{"id":61318,"date":"2022-10-29T02:11:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T18:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/?p=61318"},"modified":"2022-11-04T10:51:17","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T02:51:17","slug":"mother-of-3-executive-apartment-hougang-shares-purchasing-reno-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/mother-of-3-executive-apartment-hougang-shares-purchasing-reno-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents of 3 bought an Executive Apartment in Hougang and share purchasing and reno decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Our first home was a 4-room BTO in Sengkang. It had 91 square metres or 980 square feet of space and was conveniently located next to Sengkang MRT. We had wonderful neighbours and enjoyed the accessibility and amenities nearby.<\/p>\n

“However, when our estate MOP-ed<\/a>, we made the difficult decision to start looking for a bigger unit to accommodate our growing family.”<\/p>\n

These were J and D’s first words when I asked them where they were staying before moving into their 2nd home – a resale Executive Apartment (EA).<\/p>\n

Located on a mid-to-high floor, their new home at Hougang Central is 135 square metres (1453 square feet). It comes with 3 bedrooms, a study, a living and dining area.<\/p>\n

Despite leaving their neighbours and wonderful Sengkang neighbourhood behind, J & D soon learned to appreciate the exclusivity of having just 3 units on each floor of their Hougang Central block.<\/p>\n

According to D, their new home has a generous, airy open area in front of their block’s common area, which provides additional play space for their children.<\/p>\n

\"J<\/a>
J & D decided to hack the walls of the original storeroom\/shelter to create more space for the dining area. They also took the chance to rewire the 20-year-old house. Notice also the large format tiles, which differ from the storeroom’s tiles. In the end, J & D changed the entire flooring to vinyl at an extra cost.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Doing it for the kids<\/h2>\n

The married couple, who are in their early 30s, has three children – a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old. Having worked for 8 and 10 years in the Public and Social Services sectors, respectively, J & D felt it was time to move to a larger home.<\/p>\n

Of course, they only wanted resale flats with 3 bedrooms, so they have sufficient space to carve out a separate study area.<\/p>\n

“Having a separate study area would serve our family\u2019s needs \u2013 we will have a conducive space to work remotely, and when the children go to school in future, they can use their learning devices in the designated area,” D told us.<\/p>\n

\"J<\/a>
This was the Executive Apartment before the storeroom (left door) was hacked, and its flooring overlaid with the vinyl replacement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"J<\/a>
The living room with new vinyl flooring and an expanded dining area (sans storeroom). Notice also the window, which according to D, required HDB’s permission to change.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

J & D’s house search wasn’t just limited to EAs. They considered 5-room (Improved) and Executive Maisonettes too.<\/p>\n

They also had other neighbourhood-related criteria.<\/p>\n

“Accessibility to the MRT station was also a key consideration for us (maximum 10-minute walk). We also kept in mind the proximity to parents and school options. We grew up in Kovan, and our alma maters are in the vicinity, so Hougang is familiar ground to us. This neighbourhood evokes nostalgia, and we hope to share these memories raising them here too.”<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Delia (@deeptapteos)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n