Renovation Nightmare: Bukit Panjang Family Forced to Sleep in Car

Despite having purchased a resale flat, a family of three was forced to sleep in a car for two weeks after renovation issues left them without a home. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, homeowner Li, 47, said she and her husband had received the keys to their HDB maisonette at Block 408 Fajar Road in June last year. As the home was still in good condition, they decided to only replace some floor tiles, tear down several walls, and renovate the kitchen. The contractor, whom they found from Facebook in May, told them the work would take up to a month, from August 5 to September 4. Li said that the total cost came up to $13,916, including a $1,688 deposit. This did not include the floor tiles, which she had purchased from Malaysia. She allegedly however, that the contractor had requested on at least six occasions for additional work to be done, including taking down more walls in the kitchen and living room. This increased the cost to more than $20,000, Li claimed, which was more than what was agreed upon. The payments had been made by the time she sensed something was wrong, said Li. Li also claimed that through conversations with other contractors later, she found out that had she had been quoted above the market rate for the laying of floor tiles. Li asked the contractor to stop work and made a police report on Aug 20, Shin Min reported. Slept in car for 2 weeks The inability to move into their new home rendered the family, including their 18-year-old daughter, homeless, reported Shin Min. Li told the Chinese daily that due to the sale of their previous home, the family and their pet cat rented a room in July last year. A bed bug problem, however, caused them to move out a week later, and they started sleeping in their car. "We left our clothes in the corridor of our new home while going back and forth for them," she said. "After sharing my predicament online, an uncle was willing to take us in. We rented a master bedroom for $1,500 for three months." The family eventually forked out an additional $8,000 for another contractor to finish the renovation works. Price quoted based on initial negotiations: Contractor Responding to Shin Min’s queries, the contractor, surnamed Hong, said that the $13,000 figure cited by Li was the price quoted based on initial negotiations. She added that Li did not raise any objections when the contract was signed, and pointed out that any dissatisfaction should have been shared before the renovation began. The contractor also accused Li of constantly changing her mind about what she wanted and that she had refused to recalculate the costs during the project. Hong also alleged that Li has been harassing and making false accusations against her, and has since filed a protection order. Li told Shin Min that she has filed a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal for over $20,000. [[nid:718984]] chingshijie@asiaone.com