Consultancy and ID cost

[snoozee 98]

2 hours ago, petetherock said:

On a side note

is the elevation plan available for all houses?

What was shared is a section view. Elevation views show the outside facades only. 

my old plans from BCA also have section views even though the house was built in 1958/1959

[snoozee 98]

1 hour ago, Alkft said:

Also if not doing extensions, for full interior major renovation for a landed, is it still advisable to go look for a builder type main con? Or any contractor is fine 

 

No difference between class 1 and 2 apart from the project cost limit. 
 

suggest you find a builder to do your renovations as not all contractors have the experience to handle a landed housing job

[Alkft 0]

6 hours ago, snoozee said:

how much you want to extend? the backyard storage room at the rear does not look to have foundations done up (or the foundations are able to support upper storeys) so if you want to extend all the way to 2m or 3m from rear boundary, you most likely need to do proper foundations. since the house is on high ground (based on needing a water tank), you might be able to get away with raft foundation or some footings and need not do piling.

since you need to tear down almost the whole rear sections in order to do the extension, you might not be able to qualify as an A&A anymore if based on 50% facade rule

if you don't want to touch the main roof, then your 3rd storey extension may have to be lower such that a sloping roof can be built and joined below the existing main roof.

roofing options are either RC roof, clay tiles, sheet metal roof, clay tile looking metal roof, and maybe a few more options. RC roof would be most expensive (if i'm not wrong). sheet metal roof may require slightly less slope than clay tile roof so your 3rd storey extension may be able to get some good internal height even if it's slightly lower.

gutters are no longer allowed to be built so if your existing gutters are removed, you need to plan for how the rain water flows down from the roof. I can tell you that the amount of water that can flow down from the roof during a heavy downpour is no joke so proper planning is important in this aspect.

Thansk, sounds like so much to consider. If the level 3 extension is into an open roof terrace at attic level - any cons to that ?

If classified as a reconstruction, will a bomb shelter definitely need to be built?or able to ask for exemption?

 

[Alkft 0]

14 minutes ago, snoozee said:

What was shared is a section view. Elevation views show the outside facades only. 

my old plans from BCA also have section views even though the house was built in 1958/1959

Oops! I didn't realise its a section view. 

[snoozee 98]

2 hours ago, Alkft said:

Thansk, sounds like so much to consider. If the level 3 extension is into an open roof terrace at attic level - any cons to that ?

If classified as a reconstruction, will a bomb shelter definitely need to be built?or able to ask for exemption?

 

Open roof terrace means you need to build RC roof for your 3rd storey. Then you also need to plan for rain water down pipes to drain water somewhere when it rains. Also need to build stairs to assess unless your roof terrace is not meant to be assessable. Need to compare cost between RC roof terrace and normal roof but I suspect normal roof would be cheaper

whether HS needed or not depends on SCDF. QP will need to consult SCDF on the requirements on whether need or not

[AWS 6]

On 5/18/2021 at 10:33 PM, Kellhound said:

I think you need to plan a buffer for surprises midway (could be major or minor) but almost 100% sure to happen. I'm planning for 10-15% myself.

On a side note, heard that now SCDF requires a water hydrant to be installed at 50 meters interval. If your estate has hydrants spaces at more than 50 meters, and just nice that you are doing a rebuild and your house is at distance more than 50 meters from the nearest fire hydrant,  you may need to install one at your cost. The new hydrant can be on either side of the road, not necessary on the same side as the old hydrant. Estimated cost may be in region of $5k paid by new owner. 
IMHO, really like free public service.

[AWS 6]

Sorry, double posting. Sticky fingers.

Edited May 20, 2021 by AWS

[Alkft 0]

12 hours ago, snoozee said:

Open roof terrace means you need to build RC roof for your 3rd storey. Then you also need to plan for rain water down pipes to drain water somewhere when it rains. Also need to build stairs to assess unless your roof terrace is not meant to be assessable. Need to compare cost between RC roof terrace and normal roof but I suspect normal roof would be cheaper

whether HS needed or not depends on SCDF. QP will need to consult SCDF on the requirements on whether need or not

Hmm if just extend level 3 to create same 2 additional bedroom layout like on level 2, plus a common bathroom on level 3--- would.still need piling?

And if piling needed, cost wise, would it be advisable to extend level 2 plus 3 till 2/3 metre boundary

[snoozee 98]

7 minutes ago, Alkft said:

Hmm if just extend level 3 to create same 2 additional bedroom layout like on level 2, plus a common bathroom on level 3--- would.still need piling?

And if piling needed, cost wise, would it be advisable to extend level 2 plus 3 till 2/3 metre boundary

whether need piling or not you need to refer to a PE as the PE will look at the structural plans and advise you accordingly.

of cos if you need to do piling, then might as well extend as much as possible since the piling is a one time cost. but as mentioned, your house is on high ground so you may not need to do piling but can do footings which is much cheaper. but this depends on soil condition and what the PE decides on.

[Alkft 0]

23 hours ago, snoozee said:

whether need piling or not you need to refer to a PE as the PE will look at the structural plans and advise you accordingly.

of cos if you need to do piling, then might as well extend as much as possible since the piling is a one time cost. but as mentioned, your house is on high ground so you may not need to do piling but can do footings which is much cheaper. but this depends on soil condition and what the PE decides on.

Thanks once again for the info

Wanted to check- if footing can be done, would it change/reduce construction costs by alot if extend only level 3 to where Level 2 is originally? 

Is that even possible? 

Or main bulk of construction costs is in the footing and amount of footing needed and costs involved is same for extending level 2 and 3  versus just extend level 3?

[snoozee 98]

7 hours ago, Alkft said:

Thanks once again for the info

Wanted to check- if footing can be done, would it change/reduce construction costs by alot if extend only level 3 to where Level 2 is originally? 

Is that even possible? 

Or main bulk of construction costs is in the footing and amount of footing needed and costs involved is same for extending level 2 and 3  versus just extend level 3?

Not possible. Footing has to be done on the soil itself. Can’t add below existing floor unless excavation is done. 
 

foundation cost is maybe 10% to 15% of overall construction cost only. I’m basing on my total rebuilt costing. 

Edited May 22, 2021 by snoozee

[Alkft 0]

3 hours ago, snoozee said:

Not possible. Footing has to be done on the soil itself. Can’t add below existing floor unless excavation is done. 
 

foundation cost is maybe 10% to 15% of overall construction cost only. I’m basing on my total rebuilt costing. 

Oh ya I don't mean footing done on level 2. I mean footing done on the soil, would the costs for the amount of footing needed change if the amount of extension is purely only Level 3, up to where level 2's extent.

[snoozee 98]

14 hours ago, Alkft said:

Oh ya I don't mean footing done on level 2. I mean footing done on the soil, would the costs for the amount of footing needed change if the amount of extension is purely only Level 3, up to where level 2's extent.

Referring to your plans. Are you talking about extending level 3 up to gridline X2? If yes, then need to see whether the current foundation is able to take the load of additional structures for level 3 or not. If foundation isn’t strong enough, then level 2 and level 1 needs to be demolished to build the footings and underground beams in the soil.

other option is to build the footings at 2m or 3m from rear boundary line and extend the house all the way to there. 
 

one problem you will face is how is an excavator going to be moved to the rear of the house to excavate the soil for foundation. Footings normally are around 1m below ground level so while it could be possible to excavate manually, it will take much longer than using a machine.

[petetherock 13]

One thing you want to bear in mind is time..

if you’re really desperate to move in quickly for whatever reason, know that any major work will take much longer now and far more unpredictable right now… you don’t to be stuck and end up with a protracted project..

[Alkft 0]

3 hours ago, snoozee said:

Referring to your plans. Are you talking about extending level 3 up to gridline X2? If yes, then need to see whether the current foundation is able to take the load of additional structures for level 3 or not. If foundation isn’t strong enough, then level 2 and level 1 needs to be demolished to build the footings and underground beams in the soil.

other option is to build the footings at 2m or 3m from rear boundary line and extend the house all the way to there. 
 

one problem you will face is how is an excavator going to be moved to the rear of the house to excavate the soil for foundation. Footings normally are around 1m below ground level so while it could be possible to excavate manually, it will take much longer than using a machine.

Ya up to line x2. But ya don't know if it's feasible. And if it is possible, whether there is alot of costs savings. 

Ah yes, I'm not sure about how excavator machine will reach the back. 

Is building a stairways up to the attic level considered increasing gfa? And would making the attic accessible and usable as a bedroom be a cheaper alternative versus extending to the rear for extra bedrooms?

And if there is  water tank at the attic, is moving the position down to first floor recommended for easier future maintenance? How can one check if we can go without water tank?