Renovation Horror Stories: 13 Ways to avoid a renovation nightmare

You may have heard of the Nicole Chen (or known as Nicole Liel on social media) renovation saga that went on over Tiktok in the past two weeks. Without getting into the details, you know it, it’s one of those ‘he say, she say’ renovation horror stories that we often hear of.

Nicole Liel Renovation

This case is a little more complicated than usual - keep in mind that Nicole Chen is a social media influencer and her spat with interior designer Wayne Huang, co-founder of Studio Siris, was part a barter trade (often influencer uses her social media platform to promote the company in exchange for free products or services).

Nicole Liel’s renovation horror story sparked a slew of other homeowners sharing their own fair share of (hilarious) renovation nightmares. Her interior designer, too, responded shortly after with his own side of the story.

Renovation horror stories are not new to Singapore (or any other country!). Bang ‘reno horror stories’ into Reddit and you’ll find Singaporean, Aussie threads homeowners have dedicated to trauma dumping their bad renovation experiences.

Ask around, and more likely you and a friend or two would have experienced a bad interior designer, contractor who ran away, or a renovation that fell short.

So, honestly, what to do when my renovation is a nightmare ah? What happens if my interior designer is really bad?

No, I’m not talking about posting my story on Reddit or Tiktok. I mean, what are the actual adult steps I should take at this juncture?

I called interior designer Oz Titus Hong, the founder of Oz Titus Studio, for some professional advice on renovation horror or nightmares.

Interior Designer Red Flags

“If my renovation is mid-way and it’s a horror and I hate my interior designer, what to do now?” I asked Oz.

“Why did you choose this interior designer,” he laughs as he replied, explaining that the homeowners have to shoulder half of the responsibility in every renovation project.

His response took me aback. But he continued to explain - in the first place, be patient in choosing a good interior designer.

Homeowners should always watch out for red flags before engaging an interior designer. If you noticed the red flags but still decide to go ahead with the interior designer (because of a cheap quote, perhaps), then it’s your own doing!

Be wary of red flags - such as unusually cheap quotes, as they often come with underlying issues (are they offloading an ill-fitted kitchen cabinet from another failed renovation project to you?). Look beyond the beautiful AI interior design renderings - are the interior designers responsive and service-oriented from the get-go? Are their quotations itemised and detailed - or are they just giving you vague quotes with lump sum figures? When you ask for a more detailed quotation, a checklist, or a renovation timeline, do they refuse? These are all red flags for a lack of accountability!

We will talk about quotations and acceptable deposit and progressive payments further down this article. “It’s all about accountability,” Oz reminds us.

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Interior Designers’ Background

Look for interior designers with good track records and portfolios, and consider asking about their background.

You’ll want to check if they’re properly trained by a reputable senior in the industry, or if they studied interior design and architecture in the first place. Perhaps, a red flag may come when they tell you that they’re just freelancing, recently made an abrupt mid-career change to hop onboard the trending interior designer trend, or if they were simply desperate to find a job and hobbled their way into interior design! Here, you’ll have to take into account their inexperience and accommodate that.

Interior Designer Fairs

Think about it - most of the good and reputable interior designers already have a good stream of homeowner customers and they get a lineup of new customers via word-of-mouth. These interior designers may not need to be present at interior design fairs. So, you may need to find them by asking around friends and colleagues instead - or check out good home tours online since these interior designers are often well-liked and attested by the media.

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Check the Singapore Interior Design Accreditation (SIDA) website

If you’re attending interior designer fairs, always check back against the accreditations of the interior design firm you’ve shortlisted. Oz recommends visiting the Singapore Interior Design Accreditation (SIDA) website, pictured above, for checking the legitimacy and accreditation tier (ID1 being the best, followed by ID2, and ID3) of interior designers.

Interior designers listed on this website had to submit their interior design and architecture education certifications, and portfolios, before they get accredited.

As as September 2025, there are 187 class 1 interior designers, 168 class 2 interior designers, and 88 class 3 interior designers. The SIDAC accreditation list is hyperlinked here (opens to a new window).

You can search for your shortlisted interior designer page by page from ID1, ID2, to ID3. Below, I am searching for Oz Titus Studio on the SIDAC website and found him listed in ID1, for example.

Detailed Quotation

In all your communication, keep a clear written record of what was agreed between you and the interior designer or contractor via text. Even if you spoke to your interior designer verbally, drop him or her a text right after the meeting to summarise all the details that were agreed upon.

You should also ask for a detailed, itemised quotation that serves as a checklist. For example:

All these paperwork will be necessary if you decide to raise a complaint with CASE.

Renovation Contracts

A proper and detailed contract is essential, outlining responsibilities, payment schedules, and timelines. Oz suggests breaking down payments into phases: design, construction, and post-construction, rectification, to incentivise timely and quality work from the interior designer or contractor. Homeowners should retain payments if rectification or delays occur.

Oz emphasises the importance of clear communication, written agreements, and accountability from both interior designers, contractors and homeowners. It’s crucial to have documented proof (sign-offs, text messages, contracts) for all decisions and agreements, as “he said, she said” arguments are common.

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Renovation Timeline

As a homeowner, you can step up and keep your interior designer or contractor accountable as well. Bring along a printed calendar, or create a digital calendar. With your interior designer or contractor, mark out the dates for “defect check”, “hacking”, “tiling”, “wall painting”, “kitchen cabinet installation”, etc.

This helps you to visualise the entire duration of the renovation.

Again, remember to send it to your interior designer or contractor for acknowledgement. If they are late or something was not done on the scheduled date, you have something to fall back on.

In any case - if there are legitimate delays, the interior designer or contractor should be communicating with you and pre-empting you in advance, so you can make amendments to the calendar.

Deposit

A 100% full payment may be a red flag. Likewise, a 70% or 80% huge lump sum deposit or downpayment could be a red flag too. Afterall, you don’t want the interior design firm to take a huge chunk of your money and abscond.

You have every right to negotiate for a lower, fair deposit that protects your interest. Take for example a renovation project around $100,000, you can negotiate for a reasonable deposit of 40% to 50% - just enough cash for the interior designer or contractor to acquire materials.

However, if the interior designer or contractor refuses, asking for more, citing they need cash - then this could be a red flag telling of cash flow issues.

Speak Out

To Oz, homeowners need to be responsible and accountable for their project decisions. This includes actively participating in the process, reviewing and signing off on plans, and not being afraid to voice concerns or refuse payments if work is not up to standard or as agreed.

Engage Contractors Directly

If you decide to manage the renovation project yourself (and cut out the middle-man interior designer project manager) to save costs, you must understand that you are taking on the role of a project manager and are accountable for any issues you run into with contractors.

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Change an Interior Designer

If renovation goes wrong, your only good option is to hire another reputable interior designer to fix the problem (which always cost more money). This time, put on your task-driven hat and create a checklist of things you want changed, and go down the list of rectifications with your new interior designer.

Stick to Same Interior Designer

Otherwise, your other option is to stick to your original interior design firm, and leverage the contract to withhold payment. For severe issues like interior designers disappearing or scams, legal avenues like CASE (Consumers Association of Singapore) can be pursued, but evidence (contracts, communication records) will be crucial.

Hire a Project Manager for Rectifications

For those who engaged contractors directly, consider hiring a separate project manager from a reputable interior design firm to oversee the renovation (and rectifications) and ensure accountability from contractors.

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