We spent $72k on our 4-Room HDB Renovation Journey

525

Scandinavian
HDB (Resale)
~1,100 sqft
3 br
Couple Living

When we first started planning our renovation, we knew the costs would vary depending on the size of our HDB flat and the level of transformation we desire. After much consideration and budgeting, we ended up spending around $72k for our 4-room resale flat.
Here’s a closer look at where our money went and some personal insights we picked up along the way.
Carpentry turned out to be our biggest expense, coming in at $17.1k! I’ll admit, we were a bit surprised by this. We didn’t go overboard with built-ins, focusing only on key areas:
🚪Master bedroom: wardrobe ($5.7k) and platform bed ($2.1k)
A little backstory—initially, we had planned to include a storage function in our platform bed, which would have pushed the cost up by another $2-3k.
But after a lot of back and forth, we realized we didn’t really need that extra storage, and decided to keep it simple. It was one of those moments where we had to ask ourselves, “Is this really necessary?”
🚪Kitchen: cabinets ($5.6k) & countertop ($2.7k) The countertop we choose was Camden SILESTONE. We love the matte grey color and subtle white veining. It’s important to choose a material that is resistance to heat, stains, and scratches to suit your cooking habits.
🚪Master bedroom toilet: vanity cabinet ($1k)
Tiling ~ $10.7k (15%) & Vinyl ~ $7.4k (10%) When it came to flooring, we opted for tiles in the toilets, entryway, and service yard, while the rest of the house was done with vinyl.
The decision to use vinyl was actually a bit of a compromise. Originally, we loved the idea of having tiles throughout the entire house, but after seeing how much it would cost, we decided to mix things up. Looking back, I’m glad we did—vinyl is more comfortable underfoot, and it still looks great. Plus, it saved us a chunk of money that we could use elsewhere!
Hacking ~ $9k (12%) Here’s something we didn’t see coming: hacking turned out to be more expensive than we thought. The previous owners had lots of built-ins that didn’t really suit our style or needs, so we had to get rid of them.
One thing that surprised us was the cost of reinstating the storeroom. The storeroom had been integrated into one of the common rooms, and while it was a cool idea, we preferred having a separate storage space. It’s one of those decisions you don’t think about much in the beginning, but it really added up.
As we went through this renovation journey, we learned that budgeting is important, but it’s also about making choices that feel right for your lifestyle. There were moments when we had to decide whether to splurge or save, and each choice reflected what mattered most to us.