3 tips that can save you from a renovation nightmare

Renovation disputes are possibly one of the most painful experiences for home owners because any mistake that is made can literally leave you homeless or cause you to have sleepless nights.

To make matters worse, if you are unhappy with the quality of work, you can ask for rectifications but you cannot withhold payment to the contractor if the work has been completed.

As High Court Judge Mohamed Faizal said in one such dispute: “Just as an unreasonable contractor cannot demand payment for incomplete works, an unreasonable customer likewise cannot hold the contractor hostage on minor issues that are more sensibly resolved after the renovation is substantially performed or completed.”

To avoid being caught in a home improvement mess, here are three tips that can save you tens of thousands of dollars, plus a lot of heartache.

Check prices with at least two companies

It is hard to tell whether a task or a fixture is overpriced unless you compare it with another quote from a different company. This is why it makes sense to do a mini tender exercise to select the best designer for your home.

Some owners like to believe they have to pay top dollar because they engage award-winning designers whose services carry a premium price.

But this cannot explain why some firms charge a few thousand dollars more for standard services that are unexceptional, such as hacking and demolition work. While demolition work must be done properly, you certainly do not need to pay a lot more to get the same pile of rubble.

It is important to invite only contractors who are listed in the Housing Board’s Directory of Renovation Contractors, even if you are renovating a private home. This step can prevent you from being taken for a ride by a fly-by-night operator.

Quite a number of home owners have been duped because they ended up hiring unapproved contractors after seeing impressive photographs or videos of purported projects posted on social media.

If these owners had taken the trouble to check the names of contractors against the HDB directory, they might have discovered some of them were not on that list and thus should be avoided.

After all, which genuine business would want to miss out on getting work from the biggest pool of home owners here.

Choose only responsible designers

Here is another good reason to interview more than one home designer – you will not want to hand over your home to someone who promises you the sky but has the tendency to turn your dream home into a nightmare.

Most designers are charming and obliging when they are eager to get your business, but there are telltale signs that will help you to choose wisely.

For instance, good designers will not leave your home until they literally measure every nook and cranny that you want to make over. And to show you they really know what you want, their proposal will be so detailed that it would cover even the minor work that needs to be done.

Their proposals can be a good gauge of how reliable your candidates are. If you select someone who gives you an incomplete proposal that is cheaper, it merely means that many other jobs are not included.

An incomplete proposal means you can be slapped with additional costs when you start to ask for work that is not listed in the original contract.

Of course, drop designers who do not even bother to get back to you on time without good reason – it is risky to let irresponsible people work on your most valuable asset.

Ask to see the digital preview

Artificial intelligence may be able to produce the most stunning pictures, but you should be more down to earth and ask to see images of how your refreshed home will look like, based on the works that you ask for.

It is important to see these drawings, especially in cases where certain walls need to be taken down or built. After all, some things may seem like a good idea in theory but may turn out to be an eyesore when you see it in a picture.

When it comes to renovation, you need to be happy with the outcome or you will end up living with the mistakes for years.