after 2 long years, things are getting real | Building Brickhouse in Singapore ep. 5

Video description from @therightmovesg

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After some delays, we are finally getting started on the next stage of our landed rebuild.

In this episode, we break down the latest construction progress after about 4 to 5 weeks of work on-site, together with Yuzheng and our site supervisor, Bala.

The old house came down quite quickly within the first week. Since then, the team has been focused on substructure works, which include the footings, ground beams, electrical pipes, water pipes, drainage pipes and other underground services that are essential for the house.

We were also quite lucky that we did not need piling for this rebuild. Because the ground conditions were suitable for footings, this helped us avoid a significant additional cost that could have been around $50K to $80K or more.

We also walk through one of the issues that caused a delay: the manhole and boundary line. After tearing down the old boundary, the surveyor confirmed the true boundary line, and we realised that the new fence line would cut across part of the manhole. This meant we had to resubmit the plan to allow PUB proper access for servicing.

Another major part of this update is the main sewage line and RC trench. Because we wanted to maximise the buildable area, we had to build within 2 metres of the sewer line, which triggered additional requirements.

We also discuss why shifting toilet positions is not always as simple as it looks, especially when the underground pipe routing has already been planned.

These are not the most glamorous parts of rebuilding a landed home, but they are important for managing cost, timeline, future maintenance and expectations.

Subscribe for more construction breakdowns, Singapore property insights and landed rebuild updates.

Let me know in the comments if you want to see a full tour of the site next.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Start and Delay Update
0:13 House Rebuild Update
0:23 Meet the Team
0:55 Substructure Works Explained
1:25 Why We Did Not Need Piling
2:29 Footings and Ground Beams
3:42 Manhole and Boundary Delay
5:42 Main Sewage Line and RC Trench
7:40 Why We Could Not Shift the Toilet
8:39 Specialist Subcontractors
9:31 Wrap Up

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