Interior design for HDB flats, from BTO keys to resale makeovers
HDB interior design has to work inside a fixed floor plan, HDB's renovation rules and a move-in date you have probably already promised someone. Best Interior Design designs and renovates BTO and resale flats across Singapore, builds the carpentry in our own factory in Admiralty, and prices every trade in one itemised quote.
WhatsApp us your HDB floor plan
- BTO and resale flats
- Carpentry built in our own Admiralty factory
- E0 plywood cabinet bodies
- One project manager, one itemised quote
What HDB Interior Design Covers With Us
HDB interior design with us covers the layout, the carpentry, the lighting and every trade the flat needs: hacking, masonry, tiling, plumbing, electrical works, painting and false ceilings. Our designers plan it with you in 3D, our factory builds the carpentry, and licensed trade partners we coordinate do the rest under one project manager.
Each item sits on its own line in one quote, so you can lay it beside the other quotes on your table and see exactly what each firm has priced. Electrical works can sit as a budget line confirmed on site, and everything the flat needs is in the quote from the start, not added once work begins.
Every cabinet body is BestPly E0 plywood, which releases at most 0.5 mg/L of formaldehyde, a third of the E1 limit. If the smell of new carpentry in a closed-up flat worries you, that is the line worth comparing across quotes.
HDB Renovation Rules to Check Before Anything Is Hacked
HDB requires every flat owner to use a renovation contractor listed in its Directory of Renovation Contractors. Some works, such as hacking walls or floors, need HDB's approval before they start, and the household shelter's walls, floor, ceiling and door are never hacked or altered. We plan every HDB layout around these rules from the first drawing.
HDB explains what owners can and cannot change on its renovation guidelines page, and you can look up any firm on its Directory of Renovation Contractors. Check every contractor you shortlist there before you sign.
In practice, the rules settle three questions early: whether a wall can come down to open up the kitchen, whether old floor tiles are hacked out or covered over, and how the household shelter, the bomb shelter that doubles as a storeroom, is fitted out. Shelter storage is free-standing, so the shelter stays exactly as HDB built it.
BTO Keys or a Resale Flat: Two Different Starting Points
A new BTO flat starts clean, so most of the work is carpentry, lighting, painting and a false ceiling, plus flooring if you did not opt into HDB's Optional Component Scheme. A resale flat usually needs much more first: hacking, rewiring, new floors and new toilets, before a single cabinet goes in.
A BTO can be planned before you collect your keys, because the design and an indicative quote need only your floor plan. Our BTO renovation packages set out what each flat size includes and the order of works from key collection to handover.
A resale renovation is a bigger job, and it is priced as one. Old wiring is replaced, worn floors and toilets are hacked out, and hacking walls or floors needs HDB approval before it starts, so the schedule allows for that wait. Send us the floor plan with a few photos of the flat as it is today, and we will tell you what it needs.
HDB Renovation Prices by Flat Type
Whole-flat packages with us start from $22,000 for a 3-room BTO, $26,000 for a 4-room BTO and $30,000 for a 5-room BTO. A resale 4-room flat starts from $50,000, because the old floors, wiring and toilets usually have to go. Every figure includes 9% GST and is a starting point, priced line by line once we measure.
- 3-room BTO, two bedrooms: from $22,000.
- 4-room BTO, three bedrooms, a service yard and a household shelter: from $26,000. Our 4-room BTO design guide walks through that layout room by room.
- 5-room BTO, with space for a study, a guest room or a walk-in wardrobe: from $30,000.
- Resale 4-room HDB, with hacking, rewiring, new floors and toilets: from $50,000.
For comparison, 2026 cost guides put a typical 4-room BTO renovation at $40,000 to $60,000 and a resale 4-room at $55,000 to $83,000. Carpentry is usually the biggest line in those budgets, about 28% to 35%, and it is the line we build in our own factory. Our renovation cost guide breaks a budget down item by item.
From Floor Plan to Handover in an HDB Flat
You WhatsApp us your floor plan, we design the flat with you in 3D and send an indicative itemised quote. A free site measurement leads to the firm quote. Our factory then builds the carpentry, typically over 3 to 5 weeks, while trade partners work on site, and installation typically takes 5 to 10 working days.
Your handover date goes into the contract once the design is signed off and the flat is measured. If we miss it, we pay you $5,000, taken off what you still owe at handover, with any balance paid by bank transfer within 7 days. HDB approvals and changes you ask for can move the date, exactly as our on-time handover guarantee sets out.
The job ends with a joint walkthrough and handover. Payments stay progressive throughout, as set out in your quotation, so you always know what is due at each stage.
Carpentry From Our Factory in a Punggol 3-Room Flat
Our factory built the carpentry for a 3-room HDB flat in Punggol: an L-shaped kitchen with a tall oven tower and an island, plus storage along the hallway. It shows how much a smaller HDB kitchen can hold when the cabinets are drawn for the room rather than picked from a catalogue.
3-room HDB, Punggol
An L-shaped kitchen, a tall oven tower, a kitchen island, and hallway storage built to match.
Parc Esta loft condo
A TV console that runs to the window, a dining console, a fluted wall behind the bed and lit niches.
Riversound Residence
A lit lattice display wall at the end of the dining area, and a pet house on the balcony.
Dairy Farm Residences
A wardrobe that goes all the way up, a cabinet over an open niche, and a raised platform bed.
The carousel shows carpentry jobs built in our factory. Before you sign, you can visit the factory at Northlink Building, 10 Admiralty Street, and see boards and cabinets being built for other homes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does HDB Interior Design Cost?
With us, whole-flat packages start from $22,000 for a 3-room BTO and from $50,000 for a resale 4-room flat, with 9% GST included. The final figure depends on how much carpentry you want and what works the flat needs, and every item is listed separately in your quote.
Do I Need HDB Approval Before I Renovate?
For some works, yes, such as hacking walls or floors, and HDB requires you to use a contractor listed in its Directory of Renovation Contractors. We check every layout against HDB's rules before any work starts.
Can I Hack a Wall to Open Up My Flat?
Hacking a wall needs HDB approval before work starts, so we raise it at the design stage and plan around the answer. The household shelter's walls, floor, ceiling and door are never hacked or altered, whatever the layout.
How Is a Resale HDB Renovation Different From a BTO?
A resale flat usually needs hacking, rewiring, new floors and new toilets before any carpentry goes in, which is why a resale 4-room starts from $50,000 with us. A BTO is new, so most of its budget goes into carpentry, lighting and finishes.
How Long Does an HDB Home Renovation Take?
Carpentry typically takes 3 to 5 weeks in our factory while the site works run, and installation takes about 5 to 10 working days after that. A resale flat needs more site work before installation can start. Your handover date is written into your contract once the design is signed off and the flat is measured.
Can I Compare Your Quote With Other Interior Designers' Quotes?
Yes, and we expect you to. Every item and trade sits on its own line, so you can match our quote against the others on your table, line by line.
Send us your floor plan and a few photos of spaces you like.
WhatsApp us your floor plan and flat type