The slideshow's out!
Thanks Michael!
Thank You!!!
We've created a Wedding Site (http://www.mywedding.com/banhorngserene) with key information about our big day in September!
UPDATE: Selected wedding and honeymoon photos are all up on Facebook!
Saturday, 31 May 2008
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Photography Marathon!
Having reshuffled our casual shoot session dates due to work commitments, we finally managed to take a day off to do this at last yesterday.
You can see how ambitious we are with the following locations in mind:
Phase One
Early Morning: Sentosa
Noon: Alexandra Park or Kent Ridge Park
Lunch: Vivocity
Dessert: Dempsey Ben & Jerry's (our original intended ROM location)
Phase Two
Afternoon: CHJIMES
Late Afternoon: California Fitness Orchard & Cineleisure
Evening: Icon @Orchard MRT exit
Dinner: Taka?
Phase Three
Balcony @Heeren
Behind Irish Pub
Dropped Phase 3 locations altogether but had a pleasant surprise at the backup location and at places along the way ;)
Here's a preview:
Our very professional, jovial and accomodating photographers are from: Enchanting Kairos - Michael and Eric. Thanks for all the hard work and sweat! Sorry we dragged you guys out from early morning to almost midnight :P
You can see how ambitious we are with the following locations in mind:
Phase One
Early Morning: Sentosa
Noon: Alexandra Park or Kent Ridge Park
Lunch: Vivocity
Dessert: Dempsey Ben & Jerry's (our original intended ROM location)
Phase Two
Afternoon: CHJIMES
Late Afternoon: California Fitness Orchard & Cineleisure
Evening: Icon @Orchard MRT exit
Dinner: Taka?
Phase Three
Balcony @Heeren
Behind Irish Pub
Dropped Phase 3 locations altogether but had a pleasant surprise at the backup location and at places along the way ;)
Here's a preview:
Our very professional, jovial and accomodating photographers are from: Enchanting Kairos - Michael and Eric. Thanks for all the hard work and sweat! Sorry we dragged you guys out from early morning to almost midnight :P
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Singapore ID - Finals
After several rounds with several IDs, we've finally arrived at our choice. A former member of GPlan, we've seen his work at Hulk's friend's place and are ok with the workmanship. Friend JnK did warn us that this ID might not be speedy if we're in a hurry and they did have some frustrations along the way. But the end result turned out pretty ok, so they won't stop us from engaging him.
The highlight of course, is that S is able to give us what we want, within a more comfortable budget. It wasn't that easy of course. It took us at least 3 rounds of negotiations and meetups before arriving at the final contract, and after referencing costs from our IDs and individual contractors.
In late October/early Novemeber 07 we signed on the dotted line. Set! The renovations can start then!
The highlight of course, is that S is able to give us what we want, within a more comfortable budget. It wasn't that easy of course. It took us at least 3 rounds of negotiations and meetups before arriving at the final contract, and after referencing costs from our IDs and individual contractors.
In late October/early Novemeber 07 we signed on the dotted line. Set! The renovations can start then!
Monday, 19 May 2008
Singapore ID - Round 3
Oh, in our last blog entry, I realised out I left out Cissern, who did not even bother to reply to us after repeatedly showing their "quality" materials and emphasisng that they use the best materials and workmanship. Verbally of course.
This round is refreshing in that we are now actively seeking out IDs to visit:
A&D Interior @Upper Serangoon
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3328
Actual: http://lovenest.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/1-more-to-go/
http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3328&st=0
This was a popular choice in the forums in many of our readings. They also had some interesting ideas which we thought could be a good fit. In dealing with our wardrobe space issues for the MBR, Johnny from A&D suggested erecting a false wall in the middle of the bedroom just outside of the wardrobe solely for the purpose of mounting our room TV.
In our earlier discussions with other IDs they (and us) were always thinking of making use of the wardrobes to mount the room TV, which somehow makes it feel like we are making full use of the wardrobe.
This solitary wall mount intrigued Barney and made the two duo more accepting towards the idea of the false wall mount being used solely for the purpose of mounting the room TV. Barney remembered seeing this setup in one of the showbooths at Expo previously and thought it cool, albeit, wasteful in terms of space and materials.
The showroom also had a setup of long rectangular tables perpendicularly against tall dark tinted mirrors. This was the real thing that we have seen in many of the ID magazines. Large mirror in the dining hall became part of the standard required items.
A&D wasn't that expensive despite the feel the firm gave us. But it was still stretching our budget by quite a bit, and provided if we did only one of the toilets.
Hulk Friend @Thomson
We visited a friend of the Hulk whom, with several like-minded friends, run a small cafe slightly off the beaten tracks somewhere in Thomson.
Not only are we treated to a relaxing afternoon (a rarity these days) with good company, we were served good food as well. Hulk friend's advice: don't read too many ID magazines or we'll get more and more confused and messy. It's quite true to a large extent. However, being the curious little critters we are, we couldn't resist flipping through pages and pages of ID magazines (especially when we had Cookie Monster pass us their stash of Homestyle magazines gotten from a mutual friend who was somewhat linked to the magazines' publishers).
On our second visit, Hulk's friend started to pen down some ideas of hers. Eventually, her own busy schedule and her semi-retirement state (from field of ID) made it challenging for her to take on our job. But we did take away some points which we evenutally did implement in our final design.
United Team @Thomson Plaza
Fascinated with the wallpaper featured in the showroom, we walked into their office. Initially, the "team" looked occupied and we decided to move on to Wide Angle first. Subsequently, we did come back here to talk to a young lady. After hearing our requirements, she confidently boasted that she would be able to make it within our stated budget.
This was not the case, however, when we received her email a week after. Attempts to meet up did not bear fruit as she was either too busy or seemed disinterested. This ID was dropped off our list without much consideration.
[Layout plan from United Team]
Wide Angle @Thomson Plaza
Oh we finally bumped into a man who was gentler in speech than Barney! Richard was big on wallpapers and proposed a dark, mysterious theme much alike its showroom and adverts in the magazines. Despite throwing in some freebies (they were linked to some art clock/carpet shop in Novena), we still found their prices a little steep.
However, we did affirm that we wanted a large dark mirror at our dining area similar to what they have done for their clients.
Intra Design @Bedok Central
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1557
Actual: http://renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=62&
Intra Design was widely acclaimed as having one of the better workmanship in the carpentry and design. And the cost shows.
With the help of Cookie Monster and Kiddie Snack, we made an appointment with Mr D. Boy, he was loud and proud. Hahaha..and his attitude shows. Intra Design does not give a breakdown of the costs, but from what we understand, they take in a lump sum of money and usually do a good job with it, supplying quality materials without even being asked for it. E.g. German soft closing hinges (which Cookie Monster thought was some cheapo brand from China :P), ability to choose almost any tiles without having to top up the costs, designer electrical switches etc.) Barney also noted the designer watches Mr D wears and thought that this young beng must be earning wallops and wallops of cash!
Mr D's coordination is usually rather seamless and he is efficient from what we hear. Cookie Monster recollected his experience: "D asked all the workers to come up to my apartment one day, and lining them up, did a short introduction. One by one, each was told his tasks and off they went to start work." D also takes the initiative to MMS updates to Cookie Monster as and required.
However, that lump sum was also way beyond our budget, so Intra Design did not stay on our list long.
Earnest Interior @somewhere near Woodlands/Yishun
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10147
Actual: http://membina.blogspot.com/
http://blog.shoutz.com/clemvondream/
Cookie Monster and Kiddie Snack told us that they had visited Earnest Interior as well, and they might be able to fit our budget better. Cookie Monster observed that Frankie was meticulous in his proposals (sometimes to the extent of being too careful and too detailed :P). Earnest Interior did get some good feedback from the media recently, and were proud to splash it over their website. Their showroom was tucked in the middle of nowhere at some furniture outlet. Going through a furniture showroom, we were then led to their office.
Barney and Hulk did learn about some design and material considerations in their discussion with Frankie. However, in the end, our budget restrained us in the things that we could do with Earnest, and we found some of their proposed designs a little too conservative. Too bad Frankie, but you are one of the nicest chap that the duo had met.
Boon Siew Interior @Bishan Central
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5460&st=0
Actual: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=338&
Barney's new neighbour just started to show their presence, and from the renovation notice pasted near their front door, Barney noted that it came from an ID near Hulk's place. So we decided to do a bit of reading up on Renotalk. Feedback was rather positive (with some complaints about a firm with almost the same name) and it seemed like they could perhaps fit into our budget. So we decided to meet up with Mr Low.
Mr Low was every bit..a modern uncle(?). He seemed knowledgeable about renovation in general and could tell us very detailed processes like painting and sealants, as well as carpentry work. Furthermore, he was able to do most of what we had asked for within our budget..with air conditioning to boot! This made Boon Siew one of our finalists in this race to engage an ID.
In the end, after comparing the initial sketched designs, we found that Boon Siew could be a bit too conservative for us, and so was eliminated.
[Update: Look at the "Actual" link for this firm. We could be wrong about Boon Siew. They could be rather daring and have some pretty nifty ideas too.]
This is one of the most popular ID firms in the Renotalk forums as of the writing of this post. Seems like they are doing some good business eh? So I don't think I'll need to link any feedback or actual houses being done up for this post.
We have made an appointment with Mr K on a fine Saturday morning. Mr K was polite and friendly; he even had to rush back to his showroom at Upper Serangoon :P
The Ideal House quote was one of the best we've gotten, and Mr K seemed to have plenty of lobangs from solid surfaces to sanitary equipment like sinks (we liked the round soap-dish-like sink at the showroom). Needless to say, Ideal House made it to the finals in our list. They were running a very close second to our final choice.
Art Trend @Balestier
We've gone up and down Balestier a couple of times but never seemed to have the opportunity to enter this uniquely designed showroom. Cookie Monster passed the contact of this lady designer to Barney, and it resulted in a session with Art Trend. Despite the trendy outlook of the showroom, Art Trend didn't produce a high quote.
However, by then we have already started talking to our final choice and gotten quite excited with him. So Art Trend had to go.
This round is refreshing in that we are now actively seeking out IDs to visit:
A&D Interior @Upper Serangoon
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3328
Actual: http://lovenest.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/1-more-to-go/
http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3328&st=0
This was a popular choice in the forums in many of our readings. They also had some interesting ideas which we thought could be a good fit. In dealing with our wardrobe space issues for the MBR, Johnny from A&D suggested erecting a false wall in the middle of the bedroom just outside of the wardrobe solely for the purpose of mounting our room TV.
In our earlier discussions with other IDs they (and us) were always thinking of making use of the wardrobes to mount the room TV, which somehow makes it feel like we are making full use of the wardrobe.
This solitary wall mount intrigued Barney and made the two duo more accepting towards the idea of the false wall mount being used solely for the purpose of mounting the room TV. Barney remembered seeing this setup in one of the showbooths at Expo previously and thought it cool, albeit, wasteful in terms of space and materials.
The showroom also had a setup of long rectangular tables perpendicularly against tall dark tinted mirrors. This was the real thing that we have seen in many of the ID magazines. Large mirror in the dining hall became part of the standard required items.
A&D wasn't that expensive despite the feel the firm gave us. But it was still stretching our budget by quite a bit, and provided if we did only one of the toilets.
Hulk Friend @Thomson
We visited a friend of the Hulk whom, with several like-minded friends, run a small cafe slightly off the beaten tracks somewhere in Thomson.
Not only are we treated to a relaxing afternoon (a rarity these days) with good company, we were served good food as well. Hulk friend's advice: don't read too many ID magazines or we'll get more and more confused and messy. It's quite true to a large extent. However, being the curious little critters we are, we couldn't resist flipping through pages and pages of ID magazines (especially when we had Cookie Monster pass us their stash of Homestyle magazines gotten from a mutual friend who was somewhat linked to the magazines' publishers).
On our second visit, Hulk's friend started to pen down some ideas of hers. Eventually, her own busy schedule and her semi-retirement state (from field of ID) made it challenging for her to take on our job. But we did take away some points which we evenutally did implement in our final design.
United Team @Thomson Plaza
Fascinated with the wallpaper featured in the showroom, we walked into their office. Initially, the "team" looked occupied and we decided to move on to Wide Angle first. Subsequently, we did come back here to talk to a young lady. After hearing our requirements, she confidently boasted that she would be able to make it within our stated budget.This was not the case, however, when we received her email a week after. Attempts to meet up did not bear fruit as she was either too busy or seemed disinterested. This ID was dropped off our list without much consideration.
Wide Angle @Thomson Plaza
Oh we finally bumped into a man who was gentler in speech than Barney! Richard was big on wallpapers and proposed a dark, mysterious theme much alike its showroom and adverts in the magazines. Despite throwing in some freebies (they were linked to some art clock/carpet shop in Novena), we still found their prices a little steep.
However, we did affirm that we wanted a large dark mirror at our dining area similar to what they have done for their clients.
Intra Design @Bedok Central
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1557
Actual: http://renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=62&
Intra Design was widely acclaimed as having one of the better workmanship in the carpentry and design. And the cost shows.
With the help of Cookie Monster and Kiddie Snack, we made an appointment with Mr D. Boy, he was loud and proud. Hahaha..and his attitude shows. Intra Design does not give a breakdown of the costs, but from what we understand, they take in a lump sum of money and usually do a good job with it, supplying quality materials without even being asked for it. E.g. German soft closing hinges (which Cookie Monster thought was some cheapo brand from China :P), ability to choose almost any tiles without having to top up the costs, designer electrical switches etc.) Barney also noted the designer watches Mr D wears and thought that this young beng must be earning wallops and wallops of cash!
Mr D's coordination is usually rather seamless and he is efficient from what we hear. Cookie Monster recollected his experience: "D asked all the workers to come up to my apartment one day, and lining them up, did a short introduction. One by one, each was told his tasks and off they went to start work." D also takes the initiative to MMS updates to Cookie Monster as and required.
However, that lump sum was also way beyond our budget, so Intra Design did not stay on our list long.
Earnest Interior @somewhere near Woodlands/Yishun
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10147
Actual: http://membina.blogspot.com/
http://blog.shoutz.com/clemvondream/
Cookie Monster and Kiddie Snack told us that they had visited Earnest Interior as well, and they might be able to fit our budget better. Cookie Monster observed that Frankie was meticulous in his proposals (sometimes to the extent of being too careful and too detailed :P). Earnest Interior did get some good feedback from the media recently, and were proud to splash it over their website. Their showroom was tucked in the middle of nowhere at some furniture outlet. Going through a furniture showroom, we were then led to their office.
Barney and Hulk did learn about some design and material considerations in their discussion with Frankie. However, in the end, our budget restrained us in the things that we could do with Earnest, and we found some of their proposed designs a little too conservative. Too bad Frankie, but you are one of the nicest chap that the duo had met.
Boon Siew Interior @Bishan Central
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5460&st=0
Actual: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=338&
Barney's new neighbour just started to show their presence, and from the renovation notice pasted near their front door, Barney noted that it came from an ID near Hulk's place. So we decided to do a bit of reading up on Renotalk. Feedback was rather positive (with some complaints about a firm with almost the same name) and it seemed like they could perhaps fit into our budget. So we decided to meet up with Mr Low.
Mr Low was every bit..a modern uncle(?). He seemed knowledgeable about renovation in general and could tell us very detailed processes like painting and sealants, as well as carpentry work. Furthermore, he was able to do most of what we had asked for within our budget..with air conditioning to boot! This made Boon Siew one of our finalists in this race to engage an ID.
In the end, after comparing the initial sketched designs, we found that Boon Siew could be a bit too conservative for us, and so was eliminated.
[Update: Look at the "Actual" link for this firm. We could be wrong about Boon Siew. They could be rather daring and have some pretty nifty ideas too.]
This is one of the most popular ID firms in the Renotalk forums as of the writing of this post. Seems like they are doing some good business eh? So I don't think I'll need to link any feedback or actual houses being done up for this post.
We have made an appointment with Mr K on a fine Saturday morning. Mr K was polite and friendly; he even had to rush back to his showroom at Upper Serangoon :P
The Ideal House quote was one of the best we've gotten, and Mr K seemed to have plenty of lobangs from solid surfaces to sanitary equipment like sinks (we liked the round soap-dish-like sink at the showroom). Needless to say, Ideal House made it to the finals in our list. They were running a very close second to our final choice.
We've gone up and down Balestier a couple of times but never seemed to have the opportunity to enter this uniquely designed showroom. Cookie Monster passed the contact of this lady designer to Barney, and it resulted in a session with Art Trend. Despite the trendy outlook of the showroom, Art Trend didn't produce a high quote.
However, by then we have already started talking to our final choice and gotten quite excited with him. So Art Trend had to go.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Singapore ID - Round 2 (Expo)
Expo Home Shows
We went for one of those Expo home and furnishing fairs as there was a high concentration of IDs under one roof. The Purple Dino wanted to cut down on some legwork you see..
Baroque @Expo & Joo Chiat
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1017
This is one of the more frequent names in the Renotalk forum at that time, and pricing was supposed to be more ok.
At the Expo show, we talked to a lady who sat us down and started scribbling on a blank piece of A4 paper on what we wanted. Punching some numbers, she gave the quotation on
the spot. She didn't give much feedback and was just 'orh orh orh'ing' all the time. Our conclusion: general lack of interest in our business.
After going back and giving the forums some more reading, we decided to give them another chance and dropped by their HQ at Joo Chiat after our appointment at Rezt & Relax.
Andy was more convincing and was able to produce a printed quotation after a week or so. He was able to give some feedback, but only when asked. We heard that his colleague
Lawrence (or something) was one of the more popular ones around, but he wasn't free on the day we walked in.
The best thing about Baroque? Andy passed us a quotation of electrical works pricing (e.g. how much each lighting point costs, new cable TV point etc). which we thought
was reasonable. It became our benchmark for price comparison and has it's own place in our Reno Folder.
Rating: 3.5/2.5/2/3.5/?
Orange Cube @Expo & Kaki Bukit
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8542
Actual: http://odielim.blogspot.com/
http://gnmrenovation.blogspot.com
Their booth was nice, with various modern themes decked in daring colours. Their displays inspired us to have our own "cozy corner", a place to relax, read a book, listen
to soothing music while lounging on a comfortable seat..
We talked to David, a rather young chap who was eager to show off his ideas and some designs he and his colleagues have done.
David was the one who gave the idea for using two rows of parallel wardrobes to create the WIW. The display at Expo also left our mouths watering for a cozy settee in our
new home.
On the flipside, he urged us to pay a deposit to secure this
"special package" at Expo, which we turned down right away. We have decided that we should never rush into any deals especially if it involves a big sum of money and
smooth talking salespersons. Nevertheless, we decided to drop by their HQ at Kaki Bukit to view the quotation David will be doing up.
Orange cube had a nice showroom in Kaki Bukit. Spacious and bright, the design really reflects the name of the company. Seems that they like to use bright colours.
Having done some homework in between our initial meeting @Expo and here, we learnt that their lead designer Amos was well received, and that we had friend (Mr Machine Gun) who
had utilised his services just some months ago and found their work satisfactory.
However, the initial pricing came up to be the highest we've seen so far! $42k excluding GST!
Despite David coming back on several attempts: waiving off GST, offering free System 3 (and then System 4) aircon from Mitsubishi/Daikin, further discounts etc, we still
felt that pricing was on the high side after striking off some of the nice-to-haves. Having analysed the breakdown from the quotation, their windows and wetworks (floor tiles,
cement bases etc) were highest in all that we have compared. Conclusion: Mr Machine Gun must be rich..kekeke..
Rating: 1/3/4/2.5/3
Vogue Design Place @Expo & Balestier
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11702
Actual: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=209&&st=160
Their young staff invited us into their booth, but a more senior person took over. Mr Jimmy sounded like he knew his stuff, as he emphasised that he had started
off as a carpenter and had more than 10 years of experience under his belt at several "more famous" ID firms. He drew a basic layout, listened to what we wanted and made
practical suggestions. Subsequently we were to meet him at his HQ at Balestier a week after.
Going back, we were unable to find any references to the firm at all in the forums (later on we did though, and though it didn't look good with some complaints). Purple Dino
was also concerned that it was not listed in HDB/RADAC's list of licensed contractors (but ironic..see more recent posts). However, the quote that Jimmy gave us was quite
competitive and we were able to redo our toilets (see post here) within our budget. The showroom
was also nicely done up with a dark cozy theme with a dash of goth.
Amongst all the IDs we had one of the most interaction with Jimmy, and we met him no lesser than 4-5 times. He also offered to show us some of the units he had just completed. He brought us to the tileshops along Balestier and gave his recommendations on some of the tiles.
In the end, what made us drop Vogue? Well, the place that was recently done up and shown to us killed this firm from our shortlist. We didn't like the carpentry workmanship, and although Jimmy had said that the place was close to the theme we were looking for, it wasn't. It felt antiquated and cramped (but that could be partly due to the tiny 4 room layout of the new Punggol unit). It dawned upon us that maybe the firm will be unable to convey our ideas well enough. Sorry Jimmy, you tried hard, but we just didn't bite.
Note: Even after we dropped Vogue, Jimmy was nice enough to drop us a note that he has since left Vogue and joined another firm. Kudos to his professionalism and patience.
Rating: 4/4/2/3/2
Rezt & Relax @Expo & Joo Chiat
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1093
It was only after we turned back to walk through the Expo booths one more time that we came to sit down at Rezt & Relax. The booth was appealing in its "arty" and mysterious feel.
It did feel like there was some thought that have gone into the design. Rezt & Relax felt expensive and "class" alright..
However, the person who attended to us (no offense intended) felt like a "lao beng" to us. hahaha..How contradicting!
After hearing our inputs, we were invited to their HQ @Joo Chiat. Upon entering their dark, industrial-feel office, there were rows of newspaper and magazine cuttings displayed,
apparently some accolades from the media. (hmm..but some are from the evening tabloids wor.. that would explain the "Bengish" relationships.. :P)
Lao Beng probably felt that we would not give them much to earn, as he has delegated a rather young (barely-out-of-poly young) man named Max to serve us.
Max had some nifty ideas but they were expensive ones. At the end of the day, Rezt and Relax's quotation wasn't as expensive as Orange Cube's, solely because we dropped so many
items off to make the numbers reasonable. Otherwise we would have no doubt that if an apples-to-apples comparison was made, R&R was the most expensive of the lot.
Rating: 1/1/2/2/?
We went for one of those Expo home and furnishing fairs as there was a high concentration of IDs under one roof. The Purple Dino wanted to cut down on some legwork you see..
Baroque @Expo & Joo Chiat
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1017
This is one of the more frequent names in the Renotalk forum at that time, and pricing was supposed to be more ok.
At the Expo show, we talked to a lady who sat us down and started scribbling on a blank piece of A4 paper on what we wanted. Punching some numbers, she gave the quotation on
the spot. She didn't give much feedback and was just 'orh orh orh'ing' all the time. Our conclusion: general lack of interest in our business.
After going back and giving the forums some more reading, we decided to give them another chance and dropped by their HQ at Joo Chiat after our appointment at Rezt & Relax.
Andy was more convincing and was able to produce a printed quotation after a week or so. He was able to give some feedback, but only when asked. We heard that his colleague
Lawrence (or something) was one of the more popular ones around, but he wasn't free on the day we walked in.
The best thing about Baroque? Andy passed us a quotation of electrical works pricing (e.g. how much each lighting point costs, new cable TV point etc). which we thought
was reasonable. It became our benchmark for price comparison and has it's own place in our Reno Folder.
Rating: 3.5/2.5/2/3.5/?
Orange Cube @Expo & Kaki Bukit
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8542
Actual: http://odielim.blogspot.com/
http://gnmrenovation.blogspot.com
Their booth was nice, with various modern themes decked in daring colours. Their displays inspired us to have our own "cozy corner", a place to relax, read a book, listen
to soothing music while lounging on a comfortable seat..
We talked to David, a rather young chap who was eager to show off his ideas and some designs he and his colleagues have done.
David was the one who gave the idea for using two rows of parallel wardrobes to create the WIW. The display at Expo also left our mouths watering for a cozy settee in our
new home.
On the flipside, he urged us to pay a deposit to secure this
"special package" at Expo, which we turned down right away. We have decided that we should never rush into any deals especially if it involves a big sum of money and
smooth talking salespersons. Nevertheless, we decided to drop by their HQ at Kaki Bukit to view the quotation David will be doing up.
Orange cube had a nice showroom in Kaki Bukit. Spacious and bright, the design really reflects the name of the company. Seems that they like to use bright colours.
Having done some homework in between our initial meeting @Expo and here, we learnt that their lead designer Amos was well received, and that we had friend (Mr Machine Gun) who
had utilised his services just some months ago and found their work satisfactory.
However, the initial pricing came up to be the highest we've seen so far! $42k excluding GST!
Despite David coming back on several attempts: waiving off GST, offering free System 3 (and then System 4) aircon from Mitsubishi/Daikin, further discounts etc, we still
felt that pricing was on the high side after striking off some of the nice-to-haves. Having analysed the breakdown from the quotation, their windows and wetworks (floor tiles,
cement bases etc) were highest in all that we have compared. Conclusion: Mr Machine Gun must be rich..kekeke..
Rating: 1/3/4/2.5/3
Vogue Design Place @Expo & Balestier
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11702
Actual: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=209&&st=160
Their young staff invited us into their booth, but a more senior person took over. Mr Jimmy sounded like he knew his stuff, as he emphasised that he had started
off as a carpenter and had more than 10 years of experience under his belt at several "more famous" ID firms. He drew a basic layout, listened to what we wanted and made
practical suggestions. Subsequently we were to meet him at his HQ at Balestier a week after.
Going back, we were unable to find any references to the firm at all in the forums (later on we did though, and though it didn't look good with some complaints). Purple Dino
was also concerned that it was not listed in HDB/RADAC's list of licensed contractors (but ironic..see more recent posts). However, the quote that Jimmy gave us was quite
competitive and we were able to redo our toilets (see post here) within our budget. The showroom
was also nicely done up with a dark cozy theme with a dash of goth.
Amongst all the IDs we had one of the most interaction with Jimmy, and we met him no lesser than 4-5 times. He also offered to show us some of the units he had just completed. He brought us to the tileshops along Balestier and gave his recommendations on some of the tiles.
In the end, what made us drop Vogue? Well, the place that was recently done up and shown to us killed this firm from our shortlist. We didn't like the carpentry workmanship, and although Jimmy had said that the place was close to the theme we were looking for, it wasn't. It felt antiquated and cramped (but that could be partly due to the tiny 4 room layout of the new Punggol unit). It dawned upon us that maybe the firm will be unable to convey our ideas well enough. Sorry Jimmy, you tried hard, but we just didn't bite.Note: Even after we dropped Vogue, Jimmy was nice enough to drop us a note that he has since left Vogue and joined another firm. Kudos to his professionalism and patience.
Rating: 4/4/2/3/2
Rezt & Relax @Expo & Joo Chiat
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1093
It was only after we turned back to walk through the Expo booths one more time that we came to sit down at Rezt & Relax. The booth was appealing in its "arty" and mysterious feel.
It did feel like there was some thought that have gone into the design. Rezt & Relax felt expensive and "class" alright..
However, the person who attended to us (no offense intended) felt like a "lao beng" to us. hahaha..How contradicting!
After hearing our inputs, we were invited to their HQ @Joo Chiat. Upon entering their dark, industrial-feel office, there were rows of newspaper and magazine cuttings displayed,
apparently some accolades from the media. (hmm..but some are from the evening tabloids wor.. that would explain the "Bengish" relationships.. :P)
Lao Beng probably felt that we would not give them much to earn, as he has delegated a rather young (barely-out-of-poly young) man named Max to serve us.
Max had some nifty ideas but they were expensive ones. At the end of the day, Rezt and Relax's quotation wasn't as expensive as Orange Cube's, solely because we dropped so many
items off to make the numbers reasonable. Otherwise we would have no doubt that if an apples-to-apples comparison was made, R&R was the most expensive of the lot.
Rating: 1/1/2/2/?
Singapore ID - Round 1
Living Art @Toa Payoh Central
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12718
Wandered in one day after dinner and decided to talk to the people inside. This was more of an introduction to ID and space planning for us more than anything.
Being the first ID we visited, we had a mish-mash of various ideas - from reading all the forums and issues of Home and Decor :P
Initial wishlist (apart from the necessary stuff)
- Walk In Wardrobe (WIW)
- Wooden platform at balcony
- Flat screen TV swivel
- Bar counter/breakfast table
- Some form of cozy corner
The lady was ok but the quote gave us quite a shock. Either it means dropping items from our wishlists or the pricing was too high.
Walking out after the discussion, we both concurred that it was the latter.
Rating: 2/2/2/2/?
Unimax Creative @Toa Payoh/Balestier
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10275
Further down the road, we bumped into a tiny branch of Unimax Creative, and met Derek.
Always smiling, he listened to our suggestions and smiled at the end of each sentence we said. He didn't really have much feedback or comments, but just to tell us to
wait for his quotation. Perhaps it was past closing time and he was tired..We didn't really have much of an impression.
Some IDs and more than a month after, we got a call from Derek, asking us to meet him at his HQ at Balestier. The showroom was impressive in design, having a dark, modern
theme with extensive use of high gloss materials and glass. Derek was able to show was a professionally done up space planning design and the quotation was lower than we
expected (after looking at the showroom layout - we thought it felt like a big name).
There were some innovations in the space planning that we have considered before.
From Unimax Creative, we got the idea of hacking the adjoining bedroom for wardrobe space in the MBR. This gave us sufficient storage space without compromising the living space
within the MBR. The smaller room (with the walls hollowed out for wardrobe) will become the new study.
In the end, we still felt that we could get a better deal elsewhere, and Derek did not give us the impression that he was enthusiastic. So...too bad.
Rating: 3.5/2.5/3.5/3/?
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12718
Wandered in one day after dinner and decided to talk to the people inside. This was more of an introduction to ID and space planning for us more than anything.
Being the first ID we visited, we had a mish-mash of various ideas - from reading all the forums and issues of Home and Decor :P
Initial wishlist (apart from the necessary stuff)
- Walk In Wardrobe (WIW)
- Wooden platform at balcony
- Flat screen TV swivel
- Bar counter/breakfast table
- Some form of cozy corner
The lady was ok but the quote gave us quite a shock. Either it means dropping items from our wishlists or the pricing was too high.
Walking out after the discussion, we both concurred that it was the latter.
Rating: 2/2/2/2/?
Unimax Creative @Toa Payoh/Balestier
Feedback: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10275
Further down the road, we bumped into a tiny branch of Unimax Creative, and met Derek.
Always smiling, he listened to our suggestions and smiled at the end of each sentence we said. He didn't really have much feedback or comments, but just to tell us to
wait for his quotation. Perhaps it was past closing time and he was tired..We didn't really have much of an impression.
Some IDs and more than a month after, we got a call from Derek, asking us to meet him at his HQ at Balestier. The showroom was impressive in design, having a dark, modern
theme with extensive use of high gloss materials and glass. Derek was able to show was a professionally done up space planning design and the quotation was lower than we
expected (after looking at the showroom layout - we thought it felt like a big name).
There were some innovations in the space planning that we have considered before.
From Unimax Creative, we got the idea of hacking the adjoining bedroom for wardrobe space in the MBR. This gave us sufficient storage space without compromising the living space
within the MBR. The smaller room (with the walls hollowed out for wardrobe) will become the new study.
In the end, we still felt that we could get a better deal elsewhere, and Derek did not give us the impression that he was enthusiastic. So...too bad.
Rating: 3.5/2.5/3.5/3/?
Singapore ID - Who did we select?
Time for a mini review of our renovation interior designer search!
(Disclaimer: All views are personal and could be biased. We are in no way advertising for or bad mouthing any firms.
We do not profess to be experts and are known to make mistakes as well. Pass your own judgements or take ours at your own risk.)
Evaluation criteria (scores out of 5)
- Price!
- How comfortable we are with the ID
- Innovative designs that fit into what we would want
- Practical suggestions
- Workmanship
etc.
Tools
- The Reno Bag
Stolen from another younger purple dinosaur, the elder dino has taken this as his own. All the reno tools are duly stored in this bag.
- The Reno Folder
Provided by one of the ID firms, it's used to store all the quotations from IDs, invoices/delivery notices from all the electrical/furniture shops, blank floorplans, etc etc..
- The Measure
Originally belonging to Dino Mummy, it has "fengshui" measurements on one side, and regular ones on the idea (Purple Dino did not know this until he was told later when
Dino Mummy couldn't locate her Fengshui Measuring Tape). Extendable with a metallic strip, and spring-loaded to snap back to its base, it's compact and can double as a
deadly weapon *whoosh*! *ouch*
- The Camera
Almost out of a job after a holiday in Korea, Mr Fujifilm F30 received a new task: to document all reno-related activities visually.
- The Pencil Case
Brought out of retirement after Purple Dino left school, Mr Billabong Blue needs to take stock of all the stationery used.
(Disclaimer: All views are personal and could be biased. We are in no way advertising for or bad mouthing any firms.
We do not profess to be experts and are known to make mistakes as well. Pass your own judgements or take ours at your own risk.)
Evaluation criteria (scores out of 5)
- Price!
- How comfortable we are with the ID
- Innovative designs that fit into what we would want
- Practical suggestions
- Workmanship
etc.
Tools
- The Reno Bag
Stolen from another younger purple dinosaur, the elder dino has taken this as his own. All the reno tools are duly stored in this bag.
- The Reno Folder
Provided by one of the ID firms, it's used to store all the quotations from IDs, invoices/delivery notices from all the electrical/furniture shops, blank floorplans, etc etc..
- The Measure
Originally belonging to Dino Mummy, it has "fengshui" measurements on one side, and regular ones on the idea (Purple Dino did not know this until he was told later when
Dino Mummy couldn't locate her Fengshui Measuring Tape). Extendable with a metallic strip, and spring-loaded to snap back to its base, it's compact and can double as a
deadly weapon *whoosh*! *ouch*
- The Camera
Almost out of a job after a holiday in Korea, Mr Fujifilm F30 received a new task: to document all reno-related activities visually.
- The Pencil Case
Brought out of retirement after Purple Dino left school, Mr Billabong Blue needs to take stock of all the stationery used.
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