Hi all,

I have 3.5 storey house, uninhabited for the past 10 years that requires some repairs, additional wiring, extensions and ID work soon. I have noticed a lot of one-stop services advertising on FB and they're very tempting however have a nagging feeling that putting all your eggs in one basket may not be the wisest?

Is it better to hire one firm and let them do everything or have a different party for different processes such as architect, engineer, builder, design?

Is there such a thing as a neutral project manager that can help me oversee all processes?

Obviously, cost is an issue too. I have got one preliminary quote which I thought was way over. This company quoted by house size without looking at my actual house or our actual requirements so I feel a bit uncomfortable with that. Will this be the norm with other companies?

Also I'm in the process of getting an architectural plan from the developer however it's been 10 years so I feel that the chance of getting it is slim. Do contractors have ways to tell what are concrete or brick walls without an architectural plan?

Appreciate any sharing or input, thank you!

hai Izwan here,
to answer your question

1) its better to separate builders work and consultant works. Avoid people with interest....other than that, you can control your payment by having separate scope/ stages of payment and not park all payment to one company... they have cases whereby my client blindly pay contractor just because they say they can give you the sky and moon as well... so careful.

2) You can engaged a design and build company but make sure it is a binding contract which indication of a proper separation of scope of works and stages... dont find a company that simply put LUMp sum...

3) you can engaged a project manager but depends on your budget.. if medium renovation i suggest you can monitor yourself......
how you monitor? ask the contractor to come up with their master work programmed.... their schedule of works... but need to be detail lor.......

4) I doubt you can find the original layout plan from the developers since you mention its been 10 years... since you are doing the renovation, the architect submission to council and redraw back the layout plan... they will do measured drawings on site.....

5) You can tell which brick or which is concrete by looking at the beam design and colum position... the end beam will end mostly having a structure column... mostly la... but still need check.....

you can drill a small hole and see the colour that comes out... since its an old house...i assume they are still using clay brick... can see the colour if clay brick.... you can test the porous as well.. if easily drill and porous -of course brick lor... if not hard to drill ones- then concrete lor.....


hope this help
cheers mate,
Izwan
www.archidstudio.com

Thank you so much for your comprehensive input and all the helpful tips Izwan!

This post has been edited by kimberlycun: Mar 30 2023, 11:47 AM

Sure , you are most welcome

my take is, if the company is good, most likely they will be too busy to advertise on social media. so need to choose carefully, check the company background, etc.

yes there's always someone that can take up the PM/CM role on your behalf and to your interest, but again you'll never now if he knows the contractor beforehand, so need to spend some time reading online to equip yourself with some basic knowledge

about the cost per sq meter, it's quite common to have a prelim idea of what's the range you are looking at. the contractor will never know if you want italian marble or rm10 2x2 tiles . from here then you workout the detail list of items that you want to do so that he can quote you more accurately

if it's built on conventional method (not IBS etc) then most likely will be brick walls, seldom have load bearing concrete wall for landed houses. contractor can only guess and normally they will hack a bit to check it out.

My opinion is to get a firm that has both ID, achitect, and constructors within same company and not to subcon it out

That is the only way u will ensure good work quality

Depending on your time as well

If u feel u are more free and able to be there to supervise the work when needed then can go ahead find individual workers and it will be cheaper

If ur time is more valuable then get a company that does it for u

After hiring a main contractor to rebuild my 3-storey house, I learned several valuable lessons that I'd like to share:

(1) It's advisable to engage an architect who can handle the engineering and interior design aspects.
(2) Unless you're willing to pay a premium to a reputable construction firm, it's better to let your architect manage the project and hire individual suppliers for different tasks.
(3) A lump sum project may seem more convenient, but it's not always cost-effective or quality-assured. For instance, when I needed metal fabrication work done for items such as awning, handrails, rain sump covers, and I-beam staircases, I realized that splitting the job among three suppliers saved me about 20K, as each one had different strengths and pricing.
(4) If you decide to award the entire job to one main contractor, make sure to sign a formal contract that specifies the penalty for any shortcomings such as late delivery or poor project management. Otherwise, you may end up having to act as your own project manager, like I did for the past 1.5 years.
(5) Invest in electrical engineering consultancy to get accurate drawings and ensure that the electricians follow them strictly. Don't rely on the main contractor's experience or shortcuts. Most of electricians further subcontract to foregin labours.
(6) Have your plumbing pipe drawing ready before starting the work, and be specific about the materials (poly, stainless tube, PPR, and etc) and sizes to be used.
(7) Don't choose your contractors based on the lowest cost alone. Many contractors make money from variation orders, so it's crucial to have your architect deliver the scope of work, specifications, qty and monitoring. I made the mistake of choosing my main contractor solely based on cost, but it turned out to be more expensive due to rework and wastage.