Engaging an ID

Related Posts
1 How to Choose ID
2 Protect Yourself Against Unscrupulous Contractors
3 Engaging an ID
4 Our Renovation Cost & ID
5 ID Contact
6 ID Update
7 Renovation headaches
8 ID Topic Revisited

When you engage an ID, be sure he has the experience to handle your job. The renovation construction industry in Singapore is basically a free-for-all. Anyone can set up "shop" and get away from licensing requirements by working for established design firms or persons that have the background, experience and licenses required to handle renovation work.

Let me rephrase that. A newbie can be an ID overnight, with no formal background in construction or design, by "riding" on a design house with a track record and

necessary licenses. Many design houses have no formal in-house training and certification program, so once a newbie is taken on by the firm he is put to work immediately with a seasoned interior designer.

The more responsible ID will always be there to lend a helping hand to the newbie, but when work is plentiful and skill shortages develop, pressure builds. In such an environment supervision becomes lax and the newbie is left on his own.

It is therefore important you check out the ID's job sites -- both current and past, if possible. That is to ensure you get an ID with a good track record. However, be alert the ID does not pass off someone's work as his.

Also - be aware you may not get the same workmanship as that shown by a site visit, since the ID may assign different worker teams to handle your renovation. We therefore made a note to ask our ID to use the same workers that were employed at a particular jobsite that had left a favorable impression on us.

ID or Contractor?

Some readers asked if they should engage an ID or a Contractor. They assume a contractor will quote a lower price than an ID.

That is a myth: whether the guy you engage is an ID or Contractor, they are all businessmen - an ID is a contractor, and most contractors now pass

themselves off as IDs. So, don't make the mistake to assume you get a lower quotation price from a Contractor. The final quotation price you get depends on your negotiation skill, how badly the ID / Contractor wants your contract, and how much effort you have made in doing background research, such as checking prices for similar jobs from your friends or from others through forums like Renotalk.

So don't fall for the semantics trick. Tell your brain the term ID or Contractor is only a word, a label. What is important is whether he is competent and how is the quality of the workmanship, whether he knows his job. Ask questions like:

How many projects have you undertaken? Can you show me your on-going projects? Can I meet the owners?

Who are the workers? Are they your sub-contractors or employees in the same company as you? How long have you worked with them? How can I be sure you are not using workers who may be learning-on-the-job at my expense? What happens if they make mistakes? What is the standard and quality of work I can expect? What happens if I am not happy with the workmanship?

I want to hack my bedroom wall to create a larger living space. Are you able to get HDB approval for that?

I wish to replace all the old sliding windows to casement windows, including the louvre windows in my bathrooms. How long would it take to get HDB approval?

Once you have satisfied yourself that the ID / Contractor is competent to handle your renovation, you then proceed to discuss the job scope. On job scope it is

important you give him a broad and detailed idea of what you want for the renovation. That means you should have done your homework and decided (1) what you want to renovate e.g. change the floor tiles, replace all the windows, replace old chute, hack the bedroom wall, rewiring, false ceiling, etc (2) the type of materials you want e.g. granite flooring, bamboo flooring for bedrooms, and (3) possibly the color and texture you want. You should also brief the ID / contractor on the workmanship quality you are looking for and the time schedule to complete the entire renovation.

The last step is the quotation and pricing of the renovation. Note you should only commence negotiation after (1) you have ascertained the ID / Contractor's competence and (2) he knows clearly the works you want completed within the timespan you have specified.

Next: ID Contact

Related Posts
1 How to Choose ID
2 Protect Yourself Against Unscrupulous Contractors
3 Engaging an ID
4 Our Renovation Cost & ID
5 ID Contact
6 ID Update
7 Renovation headaches
8 ID Topic Revisited

TOTO Omni

A reader wrote to ask the price and source of the TOTO Omni toilet bowl we had installed, and what our experience was like with the flushing mechanism.

Thanks for the reminder.

TOTO Omni Model CW867JT 1/254-V1(W) S$706.20 from Fullsun Marketing

Aside from a review of the TOTO flushing mechanism, we would also talk a bit on our choice of toilet bowl.

Flush mechanism
According to the literature, TOTO's flush mechanism combines a special pump to create a powerful

water jet, extra-large trap size of 2-1/8" vs 1-3/4" for others, larger 3" flapper valve size vs 2" valves commonly used in others, and a specially contoured bowl to give a "cyclonic" effect to the water flush, all to produce an efficient flushing system using only 6 liters of water.

Our experience using the TOTO Omni seems to bear that out. A light touch on the top valve releases the water, the sediment was flushed quickly and completely from the bowl in 6 seconds.

Not only was flushing good and effective, the toilet bowl fills up within 15 seconds! That was probably due to the fact only 6 liters of water was used in the flush.

We did not dismantle the flush mechanism to see if we could adjust the water volume in the tank, although that seemed feasible.

Maybe if we need to in future we would attempt that. But for now we could not find any issues with the flush system.

Simple, compact and uncluttered flush mechanism

All-plastic construction, no rust! Water level before the flush..

Clears and empties in one flush: water level after the flush

Why TOTO Omni ?

In one word - Design.

We love the clean, simple one-piece design.

Design is important if your toilet is bare, basic, utilitarian -- as ours is.

Our HDB flat came with only one toilet. The toilet was barely big enough - comfortable for one person, yes - but not big

enough to accommodate a hand basin. The toilet was a separate enclosure from the bathroom, and it had a squat toilet. We therefore decided we needed a nice-looking toilet bowl to break the monotony and spruce up the stark, utilitarian image. Even if that meant breaking our budget. After all, we only had one single toilet for the whole apartment !

Of course, the toilet bowl not only had to look good, it must also perform flawlessly.

Not more than one flush. That was our benchmark. Some toilet bowls require two flushes to clear the bowl completely. One flush, and you could still see some sediment left behind... haven't you experienced that?

But before you install, how could you know if the toilet bowl needs one or two flushes? The showroom doesn't provide that kind of info. Ask the sales staff, and they will tell you what you want to hear. Not a reliable way to get info, isn't it? And no dealer will guarantee its toilet bowl clears in one single flush.

Faced with the dilemma, we googled for information on the net. We found all the big boys e.g. American Standard, TOTO, Kohler, etc have their own patented flushing systems. We were also able to see their latest designs on the net.

We finally decided to go with TOTO. Their sanitary ware designs were simply elegant and graceful.

And we decided TOTO could not become the market leader in Japan (and possibly the world) unless its products were excellent and did what the company claimed. Therefore its flush system had to be more than acceptable. Our assurance was in the reputation of the brand.

We were also impressed TOTO was always trying to advance the state-of-the-art in toilet technology. For instance, we

were surprised TOTO was already into washlets in Japan in the 1980s, when only now washlets are being introduced to the world. We know not of any other sanitary ware manufacturer that produces or markets washlets at this time.

TOTO's NEOREST range of washlets seems to be the rage now. Ever seen a toilet bowl opening its lid to welcome you as you enter the toilet? Or wash your bum with warm water after you have finished your business? Even clears and sanitizes the bathroom of bad odor after you? It even automatically flushes and closes the seat as you walk away!

See more happy bums here.

TOTO Washlet

That was one reason we chose the Omni toilet bowl. We just need to provide an electric power socket near the bowl for the washlet. In future, if we want to we could simply replace the Omni soft-closing toilet seat with any of the TOTO washlet models we fancy, plug in the washlet, and we're done! It's that simple !

Future-proof indeed!