We Surveyed 600 Homeowners on Their Reno Experience, Regrets and More

These homeowners walked so you could run.

Renovating a home is a pretty huge deal, and it’s only natural to do tons of research before coming to any decision. One aspect of said research? The renovation experiences of other homeowners that have gone before you – how they chose their interior designers (IDs) or contractors, the challenges they faced, planning their budget, and more.

We, too, were curious about the overall sentiments about renovating a home in Singapore. So, we conducted a survey with over 600 homeowners to find out – and here’s what they have to say about their experiences and regrets, as well as their advice to future first-time homeowners.

On speaking with renovation professionals

83% of homeowners meet with at least 3 interior designers/contractors

Homeowners in Singapore are busy bees, but that certainly doesn’t stop the majority of them from meeting more than 3 IDs or contractors. The main reason for doing so: wanting to compare quotations – which is a completely justified step to ensure that they’re being quoted fairly, and getting their bang for their buck.

In contrast, a mere 17% of respondents mentioned only meeting 1 or 2 IDs. But rather than attributing it to their busy schedules, most of them revealed that it’s because the IDs/contractors they chose were personal recommendations from their family or friends.

Budget is the top consideration when choosing an interior designer/contractor

As much as you want a gorgeous-looking home, it’s also important to find someone that is able to keep to your budget and propose ideas that cater to your needs.

In general, the homeowners we surveyed agree with this sentiment. Choosing someone that could meet the specified budget was the top priority for 27% of our respondents, while another 20% of them prioritised finding someone who proposed good ideas first.

Surprisingly, an ID/contractor’s accreditations was overall the least important consideration for these homeowners. This shouldn’t suggest that they aren’t important, though, as making the effort to find a trustworthy professional can help you avoid being the subject of a renovation horror story.

Homeowners have varying experiences with their interior designer/contractor as their renovation progressed

As with every relationship, the one between an ID/contractor and their clients are often dynamic rather than static. Each renovation stage requires different skills – like space planning and designing at the start, and project management during the renovation – and different professionals may be better at some skills than others.

When it came to their relationships with their interior designer/contractor, the results among our respondents were split almost evenly:

• 29% trusted their ID/contractor more during the renovation,
• 34% trusted their ID/contractor less
• 37% experienced no changes

While no one wants to end up losing trust in their ID/contractor, making the effort to see how aligned your expectations are from the start can mitigate this possibility. Some of the things you can do include:

• Asking your interior designer/contractor the right questions
• Looking out for these details in your renovation contract

On budgeting for their renovation

Budgeting is undeniably one of the most important concerns when you’re planning for your renovation. To give you a better idea of the various considerations, we asked homeowners how they decided on their budget and whether they managed to stick to it over the course of the renovation.

62% of homeowners exceeded their original renovation budget

When it comes to setting an initial renovation budget, the majority of respondents (55%) shared that they did so based on their circumstances and the maximum they were willing to pay. Others also researched online and asked others who had renovated before for estimates.

If you can’t figure out a realistic budget for the works you want done, use our renovation calculator for an extensive breakdown of estimated costs.

As several respondents shared, comparing ID quotations based on your renovation requirements can also help you figure out a reasonable market range.

However, even if you start your renovation with a fixed budget in mind, it’s more likely than not that circumstances will change along the way, seeing how 62% of homeowners exceeded their initial budget.

The most likely reasons for such changes are variation orders (VOs): these are changes to the renovation that weren’t detailed in the original contract, whether it’s to add or remove something.

One respondent shared examples of changes that require a VO:

• Installing a false ceiling to hide aircon trunking/piping
• Additional carpentry to hide gas pipes or the water heater

Pro-tip: it’s best to include a 10 to 20% buffer for VOs when you’re budgeting – something many respondents advised as well.

Besides changes you decide to make yourself, VOs are likely to come up for resale units because it’s difficult to fully determine the (deteriorating) condition until renovation works start. Some issues you might encounter that incur unexpected costs include:

• Water damage under existing flooring
• Leaking pipes that need to be replaced
• Undiscovered termite infestations

73% of homeowners spend $30,000 or less on loose furniture and appliances

Based on our respondents’ experiences, most of whom live in HDB flats, you can expect to spend anywhere between $10,000 and $30,000 on loose furniture and appliances.

For flexibility in changing up your spaces, opt for loose furniture over built-ins – especially if you have plans to expand the family or move out in a few years. Be sure to get built-ins for essential areas like the kitchen and wardrobes for your bedroom though.

To save on renovation expenses, you can consider going for fewer built-ins, but bear in mind that you could still end up paying more for loose furniture depending on your selections. Always take a step back to consider how it all adds up before making your choice.

Explore: Built-In Carpentry VS Loose Furniture: Is One Better Than The Other?

On making renovation decisions

Like us, you might have wondered about these: what do other homeowners prioritise during their renovation? Do they get stuck at certain stages? We asked our respondents exactly that and uncovered some key insights.

Most homeowners prioritise practicality/functionality

Unsurprisingly, practicality/functionality and the quality of materials/works are homeowners’ top two ranked priorities when renovating. As beautiful as they may be for your impeccable social feeds, some features that are troublesome to maintain in the long term could be cause to regret. For example: concealed bathroom piping, small tiles with innumerable grout lines and surface materials that require regular and careful upkeep.

Similarly, a home with low-quality fittings/materials that don’t hold up over the years won’t be worth your initial savings.

Our respondents found that space planning, choosing of materials, and colour matching were the most difficult aspects of their renovation planning compared to others like furniture/fittings selection.

Some common examples they shared include:

• Dilemmas over whether to hack walls or not
• Maximising functionality of spaces
• Choosing quality materials that don’t break the bank

If you engage an ID, you can rely on their expertise in space planning to advise you and come up with a plan for you based on your lifestyle needs. Do note that contractors won’t do this for you.

At the end of the day, be sure to clarify any doubts you have and share your opinions – it’s you who will be living in these spaces after all.

You can also browse our renovation guides, which cover a variety of topics from choosing materials to appliances, to understand your options (and their pros and cons).

Explore: Should You Engage a Contractor or Interior Designer?

On their biggest renovation regrets, and words of advice

66% of homeowners have some form of renovation regrets

No renovation journey is perfect and there are a lot of things homeowners only realise in retrospect – especially if you’re a first-time homeowner. Of our respondents, 66% had some form of renovation regrets.

The above chart shows respondents’ most common renovation regrets, with many wishing they had carefully looked into their ID’s portfolio and history of work; it’s important to ask more about the kinds of projects your prospective ID/contractor has worked on, check their firm’s credibility and read up on customer reviews.

Discussing the above will also help you to determine if they can fulfill what you have in mind; one respondent wished they had gone “into details, or at least [asked] for examples of details” before committing.

Respondents also wished they had planned spaces better, with some expressing regrets about:

• “Buying a queen-sized bed for the [guest] room”, which became “squeezy” with limited walking space
• Not planning for “creating an outlet for the dryer and the cooker hood exhaust”
• Not “[factoring] space for a dishwasher”

Some also regretted their material selection (“not choosing higher quality materials… to save some money”) and “skimping on certain items” or furniture.

Drawing on their experiences, here’s what our respondents have to say to first-time homeowners:

• Have a reasonable budget with buffers for unexpected costs (about 10% to 20%),
• Do your research thoroughly and
• Read your contract carefully (look out for these red flags!)

Research encompasses everything – from looking into potential IDs to gathering information on aspects like budgeting, space planning and whether design trends are suitable to adopt.

As for when you’re meeting IDs, don’t hesitate to ask questions and clarify anything even if it seems insignificant, since it could end up being a bigger problem down the line.

On top of that, respondents advise visualising your home’s design based on your lifestyle needs so that you can have a more fruitful discussion with your ID/contractor.

Kick off your renovation on the right foot – with good planning and the right professional

You don’t have to go in blind for your renovation: we’ve got plenty of inspiration and clever ideas to help you start prepping, along with helpful budgeting tips. You can also save photos of looks you love and get a better sense of what you can get with your budget.

What comes after all this indispensable planning is, of course, finding a reliable renovation professional/ID who can turn your ideas into reality. As a renovation platform, we can get you personalised renovation quotes from local interior design firms for free!

And when you finally get down to it, as one homeowner shares, “[d]on’t forget to enjoy the process”!

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