Hi all, I have just collected the keys for my new flat.

It's a 6 y.o EA with a floor area of 137m sq.

As the current condition of the flat is pretty bad, there will be quite a bit of stuff to renovate.

I hope the expert brothers in this forum can help me with my questions.

Pls pardon me if my questions sound stupid as i'm new to all these reno stuff.

a) Can I overlay new tiles for the floor of the kitchen and living room instead of hacking?

What will be the potential problems of overlaying, if any?

b) If the paint of the ceiling of the toilets is peeling off and there's a big patch of brown mark on it, does it mean there's a problem with water-proofing of my neighbours' toilet? How can the problem be solved?

c) Can I have a rough estimate of the budget i need to do the following (assuming I'm getting the average quality materials for the renovation):

1) Hack and change the wall tiles of my 2 toilets and kitchen

2) Hack and change the floor tiles of my 2 toilets

3) Laminate the floor of 3 bedrooms

4) Overlay new tiles for living room and kitchen (if cannot be done, then hack and change)

5) false ceiling for living room

6) Re-wiring for whole flat

7) Paint works for whole flat

Thanks for brothers' expert advice in advance

1) Hack and change the wall tiles/floor tiles kitchen = $4k

2) Hack and change the wall tiles/floor tiles of my 2 toilets = $6k

6) Re-wiring for whole flat = $2k

7) Paint works for whole flat = $1.4k

if you got it from hdb - better do a checklist on ALL the problems first, get hdb to do them before engaging contractors.

Hi kikibear,

Answer to Question A.

As what you had mentioned yourself. Your apt is a 6yrs old EA. Yes overlaying will be cheaper as you need not pay for the hacking of the existing tiles. But the problem with overlaying is that cement does not stick well on a smooth surface even with chemical adhesive added so theres a possibility of tiles popping out prematurely. You have to decide between saving a thousand pls dollars & risk having tiles popping out in a year or two or paying a fraction more of the overall amount & having the peace of mind.

Answer to Question B.

As for the big brown patch on the ceiling in the shower room, the water that leaks thru from the unit above may not necessary go directly down. It could have come from the room adjacent to the toilet if the owners splashed water aropund for washing & leaked diagonally into the bathroom. Also it may get trapped in pockets in the concrete slab & slowly discharge itself overtime. Try to observe the situation for another couple of months & see if it is still occurs. if it does, contact HDB for help.

As for question c, I'll answer you thru pte msg. Thanks.