Have you acquired a piece of landed property or are you even currently living in your home but feel the need to spruce it up while avoiding extensive work? If you answer yes, then you will probably be looking at embarking on either makeover or addition & alteration works. This issue we break down the top 5 things you need to know.
 

1. What is the difference?

Let’s first break down the difference between the two. Addition and alteration (A & A) in a nutshell is the more extensive version while makeover is the lite version. A makeover covers only aesthetical changes. An A & A touches on both non-structural works as well as minor structural works. This would include the removal and addition of interior walls right up to a simple extension within the sides that will increase no more than 50% of the property’s existing gross floor area (GFA). For more information on A&A, you can read on via the URA website here.
 

2. Property’s Plans

With both types of work, it is essential to have your property’s plans. These plans are the map for your designer to see what can and cannot be done to your home. For both works, it is highly recommended to have both your architectural and structural plans which you can retrieve via BCA.
 

3. Submissions

For superficial works such as the widening of a room or adding a wall internally which falls under a makeover and there is no addition to GFA or structural implications, which may not require any submissions, work can then begin fairly quickly. On the other hand, A & As will require approvals from the various government departments before work can begin.
 

4. Duration

If there are no submissions required (ie. Makeover), work can begin almost immediately once you have ownership of the property. However, if you require submissions, expect about 3-5 months before work can begin. For A & A projects, the new owners have the flexibility for an extended completion date to tie in with the submission wait period.
 
As for the expected renovation timeline, makeovers for landed residential properties can take between 2-5 months while for A & As it generally falls between 4-9 months (excluding submission wait time)
 

5. Useful Tip

As a prospective owner, it is useful to get the existing owner to agree to give you access to the property for X number of times so that you will be able to bring your preferred designer or builder for a site visit. Site visits allow your designer/builder a better feel and idea of the place to see if it aligns with the plausibility of your wish list.