It striked me to pen it down after reading the big fuss on the forum: whether is it safe to even consider using a non-HDB licensed/CaseTrusted/RADAC Accredited contractor.
Before meeting up with the contractor i've engaged, I've spoken to tons of IDs/contractors, of which some are forever selling on the point that they are HDB-licensed, CaseTrusted, RADAC Accredited.... all sorts of fanciful names that the governing body came up with. The intention of the setup was meant with gd intentions to protect the rights and interest of house owners going through renovation.
I've did my fair share of research in various forums and there were so many complains by house owners, unpleasant renovation experiences.. sub-standard workmanship.. absconded with owners' money... etc.. of which most of them can produce the numerous certification as listed above. But what happened in between?
While I'm impress by the extend these companies sell their 'credibility' through these certifications, I'm definitely one consumer that doesn't buy their story. For simple reasons like "you have to register with Case to be a member in order for Case to take up the complain"... and how often does HDB/Case/RADAC step in when things go wrong in a renovation?
From the point I see it, those who can sell by just word of mouth and reputation holds... there's no need (and they do not see the point) of going through all these applications. For those who doesn't have a strong foothold in the relevant industries, probably these certifications give them a gd point to market with.
How does this sounds:
1) "I've got this.. this ... and this cert... My price is higher but you can rest assured that the renovation is nicely done." vs
2)"I have nothing to tell u. You go to those existing houses that i'm renovating, see for yourself if you are ok with my workmanship.. then u decide from there on whether to give me the deal or not."
I'm coming from an professional industry that has lots of certifications, but we all know how standards can deviate from one to another.
At the end of the day, as long as the job is done to my satisfactory with all the legal issues settled, I couldn't care less if a contractor has got any "license issue" or "trusted or accredited". It is never my issue how he/she settles the legal part with the authorities, I'm only concern about the end product.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Shop to Avoid!
Our hunt for all fittings for the house was a tiring one. While we met with shops that were not fantastic in pricing, most of them were pretty gd in serving us and making their recommendations to newbies (us) who were absolutely clueless abt renovations.
There's a particular shop, however, was absolutely disappointing despite high recommendations from a fellow forummer. A shop that I wanna avoid going back at all cost.
It was a typical hardware shop, claims to be distributing sanitary fittings to developers for condo and private apartment projects. We made an extra effort to drive all the way down to check out what was available, since the pricing was claimed to be fantastic.
On our arrival, we were 'greeted' by an absolutely nonchalant guy who seems to be one of the bosses. We had to approach him ourselves while he was busy smoking, and another older man came over to assist, after much waiting. Let's call him Mr K.
We had already purchased our MBR toilet fittings and lacked only the common toilet n kitchen necessities. The choices there were minimal as compared to shops in J.Besar or Geylang, but we had the intention to buy all our remaining fittings from the same place if the price is right. The taps and bidet spray were of less interest to us, the design was more of typical ones that we see in our parents places - plain. Politely rejected Mr K that we would like to get from other shops with better design, he sarcastically told me off that "美没有用的啦! (asethetics do not win over quality)". Why cant we have the best of both worlds (asethetics and quality), esp when his taps weren't really cheap?
Left the shop telling Mr K we will call back to confirm the order b4 delivery. I wanted to take a 2nd look at shops along J.Besar as the selections here were really pathetic. He was still nice at this point of time, and promised that delivery will be made once deal is confirmed, thou a little snobbish that his prices are the best I would ever find.
Made a 2nd trip down to PJ, realized that the exact models there were cheaper, not to mentioned with friendlier service from the staff. Still feeling a little guilty for spending so much time at the hardware shop, we decide to buy a few items from him – inclusive of a kitchen sink and the chrome pipings. I made a call to Mr K, and the conversation went… (translated from Mandarin)
Me: “Sorry.. some of the items I don’t want already. I will take these remaining items."
Mr K: “Huh? What u don’t want? Then what u want?”
Me: *goes down the list he wrote for me and re-confirms one by one which are the items I wanted*
Mr K: “Ok ok…. So u only want *this and this* lah?”
Me: “Ya, so uncle.. when can u deliver them?”
Mr K: “I don’t know. See how lor.”
Me: “Huh? What is ‘see how lor’?”
Mr K: “See when my driver pass by ur area then he will deliver lor.”
Me: “…..??? Then when will I know he’s at my area?”
Mr K: “Aiya, ur order so little. I don’t deliver one leh…”
Me: "Huh? U don't deliver, then how I buy?"
Mr K: "The kitchen sink is very light what. U come n take yourself lah!"
Me: ".... ok. Fine, i'll ask my hubby to drive over and pick up when he's free."
At this point of time I was already on the verge of bursting. While I understand that my orders may be little, it just takes simple words to tell me that I need to pick them up myself, which I’m perfectly fine. I ended the conversation since he wasn’t keen in earning the peanuts from me. Made all my purchases from Poh Joo instead, and the bulk discount given at the end made the whole price tag cheaper than at Mr K’s shop. Not forgetting the humiliation n poor services I received.
Lastly, the ‘highly’ recommended shop:
Chan Weng Wah Hardware
Blk 149 Silat Ave
#01-46, Singapore 160149
There's a particular shop, however, was absolutely disappointing despite high recommendations from a fellow forummer. A shop that I wanna avoid going back at all cost.
It was a typical hardware shop, claims to be distributing sanitary fittings to developers for condo and private apartment projects. We made an extra effort to drive all the way down to check out what was available, since the pricing was claimed to be fantastic.
On our arrival, we were 'greeted' by an absolutely nonchalant guy who seems to be one of the bosses. We had to approach him ourselves while he was busy smoking, and another older man came over to assist, after much waiting. Let's call him Mr K.
We had already purchased our MBR toilet fittings and lacked only the common toilet n kitchen necessities. The choices there were minimal as compared to shops in J.Besar or Geylang, but we had the intention to buy all our remaining fittings from the same place if the price is right. The taps and bidet spray were of less interest to us, the design was more of typical ones that we see in our parents places - plain. Politely rejected Mr K that we would like to get from other shops with better design, he sarcastically told me off that "美没有用的啦! (asethetics do not win over quality)". Why cant we have the best of both worlds (asethetics and quality), esp when his taps weren't really cheap?
Left the shop telling Mr K we will call back to confirm the order b4 delivery. I wanted to take a 2nd look at shops along J.Besar as the selections here were really pathetic. He was still nice at this point of time, and promised that delivery will be made once deal is confirmed, thou a little snobbish that his prices are the best I would ever find.
Made a 2nd trip down to PJ, realized that the exact models there were cheaper, not to mentioned with friendlier service from the staff. Still feeling a little guilty for spending so much time at the hardware shop, we decide to buy a few items from him – inclusive of a kitchen sink and the chrome pipings. I made a call to Mr K, and the conversation went… (translated from Mandarin)
Me: “Sorry.. some of the items I don’t want already. I will take these remaining items."
Mr K: “Huh? What u don’t want? Then what u want?”
Me: *goes down the list he wrote for me and re-confirms one by one which are the items I wanted*
Mr K: “Ok ok…. So u only want *this and this* lah?”
Me: “Ya, so uncle.. when can u deliver them?”
Mr K: “I don’t know. See how lor.”
Me: “Huh? What is ‘see how lor’?”
Mr K: “See when my driver pass by ur area then he will deliver lor.”
Me: “…..??? Then when will I know he’s at my area?”
Mr K: “Aiya, ur order so little. I don’t deliver one leh…”
Me: "Huh? U don't deliver, then how I buy?"
Mr K: "The kitchen sink is very light what. U come n take yourself lah!"
Me: ".... ok. Fine, i'll ask my hubby to drive over and pick up when he's free."
At this point of time I was already on the verge of bursting. While I understand that my orders may be little, it just takes simple words to tell me that I need to pick them up myself, which I’m perfectly fine. I ended the conversation since he wasn’t keen in earning the peanuts from me. Made all my purchases from Poh Joo instead, and the bulk discount given at the end made the whole price tag cheaper than at Mr K’s shop. Not forgetting the humiliation n poor services I received.
Lastly, the ‘highly’ recommended shop:
Chan Weng Wah Hardware
Blk 149 Silat Ave
#01-46, Singapore 160149
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Toilet Bowl Biz
I didn't pay much attention to the selection of water closets (WC) when we made our purchases. It was more than just 'fit-the-budget' checklist that we had to follow. So i'm gonna pen down the notes of selecting a WC after trying out both WCs we bought.
My buys: 1-pc WC Baron (W303) vs 2-pc Claytan (WC4506)
1) Aesthetically, the 1-pc looks sleeker and classier as compare to 2-pc WC. Wanted something better for MBR toilet and gotta a simple one for the common toilet since we wouldn't be using it often. Price wise, 1-pc is much more expensive than a 2-pc WC.
2) A MUST to sit on the WC when buying. Although my 1-pc was more pleasant to look at, the seat feels much smaller and narrower than the 2-pc. Unless you needed to trim those muscles at the bum. :P
3) Flushing. Single flush, dual flush? I read on forum that PUB only allow sale of dual flush systems (i cannot verify this Found! Read more here) from 1st Jul 09 onwards. Both my WC had dual flushing, but the half flush on the Claytan (2.8lit) was significantly much weaker than on my Baron (2.5lit), and it wastes even more water that we have to flush twice even for liquid waste. Although i cannot provide how we can test the flushing pressure at the shops, i gathered from sources online that Claytan is quite notorious for the weak half flush.
4) Soft closing seats - forget abt it i say. We didn't specifically asked for it, but thought it was a gd to have feature if it came free. But i'm getting a little more irritated each time I need to wait for the seat to 'descend' slowly. And in the long run, the soft closing usually wears out. Replacement of these seats are more expensive than the normal covers as well, and eventually i'm not surprise to find myself buy a normal seat as replacement. There are some who absolutely hated the slamming sound and would list this as one of their must-get.
Some listing of WC rating found here.
My buys: 1-pc WC Baron (W303) vs 2-pc Claytan (WC4506)
1) Aesthetically, the 1-pc looks sleeker and classier as compare to 2-pc WC. Wanted something better for MBR toilet and gotta a simple one for the common toilet since we wouldn't be using it often. Price wise, 1-pc is much more expensive than a 2-pc WC.
2) A MUST to sit on the WC when buying. Although my 1-pc was more pleasant to look at, the seat feels much smaller and narrower than the 2-pc. Unless you needed to trim those muscles at the bum. :P
3) Flushing. Single flush, dual flush? I read on forum that PUB only allow sale of dual flush systems (
4) Soft closing seats - forget abt it i say. We didn't specifically asked for it, but thought it was a gd to have feature if it came free. But i'm getting a little more irritated each time I need to wait for the seat to 'descend' slowly. And in the long run, the soft closing usually wears out. Replacement of these seats are more expensive than the normal covers as well, and eventually i'm not surprise to find myself buy a normal seat as replacement. There are some who absolutely hated the slamming sound and would list this as one of their must-get.
Some listing of WC rating found here.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Toilet and Kitchen Fittings
This is a huge part to cover, and was the one that made us walk through the stretch of J.Besar for countless times. We finalized all our buys from 3 shops - Eestilo, Poh Joo and Bellari
Package from Eestilo (Geylang): $299 for 1-pc WC (in white) and round sink.
All taps/rainshower/shower mixers from Bellari. Total expenditure $760.
Mirrors, kitchen sink, Common toilet WC and MBR basin from Poh Joo - $520 (with other misc fittings)
Eestilo was not exactly the cheapest, but the 1-pc WC was really a gd buy from all the shops we have hunted. Cheapest we found was on high-end of $200, whereas the promo package was only $299 for a WC+sink. Service by Sunny was gd and delivery was prompt.
Bellari had some of the nicest faucet around, sleek designed handles (noticed i bought the same series for all). Claimed to be made in Italy, but i'm sold becos of design and where it's made is secondary to me. Downside, fixed prices and no further discount even when i've bought this much. Aftersale service is excellent, we had two leaking bidet spray and they went up to check and exchge for us even when it was our high water pressure that burst the spray.
Poh Joo, reasonable prices for some items (if you managed to find). Rainshower slightly higher priced, but otherwise not a bad place to shop at. Delivery was commendable, the guy called 1hr ahead to inform that he will be late and that I don't have to arrive at my place early to wait for him in a bare house without chairs. He arrived sharply at the 2nd agreed timing.
Eestilo De Vida
540 Sims Ave #01-01
Sims Ave Centre
Singapore 387603
(Between Geylang Lor 35 & 37)
Tel: 6844 0901
Bellari
117 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208837
Tel: 62963455
Poh Joo Hardware Engr Pte Ltd - Closed on Sundays
159 Jalan Besar (Opp. Jln Besar Hawker Centre)
Singapore 208875
Tel: 63980588
Some other highly recommended shops online are:
Genova Industrial Ptd Ltd
58 Bendemeer Road
Singapore 339937
Tel: 6299 0222
Asia Excel - Ray @ IMM branch
2 Jurong East St 21
#03-29A, IMM Building
Royal Fanco - Henry (B0ss)
135 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208849
Tel: 62990543
Package from Eestilo (Geylang): $299 for 1-pc WC (in white) and round sink.
All taps/rainshower/shower mixers from Bellari. Total expenditure $760.
Mirrors, kitchen sink, Common toilet WC and MBR basin from Poh Joo - $520 (with other misc fittings)
Eestilo was not exactly the cheapest, but the 1-pc WC was really a gd buy from all the shops we have hunted. Cheapest we found was on high-end of $200, whereas the promo package was only $299 for a WC+sink. Service by Sunny was gd and delivery was prompt.
Bellari had some of the nicest faucet around, sleek designed handles (noticed i bought the same series for all). Claimed to be made in Italy, but i'm sold becos of design and where it's made is secondary to me. Downside, fixed prices and no further discount even when i've bought this much. Aftersale service is excellent, we had two leaking bidet spray and they went up to check and exchge for us even when it was our high water pressure that burst the spray.
Poh Joo, reasonable prices for some items (if you managed to find). Rainshower slightly higher priced, but otherwise not a bad place to shop at. Delivery was commendable, the guy called 1hr ahead to inform that he will be late and that I don't have to arrive at my place early to wait for him in a bare house without chairs. He arrived sharply at the 2nd agreed timing.
Eestilo De Vida
540 Sims Ave #01-01
Sims Ave Centre
Singapore 387603
(Between Geylang Lor 35 & 37)
Tel: 6844 0901
Bellari
117 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208837
Tel: 62963455
Poh Joo Hardware Engr Pte Ltd - Closed on Sundays
159 Jalan Besar (Opp. Jln Besar Hawker Centre)
Singapore 208875
Tel: 63980588
Some other highly recommended shops online are:
Genova Industrial Ptd Ltd
58 Bendemeer Road
Singapore 339937
Tel: 6299 0222
Asia Excel - Ray @ IMM branch
2 Jurong East St 21
#03-29A, IMM Building
Royal Fanco - Henry (B0ss)
135 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208849
Tel: 62990543
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lights - Brightens my day
Started my research online for recommended shops to go for and those to avoid. Ended up with quite an extensive list, but in the end, we've visited less than 5 shops. Decided that we did not had the time and energy to go touring ard SG, and probably the petrol would have cost us more than the savings and discounts.
Bought most of my lights from No.1 Lighting in Geylang - price n service won us over. The uncle was not out to extort, and even advise us against certain lights which we absolutely loved but was way out of budget.
Top: Wardrobe Room
Bottom: MBR
Top: Study/Guest Room
Bottom: Kitchen
L: 2 of these (with silver holder) for toilets
R: 2x13W Square downlights (x12) for living room
With 2 more cheap lights ($3.90 ea, bulbs were expensive thou) from Ikea for store and service balcony. Ikea is quite a gd alternative for cheaper lights. Designs are pretty decent and value for money as well. Downside: can only use Ikea housebrand light bulbs, which is quite pricer as compared to their lights.
No fanciful drop-downs for dining or anywhere in the home. We've yet to decide where the dining table goes n besides, maintenance is probably gonna kill my neck.
All in all, we spent $600+ (after bulk discount, n best of all NO GST!) in No.1 Lighting.
No.1 Lighting
673 Geylang Road
Singapore (389600)
Tel: 67496636 (May be open on Sundays, call to double check)
IKEA Tampines Singapore
60 Tampines North Drive 2
Singapore 528764
Tel: 6786 6868
Fax: 6786 6888 (IKEA Tampines)
Having mentioned so much, it makes a fairer post to list out all the shops that i did consider or had +ve reviews online too.
A Lighting Enterprise
463 Geylang Road
Tel: 67451826
Crown Lighting House
600 Geylang (Near Lor 34)
Extreme Lighting
371 Balestier Road S(329788)
Tel: 6358 3113
Fax: 6358 3003
Chan Huat
391 Balestier Rd
Tel: 62551033
Blk 353 Jurong East St 31
#01-117 Singapore 600353
Pan Tech Light Trading Enterprise
Blk 353 Jurong East St 31
#01-107 Singapore 600353
Tel: 65608601
Hylite Deco
Blk 353 Jurong East St 31
#01-109 Singapore 600353
Tel: 65603212
****************
*Edited: My switches/powerpoint sockets were thrown in FOC by my contractor and I wasn't too fussy abt getting designer switches. As long as it's the 'big big' switches, I'm prefectly fine with any brand he provides. "Beggars cannot be choosers." :P
But nonetheless, this shop seems to be one of the more popular shops in forums for Clipsal and Legrand switches that I may take a 2nd look if not for the FOC switches.
Choo Chiang Marketing Pte Ltd
http://www.ccm.sg/index.html
****************
Having shifted into our new pad for almost 2wks, there are a few things i would have reconsider or insisted in my next home building.
1) Double tube PLLs lights, 2x36W for each time i turn on them on. That's quite a thirst on electricity.
2) Wire fewer downlights to individual switches.
3) Single tube vs double tube downlights - latter drinks a lot more, but not necessarily brighter by a lot? Since there isn't any single tube downlights in my entire house, i do not have the necessary findings to validate this stand.
4) Table lamps and floor lamps would be my next buy. Bring a little coziness, esp in the bedrooms, instead of the normal PLL white lights on ceiling. Budget didn't allow us to have false ceiling/downlights in the bedrooms, so we sourced for alternatives for mood-setting ambience. A little more savings in electrical bills too as now we have an option to get energy-saving bulbs that goes as low as 5W!
5) would still insist on downlights (for asethetic reasons) and at the same time, lesser cleaning as compared to pendant lighting or chandelier.
Bought most of my lights from No.1 Lighting in Geylang - price n service won us over. The uncle was not out to extort, and even advise us against certain lights which we absolutely loved but was way out of budget.
Top: Wardrobe Room
Bottom: MBR
Top: Study/Guest Room
Bottom: Kitchen
L: 2 of these (with silver holder) for toilets
R: 2x13W Square downlights (x12) for living room
With 2 more cheap lights ($3.90 ea, bulbs were expensive thou) from Ikea for store and service balcony. Ikea is quite a gd alternative for cheaper lights. Designs are pretty decent and value for money as well. Downside: can only use Ikea housebrand light bulbs, which is quite pricer as compared to their lights.
No fanciful drop-downs for dining or anywhere in the home. We've yet to decide where the dining table goes n besides, maintenance is probably gonna kill my neck.
All in all, we spent $600+ (after bulk discount, n best of all NO GST!) in No.1 Lighting.
No.1 Lighting
673 Geylang Road
Singapore (389600)
Tel: 67496636 (May be open on Sundays, call to double check)
IKEA Tampines Singapore
60 Tampines North Drive 2
Singapore 528764
Tel: 6786 6868
Fax: 6786 6888 (IKEA Tampines)
Having mentioned so much, it makes a fairer post to list out all the shops that i did consider or had +ve reviews online too.
A Lighting Enterprise
463 Geylang Road
Tel: 67451826
Crown Lighting House
600 Geylang (Near Lor 34)
Extreme Lighting
371 Balestier Road S(329788)
Tel: 6358 3113
Fax: 6358 3003
Chan Huat
391 Balestier Rd
Tel: 62551033
Chelsea Lighting
Blk 353 Jurong East St 31
#01-117 Singapore 600353
Pan Tech Light Trading Enterprise
Blk 353 Jurong East St 31
#01-107 Singapore 600353
Tel: 65608601
Hylite Deco
Blk 353 Jurong East St 31
#01-109 Singapore 600353
Tel: 65603212
****************
*Edited: My switches/powerpoint sockets were thrown in FOC by my contractor and I wasn't too fussy abt getting designer switches. As long as it's the 'big big' switches, I'm prefectly fine with any brand he provides. "Beggars cannot be choosers." :P
But nonetheless, this shop seems to be one of the more popular shops in forums for Clipsal and Legrand switches that I may take a 2nd look if not for the FOC switches.
Choo Chiang Marketing Pte Ltd
http://www.ccm.sg/index.html
****************
Having shifted into our new pad for almost 2wks, there are a few things i would have reconsider or insisted in my next home building.
1) Double tube PLLs lights, 2x36W for each time i turn on them on. That's quite a thirst on electricity.
2) Wire fewer downlights to individual switches.
3) Single tube vs double tube downlights - latter drinks a lot more, but not necessarily brighter by a lot? Since there isn't any single tube downlights in my entire house, i do not have the necessary findings to validate this stand.
4) Table lamps and floor lamps would be my next buy. Bring a little coziness, esp in the bedrooms, instead of the normal PLL white lights on ceiling. Budget didn't allow us to have false ceiling/downlights in the bedrooms, so we sourced for alternatives for mood-setting ambience. A little more savings in electrical bills too as now we have an option to get energy-saving bulbs that goes as low as 5W!
5) would still insist on downlights (for asethetic reasons) and at the same time, lesser cleaning as compared to pendant lighting or chandelier.
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