Renovation timelines aren’t guesswork.

There is a rough formula depending on the type of property and scope of work.

But it gets confusing as (1) one homeowner will say “my reno 1 month finish” and another “mine 2 months leh” without matching the requirements and (2) IDs might overpromise to land the job.

If you forget everything in this post, just remember, on average reno takes about 2 months.

Watch our tiktok channel if you lazy to read.

Whether you got a BTO or a resale condo, the duration can really be quite different, so let’s go through it.

Reno Duration

1) New Launch Condos / BTOs with Flooring

These projects take around 1.5 months, unless you are doing major overhaul.

Reason being these properties come mostly furnished alr (tiles etc), hence main works tend to be ceiling / carpentry / electrical.

With minimal hacking and wetworks, this is why some homeowners you speak to can literally complete their reno in 1 month or so.

2) Resale HDB / BTOs without Flooring

This is the most common type of property being renovated.

For these properties, given the prior / bare condition, wetworks is required.

For resale HDB in particular, you might have additional hacking and “refurbishment” works like plastering, taking up more time.

Plus some resale HDB is really huge (eg. Executive Apartments), these reno will easily take 2 months, or even 2.5 months.

That’s why if you wanna further split, timeline for BTOs with no OCS will be shorter than resale HDB.

3) Resale Condo

Resale condo hands-down takes the longest.

It can be 2.5, 3 or even 3.5 months.

The main reason is due to the restricted hours of working by the condo MCSt.

By right they can work 9am - 5pm.

But practically speaking, with the security etc they often start work at 10am, stop during lunch 12pm-2pm, continue to 4pm, before having to sign out from the condo already.

This gives them ~4 hours of worktime, compared to HDBs.

So for anyone who questions why condo takes so long, there is a strong legitimate reason for it (and why some IDs don’t like to do condo projects).

IDs that Overpromise

This is maybe the 重点. You will often run into 2 kinds of IDs.

Aggressive: Job should take 1.5 months tell you 1 month can gaotim, so that you will sign with them

Conservative: Job should take 1.5 months tell you play safe do 2 month

Always go with the conservative one, they are more likely to plan buffer time properly and you will be more at ease knowing that they’re not trying to rush the work.

It’s all about setting realistic expectations. Or just ask us if you are not sure if the ID is overpromising.

TLDR

Reno timelines are not random.

On average it takes 2 months, depending on your property type
Always choose the conservative IDs, they plan out buffer time properly.

If you are looking to shortlist reliable IDs/contractors for your reno, feel free to enquire here, or check out our blog for other important tips!!

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