8 Major HDB Toilet Upgrading Mistakes to Avoid
Regardless of whether you are a new or a long-time homeowner, there are various HDB toilet upgrading mistakes that you can consider to avoid wasting your money and time. Probably, you may have been planning to renovate your bathroom for weeks or months already. So, it’s easy to get swept away by the excitement and fail to properly evaluate the long-term sustainability of your dream washroom makeover.
Renovating your bathroom should be an exciting and joyful experience, regardless of whether it needs substantial repairs or if you’re simply ready for something new. But without the right preparation and assistance, these tasks can frequently leave you feeling more stressed than satisfied.
After reading this blog, you’ll be acquainted with the eight major mistakes that homeowners make before and during the HDB toilet upgrading process, as well as how Han Yong can help you avoid each as much as possible.
HDB Toilet Upgrading for Homeowners
Nowadays, a modern bathroom is more than just a practical location to clean up. We desire more: an area that is inviting to unwind and relax after a demanding day and that is both flawlessly functional and aesthetically pleasing to its users.
Furthermore, the bathroom is one of the most significant rooms in your house since it’s where you begin and end your day. One of the best ways to enhance both your daily life and the value of your home is to makeover the bathroom. This applies to all, whether you’re moving to a new residential space or simply want to update your home’s toilet provided by Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB).
Why do I need the best HDB toilet renovation services?
Since renovating a bathroom is a significant project, you should make sure that it fulfills requirements for durability and functionality. Too frequently, though, homeowners encounter the opposite problem: poor design choices that make the task of making this space appear “dazzling” less satisfying.
For example, the lighting is too strong and hard on the eyes, or the tiles don’t go well with the fixtures. It also applies if there isn’t enough room between the fixtures to move about easily or if the theme and other washroom elements may lead to other issues that can make the atmosphere feel off.
Hence, it’s imperative that you thoughtfully and carefully consider each step of the HDB toilet upgrading process. This is to refrain from moving too hastily toward the project’s completion and prevent errors after the space’s long-term usage.
Finding out the typical mistakes homeowners and inexperienced renovators make when remodeling their bathrooms will help you avoid making the same stumbles when you’re updating your kid’s bathroom, your ensuite bathroom, or the powder room in your basement. This is a crucial step before starting your project to guarantee a successful remodel and a great return on investment for your house!
Why do I need an HDB-certified contractor for my toilet upgrade?
In Singapore, any type of HDB toilet upgrading job that involves structural changes, electrical or plumbing work, or plan adjustments on residential spaces provided by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) requires a permit. Furthermore, the government only allows HDB-certified contractors to carry out any form of renovation or remodeling on HDB units.
Therefore, partnering with an HDB-certified company that offers HDB toilet renovation services simplifies the task of securing the permit itself and carrying out the remodeling project itself. Remember that getting the right contractor guarantees that construction laws and regulations are followed, protecting both your safety and the long-term worth of your house.
Thus, HDB toilet makeover services provided by a certified contractor can satisfy customers who value fine-touch finishes in their washrooms while being actively involved in the decision-making process.
Moreover, your dedicated project manager must provide a detailed evaluation of what can and cannot be modified in your bathroom. In this way, you will better understand the HDB guidelines on toilet renovation and find cost-effective solutions for the whole remodeling process based on your needs and habits.
Ready to Recreate Your Living Space? Book an appointment today!
HDB Toilet Upgrading Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Generally, redesigning a bathroom from the ground up is also not a cheap undertaking. This means you won’t want to have to go through this again anytime soon due to the expense and disturbance it brings about in your house.
Even though you might know exactly what you want, designing a bathroom’s exterior is frequently only half the job done. There are many other hidden design components, including ventilation and drainage, that must be carefully taken into account to create a room that is both practical and useful.
Before you remove the vanity or shower tiles, make sure to take note of these major mistakes if you’re thinking about moving forward with your HDB toilet upgrading plans in 2024.
Failure to Invest in a Single Theme.
The chance to start again with how your HDB looks when you decide to remodel a room in your house is one of its many wonderful aspects. As enjoyable as this component may appear at first, many homeowners quickly experience massive stress from choosing a single theme.
Technically, there are many different approaches to how your washroom looks and feels once you are inside. Whether the style is glitzy and dramatic or coastal and minimalist, most homeowners end up in a mess by wanting too much within the four corners of the toilet.
Keep in mind that any area with multiple styles forced together has a cluttered and disorganized appeal. Eventually, it ruins the general design flow of your house because of the inconsistency of your chosen theme.
The Solution: Start with a moodboard.
Thankfully, there is a perfect way to avoid the HDB toilet upgrading mistake. Before you start organizing your bathroom makeover, we advise you to do some research to determine which theme will work best for your house.
Discover your personal style to choose the ideal theme! A moodboard or a concept book can also help you learn how to properly combine style and detail ideas. Choose complementary pieces for your main detail after deciding on a key element. This can be a color, a textile, or a material that will help define the vibe of your bathroom.
You can revise your vision before starting the project or making a purchase with this more selective method. Even better, if you end up hiring a professional bathroom designer, you’ll have a customized style reference guide all set to go!
On your moodboard, try to build a concept that genuinely mixes your preferred paint colors, fixtures, tile, and lights. Include color cards, samples of tiles, fabrics for window coverings and shower curtains, carpets, and more! Organizing these components in advance might assist in producing a visual blueprint for the style you have in mind. This will enable you to make changes until you achieve the look you want!
Incohesive bathroom layout and design.
Creating a cohesive bathroom design and layout that allows for easy transitions between elements is essential to creating a calm and soothing atmosphere. This means that the size of the room and the colors, textures, fixtures, lighting, and finishes should all work well together.
Usually, incompetent remodelers are unable to combine pattern, color, texture, and shape in a way that makes a space visually interesting. If space is really a constraint, look for ways to maximize your floor area to create a clutter-free space just like what you can do on condo renovation.
Similarly, a room with plenty of space but a poorly designed layout may appear uninspired and empty. This still happens even with all the fixtures arranged around the outside of the room as well as an empty area in the center.
The Solution: Repeat, re-create, and choose a central element.
Everything doesn’t have to match in order to create a unified look.
For example, it’s a terrific idea to inject some mystery into the design and showcase your individuality in your renovated bathroom! Remember that it’s crucial that your design decisions provide the bathroom with appeal and depth, even if you’re only working on the bathroom and not the entire house at once.
To ensure that everything flows together, think about repeating variants of the same style elements that are present throughout your home rather than attempting to create something entirely new.
As an alternative, you might simplify matters by selecting a striking focal point that serves as your toilet’s central element. Then, utilize it to establish the overall tone of the room.
Instead of decorating everything at once, decide what you love and let your design come to life over time. Similar to kitchen remodeling, try adding new pieces and changing out old ones to make your bathroom plan even more unique.
Ignoring storage furniture and spaces.
One crucial component of any HDB toilet upgrading project is enough storage. Apart from concealing daily necessities, a well-arranged room can completely alter the appearance and atmosphere of an area.
Inexperienced remodelers frequently design new bathrooms without useful storage because they are overly preoccupied with aesthetics. Similarly, a lot of people don’t consider any useful alternatives other than cabinets and vanity drawers. This frequently results in the vanity becoming overly large and clumsy, making the area feel claustrophobic and challenging to maneuver.
Even worse, having a disorganized and cluttered bathroom as a result of inadequate storage can make the space difficult to use. In the long run, this issue will naturally ruin the harmony and beauty of the entire area.
The Solution: Mount open storage spaces and closed storage spaces.
When renovating your bathroom, remember the rule: there can never be too much storage! Choose a wall-recessed mirror cabinet to store your daily necessities, such as makeup, a shaver, and a toothbrush.
Your bathroom will stay orderly if you choose to add more closed storage for daily essentials and open shelves for stylish toiletries, accessories, and fluffy new towels. This will maximize every square inch of available space by using options like shower niches, vanities with drawers, and recessed wall cupboards.
We advise keeping your other, less stylish toiletries in drawers, cupboards, or other closed storage spaces. Nevertheless, you may create additional rooms with any of these solutions while still keeping your aesthetic appealing for your HDB toilet upgrading project.
Choosing the wrong tiles and wall materials.
Despite being one of the most adaptable building materials, tiles add immense function and aesthetics to your bathroom’s floors and walls. Make sure you choose the best type of tile based on your research before falling in love with it for your workplace bathroom makeover or guest’s powder room.
When selecting tile material, there are no shortcuts, smoke, or mirrors. Since bathrooms naturally have higher humidity and moisture levels than other rooms, you may have to deal with mold and mildew. This means that you have to replace the tiles more quickly if you don’t consider their durability, moisture and slip resistance, and suitability for underfloor heating.
Thus, homeowners must prioritize functionality over style when selecting finishes. It’s advisable to spend your time choosing the appropriate material, color, texture, and size for your bathroom tiles. Either a maximal visual impact or a more subdued, harmonizing effect can be achieved with the appropriate color, texture, and pattern combinations.
The Solution: Ceramic and porcelain tiles with quality sealant.
When deciding to go ahead with the HDB toilet upgrading process, ceramic and porcelain tiles are excellent choices. Aside from how it looks in your washroom, it can also survive frequent usage, exposure to water, and temperature changes. Sometimes, the use of natural stone, such as marble, for your backsplash or floors is a fashionable and opulent bathroom trend.
Consequently, using grout and tile sealant is essential to shielding the material from moisture and humidity, which can eventually cause discoloration, stains, and mold growth. When designing your bathroom, knowing exactly where the tiles should go is just as crucial.
Larger tiles can provide a modern, smooth finish for your brand-new washroom. Also, it can provide the illusion of a larger bathroom in terms of both style and size.
Not that smaller tiles aren’t beautiful; in fact, if you’re trying for a striking or vibrant pattern, small format tiles are great. Smaller spaces, however, typically have more grout lines, which might give the impression that the area is even smaller.
Therefore, it’s crucial to arrange ahead of time and request a swatch sample or a whole tile from your tile provider so you can see it in person. You can determine whether the tile’s color, texture, and finish truly suit your preferences in this way.
Installing low-quality fixtures and fittings.
Ignoring the quality of the fixtures and finishes will have an impact on how the entire room works. Poor fits can require frequent mending and adjusting, which can be very expensive. Porous surfaces, dripping faucets, and broken hardware can all ruin the aesthetic of your bathroom.
Some materials may be less expensive up front, but they will need more upkeep and could wind up costing you more in the long term. Selecting premium materials and finishes can completely change the layout and appearance of your bathroom while also simplifying your daily cleaning schedule.
The Solution: Choose affordable yet quality materials.
Spending a large portion of your budget on shoddy finishes and fittings that may require additional repairs is unnecessary. Since most homes have additional demands placed on their bathrooms, it’s critical that you have professional assistance when choosing the finishes that best fit your family’s needs.
Select fittings with the best finish quality and moisture resistance at all times when you decide to go ahead with the HDB toilet upgrading project. In the end, they will definitely raise the value of your house significantly.
Choosing high-quality finishes to get the look you want can dramatically improve and enhance the overall look of your bathroom. Therefore, it’s imperative that you seek out a surface application that is immune to moisture when picking materials, such as shower tiles. Otherwise, it will bloat, rot, or discolor over time.
An excellent place to start is with tiles; porcelain, ceramic, and glass are resilient, waterproof, and have a glossy, cleanable finish. On the other hand, marble and other natural stones are excellent choices for backsplashes and bathroom floors. But each of these must be sealed on a regular basis to stay spotless.
Inadequate light sources and lighting fixtures.
Inexperienced remodelers frequently forget to add the proper lighting layers to their bathrooms. Your bathroom may not be as functional as it may be if you only use bright overhead lighting over the vanity, shower, or toilet.
Furthermore, you should be aware that using too much lighting can frequently make a room appear overly bright and uninviting. This takes away from its ability to be a tranquil and comfortable place to be.
Ultimately, it’s no secret that bathrooms serve as the focal point for numerous crucial aspects of our everyday self-care regimens, including skincare, cosmetics application, hair style, and shaving. Adequate lighting is necessary for these activities, and installing basic ambient light is insufficient.
The Solution: Use a natural light source and layered LED lights.
In order to ensure that the room appears neither unduly bright nor dreary, your goal should be to create a layered design with multiple lighting sources. An expansive light wash that covers the entire space should be included, sometimes referred to as ambient lighting or general lighting.
Notably, concealed LED strips are excellent for ambient lighting for your HDB toilet upgrading plans. It mirrors natural light beautifully in small, dark spaces, which also use less energy. This means that it is an environmentally friendly light source that has color temperatures that vary from extremely warm to extremely bright.
After that, add lighting for further uses. For instance, use task lighting to help provide the illumination needed to go about one’s everyday business. Not to mention that front lighting is the most optimal and attractive, so wall-mounted sconces positioned on each side of the mirror at eye level will both work and look good.
Homeowners can use a beautiful chandelier with dimmer switches as accent lighting over the tub to give the space depth and dimension as well as a cozy, illuminating warmth. Just like in any bedroom renovation, accent lighting can undoubtedly assist you in highlighting any elaborate wall tile pattern that you may have.
Overlooking the ventilation system.
Making the mistake of not making sure your bathroom has enough ventilation is another of the most frequent blunders made while remodeling bathrooms. Bathrooms are a prime place for mold growth due to the damp air and steam buildup.
Many bathrooms develop tiny black dots on the walls and ceiling due to inadequate ventilation, which is an indication of mold growth. While having windows helps prevent this, you’ll probably need to take further steps, including installing a system for ventilation.
The Solution: Find the best way to optimize air circulation.
Make sure you consult a qualified contractor to determine whether the current ventilation points will accommodate the layout of your new bathroom and allow for enough air circulation. It’s best to execute ventilation point changes correctly the first time after signing an HDB toilet upgrading agreement. Although they can give you the layout you really desire, they can also completely blow up your budget.
Think about all the various kinds of ventilation systems that your bathroom might benefit from. There are a lot of choices available now, such as opening windows while taking a shower or using quiet exhaust fans that quickly remove moisture. You can also try cleaning down the walls and floors of your shower afterward to hasten drying and get rid of standing water.
Rushing the HDB toilet upgrading process.
When you’ve been planning a bathroom makeover for months, it’s easy to get carried away with the enthusiasm and fail to fully assess the long-term viability of all your ideas.
Accelerating the HDB toilet upgrading design process (which typically takes a minimum of four to six weeks) can transform a dream bathroom into a nightmare. This applies regardless of how much you have planned or budgeted.
You’ll need to be ready for the range of particular elements that come into play when starting a design job as you plan your bathroom renovation. Also, there’s a greater chance that you’ll be satisfied with the outcome if you carefully evaluate each stage.
The Solution: Plan ahead of time.
The stages of interior design are there for a good reason: to guarantee precisely calculated and put-together improvements. Consider your options carefully when creating a bathroom.
Also, make sure to provide enough time to ensure that the correct decisions are made. This spares homeowners a great deal of hassle, replacements, and repairs later on.
When it comes to shopping and installing tile, plan ahead of time. Make sure you have precise measurements, square footage counts (including excess), and an understanding of how much tile will fit into your budget. Verify the materials’ availability and the necessary quantities.
Each stage of your remodeling project is significant, so you need more time to think about it over and over again. By doing this, you can make sure your bathroom turns out precisely as you envision it. The more time you spend planning, the less time you’ll need for future repairs, replacements, and unforeseen obstacles.
Onboard Han Yong for your HDB toilet upgrading needs
Unless you’re an experienced bathroom remodeler, taking on a task that’s better left to the pros can result in serious remodeling regret. As we just discussed, moving forward with the HDB toilet upgrading project is not a simple undertaking, and hiring a professional can end up being cost-effective in the long run!
Yes, you might believe that DIY-ing your bathroom renovation will save you a few dollars. However, having the expertise of a professional contractor or tile setter—as well as their trade discount—can guarantee that the job finishes on schedule, within budget, and without the need for repeat work in the future.
Investing in a professional to install various materials with appropriate underlayment and adhesives might prolong the lifespan of your exquisitely designed bathroom renovation. Your bathroom renovation could fail for a variety of reasons, such as choosing fixtures and finishes without carefully weighing the benefits and drawbacks or choosing a layout that isn’t quite right for your family.
Sometimes all it takes to create a functional, practical washroom that is also visually beautiful is the expert interior designer’s attention to detail, knowledge of spatial planning, and knowledge of material selection. These days, there are a ton of contractors that specialize in bathroom renovations and can perform wonders in bringing your dream design to life.
Here at Han Yong, we strongly advise speaking with a remodeling specialist if you don’t already have one on staff, so they can offer suggestions all along the way. An expert interior designer will be able to anticipate problems that you are unable to. By doing this, you can avoid typical mistakes in HDB toilet upgrading before it’s too late.
Sign-up to our Four-Step Property Renovation Plan Today!
Are you ready to find out what our renovation company can do to your property space and how we can craft it? Simply provide some information on our form below and we’ll reach out to personally discuss our plan.
