3Cube
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Posts posted by 3Cube
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20 hours ago, snoozee said:my friend told me 30k+ so that's what I take it as. whether all in or not I do not know as I supposed that was part of the itemised quotation provided to her by her builder. anyway it is a small pool which is more like a soaking pool for kids so not those big ones which run the entire length of the house with all the frills.
Just for infor.
Example an outdoor lap pool with internal dimension as 10M Length x 2M Width x 1.5M Depth, the cost (no profit) of material only (no labor & machinery as this varies between builders) for Architectural & Structural (meaning pool base & pool wall excluding pool decking) is already $29K to $31. Also to note this cost does not include Architectural & Structural for Balancing Tank, Assuming Balancing Tank takes up half the pool, You'll be looking at material only cost (No profit, no labor, no machinery) of $43.5K to $46.5K
Pool Pump & Filtration System, in my 20 years experience database, quotation range from $15K to $25K.
So the builder potential payout for material & pool sub-contractor range from $58.5K to $71.5K. Remember Labor & machinery cost not factor in yet.
I'm just helping all who are not in the industry to understand the cost component.
The pool size as mentioned above is based on reasonable conservative size which is suitable to be at the side of a semi-d house (Side set back 2 metre)
Also to note if pool is build on soft earth, piling cost will be added which further increase the cost.
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1 hour ago, snoozee said:I wouldn’t know the cost. You will have to get quotes from builders who tender for your job after the house design is completed and approved. Again price of a pool can vary from builder to builder and depending on your requirements.
for my friend’s case, her pool of 30k+ is just a small percentage of her overall rebuilt cost of more than 1MI think the cost of 30K refers to only the pool pumps & filtration system. The structural (Concrete wall / base / cover for the pool, pool deck, balancing tank & pump storage) & architectural (waterproofing / tiling / timber decking, etc) is separate.
Overall cost (Architectural, Structural & Pool Pump Filtration System / Pool lights) at least 150K (conservatively based on small pool) & this is only for outdoor pool in the ground. If it's indoor & elevated (ie: pool located in 2nd storey or attic) the cost will increase.
There is also long term pool maintenance cost which varies between different pump brands / company.
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On 1/2/2020 at 10:07 AM, snoozee said:excavated earth can only do top up of up to 1m. anything more than that means need to do permanent retaining wall already which means additional cost.
I forgot to clarify on this as mention by snoozee.
During the submission, we were instructed by authorities & drainage department that, since the owner decide to demolish & rebuild, the ground level of the new house is to be raise about 1.5 meter. Hence, the "Half Above" basement wall double as retaining wall & no additional cost is required.
The initial day 1 idea of the owner is to have a basement. So no issue.
By this method, the owner save on extensive shoring, disposal of excavated earth, & importing of earth for raising the ground. this alone save approx #100K.
Everything was done (including permit & documentation) according to authorities requirement.
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20 hours ago, snoozee said:Just want to highlight the "myth" of NO GST
GST is chargable by any companies whose turn over is more than 1M in a year. this is by law
if a builder tells you that he don't charge GST, it doesn't mean that you don't pay GST for the job. it is just that you do not see the GST component in the invoice from the builder since the builder can't charge you GST as he can't claim GST back from IRAS.
in case one doesn't know how GST works
GST registered companies need to charge customers GST for all goods and services provided. but they can also get GST refund from all goods and services purchased from their suppliers and this is contra off in the quarterly GST submission to IRAS.
for example, a GST registered contractor charges you $10K for installing say aircon. so you will need to pay $10K plus GST which in today's context equals an amount of $10.7K to the contractor. But if the contractor purchases the aircon equipment at $9K from his GST registered supplier, the contractor would have paid $9630 to the supplier. the contractor would then need to pay IRAS $70 for the GST difference since he had charged you $700 in GST but he had paid his supplier $630 in GST. so his profit from this is $1k.
now if a contractor is not GST registered, he would still need to pay $9630 to the same aircon supplier for the aircon equipment. so in order to maintain his same $1k profit, he would need to charge you at $10630 for the aircon supply and install. if the contractor charges you $10k for the supply and install, this would mean that his profit is now only $370.
so as one can see, the no GST story is a "myth" in the construction industry as one would end up paying GST either directly or indirectly.
You are right. This simply means I earn less as there are no "reimbursement" on the GST I've paid to supplier / sub-contractor.
I was involved from the start (ie: no architect, no plans), to planning (I'm the draft person preparing & physically drawing the plans at no cost to owner), to submission arrangement, to executing the job, getting all permits, insurance, etc & finally to completion all by myself.
Many person says I must be nuts doing everything with such low profit but I genuinely love to do design, drafting, construction, etc. This the only way I can compete with the big boys.
I like to clarify I do all drafting but I do engage an architect to do the checking of my drafted plans, endorsement & submission. This is also another way to save cost for the owner. As for the Professional Engineer, he is engage for every aspect throughout the job as required by law.
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22 hours ago, snoozee said:the "half above" and "half below" means that the building height is taken from the ground level and the part where the basement is exposed above ground is taken into consideration in the overall building height.
excavate 1.5m for basement and another 1.5m for foundation equals 3m don't need ERSS? taking on quite a bit of risk even though BCA allows some leeway on ERSS requirements. BCA officers go around checking on sites every day and any excavation done beyond what is allowed will mean stop work order being imposed.
excavated earth can only do top up of up to 1m. anything more than that means need to do permanent retaining wall already which means additional cost.
again, URA will approve on case by case basis. what can be done last time doesn't mean now can be done as building regulations had changed over the last few years.
Just to clarify, there is no risk involved as the perimeter of the excavated portion will have a 45 degree slope at front, side & rear. As for shoring by using steel sheet (with the project PE calculation / certification) is done on the party wall which is shared with the neighbor.
In my case, I deliberately position the wall of the basement closest to the party wall to be 3 meters away in my design. Hence reduce the amount of shoring a little.
On top of the above, I had arrange for de-watering pump with filtration discharge system. This is monitored round the clock by my 3 workers on rotation.
As a licensed builder with my name as the registered person for my company, I have also a personal liabilities in the job. This simply means I will be held liable by the government for the building for the duration of the building's life span or my life, whichever is shorter. Hence, I will, of course, update myself with latest regulations by the authorities (URA, BCA, MOM, etc). During the course of my project, there were random inspection by the authorities with no problem at all.
In fact, I've receive a casual comment from an officer that I overdid what is required by the authority. Better to be safe than sorry & I can sleep better with no worry.
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17 hours ago, Jr Jp said:Hi Snooze, you seems very experienced and i like to seek your advice on the following. I am looking at a semi-d at eunos. It is a regular land of 3900 sq feet (width is about 16m and depth is abt 22m) . I am looking to rebuild it up to 3.5 storey with possibly a car basement.
I like to ask you if you know that a car basement can be had in all landed or it will be case-by-case basis? I could not find clear guideline on the basement carpark except the 2.5m height limit, 1m protruding limit, 104mpl.
Thank you in advance.
Maybe I can help with some layout to better help to advice on what is & is not necessary.
Just email your requirement, I'll help with estimated cost.
I forgot to mention that in the 2 storey semi-D with 1 basement & 1 Attic was completed without charging GST which means owner save another 80 to 90K. Of course this is all done legally as I do not take on many jobs & maintain my company's annual turnover below $1 million. I like to focus on design & cost saving which benefits both the owner & builder.
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Just to share my experience as a builder to advice how to save cost.
For basement or underground construction, as long as the excavation depth does not exceed 1.5 metre, no ERSS will be needed.
In the job which I've completed, I design the basement to be "Half above" & "Half below" the existing ground. This means assuming the ground of the origin land / house is 0 level, I only need to excavate 1.5 metre to construct the basement & the new 1st storey will be 1.5 metre above. As for the foundation pile cap / footing, it'll be within another 1.5 metre below the excavated basement.
This potentially save the owner about 75 to 100k in ERSS cost including the ERSS Engineer Fee.
As for the excavated earth, it can be recycle to top up the ground surrounding the basement.
Of course, this method is feasible provided the authorities had already advice the new house's Reduced Level during the initial submission stage.
In addition, the current authorities' requirement allows for opening for basement ventilation.
Hence, in my design, the rear garden ground level remains unchanged as the old house with the side & front of the new house raised. This will allow a void on the rear basement wall. This means the owner save another cost to install mechanical ventilation fan to the basement.
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There is already a thread titled "Termite treatment?"
As this forum hide post with web link, you can do a forum search for the title.
Alternatively, google for keyword "NEA Pest Control Operator" for the full list of licensed pest control company.
Normally, if your property does not have expose soil (ie: turfing, garden, etc), which also means your property's entire ground is covered with concrete floor slab, in my opinion, I wouldn't waste the money & do my own checks periodically.
Do note that I say this because generally warranty does not cover much liability on damages by termite. Hence I stress that you look through your warranty terms to understand what is covered & weigh the cost against what is covered for damages (ie: it will better if warranty cover for replacement of damages, in monetary or the likes in full when termite do occur)
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As you are living in cluster house property, I assume it is not a stand alone house, right?
A cluster house is essentially a few landed multi storey terrace or semi-d group together with shared amenities such as pools, etc. With this it is manage by a MCST (Management Corporation Strata Title) which in turn means an modification to your property unit must be submitted & approved before you start to engage PE, contractor, etc.
Maybe you can look into feasibility of installing stair lift which travel along the stair's adjacent wall or railing. This will have minimal impact on the structural aspect of your property, which i feel may be earlier to get approved by MCST, etc.
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I strongly suggest you engage contractor listed in BCA website.
Google for "bca lift contractor" & you can see all companies listed in BCA Directory. These companies will know all necessary permits, procedure, etc to carry out the works.
Do note conventional lift do require separate contractor to build the lift core with a PE Structural Design, Endorsement & Submission to Authorities. In my previous rebuilding works, I had completed a job costing about $37K just for the PE fees, construction cost & submission fees (exclude lift). The lift was installed for about $65K by the lift contractor engaged directly by the owner.
Alternately, some lift company do come with lift wall together with the lift car. Do a search on google.
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I posted the following on another topic:
For knowing what element can be build on your landed property, go to URA site:
Click on "Property" (Top of site) -> "Residential" -> "Renovating Private Residential Property"
Click on "View" (Land-titled Residential)
Scroll down to click on "Landed Housing eAdvisor"
Use the eAdvisor to select property type & you'll see all the limitation of design, setback requirement, etc.
Use this eAdvisor to check against your property.
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For knowing what element can be build on your landed property, go to URA site:
Click on "Property" (Top of site) -> "Residential" -> "Renovating Private Residential Property"
Click on "View" (Land-titled Residential)
Scroll down to click on "Landed Housing eAdvisor"
Use the eAdvisor to select property type & you'll see all the limitation of design, setback requirement, etc.
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I would advice the owner not to ignore or delay & to take action to remedy as soon as possible & keep all records.
If & when enforcement do happen, at least you can show to authorities you have taken appropriate steps.
Unfortunately, you'll need to spend on engaging a PE to do all necessary checks & submission for this.
Looking at previous cases, it'll be unwise to wait & hope the hammer will not drop.
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4 minutes ago, snoozee said:if you need to submit to URA, then you will need to go through all the inspections and such. if your renovation need not go through URA, then SAF rule 7 will apply.
there are a lot of houses in SG with non-compliant structures so buyers need to be careful when purchasing houses.
you can feedback to URA on why your neighbours can keep their non-compliant structures but you will most likely be digging into a big can of worms and end up your neighbours will be requested to remove these structures. not a good way to start the stay in a new neighbourhood I would say.
BCA not interested in these non-compliant structures. it's URA who is in charge of the planning hence they will be the "police" for this
It does not matter who will "police" this, my point is simply the property owner will be subject to enforcement. It's just a matter of time.
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As your unapproved works are located on side of the ground floor, chances are when you the authorities will need you to demolish, which you will need a PE to check the overall structural integrity to ensure the rest of the structure will not fail during of after the demolition of the unapproved works. In my opinion, likely the authorities will advice a rebuild for safety reason as I do not think any professional would undertake the responsibility should the rest of the building collapse after removing the unapproved works.
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All building before any works done will need to be submitted to URA for approval & followed by submission to BCA. Hence it's all link together. Hence my earlier post applies to URA
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A google search leads to BCA's website for FAQ which states the following:
To have unauthorised building additions and/ or alterations on your property may pose a safety hazard if the structures were not properly designed by a QP. Furthermore, it is also an offence under the Building Control Act and you will be subject to enforcement action, where appropriate.
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Go to URA Site, scroll to click on "Launch" beside "URA Space"
In "URA Space" go to "Control Plan" menu to check"
1) "Landed Housing Area Plan" to see your estate area's maximum building storey & type.
2) "Building Height Plan" which shows AMSL (short for Above Mean Sea Level)
There are also other infor that you can check
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Go to URA Site, scroll to click on "Launch" beside "URA Space"
In "URA Space" go to "Control Plan" menu to check"
1) "Landed Housing Area Plan" to see your estate area's maximum building storey & type.
2) "Building Height Plan" which shows AMSL (short for Above Mean Sea Level)
There are also other infor that you can check
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News regarding estate upgrade:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/private-estate-upgrade-mnd-12033924
From my FB photo, you'll be able to see the upgrading of public roads which started before the house construction.
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As mentioned by snoozee:
"since your architect told you needs to be 1m above ground, it has to be as this means your house is in a low lying area and the house needs to be raised up to prevent flooding. the level above ground is determined based on a relative level which is the Singapore Datum. if your house is below this datum, it will need to be raised above this datum level hence the 1m"
I just like to also highlight that from time to time, government agency do carry out upgrading of public road (as my owner previously experienced) which will result in raising of the kerb, road & culvert level. When this happen with your property maintaining same level, chances are some flooding might happen when rainwater may start to pond on your property.
News regarding estate upgrade:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/private-estate-upgrade-mnd-12033924
From my FB photo, you'll be able to see the upgrading of public roads which started before the house construction.
Maybe you'll like to contact me so I can explain more on any other concerns.
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4 minutes ago, Bhuv said:Thanks for the quick response.
is there any way I can avoid building at 1m height? My wife does not want any steps leading to the house? Should I try to keep some parts of the old house and call it a reconstruction instead of new built to maintain floor level?
Does not need to have steps. Please refer the photo links in my message to you
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6 hours ago, Bhuv said:I am planning to buy land ~4000 Sq ft in east (10m x 35m). It has a 35 year old Semi-d on it (~2000sq ft)
First, what is the max size of the Semi-d I can build on property?
I met an architect who told me that in this area the first floor of a new build needs to be 1 m above the ground level. Is there any way I can avoid this?
finally, what is the good Budget for the Semi-d ? I would prefer to have a pool for sure. Would like to have a basement but this would depend on the costs. Should I try to reconstruct on the current building or do a completely new built?
Appreciate any help
I have personally completed & handed over a house with your exact condition as described. Cost of entire works (Basement, 1st, 2nd & Attic with Lift) including all government fees, consultant, services connection, etc (ie: everything except your personal soft furnishings) was kept below 1.4M Maybe I can help. Email to threecubebuilders@ymail.com
maximising attic
in Landed & Condo Private Properties Renovation Discussion
Posted · Edited by 3Cube
Addition information
I did a simplify diagram.
Example 1 shows ceiling board & roof install together at same level (Assume maximum 5 m from Attic). After factoring the 45 degree spring line your allowed floor area is as shown.
Example 2 shows Roof level remains but Ceiling is lower down, Floor area increase.
Please note this is not the only criteria. Just serve to explain the concept of Spring Line in relation to height which affect the floor area
In layman's term, Whatever you can build must be confine within the trapezoidal boundary (roof line, attic floor line & both the front & rear 45 degree spring line)