Big or small, here are 8 renovation cost saving tips for your HDB flat!
You may have big dreams for the renovation project of your HDB flat but with a bit of research, you can save money on your renovation. Here are 8 renovation cost saving tips and ideas for your HDB flat.
Whether you are a new homeowner looking to transform your new BTO into your dream home or an existing homeowner looking to give your resale HDB flat a refreshing facelift, one of the biggest factors to take into consideration is the cost!
According to our estimates at Redbrick Homes, renovation costs for an average 3-room BTO and resale HDB flats in Singapore start from upwards of $20,000 and $35,000 respectively. (not including furnishing).
If that sounds like a hefty sum after paying for the house itself, you will definitely appreciate this list of 8 renovation cost saving tips and ideas (both big and small) to help homeowners stretch their renovation budget!
Minimize Built-In Carpentry
Custom built-in carpentry is notoriously one of the costliest components that can wipe out your renovation budget easily.
For more storage on a budget, we recommend going for loose furnishings that can help you achieve a similar effect. There are plenty of great ready-to-install storage options available on the market that help you achieve whatever theme you are going for.
And as a bonus, if you ever get bored of the furniture, you can easily swap them out for new models without having to spend another bomb to hack the carpentry out.
Avoid Structural Changes to The Space
Structural changes like hacking walls, moving the position of your toilet, or building new half walls etc., all come with a huge price tag.
The reason why? Because they involve significant manpower, materials, and time to tear down existing structures and rebuild them up.
And because of that, it is highly unrecommended to request this unless you are ready to splurge on the renovation.
Opt For Vinyl Instead of Tiles
Want to save on flooring? One of the ways to go about this is to choose a more affordable flooring material.
With the average 5 room HDB flat having an approximate floor space of 110 square metres, a few dollars saving per square metre of flooring material can go a long way! For instance, you can get up to 50% savings if you opt for vinyl flooring over traditional ceramic tiles and even more compared to expensive hardwood.
With a wide variety of designs and textures these days, you will be spoilt for choice to find a design that you love!
Overlay Instead of Hacking
For existing homeowners, a quick way of transforming the way your home looks would be to change up your flooring!
But unlike new BTO flats which come without flooring, changing up the flooring in an existing flat can be costly if you intend to hack away the existing flooring before laying on the new one.
So, here’s a simple tip! If the condition of the existing flooring is in good condition without any broken parts, gaps, or unevenness, you should be able to get away with just overlaying on top of the existing tiles. Now you can avoid the hacking fees altogether!
Note: This can be done with both vinyl and tile options!
Consider Half Tiled Walls in The Bathroom
Traditional bathroom design has always relied on fully tiled walls to prevent water damage in the wet areas. However, modern designs are increasingly incorporating aesthetic half-tiled walls that not only look great but are also cost-effective!
Bathroom renovation has always been costly due to the large number of tiles used and manpower required for wet works. But with half-tiled walls where tiling is only featured in the wet areas, those are reduced significantly, and you can expect huge savings from that.
Substitute Expensive Materials for Affordable Ones
Want a particular design feature for your home, but cannot seem to fit it in your budget because the traditional materials required cost a bomb?
Not to worry! Here are some commonly used budget alternatives by interior designers to achieve a similar effect:
- Expensive Built-in Feature Walls – Want something with a visual impact? Why not consider an equally eye-catching paint job or wallpaper instead.
- Hardwood Flooring – An affordable substitution would be engineered wood flooring instead.
- Marble, Wood, or Stone Features – Instead of forking out a hefty sum for real marble, wood, or stone, why not consider wrapping solutions by Envision Wraps (a Redbrick Home Partner) instead that look just as good and are easier to maintain.
Reduce The Number of Lighting Points
Electrical wiring is not cheap, hence the more lighting points you have, the more expensive it can get. And that’s not considering the electricity bills you’ll have for keeping so many lights on post-renovation.
Instead of going overboard on lighting points, here are some other cheap and easy ways to keep your home light and bright:
- Use sheer drapes in living spaces instead of opaque curtains to allow natural light to filter in. If you need some privacy, go for blinds that can switch between open and privacy modes.
- Go with light colors preferably white on the walls to immediately help brighten up the space
- Position mirrors in strategic spots on the walls to help reflect light within the space
Plan Your Electrical Points Wisely
For new homeowners looking to set up wiring within the new home, take note of this to avoid spending unnecessary costs to correct them down the road. Revisions to electrical wiring costs can be costly (running up to hundreds of dollars for moving just one plug), so make sure you get it right the first time.
Plan where you need to access your power points clearly. Ensure there are sufficient points for everyone in the household, and make sure they are in easily accessible spots, and unblocked by other structures.
Find A Savvy Renovation Expert to Help You Save Costs!
Need to stretch your renovation budget, but not sure if you can do it on your own?
Well, Redbricks Homes is here to help – with our selection of expert interior designers who can help you make the most of your budget and an amazing voucher kit with incredible deals from moving services to discounts on vinyl and laminate wrapping services.
Get started by heading over to IDMate, our all-new algorithm-powered matchmaker for new homeowners and interior designers, and get paired with an interior designer to help on your renovation journey today!
