Homeowner Reviews (8)

8.7 8 reviews

Service

9.3

Design

8.4

Quality

8.5

Value

8.5

Reviewed by 8 homeowners

Nicole

13 Mar 2018

House Type: Condominium

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Randall Tan

Budget: $30k - $40k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

Randall is very honest. He did not sell any unnecessary design to us. He was willing to listen to our request and delivered exactly what we asked. After completion of the renovation, we found several small things to fix. Some were not even covered by his renovation work. He still responded us promptly and arrange people to fix all the problems.

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

It's better to have some initial ideas and then sit down with ID to discuss and form a plan. A good ID can save you a lot of time and energy. Go to check the renovation work regularly and issues are much easier to be fixed earlier than later. Control overall budget is also very important.

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Review Score: 8.8

Service: 9

Design: 8

Quality: 9

Value: 9

Recommended

Alvina

12 Mar 2018

House Type: HDB 4-Room

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Randall Tan

Budget: $30k - $40k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

I would highly recommend Randall. He is not just a designer who understands colour combination, texture and style, I see him also as an end-to-end project manager who is able to liaise with all relevant contractors to deliver the final product on time. For e.g., I preferred using my own air-con technicians for the renovation, all I did was to pass him the contact number, and he proactively made all the arrangements to ensure the old air-cons were removed, cables re-wired, new air-cons installed in a timely manner. I was never once hassled to be present at my flat to coordinate between him, his electricians and my air-con technicians. At the quotation stage, I also found Randall to be a good listener and a keen problem-solver. When I told him about my budget (i.e. not more than 40K), he was able to make recommendations on the spot and gave several options on how I can renovate my flat without bursting the budget. For e.g. instead of hacking the floors and replacing with new tiles, he suggested lay-over vinyl which was much more economical and stylish. Overall, I didn’t feel that I had to compromise on aesthetics just because of my ‘lower’ budget. In the 6 weeks of renovation, I was travelling a lot, so I depended a lot on him to make decisions as I was not on-site to 'see and decide'. One incident which I remember vividly was when the renovation was close to completion, I realized that I wanted a door bell. I called to ask if we could still add it. I knew it was going to be a challenge because the built-in cupboard behind my main door was already assembled, and it was blocking the wiring. If I wanted to add the door bell, some more man hours would definitely be required. So I told him we could go for the wireless option, but he advised against it – stating the cons such as: the distance between the door to my router could pose an issue, and the frequent battery changing could be a hassle. Rather than having me stressed-out with this 'door bell issue', he took the initiative to pick a door bell for me, have it installed at no additional cost and no damage to my cupboards! There are many, many snippets of this nature portraying Randall’s competency and professionalism as an interior designer. Overall, I am very satisfied with the renovation work done by BID. I’ve posted pictures of my flat on social media and have since received many compliments. Thank you Randall and NID!

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

1. Be transparent about your budget at the start, but do buffer 10-20% for unanticipated works that may be added in the course of the renovation (For e.g. you may not like the colour of the laminate you chose after seeing part of it being installed) 2. Be aware that fixture like sinks, toilet bowls, mirrors, lightings are not part of renovation quotation. Do prior research and set aside budget for this 3. Let your ID know your priorities, for e.g. “Do you care more about living room & kitchen area, and you don’t mind compromising on the work in the bedrooms?” This way he or she is able to make better recommendation that will not cost you a bomb! 4. Communicate regularly with your ID and trust him. 5. Give your ID and contractors space - Micro-managing and viewing the renovation site too frequently actually adds more stress to the workers and may delay renovation time-line.

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Review Score: 8.8

Service: 9

Design: 9

Quality: 8

Value: 9

Recommended

Rachel

12 Mar 2018

House Type: Condominium

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Randall Tan

Budget: $10k - $20k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

With so many ID firms out there, it was no easy feat finding the right ID for our place, however our hard work paid off as we found Randall Tan (HP: 9386 8081) - an exceptional individual who devotes his time to building dream houses in a practical and cost-effective way. We met over 15 IDs in total and after going through many site inspections and quotations that never seemed to end, it became very easy to see if we would like the ID within the first 10 minutes - it depended on what kind of first impression the ID made on us, what kind of ideas he would suggest and if we liked his working style. Unfortunately, we met many IDs that were sorely disappointing as they kept proposing to customise many items at exorbitant prices and failed to listen to our brief on what kind of layout and design we wanted. Some IDs even had the audacity to tell us that a simple sketch that they drew for us on the spot cost a few thousand dollars and we were lucky as they would give it to us for free. Thank God for social media and word of mouth as when I read many good reviews on Randall, I felt a small glimpse of hope. When we met Randall, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we liked his working style - he was humble, straight to the point and it was clear that he has many years of experience and that he loves what he does. What we liked immediately was his ability to listen to our brief and fully understand what we were looking for in our renovation plans. He gave us solid advice on how to save costs which was very useful as many other IDs kept trying to make more money from us. Randall was also the only ID that gave practical advice on how we could maximise our living space and gave us creative yet functional ideas. Importantly, Randall sent the quote to me the next day and the prices were very reasonable. For those who think that hiring a contractor will save more costs since they do not provide 3D drawings as compared to IDs, I suggest you think twice as we met around 5 contractors and some of them quoted a lot more than Randall despite not even providing the 3D drawings which proved to be very useful. We were satisfied when we saw Randall's prices as no negotiations were necessary - his quote was much more reasonable than all the other ID quotes we compared with. When we decided to sign with Randall, he was quick to provide the 3D drawings and although we were fickle-minded and changed our minds a few times regarding the design and colours, Randall was flexible and did all the changes for us. Renovation proceeded at a quick and efficient pace - there was no time wasted and Randall promptly updated us at different stages based on what was being done. The renovation did not take long and after it was done, we were very impressed on how little defects there were - the quality of the workmanship was very good. This was impressive as we are very fussy people, however Randall's group of contacts such as the carpenters, electricians and painters did a fantastic job and there were only minor defects. It was easy to fix the defects as all we had to do was stick a few stickers on the areas that we wanted to rectify and Randall arranged for his contacts to fix them within the next few days without any issues.

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

Overall the entire renovation was a breeze and I would say that once we met Randall, we felt very lucky to have met such a genuine and honest ID as we were exhausted after having met so many other lousy IDs. It made us appreciate what a passionate and hardworking individual he is. What we liked most about Randall was that he was reliable as he was always there to answer our calls and reply to our messages so we did not have to worry. He is a very experienced ID who gave us cost-effective solutions that saved us thousands of dollars. Moreover, he is an honest person as he never once asked what we do for a living or attempt to dig deeper into our personal lives to assess our salaries. In an industry with many IDs who have neither experience nor genuine passion, Randall stands out as a committed and highly capable ID who thrives on getting the job done to the best of his abilities. His ability to solve problems and handle the work in an efficient manner on his own completely won us over. Thank you for the fantastic work Randall.

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Review Score: 10

Service: 10

Design: 10

Quality: 10

Value: 10

Recommended

Hans

11 Mar 2018

House Type: HDB 4-Room

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Randall Tan

Budget: $50k - $60k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

Randall Tan from NID Design Studio stood out from the rest right from our first meeting as he came with his laptop which he used to show me a 3-D drawing based on my house floor plan. I was impressed with his effort of doing that despite it was only our first meeting. He also considered my budget & proposed items which fit my budget, giving priority to basic items, such as vinyl flooring and kitchen cabinet. To ensure that my family members were comfortable with my choice of ID, I arranged Randall to meet them. Randall also took us to visit two houses which he had just completed renovating. Finally, I shortlisted three ID firms to discuss more specific renovation details at my new house. In the end, I decided on Randall as I was confident that he would do a good job. On top of that, my family was also comfortable discussing issues with him. Randall took my budget seriously & assured me that the total renovation cost in the quotation would not increase unless I requested additional work / items. Indeed, the total amount I paid for the completed renovation, compared to the initial quotation, had only increased by the extra items (a bigger wardrobe for my room & a fire-rated main door) which I had requested Randall to do after the renovation had started. I am happy to say that Randall is quite generous as there were times when he tried to absorb some costs, eg. I requested a few more electrical points & one more paint colour up from the maximum 5 colours. In my opinion, I think that the items & prices in his quotation are by & large reasonable. Although his price is in the mid range compared to the quotations from other IDs, there were no hidden / unspoken items that were chargeable during the renovation. It is a good thing that there was no unpleasant surprise & dispute during the renovation process. I am also happy with the workmanship which is of reasonably high quality. Randall is knowledgeable about renovation & gives practical ideas. For example, he not only advised the position & number of light points in the living room, but also proposed the light switches corresponding to the light points, so that the two light switches allow minimal, moderate, or extra brightness. This gives me & my family the flexibility to decide which switch to turn on based on the intensity of the natural light, thus provides some cost savings on electricity as not all the lights need to be turned on even when the natural light is very dim. Another example is how he advised where the electrical & air-con wires could be placed in order to minimize the amount of casing used to box up the wires, so that the entire house looks more spacious and aesthetically pleasing as the amount of unsightly casing that runs on the wall is minimized. Throughout the renovation, Randall always responded to my queries within 24 hours and gave clear explanations to my queries. As with any house renovation, there were some minor hiccups during the renovation process. When these happened, Randall focused on quickly resolving the issues either by rectifying them to achieve the original plan or coming up with the next best alternative. My house renovation took about two months to complete which was ok for me as I was in no hurry to move in. Post-renovation, there were some minor defects which I conveyed to Randall, and he was quick to arrange for the relevant people to fix those issues. For example, I was not completely satisfied with the plastering work in the living room as the wall surface was not smooth for most parts. Randall did not mind arranging the plasterer & the painter to come over to my house twice until I was satisfied with the wall.

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

It is important to take time to source for a reliable and good renovator. Look at the reviews posted on renovation forums, such at Renotalk.com, shortlist some renovators with good reviews, and take the time to meet up and discuss your renovation requirements with them before deciding who you are comfortable to engage to carry out your home renovation.

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Review Score: 8.3

Service: 9

Design: 7

Quality: 8

Value: 9

Recommended

Swiss Lam

08 Mar 2018

House Type: HDB 4-Room

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): RANDALL TAN

Budget: $10k - $20k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

Yes, I like his frankness & attitude and he being able to bring out the pros & cons (taking into considerations the outcome and cost) when I come out with an suggestion. During initial discussion, I gave him an idea of what I want to achieve. I've actually tried to change some of his designs. However, he managed to convince me to see from his professional view. My reno is now completed and I'm glad that I follow his suggestions!

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

Be realistic about the budget and design. Beside that, quality workmanship requires time to achieve. Give your contractor reasonable timeline to do the necessary.

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Review Score: 8.3

Service: 8

Design: 8

Quality: 9

Value: 8

Recommended

Bharti

08 Mar 2018

House Type: Condominium

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Aellex

Budget: $50k - $60k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

I will recommend Aellex to anyone looking for someone reliable and trustworthy with a good sense of colour and design. He listens and delivers exactly what you want. Suggestions are cost effective with excellent project management skills.

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

You must choose a good ID. Someone you can trust. Generally the rest is the same. Everyone has a design and a concept. However only a good ID can make the experience pleasant.

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Review Score: 8.8

Service: 10

Design: 8

Quality: 9

Value: 8

Recommended

Ng Ying Jia Leah

20 Jun 2016

House Type: Condominium

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Ron

Budget: $20k - $30k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

Yes, I would recommend my friends to Inspired ID. The designer (Ron) is responsive and would regularly update us on the progress of the renovation. Ron would even send me WIP photos and keep posted if there is any things to highlight during the renovation. He also gave good and practical advice regarding our renovation and preamp us if there is any issues anticipated.

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

It will be helpful to tell the ID your needs and expectations. Always allow buffer time as there will be something that goes wrong somewhere. Some nice desgins are not exactly practical (difficult to clean, hard to maintain), as such it is important to discuss these constraints with your ID. In addition, set a goal budget and try to stay with it.

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Review Score: 8

Service: 10

Design: 8

Quality: 7

Value: 7

Recommended

Jade

19 Jun 2016

House Type: HDB 5-Room/Exec/Mansionette

ID Firm: NID Design Group

Designer(s): Sam and Jay

Budget: $80k - $90k

Would you recommend this Interior Designer and why?

Juz wanna share some pics of my cosy home in appreciation of the good job that Sam and the team from NID had done for me. I just communicated to them that I want a sleek, modern and cosy home with 3 colors in mind...black, white and grey. And I let them make most of the decisions, including the color coordination and surface materials, and that really gave me alot more free time ha. The whole renovation was a bliss as they have taken the initiative to resolve any issues.

What advice would you give to future homeowners?

Trusting your ID that he would handle the whole project with his heart and really take good care of your house is very important. I really appreciate that they had taken over all the 'headaches' that arise from any renovation project from me.

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Review Score: 8.5

Service: 9

Design: 9

Quality: 8

Value: 8

Recommended

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