My First Home Episode 6: Tiny Paradise A single lady spent $60,000 in renovation on her 2-room flexi HDB flat

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Episode 6: Part 1

Episode 6: Part 2

Episode 6: Wendy's 2-Room Flexi for Singles

Wendy: The first thing that everybody asked when they came into the space, “Oh this is it? Where is your bed?” When I first told my friends that I’m staying in a house that’s 409 sq ft, you know, everybody tried to be supportive, but you could see, sometimes, the expressions on their faces (would be) kind of like, “Oh, that’s quite small.”

Murphy bed

Right, so then that’s when I showed them the Murphy bed, and then (they went) kind of like, “Oh actually, yeah! You know, once you keep the bed, right, the space is actually enough!”

Well, when I was thinking about my first home, definitely I was thinking about having a bit more space where, you know, you can have like one room to do your hobbies and stuff and then, you have another room where you can rest. But when I reached past 35, as a single, I can only apply for a 2-room flexi BTO (Build-To-Order) flat.

2 Room Flexi HDB Flat for Singles

So I managed to get a 409 sq ft flat. Before I got this BTO, I was staying in Taman Jurong with my parents and my two other siblings.

Lived in Taman Jurong Executive Apartment

Our flat was quite big, it was an EA (Executive Apartment). We all each have our own room. As you grow up, you’d have different tastes, so you’d want to maybe, like, hang up paintings and all that but in a family home, sometimes that can be difficult because after all, it’s still a shared space. So that’s why I thought that once I reached 35, it’ll be cool and it’d be nice to have my own space so that I can decorate it the way that I want.

YouTube 'Never Too Small'

Initially, it was a little bit difficult to accept. And I think my perception of it was that, “It’s so small. What can I do with it?” Then, I decided to do some research in terms of staying in a small space.

There’s this YouTube channel called Never Too Small, and it was surprisingly very nice. I’ve got so many ideas from there! From then on, I have actually come to terms with how I can configure my space with good design planning.

Parents skeptical about 2-room Flexi HDB

When my parents heard that I’ve got a flat that’s sized (at) 409 sq ft, they’d be like, “Oh, that’s so small! How are you going to fit all your stuff into this house?” But I think once the renovation is done and then I invited them to come in and take a look, I think from their expressions, I think their mindsets changed.

When I first stepped into the home, it was bare, right, with concrete walls and stuff. But there was actually a partition that separated the living space and the bedroom space. Immediately, I thought that this wall had to go to open up the space so that I can maximise it.

When I watched the videos from Never Too Small, it’s actually quite common for people to have Murphy beds. When I had this talk with my designer, we also talked about keeping all the furniture more mobile, you know, so that we can shift things here and there. So I thought that that was actually a really good one that I wanted to incorporate into my house.

Murphy bed with shelves

This is where my Murphy bed is. Before that, I’d like to take out my pillows, and then, I’ll put down the bed. My designer have also incorporated some shelvings into the Murphy bed. So I can actually put my comics and also have a space for me to put my glasses and also to charge my phone. The bed was configured in a horizontal way. I can also put my pillows up this way and then, I can watch late-night TV (shows) from this side. That’s really comfy and nice.

Hosted group of 11 friends

Definitely, I’ve invited my friends to come in and see my new house, right. Initially when they came in, they were kind of like, “Huh? It’s a 2-room flexi? It must be quite small.” But when they came in and then I hosted them, actually it was not too bad. I actually had, like, a group of eleven. The adults would be around the table.

And then, I’d put the bed down so there’s more sitting space for the kids. So some of them would play their iPhones on the bed, some would watch TV. And then, the adults would just chat and we eat and drink, and it was still quite comfortable!

Pull-down wardrobe

This designed cupboard was specially curated by my designer so that we can maximise the whole wall space.

We managed to actually create a pull-down wardrobe. More storage for pillows and blankets, plenty of space to actually keep stuff. I don’t really need to move the furniture every single day. Sometimes, I don’t even put up my Murphy bed. Right, because if no one is coming, you know, I’d just leave it down. But sometimes, I’d shift it up when I want to do exercises at home. Just shift the couch sideways, and then, I can work out in the middle. Over here is where I do most of my activities.

Moveable table

So I have this table, it’s locally-sourced Angsana wood which I really like it. Right, and my ID has also customised these table legs for me where I can actually move the table. I also have stools that I’ve underlined them with felt so that it’s easy for me to shift (them). This shelf was designed for sitting as well, so people can sit here. Depending on whether the table is actually horizontal or vertical, you know, it can really change the way that they want to sit.

Flexible furniture

So everything is very, very flexible. Right now with my own place, I can really do whatever I want. You know, I can do painting, I have a big enough table. So usually, when I do my calligraphy, I actually like to face the window because it gets more light. But if I’m doing them at night, my [interior designer] have designed this light which can change from warm to cool and also the intensity of the light as well.

Bathroom

Now, let me show you the rest of the space. Over here is the bathroom. This wall was all done by HDB. So I’ve only added on the shower screen and the mirrors. There’s this water-saving tap here on the toilet bowl.

For a 2-room flexi, I think that this is quite the sizable toilet. I thought it was great. Let me bring you to the kitchen.

Kitchen

At my family place, (the) kitchen is my mum’s place, right, so… the moment I decided that I’m going to get my own place, right, the first thing that came to my mind was I’m going to get a coffee machine with a grinder so that I can make my own coffee. And as you can see, I don’t have a built-in stove top. Because I don’t really cook too much at home, I actually use an induction cooker. And I can bring it out as and when I need to cook.

$60,000 Renovation for 2 room flexi

I spent about $60K for the renovation. Most of it was spent on the design. I don’t need to, like, spend too much on cleaning and stuff. It just feels that everything is within reach. I also visit my parents, like, two to three days in a week. This place is quite close to my parents’ place. So if I ride, it’s maybe like about a ten to fifteen minute’s ride. It’s really easy for me to visit them or sometimes just drop by for dinner. And that was the biggest consideration that I have. I wanted to be near them.

New HDB BTO estate

My development was probably quite new. Facilities are not as near as I want them to be, but I think it’s still doable because I ride a Vespa. There’s a coffeeshop that just came up and now there’s also like a hairdresser, the mini-mart. So even though I stay in a small space, because I’m moving around so much, it feels like my living environment is actually a lot bigger than that. So I don’t need to feel like I’m being confined in a really small space.

2 Room Flexi HDB for Singles

When people first said that, “Oh, you’ve got a 2-room flexi?”, automatically, people are thinking that it’s a very small space. It did affect me a bit because that was my own thinking too. But after doing the research, I think that, you know, I could try to make use of this space because it is my first home. I don’t need to give up on it just because of the size. And now that, you know, I have seen a lot of ideas, I think my mindset has changed. I don’t need to have a big space. I feel pretty independent and actually free because now I have the freedom to actually do whatever I want. I think I’m quite contented to stay in this space because cost-wise, it’s very easy to manage.

Size-wise, upkeeping the whole place, is really easy as well. So it as given me quite a fair bit of freedom, and I really, really like that.

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Credits

Interior Design: Three-D Conceptwerke

Supervising Director: Raymond Goh/ SPH Media

Producer: Young Lim/ Home & Decor

Research Consultant: Nonie Chen/ Home & Decor

Research & Storyboard: Justin Foo/ FTTG Media

Video Editing: Wong Zhi Qi/ FTTG Media

Videographer: Lionel Yu/ FTTG Media

Website Editing: Tan Guan Lin/ Home & Decor

Coordinator: Carmen Wong/ SPH Media

Web Optimisation: Prashanti Mohanan & John Tan/ SPH Media