Every BTO renovation starts with a number in your head. For one Singapore couple we spoke to, that number was $45,000 for their 5-room flat. Their lowest ID quote came in at $62,000.
For most homeowners, the response is to negotiate a little, accept it, and take a renovation loan for the difference. This homeowner did something different. They sat down with the quotation, went through it line by line, and asked a harder question for each item: is this a want, or a need? And if it’s a want, can we find a cheaper way to get there?
The result was $18,820 in total savings, spread across deliberate decisions, which brought their overall renovation cost down to $43,180. Here’s exactly what they cut and why.
Contents
- Choosing a Kompacplus kitchen countertop instead of Quartz
- Ordering their bathroom vanity on Taobao instead of getting one fabricated
- Not choosing to have a glass door partition in the bathroom
- Keeping HDB original BTO tiles & working their design around them
- Doing away with a false ceiling
- Not fully hacking their kitchen wall
- Renovating a 5-room BTO flat under a $45,000 budget
Choosing a Kompacplus kitchen countertop instead of Quartz
The subtle difference in appearance: a KompacPlus countertop on the left, versus a Quartz countertop from Aura Stone on the right.
Image credit: @kompacplus, @heng.interior
Photo for illustrative purposes only.
The initial quote included a quartz countertop and backsplash at $150 per linear foot. During material selection, they couldn’t find a marble-grain design within that price range that they actually liked. The nicer marble-grain options in quartz, they found out, sit in the $180 to $200 per linear foot range, which would have pushed the cost even higher.
Their ID suggested an alternative: Kompacplus, at $115 per foot. The marble grain on Kompacplus is digitally printed, which means the patterns are consistent and the design quality can actually rival pricier materials visually.
The trade-off is durability. Kompacplus is not as hard-wearing as quartz under heavy use, but for a household that does light cooking, that trade-off made sense. The design they wanted, at a price that worked, with a realistic assessment of how they actually use their kitchen. For this swap, the total savings was $1,020.
Ordering their bathroom vanity on Taobao instead of getting one fabricated
When it came to the bathroom vanity cabinets, their ID quoted them a total of $2,400 for both the master and common toilets. It was a price point that was worrying to them. Thankfully, they managed to find a suitable alternative on Taobao for $450 that had a similar style to the one their ID was proposing. This trade-off ended up saving them $1,500.
They went in with open eyes on the quality trade-offs: minor surface scratches were present, the joint lines were visible on closer inspection, and the soft-close mechanism wasn’t as smooth as a locally customised piece would be. For $1,500 in savings, those were imperfections they could live with.
Not choosing to have a glass door partition in the bathroom
Image credit: Juz Interior
Photo for illustrative purposes only.
Glass shower partitions are standard in most new BTO renovations. The logic is straightforward: they contain water within the wet zone and create a cleaner visual separation between the shower and the rest of the bathroom. This homeowner initially wanted one for exactly those reasons.
Cost-wise, glass shower screens can vary from $499 all the way up to $1,000 per screen depending on the material you choose. Opting for glass shower screens in both of their toilers would have set them back a total of $1,600, which is why they skipped the glass partition and manage water splash with a diatomite floor mat instead, absorbent, quick-drying, and far more economical than a glass door.
A conversation with a friend who already had this setup changed their mind. The practical feedback: a glass door becomes restrictive the moment you need to bring anything bulky into the shower, a mop bucket, a baby tub, or anything else that doesn’t fit neatly through a hinged glass panel. For households with young children, the issue is compounded.
Even without kids at the time, they decided to future-proof the bathroom rather than optimise for its current use.
Keeping HDB original BTO tiles & working their design around them
One of the biggest savings came from keeping the original HDB bathroom tiles and designing around them. A full bathroom retiling, including labour and materials, would set them back $4,000 per bathroom. That’s $8,000 for two bathrooms. A tile overlay package from a contractor would have cost nearly $10,000, before touching anything else.
But here’s a practical tip: HDB doesn’t allow bathroom tiles to be removed for the first three years after the Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) date. This is because the waterproofing membrane beneath the tiles needs time to settle. Hacking tiles too soon can crack the membrane and cause leaks in the units below. For those newly MOP-ed, the tile overlay option opens up after five years, but it can quickly add thousands to your renovation budget.
Originally, the plan was to overlay the common bathroom’s existing tiles with a pink subway tile feature wall, but that idea came with a hefty price tag. So, they scrapped it and switched to a fresh white and gold theme that worked perfectly with the existing tiles.
Looking back, they’re glad they opted for this route. The neutral tones of the original tiles gave them the flexibility to build a new design without the extra cost. Not every BTO flat will have the same flexibility, but it’s worth checking your tiles before deciding to overlay them. If they’re in good condition and the colours work, designing around them could end up being your biggest saving in the entire renovation.
Doing away with a false ceiling
| Scope | Estimated Total |
| Gypsum board flat ceiling structure | $1,125 |
| L-box perimeter border | $875 |
| Cove LED strip lighting | $560 |
| Recessed downlights (6 points) | $900 |
| Electrical wiring to new points | $300 |
| Total cost | $3,760 |
False ceilings are a common upgrade in Singapore BTO renovations, but they can be expensive. The main cost is the ceiling structure itself. On top of that, there are extra charges for each lighting point, downlight, and additional support for ceiling fans (since false ceilings need reinforcement to hold them).
Image credit: ChengYi Interior Design
Photo for illustrative purposes only.
After reviewing the full breakdown and considering all the hidden costs, the couple decided to skip the false ceiling. And honestly, after moving in, they realised they rarely even look up. This smart choice saved them over $3,500!
Of course, if you’re planning a more elaborate lighting design, a false ceiling might still be the best option to integrate cove lighting and recessed downlights. But for a household content with surface-mounted ambient lighting and standard ceiling height, ditching it was definitely the right call.
Not fully hacking their kitchen wall
The original plan was a semi-open kitchen with a bifold window and a glass door between the kitchen and dining area, a setup that would let them open up the space on normal days and close it off when cooking to contain oil and fumes. It’s a popular choice for a reason. The visual effect is great, and the flexibility sounds ideal in theory.
But after chatting with friends who had the same setup, the feedback was clear: the partitions were almost always left open and rarely used as intended. As for the glass panels? They quickly became a maintenance headache, with splatter, fingerprints, and general use making them tough to keep clean.
In the end, the bifold and glass door were scrapped entirely. That’s $2,200 saved, with no cleaning hassle to worry about.
Renovating a 5-room BTO flat under a $45,000 budget
Renovating your home doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. By taking a step back and questioning the “wants” versus “needs,” these Singaporean homeowners saved a total of $18,820.
In the end, the savings weren’t just about cutting costs, but creating a space that truly works for them, without the unnecessary fuss. For anyone planning their renovation, taking the time to evaluate your options carefully could make all the difference. And remember, small changes can add up to big savings.
Read our other renovation stories here:
- Spending only $24k on our 4-room BTO reno
- Saving $1.5K on our BTO reno by painting the flat by ourselves
- Hidden reno costs you won’t find on your quote
Cover image adapted from: ChengYi Interior Design, Juz Interior, @kompacplus
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