Selecting A Renovation Contractor

Selecting A Renovation Contractor
Author: Isabel Ng | Editor: Angelana


Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail
Renovation planning is the key factor to a successful renovation project. During planning, identify the constraints and challenges you forsee you will face in the renovation process. For e.g. If you need to meet a specified target completion date, identify it as a constraint, come up with a schedule way before getting the keys to your home and start on the contractor selection process. Hiring a good contractor also requires some effort and here are some of the tips to help you along the way.

1) Set a realistic budget
Everyone dreams to live in a palace but not every dream comes true. Keeping it simple can be a dream comes true too. Check what needs to go and which to stay. Spent within your means, DIY if you can.

2) Fengshui or not?
If you have the intention to get a FSM, do it right from the start and not later. Get the positions, color scheme, and dates ready to check feasibility for your renovation contractor before your sign on the dotted line in the contract.

3) Finding the right companies to quote.
Avoid running into situations asking for a quote only to find out later they are not a licensed contractor. If you are looking for a mark of assurance, go for RADAC certified and CaseTrust accredited companies. Gather for more information through reviews, forums and HDB website and shortlist at least 3 potential contractor for your selection.

4) Comparing Quotes
In order to compare apple to apple, provide consistent requirements to all of your shortlisted contractors/ID firms. When comparing the quotations, have an eye for proposed works on top of your requirements given. Consult with them further and prioritize what is necessary for you. For example in a HDB new flat, if it comes with concealed pipe, it is not necessary to redo. Also remember to ask on whether the tiles are based on a fixed price and how much it is capped at.

5) Ask
Don’t be shy to ask - something along the line “How long you have been in this industry?” How is their portfolio, past projects, license, reference, insurance.
Use them to check your contractor's work history, reliability, workmanship, service and ability to stay on budget and schedule. An experience contractor of more than 5 years is a sign of reliable and stable business. Check about their insurance if any, should there be an accident happen in your property during execution of work.

5) Agreement on dates
Set a start date, a plan of actions to be taken, Gantt chart and a target completion date.

6) Signing the contract
Check for details, hidden costs, liabilities and set a reasonable time frame to achieve completion. Never pay full upfront. It is reasonable to agree to pay in stages for each completed phase. Check and request for a warranty period and pay full upon satisfactory completion of the renovation.

Renovation is often linked with Time, Quality and Cost; more of one affects the others. A quality renovation will normally result in longer time, higher cost. So decide what matters most to you. In the time-cost-quality triangle, something has got to give. With some proper planning, it will save you a great deal of hassle to dispute with your contractor later and unnecessary costs.

Possible Mistakes during Renovation Work

1. Misalignment of Rain Shower Arm

When the plumber installed the rain shower fitting, the misalignment was not apparent because the partition wall was then not tiled yet. It was only when the partition wall was tiled (on 24-Mar-08) that the misalignment became painfully obvious.

He should have, but did not, used a plumb line to determine the vertical alignment of the rain shower piping. Lapse of concentration, perhaps?

The tiler should have alerted the ID when he first noticed the misalignment, but did not. Maybe he was tired, because he arrived late in the afternoon at about 4 pm to finish the tiling of the partition wall. When asked by the ID, he maintained the owner saw the work and said nothing, so he thought the owner did not mind!

Mistake again!

After the tiler had completed the re-tiling, I noticed he had used his own initiative to further "adjust" the position of the pipe. The result was that now the rain shower arm was not vertically aligned with the concealed tap fitting, although the plumber had earlier already corrected the vertical alignment. Golly, what was the tiler thinking?

The tiler was apologetic.

I decided to let it pass as the misalignment was slight and not obvious to the casual observer. But it is a sore sight to my eyes!!!

I should have been there at the bathroom to supervise the tiler's work, and never took things for granted. OK, lesson learnt.

2. No hole for basin waste water discharge

Owing to a lack of foresight or focus, the tiler inadvertently cemented and covered the original hole in the bathroom floor that was meant for the hand basin discharge pipe. This was a major error, for the hand basin could not simply discharge its waste water into the bathroom floor!

And because hacking would damage the waterproofing layer in the bathroom floor, the tiler could not now hack the cement away to expose the discharge hole for the basin pipe.

Finally, a less elegant solution was to cut a hole in the plastic trap for the hand basin piping. Luckily there would be a partition wall to box up the ugly piping in the bathroom.

3. Side-by-side doors not top-aligned with each other

4. Other issues

Uneven skirting
Problem was caused by the uneven wall, and tiler simply cut and tiled the granite skirting to follow the unevenness. Neither the ID nor the owner were alerted. When the problem was subsequently discovered after an inspection, tiler had to remove the skirting, then hack away part of the uneven wall, and re-tile.

Fault was due to the uneven wall. Would be appreciative if tiler had alerted owner to the issue before tiling.

Wrong positioning of double socket point
Electrician will correct the positioning in subsequent days.

Internet piping in floor
Tiler did not discuss with owner or ID how the PVC pipe will be aligned with the skirting. Not a major issue, can live with it.

One instead of two feed cable for SCV
Electrician on his own initiative laid one SCV cable instead of two from the SCV junction box outside the flat.

Probably too late to lay 2 cables now as it will spoil the nice plastic trunking laid. Will try and see what can be done.

Mistake in light switches
Not yet discussed. Probably could change design of light fixtures to accommodate the switches.

Smelly toilet
Plumber claimed silicone sealant not normally applied to seal pan collar to the sewage hole when I asked him to apply. Should have insisted, because after installation the toilet still smells.

Self-applied silicone to the base, that reduced the smell somewhat but bad smell still detected.

Plumber will remove toilet and apply sealant to the pan collar, then re-install the toilet, if the smell persists after a few more days.

Completion delay
The window fabricator had already stopped taking orders when the contract was signed with the ID. That caused the delay, but the extent and severity of the delay on project completion was unforeseen.

Will know and prepare better in future.

Poor water outflow in toilet
Problem occurs in toilet, so is not severe as mop will be used to clean the toilet.

Thus can live with the problem, although problem should not have happened if tiler had correctly sloped the floor in the course of the tiling.

Fridge door unable to open fully to 270 deg
Fridge depth was 80cm and tiler created cement wall with same 80cm depth. As a result the fridge door could open only to 90 deg, whereas it must open to 150% or more to permit frdige shelving to be taken out for cleaning.

Wrong color for laminated flooring
ID asked the worker to remove the wrong color tiles and redo the laminated flooring. However the color was still too dark for owner's taste. Decided to live with it.

HDB approval delayed for hacking wall
The HDB officer claimed 10-day delay was caused by incorrect submission by the design firm. However, approval was given immediately when ID submitted correct drawings.

Protect Yourself against Unscrupulous ID/Contractor

How do you protect yourself against an unscrupulous ID/Contractor?

Visiting an ID's work at his on-going project site(s) and seeing for yourself the quality of the work done is at best a comfort, but not a guarantee, that he will produce good workmanship for your renovation, for the foll reasons:

(1) the sub-con team he used for the work you have just seen may not be available for your renovation,

(2) most IDs / Contractors have a (bad) tendency to accept more jobs than they can comfortably handle, leading to "rushed job" for your flat. [ tongue.gif Hint: now you know why I don't recommend too much my ID while my renovation is still not completed!]

So, how do you protect yourself against shoddy work and unscrupulous IDs/ Contractors, as well as against the possibility that an ID may not produce good work foir your renovation despite having shown you good work done at his other project sites?

Simple -- don't pay a cent until you see evidence of the work done for your renovation!!

Let me rephrase that: pay only for work done i.e. use the progress payment method to control your ID / Contractor. That is, if he has detailed his quotation, pay hm according to the work done e.g. suppose he quoted $1,500 for replacing the windows, pay him that amount on completion of that job, after you are satisfied with the work done.

Most IDs / contractors ask for 10-30% down payment on first signing the renovation contract. I told my ID, not in a harsh tone but using a gentle, persuasive tone:

"Why should I pay you when work has not started? I have more to lose than you. In my case, I cannot run away since you know where my flat is, but if you produce shoddy work, or turn out to be a cheat, you can simply disappear and I would be left with a headache! I want to trust you but I have to be careful lah."

Any reputable and experienced ID / design firm (which is what you should get) will have good relations with suppliers. These suppliers don't ask for immediate payment upfront whenever the ID brings his client to select materials but allow the ID firm to pay 1-2 months later, depending on their business relationship.

Therefore there is no good reason why you should pay upfront 10-30% of the contract price on first signing the contract. The only reason the ID asks for down payment is in case you change your mind and don't proceed on the renovation with him. That is a lame excuse, because you have signed the contract already! So I told my ID his interests are already (legally) protected when I signed on the dotted line.

Of course, as my renovation progressed and I saw that my ID was responsible and did his best for me, I relaxed the payment control and began to trust him more.

In other words, instead of you trusting the ID, turn it around and make the ID trust you for payment!

Second: insisting on progress payment gives you control.

If the work is shoddy or unacceptable, you withhold payment until the problem is rectified.

Now, if the ID is responsible and fair, you don't even have to resort to withhold payment. Usually a responsible ID will instruct the sub-con to correct the mistake(s) once he has seen the problem, or when you pointed out such mistakes to him.

On your part, you have to be responsible too. If you change your mind about a specific job or you want something done in another way AFTER you have agreed with the ID initially on what you want done, that is NOT the ID's mistake but additional work and is your mistake. Gracefully accept your mistake and be fair to pay the ID for the additional work.

If you treat the ID fairly and with respect, he will likewise reciprocate if he is a fair and reasonable guy, like in my case.

As my experience of my ID grew, my respect for him grew too. Not that he is totally blameless or perfect, but I found him to be responsible and he has access to sub-cons that produce really good work, as you can see for yourself on my blog.

Now, assuming you got an unscrupulous ID / Contractor, what do you do? Well, simply withhold further payment and stop all work. That will cut your loss.

Take photos of the work done as proof of the poor workmanship. Unscrupulous IDs / Contractors always shun publicity and you don't need to worry about any legal suits. If any, your photos will usually clinch the case for you.

Flat owners should learn how to protect themselves, and help stamp out unscrupulous IDs / Contractors using the method I advocate.

What to look out for when looking for contractor / ID

1. Ask questions to gauge their competency, eg :

a) How many projects have you undertaken? Can you show me your on-going projects? Can I meet the owners?

b) Who are the workers? Are they your sub-contractors or employees in the same company as you? How long have you worked with them? How can I be sure you are not using workers who may be learning-on-the-job at my expense? What happens if they make mistakes? What is the standard and quality of work I can expect? What happens if I am not happy with the workmanship?

c) I want to hack my bedroom wall to create a larger living space. Are you able to get HDB approval for that?

d) I wish to replace all the old sliding windows to casement windows, including the louvre windows in my bathrooms. How long would it take to get HDB approval?

2. Job scope discussion

On job scope it is important you give him a broad and detailed idea of what you want for the renovation. That means you should have done your homework and decided

a) what you want to renovate e.g. change the floor tiles, replace all the windows, replace old chute, hack the bedroom wall, rewiring, false ceiling, etc

b) the type of materials you want e.g. granite flooring, bamboo flooring for bedrooms

c) possibly the color and texture you want. Must remember to keep a sample with color/design code stated in the sample, just in case for future reference in case there is conflict in future.

d) Look at the range of material color/design they have. If not, later may need to top up if they don't have the range you want.

e) on the workmanship quality you are looking for

f) the time schedule to complete the entire renovation.

3. View their past projects

Always ask to see an ID's work, whether he has been highly recommended or not. See for yourself the standard of workmanship done. Ask to see not only one job site but a few, to guard against "passing-off".

Generally if the owner of the flat is around when you see the project, you could ask the owner for his/her opinion of the ID too.

4. Quotation and pricing of the renovation.

Note you should only commence negotiation after

a) you have ascertained the ID / Contractor's competence and
b) he knows clearly the works you want completed within the timespan you have specified.

Prepare a checklist of what you want to be done in detail. Get the contractor to use your checklist template if possible, so that it is easy to compare with one another.

Blacklisted Reno Co by Forummers

Name Address

Contractor
1 Eagle Design Pte Ltd Blk 1 Everton Park #01-37, Bishan st22 Blk283, West Coast RD 154
2 Prestige Image
3 Unique Design
4 Ingez Dezign Little Road
5 Home Concepts Interior & Design TradeHub 21
6 Strategic Design Ubi

Furniture
1 3T Veerasamy Road
2 Designer Lightings Balestier
3 The Furniture Club
4 Style Furniture Sungai Kadut Way
5 Black Apple IMM
6 Suntec Curtain Interior Finishing
7 Allure C
8 Strass Lightings
9 Palace of Lights Balestier
10. elite illumination @ 1 jalan besar beside macdonald.

ID / Contractor Quotation : Itemised list

1 Professional Interior Designing
Design Concept Consultation
Space Planning & Furniture Layout Plan Proposal
Furnishing Consultation
3D Computerized Perspective Drawing
Materials & Colour Scheme Proposal
Hassle-free ISO formatted Project Management & Site Supervision & Audit
5 Years Warranty With Guarantee After-sales Services

2 Demolish Works
Hacking of living & dinning floor finish & skirting
Hacking of store room floor finish & skirting
Hacking of all bedrooms floor skirting
Hacking of all bathroom floor & wall finish
Hacking of kitchen floor finish
Hacking of kitchen exposed area wall finish
Hacking of cement motar bases & dapoh slap
Hacking of bathroom door & frames
Hacking of bathroom fittings & accessories
Hacking of kitchen cabinet

3 Masonry Works
Laying of 600mm x 600mm polished homogeneous floor tiles c/w skirting at living, dining & store room
Laying of HDF laminated flooring c/w skirting at all bedrooms
Make good to damaged wall for laying laminate skirting at all bedrooms
Laying of ceramic or homogeneous floor tiles at all bathroom
Laying of ceramic full height wall tiles at all bathroom
Laying of ceramic or homogeneous floor tiles at kitchen
Laying of ceramic wall tiles at exposed kitchen wall
Laying of waterproofing membrane at all bathrooms floor
Laying of waterproofing membrane at kitchen floor
Construct 50mm cabinet base
Construct 50mm washer base
Construct 50mm fridge base
Construct shower kerb at all bathrooms

4 Plumbing Works
Replacement of new copper piping to new kitchen sink position
Labour for installation of kitchen sink
Laying conceal drainage pipe for kitchen sink
Replacement of copper piping to new washing machine position
Laying conceal drainage pipe for washing machine
Labour for installation of bathroom accessories
Labour for installation of storage or instant heater

5 Ceiling Works
Construct false ceiling at foyer area
Construct false ceiling at bedroom passage way
Construct L-box light holder at living area
Construct L-box light holder at dining area
Construct 2 rolls of L-box light holder at master bedroom
Carpentry Works: external in laminate finishes

6 Design & fabricate 20ft kitchen cabinet in ABS trimming laminated door c/w :
1) design handles & cutlery tray
2) Supply & install stainless steel dish rack
3) Labour to install cooker hood & hob
4) Stainless steel backing at cooker hob

7 Carpentry Work
Design & fabricate 2'L tall cabinet for oven or conceal pipes
Design & fabricate 8'L x 8'Ht feature wall c/w swing door at household shelter
Design & fabricate 6'L TV console at living area
Design & fabricate 6'L x 6'Ht feature wall above TV console at living
Design & fabricate 6'L wardrobe in laminated floor finish at master bedroom
Design & fabricate 5'L x 6'Ht headboard feature wall at master bedroom
Design & fabricate 5'L suspended computer table at studyroom
Design & fabricate 5'L top-hung cabinet & shelf at studyroom

8 Miscellaneous / General Services Works
Painting of whole unit's wall & ceiling with pentalite emulsion paint
Painting of all pipes, doors, door frames & gate with gloss paint
Paint or re-vanish of existing main door
Supply & install acrylic bi-fold door at all bathrooms
Supply & install 10mm tempered glass shower screen at master bathroom
Laying of floor protection after completion of flooring
Chemical washing for whole unit
General cleaning upon completion