ecureilx wrote:wwww wrote:thanks for your help guys.
Has anyone had a good experience with a contractor recently and can make me a recommendation. Finding a reliable contractor in Singapore seems to be a "needle in a haystack"-kind of operation.
My 2 cents : that contractors are cheats is a bit of a myth .. if you specify what you want, and give your budget, and the contractor can match it - you are game.
Listening to a drinking buddy who is a contractor - 9 out of 10 customers want to pay less and want the most, so either the contractor cuts corners with cheap material or do business for a loss ..
And .. if you are in a business with the heaviest competition (turn on the TV to see how many home renovators are in the market) you got to fight ..
9 out of 10 customers want to pay less and want the most, so either the contractor cuts corners with cheap material or do business for a loss ..
This is exactly how the cheating occurs, for example, there is specific standards for hinges for doors, it doesn't help if the guy puts on hinges, that cannot bear the weight of the door. Another example would be fitting the wrong window into the frame work, so the top half that should open cannot open, as it's in the wrong place.
Like I said I've seen all the tricks with my own eyes being in the industry, panels filled with paper and and covered with poly filler, I could go on and on. The point is that a quote should be given on regards to the specifications of being legally accepted, you couldn't cut corners with me, as i would be looking at the building regulations, but others would not be. I've seen some real cowboys here in Singapore too, that give the trade a bad name, just like they do in Europe.
The guy that did my renovation in UK, went bankrupt I used a Council recommended builder, as there was a grant available, little did he realise that I was just as cute as he was, I refused to sign the release of the grant money until he corrected all the faults around 30, the council surveyors came out to inspect the works, and drainage too and also said we will not release the money to him, until the faults had been corrected, he refused to correct the faults as he had no money.
I think one should be conscientious when doing work for others, not scheming how to win contracts with low bids, then cut corners that breech building regulations, that is illegal. Though Singapore building regulations maybe less stringent and there isn't much you can do about that, I would still stick with an HDB registered renovator, even for a
condo, as they cannot afford bad work feedback to get back to HDB it could ruin their contracts if genuine complaints are reported.
Always get 2 or 3 detailed quotes to include labour charges and specifications of materials of what is being used. You must demand it as not all will give it, for obvious reasons on the corner cutting. Fire doors, hinges, weight bearing structures, 4X2 partitioning, sand & cement mixing and under coats and finish. Best to have the list checked by a certified authority engineer, and also the work carried out if it's a big job of 50k or more. Many will want money up front, and try to extract your pennies before job completion, try to avoid that by having someone that is financially secure. You don't want them to spend all your money and not come back, it's all about being street wise.