HDB renovations require thorough and careful planning, from managing finances to selecting your renovation providers. Read more about it in our guide here.

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Getting to settle in a place of your dreams can be a huge achievement after years of hard work. You may be ready to give your home a personalised upgrade, but you may not be sure where to start.

Depending on your appetite, there are a few ways to start your renovation. You could DIY everything if you’re a handyman. You could hire an interior designer and seek out contractors yourself. Or you could engage an all-in-one renovation partner like Homescape that can advise you and has an in-house team of designers and contractors.

We’ve prepared a thorough step-by-step breakdown of what is involved in renovation. Hopefully, this can help you decide what your appetite is and give you a few tips for starting your own renovation.

Step 1: Understand Your Home Renovation Budget

We’re not going to sugarcoat here — renovation can be costly. Of course, it all depends on how lavish you envision your home upgrade to be. However, even covering the basics requires a certain amount of investment.

Evaluate Your Financial Landscape

It’s important to gauge your spending, commitment, and current resources to see if you are ready for your home renovation journey.

To do this, you’ll want to use a financial tracker. This could be an Excel spreadsheet that details your (and your partner’s) monthly income, existing expenses, and the current savings that you have. Or, you might opt for an online budgeting tool such as an expense tracker.

When you have created your financial tracker, what’s next?

Evaluate Your Home Renovation Priorities

It’s nice to shoot for the stars, but there’s nothing wrong with grabbing the moon first. We usually advise clients to break down their renovation wishlist into the following levels of priority:

• Must Have
  Let’s say you’re not able to prepare and cook comfortably in the kitchen because you lack counter space. Allocate a larger budget to this area, which will relieve a major pain point for you.
• Nice-to-Have
  Maybe you currently own a countertop oven that takes up a little too much space for your liking. It works perfectly fine, though. So although it’ll be nice to have a built-in oven, it’s not urgent, and you can come back to it later.
• Optional
  Perhaps you envisioned having a separate room as a walk-in pantry. How dreamy! But you may not need to keep this high on the list at the moment, since any cabinet storage can also function as a pantry.

Seek Multiple Quotes and Estimates

Don’t settle for just one renovator — explore your options! Make sure you keep a shortlist of several service providers and ask for their detailed quotes.

Ensure that you’re looking at HDB-approved contractors or the BCA-registered ones only. Then, send a request for a detailed quote to further understand your cost breakdown. With a detailed quote, you can see what you’re spending on and revise your priority list, like we mentioned above.

What’s a detailed quote?

A detailed quote helps you understand exactly what you’re spending on. In addition to the renovation materials, Homescape usually provides itemised quotes that break down all the required costs, including labour and additional charges. Fun fact: We have a proven track record of keeping the renovation costs within our client’s budgets.

Step 2: Gather Home Design Inspiration

Being inspired isn’t just about the fun of browsing through catalogues. In fact, they can be overwhelming and disrupt your focus. This is why it’s important to gather home design inspiration by crafting a smart plan for it. Let’s see how to do this!

Create a Mood Board

First, collect all your ideas and consolidate them into one vision board. Think about your overall vision. What colour palette do you like? What layout and spaces do you want? Furniture is not quite important for now, but it’s good to envision that too.

For example, if you like a Scandinavian-themed HDB renovation, focus on incorporating light wood, natural elements, and natural light sources.

Identify the common design or feel that resonates with you, and use this as a reference when exploring interior design themes.

Explore Different Interior Design Themes

Now, it’s time to scout for available home tours or showflats to witness the diverse design themes available.

It’ll be helpful to have your mood board ready, so that you don’t get distracted by all the beautiful designs you see!

If you're in a rut, not knowing much about what design inspiration you should go for, don't worry. Many HDB renovation service providers out there provide ready-made templates for clients who prefer choosing a curated look and feel that has been assembled by a team of experts.

In fact, why not reach out to us to get our interior design catalogue? Send us a message and we’ll have it emailed to you!

Step 3: Engage an HDB Home Renovator

Now you’re almost there — it’s time to put the puzzle pieces together and roll up your sleeves. How do you start looking for a good home renovator?

Research and Shortlist Renovators

If you’ve searched online for quotes and contractor options available, now it’s time for a deep dive among them that extends beyond web searches.

Compare pricings and gather as many testimonials as you can get with the people you trust the most. Chances are reviews posted on websites or listings aren’t genuine and are written to promote their services.

But if it comes from anyone you personally find credible, including friends or family members with HDB renovation experiences, you’ll minimise the risk of falling for dishonesty displayed among these contractors.

Conduct In-Depth Consultations

Next, you can schedule a meeting with your shortlisted contractors.

Use the consultation as an interview to assess if they are the right renovators for you. Find out all important information you expect from the contractors. For example, their process, timeline, costing, and of course, their experience in renovations. This is to avoid any miscommunication and dissatisfaction once the renovation starts.

A good renovation provider should not only have beautifully-finished images to show.  They have to demonstrate in-depth knowledge about materials, finishing, do’s and don’ts. As the experts, they should be able to advise you. So, ask as many questions as you’d like! Ask about specific challenges, including structural constraints or material restrictions, depending on the type of property you are renovating (HDB, condo, or landed).

Compare & Negotiate Contracts

Don’t be hasty in signing the papers. Everything might look nice on the surface, but the devil’s in the details. Make sure you scrutinise contracts to ensure transparency.

Focus on payment schedules, project timelines, and responsibilities. Take note of all important deals to make sure the promises made to you are being monitored accordingly.

Now, let's talk about smoothing out your financial journey during an HDB renovation. Consider negotiating flexibility in the payment schedule. For instance, you could link payment instalments to specific project milestones.

This not only provides you with a structured approach to payments but also incentivies contractors to prioritise your satisfaction to receive timely payments.

For instance, you can tie payment to the completion of the kitchen installation or the painting of the living room. This ensures that every step aligns with your expectations, making the financial aspect of your renovation as seamless as possible.

Step 4: Obtain Your HDB Home Renovation Permit

After you’ve finalised your chosen renovator, complete all the necessary documents online to apply for your renovation permit. Thoroughly check all the documents needed, including detailed renovation scopes and accurate floor plans. Providing accurate and correct documentation will smoothen your application process.

You do not need to go at it alone though. Your renovation provider may assist you with permit application. With our years of experience in renovation, our clients at Homescape have no problem with this part of the paperwork and usually obtain their permit quickly.

Preventive Measures for Smooth Approval

No one likes a roadblock in the middle of progress. Fortunately, there are ways you can avoid it.

Understanding the HDB guideline helps you be aware of all the right requirements for you to receive your final permit.

Understand HDB Renovation Guidelines

To ensure that your renovation works are in line with the current state policy, browsing through HDB guidelines can be a good start to gauge what your contractor can or cannot do.

Here is a summary:

• Contractor Engagement
  Engage only contractors from the Directory of Renovation Contractor (DRC) for all renovation work.
• Demolition/Hacking Approval
  Obtain your HDB's written approval for any demolition or hacking of walls to ensure structural integrity and safety.
• Prosecution Risk
  You may face prosecution for not engaging DRC contractors or violating Housing and Development (Renovation Control) Rules.
• Time Compliance
  Adhere strictly to HDB's stipulated renovation time to avoid inconveniencing neighbours.
• Flat Owner Responsibilities
  Ensure the contractor follows HDB guidelines and engage only DRC contractors for flat renovations.
• Permitted Renovation Types
  Familiarise yourself with HDB's renovation guidelines to identify works requiring permits.
• General and Technical Terms
  Abide by the general and technical terms and conditions for HDB flat renovations.
• Window and Safety Compliance
  Engage BCA Approved window contractors for window installation. Take responsibility for window grille cleanliness, stability, and maintenance. Ensure compliance with minimum safety requirements.
• Refuse Chute Leakage Responsibility
  Rectify wall leakages at your expense if they occur after modification of the refuse chute area.
• Home Fire Alarm Device (HFAD)
  Install an HFAD for fire safety works during renovations, including the replacement of fire-rated doors or enclosing recess areas. HFADs are strongly encouraged for all homeowners to improve fire safety.

For more detailed information, refer to HDB’s complete renovation guidelines.

By proactively addressing potential issues beforehand, your application will be a breeze.

What’s Next?

Now that we’ve gotten many things out of the way, what are the things you need to be mindful of while waiting for the renovation works to complete?
From roping in additional contractors for other related works to choosing your temporary stay, we’ve got it covered in part 2 of our post.

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Frequently Asked Questions about HDB Renovations