinet (how do you even fit so much carpentry into a bto kitchen?), 1 full height cabinet, 1 island cabinet

2 sets of Vanity and 2 sets of storage in the toilets (BTW the contractor copy and pasted wrongly by attributing all 4 carpentry to your MBR toilet)

The amount of carpentry quoted would have been enough for a 5 room BTO so really quite surprising to see it all squeezed into a 3 room.
Unless you are not considering to upgrade to a 4rm/5rm in the future, I would suggest to go easy on the carpentry and just go for the bare necessities.

thanks for the input! 4400 for overlaying is for 2 bathrooms so 1 will be $2200 which is the market rate but i DID see someone mention on renotalk they got it done at 900.

2 sets of vanity is the cabinet below the sink, the other 2 is the mirror with storage. so what he quoted was right but still, to spend $1000+ on vanity cabinet, mirror with storage & countertop + another $2200 to overlay is simply overkill. maybe next time but i dont want to spend $6000+ on 2 bathrooms now. if thats the market rate i will just buy my vanity cabinet from taobao coz im buying most of my furniture there anyway.

the only carpentry is the wet & dry kitchen. i intend to convert my service yard into a wet kitchen & a dry one (oven cabinet & island counter) at my dining area. i bake for a living so this is not something i can choose to or not to have. as you can see i hardly have any other carpentry like what many singaporeans really favor, such as tv console, shoe cabinet, study table, bookcase, makeup table etc. the majority of my budget is for hacking, sliding doors & 2 kitchens (wet & dry).

 

[Kaylin]

Anyway I agree with you contractors doesn't necessarily mean cheap these days so I will suggest that you widen your horizon by talking to some IDs

I have met 7 IDs and 4 contractors so far and 2 of those contractors came back with quotes higher than the IDs
I had initially intended to see mostly contractors only (cost conscious) but my fiance convinced me otherwise
Most of the IDs didn't make my shortlist but I'm glad I spoke to so many as I managed to "leech" valuable ideas and tips from each one of them

true, i really agree with what you said. initially i was really bent on finding contractor, not becoz they would be cheap. i was warned that contractors are not cheap, at least not anymore but more of because i have very strong design concept and i dont need 3D drawings. so i thought contractors would be better. ended up, some either did not come bk with quotes, or flat out rejected me coz they said my design too "atas" they dont know how to do, or those really nice ones quoted exhorbitant prices! i think its coz those things i want eg. pole system wardrobe the contractors no lobang so they need to outsource so its ex.

decided to stop looking for contractors and sent a quote request on qanvast. they matched me up with 5 ID firms and i met one today. according to some of the things he quoted on the spot eg. 1450 for painting (cheapest i was quoted was 1100), 4000 for a sliding door (average i was quoted 2700-3000 odd), i feel its gonna be expensive lor. but i suppose if can really find a cheap & good ID it will be the best of many worlds coz they should have more lobang for things as they have more exposure towards younger clients who are geared towards european/scandi tastes, and also they will do the coordination. so ya, i will continue to keep looking! i will share my quotes again also then u all can help me analyze lol

true la i actually like talking to them and picking their brains. really learned alot from them.

 

[hwmook]

eh mine is 2 big ones, 18K and 24K BTU. i think if buy from gain city or what around the same price.

I can tell you it should still be below $3k for the aircon. You can check on coolserve website for the price, it's less than 3k for the same specs. And they are not even cheap to begin with. Aircon can outsource, I suggest you find your own aircon. I recommend cold engine which you can ask for a quote to compare, their pricing is very competitive.

 

[hwmook]

thanks for the input! 4400 for overlaying is for 2 bathrooms so 1 will be $2200 which is the market rate but i DID see someone mention on renotalk they got it done at 900.

2 sets of vanity is the cabinet below the sink, the other 2 is the mirror with storage. so what he quoted was right but still, to spend $1000+ on vanity cabinet, mirror with storage & countertop + another $2200 to overlay is simply overkill. maybe next time but i dont want to spend $6000+ on 2 bathrooms now. if thats the market rate i will just buy my vanity cabinet from taobao coz im buying most of my furniture there anyway.

the only carpentry is the wet & dry kitchen. i intend to convert my service yard into a wet kitchen & a dry one (oven cabinet & island counter) at my dining area. i bake for a living so this is not something i can choose to or not to have. as you can see i hardly have any other carpentry like what many singaporeans really favor, such as tv console, shoe cabinet, study table, bookcase, makeup table etc. the majority of my budget is for hacking, sliding doors & 2 kitchens (wet & dry).

People on renotalk is do the shower area for $900, you never read clearly. The vanity cabinet, overlay bathroom will cost you dearly, that's the market rate. If you are not willing to pay then drop the idea.

But this quote you got there is expensive. I used an ID and your quote is even higher than my ID quote. Kitchen cabinet with internal colour PVC, mine only $130 pfr, yours already $155 pfr. And 33sqf of vinyl for $380? I suggest you look elsewhere, price should come down by 10-20% at least.

 

[hwaa]

People on renotalk is do the shower area for $900, you never read clearly. The vanity cabinet, overlay bathroom will cost you dearly, that's the market rate. If you are not willing to pay then drop the idea.

But this quote you got there is expensive. I used an ID and your quote is even higher than my ID quote. Kitchen cabinet with internal colour PVC, mine only $130 pfr, yours already $155 pfr. And 33sqf of vinyl for $380? I suggest you look elsewhere, price should come down by 10-20% at least.

think hers is different.

she mention she has strong design sense or she's strong design based, she just need the ID or contractor to execute her project.

such project usually cost higher, as it might be harder to execute we won't know.

so if want a strong design and want the ID to be cheap and good then it's a hard find i think.


good things is not cheap.
cheap things is not good.

old saying lah.

 

[EmPtYsOuLz]

thanks for the input! 4400 for overlaying is for 2 bathrooms so 1 will be $2200 which is the market rate but i DID see someone mention on renotalk they got it done at 900.

2 sets of vanity is the cabinet below the sink, the other 2 is the mirror with storage. so what he quoted was right but still, to spend $1000+ on vanity cabinet, mirror with storage & countertop + another $2200 to overlay is simply overkill. maybe next time but i dont want to spend $6000+ on 2 bathrooms now. if thats the market rate i will just buy my vanity cabinet from taobao coz im buying most of my furniture there anyway.

the only carpentry is the wet & dry kitchen. i intend to convert my service yard into a wet kitchen & a dry one (oven cabinet & island counter) at my dining area. i bake for a living so this is not something i can choose to or not to have. as you can see i hardly have any other carpentry like what many singaporeans really favor, such as tv console, shoe cabinet, study table, bookcase, makeup table etc. the majority of my budget is for hacking, sliding doors & 2 kitchens (wet & dry).

Ok that explains
If it's your rice bowl then it's worth it, since it would be much better than renovating some shopspace outside

What I can think of to lower your cost would be to go easy on the toilets if you really want to save some money. The vanity, storage cabinet, overlaying and shower screens, plumbing come up to 8k+ easily.

I had initially thought of doing a big overhaul for my resale toilets too but while on 2nd thoughts the more inbuilt stuff I have, the more time I will need to maintain them (need to wipe dry shower screens to prevent water stains, need to clean the base area regularly to rid mould buildup etc).
I ended up choosing to redo under the home improvement program (using my own tiles) for a full wet area toilet and installing simple mirror/shelve accessories to save money

In your case you can choose to live with the current toilets for now and maybe renovate the toilets again at a later date (most IDs have packages for renovations of just the 2 toilets)

Sent from OnePlus ONEPLUS A3003 using GAGT

 

[EmPtYsOuLz]

true, i really agree with what you said. initially i was really bent on finding contractor, not becoz they would be cheap. i was warned that contractors are not cheap, at least not anymore but more of because i have very strong design concept and i dont need 3D drawings. so i thought contractors would be better. ended up, some either did not come bk with quotes, or flat out rejected me coz they said my design too "atas" they dont know how to do, or those really nice ones quoted exhorbitant prices! i think its coz those things i want eg. pole system wardrobe the contractors no lobang so they need to outsource so its ex.

decided to stop looking for contractors and sent a quote request on qanvast. they matched me up with 5 ID firms and i met one today. according to some of the things he quoted on the spot eg. 1450 for painting (cheapest i was quoted was 1100), 4000 for a sliding door (average i was quoted 2700-3000 odd), i feel its gonna be expensive lor. but i suppose if can really find a cheap & good ID it will be the best of many worlds coz they should have more lobang for things as they have more exposure towards younger clients who are geared towards european/scandi tastes, and also they will do the coordination. so ya, i will continue to keep looking! i will share my quotes again also then u all can help me analyze lol

true la i actually like talking to them and picking their brains. really learned alot from them.

Looking at your works requested and the focus on carpentry you may want to take a closer look at renotalk to find the recommended IDs that are known for their expertise in custom carpentry
A run of the mill contractor may still be able to deliver but the end product might not be what you want

I haven't tried qanvast because I suspect the IDs suggested would be more pricey than if you sourced them directly (to pay qanvast for advertising) but some people have had good experiences with them

I can share with you my shortlisted ID/contractor if you're interested but my scope of works quite different from yours as most of budget goes into the flooring, kitchen and MBR

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[Kaylin]

Looking at your works requested and the focus on carpentry you may want to take a closer look at renotalk to find the recommended IDs that are known for their expertise in custom carpentry
A run of the mill contractor may still be able to deliver but the end product might not be what you want

I haven't tried qanvast because I suspect the IDs suggested would be more pricey than if you sourced them directly (to pay qanvast for advertising) but some people have had good experiences with them

I can share with you my shortlisted ID/contractor if you're interested but my scope of works quite different from yours as most of budget goes into the flooring, kitchen and MBR

Sent from OnePlus ONEPLUS A3003 using GAGT

not sure i want or need someone who specializes in customized carpentry. u mean a contractor cannot make something like this?

its just a tall full height cabinet to put oven then infront of it put a freestanding counter called an "island". the sound of customized carpentry already sounds expensive. im not trying to build an intricate altar made with burmese teak and with carving or whatever.

anyway i did meet up with contractors renotalk ppl recommended. i met the famous mr. k of h2o interior, someone whom i need to "book" at least 2 weeks in advance. hes not cheap and is extremely busy. i've met 11 contractors so far and will be dropping the idea of a contractor now. so done with them.

today i met my 2nd ID, out of 5 that qanvast recommended. its a lady and shes young and energetic, totally gets me and my concept of midcentury modern/european dark grey concept. she showed me her instagram and she did alot of projects like that, some of which i already faved on qanvast. we're totally on the same wavelength and i dont think i needed to explain to her much. she knows what "laminate laid in herringbone pattern" or what "carrara marble" looks like. now its just the price factor. definitely will be pricier or on par with contractors but its nice to meet people like that. after i meet the ones qanvast recommends, i will meet up with other IDs to see the price difference and then i will decide! so yes pls feel free to pm me the contacts of yr ID.

 

[dilphinus]

not sure i want or need someone who specializes in customized carpentry. u mean a contractor cannot make something like this?

its just a tall full height cabinet to put oven then infront of it put a freestanding counter called an "island". the sound of customized carpentry already sounds expensive. im not trying to build an intricate altar made with burmese teak and with carving or whatever.

anyway i did meet up with contractors renotalk ppl recommended. i met the famous mr. k of h2o interior, someone whom i need to "book" at least 2 weeks in advance. hes not cheap and is extremely busy. i've met 11 contractors so far and will be dropping the idea of a contractor now. so done with them.

today i met my 2nd ID, out of 5 that qanvast recommended. its a lady and shes young and energetic, totally gets me and my concept of midcentury modern/european dark grey concept. she showed me her instagram and she did alot of projects like that, some of which i already faved on qanvast. we're totally on the same wavelength and i dont think i needed to explain to her much. she knows what "laminate laid in herringbone pattern" or what "carrara marble" looks like. now its just the price factor. definitely will be pricier or on par with contractors but its nice to meet people like that. after i meet the ones qanvast recommends, i will meet up with other IDs to see the price difference and then i will decide! so yes pls feel free to pm me the contacts of yr ID.

A contractor need not necessarily be a carpenter. A main contractor manages the sub-cons which includes hacker, carpenter, tiler, electrician, etc.

A laminate is one piece of laminate. What you mean is a herringbone pattern or a laminate that has harringbone pattern. No one cuts laminates into pieces and lay them as a herringbone pattern (laminate laid in herringbone pattern). or do you mean laminate flooring? in the industry, laminate is assumed to be the piece of laminate (one choose) as a finish on a plywood (carpentry).

Carpentry is customized. Carpentry is made according/customized to the size, use, etc of the space.

 

[dilphinus]

thanks so much, i TOTALLY agree with u saying its better than "renovating some shopspace outside".

ya i guess i will try and live with hdb toilet tiles. i hate it, but yes the savings will be substantial. you're really practical - more built in things more things to clean. my hubby will love me to the moon and back if i could think like u haha. i will forgo the overlaying and built in vanity. vanity i saw some on taobao, very nice its like $400 sgd for the whole set of mirror storage + led lights, vanity cabinet, faucet & sink, imagine that. i still got the ID to put the quotes in for overlaying & all that shizz la, so i can share with u all again and u can give me yr opinions again haha. maybe after 3 yrs when i can hack the bathroom i might convert it into a bigger kitchen instead coz my kitchen is really too small. 2.4m, ridiculous. actual thing will be even smaller.

You mean you want to use the bathroom space as a kitchen (hacking the walls)? I'm pretty sure you can't do it. Please take time to read through the hdb website on what's allowed and what's not.

I'm just sharing my experience (in the industry) so that people know what's the standard, norm, etc, and how to manage their expectations.

 

[Kaylin]

A contractor need not necessarily be a carpenter. A main contractor manages the sub-cons which includes hacker, carpenter, tiler, electrician, etc.

A laminate is one piece of laminate. What you mean is a herringbone pattern or a laminate that has harringbone pattern. No one cuts laminates into pieces and lay them as a herringbone pattern (laminate laid in herringbone pattern). or do you mean laminate flooring? in the industry, laminate is assumed to be the piece of laminate (one choose) as a finish on a plywood (carpentry).

Carpentry is customized. Carpentry is made according/customized to the size, use, etc of the space.

laying it in herringbone pattern, i thought i said laid? not that the wood itself already has herringbone. im not so crazy to think the laminate already has that pattern but i saw a wardrobe with something like that :

maybe the laminate is cut diagonally. but for the flooring im prepared to have a 10-20% wastage when the flooring is laid in this manner since there will be lots of small cut out triangles at the end.

no idea whether the toilet can or cannot be done, thats why i said i MIGHT. point me to the clause? and while you're at that also point me to the clause whether they say u can or cannot cook at service yard? im dying to know and im getting all different answers from contractors.

 

[dilphinus]

laying it in herringbone pattern, i thought i said laid? not that the wood itself already has herringbone. im not so crazy to think the laminate already has that pattern but i saw a wardrobe with something like that :

maybe the laminate is cut diagonally. but for the flooring im prepared to have a 10-20% wastage when the flooring is laid in this manner since there will be lots of small cut out triangles at the end.

no idea whether the toilet can or cannot be done, thats why i said i MIGHT. point me to the clause? and while you're at that also point me to the clause whether they say u can or cannot cook at service yard? im dying to know and im getting all different answers from contractors.

When you say 'something like that', do you mean the wardrobe image you have attached is of a herringbon pattern?

When you use the term laminate, do you mean it's the laminate furnish used for carpentry or laminate flooring?

 

[Kaylin]

When you say 'something like that', do you mean the wardrobe image you have attached is of a herringbon pattern?

When you use the term laminate, do you mean it's the laminate furnish used for carpentry or laminate flooring?

yup the wardrobe looks like herringbone but one piece is cut diagonally to achieve that kind of effect? laminate i do mean flooring. they come in planks? so just lay them herringbone style.

 

[dilphinus]

yup the wardrobe looks like herringbone but one piece is cut diagonally to achieve that kind of effect?

The wardrobe isn't in herringbone.

Examples of herringbone

These are laminate sheets

For the wardrobe, it's of a wood grain laminate. It's glued to the carcass (plywood/mdf) of the wardrobe.

Now I kinda know why there's frustrations on your side.

laminate i do mean flooring. they come in planks? so just lay them herringbone style.

I'll suggest you make trips to the tiles and flooring showrooms to have a better understanding. Also the nicer wood grains that are usually aesthetically suitable for a herringbone lay, are more expensive that the cheaper wood grains. Also, laminate flooring isn't popular in SG. Most go for Herf, and vinyl, hybrid laminate/vinyl,etc. There are many fanciful terms used (by different companies) and sometimes two terms may mean the same thing. Planks installation method usually by glue or the click and lock system. Click and lock system is more expensive.

IDs and contractors won't know what you know and what you don't know. The assumed knowledge you have may be incorrect, thus resulting in others not understanding what you want.

All the best for your reno.

 

[Kaylin]

The wardrobe isn't in herringbone.

Examples of herringbone

These are laminate sheets

For the wardrobe, it's of a wood grain laminate. It's glued to the carcass (plywood/mdf) of the wardrobe.

Now I kinda know why there's frustrations on your side.



I'll suggest you make trips to the tiles and flooring showrooms to have a better understanding. Also the nicer wood grains that are usually aesthetically suitable for a herringbone lay, are more expensive that the cheaper wood grains. Also, laminate flooring isn't popular in SG. Most go for Herf, and vinyl, hybrid laminate/vinyl,etc. There are many fanciful terms used (by different companies) and sometimes two terms may mean the same thing. Planks installation method usually by glue or the click and lock system. Click and lock system is more expensive.

IDs and contractors won't know what you know and what you don't know. The assumed knowledge you have may be incorrect, thus resulting in others not understanding what you want.

All the best for your reno.

oh no! suddenly i need to know everything to be able to go ahead with my reno! else the contractors wont understand my incorrect assumed knowledge. no wonder contractors have not been understanding what i want. shucks! thanks for the enlightenment, and for the well wishes! when i attain phd in design i will remember to ask you to my graduation ceremony. kidding