A 4-room HDB renovation in Singapore costs $25,000 to $65,000 for most full renovations in 2026, with prices inclusive of GST. A basic refresh starts around $20,000, a standard renovation runs $35,000–$50,000, and premium finishes such as sintered stone can bring a full overhaul to $65,000–$80,000. Hacking, custom carpentry and whether your flat is BTO or resale are the biggest cost drivers.
The 4-room flat is Singapore's most popular flat type, and it is the size we renovate most often. As a direct HDB-licensed contractor (Licence No: HB-09-5667H) with our own carpentry factory, we quote by scope with fully itemised pricing — and going direct typically saves you 15–30% compared with an interior designer, who adds commission on top of the actual renovation cost.
| Scope | 4-Room HDB Price (SGD, incl. GST) |
|---|---|
| Basic refresh | From $20,000 |
| Standard renovation | $35,000 – $50,000 |
| Full renovation | $45,000 – $65,000 |
Basic refresh covers painting, flooring (vinyl or tile overlay), light carpentry, minor electrical work, and basic kitchen and bathroom upgrades. A bare refresh — paint, vinyl flooring and light carpentry with no hacking — costs around $15,000–$20,000 if your flat is in good condition.
Full renovation covers hacking and demolition, full re-tiling, waterproofing, full electrical and plumbing rewiring, custom carpentry (kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, TV console, shoe cabinet, study desk), false ceiling, feature walls, painting and sanitary fittings. With premium finishes such as sintered stone and smart home integration, a 4-room full renovation runs $65,000–$80,000.
The same 4-room layout can be quoted quite differently depending on whether it is a new BTO or an older resale unit — the difference is in how much hacking, rewiring and waterproofing the flat needs.
| Flat condition | Effect on cost |
|---|---|
| 4-room BTO (new flat) | Less hacking needed — deduct roughly $5,000–$10,000 from the resale ranges above. |
| 4-room resale (with hacking) | Add $5,000–$15,000 versus the BTO equivalent. Older units need more electrical rewiring and waterproofing. |
Common hacking works in a 4-room flat include removing kitchen and bathroom tiles, taking down the kitchen entrance wall for an open-concept layout, and removing built-in fixtures from a previous owner. Only non-structural walls can be removed. Hacking one non-structural wall costs $800–$1,500, with the HDB permit handled by us as part of the price.
Masonry covers floor screed, kerbs, and making good after hacking. Tiling runs $5–$15 per square foot for supply and installation, depending on whether you choose homogeneous tiles or natural stone. A 4-room flat has more floor area than a 3-room, so tiling and screed are a mid-sized line item in the quotation.
Carpentry is usually the largest single line item in a 4-room renovation, and all of ours is fabricated in our own Singapore factory. A full kitchen cabinet set (around a 4-metre run) costs $3,500–$8,000, and built-in wardrobes run $200–$450 per running foot depending on material (laminate, quartz or solid wood) and finish. With three bedrooms, most 4-room owners order a kitchen set, two to three wardrobes, a TV console and a shoe cabinet.
A full-renovation scope includes complete rewiring, power point relocation, lighting installation and plumbing rerouting, all compliant with HDB standards and properly certified. Modern households need more circuits than older flats were wired for — induction cooktops, air-conditioning and water heaters — so resale units in particular benefit from a full rewire.
As a standalone package, a kitchen renovation costs $8,000–$25,000 — basic ($8,000–$12,000) covers re-tiling, painting and replacing the hood and hob; standard ($12,000–$18,000) adds new laminate cabinets and a quartz countertop; premium ($18,000–$25,000) adds sintered stone, soft-close hardware and integrated appliances. Bathroom renovation costs $4,000–$12,000 per bathroom, including hacking, waterproofing with a 24-hour ponding test, re-tiling and new sanitary fittings — multiply by the number of bathrooms you are redoing.
Interior painting (two coats) costs $1.50–$3.50 per square foot including preparation. A gypsum false ceiling with cove lighting runs $5–$10 per square foot, and a feature wall — laminate through to fluted wood, microcement or stone slab — costs $1,500–$5,000. For flooring, vinyl overlay keeps a basic refresh affordable, while full re-tiling falls under the tiling rates above.
A full 4-room HDB renovation takes about 6–8 weeks:
Week 1: Hacking and demolition — old tiles, fixtures and approved non-structural walls removed. HDB work hours apply: weekdays 9am–6pm, Saturdays 9am–1pm.
Weeks 2–3: Masonry, plumbing and electrical — new walls and floor screed, pipe rerouting, full rewiring.
Weeks 4–5: Waterproofing, tiling and ceiling — wet-area waterproofing with the mandatory ponding test, floor and wall tiling, false ceiling and concealed aircon trunking.
Weeks 6–7: Carpentry installation — factory-built kitchen cabinets, wardrobes and consoles fitted on site.
Week 8: Painting, doors and hardware, sanitary fittings, deep cleaning and handover walkthrough.
A moderate scope can finish in 4–5 weeks, and a basic refresh in 2–3 weeks.
Every HDB renovation needs a renovation permit before work starts, and only an HDB-licensed contractor can legally hack walls, alter wiring or modify plumbing. Larry Contractors is licensed with HDB (Licence No: HB-09-5667H), and we handle the whole permit application — drawings, scope of work and declarations — which typically takes 1–2 weeks to process. You do not need to file anything yourself.
Work hours: Weekdays 9am–6pm and Saturdays 9am–1pm only. No work on Sundays or public holidays.
Renovation period: HDB allows a maximum renovation period of 3 months from the start date.
Structural walls: Structural walls cannot be hacked — only non-structural partition walls can be removed, with HDB permission.
Wet areas: Waterproofing must comply with HDB specifications, with a mandatory ponding test before tiling.
Comparing flat types? See our 3-room HDB renovation cost guide and 5-room HDB renovation cost guide, the full HDB renovation services page, our renovation cost calculator, or the renovation blog for more cost guides and tips.
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