The Avon journal
Renovation, explained plainly.
Rules, budgeting, style guides and the decisions behind our real projects, written by the people who do the work.
Budgeting & Process Transparency
How Long Should Your Renovation Actually Take?
"How long will this take?" is the first question every client asks. This is a realistic week-by-week answer, not an optimistic one.
20 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Renovation Rules & Permits
What Actually Needs HDB Approval Before You Renovate
Not everything in a renovation needs a permit, but the things that do aren't always obvious. This is the actual line between what needs HDB's sign-off and what doesn't.
16 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Company & Process
Red Flags to Watch For When Vetting a Renovation Quote
Five signs a renovation quote deserves a harder look before you sign. None of them require any special expertise to spot.
13 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Property-Type Playbooks
What Changes When You Renovate a High-Floor Luxury Condo
A high-floor luxury unit brings its own brief: a private lift lobby, a hotel-grade material palette, and a scale of finish that has to feel intentional, not like a showroom.
9 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Room-by-Room Deep Dives
Designing a Kitchen Around a Full Appliance Run in a Tight Footprint
Fridge, oven, hob and hood all have to fit somewhere. In a smaller condo kitchen, fitting them without the cabinetry looking crowded is the actual design problem.
6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Style Guides
Industrial Style Without Making a Small Flat Feel Cold
Industrial style leans on dark surfaces and exposed fixtures, both of which can make a small HDB flat feel dim rather than moody. This is how we kept Skypeak warm.
2 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Budgeting & Process Transparency
Itemised Quote vs Lump Sum: What to Ask Your ID Firm For
A lump-sum number is easy to compare on price alone, which is exactly the problem. This is why an itemised quote is worth insisting on before you sign anything.
29 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Renovation Rules & Permits
Hacking a Wall in Your HDB Flat: What's Allowed and What Isn't
Every wall hack in an HDB flat needs prior approval, structural or not. This is the actual line between what gets approved and what never will.
26 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Industry News & Trends
BTO Key Collection Waves and Why Renovation Slots Fill Up Fast
HDB completed about 19,600 flats in 2025 and has 127 projects under construction. If you're collecting keys in the next year or two, this is why booking your renovation early actually matters.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Industry News & Trends
Smart Home Features Worth Building In (And Ones That Aren't)
Smart home tech is easy to oversell. Based on what we actually see holding up on real projects, this is what's worth building into the renovation and what's better left alone.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Industry News & Trends
Singapore Interior Design Trends We're Actually Seeing in 2026
Warm minimalism, Japandi, curves, and smart tech that disappears into the background. What's genuinely showing up in Singapore homes this year, and what's just a trend piece.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Industry News & Trends
Sustainable and Low-VOC Materials: What's Actually Available in Singapore
"Sustainable materials" can mean almost anything. This is what's genuinely available and regulated in Singapore right now, not just marketing language.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Industry News & Trends
Singapore Resale Flat Prices and What It Means for Renovation Budgets
HDB's Resale Price Index has now eased for three straight quarters in 2026. What that actually means if you're budgeting a renovation around a resale purchase.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Industry News & Trends
What Changed in HDB Renovation Rules in 2026
The National Environment Agency's formaldehyde ban on interior paints, effective 1 January 2026, is the biggest renovation-relevant rule change this year. This is what it actually means for your reno.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Renovation Rules & Permits
5 Things HDB Won't Let You Do (And What Happens If You Do Them Anyway)
Five renovation moves that HDB flatly won't allow, and why getting one wrong can mean a rectification order rather than a warning.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Budgeting & Process Transparency
Why Your Renovation Quote Shouldn't Change Once Work Starts
"The quote will always balloon once work starts" is a myth built on a real problem: contracts that leave room for it. An itemised quote and a clear payment schedule close that gap.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Company & Process
What's Actually in an Avon Design Proposal, Room by Room
A design proposal isn't a mood board and a price tag. This is what we actually put in front of a client before a single wall gets touched.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Property-Type Playbooks
Renovating Your First Home as a Couple: Lessons from a BTO Fit-Out
A young couple's first flat is a different brief from a family home: no kids to plan around yet, but a style they've been waiting years to commit to. What we learned fitting out Skypeak, a 4-room BTO in Bukit Batok.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Room-by-Room Deep Dives
Why We Build Wardrobes With Lighting Built In
A wardrobe wall doesn't have to be just storage. At Marina Bay Suites we built the lighting into the glass shelving itself, so the same carpentry gives you storage and a lit display wall.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Style Guides
Warm Contemporary: Inside a Family-First Condo at Keppel Bay
What 'warm contemporary' actually means on a real project: one marble floor, timber-veneer feature walls and carpentry built into every room of a 2,300 sqft resale condo.
23 Sept 2026 · 2 min read