Custom Made Furniture: Woods Innovation Center

Why did we choose them instead of the options listed in the previous post? We didn't. Remember the last renovation update where our contractor had a different idea of what "finished" means? Well, I spoke with Dawn, the manager, to basically tell her the same thing as I still could not believe Choi's version of "finished." Then, a few minutes after we ended our phone call, she sent me this text message:

"Hi Nicole, just out of honesty & I can feel your frustration which I really understand as your contractor, you might have an alternative supplier to supply all your furniture? We can give all the furniture details for free, this is what you'll need to have custom made furniture.

I'm just filled with concern (and fear in terms of your quality standards & level of expectation) if we don't deliver exactly the way you like. Just an option, you don't need to get it from us, we can just take care of the pending & repair works. I can even give you directly the contact of our furniture fabricator & you can get it at 15-20% less across all costs (that's our mark-up)."

My reply? "My expectations aren't high. I just want that when someone says finished, it actually is. Is that too much that you want to give up already?" She then proceeded to send me the contact details of their furniture supplier along with the rates that were given directly to them.

At first, I still wanted to order the furniture through Reach Out and Build Inc, but why force the issue when they clearly do not want to do it?

I didn't bother with their offer of getting furniture details from them. Because despite giving them the specifications at least thrice, they still measured the queen bed at 59 inches wide. The measurements I sent were for a 60 inch wide mattress, so obviously, the bed won't fit. And that's just one of the many examples of how they didn't read most of the instructions I sent (a sample can be found in the last post).

It should be noted that I didn't even yell or get mad the entire time we were talking. I also have never met Dawn - all correspondence is via email or text message. I'm now baffled as to how they can claim to build a house. Doesn't that entail a lot of instructions to which they seem allergic to?

ITEM	DESCRIPTION		UNIT PRICE	TOTAL PRICE
3 SEATER SOFA	Materials: solid mahogany wood (sundry) for frame, Uratex foam (blue) for cushion     Size: 85 cm (d) x 190 cm (w) x 90 cm (h)	1 pc	18,000 (fabric not included)	18,000
CABINET	Materials: marine plywood in duco finish, combination with solid wood   Size: 46cm (d) x 286 (w) x 206 cm (h)	1 set	38,000	38,000
BUNK BED	Materials: pine wood     Size: 36” x 75” standard single	1 set	12,000	12,000
BEDFRAME	Materials: solid mahogany wood, combination with marine plywood     Size: queen 60” x 75”	1 set	17,000	17,000
SHOE CABINET	Materials: marine plywood combination with solid wood - 4 doors and 2 drawers     Size: 34cm (d) x125cm (w) x 100cm (h)	1 set	15,000	15,000
SIDE TABLE	Materials: solid mahogany wood     Size: 40 cm (d) x 45 cm (w) x 55 cm (h)	2 pcs	4,000	8,000
MEDICINE CABINET (master’s)	Materials: marine plywood     Size: 15 cm (d) x 40 cm (w) x 50 cm (h)	1 pc	5,000	5,000
MEDICINE CABINET (ground floor)	Materials: marine plywood     Size: 14cm (d) x 40 cm (w) x 30 cm (h)	1 pc	5,000	5,000
MIRROR FRAME (ground floor)	Materials: mahogany wood - 4” wood frame   Size: 95cm (w) x 183 cm (h)	1pc	8,500	8,500
MIRROR FRAME (master’s)	Materials: mahogany wood     Size: 55 cm x 60 cm (w) x 155 cm (h)	1 pc	6,500	6,500
Subtotal				Php 133,000
Delivery charge (including ocular fee)				Php 3,500
TOTAL				Php 136,500

On the bright side, we'll get to save almost Php 29,000 with this setup.

Window Shopping: Custom Made Furniture

Company	Bunk Bed	Queen Bed Frame	Foyer Table	Delivery Fee	Total
Antonio’s Quality Muebles	40,000	20,000	30,000	0	90,000
- Mahogany & ¾ plywood
JB Woodcraft, Inc.	36,500	26,750	54,750	5,500	123,500
- Kiln dried mahogany or gemelina wood
Jungle Vines Furnicraft	23,790	25,360	24,620	8,000	81,770
- Mahogany wood
Phoenix Home	60,000	36,000	75,000	TBA*	171,000
- Gemelina wood
Reach Out & Build Inc.	22,500	17,800	27,800	0	68,100
- Kiln dried hardwood & marine plywood
Urban Abode	58,800	38,700	57,500	0	155,000
- Not specified

 

*TBA - To be advised.
**All rates quoted in Philippine pesos.

Here are the specifications I sent to all the furniture companies listed above:

The furniture companies were either referrals from friends or have been mentioned in articles from Real Living magazine.

Renovation Update 18

Choi, from Reach Out & Build, informed us that the fence and carport are already done, and scheduled the turnover for June 16, Friday.

I arrive, look around, and then ask him, "So, when will you guys be finished?" His reply? "We're already finished."

Here's what "finished" looks like:

The polycarbonate roof is in two colors. There's supposed to be only one color, and that's dark brown.

Metal bars are still sticking out of the cement hollow block wall.

Trash is still present and they have yet to get rid of the excess cement from the garage floor.

Oh, when I left the house, some parts of the gate hadn't been painted and they still needed to repair the areas they damaged.

Seriously?!?! I really wonder how anyone could think that this would be acceptable? Well, apparently Choi did along with some of the workers who thought nothing of the two-toned roof.

It's been a few days and I still can't get over how skewed their definition of "finished" is. Am I angry or upset? Not yet - as long as they'll fix things. Though this will mean even more delays.

Renovation Update 17

As of yesterday:

They told me that the work will be done by tomorrow, but since the rainy season has started, I'm expecting a few more delays.

Renovation Update 16

Alas, Reach Out and Build definitely did not meet their end of May deadline. Here's their progress as of two weeks ago:

Refinancing Saga

The good news? We got approved!

The bad news? It will cost us an additional Php 25,000+ (on top of the Php 4000 assessment fee) and the rate is not guaranteed. If the loan is released before the end of June, then we'll get the 5.5% interest rate. If not, then whatever rate they have in July will be applicable.

At 5.5%, our monthly mortgage will be Php 3399 lower for the next three years and we'll be able to pay off the fees (so to speak) within 8 months. Potentially, we'll be able to save Php 95,172 over the remaining 28 months - money that can be used for other house bills.

So, what happens if we don't make the June deadline and the new rate isn't to our liking? We have the option of cancelling and getting a refund (except for the Php 3000 handling fee).

Another concern is the amount of the loan. We applied for the loan two months ago and our remaining balance has since decreased by over Php 20,000+. BDO officer Carol said that the bank will give us a refund for the difference. Not sure how that works, but we definitely don't want to pay more than what's necessary.