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does anyone have any experience in a reinforced concrete roof? How is it compared to a galvanised metal roofing? Thank you for any inputs!

thank you all for sharing! i will start a separate thread to document my journey and hopefully can help others who are looking to start theirs!

Thank you so much for your help @snoozee I will like to keep the house for as long as possible (meaning age and die in there) but children wise we have no idea if they will want to come and live with us in future. I hear you on the outdoor space and it does make sense. Because the land plot is not that big and the compulsary set back is 2m per side on a detach I was thinking that might save us some cost. But then again having 2m setback will result in the outdoor area being very narrow/nothing much can be done on that aspect. Can I check regarding visuals? Whilst I have been speaking to builders, they do not provide visuals for now because we have not commited to them. They have given us a detailed price breakdown that mentions Is this dangerous signing without a visual? Like will it be very hard to negotiate what we want later in terms of design in your opinion? I am worried I sign and they say "oh if you want this u top up, if you want that you give me extra $$". TIA

Thank you for the insight, I actually went to to look at the contract. Can I check, is it normal to be given only the floor plans and the detailed cost breakdown before engaging the builder(s)? The cost breakdown is quite detailed and extensive but no visuals. It tells us we can use homogeneous tiles etc, size of the tiles, vinyl flooring at this price range for staircase etc.

Can I also check, is it normal to exceed the planned budget if we dont increase anything as well as dont have any major hiccups? Has anyone completed their houses from last year covid period able to advise if the process kept within the forecasted budget? I am worried about greatly exceeding and wonder whats a reasonable buffer to have?

I am going to revive this thread. So basically, we bought a piece of land that is around 5000 sqft. We have some concerns regarding what to do with our plot. Currently, its a 2 storey house which is build in the 1970s. The house has water proofing issues as well as illegal structures: ie balcony that was submitted ended up being covered in full which became part of the master bedroom. The current design resulted in 4 different ceiling heights for every floor. Its currently a semi-detached as well. With a width of 12.2m and a considerable depth. The side setback is 3m, front setback is 10m. Our current constrains: 1. We do not want to spend more than 2mio to build the house hence we thought of converting to a detach. It also becomes more sellable in the longer run. My family is also small: just 2 kids and 2 adults w our 2 helpers. It feels silly to be looking at a 8000 sqft house but for future potential value it also doesnt make sense to not build it up. 2. we have explored A&A but the issue is that A&A has a cap of 50% change, the house is build in 1970s with 4 ceiling heights, bad waterproofing and a lack of windows. In a long house, its very dark and to open up windows we will have very little room to do anything else. 3. We have been talking to alot of people from different backgrounds: 4 builders, 1 ID-project coordinator, 1 architect, 1 contractor. 4. 2 of the builders themselves are architects but they honestly feel much more pushy. We have narrowed down to 2 builders who brought us to their previous project houses to see the past projects they have done. But because both builders do not give visuals instead give a cost breakdown. Is this common industry practise? They give floor plans and a cost/accounting breakdown of what is provided only and will expect you to sign based off this? 5. If i want to appoint an architect, base on consultant fees, is it very likely that the cost will be more expensive than Design and Build? 6. If I just go with basic Design and build, carpentry wise is not provided for, how much will the carpentry be looking at? What will be the key things in the contract i should look out for if no visuals are given? Please give your opinions freely.

I am also in the midst of building one. I was wondering if we can groupbuy items (door handles/toilet fittings/lights) together haha this way we can get it cheaper, does this make sense?

ah yes i have the same issue with the plot i bought, my neighbour has a car porch that has a sloping roof and the rain water will slide into my drain. I always thought if BCA or URA comes to check on TOP they will flag this up. Ok then in this case I probably need to write in to get the neighbours to do something about it.

Can i also check, if your purchase a land and your neighbours all have illegal structures, when you have CSC check will they flag your neighbours also? Just curious.

ah ok i see! I was very confused when they mentioned GFA. I was only under the impression I had to fulfill the envelop control regulations. Is this possible? @yoongf to keep the submission as a semi-detached and physically build a detached? This will be quite ideal because i wanted to build one side with a bigger allowance for a playground and a BBQ zone. Will this actually infringe because they will need to do a final check before TOP. Also, just based on experience here, is going with an architect always more expensive vs the builders?

I see, thank you very much all! so in my case i have been talking to a few builders and it seems like everyone interprets it differently. for example my land is "supposingly" a non zonal land. But i was told by one of my builders that the type of residence (ie 2.5 or 3.5) will then be the plot ratio i will have to adhere to. another question will be GFA. so in the case of a land of 5000 sqft, i gather that the GFA will be 5000*1.4=7000. but i also have builders telling me as long as its within envelop control, it doesnt matter if u exceed this GFA calculations. Can I have your opinions please? What was deployed in your situation: did the authorities use the GFA or envelop control to vet the property? I was quoted 100k for cabinetry by 1 builder：inclusive of all rooms(4 walk in wardrobes), living room, front porch cabinets, kitchen(dry and wet), all toilet. Is this normal? will the contract list everything because i have seen another builder that lists everything for 160k. What do you mostly look out for in a contract/quotation, which details are you particularly careful about? thank you all once again!

Thank you for sharing your opinions! @kenhee Can I check what was the decision making process like in choosing to rebuild vs A&A? Just checking if I am correct here: As long as my house does not exceed addition of more than 50%, (assuming current build up 5600) i can tear down the whole house, level the ground keep some of the pillars and then redo the house till 8480 sqft and that is considered still an A&A correct? and in this case, build cost will still be looking at around the same cost as a rebuild pricing on a PSF basis? thank you so much in advance! and happy chinese new year!

Hi, Can I just check before the builder is engaged to rebuild, will there be some pictures/rendering/floor plan that they will give to you prior to engagement? Any idea what is the industry norm in terms of what I should expect from the builder? Thank you so much in advance!

Hihi Kenhee, congrats on your purchase. I recently also purchased a plot and am looking to either keep it as a semi d or detach it. Coincidentally its also the same width. We are also wondering which is better, please let me know what you decided so we can gain some inspiration as well. thanks for sharing!

hihi just curious what did you ultimately choose for your roof installation? thank you for sharing!

hihi George, Can you share the contacts of your Architect and main con(builder)? thank you very much for sharing this journey! Many thanks in advance.

Hi all, I am looking for a pe contact urgently could you guys please share with me? Thanks a lot in advance.