Frequently Asked Questions

Several things in your house push the price up or down. Each extra floor adds travel and another set of landing doors. Fitting a lift into an existing house means cutting new floor openings and adding supports, which a lift planned into a new build or rebuild avoids. Some lifts need a pit and a separate room for the pump, and others need neither. A cabin big enough for a wheelchair and a carer is a bigger lift with a bigger opening in every floor. On top of that come the Qualified Person's plans, BCA approval and the testing before the Permit to Operate, any new power supply the lift needs, and patching and repainting the rooms afterwards. Once the lift is running, budget for servicing at the maker's interval, or every three months if it gives none, and for the yearly inspection and test.

Yes. A lift between floors needs its plans approved by BCA before work starts and a Permit to Operate before anyone uses it. The one exemption that could apply to a lift for your household is narrow. It covers a stairlift or vertical platform lift that serves one home, travels less than 1,000 mm and pushes down with less than 150 N, all three together. A lift between two floors rises more than 1,000 mm, so it cannot use that exemption.

Makers' own figures give a sense of scale. Aritco lists its HomeLift at 966 by 880 mm outside for its smallest size, rated for two people, up to 1,466 by 1,450 mm for its largest, rated for five, with what it lists as a minimum top height of 2,225 mm. Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators says its round PVE52 is 1,316 mm across and carries three people, or two if one is in a wheelchair, but warns that not every wheelchair fits and suggests trying yours in one first. Each floor also needs clear space in front of the lift doors to get in and out.

In Singapore the difference shows up in the plans BCA asks for. BCA's guide to lift plans has separate categories for traction and hydraulic lifts, built to the lift standard SS 550, and for vertical platform lifts. Each has its own plan data, such as travel height, number of stops, car or platform size, rated load and rated speed. A product sold as a home lift can be a platform lift by design. Aritco describes its range as platform lifts and lists its HomeLift at up to 0.30 m/s outside Europe, with press-and-hold controls, where you keep the button pressed for the whole trip, or one-touch controls. Ask which category the proposed lift will be submitted under.

No. Aritco says its HomeLift can sit in a 37 mm recess or stand on the floor with a ramp. Savaria says its Infinity hydraulic lift needs a separate machine room for its fluid tank and controller. Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators says its PVE52 needs no pit, hoistway or machine room. These are makers' statements about their own products, not proof that a model is sold in Singapore or approved for your house.

Possibly, once the structure and route between floors have been assessed. The house's original building and structural plans help most, because they show where the beams, columns and floor slabs are, which tells the Qualified Person where a new floor opening could go before anyone breaks into a floor. Without those plans, expect more checking on site first.

For a lift serving one home, BCA requires servicing at the maker's recommended interval, or every three months if the maker gives none, by a BCA-registered lift service contractor. The yearly inspection and test is separate. The service contractor carries it out with an independent specialist professional engineer (SPE) or fixed installation (FI) inspector present.

We can't give you a number of weeks until the lift and any building work are designed. The rules fix the order of the lift steps. The Qualified Person submits the lift plans, and BCA must approve them before lift work starts. BCA says it aims to reply to a lift plan submission within seven working days, though it can take longer if the submission is incomplete. A reply can ask for changes rather than approve the plans. After installation, the lift is tested with the supervising Qualified Person present and needs its Permit to Operate before anyone uses it. Ask which weeks the stairs or rooms will be out of use, and what happens if the work runs late.

Whoever sells you the chair, BCA tells owners to have a stairlift fitted by a registered lift installation contractor and serviced by a registered lift maintenance contractor. You can look a firm up in BCA's directory of registered contractors, and a company registration number (UEN) on its own does not qualify a firm for this work. Once the stairs are measured, get the model, the rail, where the chair parks at each end and the full installed price in writing before you pay a deposit.

Start with the shape of your stairs. A straight flight takes a straight rail, which Stannah cuts to length from mass-produced rail. Stairs that turn or have a landing partway are likely to need a curved rail, and Stannah makes its curved rails to measure for each staircase, a more complicated job than a straight one. A rail end that folds out of the way of a door at the bottom (Stannah's hinged rail), a second flight or an outdoor model also change the price. When you compare quotes, check whether each one includes fitting and the Permit to Operate application. Then there are the yearly costs. BCA requires servicing at the maker's recommended interval, or every three months if none is given, and an inspection and test every year with an independent engineer or inspector present. A firm price needs the stairs measured.

A seated stairlift means getting out of the wheelchair at one end and into a seat or a second wheelchair at the other. If those transfers are unsafe or impractical, look at a lift that carries the wheelchair, and the route to it, rather than assuming a chair lift solves the access problem.

Yes, if it climbs a full flight. Stairlifts are regulated as fixed installations, and the exemption for small home stairlifts applies only when all three conditions are met. It rises less than 1,000 mm, it presses down with less than 150 newtons as it moves down, and it serves a single home. A full flight between floors rises more than that, so it needs BCA's Permit to Operate before anyone uses it.

Renting or buying used doesn't change the rules. The stairlift still needs a BCA-registered contractor to install and service it, and a Permit to Operate before anyone uses it. With a used curved rail, the catch is fit. Stannah makes each curved rail to measure for one staircase, so one taken from another house can't be assumed to fit yours.

With Stannah's rails, it means a few screw holes in the treads and nothing fixed to the walls. Stannah fixes the rail to the stair treads, not the wall, with screws holding its legs to the treads, typically on every other stair. Those holes need filling when the stairlift comes out, so ask where the fixings will go on your stairs and how they will be made good.

Stannah's can, because they run on batteries that the rail charges. Its straight rails have a charging strip that charges them wherever the chair stops. Its curved rails charge them only when the chair is parked at the charging point at the top or bottom, and the chair beeps if it is left anywhere else. In a power cut the rail stops charging, so the chair runs on what is left in the batteries. Ask how many trips the model you are quoted makes on a full charge.

For a stairlift that climbs a full flight in one home, BCA sets servicing at the maker's recommended interval, or every three months if the maker gives none. The yearly inspection and test is separate, and a BCA-registered contractor carries it out with an independent engineer or inspector present. Keep the service reports and the current Permit to Operate together.

We price each gate from what we find on site, so there is no single figure here. These are the things that move it. A motor on a sound existing gate is a much smaller job than a new gate and motor. A swing gate needs hinge posts strong enough to carry the leaf; a sliding gate needs a track or supports along its whole run. A bigger, heavier leaf needs a stronger motor. Pillar, foundation or drain work adds cost, and so does new wiring to the motor, which only a licensed electrical worker may do. Then come safety edges or sensors, extra remotes, an intercom, phone control and regular servicing.

Yes, if the leaf clears the ground all the way through its swing. On a driveway that rises behind the gate, the slope decides how far an inward-opening leaf can swing before it hits the ground, so the arc is checked against the actual levels. A sliding gate avoids the arc but still needs a firm, well-supported run beside the entrance, and on any slope the gate has to be designed so it cannot run away downhill.

Yes, if the gate is sound. First a technician checks the leaf, the hinges or rollers, the posts and the gaps where hands or feet could be caught, because automating an old gate can leave those pinch points exposed. If it moves freely and can carry the motor, keeping it makes sense. Worn hinges, a sagging leaf or weak posts get fixed before any motor goes on.

Yes, if the gate's control box supports it, though it can need an extra part. CAME, for example, connects its app to compatible motors through a CONNECT GW gateway added to the system. Before it goes into the quote, check which app it uses, whether there is any ongoing fee, who can be given access, and that the ordinary remote still opens the gate when the home Wi-Fi is down.

Without power the motor can't move the gate, so it stays where it is until someone releases it by hand, unless a backup battery is fitted. At handover you should be shown the safe release for your model and told whether a battery option exists for it. A heavy or unstable gate can move unexpectedly once released, so if it can't be handled safely, keep clear and get a technician.

It can, if the job involves building work. BCA says private property owners carrying out building works may have to submit plans to it for approval, though some minor works, listed as insignificant building works, are exempt. It says owners should engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA, and the QP can tell you whether your job is exempt. A motor on your existing gate is a much smaller change than rebuilding the pillars or the entrance, so be clear which one you are planning.

Stop using it and keep everyone out of its path. A technician should switch off the power and secure the gate before anyone looks closely. From a safe spot, note what it did and when; don't open covers, bypass a sensor or force the gate.

Follow the maker's service schedule for your motor and have a technician check the movement, fixings and safety features. Keep a record of every service and repair, so a fault that keeps coming back gets investigated instead of the control box just being reset each time.

The biggest difference is whether one spot is fixed or the whole roof is redone. Resealing one joint or drain outlet on a roof that is otherwise sound is a small job. Coating a whole roof is bigger, and bigger again when the old layer has to come off first. Sika's data sheet for its Sikalastic-590 coating, for example, says an existing coating must be sound and firmly stuck down, and the surface below 6% moisture, before the 590 goes on, so a lifting or damp layer means stripping or drying work first. A tiled roof terrace adds lifting and relaying the tiles to reach the waterproofing underneath. Fixing a drain outlet or a slope where water stands adds work, and so does a roof that is hard to reach. Roof waterproofing costs for repair, recoat or replacement go through these in more depth.

Leave the roof to the contractor, because getting up there is work at height, and look and take notes only from inside the house or from a safe window. Catch the drips, move belongings out of the way, and keep clear of any light fitting or socket that is getting wet until an electrician has checked it. Take photos of the stain and the drip, note when it leaks (in heavy rain only, or every time it rains) and which rooms are affected, and send those to us with your enquiry. A temporary cover over the leaking area and the permanent repair are separate pieces of work, and the cover only buys time. What to do while you arrange help has more, and five signs a roof needs waterproofing covers the marks that show up before a drip.

Only if the new coat covers the place where water is getting in and goes onto a sound surface. If the leak comes from the joint where the roof meets a wall, from a drain outlet or from damp trapped under the old coating, another coat over the main flat area leaves that route open. A leak that comes back after recoating suggests the entry point may not have been found. If the last job came with a written warranty, start the warranty claim before paying for another coat.

The one that suits how the roof is used and what is on it now. For an exposed flat roof with plenty of pipes and corners, a liquid acrylic or PU coating forms one seamless layer, and Sika lists roofs with numerous details among the uses of its SikaRoof PUR-18. A roof that will sit under tiles or a garden needs a system that can be covered, such as a torch-on sheet. If water still stands on the roof long after rain, ask whether the fall or the drain outlet should be corrected in the same job. Sika recommends a 1% fall for its Sikalastic-590, with 0.5% possible as a minimum depending on the roof layout and drains, and says the 590 can go on roofs with short ponding water, while it rates PUR-18 for standing water but not for sitting under water permanently. Choosing waterproofing for your roof and torch-on versus liquid waterproofing go further.

It can, with a system made to sit under a finish. A coating made to stay exposed is not automatically suitable, and Sika says its Sikalastic-590 is an exposed system that must not be covered with tile or concrete. Sika lists rooftop gardens and patio decks among the uses of its SikaShield P24 torch-on sheet. On an existing tiled terrace, redoing the layer underneath means lifting the tiles, and the drain outlets and the upturn at the walls are redone with it so the new layer joins them. Exposed versus screeded roof waterproofing compares the two set-ups.

No single number holds across products, so a lifespan quoted for a whole type of waterproofing tells you little about your roof. What shortens it is easier to pin down. Water left standing on a product not made for it is one, since Sika rates its SikaRoof PUR-18 for standing water but not permanent immersion. Covering a coating made to stay exposed is another, and Sika says its Sikalastic-590 must not be tiled over. Coating over a damp or loose surface is a third. A written warranty, if one is given, is the firmer promise. Check who gives it, which area and work it covers, what the remedy is, what it excludes and what upkeep it requires, including what happens if later equipment work disturbs the roof. Roof waterproofing warranties are explained in more detail.

Not on a wet surface, for the products on this page. Sika's data sheet for its Sikalastic-590 coating asks for no water, moisture or condensation on the surface, rates a fresh coat as rain resistant after about 6 hours at 30°C in its test conditions, longer in high humidity, and says to keep rain off it for 24 hours for good resistance to standing water. Its SikaShield P24 torch-on sheet also goes onto a dry deck. When rain stops the work, the open areas are covered and the surface has to be dry again before the next coat. Planning roof work around the weather goes further.

That comes down to which rooms sit under the work and how the workers reach the roof. The rooms directly below the part being stripped are the ones exposed while the old layers are off, and if there is no outside access, the stairs or room the workers pass through will see traffic, noise and dust. Before anything is stripped, agree which rooms are cleared or covered, how the open roof is covered each night and when rain stops work, and who puts those covers up.

It depends on what the work involves, and a Qualified Person is the one to say. BCA says private property owners should engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities for the building works they plan. If your house is in a strata-titled development, BCA notes the MCST's approval might also be needed, and who arranges roof repairs differs between condos and landed homes. Roof waterproofing and approval has more.

There's no independent published price for staircase work in Singapore to point you to, so here is what makes the job bigger or smaller. Laying new treads over sound old ones is the smallest job. Stripping old tiles or stone first adds the removal, repairs to what's underneath and more dust. Stone treads weigh much more than timber and each front edge is cut and finished, which adds work. A straight flight is simpler than one that turns on wedge-shaped steps, where each step is cut to its own shape. The railing or banister is priced on its length, whether it's glass, metal or timber and how it fixes into the steps or wall, and glass also on the type of glass and whether it sits in a channel or on separate fixings. Lights set into the steps or wall add an electrician's work. Moving or rebuilding the staircase is bigger again, because structural work brings an engineer's plans, BCA's plan fee where one applies and a permit before work starts, then making good the floors and ceilings on both levels. Get the finish job and any rebuild priced separately so an overlay quote isn't compared with a new staircase. Staircase renovation costs goes through the budget in more detail.

Yes, if the old treads are firm and the stairs under them are sound. The catch is at the two ends of the flight. New treads raise every step by their thickness, so the steps in the middle stay even with each other, but the bottom step gets taller and the top step shorter by that amount, unless the floor at that end is raised too. A step that's a different height from the rest is easy to trip on. The extra layer can also change the nosing, the front edge of each step, and raising a landing floor can stop a door there from clearing it. Get the finished step heights drawn and checked before the timber is ordered. The first and last steps after an overlay explains how that's worked out.

Neither is better for every house, but they feel and wear differently. Marble feels cool and hard underfoot, while timber feels warmer and softer, which you notice with bare feet. Timber dents and scratches more easily, but one damaged tread can be sanded and refinished or replaced on its own. Marble is harder but can chip at the front edge, and a chip needs a stone repair or a new tread. Grip comes more from the finish than the material, so polished marble or glossy varnished timber is slicker with damp feet than a honed or textured surface. Try samples in the finish you'd actually get. Marble is also much heavier, so check the existing stairs can carry it. Staircase materials compared covers timber, stone, glass and steel.

Building works need BCA's approval and a permit unless they're on the list of insignificant building works in the Building Control Regulations. That list includes replacing existing floor and wall finishes, and replacing a railing, balustrade or similar barrier with the same material, design and fixing details, unless it's made of non-laminated glass. Moving or rebuilding a staircase isn't on it, and neither is a railing in a new material or design. Only a Qualified Person who is a registered Professional Engineer in the civil or structural discipline can submit structural plans, and BCA's permit comes before structural work starts. BCA advises private property owners to engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA, and whether your tread work counts as a finish is a question for the Qualified Person. For a landed house built for the owner's own use, BCA's rules on handrails, landings and stair width, tread and riser, and its barrier rules on height, gaps and climbing, don't apply, but structural design has no exemption. When staircase work needs BCA approval goes into more detail.

It's a staircase with open gaps between the treads, instead of the upright boards (the risers) that close them. On a landed house built for the owner's own use, BCA's staircase rules on stair width, tread and riser, and its rule that a barrier must have no gap a person can slip through, don't apply, so nothing in those rules makes the gaps child-safe. If young children or older parents use the stairs, decide whether to close the gaps between the treads or fill in the railing. Safer stairs for children and older parents goes through the options.

It can be done where the structure and the rooms allow, but it's a different job from renovating the finish. Moving the staircase or reshaping it, into a spiral for example, means changing the opening in the floor above, cutting where the new stairs arrive and closing where the old ones did, and changing what holds the stairs up. That's structural work, so the structural plans come from a Qualified Person who is a registered Professional Engineer, and BCA's permit comes before work starts. The rooms on both floors change too, so check where the new stairs land upstairs and what they take from the room below. Spiral or straight stairs compares the space each needs and how easy each is to use.

Only if there's still a safe way up to the rooms you need. Taking out treads, the railing or the whole flight can close the stairs, and stairs with the railing off aren't safe to use. Get the dates the stairs will be closed before work starts, then decide whether everyone can sleep and wash on one floor or needs to stay somewhere else for those days.

We can't give a number of weeks until the work is scoped, so ask for the start date and the days the stairs will be out of use in writing. A finish job closes the stairs while the old treads or railing are off and the new ones go on. A structural change adds the engineer's plans, BCA's approval and the permit before any work on site. BCA's targets for processing a complete structural plan application run from 7 to 20 working days depending on how it's submitted, and 7 working days for the permit, which can be applied for together with the plans. Plans that need more evaluation can take longer. How you get upstairs during the work covers planning around the closure.

Nobody can promise that a new staircase will raise the sale price. Do it because the stairs are worn, unsafe or awkward for the people using them, or because you want them to look better, and count the cost as money spent on living in the house rather than money you'll get back when you sell.

The main cost factors are the pool size, construction access, finishing materials, and equipment specifications. A compact plunge pool sits at the lower end while large lap pools and infinity-edge designs are more involved. We provide a tailored quote after a free consultation.

Ongoing running costs cover electricity, water top-up, chemicals, and quarterly professional servicing. Saltwater pools have slightly lower chemical costs but higher equipment maintenance, and a robotic cleaner reduces manual cleaning time significantly. We can advise on expected upkeep for your specific pool.

A plunge pool is compact (typically 3m × 2m, 1.2m deep), designed for cooling off and relaxation, ideal for terrace houses. A lap pool is longer (8m+ × 2.5m) for swimming exercise and costs more to build. Both can include heating, jets, and lighting. We provide a tailored quote after a free consultation.

Yes. Swimming pool construction requires BCA structural approval and PUB water supply permits. If your property is in a conservation area, additional URA approval may be needed. We handle all permit applications as part of the project.

Infinity-edge pools cost more than standard pools because of the catch basin, additional plumbing, and precise engineering required. The final figure depends on size and site conditions, and we provide a tailored quote after a free consultation.

Saltwater pools use a chlorine generator that converts salt into chlorine. They are gentler on skin and eyes, with lower chemical costs, but the generator needs replacement every 3 to 5 years. Traditional chlorine pools have lower upfront equipment costs but require more frequent chemical handling. We can advise on the best option for your home.

Terrace houses can typically accommodate plunge pools (3m × 2m) or lap pools (8m × 2.5m) depending on setback requirements and available outdoor space.

It depends on the pool size, the site access, the ground conditions we find during excavation, and the complexity of the design. Infinity edges and water features add engineering and plumbing time, and the concrete shell needs proper curing that cannot be rushed. You get a schedule with your quote after the consultation.

Ongoing running costs cover electricity, water top-up, chemicals, and quarterly professional servicing. The exact amount depends on your pool size and how often it is used. We can advise on expected upkeep for your specific pool.

Yes. Compact plunge pools (as small as 2.5m × 2m) can fit in most landed properties. We design around setback requirements and access constraints. Even inter-terrace homes with limited outdoor space can accommodate a well-designed small pool.

Dollars and Sense's July 2026 price guide puts general servicing at about S$50 to S$70 for one unit, rising to about S$110 to S$150 for five units, a non-dismantle chemical wash at about S$80 to S$130 per unit, a chemical overhaul at about S$150 to S$220 per unit and a gas top-up at about S$80 to S$180, depending on the gas and how much is needed. Those are the guide's ranges, not a quote for your units. A landed home's bill can be higher when outdoor units are reached by ladder or from a roof, when ducted units are serviced through ceiling access panels, or when a leak has to be found and fixed before any gas goes in.

Daikin recommends a service every three months for a unit used every day, and Mitsubishi Electric also recommends quarterly servicing. For lighter use, Dollars and Sense's July 2026 guide suggests every 6 to 12 months. In a landed home that can mean bedrooms used every night on a three-month cycle and a guest room on a longer one.

Watch for water dripping from the indoor unit, a bad smell, a noisy fan or weak airflow. Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric both trace indoor leaks to a blocked drain pipe and noise to a dirty fan. Mitsubishi Electric adds that a bad smell can come from mould on the coil and drain pan and weak airflow from a choked coil or dirty fan, and a general service cleans each of these. Note what you see from the floor and leave covers closed. If water keeps dripping after a clean, the drain route itself may be the problem, which our article on planning the aircon drain route explains.

Daikin says skipping servicing lowers the unit's performance and cooling efficiency, clogs the cooling coil and fan rotor, can cause water leaks and shortens its life. Mitsubishi Electric also links regular servicing to fewer leaks and a longer life. Where it stops paying off is a fault that returns after every clean, because the same service again won't fix a leak or a failing part. Ask for the cause to be found instead.

No. A chemical wash, which Daikin describes as using chemical to remove stubborn dust and grime that chokes the cooling coil and drain pipe, goes further than a general service. Daikin's sign that one may be due is when you stop feeling cool air, and a technician then checks whether a chemical flush or steam cleaning is needed; a fan coil coated in ice needs a chemical flush. Daikin advises against doing it yourself because its chemical flush involves dismantling parts of the indoor unit.

Daikin's list of causes runs from simple ones, such as a dirty filter, something blocking the indoor or outdoor unit, the temperature set too high or windows and doors left open, to faulty parts. If gas is the problem, Mitsubishi Electric says the unit was either undercharged at installation or is leaking, and a leak needs a pressure test to find it, a repair and then the correct amount of gas. A top-up alone leaves the leak. Our article on aircon that is still not cold after servicing goes through what the technician should check.

Look for things you can check rather than a ranking. BCA asks owners to make sure installation or retrofitting is done by a trained air-conditioning unit installer who has an identification pass and is registered with BCA, publishes a list of trained installers, and asks for a trained installer to inspect outdoor-unit supports during routine servicing. For R32 units, Mitsubishi Electric keeps a list of firms trained on R32 equipment and asks firms that want to be listed for ITE certificates in installing and commissioning R32 split units and in R32 safety. Then compare written quotes that list each unit and the work on it, and that say extra repairs wait for your OK.

Dollars and Sense's July 2026 price guide gives typical ranges with installation of about S$1,100 to S$1,800 for a System 1 (one indoor unit) and about S$5,600 to S$7,000 for a System 5, sized around bedrooms and HDB flats. The same guide says brand, cooling capacity and energy rating move the price, that longer piping, extra trunking and harder access to the outdoor unit's ledge cost more, and that installation included in a package may leave out piping, brackets or trunking. A landed home can add longer pipe runs between floors, outdoor units on a roof or high wall and, for ducted units, ceiling work. Our aircon quotation check shows how to compare quotes line by line.

Yes, if the pipes and drains are to be hidden. Concealed refrigerant pipes and condensate drains run through ceilings and walls, so planning them before the ceilings close avoids opening finished work later. Installing into a finished house is still possible, but it can mean visible trunking or opening and making good a ceiling. Our article on planning the aircon drain route during a renovation covers where the water goes and how to keep the drain reachable.

There isn't one figure that fits every job. A new unit swapped onto suitable existing pipes is a far smaller job than a new ducted system across several floors with ceilings opened and made good, so the timing is set after the site check, together with when the equipment arrives and how the work fits around any renovation.

It comes down to the room and its ceiling, which our aircon buying guide for landed homes works through, along with whether existing pipes can be kept. For servicing, a wall-mounted unit is cleaned in the room, while a ducted unit is reached through an access panel in the ceiling.

MoneySmart's April 2026 renovation cost guide says landed property renovations can easily exceed S$100,000. A February 2026 MoneySmart budget guide estimates about S$100,000 to S$300,000 for landed or private housing, and says the figure varies with the materials, what the home already has and the contractor or interior designer chosen. Neither figure is a quote for your house. What moves a job from one end to the other is how many floors you touch, whether the kitchen or bathrooms move (new drainage and waterproofing, and sometimes wiring), how many walls are hacked or built, how much built-in carpentry you want, whether the attic or basement is part of it, and whether a qualified person has to submit plans. New paint and carpentry on two floors is a very different job from gutting a three-storey semi-detached. Our landed interior design buying guide shows how to compare design fees and building costs separately. To price your own house, we start with a free site assessment, then a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days, never from a photo.

A design fee can cover the work done on paper before anything is built, such as working out the layout with you, detailed drawings for the built-ins and the electrical and lighting points, choosing materials and finishes, and checking on site that the work follows the drawings. A one-floor refresh needs far less of that than a whole-house replan. CCCS's renovation guide says quoted prices should be itemised, so ask for the design fee as its own line, saying which drawings and how many revisions it covers. Structural drawings and plans for BCA come from a qualified person, who must be a registered architect or professional engineer, so check whether that fee sits inside the design fee or is billed on its own.

Yes, if the budget decides the scope. The biggest choice is whether the sink, toilet and shower stay where the pipes and drains already run. Moving them means new drainage, redoing the waterproofing and sometimes new wiring before any tile goes down, while keeping them lets the money go on surfaces, fittings and cabinets. Keeping appliances that still work also helps a fixed sum go further. Our landed kitchen renovation and landed bathroom renovation pages go through what drives each room's cost.

Some do and some don't. BCA says owners may have to submit building or structural plans before renovating, but minor works listed as insignificant building works are exempt. The list in the Building Control Regulations includes replacing floor and wall finishes, changing windows and doors, all air-conditioning works, and taking down, restoring or putting back a non-load-bearing wall, or making an opening in one. A non-load-bearing wall is one that carries only its own weight. Work on a wall, beam or column that holds up the floor above isn't on that list, so it may need plans approved first, and that side of the job is additions and alterations work. BCA advises owners to engage a qualified person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed, and work that is exempt from BCA can still need approval from other authorities such as URA.

It is worth paying for when the job moves things, such as opening up a kitchen, adding a bathroom upstairs, bringing a bedroom down to the ground floor or making an attic usable. Those changes have to be drawn and checked against the structure and the pipes before anyone builds, and a mistake found on paper is cheaper to fix than one found after hacking. If you're keeping the layout and renewing finishes and built-ins, you need much less design work. Either way, start by writing down how the household uses each room; our article on what to tell your interior designer before drawing begins shows what to include.

You can stay only if the household keeps a working bathroom, somewhere to prepare food, a bedroom and a safe way between them while the rest of the house is a site. Hacking brings heavy dust and noise. Wet works take a bathroom or kitchen out of use until the waterproofing and tiles are done. Rewiring and pipe work mean the power or water goes off in parts of the house while they are done. A whole-house job with all three running at once is hard to live through, so plan to move out for that. A single floor or a few rooms may be possible while you stay, as long as the rooms you keep don't share the pipes and wiring being changed. Our article on living at home during A&A works shows how to test a phasing plan.

Use each photo to pin down one thing you want and the problem it solves, like daylight over a dining table or storage by the front door. Then ask whether it depends on something your house doesn't have, such as a wider plot, a taller ceiling or a different stair position. A photo is a starting point for the design, not proof the layout fits your house. Our guide to turning terrace house design photos into a workable plan takes this further, and if the photos you save are mostly about light, see ways to bring more light into a dark terrace house.

They can, but they need different thinking from the rest of the house. An attic sits right under the roof, so heat from the roof comes straight into it, and the roof and windows decide how hot it gets before any aircon is sized; see how to make a hot attic more comfortable. A basement sits against the ground, so any damp or water at its walls or floor has to be traced and fixed before finishes go on; see what basement waterproofing and drainage each do. Either room also needs a safe stair. If making the space usable means a new floor, a roof change or cutting into the structure, that is building work that may need plans from a qualified person, which our attic conversion and basement construction pages cover.

Three waits, in this order. Any plans that need approval from BCA or URA have to be approved before that part of the work starts. Made-to-measure items such as cabinets, worktops and doors can only be ordered once the layout and the appliance sizes are fixed, which is why it pays to choose kitchen appliances before the cabinets. Then repairs found once walls and floors are opened, such as a corroded pipe or a damp wall, have to be fixed before the finishes go over them. CCCS's renovation guide says the contract should carry an agreed schedule with start and completion dates and say how delays will be handled, so ask for that schedule once the scope and any approvals are settled.

Ask each firm who will do the jobs the rules require, and get names. Which registered architect or professional engineer will be your Qualified Person, and do they hold a valid practising certificate? Which civil or structural engineer will sign and submit the structural plans? Which builder will be on BCA's permit application for the structural work? Then ask who supervises the site day to day, and how anything found when a ceiling or floor is opened up gets priced and approved before work carries on. A Qualified Person must be registered with the Board of Architects or the Professional Engineers Board and hold a valid practising certificate, and only one who is a professional engineer in the civil or structural discipline can apply for structural plan approval. DirectHome takes on A&A works for landed houses as the principal contractor. To start, send photos of the house, the approved plans if you have them, and what the house is missing, such as a bedroom downstairs or a bigger kitchen.

Renovation is the everyday word for doing up a house. In planning terms, A&A means adding to or altering an existing landed house within URA's limits. URA's guideline on additions and alterations to landed housing, which reads the same in its terrace, semi-detached and bungalow handbooks, keeps a proposal within A&A only if the floor area added is no more than 50% of the approved floor area, the outside walls taken down and replaced are no more than 50% of the approved outside walls, structural changes such as new columns and beams or rebuilt floor slabs are no more than 50% of the existing building, a whole new roof doesn't add a storey, and an attic adds less than 50% to the floor area. Anything outside those limits is reconstruction, and so is any extra storey or a change of house type, such as a semi-detached house becoming a detached one, whatever the percentages. A house approved under older rules has to keep new A&A within today's permissible building envelope, the outline URA allows the house to be built within, and if it's already bigger than that envelope, the A&A can't add to its bulk. Ask your Qualified Person to check the design against these criteria before it's priced. The A&A works buying guide goes further into choosing between a replan, an extension and a rebuild.

Look at three things. First, the state of the structure you'd keep, because A&A keeps the existing beams, columns and foundations and they have to carry the new work. Second, how much of the house your new layout would take out. If it means removing most of the walls and floors anyway, it crosses URA's 50% limits and becomes reconstruction. Third, whether your plot allows a bigger house than A&A's limit on added floor area would give you. Parts of an older house that were approved but wouldn't be allowed today can sometimes be kept. URA may consider it, under A&A or reconstruction, only if at least 25% of the existing floor plate is kept as one connected wing of columns, beams, floor slab and outside walls that includes those parts, a Professional Engineer certifies that what's kept is sound and can take the new works, and a front setback that's short of today's rules still leaves at least 2.4 m to the front boundary. If any of those kept parts is later demolished, URA has to be told at once, and the Qualified Person must make an amendment application before new works go on site. Replanning, extending or rebuilding for an extra bedroom compares the three against the same need.

We can't point you to a current independent price for A&A works in Singapore, so here's what makes one job bigger than another. An extension needs new footings beside the old foundations. On a middle terrace reached only through one narrow front, materials and rubble have to pass through the house itself, which is slower and dearer than working on a detached plot a lorry can drive into. Where the new roof meets the old one, the old roof is opened up and waterproofed again. A drain in the way may need moving. The room the extension opens into is hacked and then made good. And the Qualified Person's and engineer's design and submissions come before any of it is built. Which of these costs most varies from house to house, so no single part is the most expensive on every job. If you're weighing a rebuild instead, a June 2024 DollarsAndSense guide put building a landed house at S$300 to S$500 per square foot of built-up area, and about S$1.5 million for rebuilding a simple 3,000 sq ft house including professional fees. That's its estimate for a whole new house, not a price for adding to one.

Only if it covers everything the extension needs, not just the new room. On a landed extension that means the Qualified Person's and engineer's design and submissions, the foundations and structure, joining the new roof and drains to the old house, the finishes, and making good the room the extension opens into. Share your ceiling at the start so the design team can compare a smaller extension with reworking the rooms you already have, such as taking out a wall to join two rooms, before anything is drawn in detail.

Possibly. A corner terrace differs from a middle unit in two ways. It shares a wall with only one neighbour, and its side faces a boundary rather than another house. What decides a rear extension is the building setback from the rear boundary, any drain running behind the house, and the daylight left in the middle of the house once a new room sits in front of the back windows. URA's controls for each plot include building setbacks, so ask your Qualified Person to check the rear and side setbacks for your plot before the extension is sized. Where the work touches the shared wall, remember that wall holds up two houses, so cutting into it or putting new load on it affects next door too and needs the engineer's design.

The common choices are a flat concrete roof, a pitched tiled roof and a metal roof, and each changes the room below and the old house differently. A flat concrete slab is the heaviest, so the structure under it has to carry that weight, and it soaks up the day's heat and gives it off into the evening. It also needs a waterproofing layer and a fall to its outlets so water doesn't pond. A pitched tiled roof sheds rain quickly, but its slope has to meet the old house without trapping water where the two join. A metal roof is the lightest, but it's louder in heavy rain and heats up fast unless it's insulated underneath. Whichever you choose, ask which gutter and drain the new roof's water runs to and how it joins the existing roof. Why flat and pitched roofs leak in different places explains the difference, and if you want rooflights, keeping a room under the roof cool covers glazing, shading and heat together.

We can't give you a number of weeks until the design is drawn and the structure has been checked, so get the programme in writing at that point. The approvals come before structural work. Where a design meets URA's plan lodgment criteria for A&A to a landed house, a Qualified Person can lodge it and URA issues an acknowledgement letter, valid for two years. BCA's targets for processing a complete structural plan application are 7 working days without an accredited checker's certificate, 10 days for a first submission and 14 working days for later ones with one, and 20 working days under CORENET X. The permit to carry out structural works has a target of 7 working days and can be applied for together with the plans. Plans that need more evaluation, or that come from a Qualified Person whose past submissions were poor, can take longer. These are targets for complete applications, not a project schedule, and the design, URA's side, the building work and anything found once the structure is opened up all add time. Some minor jobs are insignificant building works that need no plan submission to BCA, though approvals from other authorities can still apply.

You can stay only if the part of the house you're living in keeps a safe way in and out, a working bathroom, water and power, and is sealed off from the dust and the work. Work on the roof, the stairs, the only bathroom or the pipes can take one of those away for a stage, so get the order of work in writing and decide stage by stage whether everyone stays, moves to another floor or moves out. Living at home during A&A works goes through what to check at each stage.

URA may allow an attic as incidental space inside your house's permitted two-storey or three-storey envelope, the outline of height and setbacks the house has to stay within. Its handbooks for terrace, semi-detached and bungalow houses say so in the same words, and the word "may" means each design is checked, not that every roof qualifies. On an existing terrace, semi-detached or detached house, adding an attic counts as A&A under URA's guideline only if it increases the gross floor area by less than 50%, and a new roof, even a higher one, mustn't add a storey. Otherwise URA treats the job as reconstruction, not A&A works. A roof terrace on an attic roof has to sit at least 3 m below the top of the envelope. Your Qualified Person checks the design against these rules. That's a registered architect or professional engineer with a valid practising certificate, whom you engage to advise on the approvals needed from BCA and URA.

Yes, unless your Qualified Person confirms the work is one of BCA's insignificant building works. BCA needs approved structural plans and a permit before building works start for everything except the insignificant works listed in its regulations. For URA, a design that meets its lodgment criteria for A&A to a landed house, including the limit on how much floor area the attic adds, can be lodged instead of going through a planning permission application, but lodgment isn't open to houses in conservation areas, Good Class Bungalow Areas or special control areas. Outside those criteria, ask your Qualified Person which URA application applies. An attic built without the approvals it needed is unauthorised building work, which is an offence under the Building Control Act.

BCA's headroom rule depends on the attic's size. In a house built for the owner's own use, the requirement that every room has adequate headroom and height for its use doesn't apply to an attic of 10 square metres or less, and BCA's Approved Document sets just those two conditions. A bigger attic has to meet the requirement, and the Approved Document treats it as met with a ceiling height of at least 2.4 m and headroom of at least 2.0 m. Ask your Qualified Person how that's measured under your sloping roof. Either way, the low space near the eaves suits built-in storage better than a bed, as long as the cupboards don't block a service hatch or a window, and a dormer can give standing height where URA and BCA approve it. For fresh air, BCA doesn't require natural ventilation in a landed house built for the owner's use, so an attic bedroom can rely on mechanical ventilation or aircon with mechanical ventilation instead. Using the attic as a bedroom, study or storage covers what each use needs.

For a room you'll use every day, we recommend a fixed stair with a handrail. That's our advice rather than a BCA requirement, because BCA's staircase requirements for handrails, landings and width, tread and riser don't apply to landed houses built for the owner's use. Your Qualified Person still checks the stair against the rules that do apply, such as its structural design. A folding loft ladder takes less space but suits occasional trips to storage, not carrying a laundry basket down at night. Our staircase renovation page covers stair types and handrails.

Not on its own. Insulation slows heat coming through the roof, but it does nothing about sun shining through roof glass and it doesn't cool the air. So the room also needs shading on any skylight and its own cooling, which means planning where the aircon's pipes run and where its outdoor unit goes. Making a hot attic more comfortable goes through the roof, glass and cooling choices together.

We can't point you to a current independent price for attic conversions in Singapore, so here's what sets the price, from the smallest job up. Lining and insulating roof space that already has a floor and standing height is the smaller job. A new floor and a new opening for the stair add structural work, plus changes to the room below where the stair lands. A dormer or a raised roof adds roof and waterproofing work and makes the URA and BCA submissions bigger. A bathroom adds water and waste pipes up to roof level, and aircon adds its own pipes and power. The Qualified Person's fees and the submissions are separate lines on top. Two attics the same size can end up at very different prices for these reasons, so ask for each of these steps to be priced as its own line. The attic conversion buying guide shows how to compare complete quotes.

Opening up the roof is a contractor's job at height, so from inside the house you only look and note. Every new skylight, dormer or vent makes new joints in the roof, and joints are where rain finds its way in if they aren't detailed properly. Each one needs flashing, the shaped strip that sheds rain over the joint, plus waterproofing, and both should be checked and photographed before the ceiling closes over them, because a leak found later means opening up the finished room. Ask who checks them and who answers for a leak at those joints afterwards. Roof waterproofing covers the rest of the roof.

It's possible, but water has to get up there and waste has to get down. Supply pipes have to reach roof level, and waste pipes need a fall to the existing drain pipes, which can mean raising the bathroom floor. That floor then needs waterproofing over the rooms below. PUB requires a Licensed Plumber for regulated water and sanitary plumbing work, leaving handymen only simple jobs such as replacing a tap or fitting a basin. If the water has to be pumped or stored in a tank to reach the attic, PUB requires a Professional Engineer to design and supervise that system, and for building works the owner engages a Qualified Person to prepare and submit the sanitary plans. How bathroom waterproofing prevents leaks after renovation explains the checks before tiling.

The time goes on stages, so ask for a date against each one rather than a single finish date. The Qualified Person's design comes first, then the URA and BCA submissions and their replies. BCA's own targets for processing a complete structural plan application are 20 working days for a submission through CORENET X, which BCA says new projects must use from 1 October 2026, or 7 working days through CORENET 2 (10 days for a first submission with an accredited checker's certification), then 7 working days for the permit, and possibly longer where more evaluation is needed. Your Qualified Person knows which system the job goes through. Windows and skylights have to be ordered, and roof work waits for dry weather, as whether roof waterproofing can be done in the rain explains. Staying inside the existing roof shape means fewer of these stages than adding a dormer or rebuilding the roof. While the roof is open and the stair opening is cut, the rooms right under the attic and the room where the stair lands get dust, noise and a risk of rain, so agree in writing which rooms are out of use for which stage and how they're covered. Living at home during A&A works helps you decide whether to stay.

We can't point you to a current independent price for building a basement or repairing a leaking one, so here's what makes one job bigger than another. A deeper dig needs a taller retaining wall and, below the water table, puts more water pressure on the floor and walls. Digging under a house you're keeping means holding up its foundations while the ground beneath is removed, which a rebuild avoids. A neighbour close to the boundary means a stiffer retaining wall and closer monitoring, and BCA and URA's Be Good Neighbours guide tells owners planning a basement to factor in the cost of the retaining system, its design submission to BCA and repairing any damage the dig causes. High groundwater means pumping during the dig, and a basement that needs a pumped drainage system afterwards goes on costing power and servicing for it. For a leak, sealing one joint or crack is a smaller job than lining whole walls or adding a drainage system, and reaching the outside face means digging. Our basement construction cost article explains what has to be investigated before a price can be relied on.

URA allows basements under landed houses within set limits, so in principle yes, but adding one under a house you're keeping is a harder job than building one into a rebuild. The house's foundations have to be held up while the ground beneath is dug out, in a tight space and a set order; a rebuild or major extension opens other options. Under URA's envelope control guidelines, a basement that sticks out above ground can't come closer to the road than URA's road buffer, or closer to your other boundaries than the building setback. A fully underground one can come closer. The road reserve is land to be handed to the State for the road, and the road reserve line on the Road Line Plan is where that land meets your plot; a fully underground basement can go right up to that line if the part under the green buffer is at least 2 m down, and up to your site boundary if there are no technical requirements such as sewerage or drainage, no adverse impact on the adjoining property and no openings into the next site. Terrace and semi-detached houses also need the part under the 2 m planting verge at least 2 m down, and in a Good Class Bungalow Area it's set back 2 m from the boundary. On sloping ground, URA may consider an exposed protrusion that stays within the envelope height. Between terrace or semi-detached neighbours, URA and BCA's Be Good Neighbours guide says a basement can be allowed, but the owner should weigh the risk to the party walls and take measures against damage.

Yes. Only a Qualified Person who is a registered Professional Engineer in the civil or structural discipline can apply for BCA's structural plan approval, and once the plans are approved, structural work can't start until a permit is issued. The permit is applied for jointly by the developer (under the Building Control Act, the person the building works are carried out for), the QP and the builder who will do the work. Plans can be approved in phases, and BCA's own example includes a basement stage; a material change to the approved plans needs approval before it's built. The structural plan application includes URA's planning permission or lodgement receipt, so the design also has to sit within URA's basement limits. PUB's drainage code says a new house or a rebuild has to meet its Minimum Platform Level, while A&A works to an existing building with no link to underground special facilities such as rapid transit systems need not, though PUB says the QP should still recommend that level to reduce flood risk; the QP confirms which applies.

It can, which is why a survey before the dig is a legal requirement and monitoring during it is part of URA and BCA's guidance, though none of this guarantees no damage. BCA's guide to pre-construction surveys says Regulation 32 of the Building Control Regulations requires a survey recording the condition of buildings close to the site before any excavation, piling, foundation or demolition work starts, and failing to carry it out is an offence. The builder should carry it out in consultation with the QP, who decides how far it needs to go; as a guide, BCA's minimum zone for excavation is 15 m from the site boundary. Each nearby owner must get a copy of the report on their house before construction starts, which helps show later whether a crack was already there. URA and BCA's Be Good Neighbours guide says the engineer should also assess the dig's impact, and where neighbours could be affected, the owner must make sure the builder monitors those houses closely so work can be halted if damage starts to show.

We can't give you a number of weeks until the ground is investigated and the design is drawn, because the dig, the structure and the waterproofing depend on what the investigation finds. The time figures we can point to are BCA's processing targets. Under CORENET X, which BCA says is mandatory for all new projects by 1 October 2026, structural plans go in as part of a joint cross-agency submission that BCA aims to process within 20 working days, and the structural works permit within 7 working days of complete documents. Those targets apply to complete applications that meet the requirements first time.

Yes, but an inside lining keeps water out of the room, not out of the wall. Sika says internal systems, applied to the inside face, do not prevent damage to the structure from water ingress and are only recommended for refurbishment where the outside surfaces can't be reached. On an existing basement the outside face can only be reached by digging down beside it, so an inside repair ranges from sealing one leaking joint or crack, to lining whole walls, to a system that collects the water and pumps it away, which needs power, servicing and a plan for blocked drains and pump failures. Waterproof paint over a damp patch doesn't tell you which of these the leak needs. Sort out the water before choosing a floor; the basement buying guide explains choosing flooring for a dry, assessed floor.

Not on every site. On sites in low-lying landed housing areas, URA's envelope control guidelines for terrace, semi-detached and detached houses require any building structures or living areas below the Minimum Platform Level, which PUB sets, to be fully sealed with no external openings. If external openings are proposed, PUB's additional requirements apply: the internal finished floor at least 300 mm above the adjacent road, only driveways, bin centres, turfed compound areas, car porches or other areas PUB approves below that level, and bedrooms and M&E installations above it. PUB's drainage code also requires a crest level, a minimum height for the bottom of every entrance, exit and opening into a basement, ventilation openings included. An open light well lets rain straight in, and that water has to be drained or pumped away. A room people use also needs fresh air and equipment that can be serviced, which our article on basement ventilation and plant access covers.

It may be possible, provided the lift is chosen before the basement design is fixed. Pit, shaft and headroom needs depend on the lift system, and any pit sits below the basement floor, so it becomes part of the structure and the waterproofing. Our guide to home lift shaft dimensions explains what a shaft needs, and the home lift service page covers the lift itself.

Keeping the sink, hob and hood where the pipes, gas and duct already run keeps the work to new cabinets, the worktop and appliances. Moving them is what adds cost, because each moved fitting brings its own work, such as a water supply and a waste pipe for a sink, a gas pipe or a power supply that can carry an induction hob for a hob, and a new duct out of the house for a ducted hood. Each of those means opening walls or floor and making them good again. A separate wet kitchen adds a set of these for every sink, hob or appliance you duplicate, which is why it costs more than its extra cabinets. A price per foot run covers the cabinets alone, and our look at per-foot wardrobe quotes shows what that kind of carpentry price can leave out.

A carpenter, or a kitchen cabinet contractor, can make and fit the cabinets, which is the part of the job that carpentry and built-ins covers. The pipes, wiring and gas behind the cabinets are different work. PUB requires a Licensed Plumber for regulated plumbing, such as laying or altering water pipes and relocating sanitary piping, though its list of simple works a handyman may do includes installing or replacing a sink with its trap. EMA says electrical work at home should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker, which covers new sockets for an oven, dishwasher or island. For a gas hob, EMA's advice is to engage a Licensed Gas Service Worker for any gas service work. So if you hire a kitchen carpenter, ask who is doing the plumbing, wiring and gas, and who is responsible for each.

We can't give you a number of weeks until the scope is set. These are the things that decide how long you're without a kitchen. The cabinets and worktop can't be made until the appliance models and final measurements are fixed, so a late change of oven or hob holds them up; an appliance schedule settles the models early. Moving the sink or hob means new pipes, wiring or gas before the cabinets go in, and new floor tiles or waterproofing in a wet kitchen can need drying time. EMA's advice is to have City Energy cut off the piped gas before renovation work starts, so a gas hob is out of use from the first day. If a wall comes out or the kitchen is extended, any approval it needs comes first. Ask for the days without water, a sink and cooking to be marked on the programme, not only the finish date.

Cutting into a wall or beam, or enclosing part of the yard or porch to make the kitchen bigger, is building work that can need plans approved. BCA says private owners may be required to submit building or structural plans for approval, though some minor building works are exempt. Its advice is to engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA, and to consult the QP when in doubt. Approval is separate from who may do the work. New water pipes are Licensed Plumber work under PUB's rules, and new wiring should be done or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker under EMA's guidance. For a kitchen extension, read what A&A works mean for a landed house.

A wet kitchen is the closed one, behind a door or glass screen, for frying, wok cooking and washing up; a dry kitchen is the open one near the dining area for preparing food and drinks and serving. A separate wet kitchen is worth it if you fry or wok-cook often enough to want the smoke and grease shut away, and every sink, hob or appliance you put in both needs its own pipes, power, gas or duct. The kitchen guide goes through whether a separate wet kitchen is worth it for your cooking.

For a gas hob and regular wok frying, choose a hood that ducts the air outside. Miele's hood guide says an extraction hood should be installed where possible above gas cooktops, lists frequent wok, grill or deep-fat frying among the cooking it suits, and notes that with a recirculating hood the moisture generally stays in the room. It also says extraction needs a supply of fresh air, such as an open window, and that air throughput depends on the type and diameter of the ducting. Bosch's installation advice likewise is to keep a window open near the hob in extractor mode, and to keep the space between the hood and the wall sleeve, where the duct passes through the outside wall, as small as possible to prevent performance losses; if that distance is too far, it recommends a recirculating hood instead. So a hob near an outside wall is worth planning for, and the duct's way out needs agreeing before the wall cabinets are drawn. The ducted and recirculating hood comparison goes through the choice for a landed kitchen.

Around the sink, dishwasher and hob, we recommend plywood or an aluminium or stainless steel carcass. Formica's guide to the boards under its laminates says MDF and particleboard perform reliably in dry, controlled conditions and that plywood can offer more strength, screw-holding and resistance to humidity, though it rates plywood only marginal as a base for bonding its own laminates. A metal carcass doesn't soak up water, so a slow leak under the sink can't swell it the way it can swell a board, but it won't keep water off the wall or floor behind. Whatever the board, ask for sealed edges and a removable panel to reach the pipes under the sink, because the same maker's care advice warns that water flooding laminate near seams can make the board underneath swell. The kitchen guide explains how to choose cabinets for the wet side.

Choose by how you cook, because each maker sets its own heat rules. Caesarstone asks owners to always put hot items on a trivet or heat pad on its quartz. Cosentino says its Dekton sintered stone is designed to withstand hot saucepans and frying pans, but still recommends mats for longer periods, especially on its 4 and 8 mm slabs. For granite and other natural stone, the Natural Stone Institute says many stones can withstand heat but recommends trivets or mats, and that sealing makes stone more stain resistant rather than stain proof, while many stones may not need sealing at all. So in a wet kitchen, decide where a hot wok lands before choosing the slab, and ask the supplier for the exact product's care sheet. The worktop care article compares the routines before you choose.

You can, but each move adds work behind the cabinets. A moved sink needs a new water supply and a waste pipe that falls all the way to a drain, which can mean opening the floor or building a low platform for the pipe to run under. New water pipes are Licensed Plumber work under PUB's rules, unlike swapping a sink in the same place. A hob on an island needs gas or power brought out to the middle of the room and somewhere for the cooking air to go; for that, Bosch lists island chimney hoods that hang from the ceiling and venting hobs with the fan built into the hob. New wiring for an induction hob or oven should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker, and a gas pipe to a moved hob goes to a Licensed Gas Service Worker under EMA's advice. Settle all of this before the cabinets are made.

Other rooms can stay in use while the kitchen is done, but the kitchen itself won't be. EMA's advice is to have City Energy cut off the piped gas before renovation work starts, and the water may be shut off for a time while new pipes are connected. Before work starts, decide where the fridge, a kettle and microwave, and the washing up will go, away from the dust. With a wet and a dry kitchen, ask whether the two can be rebuilt one after the other, so one keeps a counter, the fridge and a working socket.

The big difference is whether the floor comes up. MoneySmart's condo renovation guide, updated in April 2026, using Qanvast's figures, puts a light bathroom upgrade with no tiles hacked at S$400 to S$6,100, and an extensive one, with every wall and floor tile hacked out, full retiling, pipes rerouted for three or more fittings, and a full-height mirror and complete vanity cabinet, at S$12,600 to S$46,800. Those are figures for flats, not landed houses, and there's no current independent figure for a landed bathroom. A landed bathroom can cost more. It may be bigger, an older house may need the floor taken back to the concrete and waterproofed again, moving the toilet means new waste pipes, and a leak can leave the ceiling below to repair. That's why our fixed-price quote comes after a free site assessment, within 3 to 5 working days, and never from a photo. The toilet, basin, taps and screen you pick change the total too, and the bathroom buying guide covers choosing them.

We can't give you a number of weeks until the scope is set, because replacing worn fittings and rebuilding the floor are different jobs. A rebuild also has waiting time that can't be rushed. For its Sikalastic-668 Dampflex bathroom membrane, Sika says a new concrete slab should cure for at least 28 days and newly rendered surfaces must cure for at least 7 days before the membrane goes on. The first coat then dries for 1 to 2 hours and the second for about 4, and the ponding test can be carried out 24 hours after the final coat. Those are one product's times, not the length of a job, and the screed, tiles and fittings all come after them.

Not always for the building work, but the plumbing has its own rule. BCA says some minor building works don't need plans submitted to it, and that private owners should engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the approvals needed from BCA and other authorities. BCA's advice is to consult your Qualified Person when in doubt. Cutting into the structure or adding a bathroom where there wasn't one are the kinds of changes to ask about first. PUB says regulated water and sanitary plumbing must be carried out by a PUB Licensed Plumber, apart from a list of simple jobs a handyman may do, and the Licensed Plumber lodges the submissions PUB needs. For building works, PUB says the owner must engage a Qualified Person to prepare and submit the sanitary plans. Where the job needs a Qualified Person, engineers or BCA submissions, we arrange them.

Yes, up front, because nothing is hacked out or carted away. There's no current independent figure for how much less it costs in a landed bathroom, so ask for both routes to be priced. What you give up is access. The old waterproofing stays underneath and the floor keeps its old slope, so water that pools now will still pool. The floor also rises at the door and around the drain, and a leak under the old tiles can't be reached without taking up both layers. We recommend an overlay only where the floor is dry, there's no stain on the ceiling below and water still runs to the floor trap. Where there's a leak, new tiles on top won't stop it.

Not necessarily. The stain tells you water is getting through, not where it's coming from. It can be a leaking pipe joint, a cracked floor trap, sealant that has failed around the shower, or a waterproof membrane that has broken down across the floor. One joint can be a local repair. A failed membrane means the floor comes up, because patching over it just moves the leak. Note when the stain appears and grows, and see what to record when a bathroom leaks into the room below before agreeing to any hacking. If the wet patch is near a ceiling light or fan, switch that circuit off and have a Licensed Electrical Worker look at it before it's used again.

It can work if the new position can still drain downhill to the existing soil stack, the main pipe that carries waste down through the house. The waste pipe needs a steady fall all the way, and that run has to fit either in a raised floor, which can mean a step at the door, or in the ceiling of the room below. So the depth of the floor and the room underneath decide the layout. PUB lists installing, changing or relocating a toilet bowl as sanitary plumbing work, which a PUB Licensed Plumber must carry out. Have the plumber check the stack and the route before the layout is drawn.

By testing it before anything covers it. In a ponding test the floor is flooded and left to stand while the membrane is still exposed, to show whether water gets through. For its Sikalastic-668 Dampflex, Sika says at least 2 coats should be applied, the ponding test can be carried out 24 hours after the final coat, the membrane must be protected by rendering or screeding afterwards, and the floor needs enough fall that water doesn't pond. A pass tells you the membrane held when it was tested, not that later drilling can't damage it. The waterproofing checks to make before the tiles go down go further.

AIC's home safety advice lists grab bars, non-slip mats or a non-slip treatment on toilet floors, a shower chair with a portable shower head, and night lights between the bed and the bathroom, and says an occupational therapist or healthcare professional can assess the home for hazards. A renovation is the time for changes that are hard to add later. A level shower entrance removes the kerb people trip over, but the floor then has to fall to a drain, such as a slot drain along one edge, to keep the water in. How a step-free shower keeps the water in explains the levels. Grab bars need something solid to fix into, so decide where they go before tiling. A door that opens outward or slides can still be opened if someone has fallen against it. AIC also notes that EASE subsidises home modifications for eligible HDB and private property owners, and EASE and EASE (Private) cover different work.

It can be an extractor fan that was never ducted to the outside, or one too small for the room, so the damp air has nowhere to go. A floor trap in a bathroom nobody uses can dry out and let drain smells back in, and a wall can stay damp from an old leak. Note whether it's worse after showers, after rain or after the room has stood unused, because that points to which it is. New tiles over the same problem leave the smell where it is.

There's no current independent figure for a landed home that we can point you to, so here's what sets the price. Where a quote gives a price per foot run, that's the length of wall a unit covers, and the same foot of wall can hold very different cabinets. A wardrobe that runs up to a higher ceiling needs taller panels or an extra row of top cabinets. Drawers cost more than shelves because each one is a box on its own pair of runners, and spray-painted doors cost more than laminate because each is sanded, primed and sprayed in coats that need time to dry. An uneven wall means trimming panels to its shape on site. Taking out old carpentry, a Licensed Electrical Worker for lights or sockets, and patching the wall or floor afterwards can sit outside the cabinet price. What a per-foot price leaves out shows how to read those lines in a quote, and sliding or hinged wardrobe doors helps you choose between the two door types. For your own room, we come for a free site assessment and give you a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days, never from a photo.

We can't point you to an independent published price for a walk-in wardrobe, so here's what sets it. The cost of the carpentry follows the cabinets around the walls, not the room's floor area. Open shelves and hanging rails need no doors or hinges, drawers each need a box and a pair of runners, glass doors need a frame, and an island in the middle is a whole extra unit. Lights inside the cabinets add electrical work, which should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker. If the walk-in is made by closing off part of a bedroom, the new partition wall and its door are building work priced on top of the carpentry. To price yours, we look at the room on a free site assessment and give you a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days, never from a photo.

We can't give you a number of weeks until the rooms and the units are settled, and here's why. When the units are made off site, they're made to measurements taken in the room, and those can't be final until the floor, the walls and the socket positions are finished, or the cabinets get made for a room that then changes. Kitchen cabinets also wait for the appliance models, because each opening is cut to fit them, which is why choosing kitchen appliances before the cabinets matters. Spray-painted doors take longer to make than laminate ones, because each coat needs time to dry. Once the drawings are signed off, ask for the dates each room will be out of use.

BCA's guide to works that don't need approval and the Building Control Regulations' list of insignificant building works don't name built-in cabinets or wardrobes either way. What they do cover is the building work that can come with carpentry. BCA says owners may be required to submit building or structural plans for building works, that some minor building works are exempt, and that owners should engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA. The regulations' list of insignificant building works, which need no plan submission to BCA, includes putting up a partition wall up to 10 m high that carries nothing but its own weight, as long as any non-laminated glass in it sits no higher than 2.4 m above the floor in a landed house. So a partition to close off a walk-in wardrobe can be on that list, though BCA says owners must still get any approvals other authorities require. Where your job also takes out a wall, builds a partition or turns an attic into a room, we arrange the engineer or Qualified Person and the submissions it needs. BCA's advice is to consult your QP when in doubt about the clearances, and we arrange that QP too. Adding or moving a socket, switch or light point for a cabinet should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker.

No board name settles it on its own. What matters more is where water can reach the cabinet and how its edges are sealed. In a landed house that means under the kitchen sink, in the yard or wet kitchen, under a bathroom vanity, and in a ground-floor cabinet against an outside wall. The weak point is a cut edge or a seam. If water sits there, it can get in and swell the board underneath while the face still looks fine. Formica, a laminate maker, warns against flooding its laminate near seams because water can get in and swell the board underneath. Plywood and MDF are families of boards rather than one product each, so for those spots ask which grade is behind each front and how the sink cut-out is sealed. If you're also choosing boards for what they give off indoors, what to ask for in low-emission carpentry covers the test reports.

It is, where a room has a height or a shape a loose piece can't use. Under a high ceiling, a loose wardrobe stops short and leaves empty space and a dust shelf on top, where a built-in can carry a row of top cabinets. On a long wall, loose pieces in standard widths can leave gaps at the ends, where a built-in runs wall to wall. The triangle under the stairs and the low side of an attic slope fit no standard unit, and four ideas for under-stair storage and built-ins or freestanding furniture under an attic slope show what each space can hold. Loose furniture is still easier to move when a room changes use, and it comes with you if you move house. The carpentry buying guide goes further into where a built-in is worth it and how to plan one.

Look at the edge and the grain. A laminate front is a printed sheet bonded to the board, with a matching strip along each edge. Veneer is a thin slice of real wood, so the grain is real and differs from door to door, and its edges need a strip or a timber lip too. A sprayed front is painted in coats, so the colour wraps round the edge with no strip, and it can follow grooves and curves. Care differs by product. Formica's care guide for its laminates says to clean them with a damp, non-abrasive cotton cloth and a mild detergent, then rinse and dry.

Either can happen. Watch any cabinet on the ground floor, against an outside wall, or next to a planter, the yard or a wet kitchen, because that's where damp can reach the back of a cabinet and where termites can come in from the ground. If a wall has had a leak or termites, get the leak fixed or the termites treated before cabinets cover it, because once they're fitted you can't see the wall behind them. On a wall like that, keep a panel you can take off to look behind the cabinet.

Yes, if you can do without the room while our specialist's carpenters are fitting it. When the units are made off site, the loudest cutting happens away from your house. Fitting still means drilling into walls, trimming panels to fit and some dust in that room. Panels for upstairs rooms are carried up the stairs, so the floor and staircase along that route need covering. A kitchen is the hardest room to lose, so plan meals around the days its cabinets and worktop go in.

Home & Decor's October 2024 vinyl guide puts market rates in Singapore at about $5 to $8 a square foot for vinyl, $6 to $12 for ceramic tiles, around $12 to $25 for hardwood and $15 to $30 for marble, without saying whether laying is included. A Qanvast guide from April 2025 puts laying at about $1 to $4 a square foot for vinyl and $4 to $6 for tiles. These are the publications' own ranges, not our prices. There's no current independent figure for parquet on its own, or for what the old floor adds, such as hacking and disposal if it comes out and a cement screed to level the base. Check that skirting and door trimming are included, because MoneySmart's flooring guide notes some quotes leave them out, and allow extra material for offcuts. We give a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days of a free site assessment, never from a photo. Our article on whether overlaying or hacking costs less overall works through what each route adds.

Overlaying is cheaper when the old floor is firm enough to stay and the extra height doesn't force costly changes elsewhere, because it skips hacking, disposal and a new screed. What can stay depends on the new floor. Quick-Step's list for its floating vinyl lets ceramic tiles, glued laminate or parquet and fixed wood boards stay, while carpet, cushion vinyl and floating laminate or parquet have to come out. The new layer also raises the floor, so doors, thresholds and the first stair step are checked against the new level. Our article on overlaying or hacking works through the doors, stairs and damp that change the bill.

MoneySmart's June 2026 renovation timeline guide says smaller projects such as replacing flooring may be completed within 2 to 4 weeks, depending on complexity and scheduling. That's a general figure for Singapore homes rather than a landed-house schedule, and we can't give you a number of weeks until we've checked the old floor at the site assessment. Time goes up with hacking and disposal, refixing or levelling the base, and drying. For a new cement screed, Quick-Step's parquet instructions allow at least a week of drying per centimetre of thickness up to 4 cm and twice that beyond it, so a 6 cm screed needs at least 8 weeks before its parquet goes down. Tiles take longer to lay than click vinyl, because each one is bedded in adhesive and then grouted. Doing the house a floor at a time so you can stay in it can take longer than clearing it.

Not from BCA for replacing the floor finish itself. Replacement of existing floor and wall finishes is on the list of insignificant building works, which BCA says don't need plans submitted to it. If the work goes beyond that, or you're not sure whether it does, BCA advises owners to engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA. Even where no BCA submission is needed, homeowners must still get any approvals other authorities require, and in a strata estate the MCST's approval might also be needed. When a job needs a Qualified Person or a BCA submission, we arrange them.

Tiles. MoneySmart's 2019 guide names marble and tile the best waterproof options for wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens. Vinyl can warp under high heat and moisture, especially if it isn't laid properly. Real timber such as parquet needs more care, because the same MoneySmart guide notes that Singapore's heat and humidity can make wood expand and shift over time. Water-resistant vinyl suits a room that gets wet now and then, but not a shower, and one maker rules it out of rooms with a built-in drain, which is what a floor trap is. Our guide to choosing vinyl room by room covers where each kind of vinyl works.

Yes, if the slab is dry enough for the timber you choose, so have its moisture measured before deciding. Quick-Step's parquet instructions say a concrete base must be dry enough before laying, that other damp proofing must be used where the moisture is higher or may become higher, and that the readings are recorded and kept. If there's a leak or a damp patch, fix its cause first. If the slab stays damp, tile is the safer choice, because it's waterproof and wood moves with moisture.

Tile, or another floor made for outdoor use, laid to a slope that carries rain to the drain and with a surface that grips when wet. Tiles are waterproof and commonly used on balconies. Vinyl isn't for outdoor floors, and Karndean's rigid vinyl guide rules out outdoor use for its product. On a car porch, also ask whether the tile and the bed under it are meant to take a parked car.

Not necessarily. A hollow sound can mean a tile has come loose from the bed beneath it, but on its own it doesn't show whether the tile has failed or how far the problem goes. We check the area at the site assessment before anything is decided, because a local problem may allow a local repair while movement under a wider area means more has to come up. Don't lay anything over them until then, since a floating floor needs a base that is stable and firmly fixed.

Yes, as long as the stair is planned as its own piece of work rather than as more floor. A floating click floor stops short of the stairs and leaves its edge gap, so the treads and risers get their own fixed pieces, with a nosing at each edge for grip. Adding a layer to the floors at the top and bottom also changes the height of the first and last steps, so the whole flight is measured first, as our article on first and last step levels after an overlay explains. If the stair itself is being rebuilt or reclad, see staircase renovation.

We can't point to a current independent published price for a landed house. The closest is MoneySmart's condo renovation guide, updated in April 2026, which, using Qanvast's figures, puts ceiling work in a condo living and dining area at S$400 to S$1,200 for a partial L-box false ceiling with lighting and S$1,200 to S$8,500 for a full L-box ceiling with lights and enhancements. Those are condo figures, not a landed price or a cap. On a landed house the price moves with what gets built, such as a full flat ceiling instead of an L-box along one wall, moisture-resistant board in a bathroom or kitchen, each downlight point that needs new wiring, a built recess for cove lighting, a reinforced fan point, an access panel at each aircon unit, scaffolding or a tower for a double-height void, and the skim coat and paint. Cove lighting adds a built recess as well as the strip, driver and control, while downlights add a cut-out, a fitting and a wire for every point, so which costs more depends on the length of cove against the number of downlights. We give a fixed price within 3 to 5 working days of a free site assessment, never from a photo alone. The ceiling and lighting buying guide compares the ceiling types.

Compare what each quote shows, not the company name. A useful quote draws the ceiling in section through the deepest beam so you can see how low it sits, names the board for each room, marks an access panel at each aircon unit, drain and driver that's big enough to take the part out, says which fan points get reinforced, names the Licensed Electrical Worker doing the wiring, and lists what's left out, such as moving the aircon or painting the walls. Two prices for different drawings aren't comparable, and a rate per square foot on its own shows none of this.

Hanging a fan is a job for a licensed installer, and any new wiring for a Licensed Electrical Worker, with the power off. Done that way, yes, as long as the fan point has been properly reinforced. KDK's installation FAQ says there's no issue installing a ceiling fan on a false ceiling that has been reinforced properly, and the maker strongly encourages a licensed installer rather than doing it yourself. Its standard installation doesn't cover reinforcing the false ceiling or adding a new electrical point, so make sure both are in someone's quote. A fan shouldn't hang from the ceiling board alone.

Keep everyone out from under a sagging section, and leave any lights in a wet ceiling switched off until a Licensed Electrical Worker has checked them. Yes, it can be repaired once the water above is found and stopped, whether it comes from a bathroom, an aircon drain or the roof, or once a loose fixing is put right. From the floor, note where the stain is and whether it grows after rain or after the bathroom upstairs is used. The US Environmental Protection Agency's mould guide warns that mould will most likely come back if the water problem isn't fixed, and that porous materials such as ceiling tiles may have to be thrown away once mouldy, so a mouldy patch of board may need cutting out and replacing, and shouldn't be painted over. If the water comes from upstairs, see a bathroom leaking downstairs for what to note first. A roof leak is a roof waterproofing job before it's a ceiling job.

Yes. A concealed aircon unit, its refrigerant pipes, its condensate drain and the wiring can all sit above the board, either in an L-box along one wall or across a full ceiling. There's no single figure for how much height you lose, because the concealed unit and its drain set the depth. Daikin's installation manual for one series of its ceiling-concealed units asks for the drain to slope down at least 1 in 100, and for an inspection opening on the side where the control box and drain pump are serviced, with another below the unit. So the ceiling follows the aircon route, and the deepest drop sits under the unit and along the drain, while a ceiling with only wiring and downlights above it can sit closer to the slab. Ask for a section drawn through the deepest beam, then compare an L-box with lowering the whole room. Lighting without a full false ceiling shows what you can keep at full height, aircon drain problems to catch before the ceiling goes up covers the drain, and our aircon service covers the units.

No independent source gives a duration for landed false ceiling work, so we don't put a number of weeks on it before the layout and services are fixed. The order doesn't change. The aircon installer hangs the units and runs the pipes and drains, the wiring is run by or under a Licensed Electrical Worker, and the ceiling installer puts up the frame around them. Then come the board, the joints and skim coat, and paint, with fittings and testing last. It stretches when one trade waits for another, when a double-height void needs scaffolding or a tower, and when the old ceiling comes down to show a leak that has to be fixed first.

BCA's guide for private property owners says renovation can need building or structural plans approved, but some minor building works are exempt, and it points owners to its First Schedule of Insignificant Building Works for the list. It says owners should engage a Qualified Person, a registered architect or professional engineer, to advise on the clearances needed from BCA and other authorities such as URA, and that owners remain responsible for any other authority's clearance even where BCA approval isn't needed. When in doubt, BCA's advice is to consult your Qualified Person. Where your works need a Qualified Person or a BCA submission, we arrange both. The wiring is separate. New light points are electrical work, which EMA says should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker, and EMA asks you to check the worker's licence card before the work starts.

In layers, rather than downlights fired from the top. Philips' lighting plan builds a room from general, task and accent light and suggests two or three of those layers in each room. In a void that can mean a pendant or cluster sized to the space, wall or cove lights at the upper level, and task light down where people sit and read. Before buying a high fitting, decide how it will be reached for cleaning and bulb changes, whether that's a tower each time, a winch or drop rod that lowers it, or a long-life sealed fitting. Work at that height is for the installer, with the power off. Three ways to light a double-height living room compares the layouts.

A board or panel made for outdoor ceilings, not standard plasterboard. Knauf makes its MoistureShield board for indoor walls and ceilings in bathrooms and kitchens, and its AQUAPANEL exterior ceiling system for soffits and the undersides of balconies, with a cement board that resists moisture and mildew. Hunter Douglas makes metal ceilings for covered outdoor areas such as car parks. Light fittings out there need to suit outdoor use as well. Before the soffit is closed, have a roofer check the gutters, flashing and any slab above, because water trapped above a new soffit only shows later as a stain.

Decide on dimming before the wiring goes in, because the bulb or fitting, its driver and the dimmer have to work together. Signify's dimmer compatibility list rates particular lamp and dimmer pairs from lab measurements, so a dimmable label on one part doesn't promise smooth dimming with any switch, and why dimmable LED lights flicker covers what to check. On 2 October 2026, IKEA Singapore listed its SOLHETTA GU10 600-lumen dimmable bulb at S$6.90 and its 96 cm SKURUP three-spot ceiling track at S$29.90, with bulbs sold separately. Those prices are for those two products only, and the SKURUP is a fixed fitting with its three spots attached, not a rail sold by length for separate heads. A wired wall dimmer, the wiring for a new point and any ceiling work cost extra, and we can't point to an independent figure for them.

We can't point you to a current independent price for facade repairs, screens or cladding on a landed house, so here's what makes one job bigger than another. A corner terrace or semi-detached house has more exposed wall than a middle terrace, and a detached house more again. The upper floors need a scaffold or other safe access. Loose or hollow plaster has to come off and be re-rendered before any paint goes on. A repaint is surface work, while cladding adds a frame, fixings and its own design. Boundary walls, screens, lighting and driveway work are separate jobs, so ask for each to be priced on its own line. We give a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days of a free site assessment, never from photos, because hollow plaster, how many sides of the house are exposed and the access each side needs only show on site.

It depends on the house and the work. If the house is conserved, you need URA's Conservation Permission before work starts, even just to repaint the facade, because URA lists painting of building facades among its Category 3 works, which need permission before they start. URA says the application is free and takes about two weeks, owners or contractors can make it, and no work should be carried out before the permission is issued. Bigger changes to a conserved house can fall under another category. BCA's Periodic Facade Inspection doesn't apply to a house used only as a home, because its guidelines exclude detached, semi-detached, terraced or linked houses used solely as residences. If part of the house is used for something else, such as an office, two more conditions decide it. The inspection covers only buildings over 20 years old, every seven years, and buildings whose highest point is 13 metres or lower from the ground are excluded too. If the use has changed or BCA has sent you a notice, check with BCA, and keep maintaining the exterior either way. New cladding may need a Qualified Person's structural design. Our facade buying guide on checking the walls and comparing quotes goes further.

We can't give a number of weeks until the walls have been checked, because repairs found once the scaffold is up can add to the work. Some steps do have known times. For a conserved house, URA takes about two weeks to process a Category 3 application, and work can't start before the permission is issued. Painting stops in wet weather and waits for a damp wall to dry. Dulux's Weathershield sheet, for one paint, says not to apply it during wet weather or where the moisture reading is above 17%. From 1 January 2027, MOM limits a newly erected timber scaffold to three months, down from nine. A job expected to run longer should consider a metal or aluminium scaffold instead, because MOM considers extensions case by case and doesn't approve them automatically. The scaffold should stay up until the upper walls have been checked.

We can't point you to a current independent figure for repainting a landed home, so look at what each quote covers. A repaint quote should list the scaffold or other access for the upper floors, the preparation, any plaster repair and the paint system. Read the preparation closely. Dulux's Weathershield sheet, for one paint, asks for loose or powdery paint to be scraped off and algae treated before painting. Plaster that's loose or hollow has to be hacked off and re-rendered first, and the paint system means the primer and the number of finish coats the maker's data sheet sets. We give a fixed-price quote within 3 to 5 working days of a free site assessment, never from photos, because loose plaster and the access each side of the house needs only show on site.

The best one is the paint made for your wall and applied the way its maker says. Ask which paint and primer are proposed and for the maker's data sheet, which sets the surface, the weather and the number of coats. Dulux's Weathershield sheet, for example, specifies one primer coat and two finish coats. A crack-bridging coating is sold to cover fine cracks, within limits that differ by product, but it doesn't diagnose or repair a crack that keeps moving. A dearer paint doesn't by itself mean a longer wait before the next repaint, because the wall, how exposed it is and the preparation matter too. Try the colour on your own wall first. Our guide to testing exterior paint colours with a sample before the painters start shows how.

Choose on the look, privacy and upkeep you want, then make sure the frame and fixings are designed to carry it. A screen hangs its weight on fixings into the wall, so ask who designs and checks those before you choose a material, and how the screen will be reached for cleaning. Neither timber nor aluminium is maintenance-free. Our comparison of timber and aluminium facade screens weighs the two on privacy, shade, upkeep and the view from inside.

Look at where the stain is. Streaks under a window ledge, coping or parapet can come from rain running off it. A damp patch inside after heavy rain can mean water is getting in through a crack or a joint. Green or black growth on a wall that gets little sun can mean it stays damp in shade. Each needs a different fix, and a new coat over a wall that's still getting wet doesn't deal with the water. Our article on finding the cause of a damp wall before repainting goes through what to check and repair first.

That depends on which parts of the house the work reaches. The painting and repairs happen outside, but scaffolding and sheeting cover windows, hacking off plaster is noisy and dusty, and the porch or driveway may be out of use while work is going on above it. Before work starts, ask which windows will be covered and for how long, how those rooms will get fresh air, which days the porch or parking is blocked, and when the noisiest hacking happens. Then decide whether anyone needs to be elsewhere on those days.

Yes, and it can make sense when the jobs share a scaffold or meet at the same edge. Fix a leaking roof, gutter or parapet before the walls are painted, so water doesn't stain the new paint, and fit a new gate or redo the gate pillars before the final coat so that work doesn't scrape it. Our roof waterproofing service and auto gate service cover those jobs. Compare a combined quote with separate quotes before assuming it saves money.