Hi Renotalk users,

I have been reading up and getting tips, so i thought i would also start something. Just bought a corner EM at Bukit Gombak and am waiting for final apointment to get the house keys. Had been having a hassle with HDB/seller to purchase recess area together with the resale transaction but that is now hopefully finally settled!

Here's the original floor plan:

Edited September 1, 201412 yr by DorisChin

Welcome!

It's not beside the MRT? Block 5xx?

It's near the MRT but not Block 5xx..

By the way, the house will undergo HIPS soon, so i will have to manage the reno with the HIPS together.. the HIPS though will help to save quite a bit of reno costs as it will take care of all the toilets.

Wah .... envy sia .......

Anyway I gave up a chance to buy a Unit there with the MRT directly facing the kitchen.

Eventually opt for an EM in woodlands

Looking forward to see your reno picts!

Thanks for the warm welcome, managed to find this em after 8 months of searching, luckily i currently have a hdb and was not rushed for time, will try to record my reno journey!

Just wanted to provide a tip for the buying the recess area (if not part of the house) concurrently for other users, since i had a lot of problems with it:- do get the seller to agree and sign in writing when executing OTP for the house. If not they can back out half way and cause lots of problems. Concurrent purchase of recess area will extend the completion time (2nd appointment) very significantly. In my case, its another 8 weeks, so sellers might not want to agree to it. So when negotiating the purchase, do ensure that the seller has agreed in writing, so no disputes later on.

Unfortunately HDB OTP clause does not include this, so might be better to sign a simple document stating the seller agreed to allow the buyer to concurrently purchase recess area.

I am now thinking of the reno and considering how to proceed? Have a pretty good idea of what i want for the house reno, so should i:

- go directly with a contractor?

- go with a ID cum contractor?

- go with separate ID and contractor?

questions, questions in my head... inputs are welcome!

Can you purchase the recess area after completion?

Yes, it's possible to buy recess after completion but it means that need to submit separate application; which means there might be a problem with Design and delay of Reno. So I prefer to do everything at one shot

Yes, it's possible to buy recess after completion but it means that need to submit separate application; which means there might be a problem with Design and delay of Reno. So I prefer to do everything at one shot

Hmm okie... btw, how much and how does HDB charge for the recess area? Any idea? Or they just quote a price and we decide to accept or not.. Sorry ah, noob about this. Cos the place I'm intending to get has a small area in front of the main door. Heard from agent that area has to be purchased if we want to extend the main door outwards or create the main gate at that area.

Welcome to Bukit Gombak! Guess you are around Blk 3XX?

Thanks for the welcome! Yep, i am around 3XX area!

For the recess area, need to submit application to HDB and once they evaluate and approve, they will let you know the amount (there is no negotiation possible). There is a certain calculation but they did not see the need to update me how they did it (to be frank, i was afraid to ask them just in case it causes futher delay). For my area which is 6sqm, it costs $9660.40 (not sure whether this calculation is the same for all HDB's)

The above does not include legal fees and it does not matter when you purchase together with the house or separately (still need to pay!).

In addition, if you have electrical meters/water meter/town council light within the recess area, you might want to move them outside the recess area, which will then cost even more. For the town council light, it was mandatory. For the electrical meter/water meter, i understand it was not mandatory but it means you need to open the door to allow the utility person (normally every 2 months) to read the meters. Town council light was pretty cheap (paid $50 by my great electrical contractor) but the electricity meter was quoted at $800-$2000.

According to the everyone i spoke to, they said it's really not worth it unless there is a big recess area, but i guess it's really up to individual how much they really want the area.

Edited September 2, 201412 yr by DorisChin

Welcome! I did HIP & Reno too. Just some friendly advise, don't start reno immediately after hip. Take at least 1 week to slowly check for defects especially the waterproofing if not once u box up the waterpipes, its gonna be troublesome and also once u start ur reno hdb contractors will just bo chup much. (Happen to my neighbor)

I spent 2 weeks slowly rectifying the defects n sloppy work done. But overall still ok, they were prompt to come each time i informed them of the defects or issue.

Thanks! Sounds like a really good tip, going to flood the bathroom and check downstairs whether any problems.. maybe ask upstairs to also do same thing! Hope my neighbours dun think i am crazy!

Hi, your area is nice. Haha we stay at Blk 3XX, near to Swiss Cottage and the famous Teochew porridge. Always like the EMs there as it evokes a kampong feel. Enjoy

Am starting to prepare for the reno, guess 1st step is to start by getting list of contractors/ID's who are good. Any suggestions are welcome!