Search the Community

Hi All, Have seen many topics resolving the HDB Inspection and on the Windows Declaration. But couldn't find any answers before. I am a Seller, Completion next month very soon. Already received HDB Completion Letter along with the sets of documents required. Then comes the Windows Declaration. By right HDB Inspection will covers the Windows too right? Inspector didn't say anything about the Window back then! So how would i know if mine are alright or are already the stainless steel rivets (for the Casement Windows), have cross checked with HDB Website, BCA Website, BCA Window Day 2020 + Contractor Video, but can't find any proper guide on whether mine are aluminium or already stainless steel rivets? Haven't modify the windows for the longest time, the last time for the Casement Windows was for the HDB Home Upgrading back in 2003, for the "Extra Room" behind Kitchen, it's called the "Standard Plus" package according to the documents i kept, but it simply did not indicate how many windows were upgraded back then. I have total of 3 Casement Windows: 1) Extra New Room 2) Kitchen 3) Bedroom 2 Going over to take photos tomorrow! Appreciate any help on this, Many thanks in advance, Anxious Puzzled Seller 😭

Hi, my name is hawa and a new member here and also a owner of a 5 room resale . Looking for some DIY deco tips as cov was a killer and i have a very tight budget for the reno now . pls share with me tips on where to get good bathroom fittings and aircons, water heaters. Also i am planning to do a DIY wainscoting on the hall , any tips , anyone who have theirs done plz share with me pics . also is it still in trend ?

Hey all, I'm just starting to look for a resale HDB flat for my own stay. I'm single now so its just me staying there. Don't think that's going to change for a while. 😁 Now having a bit of a dilenma. Not sure if I should look for 3rm or 4rm flats. I find 3 rm flats tend to be a tad small. and 4 rm flats tend to be a tad too big. (3 rm flats usually around 700sqft. and 4 rm flats usually around 1000sqft) Budget wise, both are manageable. So not an issue here. Here's roughly my plan for the new flat. - Have an open concept kitchen (I cook often so I need a spacious kitchen or at least well equipped) and probably an island maybe... - Expand living room space (I like a spacious living room) - Expand Master bedroom (in the case of a 4 rm flat, can hack one more room to combine with master bed room. This isn't really necessary but good to have) - No need for dining table except maybe a light one that can be set up and stashed away when friends and family come by. - might adopt a cat or dog some time down the road but thats still quite far away. I can probably do all the above with a 3 rm flat. but it would probably be just enough to do so with no extra space left. if I do the above with a 4 rm flat, there would be too much space left over. Means a lot more cleaning and tidying. Wanted to ask those who already bought their flats or staying in one. Especially those staying alone. What was your thought process in picking your flat sizing? Or am I just overthinking this?

Hi!!! Anyone has good recommendations for contractors? I’m planning to do some minor renovations for 4 room bto. Please share with me here cos girl needs some help for the first time 🤗 Thank you!!!

Today is the day! We are finally getting our keys after waiting for a month since our completion date cos ex owner needed a 1 month extension. So just marking my journey here so i can look back in future! 10/11/2020 - Handover Day 11/11/2020 - Renovation work starts (which happens to be our 9th wedding anniversary!) 18/12/2020 - Moving day! 20/12/2020 - Handover of old 5 room flat. Yes, we have only about 5-6 weeks of reno. Quite short, but we already told our ID to make the place livable for us and not rush the kitchen reno since it the bulk of the work is mainly from there.

Decided to give a pat in the back for these chaps @ gong studio (interior design) singapore Have been exploring for a few months suitable designs for our flat @ bukit merah. Went to several agencies around Jurong and Ubi, hoping to find a reasonably priced quote. No doubt it was all rather quite competitive in pricing, but from the manner that the consultant was speaking to us (my wife and in-laws), it seems that some of them were pushing for more costly finishes. Unfortunately, my in-laws didnt feel that they were "listening" to our needs. Instead, recommending what seems to be a cookie-cutter approach One of my school mates introduced us to gong studio. A newly set up firm. Understand that some of the staffs have prior experience in other agencies. Anyway, she came over on Sunday night during our family dinner. And yes, she presented her ideas after touring our place while we were having our dinner. She dropped by 2 days later and slipped the plans underneath the door. Called to ask why and she wanted all to visualize and be able to make comments, esp my in-laws. She has been responsive, and been tending to my queries (practically daily) on the phone. She has even suggested to drop by to understand in better details? All this, without the agreement signed. So here we are, nearing to the completion of our renovation. It definitely started on a right note for us, and so far, it has been a good experience. They are always there to supervise when the contractors are present. On several occasions during our spot checks, our place was well-kept and neat. To all, believe you will find one that suits your needs, and understand your requirements. Enjoy the experience, that's very important too

(crossposted) I'm thinking of buying an old 3I resale where the HIP was completed last year but dunno how to combine the bathrooms. Haven't hired contractor since haven't offered. The layout is pretty idiotic where the big pipe is between the wc and the shower (in pink). There is less than one foot btw the end of the pipe and the wall so I don't think I can cut an opening to combine the two. Think It's like that cos top flr. 1. Has anyone found a workaround? I considered moving bathroom wall out to create a connecting space but given location of window this means bathroom will be weird shaped / protrude into kitchen 2. HIP completed last year. Is it true that bathroom tiles cannot be hacked 3 years after HIP? Or is that only for BTO? Any info appreciated! I tried looking online but can't find one with this problem. Don't dare to make offer until I find out... Btw I'm perfectly fine with hving one big bathroom cos staying alone Thx!

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share my renovation experience with a direct contractor for my 5-room Resale HDB. I initially plan to revamp the whole house but wasn’t sure of how to approach it. After a few conversations with friends and family, I was assured that going with a good contractor would be the best approach as it saves cost for me. Contractors don’t provide 3D Renders, only 2D but that was more than good enough for me as I already had a clear idea on what I wanted to do with the space. As I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I was looking for the best materials that can withstand the wear and tear of daily use. I was introduced to a contractor that had a very interesting new material for building kitchen cabinets. Apparently, they are the first in Singapore that have brought in a durable cabinet door material that is either scratch-proof or water-proof, depending on the option you choose.Also, the style of the cabinet doors are Victorian which is actually my absolute favourite! What is also amazing is that the material is stain proof with stainless steel finish. My young kid drew something with permanent marker on one of the doors (so naughty right!) and I was actually able to just wipe it off after spraying with magic clean solution! All in all, I must say that my experience with this contractor was wonderful. I was convinced by the kitchen cabinets actually, but the services rendered and final quality of everything else was really exceptional. There were some piping issues in my toilet that they managed to rectify and cover up to make it look like a brand new BTO toilet! I am more than delighted with my renovations and I can’t wait to move in! Here are some photos of our reno process and final completion. Good luck with your home renovation ?

I know that the HDB guidelines state that you can only extend the bathroom by 600mm or 0.6msq, and only used as dry area. Later on, I saw a couple of floor plans that actually extended the boundary of the bathroom more than 600mm out. One person actually commented that "the HDB guideline technically means: 600mm is the distance of your wash basin's pipehole to the original bathroom boundary". Meaning to say, as long as the piping of the wash basin is within 600mm distance of the original bathroom boundary, you can build the new walls however big as you want. Can anybody confirm this? Attaching my floor plan for reference

I decided to write about my "resale flat" reno (I lump under this category as flat is 16YO!) which cost us less than $10k for - 2 new bathrooms - 1 slightly remodelled kitchen, - 3 new cabinets - whole housepainting excl ceiling which was painted 4 years ago - plus miscellaneous like hacking and dismantling Hopefully, this will help homeowners on a budget save money, and I'm also hoping to do a good one for my contractors and to give credit to these good contractors, many of whom are not tech-savvy and do not know how to promote their biz! Good things must share right? ? first, to clarify, the reno is akin to that of a resale flat cos my 5-room is 15 1/2 years old. We stayed for 6 years, rented out for 9 years, then decided to move back. We have always DIY-ed our reno and this time is no exception. No doubt interior designers may give a more polished look but they charge a 33% premium, and I'd rather stretch my dollar to do more stuff! Of course, these disgusting toilets had to go first! The tenants have trashed them up so badly, they are worse than public toilets! Sorry if I spoilt your appetite for a meal! I nearly threw up when I came to inspect the premises!? 

Will be collecting keys to our resale flat soon. Any advice or ideas to share? Would prefer to use contractors, and avoid constructing in-build wardrobes.

Hi All, I was thinking of doing overlay of Vinyl Tiles on my existing on Terrazo flooring for my 3 NG resale flat. However, as the existing skirting is the curved kind (common for Terrazo flooring), it is necessary to hack off the existing skirting right . Was quoted $700 just to hack off the skirting for living room and 2 bed rooms. Need advise to know if the charges are reasonable. Also, I also prefer if its possible to overlay without any hacking. Appreciate all good advise. Thanks all !

Greetings! I have been lurking and quietly reading many threads and posts here for many moons now. I've recently received the keys for my resale HDB flat and my renovations are about to start. So I'm sharing my experiences here in the hope that they can benefit others the way I have from the other T-blogs here on Renotalk! First some words about HDB's new Resale flat process... Since the start of 2018, HDB has implemented a HDB Resale Portal which makes it easier for buyers (and I assume sellers) to make transactions for their resale flats. So has it been easy? I must say that HDB has delivered on their promise. Comparing my experience to those of my friends (who bought their resale flats in previous years), mine took much less time and was so convenient! A valuation request (after submitting Option to Purchase online) was processed and responded to in just 3 working days. My resale application submission (again online) was processed and approved in just 10 working days. And 8 weeks later, I was signing papers and received my keys at HDB Hub! Yes you read that right - only one trip to HDB Hub is needed now. HDB staff (or at least the ones who worked on my application) are hardworking people. I was getting SMS notifications on Saturdays and even evenings to alert me to updates I needed to view or follow up on at the HDB Resale Portal. And my completion session at HDB Hub took barely any time at all. Kudos to HDB! What I'm looking for... As a soloist, I need a nice place which does not involve too much maintenance. Logically, I would have gone for a flexi (2-room) flat then, and for a while I was tempted - especially after viewing the beautiful renovation pictures of 2-room flats on Renotalk. Smaller flat means less maintenance, so it's perfect right? But as I looked around my current home, I realised that I would need some place more spacious. So 5-room and EAs are too big, but 2-room is too small. 3-room sounds just nice but 4-room offers more options and possibilities. So a 4-room it is! The floorplan... This is a 104sqm 4-room flat with a rather peculiar layout. The shapes and sizes of the bedrooms, bathrooms and yard are fine. I also love the sheer size of the dining and living areas. There are about 4 meters worth of windows in the living/dining area, so it gets a lot of natural light (especially since I have unblocked views all around this flat). Only a few characteristics of this place did cause me some hesitation at first though 1. The odd angle in the living area. Sure the sofa and TV could run parallel against one of the 2 walls, but then aligning the dining table the same way would result in a weird angle against the living room windows. 2. The location of the store room makes the path in from the main door somewhat narrow 3. Kitchen has an odd angle and not a perfect rectangle, which limits the placement of cabinets etc. I can also imagine it being very difficult to move around if I were to line the kitchen walls with cabinets! 4. The common bathroom has windows opening up into the yard. This means the kitchen can't be "expanded" into the yard (by breaking the walls) because...we can't have people peeking in right? Nonetheless, these are issues that can probably be addressed with some planning and $$$ (i.e. renovation). And so here's the floorplan!

Its been more than 5 years since my first t-blog (you can find it here) and it was time to move to a bigger place. Settled on Bukit Panjang as fiance's family was staying nearby and got this unit after just viewing it once! It was going at a great price considering the size and proximity to the MRT (about 10 minutes walk). It's almost double the size of my previous flat (65sqm) with double the number of rooms and a balcony! Love the floor plan. Previous owners hacked away the storeroom though which was okay as the position was rather odd - just beside the kitchen. Currently waiting for the appointment date (scheduled in late July or early Aug) . I would have to move out from my current place by end Sept so its quite rushed! Hoping to document the journey here and hopefully help others in their renovation journey as well! We are looking at a minimalist scandi theme as we want to keep the house open, bright and airy and with less clutter as possible. We both like white with woods to accent the house and some black here and there. The plan is to integrate the balcony with the living room. Getting keys in 2 days! Pretty excited and we are looking forward to getting more accurate quotes from our contractors and IDs.

Hello all! Been stalking this place for a couple of years and it is finally our turn to start a t-Blog for our first home! We are currently in the sixth week of our renovation already, will try to recap and share as much as possible. Opps, we digressed for a few weeks because the to-do list is never-ending..... and we, or maybe myself, are/is very very very fickle. Renovation is full of life-changing decisions which will be cemented onto or nailed into the house, quite scary since these decisions might stay with us for the rest of our lives (if we don;t move)! Also, the need to balance between quality, aesthetics, practicality and price is very very very challenging. We can be pondering over the same issue for weeks, visit many many different (or the same) shops and look at many many different brands/designs for each item before we can finally make a decision. Our contractor is constantly chasing us to tell him our choice of colors, chasing us to buy the items and etc, but I guess we are pretty lucky that it is not the other way round hahaha! Contents (will update when there are new posts) Our story + About the flat + "Before" photos Our Theme + Moodboard <future posts> <future posts> ...

Hi guys, I want to share with you guys my own experience with this ID. I was introduced by a very good friend of my who has their house renovated by Ms Daphne. She is very patient and meticulous, willing to listen to what my mother and i want for our new home. I emailed her our floorplan and roughly discussed over the phone. She was so accommodating and agree to my idea. During the very 1st appointment at her office at Taiseng. We have a comfortable time discussing. I have many ideas for the new house renovation however thanks to Ms Daphne explaining to me some of my ideas are not practical. Unlike some ID as they aim to earn consumer money and not want to chase the customer away so they will compliance with the ideas given to them. This impressed me, as she took time and effort to plan my house furniture layout properly by understanding me and my mother living lifestyle. Further, she had his own ideas and suggested come which really more practical. We also gave our budget for the renovation. She was very straightforward told us while she is doing quotation she will try to fit into our budget however there will be some example that based on the quality of a product where there might extra cash need to be forked out. She assure us that the quality will be there as she is renovating the house that hope we will stay for long not only 5 years lifespan. In addition, our key concern was not about the renovation cost only but most important is a clean, reliable and quality workmanship. Finally, after going through procedures finally we got our keys. 2nd appt we meet at our new house. She has a habit of taking pictures of the whole house to take note where is the columns or beam and an extra mile to take site measurement to make sure measurement is tally with floor plan. Indeed there is difference, luckily she take site measurement. Therefore, she able to quote more accurately. Unlike other ID, will only requires floor plan to do quotation. Which I was impressed how meticulous is she. Initial plan we wanted to overlay the toilet to save some costs but when we go up the house, she checked out the toilet it has been over lay 2 times alrdy by checking the floor trap. Therefore no choice we have to hack and re do waterproofing and lay new tiles. I would say she is a ID that is very responsible and honest. Sharing us which is a must to do and which are the ones we can do in future if there is a budget constrain and explain in detail. For eg. why cannot overlay 3rd layer. I must say she is very responsible and passionate about her job through 2 meetings with her. Whole renovation process lasted near 2 months which consist of full house hacking, plumbing, electrical, painting and carpentry work. During whole renovation process, we were updated through whatsapp with frequent jobsite photos. It is a really very good experience with frequent update of my house renovation while I am working. I have a ease of mind experience with her. After all, we are satisfied with her carpentry workmanship and we happily handover our last 10% payment and planned house warming! I will be happy to share my ID contact details with you all.

It is my first time to tasked to find ID to help to design and renovate my parent's resale flat with certain budget. There is total 3 interior designer firm I went for consultation. I was totally clueless about renovation and the market price. After going 3 interior designer firm to get a clearer picture and also some experience I gained and how I made final decision on which ID firm to confirm that might be useful for readers planning to get their house renovation soon. 1. Attractive Packages There is lot of ID firm will lure you to sign their quotation with attractive package depend on your flat type. However, when the renovation starts there is where the Variation order come in, the ID will start to say this is not in the contract this will be additional that will be added into VO and bill to owners. Sometimes the VO can be amount more than the contract sum and burst your budget. While I in a consultation with this particular interior designer (let’s call it ID A) offering me packages for my parent's 4-room resale flat at a lump sum 20k. After studying the packages in detail, I found that the package provide insufficient measurements eg. kitchen cabinet 12 ft and is insufficient for a kitchen cabinet. I guess there will be a need to top up and absolutely they will increase price per foot run. This applies to kitchen top too. So, owners be careful before you sign the packages. 2. Avoid Company that are not professional I have encountered 1 of the ID firm (let’s call it “ID B”), during the 1st appointment at the showroom I encountered 2 Ah Beng. During the 1st appointment what turn off me most is they say they need smoking break in between which make me and my wife stunt. I lost all confidence as they don’t show professionalism in their work. Most importantly is my parent’s house I do not wish to screw it by Ah Beng. 3. Beware company that tell you that their price is the best “ID A” did offer me the lowest price among the 3 ID firm I went. However, thanks to “ID C” I went they studied the quotation that is propose by “ID A” there is a lot of loopholes such as the material used. (For e.g. carpentry work, it is using white PVC instead of internal colour PVC with ABS trimming) Thanks to “ID C” wonderful product presentation and patiently explained to me the different materials, product comparison and samples to let me have a feel and compare. They let me understand they are using quality products that will last home owner a longer period. 4. Good service ID “ID C” which is nearby my work place at Tai Seng, The Commerze did impressed me during the 1st appointment with product presentation and discussion. During the 1st appointment their ID, Daphne and Julia is very professional. They are unlike the other designer that care about design than functionality. They will take extra effort to know how the living lifestyle of the occupants in the house. Indeed, the extra details provided they came up with a very practical furniture, lighting and electrical layout that is all prepared sufficiently. We can see they put in their care and concern when they plan the layouts for us. They also counter my doubts very quickly from time to time via phone. We gave them our floor plan, but they still request to go on site to do measurement which impressed us with their professionalism and right aptitude although we haven’t confirmed with them. Therefore, we selected “ID C” and the quotation they proposed is very transparent. Every single item was explained in detail and they revised they quotation multiple times for us and response to us patiently. Therefore, we selected them. Why I choose "ID C" From what I know from them, they mainly focus doing referrals to ensure top notched craftsmanship and best customer service provided to their customer. They even gave us full project schedule, which we were impressed! few of my friends doing renovation for their flats not every ID does a extra project schedule to keep us on track and we were confident with Julia and Daphne. We were very satisfy with the 3D now currently after few renderings and can't wait to transform into reality. Some ID can only allow owner to do amendments 1 or 2 times but "ID C" did not limit us how many times as they have their in-house designer doing the perspective views. We have a great time choosing laminates with Julia and Daphne as they recommend us which laminate they used before and receive good feedback. Hacking will be starting soon next monday, will update readers when the renovation starts!

Hi, we'd recently gotten our keys to 5room resale flat. Didn't want to do any renovation until a year later to save up on reno budget. However, the kitchen cabinets was quite in a bad shape as the flat was left empty for more than 4 months. So was thinking of engaging contractors for the reno works. Type of work required - hacking of whole house - tiling - plumbing - rewiring - carpentry at kitchen

Hello everyone! May I ask if anyone could let me know whether this quote is reasonable? (: It is from a contractor and not an ID for a 38 year old 3 room resale HDB flat. Total is around $35k. I have read the forum to see some could go as low as $18k, however this is quite an old apartment which has not undergone renovations since 30 years ago! Not too sure how much difference would that make. Thank you so much! Flooring Cost Tiles (living room + 2 bedrooms) and skirting 5000 Kitchen Cement screed and plaster 2200 Tiles (flooring) 1800 Sink parapet wall and plaster 800 Sink cabinet 300 Doors Bedroom: timber door frame and veener doors 1150 Seal up top door frame with hollow block and plaster 300 Plumbing Stainless steel piping (kitchen and living hall) 380 Sink and basin tap connection 80 Run new sink, basins, washing machine inlet, outlet piping 250 Carpentry Kitchen cabinet, sink door, stainless steel dish rack and box up piping 3700 Solid worktop 1350 Installation to wall and side skirt 400 Wardrobe 3120 Tv console 800 Window 1920 Hacking 3800 Ceiling L box ceiling? 750 L box gas pipe 300 Others Painting 1600 HDB 300 House protection and cleaning 350 Wall plaster 1600 Rubbish chute 280 Metal gate 680 Cloth hanger 65 Electrical rewiring 2500

After 12years, we decided to sell our current home and bought a 5A resale flat. After viewing for at least 5houses, we’ve settled for this house which is nearer to MRT but condition was seriously horrible. (By the way, we are diy buyer doing contra) Long story short, after receiving about 10quotations, we knew we had to go for a contractor, it can save us 10-20k! Theme: “my style” — I see, I like, I buy My second home should be something simple. I have always wanted the white look (for current house) but with 2babies of couse it’s impossible. So now that they’re in primary schooler, I will try to archieve that look. Ok, I’ll try.... but er, definitely no white kitchen as I cook everyday.

I have gathered much tips and information from this forum prior to my renovation, it is perhaps now time for me to contribute. Unit: 5I Resale @ 1184 sqft Theme: Vaguely minimalist Duration: 12 weeks (until 1st handover) Budget: 100,000 (spending thus far: 93,378) We chose this unit after only 6 viewings; we love the layout and window placements, the windows are either north or south facing, and the house is windy and brightly lit all day / all year round. Furthermore, with our kitchen window facing north, we can make a little herbs garden! Floor Plan:

Hi Everyone, I bought a 4-Room Resale flat near Serangoon Nex. The entire renovation journey has been very tiring as there are a lot of planning to be done, running around like a mad dog looking for ideas, stuffs to buy , etc. In addition, I am quite of a perfectionist which most IDs and Contractors will probably run away upon hearing my requests and complaints. =P Hence, that is the reason why I will like to recommend my contractor as not only had he been very patient but the chemistry to work together is there. To top it off, they provide quality workmanship and very good quotes. (I ran around and did some comparisons with other ID Firms which I decided to end up with a contractor instead.) Details as follows: Contractor In-Charge of My Project: Nicholas Company: HFH Design & Build (There are already alot of good review about this renovation company if you search around.) Lighting: If you want to look for unique lighting and designer fans, you can probably pay a visit down to L-Win Gallery located at Balestier. The boss name is Richard and he will provide you some good ideas on how to brighten up your house. As you can see from the pictures below, my LED light comes with 3 different kinds of shade which can be changed via flicking of normal switch. His shop has some good pieces and range to choose from. Details as follows: Picture of my flat after renovation. Hope you all like my post~!

If you ask me which ID looking for your renovation, I will strongly suggest Local Inn.terior. I was met 7 ID company before I engage them I would like to suggest Vincent if you like industrial/cafe style for your lovely house. Vincent give creative ideas to renovate my 30 yrs resale HDB, from old house to fresh look! During the renovation, whn thr is any hiccups, Vincent will be thr to help me settle all the problem without any delay. Good JOB!!! thx for the hard work! I believe photo wins thousand words! pls see their hard work as attached.... Price : 4.5/5 Renovation speed: 4/5 Idea/creativity: 5/5 Responsibility: 5/5

Hi All, I am in the process of getting a resale flat. This is our (wife and me) first time buying and renovating a house. The first appointment is over and now we are waiting for the second appointment. Currently sourcing out for contractors for our renovation. The idea is to keep the house as simple as possible. As much as possible, no built in carpentry other than the kitchen cabinet of course. We do not have any kids, therefore, the 2 common room will be of the least priority. Do note that it is more of hacking / re-instate the unit to its original condition. I like it simple. Easier to clean and replace. No cookie clutter. Plumbing and electrical can be done on my own. So no issues for that. Is 15K a realistic budget to set for the following? Your advise is appreciated. Thank you.

5 years on, with 2 kids in came into our family, we decided with heavy heart to move on from our first humble home. As our family grew bigger with my mum staying with us, we finally made our commitment to shift from a 4rm SOBF at Strathmore Ave to our future new 5rm resale just nearby, Jalan Rumah Tinggi. One might question why do we want to move away from one of the most convenient location to location that has only 1 bus serving the estate. Though is up a "hill", it is just behind Alexandra Ikea, ABC hawker centre, Alexandra Village, Queensway Shopping Centre. What's more, it is a quiet location. Layout of the 5-rm unit. The owner had bought the recess area which we loved it. Good for shoes and umbrellas storage. The owner had also removed the store, but we will be removing the wall between the kitchen and living room anyway and will be creating a store at another location. We are still waiting for the bank to approve our loan then we can proceed with all the necessary appointments with HDB to get the paper work done.