Renovation diaries

Starting this online journal to document our first and hopefully forever home.

Day one of hacking works took place while we were abroad during the December holidays.

Excited for this project because of how old the unit was, yet the potential I saw in transforming it.

This is basically a gut renovation where everything had to go. We even hacked away one of the room walls because in the original layout the wall obscured light from the dining area making it really dim and dark. We also hacked away the original store room as it ate into the bedroom a little too much.

#renovationsg #renovation #hdbresale #hackingworks #interiordesign

3/9 Edited to

... Read moreRenovating an older resale home, especially a 4-room HDB unit, is always both challenging and rewarding. From my experience diving into a gut renovation project, one of the first realizations is just how much potential there is to reimagine interior spaces that once felt cramped or dull. For instance, removing obstructive walls can dramatically improve natural light flow, which makes the dining or living areas feel brighter and more inviting. During such renovations, it's common to tackle structural changes like hacking away storerooms that encroach on bedroom space, helping to create a more open and functional layout. It’s important to plan the demolition work carefully and coordinate with professional contractors experienced in HDB resale renovations and hacking works regulations, ensuring compliance and safety. The choice of construction materials also matters significantly. For example, products like Nippon E·MIX and Weber 2IN1 Floorscreed—mentioned on renovation product labels—are excellent options for flooring and surface leveling, offering durability and smooth finishes suited to renovation demands. Throughout the renovation journey, keeping a detailed journal or online diary can be invaluable. It documents progress and decisions, allowing reflection on design choices and helping others considering similar projects. Sharing one’s renovation experience, from initial hacking works to the final interior design touches, empowers the community and provides practical insights into the complexities and joys of home transformation. If you’re embarking on a similar renovation, I recommend researching SEO-friendly renovation hashtags like #renovationsg, #hdbresale, #hacking, and #interiordesign to connect with resources and fellow renovators. It’s a rewarding process, turning an old home into a lasting, personalized space filled with light and love.

1 comment

Related posts

🚧✨ Renovation Diaries: E1✨🚧
No ID this round — going rogue and trusting a China carpentry company based in SG (中国全屋定制). 🤭 After soooo much consideration, I’ve taken the plunge… 💸 Finger crossed 🤞 everything turns out exactly how I imagined (and not a “renovation horror story” 👻). Stay tuned… the transformation is coming
HiKioku

HiKioku

12 likes

our $11k kitchen renovation updates 🥰✨
it’s been awhile since our last update with lots of things going on in life - from busy work trips to job change to settling in to our new home! but we’re back with new updates on our renovated home ❤️ first off, the kitchen! we decided to do an open kitchen concept becos T really wanted a big k
the Ts :-)

the Ts :-)

263 likes

Reno diaries - Week 1
Hello everyone! We’re officially starting our home renovation journey and decided to document everything here as little keepsakes for ourselves. It’s exciting and we’re looking forward to seeing our house slowly come together! Week 1 updates: 🛣️ Cement screed is up & ready for our tiles 🛖
Homebaos

Homebaos

9 likes

“nobody do u-shaped wardrobe one, whr got space” 🙄
revealing our master bedroom! i insisted on u-shaped wardrobe as I have A LOT of clothes and i’m so glad I did not listen to my friends n family! Their reaction were all like “u do u-shaped wardrobe then next time ur kid sleep where” “u-shaped wardrobe? everyone do L-shape leh” “u do u-shaped me
Kae Kae

Kae Kae

107 likes

[Ep.1] Our BTO Renovation Journey 🏠
Like many first-time BTO owners, we went into renovation thinking we had things “more or less planned”… but reality hit pretty fast 😅 This will be a record of our first home renovation journey—what worked, what didn’t, and what we wish we knew earlier. We’ll be documenting the renovation process
Simplywaffles

Simplywaffles

28 likes

[Ep.3] Home RenoDiaries
[Ep.3] Our BTO Renovation Journey 🏠 Week 2 of Renovation 🛠️ and there some minor updates! - False Ceiling 🪚🪜- The living room electrical works is mostly completed and the false ceiling is up! The unsightly electrical conduits have been hidden beneath the gypsum boards and plastered togeth
Simplywaffles

Simplywaffles

4 likes

Checklist for your lighting & electrical plan💡🔌
In our 4th week of Reno, we confirmed our electrical plan with our ID and their electrician completed the first round of electrical works ⚡️ Here’s a list of questions we asked ourselves: 1) How many power sockets do we need in each room? The most common advice we received from friends and fam
Toastie Home 🍞

Toastie Home 🍞

140 likes

🚩Read This Before You Start Your Renovation🚩
As the saying goes, “Never celebrate anything until everything is confirmed.” I was so excited to kickstart our renovation journey that I made the biggest mistake by trusting our ID too much and became almost completely hands-off during the initial phase. Friends and colleagues around me wer
tattooedaisies_

tattooedaisies_

108 likes

4R BTO Renovation Journey pt1.
Hi everyone! After months of lurking and learning from all your posts, my partner and I are finally starting our renovation journey! I wanted to share our process so far, hoping it might help others and also get some valuable feedback from this wise community. The Process: We shortlisted and me
Wong Samantha

Wong Samantha

117 likes

Tile choices that made all the difference ✨
Reno Week ✌🏻 1) We dropped by the house mid week and again at the end of the week. Tiling works are now done!! 😻 We love how our common bathroom’s new full height wall and niche turned out. We intentionally chose 90 x 90cm tiles for our living room and dining area and it’s 100% worth the top up. W
Toastie Home 🍞

Toastie Home 🍞

7 likes

Our $39k Reno Breakdown! ✨
Want a detailed breakdown? Comment “breakdown” for the Excel link with $/ft. Don’t sign anything until you know the market rate! . . . . . . . . #renovationsg #btorenovation #designinspiration #japandi #wabisabi
HausOfWalnut | 39k SmartHome

HausOfWalnut | 39k SmartHome

95 likes

week 4 - 6 renovation diary (5 rm bto!)
we’re done with our reno but we realised we forgot to post up our renovation journey since week 4 on lemon8 so here’s the overdue vid! Week 4-6 reno update! Reno is moving SO fast - every visit feels like a mini house reveal. From epoxy grout to our dream curves and finally seeing the paint col
Zina Ng

Zina Ng

216 likes

Productive reno week 8 🐝
We accomplished a few things this week - painting, installing lights, installing vinyl, and delivery of the carpentry pieces 😍 no regrets going with an ID because everything fell in place very seamlessly and the only thing we did that week (as home owners) was to coordinate the delivery of our kitc
Toastie Home 🍞

Toastie Home 🍞

5 likes

[Ep 5.] Home Reno Diaries
[Ep.5] Our BTO Renovation Journey 🏠 Week 8 into our renovation journey and the carpentry are all in place! 🔨 Key updates this post is mainly the living room carpentry and TV console! 📺 Really loving the arch shaped seating area near our main door area as well as a small niche to put our
Simplywaffles

Simplywaffles

7 likes

Curved toilet box up!
Just before the long CNY break, the workers finally completed the wet works in the toilets. We originally were going with the usual rectangular box up for the pipes but as I stared hard at the render and dimensions of the partition, I realised that a straight boxup would mean that it'll not o
Our Japandi Haus

Our Japandi Haus

21 likes

Reno fatigue and slower weeks of our reno journey
#renodiaries A quick recap of week 5-7 of our BTO 4-rm reno 🔨 Week 5 - partition works! It was exciting to see our house layout come to life with new walls and design features 😌 We also confirmed our carpentry plans with our ID this week and it was truly peak renovation fatigue ‼️ What we
Toastie Home 🍞

Toastie Home 🍞

5 likes

we spent ~$89k on our renovation 🏡💰✨
when we started renovating our 4 room BTO, we budgeted around $40–60k for our ID, but didn’t realise how much everything else would add up — from appliances to furniture, electrical works and aircon 🫠 decided to share our total renovation cost (not just ID cost), to hopefully help other new homeown
chiating.home🎐

chiating.home🎐

306 likes

No more renovation woes 🤣
The first house we had, we hired and ID…. Let’s just say it didn’t go really well…. Hence this time, we decided to go with a contractor instead since we already knew what we want to do and all I can say is, best decision ever 💯 Also pocket friendly 🤣🤣
Jaslyn 💕

Jaslyn 💕

200 likes

🔨 What happens during each week of reno? 🗓️
Using a Gantt chart to summarise our renovation schedule for our 4 room resale flat renovation 🏠. We summarised this from the calendar that our ID made for us. The renovation timeline or schedule is crucial for sequencing the delivery of fittings and furniture and confirmation of items like ele
J & M

J & M

96 likes

See What Happens in Your First Month of Reno 🏠🔨
Hey everyone! 👋 Thank you for following along with our little reno journey 🤗✨ Here is a peek at what has been happening behind the scenes from Week 1 to 4. Swipe through to see the progress so far 🤭 When we first started, we honestly had no idea what to expect 😅 That is why in our next post,
ovenlettershome

ovenlettershome

7 likes

🚧✨ Renovation Diaries: E3✨🚧
Theme: 奶油中古风/ creamy vintage style? We’ve finalised our carpentry board selection. Now, it’s waiting for the final 3D render before production begins, which will take 6 weeks. #renovationsg #carpentrywork #btohome #3roomhdb #chinacarpentry
HiKioku

HiKioku

4 likes

House Renovation Completed in 2 Months
Our ID managed to complete our big renovation in just 2 months — right on time for our urgent move-in. 🥳 Despite the tight timeline, everything was delivered with great quality and we’re so thankful! ✨ In the final 2 weeks, these works were wrapped up: • Carpentry completed •
Happy BB Family

Happy BB Family

141 likes

See more