What to look out for before engaging an Interior Designer or Contractor?

For many 1st time home owners, renovation is a very stressful affair, especially so if they have never managed projects beforehand. In case some of you might wonder, yes, renovation IS a project.

For many, it is a daunting experience and may be fraught with many misunderstandings if expectations between all parties are not aligned and boundaries drawn.

Therefore, please do your homework! Research, research and research! Make every effort to choose the BEST man for the job. Remember you deserve nothing but THE best. :)

So then, what should you look out for? How would you know whether if your Interior Designer (ID) or contractor measures up to your expectations?

1. Valid license

First of all, you should find out whether if the ID or Contractor is licensed and at least listed under the RADAC Singapore National Registry of Accredited Renovators 2011 site. 

2. Quality of Proposal and Contract

The following areas must be addressed in detail:

• Complete understanding of plans, specifications and requirements;
• Detailed time-table and schedule which details the entire work from beginning to end;
• Agreed milestones;
• Detailed payment schedule when milestones have been complete;
• Agreement to obtain all the required permits without additional cost;
• Compliance with safety requirements at work site;
• List of past customer references;
• Minimum of at least one-year warranty;
• Provision for change orders and the agreed charge rate;
• Agreed channel to settle disputes (if any).

3. Personal Qualities

Observe for the following traits of a professional:

• Excellent job supervision skills;
• Effective communication with own staffs and customers;
• Realistic in his or her expectations;
• Diplomatic and willing to resolve disputes in a WIN WIN manner;
• Gains respect and is respectful;
• Maintain excellent post-project customer relationship.

 Hope you find the above list useful. :)

Read the following related article: Questions to Ask prior hiring the Contractor/Interior Designer.

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Commonly Used Renovation Terms



To people who are new to renovation, here are some of the commonly used renovation terms. Hope you find it useful!  :)

All credits go to Whiteboard.

* Extracted for easiler reference *  

Construct Walls

The construction of walls for partitions or segregation reasons.

* Gypsum board - a type of light plasterboard used for making ceilings or walls.

* Hollow blocks - blocks laid in brick fashion using cement to join and plaster to finish off.

* Plywood (bare) - using plywood to create walls and finished with plaster.

Level-up Flooring

Usually used to level up flooring from the kitchen to living room, or from the balcony to living. The idea is to make the floor level the same height so that there is no more drop. Most of the times this is reserved for making the space look bigger by creating an extension of space from living to balcony.

Create Door Opening

When a door opening is needed, the designer will determine whether the wall needs to be hacked. If so, a door opening may be created, simply by hacking a non-load bearing wall.

Seal-up Door Opening

This means to cover up a former door opening by using either hollow blocks or other materials and finish it with plaster.

Concrete Support

Usually for kitchen or bathrooms. The concrete support is to house the sink or stove. It will be finished off with tiles or just plain cement screeding.

Cement base for kitchen / bathroom cabinets

This is also known as plinth. The plinth acts as a skirting from the flooring so that the cabinet will not be in contact with the flooring. For example, in the case of wet flooring.

Shower Kerb

(seperator placed in the bathroom on the floor)

It acts as a base for the shower screen. Otherwise it may also be used to deviate water from the shower area to the rest of the bathroom.

Water Proofing

(only when floor tiles are to be laid over kitchen or bathrooms)

A membrane known as waterproofing will be needed to apply on to the surface before tiles are laid. This is necessary as water may seep into the apartment downstairs if it is not applied.

All credits go to Construction Jagon.

* Extracted for easiler reference*

Wood flooring

Wood flooring is a type of flooring made from the timber of hardwoods, or of spruce or hard pine. There are two basic manufactured types of hardwood. Wood flooring comes unfinished, and once installed is sanded, then finished on site. More modernly, the product is pre-finished in a factory. The products that are pre-finished are often a polyurethane

finish that has added aluminium oxide, however some companies use titanium dioxide or other oxides instead. These metal oxide finishes are used in various types of floor coverings and increase the wear a hardwood floor can handle.

* Solid Wood Flooring

Solid hardwoods are typically 3/4" or 19mm thick, although some do come in 3/8" (10mm) or 5/16" (8mm) thicknesses. Typically the wearing thickness, i.e., the thickness that can be sanded over the lifetime of the floor, above the tongue-and-groove portion, is approximately 7/32" approaching 1/4". This type of hardwood flooring can be installed with a nail-down installation method over wood subfloors. This type of hardwood is also very susceptible to the effects of moisture and temperature, because hardwoods expand and contract with moisture and temperature changes in the atmosphere. Since hardwoods expand and contract in the width of the grain, this type of hardwood flooring is not recommended to be installed over a concrete slab, unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer. There are some instances where 3/8"-thick solid hardwood can be installed on a concrete slab.

* Engineered Wood Flooring

Rather than having one solid piece of hardwood, the engineered hardwood method uses layers of hardwood veneer to create a product that can range in thickness from 3/8" or 8mm up to 9/16" or 14mm thick. The wood veneer can range in thickness depending on the manufacturer, as will the top wearing thickness. In order to create an engineered hardwood, these veneer layers are stacked one on top of the other with the grain of adjacent layers oriented perpendicular to one other. Once the desired thickness is achieved, the boards are then cut into the correct board width. From there, the boards are then manufactured to have a tongue or groove on the edges. The final step is to add stain if necessary, and add a finish. By doing this, the engineered hardwood becomes less susceptible to the effects of moisture and temperature change, because wood expands and contracts in the width of the grain direction. Therefore engineered hardwood is referred to as being dimensionally stable. Solid hardwood does not have dimensional stability because all of the grain runs in the same direction. Because of its dimensional stability, engineered hardwood can be glued directly to concrete above or below grade, as opposed to solid hardwood which cannot.

All credits go to expert realestate.

* Extracted for easiler reference*

Click here for the entire list*.

*Note: The renovate glossary provided covers everything from simple building and carpentry terms, words used in contracts, home automation jargon and design terms.

homebuildingmanual.com

homebuildingmanual provides a comprehensive list of commonly used terms during home construction. You can make reference to them if you do not understand certain "big" or chiem (Singaporean Slang) terms your ID or Contractor is using. 

sherlockhomeinspectors.com

sherlockhomeinspectors provides a visual representation of some commonly used home construction terms.

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Questions to Ask prior hiring the Contractor/Interior Designer

Here are some of the interview questions which I have fielded prior awarding them the renovation project.

1) What types of theme do you specialize in?

Like any other artist, they are better at certain style for various reason. Someone who is good at retro may find it hard to relate in Bali resort style. So let them tell you what they like to do. Any Contractor/ID who claim they are good at any style is definitely lying.

2)How many clients are you handling right now?

Obviously if the Contractor/ID is so busy with other works right now, they may not have the time and bandwidth for your project. Ask yourself whether if you are willing to wait. If the Contractor/ID still insists on taking the project, remember to set down guidelines and ground rules on what is acceptable and what is not. This helps to manage exceptions for both parties. However, the Contractor/ID might lapse in deadlines and compromise their quality of work if they are too stretched in resources. Ask yourself are you willing to take such a risk?

3) What is your work style?

All of us function differently. Some are into details and would want schedules and deadlines to be penned down in paper and prefer to be very much involved in the entire renovation process. While others prefer to adopt a hand-off apporach. Find out the Contractor/ID working style and ask yourself if you are comfortable with it.

4) Can I visit your current and past client's place?

By looking at the current project the prospective Contractor/ID is working on, you can have a good idea of the kind of work he is delivering. If the Contractor/ID is able to hook you up with his past clients, this is a very strong indication of his good working relationship with his customers which lasted even after the project has been completed.

5) This question is directed to yourself: Do I have any chemistry with the Contractor/ID?

What is most important is the chemistry between you and the Contractor/ID. A good Contractor/ID listens to your needs and translate that into your design and a solid partnership will help tide through the difficult times when conflicts arrives.

6)  This question is directed to yourself:  Does the Contractor/ID criticises other customers in front of me?
If so, it's a warning sign. If he/she does not respect his clients' privacy, most likely he will do the same to you for other clients.

7) LASTLY, do some BACKGROUND CHECKS!

Before letting them sign along the dotted line...remember to do some search and background checks in the internet. Make sure that their company is sound and there are no complaints against the Company or towards the Contractor/ID whom you are about to hire.

I believe that we all have to be diligent when it comes to hiring anyone. Its always better be safe than sorry.

I hope this list has provided some guidance as you consider your prospective Contractor/ID. :)

Read the related article: What to look out for before engaging an Interior Designer or Contractor?

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Engaging A Renovation Contractor

	Extracted from Housing @ eCitizen:
	Before you engage a renovation contractor, there are some points that you need to do or take note.
	Quotation First you should locate a few contractors for assessment and comparison. Make sure that the specifications given to these contractors are the same. As different materials used can result in different quotes. Assuming the specifications are the same, the quotes may still vary because of different standards in workmanship and service provided. It also depends on the time frame given to the contractor to finish the renovation work as the contractor may charge higher for more urgent jobs. Never just go for the lowest quote. Assess carefully and cautiously the quotations, look out for any hidden cost, check if all the items discussed are quoted and included. Renovation Contract All requirements should be communicated clearly to your contractor. Never rely on verbal agreement, always sign a renovation agreement/contract. When you sign the renovation contract with your contractor, take extra note on the fine prints on the agreement. Please click here for the sample of the renovation contract - RADAC Standard Contract. (The Renovation and Decoration Advisory Centre (RADAC) is set up as a watchdog non-profit making voluntary body to provide greater controls in the renovation industry as well as to educate consumers on renovation issues.) Renovation Permit Certain types of renovation work regardless whether is for HDB flats or private residential property, a renovation permit may be required. If so, you can commence your renovation work only after obtaining the permit. - HDB Flat For HDB flat-owners, approval is needed from HDB. For details, please click here. You may also refer to the renovation guidelines for HDB flat. Floor plans of specific flat units can be purchased from HDB Centre (Sale of Plan Counter) and all HDB Branch Offices, at $5 per copy. Or you may also use the plan in your sales brochure as well. However, there are a number of renovation items which do not require any renovation permit. Please click here for the list. Some rules that need to be followed for renovating your HDB flat. Application Form for Renovation Permit in HDB Flats - Private Residential Property For private residential property, approval from URA and/or BCA may be required for renovation works. However, there are certain types of renovation works that are exempted. For a list of the exempted works from URA and BCA and the procedure to apply for planning permission or for a permit, please click here. Note: For private residential property, the house owner will have to appoint a Qualified Person (QP) to undertake the works. The QP could be a registered architect or a professional engineer in the Civil or Structural Engineering discipline. The QP will have to ensure that: 1. the proposed additions and alterations works and existing parts of the building comply with all the planning requirements. 2. submission of the prescribed Lodgement Form DC 7 and plans to Development Control Division (DCD), URA that the additions and alterations works have complied with all the planning requirements prior to Building Plan submission. 3. clearances from other technical departments are obtained by the qualified person (QP). A QP is also required in Lodgement Submissions to URA for renovation to landed housing.
	Once you have engaged a Renovation Contractor, for:
	HDB Flat In order to carry out certain renovation work in an HDB flat, your contractor has to be registered with HDB. You may refer to the following list to check if your contractors are registered. List of HDB Registered Renovation Contractors For more detail information on HDB registered contractors, please click here. If you wish to check whether your contractor is a RADAC registered renovation contractors, you may wish to refer to the following list List of RADAC Accredited Renovators If the contractor is accredited with RADAC, it is advisable to use the RADAC Standard Contract which states the guidelines on the contractual obligations between the contractor and the consumer. Private Residential Property For a list of contractors undertaking renovation works in private residential property, please click here.
	During The Renovation
	During the renovation, you should constantly supervise the renovation works and make known to your contractor any dissatisfaction. Bear in mind that a good rapport with your contractor is beneficial to both parties. Keep track of the progressive payment you have made and always ask for receipts. Communicate clearly with your contractor on your discontentment. Discuss with him on the possible solutions and give him ample time to rectify the work.

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Engage an ID or Contractor?

For those who are in dilemma of whether to engage a Contractor or an ID, here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of getting either one of them.

Contractor

Pros
1) Cheaper

Contractors do what you tell them to do. They do not offer much design ideas nor provide with you any 3d perspective design renders. Think of them as providing no frills renovation services.

2) Wider choices & more flexible
You can choose your own suppliers for different brand and type of materials. You can practically decide on the choice of materials or any outrageous designs (and get away with it too!) :)

Cons
1) Lack of design ideas

Contractors are usually lacking in the design skills. However there are some contractors who do have some pretty good ideas and even offer some reasonable good perspective sketches! Nonetheless, bear in mind that contractors are not design trained and do not provide consultation services. Thus they do not offer much design ideas. Hence, you have to be sure of what you want and know the exact colors, materials the location etc of everything.

2) Time consuming

You will need to do a lot of coordination, planning, follow-up etc yourself. Thus for busy people who prefer not to be tied down with so much coordination work, contractor is highly recommended for those who are looking at minimum renovation (ie. Resale / premium / DBSS Flats)

3) You are on your own

You might not be experienced enough to know what is acceptable practice / standards (some may try to con their way though by insisting certain things to be done in certain way in order to cut costs)

Interior Designer

Pros

1) Lesser stress and Less time consuming

ID does all the dirty work of coordination for the different contractors. This usually translates to lesser stress. However I have came across people who couldn’t work with their ID and had alot of issues with them thou. Therefore finding a good ID is crucial.

2) Plenty of Designs Ideas

Space planning is the utmost importance in any renovation process. Thus, a good ID who are trained in this field will be able to find out your lifestyle space plan accordingly. This help in making best use of the limited area available. The market practice is for IDs to provide a 3D rendering of their proposed designs.

3) Warranty
It is the market practice to provide 3-5 years warranty from any ID firm.

Cons

1) More Expensive

They are known to charge much higher compared to Contractor. The markup is due to the design services and consultation provided.

2) Cookie cutter designs
Some IDs provide same design ideas for the same kind of theme and do not seek to stretch their creativity muscles. Not all IDs are truly passionate about what they are doing. :(

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