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

[PublicLife 0]

In I-Ching Feng Shui, we refer to IMAGES.

A Broken-Heart MBR and a Toilet in the centre of house.

What images do 'pointy' toilets bring to mind I wonder? Hmmm...

I mean, the rest of the flat is so normal by comparison, and then you see the common bathroom and think, "What the..."

Courtesy of My Ea @ Pasir Ris

Or a 'pointy' study, perhaps? Maybe the HDB is trying to tell children to study harder so that their grades will go 'up'...

Courtesy of Second Time Lucky

And what about flats that are entirely shaped like giant arrows, with the master bedroom at the 'tip', so to speak? I dare not even make a guess about what the HDB is trying to suggest here...

Courtesy of Minimalist Bedok Reservoir View

Edited September 16, 2011 by PublicLife

[PublicLife 0]

Most welcome... I would love to add these unusual EMs that I've seen in pics but unfortunately I do not have the floor plans:

- Sunset Way's triangular EMs (not just limited to Sunset Way but I'm not sure where else in the East)

Is this what you were talking about... It's sort of triangular...

Courtesy of An Em Situated Amongst Greenery

Even though this guy's layout is pretty wacky, I must say that I sure envy him. A ground floor EM at beautiful Sunset Way. And at 159 sq m, it certainly ain't small! And it comes with a back entrance too... I prefer ground floor EMs that do! It feels so much more house-like! Sweet!

[adidaem 6]

Oh thanks for that. What a great place for people with green fingers.

Nope the one I saw was totally weirdly triangular. Wonder where the home n decor issue is...

[PublicLife 0]

I think there will be quite a lot of wasted space.

Space planning will not be easy too.

Wondering how a nice renovation of such a unit will look like though.

Found some more examples of the 'slice of pizza' layout!

Courtesy of Ea@sembawang Aka Blue Riverview

Courtesy of Cosy For Four

Really have to hand it to these guys... They've sure got unique homes!

That's one thing that I love (or maybe hate, depending on how you look at it) about HDB flats with odd layouts. The flat that HDB gives you may look like Frankenstein's monster to begin with but it's got so much potential... really! With a bit of hard work (and some sweating on the part of your ID ), you could turn it into a supermodel!

Edited September 19, 2011 by PublicLife

[Mickey M 0]

Not 100% sure if this is from the Ang Mo Kio round block, but it must be from some round block somewhere in Singapore:

Frankly, I'm not too sure that I'd enjoy living in a flat shaped like a slice of pizza, not matter how 'unique' it was or how great a view it had.

Saw something similar. A blog to share - http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=17783&st=240

[Kobelala 8]

Hi Publiclife, this is a really nice thread you've started !

[strikingreality 0]

Kobelala, see what you're missing out on while you were away?

[PublicLife 0]

Hi Publiclife, this is a really nice thread you've started !

Thanks! It was a hobby born out of necessity... While home hunting, I always made it a point to purchase the floorplan of the home I was viewing so that I wouldn't end up with any surprises after buying it. What I discovered was that HDB flats come in a greater variety of sizes, types and configurations than I ever thought possible - a remarkable feat considering that they were originally intended as housing for the masses, and so (most people would assume) ought to be simple and uniform both inside and out.

HDB: More than meets the eye!

[PublicLife 0]

This flat just makes me cringe... Seriously!

It looks as though some genius at HDB said, "You know what, guys. Just for laughs, why don't we take a perfectly normal-looking 3-room flat layout and tip it on its side and see what we get? Wouldn't that be fun?!" Sigh...

[PublicLife 0]

Found more examples of flats with oddly pointed bits (seems to be a continuing obsession by the HDB):

I really don't get it. What is that odd triangular bit next to the kitchen supposed to be for, anyway? What purpose is it meant to serve? You can't really put anything there (unless it happens to be triangular in shape, like a giant Toblerone, maybe?) and it's too small to serve any really useful function (like a triangular study, perhaps?). Oh well, another great mystery courtesy of the HDB...

Courtesy of Our 1st Home @n-e

And then there's this one... Now, not only do you have a mysterious triangular space in the master bedroom, it has a window in it! What a stroke of genius this clearly was! Now, not only is it just plain weird to have this odd pointed bit, it also can't be hidden or made part of your wardrobe, because, if you did, you would have also shut off the bedroom's only source of... natural... light... and... gasp... air. Yippee.

Courtesy of Setting Up Our Own Home..

But, of course, this one really takes the cake... Here, both the living room and one of the common bedrooms have pointed ends. And Bedroom 2 is essentially triangular in shape! Sigh...

Courtesy of Hi Everybody. Newbie Here. My 4a @cck

Edited September 18, 2011 by PublicLife

[PublicLife 0]

Here's another rare EM layout, with a little balcony on the 2nd floor.

Source: Maisonette Makeover - Our 2nd home in AMK

I just love HDB flats with balconies attached to the master bedroom... It just seems so unexpectedly luxurious of the HDB to offer a place for homeowners to stretch out and enjoy the fresh air (I'm assuming here that the flat is situated somewhere fairly salubrious...) just a few steps out of bed.

So, despite the somewhat crooked configuration of this flat (yeah, it looks as though the architect had one too many to drink when he came up with this one ), I can't fault his decision to give the master bedroom its own little balcony. Although, I probably wouldn't have made it such a peculiar shape...

Courtesy of 128 Huat Ah!

[PublicLife 0]

In addition to the HDB's continuing interest in flats with odd pointed bits sticking out of them, they have (over the years) shown an inordinate interest in curved walls and circles as well. Here's a prime example:

Courtesy of City Living

[MeRfMeRf 0]

Hey Public Life, here is my contribution to your efforts in compliation of various layouts.

I think mine is rather a love or hate kind, its rather unique in the sense you seldom fine such designs but then again its kinda headache to plan as well.

Cheers!

MeRf

[PublicLife 0]

Amazing! Found another 'slice of pizza' dweller!

And these are the pics that really say it all...

The 'top' of the pizza slice (I see where the estate gets its name from. It is indeed very... blue.):

The 'bottom' of the pizza slice:

Just looking at it gives me a slightly squashed, 'Alice-in-Wonderland-where-she-goes-into-the-rabbit-hole-and-gets-smaller-and-smaller' sort of feeling...

Courtesy of A Unique Love Nest By The Blue Riverview

Edited September 19, 2011 by PublicLife

[PublicLife 0]

Hey Public Life, here is my contribution to your efforts in compliation of various layouts.

Cheers!

MeRf

Thanks, MeRf! This is great.

Yup. You've got the classic fan-shaped flat - the inevitable result of living in a curved or round block. Another strange quirk of the HDB... I mean round blocks... seriously!

Got another one like it here:

Courtesy of Our Haven @ The Roundabout

And, of course, the extreme version of these are the 'slice of pizza' flats (like the ones mentioned above). Freaky!