HDB Interior Design & Renovation Singapore

HDB Interior Design at a Glance

Designing Within HDB Rules — Without Feeling Constrained

HDB renovation is governed by real rules: registered-contractor requirements, permits for hacking and wet works, and regulated working hours. We hold HDB Licence HB-12-6290F and handle the permit process as part of every project — our guide to the HDB renovation permit explains exactly what approval covers and who applies for it. The design answer to those constraints is not compromise; it is planning that treats storage, sightlines and light as one system, so a regulated flat still feels like a considered home.

HDB Renovation Rules at a Glance

Every HDB renovation runs inside the same framework. These are the rules that shape a design most often — and the ones homeowners most often hear about too late.

1. A registered contractor and a permit

   Hacking, altering walls and anything that touches waterproofing need an HDB permit, applied for by an HDB-registered renovation contractor. We hold HDB Licence HB-12-6290F and apply on your behalf.

2. No new floors, no covered voids

   A structural mezzanine cannot be added to an HDB flat, and void areas cannot be covered over. Raised platforms are possible within HDB’s guidelines, but no storage is allowed in the void within the platform, so we plan storage into full-height carpentry instead.

3. Bathrooms in new flats

   Bathroom floor finishes cannot be replaced in the first three years after the block’s completion, to protect the original waterproofing. After that, replacing them needs a permit, a pre-packed waterproofing screed and a waterproofing membrane turned up at least 150 mm against the walls, kerbs and pipes.

4. Gas pipes

   Gas pipe changes must be carried out by a licensed gas service worker, and in HDB flats gas pipes must not be embedded in the floor screed or finishes — which matters whenever a kitchen layout moves.

5. Working hours

   Noisy work is limited to set daytime hours, with none on Sundays and public holidays, so we build the programme around the noisy trades.

Styles That Work in an HDB Flat

The styles we are asked for most — modern luxury, contemporary, and minimalist directions — all translate to HDB scale when the material palette stays disciplined and the carpentry is precise. A restrained palette makes a compact flat read larger; precise joinery makes it feel built, not fitted out.

What We Design and Build for HDB Homes

BTO Flats, From Bare Shell

A BTO arrives as a blank canvas with rules attached — including restrictions on replacing bathroom finishes in the early years. We plan around what can and cannot be touched, and sequence the design so the flat works now and adapts later.

Resale Transformations

Resale flats carry decades of previous decisions. We strip the layout back to what the family actually needs — reworking storage, lighting and flow — while keeping structural work inside the HDB approval framework.

Executive Maisonettes and Loft Potential

Two-storey HDB homes are rare and worth designing seriously. Our work on maisonettes and high-ceiling flats — the focus of our HDB loft design thinking — treats the vertical dimension as the main event, not a leftover.

Space-Maximising Custom Carpentry

Full-height wardrobes, storage that disappears into walls, kitchens planned to the centimetre — all fabricated at our own factory, so the precision an HDB flat depends on is controlled by the same team that designed it.

Completed HDB Projects

A selection of HDB homes we have designed and built — each with carpentry fabricated at our own factory.

Trivelis DBSS

HDB Executive Maisonette · View project

Kim Keat Avenue

HDB Executive Maisonette · View project

Jurong West Central

HDB Executive Maisonette · View project

Tampines

HDB Executive Maisonette · View project

Eunos Road 2

HDB Executive Maisonette · View project

Bidadari Park Drive

HDB Executive Maisonette · View project

What an HDB Renovation Costs

As indicative planning bands for a full design-and-build renovation — always scope-dependent, and never a substitute for a quotation after a site visit:

Carpentry is usually the deciding line item, because it is the part of an HDB renovation that is genuinely made to measure. Our renovation cost guide breaks down where the money actually goes.

How an HDB Renovation Runs, Step by Step

1. Site visit and brief

   We measure the flat, look at its actual condition, and listen to how the household lives. Bring your floor plan and your key collection date.

2. Design and itemised quotation

   Layouts, material palette and carpentry drawings, quoted line by line so you can see what each element costs rather than a single lump sum.

3. Permit application

   We apply under our HDB licence for the works that require approval, and schedule around the permitted renovation hours.

4. Build and fabrication

   Site works and factory joinery run in parallel. Because we control the factory queue, carpentry arrives when the programme says it will.

5. Handover and defects

   We walk the flat with you, list anything outstanding, and close it out before you move in.

HDB Interior Design Questions, Answered