HDB flats with balconies are rare and often limited to the since-discontinued DBSS developments. Rather than fork out an arm and a leg for one of those said HDB flats with a private balcony, one couple decided to turn their service yard into a balcony instead.
Here’s a peek into @ourhomedepot, a humble 4-room HDB flat along Depot Road that underwent a $60K renovation.
Transforming the service yard into a “balcony”
Image credit: Three Haus Works
For most HDB homeowners, their service yards would be where their laundry machines and automated laundry racks call home. But the owners of @ourhomedepot were determined to turn it from a traditional service yard into a cosy corner where they can relax and unwind after a long day at work.
To do so, they hacked away the service yard walls and installed bamboo chick blinds to block out the rain without compromising on any aesthetics.
Image credit: @ourhomedepot
Since they moved in, they’ve spent many days and late nights in their transformed balcony, enjoying the view and having riveting conversations with friends and family. They can even catch a glimpse of the fireworks whenever National Day and New Year’s Eve rolls around.
Using terracotta tiles in the kitchen to mimic Singapore’s sidewalks
Image credit: Three Haus Works
Whenever the couple behind @ourhomedepot are out and about on Singapore’s streets, they would point out the terracotta pavements and intricate details to each other. This was also what inspired them to use terracotta tiles in their kitchen. On a more practical level, they also told us that their choice of materials was “chosen based on cost, whatever that was economically priced, looked good and worked well.”
The couple also made sure to have their bottom cabinets match the colour of the terracotta tiles, while the upper cabinets in the kitchen stayed neutral in an off-white tone.
Image credit: Three Haus Works
But as always, it’s the details that matter the most. The grouting they picked out for their backsplash is also in the same deep red hue as their floor tiles and cabinets.
Spending less than $3k on furnishing thanks to hand-me-downs
With so many furniture stores popping up around Singapore these days, it can be tempting to start a new home with new pieces of furniture. However, the homeowners had the good fortune of having family members who were keen on gifting their old-school vintage furniture to the couple. Plenty of hand-me-down cabinets and mirrors soon found themselves in a new home at Depot Road.
The original home also had plenty of built-in carpentry that was eventually hacked away, as the homeowners wanted the flexibility to be able to change and shift their furniture around as their home evolves and grows.
To that end, the couple spent less than $3K on all their furnishing. They also decked out their cabinets and shelves with vintage decor – some of which were gifts from friends and family – including the iconic orange payphone and Tiger Beer memorabilia, a homage to their tipple of choice and what they used to drink when they were dating.
Inside a cosy & homely $60K HDB renovation
There’s a lot of pressure these days for new homeowners to follow interior design trends and create a stunning, IG-worthy home. But what we’ve come to notice is that the homes that make us feel something are the ones that don’t give in to that said pressure, and choose to create a home that’s authentic to their personalities.
The couple behind @ourhomedepot had no qualms about chasing trends or going over their renovation budget for the sake of being flashy. Every corner of their house, from the service yard to the kitchen grout to the Taobao dining chairs and the gifted vintage furniture, was all curated as a reflection of their unique selves.
Check out other HDB renovations:
- What an $80K HDB home renovation looks like
- Inside a $60K HDB flat in Punggol inspired by shipping containers
Cover image credit: Three Haus Works
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