DREAM HOME, NIGHTMARE CONTRACTOR

Contractor uncontactable after being paid over $152,000 in deposits for penthouse renovation

- Isabelle Liew

A 46-year-old owner of a Novena penthouse paid more than $152,000 to renovate his home, but over a year later, work remains unfinished while the contractor is nowhere to be found.

Today, the more than 3,000 sq ft penthouse unit remains in a mess, with construction material piled up in the rooms and wires dangling from the walls. Haphazard hacking work has left the flooring uneven and there are holes in the ceiling.

The home owner, who wanted to be known only as Mr K, had engaged the firm Renosaves Project to renovate his home in May 2023. The work included hacking, tiling, electrical and plumbing works, and installing a marble feature wall and chandelier.

A contractor from the firm quoted him a sum of $252,000 for the work.

Mr K, who bought the unit at the end of 2022, paid $152,000 in deposits from May 2023 to July 2024.

He said the contractor had promised to complete the renovation by September 2024, but the four-bedroom home has been in a wrecked state since July.

"The floors are uneven, there's construction material all over the place and the balcony door was removed, so whenever it rains, water would seep into the unit," said Mr K, who works in finance and is staying with his family.