The Often Overlooked Downsides of Having Too Much Carpentry at Home

Like everything else, there are pros and cons.

Choosing between built-in carpentry and loose furniture is just one of the dilemmas a homeowner faces throughout their renovation journey. For some people, carpentry is the obvious choice: they offer tons of storage space, can be customised to suit aesthetics, and more.

But over-relying on them comes with their own set of downsides that will only present themselves years down the road. So before jumping in, here are a few trade-offs you need to consider:

1. It limits your flexibility to switch things around and adapt to different lifestyle needs

As much as you plan and research beforehand, your lifestyle needs can change at the drop of a hat. That can include anything from new hobbies, a growing family, or an elderly parent moving into the home.

And since carpentry is built-in, making changes or shifting things around isn’t going to be easy. Things like platforms and full-length display shelves are made to fit (and stay within) a specific layout, so you’ll need to work around them, which limits how much you can change.

Unless, of course, you’re willing to pay to change things around – but that will still cost you a pretty penny, as the next point addresses:

2. It’s difficult (and expensive) to modify when your needs change

As mentioned, built-in carpentry isn’t meant to be tweaked or adjusted. Once it’s completed, any changes will usually involve hacking or replacing entire sections, not just the part you need changed.

So, for example, if your study now needs to become a nursery, you won’t just be paying for brand new carpentry. You’re also paying for hacking, debris disposal, and touch-up works to surrounding areas – all of which will snowball into one very expensive decision.

Plus, depending on the extent of works needed, it’ll probably be pretty noisy (not to mention, dusty) for a few days or weeks, which is going to affect your daily routines at home.

3. It can be expensive to repair and/or maintain

It’s easy to forget that built-ins are the sum of all their smaller parts, like their fittings (hinges, knobs, etc.) and their materials. And, like all other things, they will experience wear and tear – which can wear out faster than you think, especially in heavy-use places like your kitchen.

Unfortunately, repairing them doesn’t always come cheap. We’re not just talking about replacing fittings when they don’t work as they should – in some cases (e.g. dented surfaces, chipped doors, etc.), you’ll likely need to replace a huge chunk of the carpentry on top of the affected part.

Put all these together with the different built-ins you have across your home, and it’ll definitely add up!

4. It can restrict access to hidden issues

Concealing your pipes and wires behind carpentry is pretty common, since it can be rather unsightly.

But doing so can limit access to any issues, like a leaky pipe or faulty wiring – and if there are no proper openings, contractors and or repairmen will likely need to tear down a huge chunk of the built-in, which means you’ll need to pay for the repair and the cost to build your carpentry back up.

Issues like these are why you’re required to have an access opening of at least 600mm in height and width. In fact, not doing so is actually illegal according to HDB rules!

5. It may limit resale value

If you, like many other homeowners, are thinking about selling your HDB flat once the MOP is over, you may want to reconsider extensive carpentry.

For one, it may not suit your potential buyer’s lifestyles. For another, they may even factor in the cost of hacking and redoing the carpentry, even if it’s still in good condition – which reduces your home’s resale value, and may even turn them away entirely in favour of a unit that doesn’t require as much work.

Of course, there is the chance that a buyer may like your carpentry and layout as is – but such cases will be rare, since most people would prefer starting on as blank a slate as possible.

6. Design choices today may be dated tomorrow

Trends come and go, and they do so quickly. A built-in feature you did today may not necessarily look as cool in the future, especially if they’re leaning heavily towards a particular trend – and refurbishing them is not as simple as swapping them out, like you can do with loose furniture pieces.

So, your only options are to either stick it out or revamp them, the latter being especially costly since you’ll need to tear it all down before rebuilding.

7. It can make the space feel boxed-in and cramped

Sure, you may want carpentry to maximise the space, which isn’t a bad thing considering how small homes in Singapore are. But if overdone, you’ll run the risk of visually weighing down the space – and instead of looking airy, your home ends up looking even smaller than it already is.

To avoid this, balance out your carpentry usage with loose pieces of furniture, which will open up the space and give it some visual breathing room.

So, how much is too much carpentry?

At the end of the day, carpentry isn’t inherently good or bad. It boils down to how well it supports your lifestyle – so planning ahead and doing your research (not just on aesthetics) is crucial before committing to extensive built-ins.

If you’re still unsure, this is where a good interior designer comes in. An experienced ID can help you strike the right balance between carpentry and loose furniture, flag potential issues early, and plan a home that is perfectly suited for your lifestyle for years.

And we can help you connect to an interior designer who best suits your needs. Simply fill in the form below, and we’ll match you to 3-5 interior designers – free of charge!