Sentosa resident spends S$55K on home renovation, dismayed by uneven cabinets & shoddy work

Follow us on Whatsapp for the latest updates Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates

Sentosa resident unhappy with S$55,000 home renovation

A man who spent S$55,000 to renovate his Sentosa home was dismayed after the company he had hired delivered uneven cabinets and a design that resembled a “tombstone”.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the homeowner, Mr Luo, purchased an apartment at Ocean Way in Sentosa Cove in April 2024.

He said he had hired local companies for previous renovations, but discovered that they subcontracted the work to Malaysian contractors, so he found a Malaysian interior decorator on Facebook in June last year.

His children spent a lot of time researching and finalising the design plan, which the decorators — a couple surnamed Du — priced at S$55,000.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao

Mr Luo then selected an auspicious date in November to start the renovations, but they allegedly delayed the work, stating various reasons.

“I didn’t want to keep pushing them, so the renovation work was officially started after the Lunar New Year this year,” he said.

The homeowner also said he encountered many problems when he tried to meet the decorators before starting the renovation.

“Once we agreed to meet at 10am, but I waited from morning to 5pm and the other party never showed up,” shared Mr Luo.

Uneven cabinets and an arch that resembles a ‘tombstone’

More problems arose when the renovation began, including issues with the workers’ permits and the construction work causing damage to the floor.

Mr Luo also found that the cabinets they had installed did not align and were made of poor materials.

Additionally, the renovation work left a formaldehyde smell all over the house, contrary to what the contractor had promised.

“I hadn’t even moved in yet, and it was already problematic. What about after I moved in?” Mr Luo questioned.

However, Mr Luo was most angry about a design in his daughter’s room. What was meant to be an elegant French-style arch on the wall had turned out to resemble a “tombstone”.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao

As the project has not been completed, Mr Luo recently found two other contractors whom he hopes will help solve the problem.

The homeowner also alleged that the decorators had tried to borrow money from him twice.

According to Mr Luo, the first occasion happened before the renovation started — on the grounds that the couple did not have enough money to pay wages.

When he went to collect their debt, the wife said they had divorced and were only maintaining a business partnership.

Contractor addresses client’s claims

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, 40-year-old Ms Du admitted there was a delay in the renovation work, but it was because Mr Luo’s unit was larger and had many details.

As for the cabinet sizes, she said they had reserved 15cm of space to facilitate subsequent work.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao

Ms Du also said she never promised Mr Luo that the renovation would not leave a formaldehyde smell.

She added that the homeowner had also agreed to the arch design in his daughter’s bedroom.

However, his wife changed his mind, prompting the contractors to prepare a modification plan.

While Ms Du admitted that her ex-husband had borrowed money from Mr Luo, she claimed that both parties agreed to deduct the amount from the renovation costs.

Contractor says homeowner has not completed payment

According to Ms Du, the company has not received the final payment for their work, claiming that only 75% of the total sum has been paid.

She explained that because Mr Luo was uncooperative during negotiations, they had no choice but to hire a debt collection company to collect the S$13,000 he owed.

Ms Du said that all large items have been installed in Mr Luo’s home, and a list of parts that need improvement has been prepared.

However, she decided to stop the work since the final payment had not been made.

Ms Du told Lianhe Zaobao that she works on five to six projects in Singapore every year, but it is her first time encountering such a client.

Netizens weigh in on issue

Netizens who commented on Shin Min Daily’s Facebook post were divided on who was at fault for the failed home renovation.

Source: Shin Min Daily News 新明日报 on Facebook

Some users said the contractor is not to blame as the homeowner had already approved the design, while others believe the homeowner only got what he paid for, as S$50,000 is not a high enough budget.