Ask any Singapore homeowner about their renovation experience, and chances are they know someone who’s lived through a renovation horror story. Whether it’s a contractor vanishing mid-project, endless delays, or plans that never quite materialised, these nightmares are all too familiar for anyone who’s ever renovated their home.
The reno sector consistently ranks among Singapore’s most-complained industries. In 2024, the vast majority of renovation complaints were lodged against non-CaseTrust-accredited contractors, ranging from shoddy workmanship to projects abandoned halfway.
Here are 6 real contractor horror stories from people who have lived through these nightmares, along with the red flags every homeowner should watch out for before engaging a contractor.
Note: homeowners’ quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.
Why some homeowners choose to work with contractors only
Many homeowners prefer to work directly with contractors, without engaging an interior designer (ID), for various reasons such as budget constraints, or feeling like the job isn’t complex enough to require an ID’s service. For some of these reasons, cutting out the middleman often makes practical sense.
Lower overall renovation costs
For homeowners with a clear design direction or simpler renovation needs, working directly with contractors can help keep costs lower. Since contractors typically handle execution rather than design, homeowners can avoid ID fees and bundled mark-ups that often accompany such packages.
More control over materials and scope
This approach lets homeowners have a say over materials and finishes, and pick the contractors they trust, while maintaining control over the overall renovation scope.
Faster decision-making and communication
Direct communication with the contractor speeds up decisions and reduces miscommunication. It’s ideal for homeowners who prefer to be hands-on and to personally coordinate with different contractors.
1. Being ghosted after paying reno downpayment
Image credit: Sinlan Freya Lee on Facebook
Homeowner horror story:
“Engaged this contractor to do partial house reno, including installation of window grilles and window panes. They took the money, did everything but the window grilles, and asked me to find another contractor to finish the work. Now my house only has window panes installed, but no grilles.” – u/hollowwwwww on Reddit
Paying the downpayment and getting ghosted is every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Ghosting contractors often leave the job unfinished, forcing you to hire another contractor so that your new home isn’t left as a perpetual construction site.
Red flags to watch out for
High upfront payment
Be wary of deposit requests above industry norms (up to 20% before work commences), as homeowners lose leverage once a larger-than-average deposit is paid.
Some contractors even penalise homeowners for withholding payment, while offering no recourse for delays or unfinished work.
Weak delivery obligations
Payment schedules not tied to milestones leave you powerless to ensure work is completed on time and up to standard.
Not CaseTrust-accredited
Choosing a non-accredited contractor increases your risk of being ghosted or left with unfinished work. Accredited contractors follow standardised renovation contracts with clear work scopes, progressive payments, and protections in place in case they suddenly shut down.
2. A 3-week reno timeline promised
Image credit: @so.house.life on Lemon8
Homeowner horror story:
“We got a contractor to work on our kitchen and bathroom. We were promised that the work would be done in 3 weeks, and now it’s been more than a month. There are so many issues with the work they did, and it added to our costs too (extra tiles broken and other things), so much mismanagement.” – u/SitOnMyFaceSatan on Reddit
Renovation timelines often face delays due to manpower shortages, late material deliveries, or unexpected complications.
If the renovation timeline sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Homeowners might end up with more delays and rushed workmanship, leaving you wondering if another contractor would have done a better job.
Red flag to watch out for
Unrealistic completion timeline
Unrealistic timelines often hide poor planning or signal overcommitment, and homeowners might end up facing more delays or rushed workmanship instead.
3. Shoddy workmanship that lasted only a few months
Image credit: LS Painter Singapore
Homeowner horror story:
“Paint started to crack and peel on many walls over the months. Unfortunately, we started finding more spots after the painter came to repair the first crack, and our ID told us there’ll be ‘transport charges as the painter can’t come every few weeks to touch up’.” – u/whitepelican123 on Reddit
Poor workmanship is a common headache for homeowners, with issues like peeling paint, uneven tiling, or misaligned carpentry costing more time and money to repair.
Red flags to watch out for
Asking to view the contractor’s current projects
Ask to see a contractor’s ongoing or recently completed projects to get a sense of their workmanship.
Look out for details such as consistent finishes and neat wiring, low-quality executions or shortcuts on previous jobs might signal potential headaches down the line.
4. Having to change contractors at the last minute
Homeowner horror story:
“Contractors were changed at the last minute, meaning that some of the parts don’t fit right. Even now, my drawers get stuck while closing halfway because different parts are done by different contractors. It’s insane.” – u/GlowQueen140 on Reddit
Even if you engage a main contractor, they might hire different subcontractors to get the job done. When there are sudden subcontractor changes, misaligned fixtures and inconsistencies can accumulate throughout the renovation process.
Red flags to watch out for
Frequent subcontractor swaps
Mid-project manpower swaps can disrupt workflow and create inconsistencies in workmanship.
Subcontractor disputes
Miscommunication between different companies often results in delays, mistakes, or rework.
5. Unexpected additional costs mid-renovation
Image adapted from: Uchify
Homeowner horror story:
“Even if you give a generic ‘I want the house to look minimalist’ brief, costs can go up to $100-200k – some contractors will quote you $50k, then slowly add variation orders (VO) and a lot of other things that will burst your budget.” – u/kiatme on Reddit
Variation orders (VOs) are meant to document any work added beyond the original signed contract, often for unforeseen issues like additional piping or wiring works.
Some contractors may exploit VOs to inflate costs mid-project, while homeowners are pressured to continue payments to complete the project.
Red flags to watch out for
Non-itemised quotations
Without a detailed breakdown, hidden costs can be added and remain unnoticed until the final payment is due.
Variation orders without approval
Extra charges, applied arbitrarily, can push the renovation budget higher than expected. Some contractors might also inflate costs halfway through the project under the guise of unforeseen issues.
Sunk cost pressure
Once partial payments are made, homeowners may feel forced to accept subpar work rather than risk an incomplete renovation.
6. No defects liability period after handover
Image credit: @colivingwithcats on Lemon8
Homeowner horror story:
“Defect raised a long time ago. Subcon performed a band-aid solution. Now that other finishing work has been performed over it, the original issue would require significant additional work to rectify. There were weeks where not a single thing was done at all, so ‘no time/owner rushing’ is not a valid excuse.” – u/nicky9499 on Reddit
When contractors ignore defects early on, fixing them later can get complicated and expensive. Homeowners might even end up paying out of pocket just to get them fixed.
Red flags to watch out for
No defects liability period (DLP)
Contractors have no obligation to address post-renovation defects without a DLP, leaving homeowners to foot the bill for defect rectification.
Contractor red flags to look out for
Renovation headaches often start small, but they can snowball into costly, time-consuming nightmares if left ignored. Spending a little time upfront to spot a contractor’s red flags can save you months of stress before it’s too late, rather than letting your renovation turn into a nightmare.
For more renovation reads:
- How we saved $1.3k on our bathroom reno by outsourcing to Carousell contractors
- How to save thousands of dollars on renovation? Tips from actual homeowners & interior designers
- How to manage a missing interior designer or contractor mid-renovation
Cover image adapted from: Sinlan Freya Lee, Serene Fun on Facebook
Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news.
