Typical 5-Room / Executive HDB budgets
| Scope | Budget |
|---|---|
| Basic | $40,000–$52,000 |
| Mid-range | $52,000–$65,000 |
| Premium | $65,000–$80,000 |
A "basic" scope covers cosmetic refresh and overlay work — new flooring, paint, cabinet fronts. "Premium" includes hacking, full rewiring and custom carpentry throughout.
Where the money goes
Flooring ($4–$45 per sqft). With 110–130 sqm to cover, flooring choice has an outsized effect on total cost compared to smaller flats — the difference between vinyl overlay and engineered timber can swing the budget by $8,000–$15,000 across the whole flat.
Carpentry ($120–$450 per linear ft). Still typically the single biggest line item. 5-room and Executive flats usually have 3–4 bedrooms plus a household shelter, which means more wardrobe runs than a 3- or 4-room flat.
Extra rooms & storage. Executive flats in particular often have a bonus room or loft-like utility space — budget separately for any built-in storage or study nook here, since it's easy to underestimate when scoping from a smaller-flat mental model.
Bathrooms — typically 2 ($1,500–$12,000 per bathroom). Most 5-room and Executive flats have two full bathrooms, so this line item effectively doubles compared to smaller flats — plan for both up front rather than sequentially.
Common questions
Is a 5-room renovation just a scaled-up 4-room renovation? Mostly, yes, proportionally — but the extra floor area means flooring and painting costs scale up more than fixed-cost items like kitchen or bathroom fittings, which stay roughly the same regardless of flat size.
What's the biggest budget mistake for larger flats? Underestimating carpentry across multiple bedrooms — it's easy to price one "typical" bedroom wardrobe and forget that a 5-room flat usually has three or four of them, each potentially a different size.
How long does a 5-room renovation take? Typically 10–14 weeks for a resale flat with hacking and rewiring, or 8–10 weeks for a newer flat needing mostly cosmetic work.
Should I do the whole flat at once or room by room? Doing it all at once is usually more cost-efficient — contractors mobilise once, and shared costs (flooring underlay, painting prep) don't get duplicated across separate trips.