Looking for feedback on the 3D design of my HDB BTO 2 room 35sqm (Type 1) flat

[RyanYTH 87]

Abit of General Background:

Hi everyone, been waiting for a long time for my 2 room flat to be built.
My estate is the upcoming Admiralty Grove located right next to Spectra Sec School in Woodlands.
From how it progressed so far, I will probably get my keys around Sept 2017 or hopefully early June-July 2017.
Since its less then a year before I get my keys, I figured its finally time to get serious and visit this forum more often.

Recently been using this very nice free Android App called "Planner 5D" to do a concept draft of how I envision my future apartment to be,
and I look forward to any feedbacks and comments on how feasible it is to implement the ideas I've envisioned, any improvements I should
look into, and how much of a ballpark quote should I be expecting when meeting up with IDs in the future.

(If you are an ID, feel free to PM me agar agar how much you think my design is gonna cost.
Would also much appreciate if you can help answer some renovation technical questions I have in my 2nd post on this thread.)

Thanks in advance!

===============================================
Here are the links you can click to view in 3D.
Please use either Firefox or Chrome for Optimal Experience.

(Once the page loads, it will be a 2D drawing. You will need to click on the "3D" button to the right to load it.
Use WASD keys to move around, scroll wheel to zoom in/out and hold left mouse button to look around.)

Please ignore that Blue Box in the Living Room. I'm using it as a reference guide for something I want to put there.
I've tried my best to follow as closely as possible to the exact measurements given in my HDB floor plan,
so the scale is probably 90%++ accurate as far as I know.

1st Design (White Kitchen Version)
https://planner5d.com/editor/?key=a76382dc36da75584d0ec21f06aaa742

1st Design (Black Kitchen Version)
https://planner5d.com/view/?key=d06bf2ce222b98261e39d2749623e484

------------------------------------------------------

2nd Design (White Kitchen Version)
https://planner5d.com/view/?key=1b6ef6056aaa1f365a1ea1d21dc42763

2nd Design (Black Kitchen Version) <--- So far i'm really liking this version lol.
https://planner5d.com/view/?key=66ca3b2a4acb230de795a0de44f2cb12

My HDB Floor Plan:
Here is a scan of my floor plan by HDB, a 2 room 35sqm (Type 1)
 

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by ryanyth

[RyanYTH 87]

Some specific design, technical questions I have for IDs:

1) Is the placement of my Air-Con above the Toilet door feasible? 
Is it easy to do the trunking out to the compressor on the Air-Con ledge?

2) Because my apartment is a 35sqm, is there an Air-Con that is powerful enough to solo be able to cool the whole place?
What sort of wattage? BTU? rating should I be looking for in such an Aircon?

3) I'm very clueless in my colour scheme, therefore only Black and White. 
Looking for your opinion on what sort of alternate colours I may want to go for.

4) The Bathtub that I picture in the model is this one I'm eyeing:
http://www.singaporebathtubs.com/product/greengoods-48-inch-soaking-tub/
Dimensions are: 1200mm x 700mm x 500mm.
Based on the dimensions of my toilet in the HDB floor plan, is it possible to be installed?

5) Is my design and features that I want to incorporate feasible? Or just too complicated and "arty farty"? lol

Thanks again!!

Edited January 20, 2017 by ryanyth

[mmoh 66]

2 hours ago, ryanyth said:

Some specific design, technical questions I have for IDs:

1) Is the placement of my Air-Con above the Toilet door feasible? 
Is it easy to do the trunking out to the compressor on the Air-Con ledge?

2) Because my apartment is a 35sqm, is there an Air-Con that is powerful enough to solo be able to cool the whole place?
What sort of wattage? BTU? rating should I be looking for in such an Aircon?

3) I'm very clueless in my colour scheme, therefore only Black and White. 
Looking for your opinion on what sort of alternate colours I may want to go for.

4) The Bathtub that I picture in the model is this one I'm eyeing:
http://www.singaporebathtubs.com/product/greengoods-48-inch-soaking-tub/
Dimensions are: 1200mm x 700mm x 500mm.
Based on the dimensions of my toilet in the HDB floor plan, is it possible to be installed?

5) Is my design and features that I want to incorporate feasible? Or just too complicated and "arty farty"? lol
 

1 & 2) air con BTU can be calculated using the volume (LxBxH) of the room.  seeing that there is no door for kitchen, u need to consider that area in your calculation. u will need at least a system 2.  HDB design with aircon installation in mind. the aircon installation men will propose where would be a suitable location to place the unit and each unit there will be trunking and a drainage water pipe leading into the bathroom.

3) black and white theme is common. no problem at all. 

4) I seriously doubt the bathroom can accommodate a bathtub of such size.

5) u need to accommodate area in between main gate and main door. This is a wastage area. as you can see from your floor plan, it is about half of the 600mm which is 30cm.  

There is also the DB box area (your study table corner) which is a floor to ceiling cabinet built by HDB, at least it is for my case.

location of your kitchen sink will depends on where the drainage piping is. you may need to change your plan if the piping location is nearer to the window.

I see the pole system in the household shelter, you plan to use this as a walk-in wardrobe? Do keep in mind of the stale air in the hh shelter. I basically keep my hh shelter door open with a gap but every time I open it, I can feel the stale air and stuffiness.

thats all for now

[RyanYTH 87]

17 hours ago, mmoh said:

1 & 2) air con BTU can be calculated using the volume (LxBxH) of the room.  seeing that there is no door for kitchen, u need to consider that area in your calculation. u will need at least a system 2.  HDB design with aircon installation in mind. the aircon installation men will propose where would be a suitable location to place the unit and each unit there will be trunking and a drainage water pipe leading into the bathroom.

3) black and white theme is common. no problem at all. 

4) I seriously doubt the bathroom can accommodate a bathtub of such size.

5) u need to accommodate area in between main gate and main door. This is a wastage area. as you can see from your floor plan, it is about half of the 600mm which is 30cm.  

There is also the DB box area (your study table corner) which is a floor to ceiling cabinet built by HDB, at least it is for my case.

location of your kitchen sink will depends on where the drainage piping is. you may need to change your plan if the piping location is nearer to the window.

I see the pole system in the household shelter, you plan to use this as a walk-in wardrobe? Do keep in mind of the stale air in the hh shelter. I basically keep my hh shelter door open with a gap but every time I open it, I can feel the stale air and stuffiness.

thats all for now

Thanks for your reply mmoh!!

1 & 2)  Ah ok noted. By system 2, you mean 2 aircon units right?
After what you have advised, I'm now thinking of putting a curtain to block the passageway between Toilet+Living Room+Bedroom against Kitchen+HHshelter area.
Not sure if curtain can effectively block aircon from escaping tho lol! I find it kindda excessive to turn on 2 aircons just to be able to cool the area.
I'll add in a curtain in my next design revision to see how it looks.

*Edit* I kindda like how the curtain looks and i just realized it can also act as a barrier to
prevent oily fumes reaching into my living / bedroom when i'm cooking in the kitchen. Only hope it can actually work as a partition to prevent aircon escaping.

In addition, i checked the below Reddit link of someone asking the exact same thing, and it seems majority people think it can block, although a stronger material like "plastic sheet" will probably work better. I guess i need to consult my ID or a curtain expert.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Physics/comments/1idsyk/if_i_partition_my_room_with_sheets_will_the_air/

3) Oh ok thanks. I scared too much black and white make it look like hospital lol! XD

4) Yea I doubt that too, but no biggie I can live with a shower. Just something I hope can be added lol

5) Edit: Oh!! I see what you mean by wastage. Noted. will amend my design for it. Thanks for the heads up!

Oh yea I also forgot to account for the DB box area you mentioned. What are the dimensions of this DB cabinet that you have?
I'll need to add that in a newer revision. I think maybe the table will just jut out abit more I guess or I could just buy or custom make a shorter table.
I wonder if I can remove that DB cabinet. Probably not since it is a DB after all.

Yes the household shelter will be my walk-in wardrobe because of my extremely limited area in my bedroom.
I really like the L-platform area in my bedroom, I thought it looked kindda zen-ish lol
Noted on the stale air you mentioned. I'm doing this because I have a friend who also did this and after living for 3 years,
he seems ok with it. He leaves his shelter door open tho. I'll probably leave mine open abit too.

He got his idea from American households where he notice their wardrobes are usually closer to their Main Door
rather then Singapore style always put in Bedroom. but yea, that said, theirs aren't Household shelters lol!
That said, i may put some sort of air purifier/ventilator device inside to reduce the stale air? if such a thing exist lol.

Excellent insights and I really appreciate your inputs!!! Thanks!!

 

Edited January 21, 2017 by ryanyth

[mmoh 66]

20 hours ago, ryanyth said:

1 & 2)  Ah ok noted. By system 2, you mean 2 aircon units right?
After what you have advised, I'm now thinking of putting a curtain to block the passageway between Toilet+Living Room+Bedroom against Kitchen+HHshelter area.
Not sure if curtain can effectively block aircon from escaping tho lol! I find it kindda excessive to turn on 2 aircons just to be able to cool the area.
I'll add in a curtain in my next design revision to see how it looks.

*Edit* I kindda like how the curtain looks and i just realized it can also act as a barrier to
prevent oily fumes reaching into my living / bedroom when i'm cooking in the kitchen. Only hope it can actually work as a partition to prevent aircon escaping.


Oh yea I also forgot to account for the DB box area you mentioned. What are the dimensions of this DB cabinet that you have?
I'll need to add that in a newer revision. I think maybe the table will just jut out abit more I guess or I could just buy or custom make a shorter table.
I wonder if I can remove that DB cabinet. Probably not since it is a DB after all.

system 2 = 1 compressor + 2 blower. Yes, I think some blockage at that area is good. With curtain it is definitely better than without. If you cook alot, maybe you can consider installing a PD door instead as it is easier to wipe than cleaning an oily curtain but it will cost more for a start. I installed PD door at my kitchen entrance to contain cold air in my living room too. For reference, it cost $650 via ID. so you can probably get lower rate if buy direct.

You can customise your table to accommodate the cabinet but may forego the lower part of the cabinet if there is drawer beneath the table. my db box area is not protruded out like yours. The cabinet door is aligned with the wall so I am not sure if my db cabinet is a standard size.

[RyanYTH 87]

23 minutes ago, mmoh said:

system 2 = 1 compressor + 2 blower. Yes, I think some blockage at that area is good. With curtain it is definitely better than without. If you cook alot, maybe you can consider installing a PD door instead as it is easier to wipe than cleaning an oily curtain but it will cost more for a start. I installed PD door at my kitchen entrance to contain cold air in my living room too. For reference, it cost $650 via ID. so you can probably get lower rate if buy direct.

You can customise your table to accommodate the cabinet but may forego the lower part of the cabinet if there is drawer beneath the table. my db box area is not protruded out like yours. The cabinet door is aligned with the wall so I am not sure if my db cabinet is a standard size.

Ok made the necessary amendments.
I won't be installing PD door given how lack of space I have altho you're right it will be a lot easier to clean.
I kindda like the empty space next to the fridge where I put my bicycle.
For my curtain, I may buy those that roll up instead of those that slide sideways as you see in the updated design.

Customise my table to accommodate the DB box?
I would certainly love to do it because a L table is much better, no idea how tho. Also, i'm trying to avoid
as much customized stuffs as possible because I know these will really add to the cost of the renovations.

I dunno how mine will be like, so I just put a protruding style like what the floor plan shows.
The DB box in my design is 80cm x 30cm which I hope is enuff as a size estimate since floorplan never say how big it is.
(Sometimes, really want to laugh at HDB if they understand about design or not. Put a stupid cabinet
right in the area where people need the space, especially for a space starved 2 room flat. Haiz...what to do?
Meh. Enuff of my rants, rant also no use lol. Gotta think how to get around the problem lor.
And thats where ID will come in to help me think of solutions ba lol.

Anyway, thanks again

Edited January 21, 2017 by ryanyth

[mmoh 66]

2 hours ago, ryanyth said:

Ok made the necessary amendments.
I won't be installing PD door given how lack of space I have altho you're right it will be a lot easier to clean.
I kindda like the empty space next to the fridge where I put my bicycle.
For my curtain, I may buy those that roll up instead of those that slide sideways as you see in the updated design.

Customise my table to accommodate the DB box?
I would certainly love to do it because a L table is much better, no idea how tho. Also, i'm trying to avoid
as much customized stuffs as possible because I know these will really add to the cost of the renovations.

actually PD door doesnt take up much space when it is not in used. If u refer to my latest pic in my thread, u can see the white frame with tempered glass PD door against the fridge. Didnt notice its presence most of the time.

u mean roll up blinds? Not very "go through" friendly leh.

Do you plan to do any carpentry work other than kitchen cabinets? You can get carpenter to do the table for you. Actually customise carpentry is where you can maximise space.  

How much is your reno budget?

Edited: there are some wall racks for bicycle, this will help to reduce space used.

Edited January 21, 2017 by mmoh

[RyanYTH 87]

On 21/01/2017 at 8:14 PM, mmoh said:

actually PD door doesnt take up much space when it is not in used. If u refer to my latest pic in my thread, u can see the white frame with tempered glass PD door against the fridge. Didnt notice its presence most of the time.

u mean roll up blinds? Not very "go through" friendly leh.

Do you plan to do any carpentry work other than kitchen cabinets? You can get carpenter to do the table for you. Actually customise carpentry is where you can maximise space.  

How much is your reno budget?

Edited: there are some wall racks for bicycle, this will help to reduce space used.

Phew....added cove lighting + lighting fixtures. That sure took awhile lol
Latest link:
Only Apartment Design Version:
https://planner5d.com/editor/?key=a76382dc36da75584d0ec21f06aaa742

Version with Stickman Figures:
https://planner5d.com/editor/?key=ed50bfab0f429478bf1035d87f17d3e7


A door would of course be the best solution, but .... i dunno i kindda like the curtains after i put it.

Roll up blinds would be another alternative to my current sideway curtain. I feel at least the roll up blinds won't attract dust at the bottom tho.

Yea i'll need carpentry done and so far the below are the carpentry I need based on my design:
1) Kitchen cabinets and counters and that dining area.
2) False ceiling / cove lighting in the living room and bedroom area.
3) Bed Platform with drawers and that L-Shaped storage ledge in my bedroom

==============================================
My budget is $18k.
Here's how I do my budgeting:
I divide my apartment into 4 main areas: Kitchen + Toilet + Bedroom + Living Room
Each area I allocate it $4k and if an area doesn't need $4K, the money will use to "tiap" the other areas that may need more.
In addition to the $4k for each area, i also allocate additional $2k for any extra overheads. Thus $4k * 4 + $2k = $18k

I understand $18K seems a little low maybe?, but the way I see it:
1) I have basically done up my own design legwork to show to ID, and only need him to see which one is feasible and doable.
2) Only my Kitchen, and Bedroom will take the bulk of it since there are customized carpentry involved.
3) I opted for OCS so my flooring and some stuffs is already done by HDB.
4) When i take a look at my design, i realize alot of furnishings are accented by furnitures and other stuffs
that can be bought outside. I will do up another 3D design where i'll strip off anything I think can buy outside
and show only what I want the ID to do. (Eg: fake ceiling, carpentry, lighting etc)

That said, is $18k too low for the design i'm envisioning?
If really die die wanna stretch i can still stretch to maybe $20k, but no way will i pay more then that.
I wonder if some IDs lurking here has already written me off ?? lol

======================

Ya I seen those bicycle wall racks before. I think even the HDB showroom have them,
but i'm not a fan of carrying the thing up and down everytime I wann go ride. Very heavy wo.
I also have a e-scooter which I will also park there nicely (didn't add it because this 3D program dun have any escooter lol)
I like that look where the dining table is just next to the bicycle, i dunno how to explain. I just like the look lol~

lol looks like i've just replied a wall of text. sorry about that lol
Sadly so far other then you and 1 very nice guy who PM me his contractor contact,
no ID has approached to PM me. So sad or maybe its CNY period and all IDs are super busy? lol
Thanks again mmoh, your insight is very valuable indeed

Edited January 23, 2017 by ryanyth

[2Roomer 7]

Hi Ryanyth

Wow, you must have put in lots of time, effort and thought into your space planning. I'm impressed! I am still waiting for my BTO and can't give as much insights as mmoh. But here's my 2 cent's worth anyway:

1. There was a segment on Designer In The House with a blind that blocks out air-con but it's more for windows. You can check out the episode (#6, at around 10 minutes) on Toggle TV.

2. You can consider having a counter above the bicycle storage area as an additional food prep area.

3. There is a recess wall in the living/dining room (next to DB box).  Maybe you can relocate the study area to there.

4. What pole system will you be using for the household shelter? From what I know, Living Star is the only one in Singapore that doesn't involve drilling into walls.

[mmoh 66]

eh, i did mine at 15k only leh, this is exclude furniture and electrical appliances but include flooring. did i gave u my id's no.? personally I dont like cove lighting / false ceiling cos I find our ceiling already lower than older flats. this will make it lagi lower and cleaning is always a headache that I kept in mind when planning for my house.

1 very impt reference material is the proposed design provided by HDB for your bto.  you can know the position of your sink, washing machine, fridge and tv points there. If your design is different from HDB's proposed design, high chance you will need to either alter your design or you need extra cost to re-locate piping or electrical points etc.

I like 2roomer's point 2. 1 of my problem is my kitchen is really small and very little counter top space but luckily i dun cook alot.

Pole system, Qoo10 and TB got but not sure how good quality and how difficult to ownself install.

[RyanYTH 87]

3 hours ago, 2Roomer said:

Hi Ryanyth

 

Wow, you must have put in lots of time, effort and thought into your space planning. I'm impressed! I am still waiting for my BTO and can't give as much insights as mmoh. But here's my 2 cent's worth anyway:

 

1. There was a segment on Designer In The House with a blind that blocks out air-con but it's more for windows. You can check out the episode (#6, at around 10 minutes) on Toggle TV.

 

2. You can consider having a counter above the bicycle storage area as an additional food prep area.

 

3. There is a recess wall in the living/dining room (next to DB box).  Maybe you can relocate the study area to there.

 

4. What pole system will you be using for the household shelter? From what I know, Living Star is the only one in Singapore that doesn't involve drilling into walls.

 

Hi 2roomer, thanks for your comments! Time and effort? I guess my long hours of playing "The Sims" finally paid off lol. Using this program is like trying to play a real life version of it LOL!!

Sorry for the late reply. Spent whole day at IMM drooling at all the lovely furnitures there lol. Personally, I think the shops that appeal most to me style and budget wise are Vhive and Star Living. I love their simple non flowery yet budget friendly price. Another shop ya'LL might wanna take note is "Ki-mono", a Japanese styled furniture making small cute Furniture at reasonable prices. (Eg: Not $2.7k for a Small Sofa lol)

Here is where I found this Planner 5D app most useful. I can literally whip out my smartphone, enter the exact measurement of the furniture and I can immediately see if it fits into my apartment. Seriously u guys, Planner 5D is super super useful.

Was also surprised that Courts now sell a 2 seater L Shape sofa which is kinda rare to find as all L shape sofa I see so far are 3 seaters which unfortunately is too wide for me.

1) Noted, will check it out thanks!

2) Nice idea with the counter on top of bicycle, but is afraid it may narrow the passageway too much. Nevertheless I will add it and see see how it goes.

3) Sorry what recess wall are u referring to? If u are referring to the corner between the HH Shelter and Living Room, I'm already using it as my study area in the 3D design.

4) Also dun have any specific choices in mind honestly. I do see IKEA have such a pole system in their Tampines branch and looked kinda nice tho. But I'm open to any choices provided they dun cost an arm and leg lol!

Thanks for your tips man, really appreciate it!

Edited January 22, 2017 by ryanyth

[RyanYTH 87]

3 hours ago, mmoh said:

eh, i did mine at 15k only leh, this is exclude furniture and electrical appliances but include flooring. did i gave u my id's no.? personally I dont like cove lighting / false ceiling cos I find our ceiling already lower than older flats. this will make it lagi lower and cleaning is always a headache that I kept in mind when planning for my house.

1 very impt reference material is the proposed design provided by HDB for your bto.  you can know the position of your sink, washing machine, fridge and tv points there. If your design is different from HDB's proposed design, high chance you will need to either alter your design or you need extra cost to re-locate piping or electrical points etc.

I like 2roomer's point 2. 1 of my problem is my kitchen is really small and very little counter top space but luckily i dun cook alot.

Pole system, Qoo10 and TB got but not sure how good quality and how difficult to ownself install.

Only 15k? Fantastic!! And here I was twiddling my thumbs thinking if 18k is too low for renovations lol!

No I dun have your ID number actually. Gonna kachiao u and pm u for it

*Edit* eh I can't seem to PM u, says u cannot receive PM. Maybe your pm full? Sorry need to trouble u to pm me his contact thanks!

False ceiling is more for me to hide my future home theatre speaker cables and I do like having downlights. Cove lighting is something I always wanted but of course its probably only used if I'm entertaining frens gathering.

My mouth literally dropped when u mentioned about HDB proposed design!! Wow I never knew it is actually of any use other then HDB using it as some promo material lol!! But really thanks for mentioning this. Better I do my amendments now then knowing this much too late when I sit down with ID to show my design. Thanks!!

I dun fancy myself a heavy cooker, but I do see myself cooking simple daily meals and playing with recipes and baking over the weekend for leisure. That's why to cater for this I added the L shape counter next to stove. It will be movable and slide into kitchen counter when not in use as u can see in my sample attached image.

I'll either go for Pole System or Stainless Steel racks that are made for clothes hanging. I ever saw such a thing at Howards last time at Millenia Walk but sadly they have closed down tho.

Thanks again!! U too 2roomer!

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by ryanyth

[mmoh 66]

paiseh, PM is full and I have already cleared it. PM you already.

[mmoh 66]

16 hours ago, ryanyth said:

Sorry for the late reply. Spent whole day at IMM drooling at all the lovely furnitures there lol. Personally, I think the shops that appeal most to me style and budget wise are Vhive and Star Living. I love their simple non flowery yet budget friendly price. Another shop ya'LL might wanna take note is "Ki-mono", a Japanese styled furniture making small cute Furniture at reasonable prices. (Eg: Not $2.7k for a Small Sofa lol)

Vhive quality think so so only i heard. behind IMM there are few furniture showrooms too. Furniture mall is also at around the corner.

If you drive, can go sungei kadut there look see. Many furniture sellers with show room. Novena and Star are the more prominent one.

[RyanYTH 87]

5 hours ago, mmoh said:

Vhive quality think so so only i heard. behind IMM there are few furniture showrooms too. Furniture mall is also at around the corner.

If you drive, can go sungei kadut there look see. Many furniture sellers with show room. Novena and Star are the more prominent one.

Noted thanks mmoh.
I think I ever went to Furniture Mall, but the place looks very upmarket and atas and way over my budget for furnitures. (Eg: $5k+ for a sofa)
Sungei Kadut I went before but tats because I went to Gain City showroom HQ to look see look see.

Anyway...phew MAJOR OVERHAUL omg!
After your last advice to try and follow closely to the "proposed HDB design",
I really found a lot of discrepancies to correct omg. Thank goodness for your advice, so at least I'm now mentally prepared.
Lost abit of my initial design look, especially around the kitchen but still manage to somehow do it lol!

Attached is the image of the proposed HDB design for my 35sqm Type 1 flat.
Waddya'll think? I had to shift the Cooking Area and Refridgerator abit in my design, hopefully they won't be impact too much

Apologies if you are getting a error 403 if you were accessing my older links, because of my major overhaul.
Below are my latest links to my 3D Design:

Only Apartment Design Version:
https://planner5d.com/editor/?key=a76382dc36da75584d0ec21f06aaa742

Version with Stickman Figures:
https://planner5d.com/editor/?key=ed50bfab0f429478bf1035d87f17d3e7

Also, i'm dropping my idea for the retractable "L-shaped bracket in the Kitchen counter"
I realized such modifications is gonna cost ALOT EXTRA. So forget it, i'm using Dining Carts instead if I want extra counter space.
Dining carts are very good and versatile because of their portability. I can also use them for mobile storage.
Ya'll can consider it, if you really need more counter space.

Opps another long wall of text lol.

Thanks for reading folks lol! Appreciate all your comments and PM!

Edited January 23, 2017 by ryanyth