ID Update

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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

James informed recently he was no longer with Summit. But he is still contactable via his mobile phone.

So, what is the implication for me? Or for you, I mused. Will I still endorse him for reno work? Well, it depends. These are my concerns:

1 - Without Summit, can James still give me computer-generated design and artwork for my flat renovation?

If beautiful schematics and interior designs is important in your choice of ID, then you should ask James to show you PC-generated artwork of your proposed renovation before you sign him on.

This is bcoz many interior design firms employ only 1 qualified ID with the knowledge and skills in interior design. He is the guy who uses the PC to produce the layouts and designs for the customer. Many so-called "ID"s depend on that qualified guy to produce artwork to show their client.

James told me he's not a qualified ID. I appreciated his honesty. Which was one reason I decided to sign him on.  He had shown ability to understand

what I wanted. More importantly, he was able to produce the artwork for my deliberation before I accepted his proposal. Under Summit he had recourse to a qualified ID for such artwork, though I didn't know at the time I accepted James' quotation. Now that James is no longer with Summit you hv to ask if he can still produce PC-generated 3D artwork for you.

2 - Under a different firm, can I still expect good workmanship from James as ID?

James didn't do the actual tiling, wood-working, etc. He, like other IDs, depended on subcons for such work. So before I accepted his proposal I asked him to show me a few of his reno projects. Some were completed and some still in progress. The quality I saw was not consistent from project-to-project. Most were good, but quite a few were shoddy work. Despite that, I decided to sign him on after he had assured me he would use the particular subcon(s) with the excellent workmanship I had seen.

I still expect James to be able to source quality subcons for his projects.

This is bcoz subcons are independent suppliers whose primary contact is the ID, not the ID firm. The subcons depend on the ID, not the ID firm, for contract jobs.

The ID firm only provides the infrastructure for the ID to work. Such as an office, finances, qualified interior designer to produce artwork, etc. The ID will source subcons himself, and pays the subcon with money provided by the firm. When you pay the ID, the firm deducts a prior agreed % amount plus cost, e.g. 10% plus cost of supplies. The balance goes to the ID. That is the way most ID firms operate.

So whether you get quality workmanship depends on the ID and his subcons, not on the firm. And I endorsed James bcoz of the good relationship and understanding he has built up over the years with his subcons. He was thus able to give me the subcon teams - tilers, electrical, carpentry, windows, etc - that gave me excellent workmanship, the one(s) I asked for.

So before you sign on James you should ask to see his recent projects and obtained his assurance he is able to provide you the same subcon workers that had impressed you with the workmanship you saw. It doesn't matter which ID firm he has joined, since James' subcons will follow as they depend on him for jobs.

To sum, James still has his faults and weaknesses. But as long as you're aware of his failings, and take preventive measures yourself, I see no reason why you

should not use him. You should note however, that an ID is as good as his last job. That means if you have poor experience with James as an ID, let me know - show me photos of the shoddy workmanship, point out the mistakes and faults, and I will post your complaints and photos on the Blog. I believe this is one way to ensure James remains honest, don't cut corners, and continues to produce good workmanship to merit my endorsement.

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