BTO buyers from February onwards will get to enjoy new bathroom upgrades, new floor designs, and enhanced grilles and doors, among others. These modifications are an attempt at modernising new flats and to bring standards nearer to mass market condominiums.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) revealed on Wednesday that new Build-to-Order (BTO) flats purchased from February onwards will have higher-quality furnishings, reported Channel News Asia.
These modifications, HBD said, are an attempt at modernising new flats and to bring standards nearer to mass market condominiums.
HDB deputy director of project development and management Jansen Foo assured that the new flats’ price tags are not going to rise because of the upgrades.
“There is a marginal cost increase, but for HDB, we are able to achieve economies of scale, so all cost involved will be absorbed by HDB. The pricing of new flats will not be affected by these changes.”
The units will receive bathroom upgrades, new floor designs and enhanced gates and doors.
WATCH: What new upgrades will these BTO have?
Video source: youtube.com/straitstimesonline
All taps will have a rating of at least “Very Good” under the Water Efficient Labelling Scheme of the national water agency PUB. Toilets would also come fitted with low-capacity dual flushes.
Thresholds between the living room and the bathroom and thresholds between the service yard and the kitchen will now be a 20 mm drop instead of a ramp.
This is a reaction to homeowners’ feedback that ramps often make water seep out from the kitchens and toilets into other rooms.
Also, the inside of steel entrance gates will have thumb-turn knobs, so that owners would no longer need a key to unlock their house from the inside.
Gates and doors will also sport more modern designs to fit the flats’ newer looks.
“The changes were brought about due to feedback that we received from our residents and also future needs of our residents as well. We took that into consideration for the changes that we established,” said Foo.
“Over the years, the designs and fittings of HDB flats have evolved from the simple and functional furnishings in the 1960s, to higher quality furnishings which are sleek, durable and eco-friendly to suit the different needs of residents,” the board added.
Victor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg
