Free Space Intent

COVID-19 prolonged this renovation since last year. However, good things need to wait! And waiting for good things to happen is a blessing! Having Raymond and his team of professional project manager, we managed to transform a ordinary HDB 5-room unit into a cosy, practical and hotel living. If pictures can paint a thousand words, then the attached photos can paint a billion! Can’t wait to move in right away! Extremely satisfied with the continuous engagement between Raymond and his team with me. They make sure they get things right. If wrong? Go back onto the drawing board, tons of late night meetings and keeping me up to date in our WhatsApp group. Thank you FSI and Raymond for such a splendid job done! Cheers and Happy New Year! All the best, stay healthy, stay United

This is our fourth home renovation. Learning from the previous three not too satisfactory renovation experiences, my wife and I wanted to be more careful this time round. We really hope to be able to find an ID designer/company who could truly understand our needs, sincere and responsive, and able to deliver the jobs promised within time and cost. Then we met Carlos from FSI. Carlos was the first ID Designer to call us after we put up our request at Qanvast. The first meeting went well. We noticed this young gentleman was very detailed, keen to listen and diligent in jotting down our requirements. Our apartment is a 39 years old, ex-HUDC walk-up apartment on the 4th floor. It was tenanted out for about 9 years. It was in a state of despair when we decided to take it back for own stay. Our vision was to transform this old lady into a Lite-Industrial style apartment with high ceiling and a loft. While other designers were eagerly providing us proposals and quotes for the work scope, Carlos unexpectedly informed us that he had to turn down our project. This was because after carefully reviewing our requirements with his management, Carlos came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to get the MCST’s approval to build a loft at our apartment (which we had strongly desired). Although FSI was really in need of jobs after the 3-months CB period when all renovation works were halted, Carlos explained that they did not want to promise us something that they eventually could not deliver. They also did not want to by-pass the MCST and build the loft “illegally” for us, as this might get us into trouble in the future. This act of honesty and integrity really impressed us! After much deliberation, my wife and I decided to give up the loft idea. We asked Carlos to continue working with us to complete the preliminary design and quotation. The rest was history. Carlos came up with a near perfect design that excited us and met our needs and budget. We signed the contract, went through a 2 months detailed design phase, and handed over the apartment to Carlos and his reliable contractors to begin actual works. The workers hacked and cleared up all debris, bought in renovation materials (all through 4 storeys of stairs!). Despite many challenges with the unique design and associated high ceiling works, Carlos and his team met all the major deadlines and took care of everything for us. We would like to specially mention that Carlos brought in Jacqueline, a cheerful young lady designer from the same company, as his partner when the work started. While Carlos and I would spent times reviewing the structural works, Jacqueline and my wife would exchange ideas on wardrobes and cabinets design for bedrooms and bathrooms. After a few site/office meetings, tiles and materials selection sessions at suppliers, the four of us were fast evolving into a real team with lots of synergy, ideas and funs working together. Work started on 10 September, and the apartment was handled back to us on 10th December, a slight delay from the original schedule of end November due to manpower shortage. Cost variance was about 13% higher than the original budget of $7Xk, mainly due to new requirements discovered and subsequent design changes after work started. Despite the slight delay and running over cost, we were truly grateful to Carlos and his team, for trying their very best to keep to the schedule and budget, without compromising quality. If not for their excellent efforts, the project could have faced even more delay and cost overrun, during this challenging Covid-19 period. On the day of completion, we specially bought a cake, sat down with Carlos and Jacqueline, enjoyed the space we envisaged and created together, in celebration of the rebirth of our apartment! Last but not least, we wish Carlos, Jacqueline and all those who have contributed in this project, that you would continue your excellent endeavours in touching and changing the lives of other home owners, seeking a fruitful and enjoyable experience for their home renovation.

This review has been long overdue. I engaged Adam from FSI on Dec 2019. I was not in a rush and was hoping that the renovation could be completed by Apr 2020. But then Covid happened. So after nearly a year, I finally decided to continue the work on Nov 2020. Along the journey, Adam has been helpful by readily answering our questions. There has been minor hiccups, due to miscommunication, but he has responded fast and professionally. The general result has really improved my tiny 1-bedroom apartment. He has respected that I’d like to reuse some items that I already have and with the addition that he suggested, he elevated the space and old items to the next level. I now have a comfortable dining and kitchen space, more storage (even for ‘forgettable items’ that should be in the storage), a cozy living area, and also an additional study nook for my work-from-home activity. It’s amazing how I can utilise the limited space better now with some renovation. The layout and design that he proposed has made this 1-bedroom looks less like a studio, and more like a home with specific living areas, all within my budget. I’d like to thank Adam for his hardwork and patience. I wish him all the best in his future projects.