5 Favourite Renovation Features

5 Favourite Renovation Features

When it comes to adding renovation features to your newly bought Singapore property, where should we start? It is time to get some inspirations from leading industry experts on what is in trend and what can be done regardless of space constraint. Here are five of our favourite renovation features and how much they cost.

1. Open concept living spaces

Nowadays, basic alterations are common in HDB flats. An open concept gives the homeowner the flexibility to have a bigger common area and bedroom space when needed. It is a common suggestion made by interior designers to knock down as many walls as possible to open up the kitchen and bedrooms. This way the entire home can be seen and visually larger. Take a kitchen for example, open up the space into the living room and this results in an open kitchen area with a more spacious feel and look. Hacking of walls are an important step in creating that open-plan layout. Removing a single wall in a HDB flat can cost anywhere between $400 and $900. However, this significantly depends on the length, thickness of the wall and the area.

2. Kitchen Island

If you think a kitchen island is just for show, you now have valid reasons why your kitchen can benefit from one. From storage to additional seating, any sized home will love the flexibility a kitchen island offers. Kitchen islands provide extra storage space while keeping your house looking sleek and beautiful at the same time. Getting a kitchen island built from scratch can cost $75-$180 per square foot. Get creative and consider adding a range hood and a stove or grill on your island. It will now become the main hub of cooking and entertaining. Instead of having big, empty spaces in your kitchen island, cabinets where you have to stack pans upon pans, make the best of your kitchen island feature by adding smart space, in the form of drawers and shelved, cabinet space. Generally, the more cavernous the space, the less valuable it is for storage. This may be the time to hire a qualified carpenter to build out shelves, sliders, and drawers or you may drop by IKEA to get some.

3. New flooring

You might not like the floor finishes that come with your place, or they just would not suit the design of your dream home. There are many new designs for tiles out there, some even imitating the look of wood or stone. New tiles cost between $6,500 to $9,000 depending on the size of the unit including the labour fees for laying of tiles and the necessary foundation below. If you want prefer to be more cost and time efficient, you can consider going for the waterproof vinyl overlay as a substitute to replace with marble, mosaic, homogeneous tiles, etc. Vinyl flooring is probably the most value for money option. It is cheap and durable, with an estimated cost of $5.50 to $6.50 per square foot.

4. Scandinavian style furnishings

In current years, the Scandinavian interior design style has gained much favour across many small HDB flats and condominium apartments in Singapore. Identified by its simple design and clean, white spaces, this style makes a small interior look bigger and stylish. Basically, Scandinavian interior design is inspired by light coloured or wooden flooring; white or neutral-coloured walls; wood-textured or rustic-style furnishings; letting in lots of natural light through large windows; and clean lines and airy interiors with minimal clutter. The costs of furnishing a home can be vary with ranging from less than $20,000 to over $60,000.

5. Bathtubs

Enjoying a soak in a tub is not impossible, as long as you follow the regulations stipulated by the HDB during your bathroom renovations. Create space for a bathtub by enlarging the existing bathroom, or combining two adjacent bathrooms to get a bigger one. It is recommended to have at least 66 square foot for the whole bathroom, when installing a bathtub in addition to a shower. Another thing to take note of is that you can only do alterations to your bathroom three years after the completion date of the block, and you still need to obtain a authorization from the HDB. The price for one bathtub can range from $600 to $3,000.