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.

Painting : Negotiation

Before I pm you the contact, I need to caution you on the negotiation part.

Most of these contractors will quote a low price over the telephone to 'entice' you, then later when they visit yr flat, they will jack up the price. So make sure you tell the contractor you are getting a few quotes, so even if they visit yr flat to give a final quote, you are not obliged to use them. That way you will get a good & reasonably low-price & competitive quote !

Second, make sure you tell the contractor exactly what you want -- whole flat plastering or simply "touch-up". The contractor will tell you whole flat plastering, but later claimed he meant only "touch-up" when you have given him the job. So you need to be very clear and specific about what you want -- before you agree with his quote. Point out the areas in your flat you need smoothening and plastering, so there is no ambiguity later. This was a lesson I learnt, not that I am complaining.

As for paintwork, be clear about how much sealer you need. The painter will quote say $250 for the sealer coat, but the fact is, he does not need to apply sealer coat to the whole flat, only those areas where there is fresh cement or plaster. So if he does not plaster all the area of a wall, you need not pay so much for the sealer coat. This I found out from my experience. I could have bargained for a lower price for the sealer but didn't because I was not aware of the tactic. Now I am a bit wiser, I share it with you.

Now for the actual paint job. Tell him what you want painted -- don't forget pipes, ceiling, door frames, etc. And the number of coats. They will use this as an excuse to jack up the price. I told him what I wanted on the telephone before he came to my place.

The contractor will show you a glossy catalog. And you pick, say, ICI Light and Space or All-in-One.

Later you are surprised when he used ICI Maxilite, a cheaper grade of paint for paint contractors. They don't tell you this at the time they quoted for the job, like in my case.

Too bad I only learnt about that tactic after I had agreed.

In my case I decided not to make an issue when I saw the team did a good job of the plastering -- you can see my blog for the Before and After photos -- so I let it pass. In any case the painter gave me what was specified for the final coat -- Dulux Light & Space, and the overall plastering-and-paint job was good.

I was patient and understanding only because his quote was lower than what most others were charging.

For the price I am not complaining, but am pleased with the result.

PM sent. Use my name ("Roland") to knock down the price he quoted.

For yr guidance, this was what I paid:

plastering $350
sealer coat $250
painting $800
total = $1,400

I got him to reduce to $1350.

BTW, he asked for a 50% deposit. I refused (to be safe in case the contractor not bona-fide and out to cheat) and said I will pay $400 only after he started work. When I saw he kept his word and started work in earnest, I decided to pay him $500 at the start of the 2nd day. Also, he didn't ask for payment after he had completed the job, I paid him instead but at his suggestion withheld $50 as he wants to return later to finish some little touch-ups that I had pointed out to him.

If you encounter any problem with him, it will likely be communication. I think his communication skills are not too good.

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.