TESTIMONIAL

We were first time home owners renovating a 35 year old 5 room unit. After speaking to several IDs, we finally decided on Ansel from Carpenter Direct because he was very patient and understanding, never once pressuring us. We had many amateur questions but he kindly took us through everything. Running through the quotation, he always recommended the most cost effective and practical option instead of the most expensive one- this was how we knew he sincerely wanted the best for us. The quotation turned out to be the most competitive and we were reassured by the good track record on Qanvast.

 

The renovation process itself went very smoothly, we were so astonished by the speed! Our unit needed a lot of hacking and carpentry yet the whole process took only 2 months- many of our friends doing renovation at the same time said ours progressed so much faster than theirs. We are both very busy with work and Ansel always went out of his way to help us whenever we needed assistance with receiving deliveries etc. - he even helped us receive the keys from the old tenants at the very start of the renovation!

 

Ansel would answer our queries round the clock even when we had questions on public holidays/Sundays. He always treated all our questions seriously, however trivial, and would take time to explain it to us or help us address the problem. For instance when the company we bought the sink from demanded that we personally bring it to their factory and pay extra to drill a hole for our water filter (which we could not find the time to do due to our working hours) , Ansel and his team managed to drill the hole themselves without the special factory equipment, saving us a lot of trouble.

 

As the unit was old, there were a lot of unexpected surprises like fixed beams etc. during the renovation process but Ansel proposed good solutions to all of them and helped us conceal all the pipes and wiring perfectly. If there were any hiccups along the way, Ansel would always pick them up early and let us know how they were rectifying it. We were extremely pleased by the quality of every aspect of the renovation outcomes- from the impeccably laid tiles to the beautiful carpentry.

 

All in all, we strongly recommend you to choose Carpenter Direct because they are 1) fast 2) competitively priced 3) produce extremely high quality work 4) have a very dedicated team. Thank you so much Ansel and team for making our dream home a reality! We are so happy to go home everyday now.

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Mel Fly Yeo

We engaged Direct Carpenter last year to renovate my house and was assigned their Designer Derrick to handle our project. As this is a stay in project we needed certain renovation work like hacking and revamping of our toilets to be split into 2 phrase and with our condo renovation restriction needed certain renovation like hacking of toilets to be completed within one month.

 

The task was challenging but Derrick managed to work with his team to complete all necessary renovation within the time frame. We are happy to recommend Derrick as he is helpful, easy going, responsible and not pushy. He also update us on the schedule regularly and give good recommendation and suggestion which sometimes help us with some savings.

 

After the job completion is he is also quick to rectify any issue with our renovation. We also love their carpentry workmanship which is well done and material used is of high quality. Overall we are happy with the completed project.

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Regina Tan

Of the 3 companies I got in touch with, Joe from Carpenter Direct was the most responsive and was the only ID who came down to the house to check out the reno site. Joe was also the only ID who took the initiative to get the hdb blueprint of our place.

 

Throughout the reno, Joe was very responsive to all our questions and requests. Joe typically replied almost immediately and for specific queries that required more checks, he would inform so. Joe took care to explain the pros and cons, which helped a lot in the decision making. As we added on more works, Joe gave realistic completion timeline which helped to manage expectations.

 

Most importantly, Joe delivered on the results. While there were reworks during the reno and patch up works after the reno, it was nicely coordinated and completed without much hiccups.

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Lynn

I strongly recommend Carpenter Direct! they are very kind, efficient and honest with their work. Compared to other IDs and contractor, Carpenter direct is significantly faster with very good finishing with better price ranges! The ID was patient and was able to suggest and improvise to the liking of me and my family! Throughout the renovation process, Ansel was there to check regularly, ensuring that all the work is done to perfection! Very professional!

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Yi Long

We requested ID Huiwen after reviewing her reviews. We were positive that she would do a better job than we expected. And we were right! She even lived up to our most ridiculous request. When we approached Huiwen, we had to wait at least 4-5 months before we could collect our keys. Nevertheless, she proceeded to arrange a meeting to discuss our requirements. I do agree that we had plenty of unreasonable requirements because what we wanted to do was near to impossible.

 

However, Huiwen proposed a lot of alternatives for us. We had to do full-length carpentry in our kitchen, which could be very costly and a tough job. But her team of carpenters did a very good job. Everything was so sleek, and the laminates chosen by her were perfectly flush with our fridge. We had some electrical issues, as we require a number of plugs around our kitchen. But due to aesthetic reasons, Huiwen suggested that we purchase the Eubiq power track in graphite black. We were astounded by how convenient this power track can be! It can fit almost 11 power adapters and is movable around our home. Tiles selection for our bathroom was a dread to us. We were always having conflicting decisions, but Huiwen was always there to save the day. She proposed a few selections to fit the theme of our home for our bathroom, which made the whole process a lot easier.

 

The whole renovation procedure was as smooth as it could be. Their contractors were very friendly and easy to get along with. We were very particular about timing issues as we are rarely home. But even so, Huiwen's time management was top-notch.  I would never have thought that renovation could be as easy as what we went through. And we could not have done it without Huiwen. I would definitely recommend her if you are looking for an ID for your home renovation!

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Cindy

Derrick reached out to us after filling in the Qanvast request for quotation. He won us over with a reasonable quote and in-house carpentry which meant lower risk of delays (given covid uncertainties). While he isn’t the most experienced ID he makes up for that through his enthusiasm, can-do attitude, creative solutioning and availability across evenings and weekends. As with all renovations there are hiccups that happen due to subcontractors, and Derrick was responsive to help solve them. I’ll cite three. 1. I planned out my lighting to the specific light to be turned on by which switch, but the contractor messed it up. At the end of the day Derrick topped up to remedy this to an acceptable outcome. 2. Wasn’t informed about the difference in tile vs. vinyl height and had thought everything was to be flushed. After laying the tiles it became obvious we had to work around. Derrick worked to find another solution for this. 3. Even a month after handover I discovered a missing tile in the bathroom. Derrick arranged for the tiler to return to help patch. Overall, the renovation work turned out fine with only a slight delay in handover and the carpentry workmanship is truly excellent and the service very responsive.

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Loh Xiang Hui

My place is very small and I also had quite a lot of crazy ideas for my home, so there were not many ID firms that would be willing to take up the job. Nicholas was willing to work with my ideas, despite his firm being more traditional in terms of design. I would frequently run ideas by him and he will give suggestions to balance out the craziness so that the end product does not turn out too intense. Nicholas is very patient. For example, we went to various tile shops several times as I changed my mind a couple of times regarding my bathroom tiles. When the tiles I wanted were almost out of stock, he quickly helped to arrange early collection to store at his office. When I was being OCD about the silicone for the floor skirting to be not so obvious, he personally did the silicone so that it was nice and thin.

 

He is also very detail oriented. I did not notice some of the fittings were not done properly, but he went ahead and rectified them. When the chemical wash contractor accidentally overwashed some grout, he also made good the grout lines himself. I also appreciated that he did not try to push expensive carpentry or his contacts for bathroom accessories, and was more than willing to work with items I got from taobao. The downside during the reno was that the 3D drafter employed by the company was pretty bad. This made it very difficult for me to visualise the design as the 3D drawings were of low quality (e.g. dark blue will look teal; 3D drawing does not look realistic, elevation not to scale), which caused a lot of anxiety because I didn't know if what Nicholas had proposed would turn out well. The reno timeline was kept pretty well until the last part.

 

The whole reno was pretty quick at 6 weeks, but the remaining 10% of the carpentry took almost 2 extra weeks to complete (with a few no-show occasions). A suggestion for improvement would be to get the contractors to update when they have arrived and provide photo update instead of waiting for the designer or kanchiong owner to check.

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Liew Qi

We initially wanted to hire contractors to oversee our house renovation. But it wasn't long before we discovered we had no understanding of how anything was supposed to function. After conducting extensive online research, we decide to settle on Carpenter Direct as our ID firm. We were referred to Derrick by Carpenter Direct and proceeded to get a quotation from him. He was patient with all of our questions and uncertainty and provided us with multiple options for our proposal.

 

Although our project was not the biggest, his professionalism was outstanding. Derrick's strong suits were his prompt responses and thorough explanations. Their workmanship in carpentry was also exceptional. We are delighted with how our home turned out. It was the smoothest renovation experience that we could ever ask for. Thank you Derrick and team. Cheers to Carpenter Direct!

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Nathaniel

This is not my first time going through a home renovation and have heard of many horrific stories from friends and family on their renovation journey. I even personally going through one myself; where I am being faced with gimmicks of hidden charges on whatever works that was being done. That is why I am contemplating on fronting the entire process myself, or hiring an interior designer firm to manage the renovation project for me. Eventually I took the leap of faith by opting to go with an interior designer firm as having an experienced person from the line to manage everything and provide me their insights is better than me applying all the "half-bucket-water" knowledge that I picked up just by watching Youtube videos.

 

Not to forget, the one stop service and convenience that is offered. After filtering through all the potential candidates, I eventually chose Carpenter Direct and most importantly, being assigned to Huiwen as my interior designer. Not only is she informative and meticulous, she is also a good listener on all my ideas. She weighs the pros and cons of the ideas that I suggests, allowing me to understand that certain designs may look nice, but may not be practical in application. This allows me to look at the bigger picture where aesthetic AND functionality can exist; just that you have to look for the right person giving the right advice. In my case, Huiwen and the Carpenter Direct team were the right people that allows my dream bachelor pad to finally come to reality. Really a big big kudos and thank you!

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Louis Heng

We engaged Carpenter Direct for our house renovation after a friend of ours recommended them to us. After surveying the results of their home, we made the decision to move forward with Carpenter Direct, and we were astounded by the results! Joe was assigned to us as our designated ID. He was very approachable and kind. Most of our demands were met, and he always planned our meetings during the times that worked best for us (very thoughtful indeed as we were working during the weekdays)..

 

To say a flawless renovation is impossible. But it is undeniable that Joe handled any difficult situations well! Kudos! He assisted us in choosing the furniture and tiles, and out of courtesy, he even volunteered to coordinate the delivery. There are many things for which we can be thankful for, but the list is endless.

 

Simply said, we are glad that we chose to work with Carpenter Direct on our house renovation. Joe was a great help, a top bloke, and a fantastic interior designer. Thank you to Joe and his crew!

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Darrell Lee

We stumbled upon Carpenter Direct online and decided to engage HuiWen to be our ID. At first, we were afraid that our renovation would be costly, but HuiWen showed us otherwise. She did a wonderful job of providing us with constant updates and some photos along the way. She would accommodate our schedule and arrange for a meetup to discuss any unconfirmed items. Not only that, there were also some miscommunications between me and my partner, causing some delays in the work schedule.

 

However, HuiWen resolved the issue very quickly and also delivered our home on time!

 

All in all, HuiWen is the ideal ID that I could ever ask for. I love her great attention to small details and amazing project management skills. Cheers to Carpenter Direct Team!

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Daniel Chen

Working with Nicholas was comfortable and professional. During site visits, he was always present and reassuring about the entire process. Our timeline of eight weeks was quite tight, but it was delivered as promised. Nicholas is meticulous in his work and would accommodate all our needs. Our home layout was challenging, but he made it work within our proposed budget. Even though we changed our initial plans and designs plenty of times, he has never lost his patience with us. Our meetups were light-hearted and fun. He even proposed plenty of ideas that we came to love and took them into our home! Every renovation has its flaws. Nicholas would jump in to help with any issues immediately and would even go out of his way to fix our door himself! For us, seeing someone act so graciously was an uncommon sight. A big thank you to Nicholas for bringing our dream home to life. We could not have been happier with the way our renovations turned out.

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Charles Chawanmushi Low

Joe was my ID and working with him has made my first time designing/renovating a home a smooth and fun experience. He truly cares about what you need and he went above and beyond to make sure I had all the information required to make the right decision in renovating my new home! I'm quite an indecisive person but Joe done a very amazing job in his recommendations, shortlisting designs, which made me so much easier to decide and went ahead.

 

He also does carpentry and the quality delivered is excellent. I did request for a tight schedule as I wanted to move into my new home within 3 months and he committed and fulfilled. I did go and meet some of other IDs and they were also friendly and quotes were competitive but I decided to appoint Joe because he is so passionate and helpful and I'm glad I made the right choice.

 

Definitely will recommend him to everyone because your home is your lifelong resting nest, which you must make it real cosy and good and Joe did a well done job.

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Vivian Chew

Lara from Carpenter Direct was our ID that we engaged for our house renovation. We found them through Facebook and they seem to fit our ideal home concept. Due to our busy schedule, we are unable to respond to her messages on time. However, Lara showed plenty of patience and provided us with plenty of followups. Lara gave us a ton of ideas along with her professional opinions based on our proposed budget and rough plans.

 

Throughout the whole process, Lara was very efficient and meticulous in her work. Not mentioning that she accompanied us on various trips for our tiles, lighting, and other miscellaneous stuff. Working with Lara was effortless. She listens to all of our needs and wants, even the most ridiculous ones, and turns them into reality. There are some hiccups along the way as it could only be known after hacking, we appreciate Lara finding solutions and delivered everything she said she will do for us. Even after handover, our mover accidentally scratch on the wall, Lara arrange and fix the issues as soon as possible for us without fuss.

 

Overall, we are extremely pleased with the service and expertise provided by Lara. Thank you for the wonderful work! Will definitely recommend her to our family and friends!

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Gina Tan

Carpentry was done pretty fast and the price is very reasonable, no complains with the workmanship and it’s also very sturdy and durable. Props carpenter Peter as well! Will definitely engage them again if I need carpentry work, they are also very accommodating and will try their best to work according to your needs. The after work service is also consistent, they are very responsive whenever you reach out to them.

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Ernz Lim

I first contacted Joe in Feb-Mar 2022 to get help on quoting for the renovation of my existing flat. Other IDs I contacted via Qanvast did not get in touch or brushed me off. Joe was prompt and gave a listening ear after I shared with him a bad experience I had with the first ID I met, who was rather curt.

 

Joe listened to what was important for me in the renovation process and also tried to include everything I wanted (even the unimportant ones) into his quotation. While the other IDs told me straightaway that my budget was insufficient. The advantage of Carpenter Direct is that they have their own carpentry factory and are able to meet the schedule for the work. My other friends had their renovation dragged out due to the shortage of manpower.

 

Joe has been very prompt in his replies every time I asked him about the progress (even though I wasn't expecting a quick reply). He has also been patient because I don't refer to the reno schedule enough. The workmanship is so far so good. There are little things that can be improved (stains on kitchen cabinet and tabletop), and some undone things near move back date. But Joe quickly got in touch with his co-workers to help me touch up the little things.

 

Carpenter Direct has managed to keep to my budget and timeline and is highly recommended.

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Maisie Loh

We had the most amazing time working with our ID, Joe. Joe has been referred to us by a friend of ours and safe to say, he has been nothing but a great help to us. Due to our busy schedule, Joe has always been accommodating to our timing for our meet ups. He was always available and open to our opinions with his own suggestions to better our ideas. Every renovation has its own flaws. However, Joe has never let us down a single time. He managed to provide us with multiple solutions without compromising any quality aspect of their workmanship. What could have been the most painful and dreaded process of every homeowner turns out to be the best experience we have ever encounter.

 

Cheers to Joe and Carpenter Direct for providing us with a beautiful home that we can relax in everyday after work!

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Pornsak Soi

After meeting several firms, my husband and I decided that we will go with Carpenter Direct. Our ID, Hui Wen is polite, efficient, punctual and responsive. She assured us that with the in-house carpentry capabilities they are able to meet our timelines. Indeed, the handover was done per the agreed date. Hui Wen provided frequent updates and suggestions along the way which were helpful. several hiccups along the way were also resolved promptly and satisfactorily. This is my first home renovation experience and I throughly enjoyed it. Carpenter Direct & Hui Wen made it great! 👍🏻👍🏻

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Shewon Ng

I'm glad that we had choose Carpenter Direct as our choice. Our ID, Hui Wen, is very meticulous and helpful with her considerations, and had helped us along the way during our journey to renovate our resale flat. We started off quite clueless in the beginning but Hui Wen has always given good advice, for example when deciding electrical points, she shared with us ways to optimise our resources and be more cost savvy so that we do not overdo or create too many excessive decisions. Additionally, she went through with us every single detail that most new house owners may have missed out in the quotations, and even factored in potential hidden costs in our first meeting so that we are prepared and understand what we are paying for. Furthermore, we are also happy with the workmanship by the contractors and they also assist us in installing the accessories that we had brought online. Lastly, Hui Wen also responded to us promptly whenever we had queries, and ensured that the renovation was completed according to the intended timeline despite the issues with labour due to COVID-19 in Singapore. In overall, we did not regret choosing Carpenter Direct and we had a very positive experience throughout.

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Fong Sin Hui

Got to know Lara thru a friends IG post and no regrets! Responsive, diligent, responsible and gets every job done confidently with a timeline she set and the best part? she absolutely delivered! Loving the new home and I’m very thankful for the dedication Lara has for her job, especially with this being my very first full reno of a home. Her patience with all my questions is God sent! Thank you for giving me my dream home! Will definitely recommend her to my friends!

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Gracelynn