Room by room

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.

Checked against official sources · Updated

The kitchen is where the most trades meet in the smallest space. Plan it in the right order (services first, then wet works, then carpentry) and make sure the right people touch the gas, water and power.

A kitchen with plum cabinets, a tiled backsplash, a hob and a sink.

Gas

  • Only City Energy or a licensed gas service worker may alter gas pipes. Under the Gas Act, employing or instructing someone unlicensed to do gas service work is an offence. Gas water heaters and ovens also need a licensed gas service worker.
  • City Energy asks for the gas supply to be temporarily cut off and the meter removed while renovation goes on.

In HDB flats, HDB adds:

  • gas riser pipes (up to the sub-meter) must not be touched;
  • gas pipes must not be embedded in the floor screed or finishes, buried in common partition walls, or enclosed in a false ceiling;
  • if a gas branch pipe is removed, 100mm of pipe must be left protruding from the wall into the kitchen and capped;
  • a space with gas pipes can’t become a bedroom, and gas appliances aren’t allowed in sleeping areas;
  • altering or extending the gas service pipes needs prior written approval from the gas and power utilities.

Water and sinks

  • Replacing a tap or mixer is a simple job anyone may do, according to PUB.
  • New or altered water pipes, and changes to sanitary pipes, need a PUB Licensed Plumber. Hiring an unlicensed plumber for regulated work has been an offence since 1 April 2018.

Floors, walls and waterproofing (HDB flats)

  • The kitchen floor needs a waterproofing screed, plus a waterproofing membrane within a 400mm radius around the sanitary stacks, when floor finishes are replaced.
  • Floor traps need UPVC gratings with a long collar when the floor is replaced.
  • Floor finishes plus screed: no more than 50mm in total, using pre-packed screed.
  • The weepholes of the sanitary ducts must not be sealed or blocked by kitchen carpentry or other fixtures.
  • A cement mortar base for cabinets or a dapoh, plus its tiles, can’t be more than 50mm thick, and concrete shelves aren’t allowed.
  • Replacing floor or wall finishes needs an HDB permit, applied for by your HDB-registered contractor.

Power

New sockets for appliances and new lighting need a licensed electrical worker. Under the Electricity Act, knowingly hiring someone who isn’t permitted to do electrical work is an offence. In HDB flats, most extra lighting points and 13A sockets need no permit, but the wiring must be done by an EMA-licensed electrical worker. See licensed trades.

The order of work

  1. Hack and remove old cabinets and finishes.
  2. Gas, plumbing and electrical rough-ins, by the licensed trades.
  3. Screed, waterproofing and tiling.
  4. Measure for carpentry on the finished walls and floor.
  5. Install cabinets and worktops, then appliances, sink, taps and hob.
  6. Gas reconnected and tested by the licensed worker; electrical work tested before the supply is turned on.

Planning a new kitchen? Tell us about it

Tell us what you’re planning. The team behind Junk to Clear, which handles renovations, will get back to you with a quote.

Which rooms or works? (choose any)

Your details go to the team behind Junk to Clear, which runs SpaceToReno. They use them only to reply to this enquiry and arrange a quote, and don’t sell them. How we handle your details

Questions people ask

Can I move my gas hob to another wall?

Usually, but only City Energy or a licensed gas service worker may alter the gas pipes, and in HDB flats the pipes can’t be embedded in the floor, buried in common partition walls or hidden in a false ceiling. Gas pipe changes in HDB flats also need prior written approval from the gas and power utilities.

Can I turn my HDB kitchen into a bedroom or open it up?

HDB doesn’t allow a space with gas pipes to be converted into a bedroom, and gas appliances aren’t allowed in sleeping areas. Opening up the kitchen means hacking a wall, which needs HDB’s approval, and structural walls can’t be removed at all.

Who can install my new sink and tap?

PUB lets anyone replace a tap or mixer. New or altered water pipes need a PUB Licensed Plumber, and so do changes to sanitary pipes.

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.

  1. HDB — Renovation Guidelines for Water and Sanitary Plumbing Works and Gas Works
  2. HDB — Renovation Guidelines for Building Works
  3. HDB — Important Information on Renovations
  4. City Energy — FAQs
  5. Singapore Statutes Online — Gas Act 2001, s 11 and s 13
  6. PUB — Plumbing Works
  7. Singapore Statutes Online — Electricity Act 2001, s 82

SpaceToReno is run by the team behind Junk to Clear, which also handles renovations. Where a guide links to Junk to Clear or a sister site, it’s because that step calls for the service, and the sentence says so. Enquiries sent through the form go to the same team. How SpaceToReno works

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