Renovation is finally starting

After a month of searching, my house renovation is finally starting. I guess the main mistake I made was I had a misconception that there would be a detailed floor plan upon receiving my keys. The answer is no. Upon receiving my house keys, only the electricity and water drawings were supplied. I had to use the floor plan (which I thought was draft) that was supplied previously when I booked the flat.

Therefore, if you have a tight schedule, you might want to use that floor plan and talk to the contractors first before getting the keys. HDB allows you to immediately turn on the water and power supplies upon receiving your keys, saving time if you're in a hurry. If you did not turn on the supply on the day you receive the keys, the next fastest way will be to either open the utility account in person, or fax your documents in.

I did not know who to trust to renovate my flat so I started my contractor search using the most obvious choice, the pamphlets underneath the door. After doing some comparisons (thank goodness there's the Internet), I had decided to put my new flat in the hands of Lowe Living Concept. Mr James Loh will be in-charge of my project. If all goes smoothly, my flat will be ready just before CNY.

Why did I choose them? I guess it's because I'm touched by his sincerity and I find that he is knowledgeable in both renovation and design. I needed help in design because I wanted a place where I could relax after a hard day's work. One thing I like about James is that he is quite good at making recommendations and he is not afraid of speaking his mind if our requirements will look a little weird in the end. I always believe the customers are not always right. :) I guess I'm a little picky too. I had him revised the quotation many many times. :p

Personally, it would be easier for the contractor to advice you if you have a good idea on what you want your house to look like. It's also good if you have all the information at your fingertips so as to save time. On the day I signed the contract and paid the deposit, I've already confirmed the colors and window grilles so he could work on the designs. Hopefully that would speed things up and prevent needless iterations.

In parallel, I had also started booking my furniture. I have confirmed a 2L shape sofa from Species Home Furnishing and will soon confirm my bed with Novena. Both to be delivered first week of Feb. I do hope I'll be in time for CNY though. My weekends will be super packed.

All in all, I hope this experience will be a good one. I'll leave my flat in the good hands of James. I hope... By the way, I'm not affiliated with them and I do not get any discounts writing this post. :p This is for me to keep track of the process and not to make the same mistakes in future.