Condo Apartment Renovation in Singapore: What It Costs by Unit Size and What Moves the Price

Search for a condo or apartment renovation contractor in Singapore and the first thing you want is a number. The honest version is a range that depends on the size of the unit and what you ask for, and then a few costs and constraints that sit outside any contractor's price list. This guide sets out the ranges we publish for condo apartments, what moves a unit from one end of the range to the other, and the timeline and approvals that decide when work can actually start.

Every figure below is the one on our condo renovation contractors page. Where we do not publish a number, we say the price depends on a site visit rather than guess.

What a condo apartment renovation costs, by unit size

These are our published ranges for a comprehensive renovation, meaning carpentry, flooring and kitchen and bathroom upgrades, not a repaint:

• 1-2 bedroom condo: $25,000 to $60,000
• 3 bedroom condo: $40,000 to $90,000
• Penthouse or large unit: $60,000 to $120,000+

Two things about those numbers. First, the ranges are wide on purpose. A 3-bedroom unit at $40,000 and one at $90,000 can have the same floor area; what separates them is scope and material selection. Second, they are ranges for what we do, not a promise for your unit. The final price needs a site survey to see the existing condition, and we will not quote a fixed figure from a floor plan alone.

What moves your unit up or down the range

When two quotes for the same condo are far apart, the gap is almost always in one of these:

1. How much you tear out. Keeping the layout and refreshing finishes sits at the low end. Hacking walls, changing the kitchen or moving wet areas pushes you up, and in a condo each of those has an approval attached (see below).
2. The kitchen and bathrooms. Our condo page lists kitchen and bathroom overhauls, with custom cabinetry made in our own Singapore workshop and bathrooms with proper waterproofing. Cabinetry and wet areas are where scope quietly grows, so check how many of each are in your quote.
3. Flooring. The options we work with run from marble and engineered timber to vinyl plank and porcelain tiles. In a condo, sound insulation, durability and maintenance matter as well as looks, because your neighbours live directly below.
4. Carpentry and feature walls. Walk-in wardrobes, platform storage beds, TV feature walls and study nooks are all custom-built to the unit's dimensions. Fluted panels, natural stone and lighting schemes each add line items.
5. How the quote is written. A quotation that lists every line item lets you compare like with like. A single package number does not.

The direct contractor versus interior designer gap

We are a direct contractor, which means no interior designer sits between you and the people doing the work and there is no commission added. We state on our condo page that going direct saves 15 to 30 percent compared with interior designer quotes. Treat that as a reason to ask for itemised pricing from both sides, not as a number to apply to your own quote. The only reliable comparison is two itemised quotations for the same scope. If you want to understand what the direct model does and does not include, our direct contractors page explains it, and hiring each trade yourself versus one general contractor covers the other side of the choice.

The cost that is not in the quote: the management office permit

An HDB renovation goes through HDB. A condo apartment is different: the management of your development has its own renovation rules, and every condo's rules are different. For your contractor that means submitting a renovation permit application, and ours includes drawings, the contractor declarations, the deposit lodgement and compliance with that condo's own guidelines.

The rules that catch owners out are practical ones:

• Noise and working hours. Most condos allow renovation only on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, with no work on weekends or public holidays, though some allow Saturday work. Noisy works are usually restricted further, to 10am to 4pm. We confirm your condo's actual hours with the management office before work starts and never assume them.
• Lift padding and debris routes. Materials have to travel through shared lifts and corridors, so protection of the common areas and approved routes for debris are part of the rules.
• Approved trades. Some condos have rules about which trades may work, and ask for the contractor's insurance.
• The deposit. A deposit is lodged as part of the application. The amount is set by your condo, so ask the management office rather than relying on a general figure.

Because these are your condo's rules and not ours, the single most useful thing you can do before you shortlist contractors is to ask your management office for the renovation guidelines and read the hours and deposit sections.

Hacking walls: two layers of approval

If your plan involves hacking, a condo has two layers. The first is the management office. The second is a BCA structural assessment if any structural element is involved. Most condos allow non-structural hacking with the proper permit, but some restrict it heavily, and we check your condo's specific rules before drawing up a layout that depends on removing a wall. A plan drawn before that check can be a plan you have to redraw.

How long it takes, and when the clock really starts

Our published timeline for a typical condo renovation is 8 to 12 weeks. Smaller 1-2 bedroom units can finish in 6 to 8 weeks, and a larger 4-bedroom or penthouse unit can take 12 to 16 weeks. On top of that, the permit approval typically adds 1 to 2 weeks at the start, so book your contractor with that lead time in mind rather than expecting work to begin the day you sign.

If you are collecting keys to a new unit, read new condo defects before you renovate first: how you sequence the defects check and the start of works is worth planning before any contractor is booked.

The one line to look for in a bathroom quote

Every wet area in a condo, which means bathrooms, kitchens, balconies and yards, should have a waterproofing membrane applied followed by a 24-hour ponding test before any tile goes down. We never skip it. It is the step that many contractors cut, and the most common reason a leak shows up one or two years after the renovation, by which point the water is in someone else's ceiling. Ask for the waterproofing and test as its own line in the quotation. Our guide to the ponding test and what to ask before tiling shows what to check.

Six questions to ask any condo renovation contractor

1. Will you submit the renovation permit application, and what goes in it?
2. What are my condo's working hours and delivery rules, and have you confirmed them with the management office?
3. Is the quote itemised line by line, including waterproofing and the ponding test?
4. If I want to hack a wall, which approvals does that need, and who arranges them?
5. How long will the work take, and does that include the permit lead time?
6. Will you visit the unit before giving a price?

A contractor who answers all six without hesitation has done condo work before. One who cannot say when the permit lead time starts is likely to hand you the delay later.

Planning a condo renovation and want an itemised quote? WhatsApp us on 9107 2601 with your condo name, unit size and what you want to change, and we will tell you what the permit step looks like and arrange a site visit. Any price depends on that visit. Larry Contractors is an HDB Licensed Renovation Contractor, HB-09-5667H; the full range of what we do for condos is on our condo renovation contractors page.