A standard timeline for a HDB renovation will depend on the work needed. 

For example, let’s take a simple BTO kitchen cabinet package

. After confirmation with your chosen renovation firm, you’ll need to choose the materials like laminate and quartz. 

Depending on whether you already have something in mind or just going to think about it, this can take anywhere from: 

Choosing of materials for kitchen cabinet

• 3 days to up to 2 weeks for fickle minded homeowners

While going through this process, homeowners can already send their chosen laminate designs to renovation firm for them to start the drawing. Some renovation firm provides the 3D rendering. You’ll need to confirm with yours about it. 

The 3D rendering can take another: 

3D rendering

• 3 days to 1 week. 

If you need to change the laminate designs, this can take up more time deciding on the final design to be used for your kitchen cabinet. While the process is taking place, the base of the kitchen cabinet can already be constructed and electrical points extended. 

For this to happen, decision on the layout of your kitchen cabinet would have been made. 

Base construction takes only: 

• 1 day

Electrical works should also take only 

• 1 day

After this it’s the taking of measurements for your kitchen cabinet. Once measurements, finalizing the layout and choosing laminate designs are done, fabrication can take:

• 2 to 3 weeks

When fabrication is completed, delivery and installation can take another: 

• 1 to 2 days

Followed by countertop measurement to installation another: 

• 3 to 5 days

And finally its the installation of your electrical connections, switches and installation of your sink and tap. Considering that there is no glass backing for your kitchen cabinet. If there is the whole process will take longer. 

For renovation works that requires other trades as well like hacking, masonry, plastering, rewiring and more. Please check with us again for the complete breakdown of the works and timeline. 

We are committed to the success of your home renovation.

A whole house renovation depends on the works needed and done for the whole unit. 

It can be as straight forward as hacking, tiling, carpentry, rewiring and painting. Or as complex as adding customized niche for the house aesthetics, conceal wiring, plastering, ceiling works and very customized carpentry works for the whole house.

Let’s take a 5 room HDB resale unit as an example. 

For the hacking and tiling of the whole house can cost about: 

• $30,000 more or less, inclusive limited carpentry for the kitchen, painting and minor electrical works

When you add on rewiring which can cost about:

• $3500 minimum

Plastering: 

• $3950 minimum

Windows and grilles estimated at 150 sqft: 

• $2250 and $1500 respectively

 

Including Main door, bedroom doors and air con, this can add up to be a substantial amount. We have not gotten to the carpentry works for the other areas of the house yet.

It can be frightening when you add it all up. This is why majority of renovation firms bait you in with a cheap renovation package. They know add ons are inevitable. But you don’t. Agreeing to commit for a cheap package is easy. Only after you are halfway into it do you realize you need to spend more. And you cannot back out of it already. Now you are spending money that you did’nt want to and likely also spending money that you don’t have.

There is a way out of this if you are realistic from the start, and try to understand each quote that you get by scrutinizing the descriptions more closely. 

After all this, you still need to have enough money for your kitchen equipment and home furnishings. This is why i would strongly recommend to choose a comprehensive renovation package that may have included sanitary fittings into it. This can greatly reduce your cost by a couple of thousand dollars.

For a comprehensive quote of your whole house renovation works, please approach us for a no obligation discussion and quotation. We will share cost breakdown with you and also timeline required.  

We are committed to the success of your home renovation.

After you have decided that you are going through with the renovation, the first thing would be deciding who you would like to work with for your project.

An architect, an interior designer or a contractor. I will try to explain the best I can for the different functions that they carry out.

The first will be an architect. Architects that do interior work are generally one of the priciest to engage. Why you may ask? They charge by a fee or by project value. Most in the industry charge by project value. Meaning that they charge a percentage amount on top of the total costs of the renovation. The value that they provide is huge. They are trained professionals, and will provide you detailed drawings for your proposed projects. And they will help you to get quotes for the project. In doing so, they do have main contractors that they prefer and have working experience with.

The second, will be an interior designer. Majority of these IDs are not trained in interior design. Although many have spent time in the industry and have huge industry knowledge in interior design and project management. Some top tier interior designers charge a design fee and will see to it that every picture frame, sofa and cushion that they propose are available in the market. And others do the project management on top of the designing work that they do, while not charging a design fee. There are also interior designers who just sit in the office and churn out drawings after drawings with no project knowledge at all.

Coming to the last one, we have the direct contractor and they fall into at least 3 different categories:
– First is the main contractor, who works with other sub-contractors to carry out the project.
– Second is the contractor who does most of the work themselves. For example:- hacking, electrical, plumbing etc. There is no one contractor who has in-house all the workers in the different trades. If they did say this, then they are lying.
– Last comes the sub-contractors who you will need to source out yourselves. Evaluate whether they are reliable. And manage each one of them yourselves.

The above are just some examples of who you can choose to work with. If you need further help in deciding and understanding more, reach out to us for our consultation service. It’s cheaper than making a mistake later on.

Here are the steps that you can follow so that less pressure will be put on you later. After deciding to go ahead with renovation, you can scroll through pinterest to look for some ideas and designs that you like. Take some time for this, and choose maximum 2 designs option only before proceeding to the next step. Then you can visit tile showrooms like Soon Bee Huat and Hafary. Here, you can spend a few hours going through the available tiles based on the design ideas that you have. The decision does not have to be immediate, as you can take some samples back.

Sleep on it and come back again to have a look. This is better than signing a contract, and be pressured to make a choice because of timeline and scheduling. After this, you can start to shop around for your sanitary fittings. Again, you don’t have to make the purchase on the spot. And don’t let the sales personnel tell you otherwise. Get a feel of what’s available in the market and the different price points. Ask for recommendations from your chosen main contractor, as they are guaranteed to have suppliers that they always work with. You can always go back to the places that you had window shopped when you don’t like their recommendations.

Finding a laminate that you like can be a bit tricky as main contractors have different preferences for their laminate suppliers. But it’s not a big issue and makes the process more seamless if you already have your own choices. There are definitely more choices to be made, especially when it’s a whole house renovation project. By doing the above, you’ll definitely feel less pressurized when the project kicks off. As the 2 items above are important to get the project started, and any delays in this will delay the starting of the project.

Do you let us know should you require a plan on how to go about the whole renovation process, especially when you are going to do the project manage yourself and engaging your own sub-contractors. We provide a service that will walk you through the whole process.

Not everyone has the flexibility of choosing when they prefer to start renovation. It’s usually down to the completion and handover dates of their respective units. What homeowners usually do is to plan at least 2 months ahead of their takeover date. Planning early helps, because when you get the unit earlier you have already made some preparations for the renovation to start early too if it fits your contractor’s schedule.

The most hectic month in the industry is towards the end of the year, starting around October. It gets more crazy coming into November and December. This is mainly due to the trend of homeowners preferring to renovate towards year end, planning the buying and selling process towards year end and also caused by the multiple holidays at year end.

And with Chinese New Year after that usually very close by. As we all know, Chinese New Year is always the biggest industry closure in Singapore and even Malaysia. Most close for 1 week while some choose to close for the whole 2 weeks of the festive season. After this, it’s followed closely by the Islamic month of Ramadhan and Hari Raya. Majority Malays start to rush for renovation and prefer completion dates before Ramadhan as they will be fasting and the month is focused more on worship. After this will be the June school holidays. As the middle of the year is not filled with holidays, the peak period does not put much strain on the industry compared to year end. So be sure to look out for the months above, if you have the flexibility of choosing.