You’ve got the keys to your long-awaited BTO flat and now, it’s time for the fun bit: transforming it into your dream home. After spending a small fortune on the flat, you might feel like you ought not to spend so much on the reno works. If you’re looking for ways to save on that, this couple, who go by @chootown on Lemon8, did just that by keeping some of the fixtures that came with their HDB flat, shaving a cool $10k off their renovations━this is how they did it.
Here’s how much they saved on renovating their 4-room BTO flat in Towner Crest:
- Kept master bathroom walls, only overlaid floor tiles: $3,000
- Retained common toilet wall and floor tiles: $4,000
- Did not hack or replace kitchen tiles: $2,000
- Kept the main gate: $1,000
Skipping the ID to work directly with contractors
The couple knew what they wanted: a mid-century modern home with limewashed walls, beige, cream, and off-white colours, dark oak and warm woods. They also knew that they wanted evident graining, earthy textures, brass and gunmetal fixtures, and furniture with rounded edges to soften the whole look.
The couple’s render of their dream toilet.
Image credit: @chootown
Several consultations with different IDs later, the couple decided to take matters into their own hands. They chose to design their space on their own, and engage contractors to save on overall expenses. In doing so, they would shave about $30k off of the initial ID quotes.
With thriftiness and conservation guiding their decision making process, it was a no-brainer to “reduce, reuse, and recycle”, making the best of the provided HDB tile and fixture fittings.
Why they opted out of HDB’s Optional Component Scheme
When they bought their flat, the couple did not opt in for the Optional Component Scheme (OCS)━they were concerned that the provided fixtures and tiles would be basic, serving purely functional purposes and would not fit in with the theme of their home.
OCS finishings in older HDB flats.
Image credit: @chootown
They’d also seen how, in older HDB flats, the provided toilet floor tiles were slippery and hard to maintain. Additionally, the toilet bowl and sink edges were hard to reach and keep clean.
The doors and tiles that they saw were included in the HDB OCS did not fit in with their mid-century modern dream home.
Image credit: @chootown
What they’d seen constituted OCS room doors and floor tiles were also not to their tastes━the couple felt that the OCS doors were too red, while the floor tiles were uninteresting. They also felt that dirt would accumulate in the OCS grouting.
Even without opting in for OCS, HDB still provides fixtures with every new BTO, including the main door and gate, kitchen and bathroom wall and floor tiles, wall sockets, water closet, and windows.
Kept master bathroom walls & overlaid floor tiles: saved $3,000
Image credit: @chootown
HDB provided large-format tiles of 60cm x 30cm in both toilets, which the couple found to be in a creamy beige that was almost exactly what they had in mind. In the master bedroom ensuite, HDB had tiled the floor in dark grey, which wasn’t in line with the couple’s preference for an earthy neutral bathroom, though they did not completely mind it.
Ultimately, they chose to overlay the master bathroom floor, which netted them $3,000 in savings, compared to overlaying the walls as well.
In addition to this, they didn’t do any hacking or overlaying in the common bathroom, wiping another $4,000 off their initial estimation of renovation costs.
Plastered over visible kitchen wall tiles: saved $2,000
Image credit: @chootown
Instead of hacking away the tiles on the kitchen walls, which the couple did not like for their artificial-looking marble print, they opted to work over the tiles instead, working out to savings of $2,000.
Since they had to build cabinetry in the kitchen anyway, they figured that these, plus the backsplash, would block out most of the tiles. To cover up the remaining tiles, they chose to plaster and paint over them.
Kept HDB’s provided main gate: saved $1,000
The main gate they expected (left), and the main gate they got (right).
Image credit: @chootown
Another way in which the couple saved on their renovation costs was in keeping the main gate which HDB had provided with their BTO flat. The modern, minimalist gate design was visually cohesive with the rest of their home, and so they decided not to replace it━slashing their overall costs by yet another $1,000.
Bonus savings: DIY faux limewashed dining wall
Image credit: @chootown
While this wasn’t included in the couple’s original savings estimate, they also decided to limewash their dining room wall on their own. Getting painters to limewash a wall can cost an estimated $1,000━the couple achieved the limewash effect on their own for just $40, according to their Lemon8 post.
All they did was to buy a litre of darker-toned paint and tools, amounting to $40, and it took them just over 2 hours to complete the wall in what they said was a “memorable bonding time” for them.
Save on home renovation costs by retaining HDB fixtures
Sure, some homeowners might choose to go the whole 9 yards to build their dream home. However, this couple proves that there are ways to achieve that even on a budget. For one, HDB’s OCS can help you save a lot on renovation costs. Even if you opt out of the scheme, some of the fixtures that come with your new BTO flat can still fit in with your dream home, albeit with slight tweaks and concessions to avoid racking up an astronomical reno bill.
Get more BTO reno inspo here:
- $58k modern Peranakan BTO designed around family heirlooms
- Modern French BTO inspired by Paris
- $60k shipping container-inspired BTO
Cover image adapted from: @chootown
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