Planning home interior design and renovation work in Singapore can get overwhelming. Unless you need to have a small modification completed, there will be multiple processes taking place simultaneously. To plan the work effectively and make sure that everything is completed in a timely manner, you’ll need to come up with a home renovation checklist.
Spending some time on organising your ideas and pinpointing the stages of execution will give you clarity about the scope of the work and the timeframe of execution. If you’re planning a home renovation for the first time, you should definitely get your Singapore interior design company involved in the checklist creation.
Determine Your Goals and a Budget
Before moving on to the specifics of the residential renovation itself, you’ll need to get a clear idea of the goal.
What exactly will you be trying to accomplish through the apartment renovation process? Do you have an older property that lacks modern conveniences? Would you like to benefit from more space and an open floor plan? Are you looking to maximise the energy efficiency of the apartment? Unless you have a clear concept of the scope of work and the final outcome, the process is going to be chaotic.
Knowing your primary outcome will also make it easier to determine the budget for the interior design and renovation work.
Based on the goal, write down the processes that will need to take place (wall demolition, painting, the installation of floors, tiles, countertops, fixtures, etc.). Through this list, you can calculate a rough estimate of the project’s cost.
If you can’t determine one large final outcome for the HDB flat renovation project, you should create a room by room checklist.
Use the floor plan for the purpose and add the work that needs to be carried out in each of the spaces.
The bedroom, for example, could feature processes like the installation of air conditioners, wall painting, the installation of curtain rails or blinds, the installation of switches, window panels, wiring, etc.
There are some online checklists you can use for the purpose of getting a better idea about the types of improvements for each room. If you want to, print one of these checklists and add a tick to every single project specific you would like to have carried out at your property.
Just like a checklist based on a general outcome, the room by room checklist will make it relatively easy to calculate the cost of execution and to determine the timeframe for the completion of the home renovation project.
Permits and Additional Documentation
Now that you know exactly what you’ll have to do, it’s time to focus on the legal side of modifying your Singapore apartment.
If you own an HDB flat, you will need certain types of permits in order to carry out the work.
Specific types of electrical work, for example, cannot be carried out without getting an HDB permit. More information about the different jobs and whether you’ll need to contact the HDB and get approval can be found on the HDB official website.
This is a big part of carrying out the property renovation project and you may miss some of the legal prerequisites for getting the job done. This is why it’s essential to partner with HDB registered interior design professionals. These interior designers understand the HDB property renovation guidelines and they’ll cooperate with you on the acquisition of all the necessary documentation.
DIY Work vs. Professional Assistance?
Your home renovation checklist should focus on a few other essential aspects of modernising the property.
When working on a tight budget, you may worry about hiring professionals and the associated costs. Thus, you will need to think about the aspects of the renovation that you can handle on your own and the ones that will necessitate the involvement of professionals.
DIY work should focus on simpler tasks – painting a wall, polishing surfaces, installing artwork and accessories. More challenging aspects of the renovation like wiring and wall demolition, for example, could be really dangerous when carried out by people who don’t have enough experience.
Keep in mind that DIY work will often prove to be a lot costlier than hiring professionals. If you make a mistake and you ruin something, you will find it a lot costlier and much more time-consuming to hire professionals who will have to fix your errors.
If you are an electrician or a plumber, you can obviously deal with these aspects of apartment renovation on your own. Remember, however, that you’ll have to meet the HDB guidelines for carrying out such work. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with administrative penalties and even fines.
Materials and Supplies Checklist
This is the final aspect of planning your apartment’s interior design and renovation work.
The renovation company will deal with the structural and the building supplies needed to get the job done. You will have to select items like the type of flooring, tiles, fixtures, countertops, paint colours, blinds or new doors if you want to replace the ones in your apartment.
Start the materials and supplies research as early as possible. There are numerous options on the market and if you don’t give yourself enough time, you’ll soon feel quite overwhelmed.
Checklists can help you organise your thoughts and find the focus of the project you plan to carry out. A good checklist could also provide valuable information to the interior design professionals responsible for overseeing the work.
If you already have a plan and a checklist, get in touch with Home Guide. We have years of experience in the field of residential work and we’re HDB certified. We can help you review the information, make improvements to the checklist and meet all of the legislative aspects of carrying out the work
