inthekohzwu
Slow living in a cozy space called home | 屋
Finding THE ONE: From Sketchy to Sketch-perfect!
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Looking for THAT ONE? How do I know he/she is THE ONE? Let's talk about how we go through the selection of IDs and land yourself with one who will ride it through with you. 
This is the process I took: 1. Shortlist options (reviews/word of mouth/ig) 2. Do up moodboard (Canva/Pinterest) 3. Send them ig dms or email or fill in enquiry form on their website 4. Arrange for meet ups! Things to prepare: 1. Floorplan 2. Digital moodboard (theme decided) 3. Budget in mind 4. Non-negotiables and needs 5. Sharing of lifestyle My journey: Shortlisted - 13 Enquired - 12 Meet ups - 11 Follow up (2nd meet) - 8 Final meet up (3rd) - 3 I started my shortlisting journey about 6 months prior to HFE application. This is also to see and track the consistency of the projects of the company. My entire process of selecting an ID took about 4-6 weeks +/- a bit of being sick and busy at work so I pushed back some meetings. 
Be prepared with a myriad of questions and perhaps repeating yourself many times. On your part, you may go prepared with a list of your questions. These are compiled over time through friends and personal experience. These are some questions you may want to ask the ID: 1. Years of experience as ID 2. Number of projects on hand 3. Estimated duration of your project 4. In-house or outsourced contractor 5. Who is the overall project manager (some may handover to another person midpoint) 6. Their personal style 7. Have they done similar theme? If yes, request to see the project. 8. How do they resolve problems during renovation 9. Why did they leave their previous company? 10. Request to see their previous work Be prepared to share your lifestyle with the IDs. Children, pets, plants, future planning, bachelor pad, gym, parents, wfh etc. Think about your non-negotiables, needs and must-haves. A good ID will ask about all these without you spilling the beans first. 
An ID can present themselves to you through a variety of ways. Some may present their Autocad directly from laptop, some will project it on the screen, some will take notes directly on your floorplan you gave. Some took quite long to edit and draw in your presence. Go prepared with your tummy full as some meetings can go up to 2 hours. Afterthoughts: • A good ID company does not mean you will be allocated a good ID •You may request directly for a specific ID if you are sure. • Some ID just treat your home as a project not a living space • Forget about those ID who shows you sample material pieces on your first meeting (this is not product sampling meeting) • If your allocated ID cannot even reply you within the day or meet a certain deadline for estimated quote or drawings, drop that person. Imagine him/her not responding to you during renovation. • Good IDs shouldn't be using a physical ruler to measure out space for you. (I met 2 and the meeting was just ridiculous.) • Be prepared for multiple meetings (I enjoyed the process!) • It should be space planning and lifestyle-driven discussion. Not about where you want to place your fridge/oven. • Some ID will ask "what do you think/suggest?". Are you the ID or I'm the one? Of course we will have our ideas, sometimes just listen them out and you will easily sieve out the bad ones. • Good ID will give you a few layouts to mix and match ideas. 
Some ID will not give you the final floor plan after space planning. Some will not give multiple floor plans but just that ONE final one after the discussion. It makes me wonder where then is the creativity flow? Most likely, it is just another cookie cutter home. Be wary of those ID who are holding multiple projects at the same time (6-8) and check with them regarding their ending timeline for current projects. Some IDs insisted in their way and felt that my ideas were odd. It was clear that I did not want a hood because I come from a hood-less household but ID deemed it as an idea that I will regret. Another insisted on having niches in the home for displaying items when I had nothing to display. Forget about those IDs who will tell you that the oven/fridge typically is placed in this corner etc. Good IDs should do their space planning revolving around your lifestyle and living habits. Just think about sharing your lifestyle with this new person who will "imagine living like you/with you" for the next few months. They should be able to cater to your needs/whims/wants/desires to a certain extent. At the same time, they should be able to propose alternatives or research more if they have not come across such idea. I To help myself sort out my thoughts, I had an Excel spreadsheet to note down my thoughts immediately after the meeting (about the ID or the discussion) and points to take note of regarding the floorplan. I also had the various floor plans either drawn out by myself (based on memory from the discussion) or image given by ID sorted out neatly in Onenote for comparison. Some may not give the floorplan after space planning freely due to company policy or privacy issues. There were also companies that require you to pay upfront 1.5k - 3k before they will proceed with space planning drawing and/or rendering. 
After all the meetings, most of my quotations are around the same. IDs should be able to give you an estimated ballpark figure of your renovation. If thet are unable to, they do not even know their costs well. Beware of hidden cost! For example, I definitely will want to flush a recessed wall but this is not factored in the initial quotation. That means that it will become a variation cost that is added at the end of the reno project. Those who throws bundles in your face are also red flags. Next thing to take note is when the ID gives you a lump sum for a certain job in the quotation. All details need to be broken down to each task and not lumped together (hidden cost red flag). Do take note of the payment breakdown as well. That is also important for you to take note so you can space out your finances a little during the renovation period. This is also to ensure that the work is done properly and smoothly without anyone running away with our money, leaving us with unfinished renovation. It all boils down to which ID can visualise having the same vision as you. Very importantly, how comfortable you are talking to that person. You need to rock the same vibes with this person and you can be transparent about your requests openly too. The ID will need to envision your lifestyle and choose what suits you best. At the end of the day, this is your home you are creating and living in. You have the final say. Personally, I'm very pleased with my ID's work with barely any complaints or regrets. I will recommend my ID to others as I barely had any worries or problems during renovation. Hit me up with a DM on IG if you want my ID's info!
13 August
