Engaging the right Interior Designer is the most important step in ensuring a successful renovation.
Credibility is Pre-requisite
No one wants to be the next victim of a reno horror — Credibility should be a pre-requisite.
Unfortunately, renovation happens to be the industry that receives the most complaints in Singapore.
🚩 Avoid red flags, spot green flags:
1. Check Facebook Reviews
Fake Reviews are rampant. Facebook is our preferred source of truth for its neutrality. Plus, you can easily check if reviewers are real people e.g. account activity, no. of friends, profile photo, account creation date etc.
Google Reviews comes in 2nd but it is harder to spot fake reviews there.
2. Lookout for the ‘CaseTrust’ Mark
Renovators with the CaseTrust mark undergo rigorous assessment which verifies that it has good business practices.
Working with renovators with the CaseTrust mark ensures that you’re protected before, during, and after the renovation.
Meet At Least ~5 Renovators
Don’t make the mistake of signing with the first 1-2 Renovators you meet. 5 is a good number to help you make a fair comparison and be extra confident on which renovator to engage.
Learn more about what happens during meetings and How to prepare for the first meeting.
Compare Them Objectively
Instead of using your gut instinct, make better decisions by comparing your Interior Designers based on:
Quotation
Compare each quotation that you receive and assess who is giving you the fairest quotation. (Note: this can only be done accurately if the quotations you receive are itemised).
Prices will vary between Renovators as they work with different suppliers and sub-contractors, however, the variation shouldn’t be too drastic.
Pro-Tip: Your decision to engage a renovator shouldn’t be based solely on the lowest price.
Other crucial considerations include their ability to meet your specific needs, track record, workmanship, customer service etc.
Also, if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Your Specific Needs
Ultimately, it comes down to who is the most capable of understanding your specific needs and translating the ideas into reality.
Avoid the superficialities and focus on:
- Lifestyle: Does the proposed renovation features and layout meet your lifestyle needs?
- Aesthetics: Are the design concepts aligned with your aesthetic preferences?
Vibes and Work Ethics
Renovation is an intimate process that takes ~6-8 weeks to complete.
You want to make sure that you’re engaging someone vibe and work well with.
Apart from general ‘vibes’ and temperament, also assess them based on their work ethics e.g. how long do they take to respond to your messages and do they proactively update you or do you have to send reminders?
Looking to meet Renovators? We can help you get it right the first time 👇
