4-Room Warm, Minimalist Smart HDB Reno (50k)

366

Virtual House Tour

Japandi
HDB (Resale)
~1,000 sqft
3 br
Couple Living

It was a Tuesday when we decided to forfeit our $1,000 deposit on a unit that we wanted to commit to. It was painful, but we knew there was no turning back after we saw the unit that would be our cosy home. Hello, I am Jo! My fiancé and I have been bidding for BTOs for 2 years with no success. We scrambled to find a house we liked in the peak housing market, which threatened to set us back in our savings for multiple years. Our eventual considerations included: • Location • Windows View / Privacy • Floor • Overall state of the house • Cost and Value Finally, when we saw the unit we wanted, we knew it in our bones. It was such a relief to end the four-month journey of house visits, even though the unit was about 200k more than our initial budget. This meant that we had to either cut from our renovation or wedding budget, so we reduced a bit of both. It made sense to invest more in the property (assets) and spend less on expenses. This worked for us because I had some design experience and knew what I wanted. In today's post, I will start with an overall home tour and comparisons with the initial state. Over the next 10 weeks, I will then be going in-depth on how we have self-designed each space, the mistakes the ID made and how we managed to save thousands of dollars through our reno decisions. You can also follow me on Instagram @jomyhome to ask me questions. ⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝ Quick Introduction to the unit itself: • 4 Room Resale HDB around Central / East • 7-8 Years old • Renovation was around 45k including electricals and 7k for two sets of glass doors • Include Smart Home mechanisms too Without further ado, let's start with the home tour!
This is probably one of the most common layouts for HDB floor plans. We like that the household shelter is near the main entrance, making it easier to plan around. I found it important to map out the electrical power points you want around the house. This helps you visualize where your appliances should go. This exercise also helps you understand where the current power points are, so you can decide if you need to add more. Planning the electricals took me about 3-4 weeks, as I was also considering using a contractor. Thank goodness we went with the ID in the end, because there were many overlaps with the carpentry that required extensive teamwork. This is a whole topic on its own—a story for another time!
- #Tips
5 Important things to know about the entryway: • There is a double socket power point, wooden-themed to blend into the carpentry ($22). • Our SmartHome hubs (both Aqara and Google) are placed in a custom niche we created. • The entrance to the bomb shelter features a finger-grip opening for increased durability. • Our digital lock is synchronised with the gate as well. • Seating area with socks drawers for convenience, cushion is customised from Taobao for $11
This is such a cozy and lovely space, and I am so pleased that we managed to stay under budget for it. Here's how I saved us some moolah: • Samsung The Frame TV: $150, free bezels, free delivery & installation, $80 cashback. • Bayseats: The ID quoted $2,000, but I customized and installed it myself for around $400. • Curtains: Custom length and prints from Taobao saved us around $400. • Curtain Double Track: Bought and installed for $25, saving about $500. • Carpet: Only $50 for this size. • Sofa: Negotiation saved us around $600. ...there are more savings to share, but I'll go into details in my next post when I feature the living room!
This is the original state of the kitchen and when I saw it, I knew that oh no - everything has to go. Did you realise why? That's because there was no stove in the kitchen. And once you hack something in the space, you have to demolish everything. Let's take a closer look in the service yard too.
The service yard is quite cluttered and we have also decided to hack 100% of everything here.
This is how we have revamped the kitchen and service yard instead! More to share in Week 6.
This is the initial state of the common toilet, which is almost as per what HDB has originally offered. Sorry for the hazy screenshot, it's the best we can find at this point in time!
And this is what our common bathroom looks like now! We also hired someone from Telegram to help us do up the lights so that it emits a much cosier feel. And yes, we have invested in a smart toilet bowl... but the washlet is from Toto China. It only costs us another $450! Very worthwhile.
This was the original master bathroom.
And we have completely changed it up, including installing a bathtub that we got from Taobao for only $320! I can't wait to share the rest of the specific rooms with you. Follow to catch my posts in the next few weeks, and ask me questions on Instagram @jomyhome!