It’s at all times enjoyable to see how inventive HDB owners can get with their houses.
However whereas it’s enjoyable to be inventive on the varied elements you’d wish to have put in in your house, it’s vital to know the rules to seek out out what’s accredited and what’s not.
Unlawful HDB Renovations: $5,000 Tremendous
Actually, round 190 HDB flats have completed some form of unlawful renovation work prior to now 3 years. And for individuals who are involved concerning the monetary penalties, those that have gotten caught can face a wonderful of as much as $5,000 if convicted.
To guarantee that your renovation course of is as easy as doable, listed here are 10 unlawful HDB works that you just want to remember when designing your subsequent HDB residence.
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10 Unlawful HDB Renovations That Can Truly Get You A $5000 Tremendous
Hacking Structural Partitions
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There’s little question that hacking partitions is likely one of the hottest renovation works that owners love to do.
There are a lot of the explanation why it is sensible to take action regardless of the excessive prices. From opening up the house, to reconfiguring areas to fit your way of life, it’s an enormous a part of what makes a house for individuals.
Particularly with the falling beginning fee pattern in Singapore, households are smaller right now. Some may choose having a much bigger dwelling space than having three correct bedrooms in the home.
However earlier than you go flattening all of the partitions in your flat, do know that not each wall might be hacked down – even in case you are prepared to pay for it.
For many items, acquiring prior written approval from HDB is important for any demolition or hacking of partitions (even for each partial and full). Because the key concern is to keep up the structural integrity of the constructing (to make sure the protection of all residents), any alterations that may have an effect on the exterior facade, type of the constructing or public security aren’t allowed.
Particularly for people who personal govt mansionettes, hacking and eradicating structural members equivalent to bolstered concrete partitions, columns, beams, slabs and staircases are thought of unlawful.
So do make certain that you’ve engaged contractors which are accredited on the Listing of Renovation Contractors (DRC) to keep away from committing any faults and offences. It’s at all times higher to be secure than sorry! Do your homework and test with HDB completely on the sorts of renovation allowed for the unit earlier than committing to it.
In any other case, the straightforward means is to test your HDB flooring plans and pay attention to any bolded strains – these are partitions which are off-limits from hacking.
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Altering Your Essential Unit Door to a Non-Hearth Rated Door
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Whereas this doesn’t apply to all HDB flats, it’s nonetheless good to have a fire-rated door (simply to have peace of thoughts). There are two cases the place it’s obligatory although:
- In case your HDB flat’s fundamental door entrance is alongside the fireplace escape route
For studios which have their fundamental door inside three metres from the closest carry or staircase, a ½ hour fire-rated door is required. Make it possible for the contractor you could have engaged is licenced with HDB as a allow is required earlier than you possibly can change any fire-rated doorways.
For items which have the primary door not inside three metres from the closest carry or staircase, a stable picket door is ample and no allow is required.
- If HDB has already supplied a fire-rated door in your flat initially, any door substitute would additionally should be fireplace rated.
This often impacts newer HDBs that have already got double-leaf fundamental doorways put in (that are initially supplied by HDB). A allow from HDB can also be required to make any alterations to the door.
It’s an offence to infract on these guidelines, so you’ll want to test in your unit’s necessities earlier than making any alterations to your fundamental door.
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Exceeding the Accepted Top Restrict of Your Flooring
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In case you’re like most Singaporeans, chances are high you’ve already set eyes on that marble, terrazzo or parquet flooring in your new residence.
Whereas costly, flooring is an important component to creating the aesthetic of your area and it’s often one of many first few issues owners want to change relating to their new residence. Even so, there are tips to comply with relating to changing your flooring finishes.
So it’s vital to notice that your new flooring end and screed should not exceed the accredited 50mm. This thickness contains utilizing any concrete or different supplies and applies to your balcony, kitchen, lavatory or rest room. For individuals who aren’t acquainted, a light-weight display screen top-up is often required to readjust your house’s flooring degree, thermal insulation or acoustic insulation.
Do observe that if you wish to hack the ground to exchange it fully, you will want a allow to take action (flooring hacking if not completed correctly can have an effect on the general construction of the house). That mentioned to avoid wasting on value, you possibly can take into account overlaying the prevailing flooring – however this can not exceed the accredited 50mm both.
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Concealing Uncovered Pipes
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We’re certain it’s a pet peeve of many owners — cumbersome PVC-coated pipes within the lavatory and snakey gasoline pipes within the kitchen that aren’t essentially the most aesthetically-pleasing variables.
Like hacking structural partitions, it’s vital to notice that not all pipes are accredited for concealing. The final rule of thumb is that plumbing pipes might be hid, however attempt to depart the gasoline pipes in your kitchen alone.
Rest room PVC pipes
For individuals who are adamant about hiding these chunky PVC pipes from view in your lavatory, HDB states that an entry opening of 600mm by 600mm is required in order that future inspections and upkeep might be completed. Make it possible for these numbers are adhered to earlier than selecting your subsequent lavatory cupboards to hide these pipes.
Kitchen Gasoline Pipes
Gasoline pipes can technically be hid, however there must be no less than a 600mm width and top opening to make sure inspection and upkeep of the gasoline riser pipe. It additionally must be totally ventilated (and detachable too)!
Take a look at the rules on HDB for additional clarification.
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Eradicating BTO lavatory flooring and wall tiles within the first 3 years
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Resale HDB flat house owners can skip to the following level.
For brand spanking new Construct To Order (BTO) flats, they arrive with waterproof membranes laid under the ground tiles. That is completed to forestall water from leaking to the ground under you. As such, you aren’t allowed to the touch the ground and wall tiles within the lavatory for the primary three years. A typical workaround is to overlay the prevailing partitions and flooring, however as with level 3 do be certain that the brand new flooring degree doesn’t exceed the magic variety of 50mm.
House & Decor
Including a Loft or Mezzanine or a Platform mattress
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With the little land that now we have, coupled with shrinking residence sizes, it’s completely comprehensible why owners would need to maximise the area that they’ve.
That is particularly so for HDB loft items (as uncommon as they’re), as owners have probably paid a premium for them.
And so whereas it’s comprehensible why these owners would need to maximise the excessive ceilings of their items by making a loft or mezzanine, this addition is, sadly, not accredited.
There have been a number of circumstances of house owners who’ve illegally added mezzanine flooring to their flats and obtained caught. This occurred to a home-owner who spent $40,000 to extend the area of the 700 sq ft condominium. The consequence? They needed to reinstate the flat to its authentic state and pay a further wonderful of as much as $5,000.
In response to the difficulty, HDB said that (and we quote), “Flat house owners aren’t permitted to increase the ground space of their flat by protecting over void areas, as such extensions could lead to further load on the construction and compromise the structural integrity of the constructing”.
Because the concern now boils right down to the structural integrity of the constructing and infringement of URA’s tips of illegally rising your unit’s GFA, I’d say it’s greatest simply to seek out different alternate options to spruce up your house.
In case you’re considering of a platform mattress, you also needs to know that that is technically not allowed. In accordance with HDB, when putting in a hardwood platform on the ground, no storage is allowed within the void between the platform and the ground. It’s presumably for weight restriction causes, however this appears a little bit of a gray space when you ask us.
The Straits Occasions
Eradicating Bomb Shelter Door
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Bomb shelters solely appeared as a elementary a part of HDB flats from 1996, which is why you won’t discover it in older resale flats.
That being mentioned, the bomb shelter is taken into account a structural element of the unit and is bolstered with supplies that make it, nicely, match to be a bomb shelter. Therefore, owners aren’t allowed to knock down or drill the exterior and inner partitions as it’d have an effect on their operate.
Thus, tampering, eradicating or altering the shelter’s door isn’t allowed.
There are different issues you are able to do although, to enhance its look of it. You’ll be able to construct a whole characteristic wall that successfully “hides” the door seamlessly, or cowl it with wallpaper.
House & Decor
Putting in Fixtures Exterior Your Flat
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We’ve seen many variations of HDB house owners adorning the frequent walkway in entrance of their houses with their private decorations. Most of it’s innocent, however there are some that basically push it to a brand new degree.
Enter the glass fish tank.
As a lot as we’d wish to argue that it does function an attention-grabbing visible for neighbours, HDB has mentioned that it may pose a security concern. Primarily, these frequent areas are meant for the general public and shouldn’t be obstructed, which could possibly be problematic throughout evacuations.
The final rule of thumb is to depart no less than 1.2m of area alongside the frequent hall.
In any other case, you would possibly need to take into account buying the recess space via the Sale of Recess Space Scheme. It’s not obtainable to everybody, so do learn the hyperlink to seek out out extra.
The Straits Occasions
Having Fish Tanks Exceeding 600kg Per Room
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On the subject of fish tanks, there are additionally additional restrictions even in your personal residence.
So sadly for marine lovers, there’s a limitation to the scale of the fish tanks that you may set up in your HDB flat. The overall allowed weight of a fish tank ought to weigh not more than 600kg per room – and that is inclusive of all equipment (water pumps, water, sand, corals, crops) which are discovered inside the fish tank and is supported on a four-legged rack.
In case your aquatic pets do exceed the set restrict, an utility to HDB can be required in your finish to obtain the authorized allow to proceed rearing your fish buddies.
Do observe that the utmost dimensions of the fish tank mustn’t exceed 2m in size and 1m in width. The water depth should be saved inside 0.5m too.
House & Decor
Completely Protecting The Planter Field
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Some HDB flats include lovely planters (that are also referred to as smaller variations of a balcony) which are excellent for owners to follow honing their inexperienced thumbs indoors.
Not everybody can have a use, after all, so it’s solely pure that you just’d need to convert the area for different makes use of. As such, do observe that the set up of any grilles, home windows or buildings to completely enclose the planter space isn’t truly allowed. You should utilize detachable picket planks to cowl it to nonetheless use the area, so simply ensure that it’s not completely coated.
Textual content: Stacked Properties
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