House-Hunting: Seeking a Spacious Home for our Growing Family Of Four

739

Scandinavian
HDB (Resale)
≥1,500 sqft
≥5 br
Couple Living with Kids

After seven years in our 92 sqm BTO, we knew we had to move soon to accommodate our growing (and very active!) kids. We had a few criteria to our new home - it has to be spacious first and foremost, so that our kids can truly enjoy running around. It also has to be in the east, because that's where both sets of grandparents are. Lastly, it has to be our target primary school. This was why we focused on viewing 5-room flats and executive apartments (there weren't many listed in our estate). We were not fans of climbing staircases so executive maisonettes was out.
This was one of the few executive apartments listed! When we first entered, we were taken aback by the number of dated built-ins that made the space appear claustrophobic.
But we found that the layout - with its number of hackable walls - offered a unique flexibility to open up the space. It would allow us to have an open-plan layout, with the kitchen at the heart of the home. I had wanted a balcony to grow plants and indulge the kids in sensory activities. But most of the units did not offer a true balcony. This was a dedicated balcony, albeit closed up with windows. Good enough, we felt.
This is the 3D rendering of our living room and balcony by our ID Rooot Studio after taking down all the built-ins. It is really close to the eventual outcome.
Compare it here!
We love how spacious it has become after hacking away the built-ins. We had to install window grilles on the balcony, so we chose the slimmest grilles there are from Pang Giap. We find that these really help to let in the light! And the terracotta tiles and venetian blinds really helped to bring the balcony to the outdoors.
Previously, their kitchen was oddly built, making the space look very cramped and unwieldy. And this window at the sink felt so odd - it had no view whatever. We questioned ourselves if we could really transform it totally by tearing everything down. The hacking cost would be astronomical, and we almost did not choose this unit because of it.
But this unit was on mid-high floor, and it was also five minutes away from our primary school of choice for the kids. Because of this, we felt like we must try to work around its odd layout to make it work! We're thankful to have found a patient ID in SJ from Rooot Studio who was happy to quickly render different permutations for us in 3D whenever we had an idea, or if unpleasant surprises crop up (like an ugly kitchen pipe hidden behind some cabinets).
By hacking down all the kitchen walls in the original layout, and re-building only a part of it to back up the fridge and kitchen sink, we manage to open up the area significantly. And the useless kitchen window that faced our neighbour's kitchen and looks down to the rubbish chute? We covered it aesthetically with Everyday Curtain's Wabi Sabi blinds, in essence just white roller binds that are affordable yet beautiful.
Interestingly, another thing we actually liked about this layout is this dedicated service yard that leads into the common bathroom. We feel that it's not commonly seen, especially in 5-room layouts. Although it's too narrow to fit our washing machine + dryer, we manage to transform this space into a bright and airy service yard. Check it out below!
Tadah! We build a cabinet to cover up the rubbish chute, and to accommodate a laundry sink. We're used to having an extra laundry sink, so this inclusion was quite important to us! We also love the slide-and-swing lourve doors, it made the common bathroom look classier, instantly!
It was also the perfect size for our Steigen. We are used to using a dryer, and still rely on our Samsung Dryer daily. However, with two young kids, we change our bedsheets so regularly that we often use the Steigen to hang and dry them. It's been wonderful using it because it lowers down at the touch of a button! So fuss-free!
Our house-hunting journey took place over just three months, because our BTO sold faster than we thought it could! Being anxious to lock down a new space that meets our top criteria, we decided on this unit despite its layout challenges and the fact that it's 37-years-old. Basically, it was spacious, it was situated in the east and near our parents and it was a five-minute walk to our target primary school. We just had to accept that it was a mid-high floor unit, with not much a view, and did not boast of a true balcony. We truly think it's impossible to check ALL the boxes when it comes to choosing the dream unit. We basically weighed what was truly important to us, and found creative ways to make it work for us as a family.