All you need to know before embarking your DIY Renovation Journey Part 5 – Wong Keun Furniture, your reliable renovation partner

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Engaging the right main contractor to work with for your home renovation is akin to hiring the right Chef for your kitchen. A trained and experienced Chef will navigate the kitchen perfectly with ease and know the ingredients and recipes like the back of his hand. By understanding the intimate relationship between the various ingredients and food, he would be able to whip up a delicious dish and create an amazing dining experience for you. However, before you decide to order the food that the Chef has prepared, you would want to find out whether the restaurant is clean and hygienic.

In the same vein, we know that a reliable and experienced contractor should be from a stable company that passed a couple of the following criteria below:

 

1. The firm's number of years of establishment is beyond 5 years

This is one of the most important things to check before you decide to engage the contractor. Ever since the government has released a massive supply of BTO and Condominium projects, the Interior Design and Contractor firms have been sprouting like mushrooms. Hence, a company with many years of track record in the renovation industry is generally more stable than a newly established one.

 

2. The firm has a clean track record

Even if the company's years of establishment is not very long, you can use the infringement history as a gauge to assess the company's track record.

Tip: One quick way is to check the following list of HDB Registered Renovation Contractors' Scheme (RRCS);  The business registration date will indicate the year which the business is registered and its infringement history (past 2 years).

 

3. The firm is under the CASETRUST-RCMA Joint Accreditation scheme for renovation businesses

Generally, the renovation businesses which are committed to maintaining a high level of good renovation business practices would register for the CaseTrust Accreditation for Renovation Businesses, an accreditation scheme which has been in place since 2004. The renovation firm will have the following practices in place in order to be in this scheme: clear fee policies which include fee refund, well defined business practices with clear dispute resolution mechanisms for the company and homeowners and properly trained personnel. List of Casetrust accredited Renovation business can be found here. However, do note that there are also renovation companies with a good track record that did not register for the scheme.

 

4. The firm has a physical storefront

Although having a physical Store front is not a guarantee that the company is reputable or stable, having an actual store is certainly better than not having one. Thus, you should not sign up for renovation packages at the Roadshows or the expo exhibitions directly without checking out the company's address and physical store.

 

5. The firm allows on-site visits

If the company allows you to visit their renovation job sites that are still currently in progress, it clearly displays the confidence it has in the quality of their workmanship.

 

6. The firm invites you to visit their current and past customer's place

If the company is able to arrange for you to meet up with its past customer, this is a very strong indication of its good relationship with its customers which lasted even after the renovation project has long been completed.

Tip: Here are some renovation guides from case.

 

Wong Keun Furniture is a family owned business which has grown from a humble Carpentry outfit to a comprehensive one stop home renovation contractor firm to cater to the residential and commercial clients. Wong Keun Furniture's wide spectrum of projects includes both residential and commercial; from HDBs and condominiums to restaurants and retail stores.

Wong Keun Furniture has grown from strength to strength and its attention to detail and good workmanship is what won the company continuous referrals to other jobs. Its vision is to give their customers well crafted work that is both functional and practical.

We did an amazing amount of leg work before settling on Wong Keun Furniture due to the following reasons:

 

1. More than 40 years of establishment

Wong Keun Furniture has almost half a century of experience in the renovation industry.

 

2. Clean track record

The firm's infringement history for the past 2 years has been clean.

 

 

3. Physical storefront is at the Tampines industrial park

The company is located at the Tampines Street 93, the eastern part of Singapore.

 

4. Allows on-site visits

The firm actually welcomes job site visits so that they can explain the carpentry fabrication process and demonstrate the quality of their workmanship.

 

5. Experienced and reliable Project Manager

Justin Wong is the second generation owner of Wong Keun Furniture and has been in the renovation industry for around a decade. He was the Project Manager for our home renovation project and after working with him for around 2 months for our project, we are glad that Justin has proved to be an experienced and reliable renovation professional due to the following:

A. Deep technical know-how During our pre-engagement discussions, Justine has actually demonstrated his deep technical know-how in the following ways:

- Attention to details Explained the implications of having a costumed wood wall paneling at our doorway which are not practical since such a design will eat up additional cabinet and walkway space. Furthermore, it is expensive to execute due to our limited budget. Explained that the location where cabinet door hinges are installed will impact the internal structural design of the cabinet.

- Pre-empting of issues before they occur Discouraged us from getting top sliding doors of our wardrobe since they tend to dislodge easily. His advice proved right since the top sliding wardrobe in the common bedroom tends to dislodge very easily. Explained that an allowance of 30 mm to 50 mm gap need to be set aside at the bottom of the full height cabinet doors so that when they are opened, it will not hit against our feet.

- Good grasp of the various types of materials used and its implication Explained that a thicker laminate will make the carpentry look more polished and smooth since there will not be any warping.

B. Honest and upfront

Unlike the other “everything-yes-can-be-done” contractors, he is quick to reject parts of our proposal before explaining to us the technical constraints and implications.

C. Ability to address issues

Lastly, Justin managed to stick to his proposed schedule even though there were some serious hiccups along the way. In fact, only an experienced project manager can pull off such a Herculean feat!

In the upcoming post, stay tuned for the hard lessons learnt during our DIY renovation journey!

Wong Keun Furniture contact details

9010 Tampines Street 93 #01-79, Singapore 528844 +65 6786 8626 enquiries@wongkeunfurniture.com.sg

  Next Post: All you need to know before embarking your DIY Renovation Journey Part 6 – 6 more Renovation Lessons which every DIY homeowner should know  

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