A renovation’s price is the sum of decisions. You can’t control the market, but you can control most of the decisions, and you can make sure nothing important is left out of the budget.
What drives the cost
How much comes out. Hacking walls, floors and old carpentry costs money twice: once to remove, and again to make good. Laying new floor finishes over existing ones (allowed in HDB flats within 13mm including adhesive, with no permit) avoids much of that, where it suits the floor.
Wet works. Screeding, waterproofing, tiling and plastering are labour-heavy. Bathrooms and kitchens concentrate them, which is why those two rooms usually dominate a budget.
Carpentry. Custom cabinets and wardrobes are priced by size and by material. How much you build in is one of the biggest choices you control.
Materials and fittings. The same tile can come in a range of grades, and taps, lights and sanitary ware run from basic to premium. Specify them in the quote so you compare the same thing.
Services. Moving a gas point, adding power points or relocating a toilet each brings in a licensed trade and, in HDB flats, sometimes a permit.
The home itself. A resale flat usually has more to replace than a new one. Older homes may need rewiring, and while MOM says buildings built after 1 January 1991 are unlikely to contain asbestos, older ones may, and only an approved contractor may remove it.
Professional fees. Structural changes need a Professional Engineer, and some landed-house works need a Qualified Person to submit plans. In HDB flats, taking down a non-load-bearing concrete wall needs a PE to supervise.
The costs outside the contract
Easy to forget, and worth a line each in your budget:
- debris removal and disposal, if it isn’t in the quote;
- protection of common areas, and any condo renovation deposit;
- appliances, lights, curtains and loose furniture;
- air-conditioning;
- a post-renovation clean;
- moving out, storage or somewhere to stay while the works go on: see living elsewhere during a renovation;
- your time, for site visits and decisions.
Keep a contingency
Some problems only show once hacking starts: uneven floors, old pipes, wiring that needs replacing. And most people change something along the way. Keep a contingency you don’t plan to spend, and make sure your contract says how variations are priced. The consumer regulator’s renovation guide says variations should only be made with your express agreement.
Paying for it
Pay in stages tied to the work, never far ahead: see how renovation payments are staged. If you’re considering a bank renovation loan, MAS rules let banks treat it as one only if it’s repaid within 5 years and your renovation loans from that bank total no more than 6 months’ income or S$30,000, whichever is lower.
Size the budget to the claims limit, too
CASE noted in 2025 that home renovation contracts today commonly exceed S$20,000, which is the usual limit of the Small Claims Tribunals. That doesn’t change what you should spend, but it’s one more reason to pay in stages and choose a firm with deposit protection. See when a renovation goes wrong.
Want a quote for your home? Tell us about it
The surest way to know what your renovation costs is an itemised quote. The team behind Junk to Clear, which handles renovations, will send you one.
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Questions people ask
How much does a renovation cost in Singapore?
We don’t publish figures, because they date quickly and depend entirely on the home and the scope. CASE noted in 2025 that home renovation contracts today commonly exceed S$20,000. The reliable way to know your cost is to get itemised quotes for the same written brief from more than one firm.
How much contingency should I keep?
There’s no official figure. Keep enough to absorb the things you can’t see until hacking starts, such as uneven floors or old pipes, and changes you decide on during the works. Agree in the contract how variations are priced, so you can see a change’s cost before you approve it.
Is a resale flat more expensive to renovate than a new one?
Often, because there’s more to remove and replace: old tiles, carpentry, wiring and pipes. A new flat has its own limits, such as HDB’s 3-year rule on replacing bathroom finishes, which can shape what you do first.
Sources
Renovation rules change. We checked this guide against these official pages on 5 October 2026. If a source says something different from this guide, the source is right, and your HDB branch, condo management or BCA has the final word on your own home.
- HDB — Important Information on Renovations
- HDB — Renovation Guidelines for Building Works
- BCA — Structural plan submission
- Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore — Fair Trading Practices for the Renovation Industry
- CASE — Media release on renovation contracts and the Small Claims Tribunals limit (5 August 2025)
- MAS — Notice 635, Unsecured Credit Facilities to Individuals (PDF, revised 13 May 2022)
- MOM — If I suspect that I have asbestos materials in my house, what should I do?
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