3Cube

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Why do we always get this sort of questions that either increase risk of COVID, or trying to save money by compromising or total ignorance on structural stability... Please just follow what is instructed by the Authorities. There's nothing wrong with saving money. But do it without compromising on health & safety. There is always a reason on the cost. Most of the time when cost goes down, reliability follows the same. This also implies lengthening the COVID duration which in turn cost more in the long run when cheaper & less reliable method is used. i AM NOT PRO OR ANTI AUTHORITIES. We are all trying to shorten & stop the COVID!! GET THE POINT NOW!! What's the point of building a home & cut corners on the swap if in the end you don't have the health, or worse can't live to enjoy your brand new property. JUST FOLLOW WHAT IS INSTRUCTED BY THE AUTHORITIES & PROTECT YOURSELVES & EVERYONE

Upon enlargement of your picture, you should note the words "For maintenance only". There is a reason for this indication on Architectural plans as submitted & approved by the authorities.. As extracted from URA website under the link "GFA": For development control purpose, Singapore uses a Gross Floor Area (GFA) system to work out the bulk and intensity of a development. The Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) for a specific development site is defined as the ratio of the GFA of a building to its site or plot area1 . The allowable GPR of a development is guided by the GPR specified in the Master Plan (MP). This GFA handbook explains which area or space of a development is included or excluded from GFA for development control purpose. As a general principle, all covered floor area of a development and all uncovered area used for commercial purposes are included as GFA, unless otherwise exempted. This is regardless of whether the spaces are accessible or usable. GFA is the total area of covered floor space measured between the centre line of party walls, including the thickness of external walls but excluding voids. So likely in your case, if you cover that portion of your property. That is "adding" GFA without approval. This does not have anything to do with setback. The best person to answer this will be your Architect, who is the sole qualified person (as define by the Authorities) in charge of calculating Plot Ratio, GFA, etc followed by the endorsement & submission. Interior Designer, Professional Engineer, Builder is not involved in this aspect.

I ain't an expert on this topic. If I ain't wrong, counter current system is meant for endurance training. In layman's term means swimming without actually moving physically, or rather swimming in the same spot with the pumps creating the illusion to the swimmer of moving from point a to b. I think in you case, as yours is a residential & expansion space is no issue. Why not just expand. No offense but to see someone swimming in the same spot seems silly & comical. Especially so when seen in a landed residential context. This system, i feel, should be applied only to professional sports training venue (ie: non-residential) where it's more relevant. Anyway, the choice is yours. Just saying the equipment should suit the context of the venue / surrounding.

First of all, I'm not an expert on this topic. Just thinking to share a cheap DIY method which I've tried in HDB flat. Get a cheap or your old android phone. Search in Playstore for IP Webcam & follow the app's instruction. Get timer power switch to charge the old phone with set timing. With this I think you can place the old phone any where. either on a phone tripod or attach to wall. I think you also can use multiple old phone all over the house for various rooms. So whenever you want to monitor what's happening, just check your daily usage phone. All phone will be connected through your home's wifi. This is relatively cheap & a way to recycle your old phones. If image quality is a concern, then just get another old phone with better cam. The app also support 2-way audio.

I think you grossly misunderstand the concept. My analogy of "Lego" is base on layman understanding / concept that extra element such as added floor, roof, etc can be simple stack up without any, strengthening or improvement or addtions to FOUNDATION. This is what i mean by my analogy "Lego" & this concept is EXTREMELY LETHAL, HIGHLY DANGEROUS & SHOULD NEVER be applied to buildings. Think New World Hotel & you'll get a clearer picture. The following are my best educated assumption based on my personal past 25+ years of building construction experience. Also I have not seen your property & the relevant structural plans (which likely to have a records with BCA which the legal owner can purchase). This will be my assumption of the worse case scenario. In your case, an inter-terrace means left & right wall is shared with your neighbors. No side setback. You also mention this was constructed & completed in 1960s. Hence, high probability that minimal footing is provided between the shared left & right wall. The only thing holding up your building (ie: handling & distributing the loads down to the soil / earth / ground) is the strip footing along the left & right shared walls. This was the normal design practice way back then. Whatever slab extension or added floor can be done to the building. But emphasis must be on the foundation improvement. To put it bluntly, your current condition will not be able to take up the extra load. Now you may think of saving construction cost by simple retain existing building, hack the 1st storey partially to install piles or footing, patch up the hacked portion of 1st storey & just add columns. This will be extremely costly & NOT economically effective. Why? To do this you must consider the machinery involved & I assume you have a low headroom to move in the bulky machinery. likely you'll need to remove part of 2nd storey for the machine to even move in. So you'll end up with a high rate (ie: $$ per square feet) Also not forgetting to advice you, partial hacking or spot demolition is higher cost than total demolition of building. Think of work flow involved (everything from hacking to removal of debris to working space to patching up to match surrounding) & you should understand. This on top of the issue regarding duration. Having said all that. You need to also know any addition of floor area (ie: GFA, building height, etc) must be submitted & subjected to Authorities' (ie: URA, BCA, etc) approval.

I assume you're hacking only the tiles but not the concrete floor which means no exposed soil. Google keyword "agenda termite treatment" or "bayer agenda" you'll locate the supplier website's FAQ. The FAQ will provide the answer. To note you will not be able to buy direct from Bayer. Bayer only sell to Termite Treatment companies which must obtain the relevant toxic chemical license.

When you say "empty attic level", is there currently a staircase from the 2nd storey going up to the "attic"? If there is no staircase, then this is a RC roof. Which means your foundation caters to only 2 storey. Addition of the attic & a new roof cannot be done "Lego" style.

On top of everything in snoozee's post, you will required to submit to URA, NPark, LTA, Drainage Department, as this affects the entrance culvert, entrance kerb, turfing / trees on the planter strip outside your property. Set aside budget of $50K at least for all endorsement, submissions including the physical works.

Unfortunately you'll be at the mercy of authorities as they are the only one to quote you the charges. This is excluding the construction of your meter compartment post / column (ie: I assume your's is the conventional brick / concrete compartment with aluminum glass opening). The culvert will be another consideration for LTA (if I'm not wrong) submission. Culvert is the public drain portion where your vehicle enter the gate.

Just post on the thread & I'll answer to best of my knowledge / construction experience. Beside it'll be beneficial to share with all.

First & foremost, I said in my previous post as follow: "This job's duration was spread over 3 financial years (Started design & submission end 2013, Complete TOP September 2015)." "I personally double up as Architect (for design & drafting of plans) which means saving for Architect's fees (only paid minimum fee to Registered Architect for endorsement / submission)" This should answer your question. Next, any form of works which extends a building's perimeter (ie: increase floor footage area) will involve structural works. It would be wise to conduct soil test. Just imagine. When you spend money to extend & add but do not consider foundation load bearing, you'll likely end up with a finished product which result in building defects ranging from sinking or leaking (from structural cracks) building (minor) to total building collapse (major). Water leakage will be an issue. The best waterproofing in the world will not be 100% as you'll need some form of maintenance down the line after completion. For your case or works at rear of you inter-terrace, added cost will be required to move in the machinery & make good affected element while moving in the machinery. Your existing headroom will be a problem as machinery ain't small. This cost will be substantial. I'm giving my opinion based on worse case assumptions / scenario with no knowledge of your site's condition.

Another thing not to forget the current COVID which means extra budget needed.

When you add floors, this essentially add dead load to the building. Which means you need to check with the Structural Engineer first if you just want a simple add-on without total demolition / reconstruction. I doubt it'll be easy to find a Professional Engineer or Builder that will be willing to risk his Professional License given the current building code. Also, even if you can find the best builder, waterproofing the joints of extended / added floor will never be 100%. Leakage of some form to be expected. Lastly. Looking at your budget of 1 million or less, nothing much can be done. If you keep your existing floor, you will need to spend more than norm (extra cost to move in the machinery to install piles or foundation upgrade) to increase the foundation to take the extra building load. All in all, I don't recommend A&A. To all owners, please stop thinking you can just add or stack on extra floor as & when. This is not Lego. First thing will always be the foundation / piles. No point saving money if your building's foundation can't take the extra load. When building can't take extra load, cracks (structural or non-structural) will appear. The leakage will happen. Would you want to spend money this way to result in bad situation ranging from sinking leaking building (lightest) to total collapse of building (worst case). I don't mean to frighten you or anyone but you have get your concept of building right!!

Just thought of sharing something I found on the net. As extracted from 338 Air Con Website. Please note I ain't advertising for any company. Just purely sharing for knowledge. Wall Mounted vs Cassette Aircon – How to Choose When planning to cool your home or office, the main choice is whether to go with a wall mounted vs cassette aircon. While the two can do an excellent cooling job, there are so many differences that distinguish them and help you choose. It would help if you considered several factors when installing an air conditioner should also help you choose the most beneficial. When asking yourself which type of air conditioner to choose, wall mounted vs. cassette unit, consider the following differences and essential aspects. What is a wall-mounted air conditioner? This is an air conditioner installed into wall openings that are aimed to cool your space bit by bit or in a particular room to keep your family happy and comfortable. Advantages of a wall-mounted air conditioner Installation and maintenance of wall air conditioners are inexpensive compared to others. It, therefore, can save you a handsome amount of money if you go with it. Due to advanced technology, the conditioners use inverter technology, which is economical to run. Due to the inverter technology, the wall air conditioners are fast, ensuring that the required temperature is attained at any given time. The technology also allows you to control the system at your comfort using wireless remote controls. Wall air conditioners do not affect your room’s aesthetic nature when professionally installed. This is because a vent on the wall is used to exhaust humidity and heat, which can be unnoticeable. Also, the conditioner saves you more space as it is installed on the walls. The wall air conditioners have a better cooling capacity and can cool a room fast. They are also designed to shut when a place is at a favorable temperature, saving you some utility cost. Disadvantages of Wall Mounted Air Conditioner Unfortunately, the wall air conditioners do not cool your entire home. More so, they are more effective when cooling a single room. Wall air conditioner also works best behind closed doors, and therefore you have to close the doors when using them. The installation process of a wall air conditioner is complex and requires skilled labor. What is a ceiling air conditioner? As the name suggests, this type of air conditioner mounted in the ceiling, most preferably in a floating ceiling for more effectiveness. They are designed to cover a relatively large room and provide exceptional coverage through powerful and fast fans and adjustable thermostats. Advantages of Ceiling Cassette Air Conditioning Unit Based on their location, the ceiling cassette air conditioners ensure even distribution of air in the room. This is because cold air falls. This type of air conditioning has the condenser placed outside, and therefore no noise disturbances are allowing you to conduct your business or any activity in a conducive environment. The variable speed fan and the programmable thermostat allows temperature regulations and prevents excess utility bills such as electricity expenses. Disadvantages of Cassette air conditioners The location of the compressor on the outside can be troublesome in cases of large buildings. It can lead to the destruction of the aesthetic f the walls as more holes are needed to install the system. Besides, the relatively long distance between the compressor and the air conditioning unit can cause cost increase and make the entire installation process time-consuming. When installing the air conditioning unit for a warehouse or a large office, more units are required increasing the cost significantly. There must be enough ceiling space to support the unit. There are no alternatives to modify the ceiling, and therefore the only thing you can do in case you have insufficient ceiling space is to look for other types of air conditioning units. A Guideline to Making the Right Choice After understanding the different features and benefits of both wall-mounted and cassette unit air conditioners, making the decision is the next step. You can consider the following factors and gauge which option best suits you. The installation process should be manageable. You should also include the equipment and installation cost to see if its pocket friendly. Running costs and efficiency should be well balanced. This means that the system should be cost-effective, depending on the area’s size to be cooled down. Maintenance and cleaning should be manageable. The choice of air conditioning you decide to go with should be easy to clean and maintain to keep the system’s operation running effectively and prolong the unit’s life The aesthetic effect of these air conditioning units differs quite significantly. However, you can choose one that is more favorable, depending on your desires and where to be used.

This analysis is quite comprehensive. Just something to add. Everything that snoozee said to apply not just to the contractor personnel you see in the work site, but to sub contractors & material suppliers off site. So basically everyone. Expect a minimum 50% increase as this COVID thing is in progress, which means even if both owner & contractor agree on the minimum increase, it's still a big risk to the contractor. Also need to highlight this will apply to all forms of construction, not just A&A.

This is reasonable cheap cost when you consider the rate only comes to $133.22 per sqft of basement structure. Ask around & you'll know. This includes everything for basement construction (ie: temporary minimal shoring 1.5 metres depth, excavation, topping up soil, concrete, waterproofing, steel reinforcement, etc) nly exclude asthetic architectural works like painting, tiling, etc If by conventional full excavation like snoozee, this could balloon to more than twice when include sheet pile shoring & ERSS Consultant Fees. Not to mention a bigger working area is needed. By the way, I also help owner to save on GST. Basically, The entire project including Architect, Engineer, Clerk of Works, Authorites' fee, etc (exculding the lift equipment only) cost only less than $308 per sqft. GST was not legally required as I did not take up other jobs so as to keep my company's revenue below 1 million per financial year. This job's duration was spread over 3 financial years (Started design & submission end 2013, Complete TOP September 2015). Why do I do this? You may ask... My company is small so this will help in small way to compete with other firms. I personally double up as Architect (for design & drafting of plans) which means saving for Architect's fees (only paid minimum fee to Registered Architect for endorsement / submission) All in all, I shave off at least $44 per sqft in cost for the owner

Another thing to note for the low basement cost. During initial proposal stage with no Profession Engineer on board, I noted the difference in land level between the owner's Land & his 3 neighbors (Left, Right & Rear). So when the owner decide to have a basement, I was able to propose the construction method where minimal excavation was needed & also avoid requirement for shoring work (which will cost an additional minimum estimation of $100K) Hence, in relation to the existing Land Level, I only need to excavate 1.5 metres to form bottom of the basement. After completing the basement, earth / soil was imported to top up the basement's surrounding. This result in the same land level with the neighbors, which is also required by the authorities during the submission stage.

Land is located in Katong / Marine Parade area. Project TOP was in September 2015 Land sized is 3,232.4292 sqft. Gross Floor Area (GFA) is 4,546.7136 sqft (Total) of which part 795.67488 sqft is the basement. Bomb Shelter is in the basement. Lift only serve 1st, 2nd & Attic Floors. In all construction, Footing (for non-piliing) or Pilecap (for piles) is a must to provide structural stability to distribute the weight of the building & it's occupant onto the earth. Estimate for the basement was $63K & the retaining walls was $43K, Pilecaps is separately priced at $13.5k To note the cost for basement exclude the basement ceiling (ie: 1st storey) which is separately priced.

I will just stress on the structural concept for your understanding. Despite the various type of piles (ie: Bored, Micro, Reinforced Concrete, Bakau...), there will be pile caps to serve the purpose of cutting off pile & distribution of the building's dead & live loading. Dead load refers to non motion item such as the building itself, permanent fixtures, etc. Live load refers to everything else such as the occupant (human bodies), loose furnitures, etc. Such pile caps are usually design / sized as small surface (as in plan view) with higher height (as in side view) In better soil / earth conditions, piles will be omitted but footing is a must. In this case footing are usually design / sized as slightly larger (as compared to pile caps) in surface area but shallow height. In my opinion, a professional D&B builder should have factored in the estimated cost (with slight adjustment after actual structural design of about say 5~15% of your total structural cost). The slight adjustment I have to clarify is due to the difference in sizing of the footing during the estimation stage & the actual design stage. As for other items such as soil investigation, etc. This should also be factored in by the contractor as it do not fluctuate a lot. Somewhere in the region of $3~5 grand for a residential. In my previous completed job of a 2 storey with an attic & basement (ie: in layman terms, structurally 4 full plan view sized floors) The estimate during initial quotation was $343k strictly for structure excluding piles, soil testing, etc. in the end, after actual structural design & adding a lift structure (ordered by owner after completion of 2nd storey structure), The added cost are as follows: 1) Added design & submission fees (Engineer & Authorities) - $6k 2) Added structural element (entire building including lift added) - $34K Of course there are other added cost due to the lift such as electrical, architectural adjustments. But for your understanding, we only focus on this thread's topic (ie: structure) The lift equipment (ie: lift car, lift motor, etc) was paid separately by the owner. So in this case, there was an increase of about 40 grand which is less than 12% from initial quote ($343K) Another thing that I practice is always to include a separate contingency cost when preparing the initial quote. This will help offset any unforeseeable addition / adjustment the every job will face eventually. In my case it is usually about 10% of entire building cost including fees for architect, engineer, authority, etc This way it soften the "blow" to the owner a contingency cost help to offset (in accounting).

Just more knowledge for all. CSC basically is short for Certificate of Statutory Completion. Key word being Statutory. This is, in layman's term, a collective acknowledgement / confirmation that approval is issued by all gov department (ie: in charges of water, sewer, structure, electrical wiring, fibre cable, etc). So when you don't have CSC, your licensed electrician / licensed plumber can't submit to have incoming water, electricity, gas, telecom, etc. How are you as a owner going to move in if property does not have incoming supplies. I don't think any Singaporean would dare to mess with the tax man on property tax. Simply put it. The building regulation links everything & everyone up to be responsible & liable. Even the property owner is liable. I strongly urge all property owner to read the fine print of all those documents you have to sign during the initial stage of the job (Both commencement of design / construction stage)

Also, CSC, TOP is required. Why? Without this, you basically will not be able to apply for water, electricity, internet, postal services & the list goes on. Also property tax will be a MAJOR issue.

Please oh please don't be stupid to go for option 2. There will be extremely serious legal consequences. Rules & regulation have tighten since the various past incidents (ie: Hotel New World, Nicol Highway, School Roof collapse during construction, etc). I have not view your property but the worse case scenario your entire building might be consider illegal & need to be rebuild. I say this as the relevant department usually; I speculate, have a kia-xi attitude. Nobody will want to be responsible in this sort of situation. hence they'll most likely be more strict to check everything. When somethings doesn't tally with their records, the cycle continue until a point where the inevitable might happen. This will definitely result in long delay... Any changes / addition / omitted in the design during the construction must go through the Architect (ie: you mention CSC so my guess is you have an Architect for endorsement & submission). The Architect is the only qualified person to advice you if the changes need to submit amendment plans (addition Architect's / Authorities fees will be needed) Good luck...

You are referring to the house in Joo Hong Road. Search google keyword archdaily, Joo Hong Road will have all the architectural floor plans, elevation & sectional view

Generally, I personally feel an attic pool is only practically, economically & esthetically feasible if the property is a bungalow. (ie: GCB, detached dwelling house, etc) Space wise, if pool is on suspended floors (2nd floor & up, super structure above ground), it's a fight to balance room size against pool size. Besides, a pool is more enjoyable if the size allows actual swimming. Or else, it ends up as a dipping pool or a spa pool. Worse case scenario, bad design may affect the overall esthetic of the property (risk of looking more like a pond as there's limit on the pool depth as storey height is a factor). Another point I highlighted previously to expand here. The pump (not the pool's pump) may be needed to supply the property to regulate the flow pressure. If this is not done, then the owner may experience low pressure dripping shower while the pool's water is being filled from time to time. This translate to extra cost on M&E (Mechanical & Electrical) works. A ground pool doesn't require a dedicated main pump (not the pool's pump) for entire house unless the ground floor level exceed Singapore's minimum reduced level of 125 meters. I'm not against the idea but just thought you should avoid unnecessary risk / cost (both long term & construction) of building an attic pool. Remember, water is powerful when it comes to leakage. Even when the best waterproofing company is engage, it's never 100%.