The check that comes first
For an HDB flat, the contractor must be listed in HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors and able to show the number. Without it, they cannot apply for your permit and the works are illegal. Innovation Workshop’s number is HB-01-3459G, and HDB lets you check any contractor online. For condos and landed, ask for the company’s UEN and look it up on ACRA.
Compare scope, not totals
- Put the quotes in the same order. Hacking, masonry, tiling, electrical, plumbing, ceiling, painting, carpentry, doors and windows, sanitary ware, cleaning. Blank cells are where the surprises live.
- Count the points. Electrical quotes should state the number of lighting points, power points, data points and the DB work. “Electrical works, lump sum” means you are paying for a guess.
- Measure the carpentry. Carpentry should be priced per piece with its length in feet or metres, the material, and whether internal fittings are included. A lump sum for “kitchen cabinets” cannot be compared with anything.
- Find the provisional sums. Items like “PC sum for tiles” or “to be confirmed” are placeholders. Ask what the allowance buys and what happens if you choose above it.
- Check what is excluded. Haulage and disposal, protection, permit fees, countertop, glass, sanitary ware, painting of doors, curtain rails. Exclusions are legitimate; silent exclusions are not.
- Read the payment schedule. A common structure is a deposit on confirmation, progress payments at defined stages, and a final payment on handover. Be careful of large sums due before works start.
- Read the warranty. What it covers, for how long, and who you call. Ours is a 1-year workmanship warranty on all carpentry we fabricate.
- Ask who does the carpentry. Most firms subcontract it. If so, ask who, and who is responsible when a door does not close. We make ours in Woodlands.
Red flags
- A total with fewer than twenty lines for a full resale renovation
- No directory number for an HDB job, or an offer to “apply for the permit later”
- A discount that only exists if you sign today
- Payment of more than half before any site work
- No written schedule
What a fair quote looks like
Every line priced. Materials named, with the sample you saw. Points counted. Carpentry per piece. Exclusions listed in one place. A payment schedule tied to progress. A warranty in writing. A works schedule. It is longer and it takes longer to read, and it is the only kind of quote that can be compared.
Read our guide: Carpentry materials from the workshop floor →