All guides
Every guide, in the order a renovation happens.
Planning and budget
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The stages of a home renovation in Singapore, in order
A renovation runs in six stages: plan and budget, hire, get approvals, hacking and wet works, carpentry and fittings, and handover. The order matters most at two points: approvals come before any work starts, and the dusty, wet trades finish before the carpentry goes in.
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Budgeting for a renovation: what drives the cost
We don’t publish price lists: they date quickly and every home differs. What we can say is what moves the price: how much is hacked and rebuilt, how much carpentry, which materials, what the rules require, and the costs outside the contract. Plan for all of them, and keep a contingency.
Read the guide →Rules and permits
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Which renovation works need approval in Singapore?
It depends on the home. HDB flats need an HDB permit for most hacking, re-tiling and window work. Condos answer to the MCST’s by-laws, and to BCA for anything structural. Landed homes answer to URA and BCA once you add floor area or touch the structure.
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HDB renovation rules: permits, approved contractors and what’s not allowed
In an HDB flat, every contractor must come from HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors, even for works that need no permit. Hacking walls, replacing floor tiles and replacing windows need a permit first, and some works, like removing structural walls, aren’t allowed at all.
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Condo renovation rules: your MCST, the by-laws and BCA
In a condo, start with your management corporation (MCST): its by-laws can require approval before you renovate, and works that change how the building looks need its authorisation. Structural changes need a Professional Engineer and BCA approval; adding floor area needs a 90% vote and URA permission.
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Renovating a landed house: URA permission, BCA plans and your neighbours
Inside a landed house, many works need no approval: re-tiling, new windows in the same place, enlarging rooms. Adding floor area, enclosing an open balcony, earthworks and structural changes need URA and BCA approval through a Qualified Person, an architect or engineer.
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Who’s allowed to do electrical, gas, plumbing, window and aircon work
In every type of home, some work can only be done by licensed or approved people: wiring by an EMA-licensed electrical worker, gas pipes by a licensed gas service worker, toilets and water pipes by a PUB Licensed Plumber, windows by a BCA approved window contractor and outdoor aircon by a trained installer.
Read the guide →Hiring
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Interior designer or renovation contractor: which do you need?
An interior designer designs your home and manages the trades who build it. A renovation contractor builds what you’ve already decided. Neither is a licensed profession on its own, but in an HDB flat whoever carries out the works must be on HDB’s directory.
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Checking a renovation contractor before you sign
Before you pay a deposit, look the firm up in four places: HDB’s contractor directory (for HDB flats), ACRA’s Bizfile, CaseTrust’s list of accredited businesses and CASE’s Company Alert List. All four are free to search.
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Comparing renovation quotes like for like
Two quotes are only comparable if they price the same work. Give every firm the same written brief, ask for itemised quotes with materials and quantities, and line them up item by item. The cheapest total often just leaves things out.
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What your renovation contract should say
A good renovation contract describes the work in detail, sets start and completion dates, ties each payment to a stage of work, says how changes are agreed and priced, and states the warranty. If a promise isn’t in writing, assume it isn’t part of the deal.
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How renovation payments are staged, and how to protect your deposit
Pay as the work is done, never far ahead of it. CASE suggests a small deposit on signing, stage payments as each part is finished, and the last part after everything is completed to your satisfaction. Renovation had the highest prepayment losses reported to CASE in 2024.
Read the guide →During the works
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Renovation working hours and your neighbours
In HDB flats, renovation runs 9am to 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, noisy works only 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and nothing on Sundays or public holidays. Condos set their own hours in their by-laws. Landed homes fall under NEA’s construction-noise rules.
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Hacking and renovation debris: where it goes and who removes it
Hacking debris must be taken away by your contractor or a licensed waste collector, to a Town Council site or an NEA-approved facility. It never goes down the refuse chute, into household bins or into the town council’s free bulky-item service.
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Living elsewhere during a renovation: when to move out and what to plan
Most people can’t live comfortably through hacking and wet works: there’s dust, noise, and often no working kitchen or bathroom. If you move out, plan where you’ll stay, what goes into storage, who holds the keys, and how you’ll check progress.
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When a renovation goes wrong: delays, defects and disputes
Start with the contractor, in writing. If that fails, CASE mediates between consumers and businesses, and CaseTrust firms must attend. The Small Claims Tribunals hear renovation claims up to S$20,000, or S$30,000 if both sides agree, filed within 2 years.
Read the guide →Room by room
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Renovating a kitchen: gas, plumbing, waterproofing and the rules
A kitchen brings together three licensed trades (gas, plumbing and electrical) plus wet works and carpentry. In HDB flats, gas pipes can’t be buried in floors or walls, weepholes must stay clear, and the floor around the stacks needs waterproofing.
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Renovating a bathroom: waterproofing, the 3-year rule and the plumber
Bathrooms are about waterproofing. In a new HDB flat you can’t replace the bathroom finishes for 3 years from the block’s completion, though you can tile over them. After that, a new floor needs a permit, a waterproofing membrane and a water test. Toilet bowls need a PUB Licensed Plumber.
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Bedrooms and living areas: walls, floors, ceilings, power and aircon
Most work in bedrooms and living areas is about walls, floors, ceilings and power. In HDB flats, hacking walls and replacing floor tiles need a permit, but vinyl flooring, false ceilings and most extra power points don’t. Aircon units outside need a BCA-trained installer.
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Windows and grilles: who may replace them and what the rules say
In any building in Singapore, windows must be installed, repaired or replaced by a BCA approved window contractor using a trained installer. HDB flats also need a permit and windows that match the originals. Condo owners can install grilles whatever the by-laws say, but must follow the MCST’s design.
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The household shelter: what you can and can’t do in a renovation
The household shelter is a civil defence room, and SCDF’s rules protect it in any renovation. You can’t hack its walls, tamper with its door or vents, or tile or plaster its walls. You can paint it, tile the floor with cement mortar, and drill up to 50mm for removable fixings.
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