Allocation of budget for renovating new vs older apartments

Renovation

Published on:

Jul 2021

Allocation of budget for renovating new vs older apartments

There is a reason why we focus on the journey and experience of a renovation process as much as the the quality of the product delivery. Budgets are not limitless and datelines are always imminent.

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I see these as a good thing, as it sets boundaries to the possibilities of any project.

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This is where a designer will (or should) be on the same page and set priorities of the interior design endeavours to align with any given boundaries. New development and sub-sale apartment units also sets different boundaries.

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Here are a few distinction between the two, differentiated by the top 3 areas where home owners usually allocate their budget.

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New development apartments. #1 Built-ins

Shrinking apartment sizes meant requirements for storage goes up.
Feature walls to soften odd shaped layouts.
Platform storage/ sleeping to save space.

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#2 Flooring

Reluctance to hack of brand new finishes but boring and standard finishes meant seeking quicker and cheaper alternatives like vinyl flooring.
To introduce a pop of wow factor or feature like peranakan tiles.

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#3 Lighting

As electrical provisions by developers are fairly new, budget is then allocated tolighting features.

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Sub-sale apartments. #1 Wet works

Re-doing existing tiling finishes and even brick walls due to dated layout.
Bathrooms are almost a must-do to renew plumbing, fittings and newer water heater systems.

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#2 Electrical

Including socket points re-location, entirely renewing of electrical wiring and lighting.
Tendencies to introduce electrical socket points at exiting tiled up area like bathroom (shaver, hair dryer) and kitchen backsplash.

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#3 Built-ins

Relatively more low-profile as budget has already been allocated to renewing older parts of the house (especially hidden scopes like plumbing and electrical).
Even if there are existing built-ins in good condition, many would chose to renew or replace them as the usage and outlook does not gel with the new finishes.