peachpeach

can i assume an ooriginal house in original state shld probably has 1 set of building plans and not multiple right? prob less than 5. how come the agent is telling me $400 odd . weird. all i need is BCA plans right? then i get the Sip and dip later right

hi snoozee, can i check. do know the cost of the structural plan? i was told floor plan was $40+ but that is just the application fee?

dear experts, the property we are interested in has an old style split level (4 steps to be exact) separating the the dining/kitchen and living area. we are kinda bothered about it and want to remove it to have a more flushed out look. can i check if anyone has done it before and what is a good gauge of cost? thanks

thanks snoozee!! always helpful! 1. the steelworks include attic, staircase (they propose a shift of the staircase to make way for a future lift if we want) and roof structure. no further details given 2. wads the downside for fencing? whats the diff? sorry dont know the terminology 3. wall finishes include external wall plaster, weatherbond for extrernal wall, internal wall plaster, cement for tile, emulsion paint, homo wall tile, exisiting wall in plaster. is it therefore still on the high side? 4. m&e : sanitary&plumbing 40k, electrical works (proection lighting pt - 95 pts, also what does this mean?) 45k, aircon 30k 5. carpentry i was quoted 50k, sanitary 14k could u also comment if u think the overall cost of recon is 25th, 50th, 75th percentile versus the rest?

Dear experts, i was being quoted for a major a&a via a direct builder (no external archi, but they have in house archi) for an existing 3 storey and an addition of an attic. there is no rebuilt as we trying to avoid that. there is no change of # of rooms. we did req for an addition ensuite toilet for master and walk in closet. on first look, it looks on the high side. so want to know from you guys which of these big item cost is off grid or optional. thanks alot! 1. Authorities fees : URA $ 6.5k BCA $ 2k Submission by Architect & PE $ 35k 2. prelim works (incl pest control, pre con survey, rto fees, temp toilets, topo survey cost etc) : $65k 3. demolition and excavation : 30k 4. anti termite 2.5k 5. rc sub structure and super structure : ~ 80k 6. steel works ~50k 7. internal and ext wall 30k 8. metal roof 20k 9. waterproofing 7k 10. wall finishes 100k 11. floor finishes 80k 12. ceiling finishes 20k 13. doors, windows, panels 50k 14. external works (walls, gate, drain) 20k 15. m&e 115k this all excludes carpentry and sanitary fitings. adds up to 713k, thanks alot

Yes correct yoongf illustration was what was presented by the banker.

For the construction loan, they are basing on a formula (can’t Rmb exactly but sth about new valuation) but I scared if I get mortgage and construction loan separately, if they turn out to reduce the construction loan then I’ll be ?!!

Yes I didn’t know can loan up to 80% as they mentioned only 75%. They also mentioned they need me to get the construction quotation before they can approve on 75% of the construction loan.

sorry for late reply as in and out over festive season. what i meant to illustrate was what the banker told me. the scenario now is my banker valuation is higher than the purchase price (i have to pay higher bsd) however, once i submit the construction quote, the bank will only loan me 75% of new valuation ( purchase price (which is lower) + construction cost), which end up a smaller loan (because the purchase px is lower). so in the end, i get loaned a "lower amount" for construction yet paying a higher bsd. not sure if i make better understanding. i am ok w the mortgage loan just abit upset w a lower amt of construction loan cos it means i have to pay more cash lo

Snoozee does it mean ur aa loan therefore becomes lower and u end up paying a higher bsd right ?

Ok. I understand what u mean. But just this ambiguity could cost me maybe 100k of cash. And I hope prob same case as urs thnks for sharing

strangely, the seller has their property valued by 2 banks all lower than my banker valuation!

1. yes correct so im stuck in this iffy situation. because it looks like the buying price is lower than the valuation price and i end up having to pay a higher bsd because the valuer is not in sync with 4 other banks. the natural reaction will be to not to use this bank but unfort they are indeed providing a slightly better rate (tho i havent calculate if all the $ savings is indeed superior than the additional bsd due to the higher valuation). how can i get him to sync it lower or totally no point? banker did somehow assure me that in most cases after recon, the valuation should be higher which will mean it is likely i can get the full a&a loan as desired. 2. i dont understand the issue will the first draw down etc. are u saying that if the first draw down is 50k only before the next milestone can be reached, any additional/unexpected cost will be paid in cash? dont quite understand what is the sticky issue. also dont understand the instalment part. i would just think im paying a monthly mortgage for the whole lump sum? 3. in a classic case, the valuation of the house should be higher or at least flat to purchase price + recon/a&a cost. in what scenario will that not be? just dont want the shock that i end up with a lower loan amount based on a silly guy sitting behind computer punching some numbers.

hi guys! sorry i couldnt find a separate and appropriate category to ask this but wonder if u guys can shed some insights. so i spoke to my banker yesterday re the mortgage of the new plc and they are valuing it at 2.8m while the other banks are valuing it 2.7m. while this means a higher bsd is to be paid, it also means a higher loan amount can be granted so no issue w that. she then said that initial valuation might change for the higher after seeing the quote for the recon/a&a, which i thot was just bizarre because the property is not even built yet so naturally i would just take purchase price + a&a cost. is this a good scenario given that a higher future valuation will naturally mean a higher aa loan to be granted? is this scenario normal? any other considerations? my objective is to max out the loan.

Thanks so much for the insights !

Hi snoozee how common are these above ground power boxes ? Every 10m will have one ? And does it affect future valuation ? Do people generally avoid ? I haven’t heard of such unlike those signal towers like you mention

Hi all, not an expert on this matter but is there any health/Feng shui issue being near 1-2 power box ? 1 is within 5m and the other within 20m

Hi snoozee, 1. How do I determine if I need do redo all the plumbing ? I would Guess the contractor will want me to do but just how do I know if it is a necessary step ? 2. For subsequent viewing, is it ok and normal to bring in more than 1 builder to view the house and give a quotation later ? 3. if I were to speak to the neighbours, what are some of the good relevant qns that can help me ?

would electric fittings, plumbing to cost to be 100k?

snoozeee, below are my guesstimate for the cost : a&a : extention + aa $350psf government admin ( BCA, Soil analysis, ura etc) : 30k PE : 3k Architect : 30k is it a good guesstimate ? is 350psf inclusive of carpentry, electrical fittings, aircon, toilet bowl etc? any more cost to add?

thanks snoozee.. will buy the DIP and SIP before going into OTP phase. any other background work i definitely need to do before going into OTP? eg checking illegal structures etc

snoozee.. so to be accurate, the only way i can know the height of the house is through buying the building plan from BCA right? - would height really matter if i dont intend to build a roof terrace? since its a major aa and not a rebuilt and i am just doing around the current existing structure? (my impression is height only matters if i want to add another level if its below 15.5m, but since i am not adding another level, height should not matter?) - is it possible to buy DIP and SIP before OTP since im not the owner? - if i am just doing lateral extension and not adding another storey, is soil investigation necessary? or it is better to do so regardless given that its an old structure of 30+ years?

wow! thanks snoozee that is incredibly helpful. exactly what i need to know.. thanks so much 1. it is a 3 storey currently in a 3 storey landed zone. so seems like an extension makes more sense than a total rebuilt? dont want to tear down if its jus adding another 200-500sq ft? 2. how do i check the current height of the plc ? is it available on floorplan or ura website? 3. re soil investigation, i have contacted the neighbour builder, said the soil is in ok condition. do i still need to re- engage a PE to do it? or i need to hire a PE anyway and this is part of his job ?

i am trying to avoid a total rebuild and want to do major AA since under budget. also how do i check whats the max i can rebuilt up to?

hi am new to this forum, need some expert inputs to help me along the process. from purchase to TOP. what is required and what needs to be done. 1600 sqft 3 storey in a 3 storey zone build 2550 thanks