The Minton: Ideas and Renovation – 3

Another weekend of Contractor and Interior Design visitations – and with almost each new visit, we’re learning something about considerations we’d not thought about earlier. For example, that the windows in the room we’re designating as our workroom are casement type. If we had a suspended study table that ran along the room’s bay windows, that would mean closing and opening the casement windows will involve stretching or tricky gymnastics!

I thought it’d be worthwhile too to start writing comments about our visits to Interior Designers. Apart from the IDs I’ve been talking to solely on email, we’ve over two weekends now met and have had preliminary discussions with six designers so far. Alongside the others on email, that hopefully will give us about nearly a dozen reasonably complete quotation packages to shortlist three or four from to invite for site visits to take precise measurements later when we get the keys to the apartment.

ID #1: looked like he was in his early 30s, was patient, thorough and helped clarify a lot of what we wanted. He provided us a date of a return quotation and was timely in providing it. The company was a pretty well-reviewed one too with plenty of client testimonies, alongside a showcase of credentials from local trade associations. Definitely reassuring. The only issue we had though was that he seemed a little too business-like, and didn’t particularly exude warmth – but that’s a small thing. We care more if he can deliver the goods later.

ID #2: was a more middle-aged designer, probably early 40s, who was also one of the two partners of the company. The company was well-established and been around for years. We walked into his company office though cold-turkey, and as he was in-between appointments, the discussion was quite short (i.e. I think his mind might had been half-elsewhere). Still, he followed up with phone-calls midweek to clarify on requirements, though at this date, he’s already missed the date he promised a return quotation by.

ID #3: looked like a young designer in his late 20s, and was from a pretty large boutique ID company. His company was also very well-reviewed on the local discussion forums. Discussion was also short and Ling had the impression that he was going through the motions. He promised us a return quotation that would be sent out briskly – but at this point, he’s already missed that date by more than several days now. Not confidence-inspiring for sure.

ID #4: was the owner of also another pretty large ID company, and probably in his late 30s. His company was highly recommended online too. This fellow was pretty interesting. He clearly knew his trade; he took a look at our floorplan for a few minutes, and immediately could identify the blindspots and design constraints we’d (or in fact the earlier IDs) not thought of or identified earlier. He was friendly enough and very confident – but at the same time, he didn’t strike me as someone who was candid. Interestingly, he also declined to provide a return quotation on email, and invited us instead for a second meeting where he’d go through his quotation package in person. That gave us mixed feelings. On the one hand, that will almost certainly ensure that we understand exactly what he’s proposing later; but then again, that felt also a little like hard selling.

ID #5: we really liked. The fellow looked to be in his early 30s, and was one of the two partners in a relatively new start-up and small company. It was hard arranging an appointment with him (hooray for being persistent!). But of the group of IDs we’d met up to this point, we found him the most candid and honest with feedback. There’s a good chance that we’re gonna shortlist his company later, assuming that his return quotation is within ballpark budget.

ID #6: was a young ID, probably in his late 20s, and from a company that has been around since the 90s. Pretty friendly fellow too. His company, interestingly, has remained small throughout these years, preferring apparently to be nimble and responsive – which was the main reason why I decided to meetup and hear/receive their pitch. The company itself has also received pretty positive feedback online too.

Whew. We haven’t arranged to meet or visit more than two contractors/Designers at a go, as our outdoor trip periods have to be timed in-between Peter’s feeds. Really not easy with two kids in tow! We’ve still got one more Designer to meet tomorrow late morning (will comment later on it). More notes on that to come too, and probably also for another visit to The Minton site.=)