Hdb Floorplans: The Best (And Worst) Layouts In Public Housing

[mae29 2]

My floor plan .... not the best but Unique with double access doors which is very rare!!

This is a 5-Room Point Block built by JTC in 1979 in Pandan Gardens:

Original floor plan:

Revised floor plan by FSM:

Current layout after converting part living room into a new bedroom:

You can visit my t-blog here:

My reno t-blog

Edited September 12, 2011 by mae29

[mae29 2]

Besides interior layout, perhaps I include one of the WORST external floor layout? You see where the rubbish chute is located!!

The WORST EXTERNAL LAYOUT I EVER SEEN!!!

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35996&st=1323

[cleong 1]

This thread should be stickied. I have to say though that older HDB designs are more practical and functional than current designs.

[Rover 0]

This thread should be stickied. I have to say though that older HDB designs are more practical and functional than current designs.

Agreed. Esp the 4NG, super wide living room and long kitchen.

[mrdisco 0]

This thread should be stickied. I have to say though that older HDB designs are more practical and functional than current designs.

Totally agree that older HDB designs are much better. Some of the 5 rooms from 1996-1998 before the notorious bomb shelter are so well laid out. By the way, what do you mean when you say this thread should be "stickied"?

[rottenramone 1]

Totally agree that older HDB designs are much better. Some of the 5 rooms from 1996-1998 before the notorious bomb shelter are so well laid out. By the way, what do you mean when you say this thread should be "stickied"?

It means that the thread is "sticky-ed" like a post it pad onto the top, so it will always be the top few threads you'll see. Like the "How to upload photos" thread.

[PublicLife 0]

My floor plan .... not the best but Unique with double access doors which is very rare!!

This is a 5-Room Point Block built by JTC in 1979 in Pandan Gardens:

Original floor plan:

Hi mae29!

Thanks for uploading this! I've been an admirer of your 'extreme makeover' and I was hoping that you'd post a larger version of your original floorplan for all of us to see. I kinda guessed that it was one of the JTC-built flats, since the whole of Pandan Gardens was essentially created by the JTC anyway!

I like their idea of 2 entrances actually - so if you're carrying groceries and need to put them in the fridge quickly, you can go straight to the kitchen entrance right away!

[PublicLife 0]

Besides interior layout, perhaps I include one of the WORST external floor layout? You see where the rubbish chute is located!!

The WORST EXTERNAL LAYOUT I EVER SEEN!!!

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35996&st=1323

Poor thing! This block layout really does suck! *slowly shake head*

[PublicLife 0]

The point-block 5-room flat.

One of HDB's earliest (and most rational designs), this layout sensibly puts the storeroom near the front entrance (making it useful as either a pantry or shoe cupboard), has a kitchen that's large enough to actually do cooking in (something that cannot always be said for newer HDB designs), has lots of windows (let's hear it for good ventilation!), and groups the bedrooms together near the dining / family area (as it should be!).

Just for contrast, a more modern 5-room, point-block flat:

Courtesy of Our 1st Sweet Home~ Bukit Panjang

My guess is that this was built in the mid to late 1990s, before the era of the household shelter, but after the era of the 'service balcony' and external rubbish chute.

[PublicLife 0]

Something that's always baffled me though is HDB's naming conventions... and their lack of coherent logic. Take these two 4-room flats for example (the one above and the one below):

Courtesy of 4rm Resale @ Jw

The one below is supposed to be a 4-room 'Model A'. Which then begs the question: Why is one 'simplified' and the other one a 'Model A'? They both seem fairly 'simplified' to me... one is just bigger than the other. And why aren't there any 'Model B' flats? Weird!

[rottenramone 1]

A = Advanced

I = Improved

NG = New Generation

S = Simplified.

Something I found online on the different flat types. Not sure how accurate though...

a) 3A Sq ft: 75

b) 3A(mod) Sq ft: 90

c) 3I Sq ft: 60.30 (No attached bath. Toilet and bath separated. No storeroom.)

d) 3I(mod) Sq ft: 69.60

e) 3NG Sq ft: 68.80

f) 3NG(mod) Sq ft: 83.20

g) 3S Sq ft: 65

h) 3Std Sq ft: 54.10 (No attached bath/storeroom.)

i) 4A Sq ft: 105

j) 4I Sq ft: 83.50 (No attached bath. Toilet and bath separated. No storeroom. )

k) 4S Sq ft: 85

l) 4NG Sq ft: 92

m) 4Std Sq ft: 72.50 (No attached bath/storeroom.)

n) 5A Sq ft: 135

o) 5I Sq ft: 124

p) 5S Sq ft: 120

q) Exec Apt Sq ft: 145 (Single level)

r) Exec Mais Sq ft: 145 (Double level)

[PublicLife 0]

A = Advanced

I = Improved

NG = New Generation

S = Simplified.

Something I found online on the different flat types. Not sure how accurate though...

a) 3A Sq ft: 75

b) 3A(mod) Sq ft: 90

c) 3I Sq ft: 60.30 (No attached bath. Toilet and bath separated. No storeroom.)

d) 3I(mod) Sq ft: 69.60

e) 3NG Sq ft: 68.80

f) 3NG(mod) Sq ft: 83.20

g) 3S Sq ft: 65

h) 3Std Sq ft: 54.10 (No attached bath/storeroom.)

i) 4A Sq ft: 105

j) 4I Sq ft: 83.50 (No attached bath. Toilet and bath separated. No storeroom. )

k) 4S Sq ft: 85

l) 4NG Sq ft: 92

m) 4Std Sq ft: 72.50 (No attached bath/storeroom.)

n) 5A Sq ft: 135

o) 5I Sq ft: 124

p) 5S Sq ft: 120

q) Exec Apt Sq ft: 145 (Single level)

r) Exec Mais Sq ft: 145 (Double level)

Ha! Yeah, I've seen this too... First thing that appeared when I was flat-hunting and wanted to figure out what 'model A', 'simplified', 'improved', and all the rest of it meant and googled the terms for more info.

But frankly, I ended up with more questions than answers. For example: If a 4I is smaller than all the other 4-room flat types, then what exactly is it supposed to be an 'improvement' over? A shanty hut, perhaps? And if there's a 4S (S for simplified), was there ever a 4C (C for complicated), and why not? And, then there's always the nagging 'why-is-there-no-model-B' question?

But then I'm just a nutcase, and I'm sure no one else is bothered by this... so, I'll shut up now. More pics, less talk.

[PublicLife 0]

Anyway, just as we all thought that HDB couldn't get any weirder, here's something to really mess with your minds:

Back in the mid-1970s, the HDB came up with a slightly larger version of the 3NG flat that they named (with breathtaking logic ), the 3 1/2-room New Generation flat (on floorplans, it's sometimes called the "3-room new flat (modified intermediate 'A')".

Courtesy of Haus Of Yuene

And here's what it would have originally looked like with the storeroom intact:

No mention on exactly what half a room looks like though... That's just something we'll have to ask HDB!

[PublicLife 0]

What a lot of people don't realise though is that HDB even built 4-room point block flats (there's one at Spottiswoode Park )!

Incidentally, there are also 4-room point block flats (along Chin Swee Road) of this configuration:

Clearly, this was an era when HDB felt that doing one's business and taking a bath were two activities that were distinct and separate and should be kept very far from one another.

[mummymantras 0]

Wow! The common bedroom is bigger (a lot bigger!) than the master bedroom. That's pretty strange.