Insights

How to choose the right builder, architect or contractor for your landed home in Singapore

Before you compare the quotations, portfolios and company names, there is something much more important you should look at.

Have you ever gone dating?

Or do you remember the first time you met your spouse?

Nobody sits down on the first date and says: “Okay. I have seen enough. Let’s spend the next 50 years together.”

Everyone is good before you sign

You talk. You listen. You observe. You are trying to understand the person sitting opposite you.

Can I communicate with this person? Does this person actually listen to me? Do we see things the same way? Can I trust this person?

And, of course, both sides are probably showing the best version of themselves.

Job interviews are exactly the same. The candidate is trying to impress the employer. But let’s be fair. The employer is selling too.

We talk about our company. Our vision. Our culture. Our future. Everyone is trying to look good before the commitment.

Then the relationship starts. And that is when you find out who you actually chose.

I think choosing the people to design and build your landed home is very much the same. Because before you sign the contract, almost everybody looks good. What matters is what happens after.

Before you appoint an architect, builder or contractor, everyone wants your project. Calls get answered quickly. Meetings are easy to arrange. Beautiful portfolios come out. Ideas are flowing.

“Can.” “No problem.” “We can do that.”

And sometimes, the quotation looks fantastic too.

But you are not choosing someone to make a presentation for you. You are choosing someone who may be involved in your life for the next 12, 18 or even 24 months.

And somewhere during those months, something will not go according to plan. That is construction.

A site condition may be different from what everyone expected. A detail may not work. A drawing may need to change. Something may cost more than expected. You may change your mind. They may make a mistake.

That is when you discover who you actually hired.

Choosing people

Houses aren’t built by company logos

Homeowners often ask me whether they should engage an architect, a main contractor or a Design & Build company for their landed home.

There are good reasons for choosing each model. But I think there is something more fundamental that homeowners sometimes overlook.

Architects are people. Builders are people. Contractors are people.

A famous architectural practice doesn’t automatically mean your project will be good. A reputable construction company doesn’t automatically mean your experience will be good. And choosing Inspired Homes certainly doesn’t automatically guarantee that everything will be perfect.

The company matters. The systems matter. Experience matters.

But ultimately: who is actually looking after your house?

You may have been sold the project by the founder. Who handles it after you sign?

You may love the architect who presented the concept. Who is actually producing and coordinating the drawings?

You may trust the builder you met. Who is actually running the site?

Because houses aren’t built by logos. They are built by people.

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Because houses aren’t built by logos. They are built by people.

Watch what they ask you

When I meet someone for the first time, I don’t only pay attention to what they tell me. I pay attention to what they are trying to find out.

I think homeowners should do the same.

Is the person sitting opposite you genuinely trying to understand your family? Why are you rebuilding? What isn’t working with your existing house? How many bedrooms do you really need? How do you live? What matters to you? What are you worried about? Where are you prepared to compromise? Where are you absolutely not prepared to compromise?

And yes: what can you realistically afford?

Or is the person simply waiting for you to finish speaking so they can tell you what they want to design?

There is a very big difference.

Good professionals shouldn’t blindly agree with you. Sometimes our job is precisely the opposite.

We have to challenge an idea. We have to explain why something isn’t worth doing. We have to tell you that what you want doesn’t fit your budget. Sometimes we even have to tell you: don’t rebuild.

But before somebody can advise you properly, they first need to understand what problem you are actually trying to solve.

The most dangerous word in construction may be “can”.

Homeowners naturally like hearing yes.

“Can we move this?” Can.

“Can we add another floor?” Can.

“Can we keep within this budget?” Can.

“Can we finish by this date?” Can.

It feels reassuring. But I would be careful of someone who agrees with everything.

Someone trying to protect your project sometimes has to tell you what you don’t want to hear.

Sometimes the more responsible answer is no.

Or: yes, but you need to understand what that decision will cost you.

Or: technically we can do it, but I don’t think you should.

Someone trying very hard to win your project may tell you what you want to hear. Someone trying to protect your project sometimes has to tell you what you don’t want to hear.

There is a difference.

Accountability

Don’t judge people when everything is going well

This is probably the biggest lesson construction has taught me.

It is very easy to look good when everything is going well. You learn much more about someone when something goes wrong.

Do they disappear? Do they become defensive? Do they immediately blame another contractor? Do they start looking for the clause that says it isn’t their responsibility?

Or do they say: okay. There is a problem. Let’s solve it.

That sentence means a lot to me.

Because when you are rebuilding a landed house, problems will happen. I don’t think any responsible builder should promise otherwise.

The question is not: will there ever be a problem?

The better question is: who will be standing beside me when there is one?

This isn’t something I learnt only from dealing with homeowners. I learnt it from running Inspired Homes.

A landed house requires many different trades and specialists: structural works, electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, waterproofing, windows and doors, tiling, carpentry, painting and many more.

Over the years, we have chosen the wrong subcontractors too. Some looked fantastic at the beginning. Some talked extremely well. Some told us how experienced they were. Some gave very attractive prices.

And then something went wrong. That is when you find out.

Some people solve problems. Some people explain why the problem isn’t theirs.

I have become much more careful about the people I choose to work with because of those experiences.

Don’t look for a perfect builder

Yes, there are black sheep in this industry. Let’s not pretend otherwise.

There are bad contractors. There are people who deliberately quote low. There are people who make their money back through variations. There are people who overpromise. There are people who disappear when problems happen.

But this isn’t unique to construction. There are bad employees. Bad employers. Bad business partners. Bad professionals. And, unfortunately, bad people.

A professional title doesn’t automatically tell you what kind of person you are dealing with. Neither does a beautiful office. Neither does an expensive website. Neither does the lowest quotation. And neither does the highest quotation.

You still have to judge the people.

Many construction disputes begin with a very simple problem: two people thought they agreed on something when actually they didn’t.

The homeowner thought something was included. The builder didn’t.

The homeowner expected one finishing standard. The contractor priced another.

The homeowner expected regular communication. The project team assumed they would update only when necessary.

One side says: “I thought this was obvious.” The other says: “We never agreed to that.”

And suddenly a S$20,000 issue isn’t really about S$20,000 anymore. It becomes about trust.

That is why I place so much importance on clarity before construction.

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When something goes wrong with my house, do I trust this person to take responsibility for it?

What are we building? What is included? What isn’t? What assumptions are we making? What standard are we working towards? What happens when something changes? And who makes the decision?

You cannot remove every disagreement from a construction project. But you can remove a lot of unnecessary ones by making expectations clear from the beginning.

The best person for your project may not be the person who impresses you most during the first meeting. So don’t only ask yourself: do I like this design? Is this quotation competitive? Is this company famous?

Ask yourself something harder. Does this person actually listen to me? Can this person tell me something I don’t want to hear? Can they explain why? When they don’t know something, are they comfortable saying they don’t know? When something goes wrong, who owns it? Who actually follows through?

And perhaps most importantly: who am I actually going to be dealing with after I sign?

There is no single project model that is right for every homeowner. Some people prefer appointing an architect and tendering separately to builders. Others prefer a Design & Build structure.

At Inspired Homes, we chose to operate as a Design & Build team for landed homes because I believe design decisions and construction consequences are deeply connected.

A beautiful idea still has to be built. A structural decision affects the architecture. An architectural decision affects the M&E. A change in one area can affect three others.

When the same team is responsible for taking the house from planning into construction, there are fewer places for the problem to be passed around.

Not: “That’s the architect’s issue.” Not: “That’s the contractor’s problem.” Not: “That’s not under us.”

Someone still has to own the outcome. That accountability is what matters to me.

It doesn’t mean everything will always go perfectly. It means when something doesn’t, there should be someone responsible for getting it solved.

You won’t find a perfect builder. And if someone tells you their projects never have problems, I would ask more questions. Construction has too many moving parts for that.

Instead, look for something much more valuable: accountability.

Who answers the phone? Who tells you when there is bad news? Who admits when something isn’t right? Who comes back? Who solves the problem? Who is still there six months after the beautiful sales presentation?

That is the person you are actually hiring.

If I were choosing someone to rebuild my own home, I would still look at the portfolio. I would still compare the scope. I would still study the quotation. I would still check experience. Of course I would.

But before signing, I would ask myself one final question: when something goes wrong with my house, do I trust this person to take responsibility for it?

Because eventually, the presentations end. The renders stop. The contract gets signed. The hoarding goes up. And construction begins.

That is when the promises made across the meeting table are tested.

So whether you choose an architect, a contractor, a builder or a Design & Build company for your landed home in Singapore, don’t choose only the company.

Choose the people.

Choose the people who listen before they propose. Choose the people who are prepared to disagree with you when necessary. Choose the people who make expectations clear. Choose the people who don’t disappear when something becomes difficult. And choose the people who take responsibility for what they build.

Because you aren’t hiring someone for the first meeting. You’re hiring them for everything that happens after.

Keith Low is the founder of Inspired Homes Pte Ltd, a Singapore Design & Build company and BCA-licensed GB1 builder specialising in landed homes, including renovation, A&A, reconstruction and new erection.

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Keith Low is the Founder of Inspired Homes, a Singapore-based design-and-build company specialising in landed home renovations, A&A works, reconstruction and new erection projects.

Since 2012, he has been involved in helping homeowners plan, design and build landed homes across Singapore. His work focuses on balancing design, practicality, budget realism and long-term liveability.

Through the Inspired Homes blog, Keith shares insights on landed home construction, project planning, building costs, design-and-build procurement and lessons learned from real projects across Singapore.