Renovating our house to a home
204
- Scandinavian
- HDB (BTO)
- ~1,200 sqft
- ≥5 br
- Couple Living
Hello there! Thanks for being here! Today we will bring you about our renovation journey. We only did minor renovations for our house when we first moved in. As we have mentioned in our first post, we opted for the Optional Component Scheme (OCS) which means that even if we were on a little budget, our flat is in a move-in condition. So basically, we had floor finishes, doors, bathroom fittings already installed by HDB. The only minor renovation we did was carpentries for our kitchen cabinets, covering the bomb shelter and building a shoe rack. 
About a year after moving in, we decided to upgrade our entryway and build a shoe rack and cover the bomb shelter. We engaged Direct Contractors for this job. Doing this makes a lot of difference for our space. The choice of finishes matches our furniture and the theme of our house. We learnt from our first mini renovation the year before that we should choose materials wisely. Quality materials can improve the longevity and value of our home. 
Before we started our mini renovation journey we believe that proper planning was essential. Selecting the right contractors is crucial. We believe that we should ask as many questions before committing. Get a detailed contract in writing that outlines all expectations, costs, and timelines. We sat down, discussed what we wanted and especially aligned with our renovation contractor at that time was Thian Ho Renovations PL. Having this conversations, managed our expectations to any potential challenges. Even how small your reno works is, you still need to maintain open and clear communication with your contractors. Regular updates and meetings can help keep the project on track and address any concerns or changes promptly. Design wise: We always love shaker style kitchen cabinets with matte surface and brass handles. Our renovation works was pretty much straightforward haha (boring...) so yeah after the kitchen, aircon, ceiling fans, lighting and toilet accessories were installed.. we could not wait any longer to move in to enjoy our new home and of course start shopping for new furnitures (this was my fave part, hubby not so much) hahaha! 
Budgeting is also an important factor before any renovation projects because like us, our budget was parked for renovation, furnitures and home decors. For the kitchen, we budgeted at $10,000 but it cost us $11,000++ because of the materials + the shaker style design which we chose. Using the same contractor, we hired them to install our lights, kitchen windows, and upgraded our bathroom accessories which added to another $1,200 making the total cost of our mini renovation to $12,750. This does not include the bomb shelter and shoe rack which was another $4,000++ by Direct Contractor. Some people said its cheap, some say its expensive.. We are not really sure as we are first time homeowners. Whatever it was, the price for this was right and we are happy with the outcome. Thank you for reading! Do follow us on IG @quratedhaus
- 3 November 2023
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