Completed HDB renovation
A distinctive home developed through several conversations and design revisions, then delivered through a coordinated kitchen rebuild, two renewed bathrooms, electrical works and character-rich finishes.
At a glance
Project overview
The starting point at Blk 35 Teban Gardens Road was not a request for a generic neutral makeover. The homeowner had a strong preference for expressive surfaces: patterned kitchen tiles, terracotta-toned flooring, dark cabinetry and brick-style finishes in the living area. RenoExpert's task was to translate those references into a renovation scope that the trades could build and coordinate.
The appointment developed over several coffee-shop meetings rather than one presentation. Ideas, practical requirements and quotation revisions were discussed more than once. Those conversations mattered because the scope was still moving: the kitchen was central from the beginning, while the two bathrooms were added later. The design and quotation therefore had to be revised as decisions became firmer.
This case study distinguishes the project record from the visual proposal. Photographs show original conditions, work in progress and the completed home. The separately labelled 3D views document design intent; they are not presented as photographs of the finished renovation.
Existing conditions
The original home already had a strong visual identity, including older kitchen cabinetry, mixed wall finishes, a concrete kitchen base and a decorative cornice between the living and dining areas.
Trust before appointment
The homeowner did not confirm the renovation after a single discussion. Several meetings were used to compare ideas against the flat, review the quotation and refine what should be included. This created room to ask questions and revise the proposal without pretending that every decision was settled at the outset.
The 3D views became a useful design aid. They explored the proposed dark shaker-style kitchen, patterned backsplash, warm floor colour and stone-look bathroom surfaces. The built kitchen retained that broad direction, but the completed photographs remain the evidence of what was actually installed.
The bathrooms demonstrate how the scope evolved. They were not simply assumed to be part of a whole-house package; hacking and make-good work, waterproofing, floor and wall tiling, exposed piping, fitting installation, shower screens and louvred doors were documented as additional work. The owner supplied the sanitary fittings and accessories that RenoExpert installed.
Confirmed renovation scope
The final documented scope combined the kitchen-led plan with later bathroom work and supporting trades across the home.
Kitchen transformation
The original concrete kitchen cabinet was removed before the replacement layout was built. The new lower and upper runs were specified at approximately 18 ft each, using solid-ply construction, high-grade laminate finishes, ABS-trimmed edges and soft-closing shaker-style doors.
An approximately 18 ft, 20 mm quartz worktop created the principal preparation surface. The tall storage was divided between an approximately 2 ft unit and a further 4 ft unit incorporating a hidden pull-out table. That detail gave the kitchen another usable surface without leaving a permanent table in the circulation path.
The cabinetry was coordinated with sink and washing-machine inlet and outlet work, installation of the sink and tap, and the owner-selected backsplash tiles. A broad mix of patterned tiles and dark cabinet fronts made the kitchen visually assertive; the light quartz surface prevents the work zone from becoming too dark.
For similar planning considerations, see RenoExpert's HDB kitchen renovation service and custom carpentry service.
From drawings to site work
Once hacking and make-good work had prepared the affected areas, the kitchen and service-yard floors received tile overlay. The terracotta-toned finish visible in progress photographs continued the warm material direction explored in the render. The kitchen backsplash was installed between the upper and lower cabinets before the worktop and fittings came together.
Electrical work was broader than a few appliance points. The documented scope included single and double sockets, lighting and fan points, heater connections, air-conditioning sockets, installation of lights and ceiling fans, track lights, an LED strip and driver, a new distribution board, and selected concealed work finished with plaster. Photographs show both active wiring work and the later lighting installation.
Plastering covered two bedroom walls and ceilings together with exposed living-room areas. Painting followed that preparation. The project also included protection, rubbish clearing, haulage and cleaning—supporting tasks that are easy to omit from a visual story but necessary when several trades are moving through an occupied building.
Scope added later
Adding the bathrooms changed the project from a mainly kitchen-led renovation into a broader multi-trade job. Existing wall and floor tiles were hacked where documented, affected areas were made good, and waterproofing formed part of the new floor and wall tile work.
The supporting scope included replacing exposed bathroom piping and installing owner-supplied toilets, shower fittings and accessories. Two shower screens and two slide-and-swing louvred doors completed the practical enclosure and access requirements.
The completed bathroom photograph shows the realised material combination: white wall tiles, dark flooring and a stone-look accent surface around the vanity and exposed services. See RenoExpert's bathroom renovation service for the wider planning and waterproofing process.
Finished home
The final rooms preserve the homeowner's preference for contrast and texture rather than smoothing the home into a standard neutral template.
An honest handover
The handover ran later than first intended. The project had grown after the initial discussions, particularly when the two bathrooms and related work were added. That does not remove the responsibility to coordinate carefully, but it is important context for an evidence-based project account.
The practical lesson is that additions affect sequencing. Bathroom hacking, waterproofing, tiling, piping and door work must be fitted around carpentry, electrical work, plastering and painting. As the scope changes, the programme and handover expectation should be reviewed explicitly rather than treated as fixed.
One item also remained clearly outside the completed work: 5 mm vinyl flooring for the living room and two bedrooms was listed as KIV at S$0. It is therefore not claimed as part of this renovation. The completed photographs instead show the existing light floor tiles in the living area and the terracotta-toned tiled kitchen floor.
Outcome
The result is not defined by a single before-and-after moment. It came from several conversations, evolving scope, visual testing and trade-by-trade execution. The rebuilt kitchen provides substantial storage, a long quartz worktop and a concealed pull-out table; the bathrooms were renewed with waterproofing, new finishes and fitting installation; and the living areas gained coordinated electrical, plastering, lighting and painted finishes.
Most importantly, the completed photographs retain the homeowner's strong material choices. The dark kitchen, patterned tiles, warm floor and brick-style living-room surfaces give the home a recognisable identity while the project record stays clear about what was designed, what was built, what changed and what was not completed.
More project stories
Plan your renovation
Share your floor plan, reference images and renovation requirements with RenoExpert for a project-specific discussion and quotation.
