.::. About renovation cost, IDs and contractors .::.

I've been getting alot of questions about my renovation costs, what's the difference between IDs and contractors, and I'll try to share my take on these:

I will share my total renovation cost, but not the breakdown by items since every project is different, and it's not fair to compare quotes item by item.  From my understanding, every contractor/ID would calculate individual costs and also ensure that the whole project earns a certain profit margin, usually at least 30%.  This is to cover things like transport cost, potential rectification costs etc, and is also why some contractors who charge cheap prices would refuse to rectify works since it would result in a loss.  IDs generally charge more than contractors, as they are on a commission based pay package, and provide services such as 3D drawings, space planning, working with you to design your homes.  They are also supposed to supervise all works for you and coordinate all sub-contractors and manage the whole project timeline.  Having said that, not all of them actually manages your project actively and hardly visits your site or do enough follow-ups!

I chose a contractor instead of an ID, mainly because I have not met any IDs who actually understands the look and feel I wanted.  Of course budget played a part and I preferred to get more bang for the buck.  IDs usually show me a huge portfolio of typical modern contemporary styles which I was trying to avoid.  I wanted something Scandinavian inspired, something rustic with some elements of industrial, country and mid-century.  Space planning wise, I have more or less decided on what I wanted and just needed someone to get it done for me, unless anyone can convince me otherwise (my mum and orangecrab did).  I hate it when IDs try to change my layout, seemingly just to change it for the sake of showing that they contributed to the design process.  It went against my basic principle of enlarging my living space visually, and enhance the circulation of air in the home.  Some gave me weird comments like insisting on a plastered brick wall looked like the real thing, and asked me if it was because of Fengshui that I wanted my whole living area white.  Apparently it seems like white is outdated and boring and nobody does it anymore.  There are IDs specializing in my themes, but they are waaaayyyyy out of budget and I didn't even bother to approach them despite knowing that they exist.

After many frustrating meetings with IDs who did not understand what we wanted but gave quotations way out of budget, we went to contractors.  Mr K was the 3rd contractor I approached, and his quotation at about 40k was pretty competitive all-in, but obviously we chose him for his attitude, workmanship, trust, and ease of communication.  We also got a quotation from a relative who quoted us at 'cost', but he charged us 35k after discounts but excluding electrical, haulage, before upgrade of tiles, additional hacking and brick wall, 3 toilet doors and service yard windows.  We eventually got the relative to do carpentry on the insistence of MIL, while Mr K did all things else. Looking at how our carpentry went, I can only say that luckily we didn't agree to use him for all our works.  The chasing and lack of progress updates and delays would have killed us.  My cheapest quote was 33k before additional brick wall, electrical, windows, 3 toilet doors and additional hacking.  My most expensive quote came to about 60k.

My major works are hacking of 6 walls, flooring for whole house (excluding toilets), 2 brick walls, 1 cement screed wall, overlay 2 toilet walls with shower screens, MBR false ceiling, living L-box, 2 wardrobes, 2 toilet vanity, shoe cabinet, feature wall,~30ft kitchen, electrical and painting for about 40k.

In terms of renovation cost, IDs usually cost quite abit more than contractors.  Although I've heard instances when IDs are cheaper than contractors, every ID quote was pricier than contractors' quote for me. However, alot also depends on what materials you choose.  To keep costs low, you can use laminated flooring instead or tiles or parquet wood or use china solid tops instead of banded solid tops or granite. Also, look at the details of your quote.  For flooring and tiling, some IDs price indicates 60x60 tiles up to $2.20 - and this is a huge limitation, the selection for $2.20 tiles is very small and you will need to top-up a substantial amount if you choose say $3.20 tiles.  Also, the workmanship for laying 15x60cm wood-grain tiles is more expensive.  Carpentry quotations also vary widely, do check the thickness of wood and laminates used, whether you can choose laminates from any brand or only a certain range, what accessories are provided e.g. blum drawers or china-made soft-closing, dish racks and pull-out trays?  Do clarify and ask for quotes if you require any upgrades.  Also check if electrical is charged by points or a lump sum, if haulage and sand is included.

Apart from cost, it's important to confirm time frame.  If you IDs are giving you your 3D drawings and quotations late, not answering calls or replying your queries promptly , it may be a sign that your works might be delayed and would be less smooth. Even if prices are right, and you work well with them, can you accept it if your renovation works drag for 3 months or not having prompt updates of your renovation progress?  Do also try to view their finished projects and talk to other owners and observe their relationship.  If workmanship is good and they are still on good terms, it's a good sign.  Do not be too impressed by sales talk, pictures, pretty showrooms and freebies and follow your gut feel! This applies to both contractors and IDs.

Personally, I feel that sometimes contractors work with a better and more experienced network of sub-contractors.  For Mr K, he does the customer facing and also knows all his sub-contractors very well.  In terms of working relationship and experience of how things are supposed to be done, contractor are more hands-on.  I've experienced and heard about instances when wants were communicated to ID/coordinator, but it did not flow down to the sub-contractor level, resulting in rectification works and delays.  Having said that, I'm sure that there are experienced IDs who are hands-on and work well with their sub-contractors too, and it's better to get some referrals or research on the ID firm before getting them.  Do meet up with a few IDs/contractors to get ideas to compare quotes and to find someone who 'feels right' and communicate well with you.  If in doubt, it's better to strike them off the list instead of taking the risk.

Do keep in mind that contractors are usually chinese speaking, no 3D (unless you request and pay for it) and you have to have an idea of what you want done.  Experienced contractors can give you comments or advise, but will not do space planning and sit down to work with your needs and ideas.  The pros are getting more value for your money, since contractors do coordination work and gives constant updates nowadays too and are not that different from IDs.

It seems like Mr K is pretty busy these days with the 7th month upcoming, and people scrambling to start renovation works before the 7th month starts.  But I do like it that he lets his potential customer know that and set a realistic time frame for new meetings/jobs instead of over-promising and end up not delivering on time or quality work. 

Hope this answers some of your concerns, and I'm going to refer people to this post if I do get similar questions.  I will be away for the week, heading to Bangkok with the girls, hoping to find some treasures for my home while I'm there.  Will share the shopping list when I'm back! =)

*Updated*

I've wrote about my take on the popular H.E.R.F. high-end resistant flooring here: H.E.R.F.