RCMA

56 Activities homeowners without delivering on the renovation. That was the period where I had the most renovation jobs and since I had no workers, I would sometimes sleep in the house to finish up the work and save time. The next morning, I would drive my small truck to where sand and cement were sold to bring these renovation materials back. I also needed to ensure all the materials were available for the workers to work on, as they would not start work without everything in place. And once they leave, it was very difficult to get them back. Tan Boon Sang: I learnt to lay mosaic tiles. From apprentice to a full-fledged contractor, it took me two years to master this skill. At that time, we didn’t need a license to take up jobs but later on when it became available, I applied for a license. After that, I rented an office and started doing business until 1985. There was great demand for constructing homes so it was difficult to find workers or even bricks. If you wanted to buy bricks, you had to pay the supplier first before he will even sell it to you. Later on, I ordered the bricks and marble slabs from Italy, and I also changed careers around that time. Lim Ah Bah: To recap, ‘mosquito contractors’ were renovators who followed new homeowners around just to solicit business. As soon as these homeowners were at the void deck, these contractors swarmed around them and harassed them with questions like “Which floor do you live’, or “I am working on a unit in this block too.” To summarise, since the 1970s, people started renovating their HDB flats. At that time, we saw these renovations happening in Redhill and Toa Payoh – where these areas had the first blocks of HDB flat units being built. Do you still remember how much these HDB flats with two bedrooms and one hall cost? Tan Boon Sang: $6,500 C.N. Tan: $6,200 Lim Ah Bah: It was $6,200. The renovation industry started at that time, however there were no official licenses being issued to carry out renovation works. In 1975, the HDB began to issue licenses, but there were not many given out; probably two to three hundred licenses. Everyone applied to get the licenses given by HDB and still continue to do so. The renovation industry started at that time, and there wasn’t any official licenses to carry out renovation works at that time. In 1975, the HDB began to issue licenses. There were not many licenses issued at that time, probably two or three hundred. Everyone took the license issued by the HDB and continued to do so. Through the inception of the renovation business comes other suppliers and service providers such as electricians, craftsmen and those supplying renovation materials. Though we may be a humble enterprise, we deserve recognition for all our hard work. This concludes our discussion of the history of the renovation industry.