...and heartache

Don't rush to buy everything at once, and make use of installment payment plans

- Sharon Salim

One important lesson I learnt during my home renovation journey is that there is no need to spend it all in one go.

When my husband and I received the keys to our first Build-To-Order flat in 2023, it felt like there were so many things to do and so little time and money to do it with.

I remember feeling pressured to cave in to almost every single thing offered to us: A fluted glass door to separate the kitchen and living area? Great. A built-in dishwasher? Yes, please. A metal door gate? Nice.

We ended up spending hundreds—in some cases, thousands—of dollars on these things and more, only to find out later that they weren't quite urgent or even essential after all. Most were related to aesthetics, like laminating the door, which was in a beautiful shade of white oak. But did we really need to do that amid a full-on renovation that required hefty advance fees? Probably not. Would it hurt to do the fixes or buy the items several months later? Again, no.

Besides, our sale of balance flat had an optional component scheme, which meant our unit came with tiled flooring and doors. The dishwasher, meanwhile, was more of a want than a need. We did not use it as much as we thought we would. This was another purchase that could have waited.

The one that probably hurt most was hacking away the original bi-fold door and windows separating the kitchen from the service yard and replacing them with sleeker-looking ones. I regretted doing so almost as soon as I saw them. When closed, the door would block the way while I was hanging laundry or cleaning the area. It was difficult to hang clothes near the door, too. I even thought of paying extra to have it removed, or switch it to a sliding door, but decided not to spend more money. So, the door remains, a reminder of my self-inflicted inconvenience. For now. At least the windows look nicer, or so I think.