Home Tour: $135,000 Renovation for a 5-room BTO in Sengkang for a social media executive and assistant cameraman
A ramp and two-way entrances and exits to the dining room and common bathroom are some of the uncommon features in this home that have been designed specifically to suit the homeowners’ needs.
By Lynn Tan -
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Having resided in the same homes with their respective families since they were born, this 5-room flat in Sengkang East Drive is the second home that 39-year-old social media executive Ashley Ho and assistant cameraman Daryl Nah, who is 38 years old, have lived in, and the first one that they have ever purchased.
This milestone was made even more momentous due to the extended wait resulting from various delays. The construction was behind schedule because of the pandemic and the renovation was also held back slightly because of permit approval and festive periods in between.
In the meantime, the couple and their newborn daughter were putting up at Daryl’s parents’ home. When they eventually moved into their new home sometime in April or May 2024, just shy of seven years since they bought the flat in August 2017, they said to themselves, “Finally!” They share the sentiment that “nothing beats having a place to call your own”.
Who Lives Here: A couple in their 30s and their young daughter
Home: A 5-room HDB BTO at Sengkang East Drive
Size: 1,216 sq ft
Interior Designer: Threehaus Works
The long wait not only heightened their sense of anticipation, but it also gave them ample time to ponder over what they wanted for their first home. They decided on a hybrid between brutalist and minimalist styles. The circulation within the home and how the layout flows were also important considerations. Every part of the home should be fully utilised. “Every room and space has to be useful and not redundant, serving various needs and not just limited to one basic function,” says Daryl.
Threehaus Works Interior Design
Threehaus Works interior designers, Jax Ren and Joshua Wee understood this brief thoroughly. “The homeowners wanted to incorporate raw, natural materials such as cement and limewash, while still achieving a sense of subtle luxury,” shares interior designer Jax. Besides aesthetics, the functional aspects were just as crucial.
“They also needed practical design solutions to support their lifestyle, such as a raised platform with a slope to accommodate Daryl’s camera trolley, flexible storage throughout, and a dedicated dress-up area for Ashley near the master bathroom,” interior designer Joshua highlights.
An L-shaped sofa abuts a concrete half-wall in the living room.
Living room
An L-shaped sofa abuts a concrete half-wall surrounded by glass panels and sliding glass doors that separate the living area from the dining room. The television console is a simple concrete form with a monochromatic cement finish that complements the cement screed flooring and limewash wall finish.
A custom hanging lamp that echoes the rectangular shape of the dining table.
Dining room
Dining is just one of the myriad functions that this room supports. It also serves as a workroom.
As a freelance assistant cameraman, Daryl’s work involves a lot of bulky equipment. There needs to be a dedicated space to accommodate these seamlessly into the home without them being an eyesore.
At the end of the dining room is homeowner Daryl's work station.
Cameraman’s Work Station
A ramp in one corner of the living area allows him to wheel his equipment-laden trolley onto the raised platform of the dining room.
At one end of the room is a work corner, where he can park his trolley and gear discreetly.
The concrete television console from the living area continues into the dining room and forms a low ledge where he can place smaller items. The wall space above this has been put to good use with a pegboard where he can hang not just his tools, but also display personal mementoes and a framed print.
As a freelance assistant cameraman, Daryl’s (right) work involves a lot of bulky equipment.
The generously sized dining table is perfect for meals, meetings or fun activities with the couple’s three-year-old daughter whom they refer to endearingly as a “threenager”. A custom-designed hanging lamp that echoes the rectangular shape of the dining table shifts the focus of this multi-use space back to the dining centrepiece.
The couple love having steamboat here. “The dining area acts like an indoor balcony where we can have steamboat and not worry about the fumes entering the living area when we close the glass doors. It has a two-way exit and entrance which means that there is no dead end, giving our guests flexibility as to where they want to enter or leave from without bumping into one another,” Ashley explains.
Common bathroom
The two-way circulation concept has also been applied to the common bathroom and service yard. In the original layout, the common bathroom and service yard were accessed from the corridor leading to the bedrooms and the kitchen respectively, which is typical of most HDB flats.
Homeowners Ashley and Daryl wanted to have separate ingress and egress points for the common bathroom, which would enable alternative access to and from the service yard without having to always go through the kitchen. This is especially useful when cooking is taking place or when you are carrying an arm load of laundry.
Service Yard
To achieve this, the existing wall between the common bathroom and service yard had to go. The couple and design team encountered some challenges and delays in obtaining the permit to hack the wall and the rest of the renovation work was held back because of this. However, it was something that they were not prepared to compromise on, so they pushed ahead and eventually managed to get the approval.
The school canteen-inspired sink in the laundry yard has two compartments- one for handwashing and the other for soaking laundry or washing dive equipment. A full-length mirror helps to make the space feel larger and the reflected sunlight brightens up the space.
Kitchen
With the open concept kitchen and the wall between the common bathroom and service yard removed, the household shelter appears to be like a standalone core in the middle of the floor plan.
To mitigate this, interior designers Jax and Joshua wrapped the pantry around this “freestanding” structure, turning it into a node around which the circulation and activities can flow.
A seating nook with a stool allows the pantry to also double up as a workspace. The kitchen adopts a calming palette comprising muted blue cabinets, polished cement floors and limewashed walls.
Master bedroom
By combining the existing master bedroom with the adjacent bedroom, the couple now have a spacious master suite.
Being accustomed to the platform bed in her family home, Ashley opted for a raised storage platform bed. The half-height concrete bedhead also serves as a divider between the bed and the study table behind.
Walk-in wardrobe
A walk-in wardrobe has been created with two full-height wardrobes on either side and a bay window settee in between.
In front of the master bathroom is a dedicated dressing area with proper lighting and storage to support Ashley’s work as a social media executive.
Master bathroom
The master bathroom has a darker mood with dark grey large format floor tiles and subway wall tiles. The centrepiece is a custom cast concrete basin that offers some contrast.
3.5 Months Renovation
The renovation took about three and a half months to complete, which was quite an accomplishment considering the extensive renovation and reconfiguration, as well as delays in obtaining the permit from HDB to hack the wall between the common bathroom and service yard.
$135,000 Renovation Cost
The cost for the renovation came up to about $135,000. The couple considers this a long term investment and are happy to have achieved almost everything that they wanted in creating a haven where they can spend meaningful time bonding with their loved ones.