Around two months ago, comedian Mayiduo announced on his Instagram that his renovation was completed.
So we asked him to share his BTO journey and renovation tips.
Current home for Mayiduo and his family is a four-room HDB BTO flat at Northshore Cove in Punggol. Measuring 93 sqm (1,001 sq ft), this works out to S$312 psf.
But it took him and his wife two years of balloting before they booked the flat.
The thought process of buying a home was rather straightforward for the couple. They were already planning to get married, but had not had a chance to select a flat through the BTO and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) route due to oversubscription of the projects.
The couple had previously tried balloting for Bidadari twice and an SBF at Hougang once.
So for their fourth try, they decided to go for Punggol, as there's less competition and it's a younger neighbourhood. With that, they applied for a flat again in the February 2017 BTO sales exercise, and were finally invited to book a flat.
Mayiduo further shared with 99.co that the family are not planning to live in the BTO for a long time. So even though they were allocated a mid queue number, they still accepted it to select a flat at Northshore Cove.
They plan to move to private property after five years.
(HDB owners are required to physically occupy the flat for the first five years to fulfil the minimum occupation period.)
"Ideally, we are looking to get a landed property for our living needs [in future], if all goes well. But we are definitely looking at minimally a condo for asset progression."
Given the long waiting time of four to five years for a BTO, it gives homeowners more lead time to not only save money, but also plan for renovation.
When asked how soon these homeowners should start their renovation plans, Mayiduo advised that they start speaking to designers or planning their renovations six to nine months before key collection.
"In the case of resale properties, please start planning once the transaction is confirmed."
Interestingly, Mayiduo himself started his renovation planning way in advance. And for good reason.
"I started planning for the 3D renders one year before the renovation as I had intended to make my home renovation video a collaboration between my interior design company (SG Interior KJ) and my media company (Double Up Media).
"We had to speak to quite a number of sponsors, and having a 3D tour planned out definitely helped with their decision."
Mayiduo spent around S$40,000 on his renovation, which was within the budget.
But this is excluding the sponsored items.
If there weren't any sponsored items, or as Mayiduo said, "in a normal circumstance", he would have spent S$130,000 on the renovation.
Nevertheless, he revealed to 99.co that even if there wasn't a media campaign, the couple would still have renovated the house in a similar fashion.
The renovation was done by his interior design firm. As the founder of SG Interior KJ, he had designed the whole house himself, integrating some requests from his wife.
When asked to describe the design style of his home in one word, Mayiduo used the word "achromatic".
The 1,001 sq ft house has a grey colour scheme. It's also full of curves, from the ceilings, carpentry to the feature walls.
The curves are also one of the main things he likes about the house.
(In his home tour video, Mayiduo explained that the curves help soften the look of the house, making it more comfortable. Otherwise, if everything were to be sharp, it would feel like a morgue, since the colour scheme was already grey.)
Another favourite feature of the house is the limewash paint.
"Our house should also be one of the few that has a full limewash paint done, including the ceilings."
Last but not least, Mayiduo likes his see-through master bathroom.
(He had revealed in the home tour video that he had hacked two walls to install a glass sliding door for the bathroom, creating a "hotel feel".)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ys3VvU5TE[/embed]
When it comes to renovations, homeowners in Singapore would generally either engage an interior designer, or DIY the design and engage a contractor.
Whichever route homeowners go for, Mayiduo has some advice.
"If you are thinking of engaging a general contractor, please ensure you know what you are doing to avoid miscommunications that may lead up to a big disaster.
"If you are speaking to interior designers, go for the one that can instantly gel and understand what you are talking about. When it comes to design, it's very subjective, so find one that can really understand you."
ALSO READ: 5 tips to save money on your BTO renovation, according to an experienced interior designer
