Home Renovation Ideas for New Home Owners and Young Couples on a Budget

At times, renovation costs can sometimes appear to be prohibitive to new home owners and young couples who are either cost conscious or who have a smaller budget. With typical 4 room flats costing around $57K for renovation, it may sometimes become difficult on the purse strings. However, it is possible to get renovation done at considerably cheaper costs without compromising on the quality. Here are a few renovation ideas, Singapore home owners can use to slash costs.

Choose and pick the spots that need refurbishing

It may not be necessary to fully renovate your home; you can actually achieve a fabulous look by choosing and picking areas in your home in Singapore. Renovation ideas should focus on the most important and easily noted elements in your home. It could be the ceiling, or the walls, or some design element that captures the attention of an occupant or visitor. Focus your ideas and budget on redoing and sprucing up that aspect for a stunning finish. Give a vibrant appearance to the selected area and transform the look of the whole room easily, and at relatively cheaper costs.

Plan the colour combination properly to slash costs

If you have a proper plan in place, you can cut down on the costs by choosing a colour theme for all features in your home in Singapore. Renovation ideas that selectively and creatively use the colour combination can cut down on the costs towards painting and refurbishing. For instance, if you have moved into a home newly and the home has been painted in a particular colour with a proper finish, all you need to do is look at matching the other features with the existing colour. 

Choose storage options wisely

Storage options in any room will set you back by a minimum of three to five thousand dollars.  Therefore plan the storage options, and consider making use of the existing structure in your home to make modifications for low cost but pleasing storage options. With the right interior designer and smart renovation ideas, Singapore residents can easily get their homes refurbished at a lower cost.

Home Renovations: How to Save Your Penny

Renovation, unlike piecemeal repairs, will sometimes involve redoing most of the interiors, fittings, plumbing and wiring of a home. With refurbishing, a home can be transformed to a new and vibrant or elegant look, depending on the quality of the work. For the best renovation quotes, Singapore residents need to actually look at comparative data and quotes to identify the best service provider who offers services at reasonable prices. Here is a broad idea of the costs that could be involved in getting your home renovated.

Sl.No.	Nature of work	Rate per unit	Unit area/specification
01.	Dismantling services	$40 – $80	Square meter
02.	Wall finishing	$15 - $ 120	Square meter
03.	Floor finishing	$20 - $120	Square meter
04.	False ceiling	$50 - $130	Square meter
05.	Carpentry	$500 - $1500	Square meter*
06.	Electrical	$60 - $180	Rate per unit installation
07.	Plumbing	$50 - $300	Rate per set installation

* PER RUNNING SQUARE METER – This unit is typically used to price a service on the basis of the length, for a standard/known width

The above table is a broad compilation of renovation quotes. Singapore residents can use this to arrive at a basic idea of the approximate costs that will be involved in refurbishing a home. Within each service category, there are many aspects that need to be considered. The materials and specifications used will determine the cost of the service. For instance, the thickness of false ceiling materials determine if the unit rate is $50 or $130. Similarly, cement floor finishes cost $20, whereas mosaic floor finishes cost $120.

Average overall price

The average overall costs involved in renovating a typical Singapore flat comprising four rooms spread over 100 square meters will work out to around $57,000. This is the ball park and will vary depending on the materials, and the actual space. With a ballpark estimate it is possible to ascertain from renovators about the quotes and settle for a reasonable service, without compromising on quality. Remember, getting a bargain should not be the only criteria when you seek discounts. What’s important here, is the need to get the best services from the agency at reasonable prices.

Decorating a Modern Loft

Spaces will always be in demand, regardless of the size of a structure. In a home, lofts are versatile storage spaces that double up as one of many ideas or options in a home. Many loft design ideas have transformed empty spaces directly beneath the roof to useful functional storage and utilitarian spaces. However, it is important to ensure that the loft space transformation is carried out with a proper plan to create a contiguous or standout design element. Here are a few ideas that have been used to great effect by occupants of homes.

#1 Storage racks with small compartments for multiple objects

One of the more common loft design ideas are the use of the space as storage for small objects with compartments. Fully sealed smaller doors, will offer a compact space for storage of small sized objects that can be positioned or retrieved easily. With small doors, it is possible to make access a lot more uncomplicated. For instance, a very large door may require it to be opened fully to access a little object in one corner of the loft.

#2 Book rack with fixed ladder

A loft can make an ideal book rack with a fixed ladder leading to the rack. Here care needs to be taken to ensure that the space is inlaid with wood or other protective material to safeguard the books from being exposed to damp conditions. Books and the wood work should be free from chances of moulding or infestation of micro organisms. This will create an excellent ambience in a bedroom, in addition to saving up storage space that may have been necessary for the book racks.

#3 Walled lofts for installation of split air conditioning or lighting

The lofts can also be walled up and used for installation of split air conditioning units and lighting systems. This will free up wall space in bedrooms for other decorative purposes, in addition to giving the right profile height for the air conditioning units. The loft space can also be used as the conduit for the cables that connect the air conditioning units to the external units.