Home Tour: A dentist & civil servant couple’s $800,000 renovation for their terrace house
There is something extra special about moving back into your childhood home and having your son grow up in the very same home that you grew up in.
By Lynn Tan -
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This intermediate terrace house in Lentor Plain was where dentist, Caroline, who is in her 30s, grew up. When she and her sister went away to university, her parents tenanted out the home and moved to another property nearby. Years later, in 2022, having graduated, got married, bought an apartment and became a mother, she moved back into her childhood home with her husband, Joshua, a civil servant also in his 30s, and their son, who is now five years old.
Being over two decades old, it might have been easier to simply demolish the existing house and start afresh. However, the couple decided to go ahead with a major renovation instead as it would fit their $800,000 budget better. The gargantuan task of working around the existing structures fell on Lim Ai Tiong, the principal of Lim Ai Tiong (LATO) Architects/ Design.
The whole interior was gutted and redone, and the layout reconfigured, along with some minor façade works. “As a non-submission project, no architectural or structural works are allowed by the authority. Sometimes, the definition and categorisation of these works may be vague and overlap. As a Registered Architect, I am able to interpret them more accurately and propose accordingly,” he points out.
Reconfiguring the layout required thinking outside the box, especially with the constraints of the existing structures and services. Existing utility areas such as the helper’s room and laundry area have been relocated to the third storey, freeing up space on the first storey for a larger and more open kitchen, dining room and rear outdoor terrace.
Who Lives Here: A dentist and civil servant in their 30s and their 5-year-old son
Home: A 3-storey intermediate terraced house in Lentor Plain
Size: 3,000 sq ft (approximate)
Architect: Lim Ai Tiong (LATO) Architects/ Design
Wine Cellar
One of the most significant new additions and the centrepiece of the home is the wine cellar. It occupies the former dining area and forms the heart of the home. “It is in full view from the living room as visitors enter the home, so it makes for a great conversational piece. It faces the staircase area, so the owners will see it when going up and down. It is also conveniently located beside the dry kitchen and dining hall,” Ai Tiong highlights.
What used to be a rather undersized dining room is now a perfectly sized wine cellar that can house 1,248 bottles. Caroline acquired her love and appreciation of wine from her father and uncle. Some of the wines from their collections are being stored in her wine cellar, making it a family cellar of sorts.
She and Ai Tiong worked closely with Celsius Equipment on the design and installation of the wine cellar. “It is currently about a quarter or one third filled. The capacity allows us to add to the collection over time and to grow it as our tastes change,” she shares.
Living Room
All the old fenestrations have been replaced with clear glass sliding doors that extend vertically from floor to beam and stretch horizontally from column to column across the living area. The abundance of natural light gives the living room a bright and welcoming ambience. With the existing false ceiling raised by about half to one meter, the first storey feels even more spacious.
Reproductions of two works by American painter, Mark Rothco adorn the living room wall behind the sofa. The vibrant colours and soft edged colour blocking inject a pop of colour that stands out against the neutral colour scheme of the home and furniture.
Dining Room
Caroline’s parents used to host Saturday dinners for the extended family when they were living in this home. She has taken it upon herself to continue this tradition now that her parents are older.
With the existing utility areas relocated to the third storey, the new kitchen, dining area and outdoor barbeque terrace now occupy the entire rear half of the home. This spacious, open and seamless zone is where three generations of the extended family can gather for their weekly dinners.
The provision of three sets of sliding glass doors- between the wine foyer and kitchen, between the kitchen and dining area, and between the dining area and outdoor terrace allows each of these spaces to be compartmentalised when necessary, either to contain the cooking grease and smoke, or to conserve energy when the air-conditioner is switched on.
A generous 2.5m x 1m kitchen island sits in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen counters on one side extend into the dining room, while full height cabinets on the opposite wall provide plenty of space for storage and for the built-in ovens. The dining centrepiece is a 2.2-meter long solid wood table that sits eight to ten people, complemented by eight Chandigarh chairs designed by Pierre Jeanneret.
Family Area
On the second storey is a double volume family area and music corner furnished with pieces from the executive condominium that Caroline and Joshua bought when they got married.
These familiar pieces give the space a “lived in” feel and offer a sentimental nod to when they first started life together as Mr and Mrs. Caroline plays her music here and the acrylic painting of the Italian coast serves as a reminder of their holiday in Italy in 2018.
Master Bedroom
The existing master bedroom had one major problem- the large, east-facing window admits strong morning sun and privacy is also an issue as the neighbouring house is in close proximity. Architect Ai Tiong introduced a series of timber look, aluminium aerofoil fins that not only serve as screens, but also create an interesting façade feature that distinguishes the home from the rest of its neighbours.
Master Bathroom
As the couple have no use for a bathtub, it was removed and the extra space went to a long vanity top with twin basins in the master bathroom. The off-white colour palette gives the bathroom a minimalist look, paired with black sanitary ware and bathroom fittings that break the monotony.
The design, drawing documentation and calling of tenders took about four months, while the actual renovation works took another six months. It is almost four years since the family moved back into the home and they have found themselves staying in a lot more, having coffee and drinks and cooking with friends. Caroline and Joshua’s son will inherit the home one day. “Our son grew up in this home, so it would be really nice if he and his future family can continue living in it,” says Caroline.