Homeowner Stories

A $13k Condo Renovation Breakdown: How This Creative Homeowner Self-Designed & Decorated Their 732 Sqft Home

Renovating a relatively small space can be quite challenging. You have to be creative with your design choices in order to really make the most of the space.  The approaches vary, but probably the most important at the top of…

• 24 Sep 2022
• 11 min read
• 4

What I Regret Most After Buying My First Home: We Share 7 Most Common Regrets From Readers

The first time buying a home is an unforgettable experience. It’s a mix of anxiety and excitement, and almost always a tiny bit of cognitive dissonance. No matter how much you actually research, nothing can quite prepare you when you…

• 17 Sep 2022
• 9 min read
• 0

How I Lost $5,400 In A Rental Scam In Singapore: Here’s My Story And How These Scammers Work

The property rental market is booming in 2022, and tenants are fighting tooth and nail for affordable accommodation. This sort of scenario is fertile ground for rental scams: tenants who are in urgent need may go out on a limb,…

• 16 Sep 2022
• 6 min read
• 0

Tour A Pinnacle@Duxton Home Transformation: How A Couple With A $65k Reno Budget Created A Cosy Home

As a young couple, it’s always an incredibly exciting time when you’ve managed to secure your first home.  But once you get through all the stress of finding the right home, you’d soon realise the next part of the journey…

• 13 Sep 2022
• 8 min read
• 0

Tour An Old 1978 HDB Transformation: How A Couple Created A Minimalist Expansive Home

There’s one big question that every homeowner will face after buying a resale HDB flat – how many structural changes do you want to do to the property? Hack down a wall to have a bigger living? Sure, it’s always…

• 7 Sep 2022
• 8 min read
• 2

My Journey As A Single Homebuyer In Singapore: Why I Bought My 3-Room HDB & Spent $29k To Renovate It

We all know what it’s like for singles to buy a home in Singapore. Other than the prohibitive, and quite frankly, arbitrary minimum to be 35 years of age, the other problem is that you don’t have unfettered access to…

• 3 Sep 2022
• 12 min read
• 2

Tour A 25-Year Old HDB Transformation: How A Couple Created A Cosy Minimalist Home With $55k

You can tell a lot by a home account’s Instagram name sometimes, and today’s feature @twohermits.sg is no different.  As you can probably tell, E and XN are the sort that love to stay at home. And if you are…

• 31 Aug 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

My $10,000 HDB Window Horror Story: How It Caused A 10-Month Delay

Most of us don’t think too much about the windows in our HDB flats… until it becomes a problem. Then we might find out it’s a pricey nightmare to change them; or that the type of windows we have can…

• 25 Aug 2022
• 7 min read
• 14

Inside An Amazing $34k Renovation Of A Punggol 4-Room BTO: How A Couple Self-Designed & Thrifted Their Charming Home

There’s always just something about designing your own home that you may not quite get with an ID – and that’s a home that just oozes personality and character.  This is what Sha and Jim (@ho_me_space) tried to achieve in…

• 22 Aug 2022
• 10 min read
• 0

We Paid $35k For Our 4-Room BTO Renovation 6 Years Ago: Here’s How We Remade It Into A Modern Boho Home Instead

Moving into a newly renovated home is always going to be one of the nicest feelings in the world. But what happens after you’ve stayed for a couple of years? Things get a little stale, that TV console that you…

• 17 Aug 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

Confessions Of A Property Agent In Singapore: Why I Had To Drop My Worst Client Ever

We’ve all heard the terrible agent stories. Cheating unsuspecting buyers, always pushing for new launches for the high commission, hiding details that could break the deal – it’s no wonder many feel that an agent’s job is akin to one…

• 15 Aug 2022
• 7 min read
• 3

An Old 1986 Executive Maisonette In Hougang Gets A Cosy Transformation Into A Modern Farmhouse Look

An executive maisonette is all the rage these past few Covid-19 years. The two-storey feature and unique layout are perhaps what makes it sought-after even today, almost three decades after it was discontinued. With an incessantly rising demand and limited…

• 10 Aug 2022
• 11 min read
• 4

Tour A Incredible $60k HDB Transformation: How A Couple Self-Designed A Modern Coastal Retreat

Given that we basically live on an island, it’s interesting that we don’t see as many coastal-inspired designed homes in Singapore.  And even though a coastal home design is not as popular here, it has actually been around for a…

• 4 Aug 2022
• 9 min read
• 1

Tour An Old 1987 HDB Transformation: How A Couple Achieved A Japandi Look With A $90k Reno Budget

If there’s anything that Singaporeans have a common love for, it’s anything Japanese. Even when it comes to a home, that minimalist Muji-look is very much a look that is sought after.  But for some, that minimalist look can be…

• 30 Jul 2022
• 8 min read
• 1

How A Couple With A $60k Reno Budget Created A Mid-Century Modern Home With Iconic Lamps

Step into Shannon and Shawn’s (*not their real name for privacy reasons) 4-room HDB home in Sin Ming and the first thing that captures your attention is the half-wall colours of off-white and green that are reflected throughout most of…

• 28 Jul 2022
• 7 min read
• 0

I Spent 24 Hours With Migrant Workers In Singapore: A Behind The Scenes Look At The People That Build Our Homes

Buying, renovating, and moving to a new home can be one of the most stressful periods of your life. The uncertainty of securing a BTO or even a resale condo, to the anxiety of working with a renovation ID (oh,…

• 25 Jul 2022
• 10 min read
• 3

Tour A 1,001 Sqft HDB Home Transformation: How A Couple Broke Down Walls To Create A Bright Open-Plan Layout

There’s a reason why recently MOP-ed HDB units are in demand. Given the newer condition (compared to an older HDB resale), you’re less likely to spend a fortune for the reno since it’s newer.  However, this notion is not actually…

• 23 Jul 2022
• 11 min read
• 1

Tour A Charming 1,300 Sqft European Farmhouse Inspired HDB Home In Bedok

It’s not often you see a home that is done up in a European Farmhouse style in Singapore.  For those who might not be familiar, a European Farmhouse design is actually one that sports a lived-in comfortable vibe, with a…

• 20 Jul 2022
• 7 min read
• 0