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Bartley Residences Work-in-Progress: Jul 2015 & Interior Designer Selection

July 8, 2015January 27, 2019

TOP

Our new home has finally TOPed! Yay! It seems to have been a very long wait (we signed the S&P in Mar 2012), and suddenly it’s ready now. Our new home, our new future – we’re all ready for you. Hopefully, we can get the keys next month.

July 2

July 4

July 3
Fridge and washer delivered to the last few units

We started looking for Interior Designers three months ago. We didn’t have a floor plan with precise measurements, but most of the IDs that we talked to were able to make estimation using their software.

We started our ā€œID Searchā€ by sending our requests to several renovation portals like RenoTalk and HomeSavv. We ended up with too many replies and phone calls, but none of them were able to send a quotation without first meeting us to understand our requirement. It’s indeed true that there is no standard renovation package as the cost truly depends on individual requirements.

Then, we decided to search for IDs through recommendations, ratings, and portfolios online, rather than fishing for quotations through these portals. We shortlisted a few IDs that we like and we sent our RFQ (request for quotation) to them. Some of them responded, but not all.

We began our ID meet-up soon after that. Truth be told, we were completely clueless on what to expect during our first appointment. Thankfully, the first ID that we met was kind enough to spend almost 2 hours explaining all details of new condo renovation to us, from the design themes, to renovation timeline, costs and ideas. Knowing that he was the first ID that we met, he even recommended that we should meet up with at least 2 more IDs to make our comparisons.

Our second ID meet-up was a brief one. Due to time constraints on both sides, we met-up at our home instead. The meeting took less than an hour as the ID needed to rush off for his next appointment. We told him our project scope (based on what we discussed with the first ID). He also threw in some useful pointers and ideas for us. A week later, he sent us an official quotation.

After these two meetings, we were in a much better shape and far clearer on our project scope. And we came up with this:

Reno 1
Reno 2
Reno 3

Next, we sent this project scope to the remaining shortlisted IDs. Three of them replied with estimated quotations (final price is still dependent on actual measurements). For this version of project scope, the cost is roughly about $30K to $35K. This excludes additional fittings done by independent contractors such as grills, wallpapers, curtains, electrical fixtures, lightning and appliances.

It’s impossible to compare prices item by item between these quotations as they vary depending on the measurements, material used, design, complexity, warranty, etc. But at least, we’ve a rough idea on the average cost for our project scope – that’s an important figure to work out our subsequent budget.

We communicated with few other IDs and contractors through phone calls and e-mails before we met our third ID. We didn’t expect it to be such a lengthy discussion, and we ended up with 2.5 hours on our first appointment. This designer is very pleasant and extremely patient – he listened attentively to all our requirements and at the same time, he also dished out his ideas and considerations that we didn’t think about earlier.

The fact that he’s very passionate about his job and he was also very well-prepared with the floor plan that we e-mailed to him prior to our appointment made us feel that he’s the BEST among the other IDs that we’ve met or spoken to. Thus, we secured our second appointment with him to review the quotation.

We met him again a week later to review the quotation. The price quoted was on the high side but still within the range of other quotations. Ultimately, we felt that it’s more important to engage a designer that we can trust and work with, rather than choosing the cheapest one.

Both of us have confidence in him and we were satisfied with the proposed design for our living, dining, balconies and three rooms. After some negotiations, we sealed the deal (on the same day) and paid the first 20%. That ended our ā€œID searching and meetingā€ phase for now.

Both V and I were collectively relieved to find our ideal designer just before we flew off for our Taiwan vacation. We gave him a month to work on our 3D drawings even though he said he needs only two weeks. Since we haven’t collected our keys and would be away for vacation, we were not in a hurry for that.

One important lesson learnt – the more IDs you meet and discuss in person, the more you become ascertain of your project scope and requirement. With every new visit, you’ll surely learn something new that you’ve not thought about earlier.

This will be my last Work-in-Progress post. Coming up next, I’ll begin a new topic on Bartley Residences Interior Design. So please stay tuned!

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34 comments

Boon Peng July 18, 2015 at 9:51 AM

Hi, I’m also staying in Blk 3, woke up today just googling BR to see if there’s any info on TOP date and chance upon your blog. Thanks for the very helpful information. Definitely will be looking forward to following your new updates. Will begin my reno hunt soon too! Cheers!

Reply
Emily July 19, 2015 at 10:00 PM

Hi Boon Peng,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Our new home has obtained its TOP finally. Now, we just need to wait for their call to collect the keys and I believe it should be anytime soon. šŸ™‚

Reply
Wee Lip July 21, 2015 at 10:30 PM

Hi Emily, congrats! Would you mind sharing your ID name and contact? Sounds like an excellent choice!

Reply
Emily July 23, 2015 at 12:22 PM

Hi Wee Lip,
Thanks. I will send you an e-mail shortly on this.

Reply
Yan July 24, 2015 at 10:56 AM

Hi Emily

Glad that I have come across your blog. Very informative!
I am looking for reliable ID hence can recommend yours?

Reply
Emily July 26, 2015 at 10:16 AM

Hi Yan,
Thanks for visiting my blog. I will send you his contact via email shortly. =)

Reply
Lynn July 27, 2015 at 10:44 PM

Hi Emily,

I am glad to chance upon your blog. Its a good write up!
Am in the midst of ID hunting and would appreciate if you can share with me your ID contact.

Many thanks. šŸ™‚

Reply
Emily July 28, 2015 at 4:28 PM

Hi Lynn,
I will send his contact to you via email shortly. šŸ™‚

Reply
Jodie ong August 15, 2015 at 3:15 PM

Hi Emily,
Glad to read about your blog!
Possible to recommend your ID contact?
Many thanks

Reply
Emily August 16, 2015 at 4:36 PM

Hi Jodie,
Sure, I will send his contact to you via e-mail.

Reply
Val August 18, 2015 at 8:14 PM

Hi Emily
Your blog is very informative. Thanks for sharing. I’m also sourcing for an ID now, may I have your ID’s contact?

Reply
Emily August 19, 2015 at 8:22 AM

Hi Val,
Thanks for your kind comment. I will send his contact to you via email today.

Reply
Lynn August 29, 2015 at 5:06 PM

Hi Emily, I like your blog very much. Thanks for sharing. Appreciate if you share your ID with me too. Many thanks.

Reply
Emily August 31, 2015 at 8:15 AM

Hi Lynn,
Thanks. I’ve sent his contact to you via e-mail. Pls check your inbox and let me know if you don’t receive it.

Reply
Jacky Ng November 4, 2015 at 2:23 PM

Hi Emily,
I’m glad to read about your blog! Very informative!
I’m also sourcing for an ID too, can recommend yours?
Tkq ^^

Reply
Emily November 4, 2015 at 6:18 PM

Hi Jacky,
Sure, I will email you shortly.

Reply
Jacky Ng November 6, 2015 at 3:09 PM

Hi Emily,
Thanks for reply ^^
I have some questions via mailbox, pls give advise.

Reply
Jacky Ng November 7, 2015 at 9:04 AM

Hi Emily,

Thank you for your valuable advice.

May your new home give you and your family lots of happiness, peace and enjoyment.

All the best,
Jacky

Reply
Emily November 9, 2015 at 1:33 PM

Hi Jacky,
Thanks for your kind wishes. šŸ™‚

Thomas Yap November 13, 2015 at 5:31 PM

Hi Emily, appreciate if you could let me know the ID that you have reached out to, and also the final ID that you have selected. Thanks a lot in advance! šŸ™‚

Reply
Emily November 17, 2015 at 8:25 AM

Hi Thomas,
Sorry for my late reply. I will email the details to you now.

Reply
Zachary December 16, 2015 at 11:46 PM

Hi Emily! Your blog is so informative for a newbie homeowner like me. Can you share ur id contact with me?

Reply
Emily December 17, 2015 at 8:33 AM

Hi Zachary,
Thanks for visiting my blog. I will send the details to you via email. šŸ™‚

Reply
Jinlin December 28, 2015 at 4:45 PM

Hi Emily, chance upon your blog and find it really informative. can share with me your id as well? also how much did you spend roughly on the renovation part?

Thank you very much.

Reply
Emily December 28, 2015 at 10:23 PM

Hi Jinlin,
I will send to you via email shortly. šŸ™‚

Reply
Karen April 5, 2016 at 3:39 PM

Hi Emily,

Thanks for the very informative advise. Can you share with me details about your ID and the estimated spend for your reno? I believe the completed work has met your expectations šŸ™‚

Reply
Emily April 6, 2016 at 10:04 PM

Dear Karen,
Yes, the completed works met my expectations. šŸ™‚ You can read the details in these posts:

http://ourlittlesmarties.com/2016/01/renovation-carpentry-lighting/
http://ourlittlesmarties.com/2016/02/bartley-residences-renovation/

Reply
Ong WL May 18, 2016 at 1:21 PM

Hi Emily,

I’m so glad to come across your blog that has so much information and sharing on building up your new home. My turn is coming soon with TOP approved just last week. Will have to start looking for ID before it is too late. Can you recommend your ID to me? Thanks.

Reply
Emily May 18, 2016 at 5:00 PM

Hi Ong WL,
Glad to hear that it’s useful to you. šŸ™‚ My ID is Tim Tian from Rezt&Relax. It was mentioned at the bottom of my home renovation posts.

Reply
Jimmy Kwan May 15, 2017 at 4:09 PM

Dear Emily,
Thank you for sharing such critical and important information. It is certainly useful to know about these facts and figures. Your ID sounds great, would you kindly share the contact details please?
Many thanks Emily.
With regards from Jimmy.

Reply
Emily May 15, 2017 at 5:36 PM

Hi Jimmy,
My ID is Mr. Tim Tian from Rezt & Relax. šŸ™‚

Reply
Jimmy Kwan May 16, 2017 at 12:55 PM

Dear Emily, thank you for your quick reply and kind sharing. It is appreciated.
Wish you a wonderful week ahead.
With regards from Jimmy.

Reply
Amelia July 1, 2018 at 9:56 PM

Dear Emily, me and my husband just bought the Bartley Residences through resale few months back, and we have collected our key last week. Our floor plan is exactly like yours, and we are in the middle of looking for ID recently and felt clueless, would you mind sharing the ID who renovated your home? Your home just looks perfect! thanks a lot!

Reply
Emily July 1, 2018 at 10:08 PM

Dear Amelia,
Welcome to BR and congratulations on your new home. šŸ™‚ My ID’s name is Tim Tian. He used to work at Rezt and Relax when he renovated my house. Now, he is working at Noble Interior Design. He’s very responsive and easy to work with.

Reply

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