Home renovations are already a daunting task, and you may find it more difficult because of your first experience.
The extra tension comes from the expenses involved in these kinds of projects. Some of the leading surveys suggest that you may have to spend nearly $56,000 on an average for remodeling your standard HDB apartment.
If you add the prices of furniture also, then it can be anywhere $66,000 to $76,000. The cost may further go up or stabilize depending on what theme you select for your home. For anyone, especially youths, spending such a huge amount can be real trouble. But don’t worry. There are ways to bring down these spends and enjoy every moment of redoing it.
In this article, you will come across a few renovation suggestions that tell you what to do and what not to.
Tiles
These are one of the highly expensive materials in Singapore. Hence, experts and experienced homeowners suggest people choose a flat that has got the right type of
flooring for your taste and needs. If you don’t get that, try to avoid changing tiled floors in bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchen.
It is a wise money-saving step. However, in case you still feel that you need to replace the old, then consider the option of overlaying. Vinyl and laminates are excellent choices for this purpose. Since you don’t need to remove old flooring, your cost will drop drastically.
For your kitchen walls, you can buy cement screed. There can be an issue with their long lastingness, but these are still worthy investments. It can keep your kitchen fresh, eliminating the need for a fan.
Woodwork
Carpentry is arguably the most costly part of the HDB renovation projects. So, it’s better to focus your attention on such interior themes that preach simplicity and minimalism. Get some wooden work done in places where it is an absolute must, such as kitchen, bedroom wardrobes, etc. In the free space, you can place fresh and attractive plants.
Storage space
The best way to keep your space free of clutter is by organizing it in the right direction. For that, you need to have loads of storage area. So choose your furniture that can fulfill your need with ease. For example, buy a bed with side drawers that allow you to keep your items there. If drawers are the right size, then you can do away with side tables. This simple decision can prove to be cost-effective as well as space-saving.
Paint
If your flat looks dark and dull, then you can choose white color for its walls. The entire space will instantly light up. Also, you wouldn’t need to use lights, especially in the daytime. The crisp white tones can be a magical choice here. Whites can quickly spread the light that travels from outside while keeping the room cool. And the best part is that this color is evergreen.
Minimalism
You can also turn to a minimalistic lifestyle to create more space in your home and cut down the expenses. That means stop buying consumer goods that unnecessarily occupy the free area without being functional. For example, you can remove a dressing table and bring a full-size mirror in its place.
Also, get small drawers for storing your beauty and cosmetic products. Besides, take a good look at all the options that you use, you think you might use, and you don’t use at all. Accordingly, prioritize your list. What you never use doesn’t make sense to buy. What you may use sometimes but not necessarily means that you can manage without it. So take a wise call.
Nowadays, not many people buy television sets for their house because they have laptops to serve their needs.
While all these factors can have a legitimate role to play in your HDB home renovation project, you also need to take care of a few technical aspects along the way. These include:
- If you are planning to carry out any major renovation work in your flat, then you would need HDB permit for it. It can be essential if you have decided to change your floor tiles for marble or do away with bathroom finishes, etc.
- The HDB flats come with certain renovation restrictions. For example, you cannot do much about your air conditioner ledge, balcony, or service yard. You cannot also change the paint of the railing that doesn’t blend with original color provided by HDB.
- Another thing that you should practice as a responsible homeowner is that, follow noise-control HDB rules. You cannot do noisy works on public holidays, weekends, etc. Also, during weekdays, when you do heavy renovation tasks, such as drilling or demolition of internal structures, then the timing for it should be from 9 am to 6 pm.
Make sure whatever you decide to remodel your house, you strictly observe all the HDB-related rules and regulations.
