- Current Condition
- Risk of Salvage
- Clearance Walkways
- Internal Clearance
- Lift Access
- Neighbour
- Walls
- Electricity and Window
- City Gas
- MCST
#1 Current Condition
It is important to understand that not every item in the house can salvage unless you are mentally prepared to use it. In most cases, homeowners renovate their existing bathrooms for hygiene purposes.
#2 Risk of Salvage
If you have decided to use back any existing items from previous homeowners such as tiles, or items of furniture, there is a possibility that the item will wear out one day.
#3 Clearance Walkways
Do your walkways have enough clearance to ensure that your big bulky furniture can deliver to your house? Do ensure to remove all those potted plants and bicycle that is causing obstruction when arranging for a mover to come in.
#4 Internal Clearance
Internal clearance is essential. A painter cannot paint the wall if your furniture is blocking its way. Sometimes, contractors may even walk away and charge you when they see that work cannot be conducted. It's important not to leave anything valuable behind as contractors are not responsible for any loss or damage in the house during the renovation period.
#5 Lift Access
Check if your floor level has direct lift access to your unit. Do inform your haulage contractors in advance if your house doesn't have direct access to a lift to prevent any add-on cost. And when transporting fragile items like a mirror, you have to take note of the dimension of the lift entrance. Whether can your fragile item fit inside the lift?
#6 Neighbour
Be considerate of your new neighbour when arranging for a group of contractors to come in, especially for noisy works that involve drilling and hammering. If you do have to do a bit of DIY at night time, you should at least inform your neighbour beforehand.
#7 Walls
Knock on the wall. Was it a partition board? Nowadays, many BTO Flat walls are made using partition boards. This applies to some condominium walls as well. You have to be careful when installing your TV and Photo frames, as the wall may not be able to hold on to the weight. Best to add in extra wood support behind.
#8 Electricity and Window
Use a phone charger to check through all power points to identify which are the faulty power points that need replacement. Also, open and close all your windows fully to make sure your windows and grilles are working fine.
#9 City Gas
Not all HDBs or Condo have city gas pipelines. You have to ensure there are city gas pipelines outside your unit. Else, you have to use an LPG gas tank for your cooking.
#10 MCST
Some condo management has strict rules and regulations such that they only allow the worker to work from 9 am to 1 pm. If you happen to stay in one of these condos, you should be aware that renovation cost would increase with more man-days required to set aside to complete this job.