I'm writing this just to share my thoughts with first-time home owners of BTO flats and Executive Condominium (ECs). What's written below can be used a checklist to spot for deflects in your new home.
The quality of HDB renovation and construction for BTO flats and ECs nowadays can be embarrassingly bad. Because things are getting more expensive due to rising inflation and land prices, the way to make property cheaper is to make them smaller and cut down on the quality of materials.
The complaints I have are not unique. Don't take my word for it. Do a search on Youtube and you can find many home owners sharing the same experience.
I've just moved out of my Sol Acres condo apartment that I've lived in from 2018 to 2023 and documented below is the condition after 5 years of usage. By the way, the developer is MCL Land.
The skirting used nowadays are made with composite wood with wood wallpaper pasted on top. The sealant if not properly applied means water can seep into the skirting and cause the composite wood to expand, and the wallpaper to tear.
You can expect cheap skirting from contractors, developers or HDB. This problem is so common it's disgusting. You might as well tell HDB not to include the skirting in the first place, but it's not like they will charge you less for the property.
Another common problem is the laminate flooring popping up, or getting chips, because of water damage. Laminate wood-like flooring looks beautiful and feels nice, but having the laminate pop is just a matter or time. Tiles are pretty maintenance free and will last almost way longer, not just 5 years.
My EC came with built-in wardrobe and thankfully I don't have any issues with them.
The toilet bowl was not installed properly or sealed properly. There's occasionally water leaking from beneath the toilet bowl and I have no idea if it's from the top water container or the bottom bowl, in which case it's very disgusting. That blue stain is from the blue sanitiser tablets that I've put into the water container. So why is there blue stain on the toilet floor?
The toilet wash basin has a bad design that features a "drain" at the back.
After washing hands, some water will get into the drain and will flow to both sides. I've used blu-tack to stop the water from falling off the side like a waterfall.
If water hits the wooden cabinets or whatever wooden fixtures you have, the fake (composite) wood will expand and cause damaged. The cabinet below my toilet was damaged this way in the first few months due to water damage, and as first time owners water damage to cabinets is not something I will know beforehand.
So for all the fake wood cabinets, I actually use matte tape to tape up the edges to prevent water from going in. There are cabinets with edges sealed properly to prevent water damage but of course HDB or EC developer will not be giving you the good stuff. And who can you complain to?
I also used matte tape to protect the edges of cabinets just below the kitchen sink.
My unit came with a washer/dryer and a fridge. The wash/dryer worked for maybe 2 years and was spoiled. I bought a Samsung washer/dryer and that lasted maybe 2-3 years. Nowadays I treat washer/dryer as disposables so I buy the cheapest and when they are spoiled, I just buy new ones. Currently using Electrolux for one year and so far so good.
Property nowadays are getting smaller. Go with sliding doors for toilets if you can.
Cheap plastic that cracks, if that's even plastic to begin with. Have you ever seen plastic that cracks? Similar switches at my parents' 30-year-old flat are still in solid condition even though they are yellowish now.
I don't find balcony to be a selling point. But if you have a balcony, I recommend installing ziptrack so that you can block out some of the rain.
Don't use self-closing system for your main door because the system will lose its tension and you have to tighten it when it does. Nothing wrong with using your hands to open and close the door properly.
I see many neighbours use digital locks and those are very useful. I don't use one but I will get one for my next home.
Get shoe racks with wheels (from Shopee) so that you can move them around while cleaning the space outside your home.
Having a ceiling fan with light is useful. This is the KDK UF60W which is around SGD 600. The light is 22W.
Against that wall used to be a TV console but instead of a TV I have a short-throw laser projector. A TV can be bulky but a projector is smaller and can get you a larger image, at a lower price. Nowadays the built-in speaker system from such short-throw laser projectors can be really good. I can't remember the brand of my projector but it's not important because these projectors are white label products sold under different brands, e.g. Xiaomi, etc.
A non-permanent fixture to hang clothes. Cheap and good.
Those are just some of the many shoddy quality control and materials used by developers and HDB.
Here are some Youtube videos and channels you should check out to learn more about home renovation and the experiences other home owners have. The more you watch, the more knowledgeable you will be against shoddy quality and unethical contractors and developers.
hdb renovation • Types of Reno Defects To Look Out For - Hayliv K
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexTeo
