Renovations: What did you wish you knew before undertaking them?

[hk.main]

Please share any and all tips you have for renovation. I'm going to redo two rooms, plus potentially bathroom and kitchen (depending on the price) and I'd like to hear from anyone who it willing to share what they know about renovation in HK.

What are some pitfalls to avoid?

What would you do differently if you could start over again?

What are some good questions to ask?

Thanks!

[East_coast]

Please share any and all tips you have for renovation. I'm going to redo two rooms, plus potentially bathroom and kitchen (depending on the price) and I'd like to hear from anyone who it willing to share what they know about renovation in HK.

What are some pitfalls to avoid?

What would you do differently if you could start over again?

What are some good questions to ask?

Thanks!

Layout / Size / Budget?

[cookie09]

I thought it was amazing that in reality I seem to have much more of a clue on how to do the renovations in my flat than the contractors that were briefed and engaged. Reality is that you should visit the place every 2-3 days, with a supportive attitude and answer any question they might have on how to do things. Sometimes only the landlord knows how you want a cable to be laid or a switch to be placed when the original plans don’t work out in reality

[minkus]

I removed my bathtub to change to a standing shower. The proper way to fill up the hole left behind is to slowly pour layers of concrete. Speaking to my contractor, I realised that in HK it’s normal to chuck random shit into it and then pour concrete over it as the last layer. This saves cost but will create hell of a headache if you ever have water leakage issues in the future. Argued with my contractor and insisted he do it the proper way, which added a bit more cost and time.

Always budget at least 30% extra time for completion and do drop in every few days as sometimes while constructing, you’ll realize that certain parts of the plan doesn’t make sense.

[huja]

Get everything down in writing. Be available to answer questions. Be present to lookover the work every day. Take pictures to document progress.

[jgl]

More double power sockets. No single power sockets.

Install ceiling fans. Hugely reduces dependency on AC- 15W fan versus 500W AC, the win is obvious.

This one I knew going in: Install ethernet runs. Avoids all the terrible wifi problems that plague HK apartments. Even if you're not going to hardwire everything (e.g. phones) it lets you put wifi points in the right places to give you good coverage without buggering about with fingers crossed, random mesh systems.

Visit every 2-3 days. But be aware that progress will be in fits and spurts, with many days of nothing happening at all.

I sourced some stuff from overseas- light fixtures, doorknobs (of all the weird thing, doorknobs), drawer handles. Because what is commonly available in HK is either cheap garbage (doorknobs) or crazy expensive. And regardless of price, often grotesquely ugly if you have western tastes.

[jgl]

More random stuff:

This is the place I got door and drawer handles from: https://www.directdoorhardware.com/

It was weird in HK it seems like the Lockhart Rd places have doorknobs for $100 which are made of tin, or $1500 doorknobs. I still think that maybe I was just blind for the couple days I searched around, but I really couldn't find anything in the middle.

I bought light fixtures from wayfair.com because I didn't want the weird ornately scrolled LEDs or glistening chandeliers that seem to adorn the HK stores.

If you want to see HK options in person, it's either the area between MK and Prince Edward (Portland St) or HK there is a cluster on Morrison Hill Rd
google.com/maps/@22.2762087,114.1803209,3a,75y,309.85h,99.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAxHqM0Bq-04eYjrNpvaK-g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

I only found one lighting store in Wanchai and it was big but a bit meh.

Internal doors: You can get solid doors made in China. And then get soundproofing installed (rubber strips drop down to seal the floor gap when the door is closed). These work extremely well for HK spaces.

[Zelensky2]

I renovate apartments for a living.

I have lots of advice to give, but it's too much to share it all here.

The biggest single piece of advice I would give, is if you're going to do the kitchen, is go to a dedicated kitchen contractor, don't employ a general contractor for that (or at the least establish who their sub contractor is for kitchens and liaise directly with them).

Kitchens are a specialist project and most expats are pretty fussy (rightly so) about the end result. Most local contractors fail to properly understand the nuances of kitchen design.

I'd also 2nd getting everything in writing, although in reality it's impossible to get everything in writing and therefore you should endeavour to work with a contractor who you can communicate very clearly with. Whilst it can come across as anal, ask them to repeat back to you what their understanding of your agreement is, and dive into specifics. You'd be amazed how often it differs from your expectations when dealing with local contractors.

If you want to chat about your objectives, then drop me a pm.

[hk.main]

Thanks for all of the advice so far

[bobly]

how to find a reliable vendor in HK so you don't need to hire a 2nd guy to fix the 1st guy's shoddy work. worth more to do it right first.