One of the biggest questions we get from new home owners is…
What do they need to prepare before renovating a new condominium apartment.
Here’s the thing about condos and even executive condos (ECs)… most developers would already have an existing design and layout in place.
This means, there is hardly much renovation or even interior design for the home owner to even think about.
Perfect for owners who don’t want to think about the design, layout or colour. But for the artistic or personalised owner, this could pose to be a major problem for them.
So, to tackle this challenge, we decided to seek the advice of experts. Individuals who have experience working with multiple condos, even better if it is for an upcoming condo sale. After all, we strongly believe that the preparation should be made right from the start.
As a result, we asked our property agent friends to find out which were some of the unique or interesting condos that were either launching within the next few months or sales have already started.
The Property Options For Early 2018
While there are plenty more condos expected to be launched in the later half of this year, we wanted to know the options that were currently available for us to choose from.
So, here were the options we were given:
- For a prestigious condo in district 9 (Orchard road area), New Futura Condo has been around for almost 2 years. Yet the developers have been reserving the sale of units until only recently.
- For those with an expensive and exclusive taste, we were introduced to Wallich Residence in district 1, Tanjong Pagar area. Honestly, we don’t expect any of our readers to be even considering this particular condominium simply because their super penthouse units are going for SGD$99 million.
- For an EC, there is only 1 this year and sales have already started. That would be Rivercove Residences at Sengkang at district 19. Interestingly, this is the only planned EC for the whole of 2018, this means if you’re considering one, this is your only option.
- For a family-friendly condominium, there is an upcoming one at district 18 along Tampines avenue 10, The Tapestry Condo. According to the developer of this project, the condo will house its very own childcare centre within the basement area.
Our Selection Process
The truth is, the high end condominiums were definitely very interesting to look at. Not only were they really beautifully designed, there are unique stories behind the development. But given their price point, and considering who our readers are, we decided not to focus on them.
That left us with the 2 other options in the Eastern and North-Eastern parts of Singapore.
As you’re aware, an EC is similar to a condo except there are eligibility conditions in place because they are still a government subsidised housing for Singaporeans and PRs. While they still count as a type of condo, we wanted this article to cover a full-fledged condominium.
Given the situation, we decided to focus on the family-friendly option. Especially since, it is located at one of Singapore’s most matured suburban town and also the country’s first regional centre.
Preparing The Groundwork
Now that we have the project in mind, we next needed to get all the information we could get our hands on.
After scouring the web for information about the project, we stumbled upon this rather informative website for The Tapestry. In their website, we discovered the background history of the plot of land and also what were the development plans for the condo.
The first major thing that stood out was the plans for a childcare centre by developer City Developments Limited when they first won the land bid in 2017. This fact checked out with what our agent friends told us.
That meant the condo was likely to be family-friendly and we’re assuming the overall theme of the condo will be as such.
Going through the condo’s site plan and their facilities, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that there will be 52 facilities around the estate. It felt rather remarkable (and ambitious) for the developer to be considering so many features that catered to almost everyone in the family.
But this information could also prove to be a double-edged sword when the time for the renovation comes into the picture.
The Biggest Challenge For Any Condo Home Renovation
The biggest pet peeve for any modern condo home owner today is the size of the apartment. Everyone knows that the units are much smaller compared to a HDB.
This makes it tricky renovating the existing space as frankly, there aren’t much to work with already. Made much worse, when you enjoy browsing online interior design magazines and visualising how you can incorporate some of those elements to your future home. Sad to say, you might have to pull a brake on some of those ideas and choose to incorporate the simpler ones.
What we advice most owners to do then, is to avoid too much customisation. Look for designs instead that free up the walkway while still being very practical. Like shelving options rather than bulkier built-in wardrobes and cupboards.
Because, given that your space is much smaller and there are plenty of facilities around the condo, it makes it more difficult to properly plan out the space you really need.
Here’s why…
For owners who love swimming and want to frequent the 100m infinity pool or the 50m lap pool, you’ll want sufficient space to let your swimming attire dry quickly so you can dive right back in again.
For pet lovers, looking to raise a larger breed of dogs, you’ll want to set aside space within the apartment for your pet to move freely.
For culinary and BBQ lovers, setting aside sufficient storage space for your next cookout at the gourmet kitchen or stocking up on aluminium trays, satay sticks, plastic wraps and more, will become a key consideration.
And with so many options to choose from, it does make planning even more difficult.
Prioritise And Compromise
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to allocate space for every activity in the condo, short of buying a second unit.
That means, it is more important than ever to prioritise which activities are more important, Namely, the facilities you foresee yourself or your family using more frequently.
This will help you to decide how to best optimise your space around the apartment and still give it the spacious look and feel.
What we recommend many new homeowners to do is to grab a copy of the condo’s floorplans and to visit the condo’s showflat once it is available. This will help you to better plan and prepare for the layout and design you want for your future home.
Ultimately, when it comes to preparing for a home renovation, it’s always best to start earlier rather than later.
We’ve covered in our article on how to save for a renovation, and while our goal is always to keep the cost down… more often than not, the unexpected happens.
That’s why we always advice setting aside an additional 5-10% of your overall budget for any miscellaneous expenses.
So, when’s a good time to start preparing for your condo renovation?
Truthfully, the best time is even before you’ve purchased your apartment.
It never hurts being prepared early. Just like how we would prepare right now if we decide to buy a Tapestry unit in Tampines this month.