1960 Intermediate Terrace - A&a, Reconstruction Or Rebuild Costs?

[shamustan 0]

All brothers and sisters.

I just bought an intermediate terrace. land size 1650sqft. 2 stories only.

Unit was slightly renovated more than 10 years ago.

This is my first home and it is for my family and I will live in it.

Have a few questions which would appreciate advice from all here.

Firstly. what is the difference btw A&A, Reconstruction. Rebuild is obvious to me.

Secondly, What are the costs today? I spoke to a few contractors and they say that is costs about $300/psf today. Seems very high to me especially since I have read some of the other brothers posts.

Construction costs on newspapers say they go down but when I ask these guys, they all say they very busy and that costs never go down.

Would appreciate any brother who can recommend me some good guys that I can use for this. I think the work that will need to be done is substantial.

Thanks all in advance.

[kardtoon 0]

All brothers and sisters.

I just bought an intermediate terrace. land size 1650sqft. 2 stories only.

Unit was slightly renovated more than 10 years ago.

This is my first home and it is for my family and I will live in it.

Have a few questions which would appreciate advice from all here.

Firstly. what is the difference btw A&A, Reconstruction. Rebuild is obvious to me.

Secondly, What are the costs today? I spoke to a few contractors and they say that is costs about $300/psf today. Seems very high to me especially since I have read some of the other brothers posts.

Construction costs on newspapers say they go down but when I ask these guys, they all say they very busy and that costs never go down.

Would appreciate any brother who can recommend me some good guys that I can use for this. I think the work that will need to be done is substantial.

Thanks all in advance.

Main difference between A&A and reconstruction is that you cannot have more than 50% increase in GFA and/or more than 50% change in external facade for A&A. For reconstruction, you can pretty much build what you want except that you have to retain parts of the original floor levels. Rebuild is of course the most flexible where you can do anything that you want but will have to build a bomb shelter. Also if your land has areas that are marked for future road widening, when you rebuild, you will have to increase offset to take into account. I also understand that each of these has property tax implications as well but I do not have the details.

Cost of building is about the same whether it's A&A/reconstruction or rebuild. PSF amount can vary widely depending on the quality that you want and the complexity of the project. IMO $300 is pretty safe and has good margin for some design.

[SolutionProvider 0]

Hi

Maybe you can call Mak - 9765 7193

[shamustan 0]

Thanks for the information guys...

Just wondering if 300psf is the standard cost?

Can it be lower than that? How does one breakdown finishing and actual construction work?

Would I be able to do a reconstruction with a budget of 160-200psf?

Any advice will be grateful.

Will contact Mak as well to find out more.

If I were to do a rebuild. I would have to setback to 7.5m. very bo hwa as now it is a small plot of land so every metre matters to me. do rebuild also must build bomb shelter. another waste of space. if one day really got war. fly away already. where got wait to sit in bomb shelter one.

any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Does design really make the construction more expensive?

[leechaorui 2]

Thanks for the information guys...

Just wondering if 300psf is the standard cost?

Can it be lower than that? How does one breakdown finishing and actual construction work?

Would I be able to do a reconstruction with a budget of 160-200psf?

Any advice will be grateful.

Will contact Mak as well to find out more.

If I were to do a rebuild. I would have to setback to 7.5m. very bo hwa as now it is a small plot of land so every metre matters to me. do rebuild also must build bomb shelter. another waste of space. if one day really got war. fly away already. where got wait to sit in bomb shelter one.

any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Does design really make the construction more expensive?

There are hidden cost in situations where the rebuild cost is very low. If you are looking at reconstruction, which allows you to retain some of the walls, you can actually waive the setback requirements. Your architect will be able to advise you. The psf is only an estimate, there are some cost which are quite fixed such as piling work, professional fees, submission fees, etc... which do not really relate directly to the size of your house. There are some other cost which relate to the size of the house such as cement required, etc...

If you are planning a simple construction of a 3 storey house with a GFA of about 2500 sq ft, you can expect to budget about $600,000, excluding furnishing. This works to about $240 psf. Doing a home shelter is a requirement for erection of a new house, for reconstruction, your architect can probably help you to explore how to do away with it.

If you wish to find out more, you can pm me directly with your email and mobile number and we can chat offline. I am in the process of rebuilding my house and negotiating with URA on seeking some waiver from their guidelines. Cheers!

Edited January 21, 2010 by leechaorui

[victor 0]

All brothers and sisters.

I just bought an intermediate terrace. land size 1650sqft. 2 stories only.

Unit was slightly renovated more than 10 years ago.

This is my first home and it is for my family and I will live in it.

Have a few questions which would appreciate advice from all here.

Firstly. what is the difference btw A&A, Reconstruction. Rebuild is obvious to me.

Secondly, What are the costs today? I spoke to a few contractors and they say that is costs about $300/psf today. Seems very high to me especially since I have read some of the other brothers posts.

Construction costs on newspapers say they go down but when I ask these guys, they all say they very busy and that costs never go down.

Would appreciate any brother who can recommend me some good guys that I can use for this. I think the work that will need to be done is substantial.

Thanks all in advance.

Hi, we are currently doing a reconstruction of our dream house at the moment, land of 1800sqft and future buildup will be 3200sqft. Our total cost for the reconstruction is slightly more than 300k, thanks very much to our builder, he is a small time builder but very experience. Also we managed to keep cost down by sourcing for our marbles and sanitary wears at warehouse sale. Can u imagine getting italy marbles at $3psf? That 300k included PE and architect costs, and all necessary permits and approvals. We can intro our builder and architect to u if u are interested, but u have to know what u want. Cheers

[kardtoon 0]

Your best bet is probably to approach a good architect or builder to discuss what your requirements are and then plan the next steps. Much better to get professional advice rather than post on the forums :-)

PM me if you would like the contact of my architect or would like to discuss offline.

[kardtoon 0]

Thanks for the information guys...

Just wondering if 300psf is the standard cost?

Can it be lower than that? How does one breakdown finishing and actual construction work?

Would I be able to do a reconstruction with a budget of 160-200psf?

Any advice will be grateful.

Will contact Mak as well to find out more.

If I were to do a rebuild. I would have to setback to 7.5m. very bo hwa as now it is a small plot of land so every metre matters to me. do rebuild also must build bomb shelter. another waste of space. if one day really got war. fly away already. where got wait to sit in bomb shelter one.

any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Does design really make the construction more expensive?

Talking to a professional is best. Everyone has a different expectation of quality and idea of what they want their house to be. These will all play into the design and ultimately affect the cost. For example, are you happy with the cheapest china made window systems that has unproven quality or will you settle for one of the better known brands that will be problem free for a long time. Do you want a simple house with a simple structure or are you looking for one which has a "wow" impact. All of these things will impact they type of materials used, the structure and layout of the house and of course the final price :-)

Of course, as another forummer mentioned, the hidden costs can be play a part as well. In my case, I have a sewage pipe on my land and my soil condition requires piling. Both of these set me back 50k already and you don't see anything :-)

[shamustan 0]

thanks all....

i have engaged an architect already. i guess what i am trying to do now is to find a good and cheap contractor if such a thing exists loh.

Victor said that he sourced his materials himself? Can one really get it cheaper if they do so? I thought contractors would know the guys more and be able to get better price?

Also - when do you know if there is a sale for such things. (marble, toilet fixtures, kitchen cabinets all this ah?)

do we have a thread here which notifies brothers and sisters on when there is a good sale?

[kardtoon 0]

thanks all....

i have engaged an architect already. i guess what i am trying to do now is to find a good and cheap contractor if such a thing exists loh.

Victor said that he sourced his materials himself? Can one really get it cheaper if they do so? I thought contractors would know the guys more and be able to get better price?

Also - when do you know if there is a sale for such things. (marble, toilet fixtures, kitchen cabinets all this ah?)

do we have a thread here which notifies brothers and sisters on when there is a good sale?

ahhh. Good and cheap contracter :-). I think you should ask yur architect to recommend a few and then you source for a few to join the tender. It seems that besides their overheads one other facotr that comes into play is how busy or hungry these contracters are. That is of course excluding the dishonest ones that tries to win a project with low cost and then pad in prices later. Another cost saver is a good engineer, good ones figure out how to make the structure efficient so that you use less materials and/or avoid expensive options like piling.

Looking for deals yourself can be helpful. Architects aren't always on the lookout for the latest clearance sales or deals. Builders may get a good price but they have no incentive to pass on the savings to you after the contract is signed. Some try to cut corners after the price is agreed to shave their cost, hence your architec and engineer needs to be vigilent to look out for you.

Edited January 22, 2010 by kardtoon

[wind30 2]

Hi, we are currently doing a reconstruction of our dream house at the moment, land of 1800sqft and future buildup will be 3200sqft. Our total cost for the reconstruction is slightly more than 300k, thanks very much to our builder, he is a small time builder but very experience. Also we managed to keep cost down by sourcing for our marbles and sanitary wears at warehouse sale. Can u imagine getting italy marbles at $3psf? That 300k included PE and architect costs, and all necessary permits and approvals. We can intro our builder and architect to u if u are interested, but u have to know what u want. Cheers

wow this is REALLY cheap. My reno wetworks is costing me $160k. And woodwork/electrical/aircon is costing me 90k. my land area is 1800 sq ft too.

[pantieileen 2]

The house beside me is going up for sale. What are the odds that the new owner will want to renovate/A&A/reconstruct together?

If it were you, would you wait for the house next door to complete their sale transaction? How long would such sale transaction take?

Would the wait justify the savings?

[Phantom 1]

Hey Shamus,

Looking forward to your renovation pictures! =)

Which area is your terrace located around?

P.S. Was looking at renovations to 2 conservation units at Blair road. Decor was mind-blowing.. didn't know you can can make magic with narrow type of land.

[powder blue 0]

I'm also presently trying to renovate my terrace but I only found out that all the AA the previous owner did had not been submitted, hence have to get a QP to submit my plans and set back my budget by 12k and delay my reno plans.

[shamustan 0]

Hi All,

Have decided to go with a reconstruction and have also got an architect to start on the design.

After reading some posts. I have gone on to search for materials myself.

Who are the best marble suppliers in Singapore that can provide a good deal and what is the price range if one wanted to get a white marble type.

Next question I have is. If I buy all the materials myself, how would I be able to negotiate the price for my construction? Normally it is the contractor who buys the materials for me and will makan a bit from there right?

Any advise and direction will be appreciated.