From home size to doors: Woman lists her biggest BTO flat regrets

In February 2022, Nat Chua and her husband moved into their four-room HDB BTO flat in Bedok. 

More than a year later, Nat still holds some regrets about her home.

Last Friday (May 26), she shared three of those regrets on the social media app Lemon8.

Bigger is always better 

Initially, she felt that a four-room flat would be "sufficient for [her] needs".

This was influenced by the fact that many of her friends also owned a home of similar size.

In her Lemon8 post, Nat mentioned how it would have been nice to have an additional study space, which a five-room flat could offer.

"In hindsight, the price difference for that extra space doesn't seem as significant as it did back then," she said.

Nat told AsiaOne that the price difference between a four-room and five-room flat in her residential area was "less than $100,000". 

While she couldn't recall the exact amount, she estimated that it would be "$80,000 or so". 

Her other two regrets were centred around decisions made on renovation.

When a door closes

Firstly, opting in for the default doors provided by HDB. She found the quality of the bathroom door "extremely poor".

On top of supposedly finding holes on the door, Nat also had to deal with alleged issues with the door's hinges and magnetic clicking mechanism.

Frustrated by the failed attempts to solve these issues, the bathroom door ended up being replaced. 

Nat advised others to simply opt out of the default doors in order to avoid facing similar troubles. 

The tile effect

The final regret – opting out of HDB floor tiles – may not even count as one just yet as she's still "on the fence" about it.

Opting in for the tiles would have cost her approximately $5,120 more, according to her.

"And because I did not [opt in], my contractor has charged $4,000 approximately for floor screeding, which some people have commented is overpriced," she said.

Floor screeding is important as it ensures a smooth and level floor to overlay your tiles or vinyl.

Although Nat did end up paying less by opting out, she ended up with some issues, such as uneven surfaces when overlaying her vinyl flooring.

She mentioned that had she opted in, she could've avoided the problem entirely.

Opting in for the default doors and opting out of floor tiles provided by HDB are both related to the public housing authority's Optional Component Scheme (OCS). 

The OCS allows homeowners to add the cost of essential fittings and fixtures to the overall cost of their BTO flat.

This can come in the form of flooring, sanitary fittings and internal doors.

Other renovation regrets

In September 2022, a couple uploaded an Instagram video sharing their renovation regrets.

Despite putting in the effort to plan out the renovation, they admitted to making some mistakes along the way.

A useful tip other homeowners can learn from is to not overlook sharp edges in the home.

The couple regretted not asking for rounded corners on the dining area settee given how "dangerous" the sharp edges can be.

While it's always nice to add a stylish touch to your home, practicality should never be compromised.

After installing track lights, the couple realised just how bright they were and that it cast unsightly shadows when filming.

ALSO READ: 'BTO starter pack': Couple shares essential items to bring when inspecting a new flat

amierul@asiaone.com

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.