S'pore family of 3 sleeps in car for 2 weeks after facing home renovation problems

Due to renovation issues at their newly purchased HDB flat, a family of three became homeless and were forced to sleep in their car for two weeks.

A couple and their 18-year-old daughter bought a HDB maisonette in Bukit Panjang, and received the keys in June 2025, they told Shin Min Daily News.

As the house was in rather good condition, they decided they only needed to replace some floor tiles, tear down some walls, and renovate the kitchen.

They found a contractor in May 2025 and negotiated the details of the project to be completed in about a month, from Aug. 5 to Sep. 4.

Additional costs

The wife, surnamed Li (transliteration), claimed that the total cost discussed was S$13,916, including a S$1,688 deposit, which the family paid in June.

Li explained that the contractor's fee did not include the cost of the tiles, which she had bought herself. The contractor needed only to lay them.

However, after renovations began, the contractor allegedly requested additional work at least six times, including tearing down more walls in the kitchen and living room.

Such additional work also meant additional costs.

While the project was still ongoing, Li realised that the total cost had increased to more than S$20,000, exceeding the previously discussed amount.

She consulted other contractors and started to believe some of the costs quoted by the contractor were above market price.

"Typically, the cost of tiling a floor is around S$7 to S$11 per square foot, but the contractor is asking for S$24 per square foot," she told Shin Min.

However, by the time she realised something was wrong, the family had already made the additional payments.

She made a police report on Aug. 20, and asked the contractor to stop their work.

She has also filed a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal for over S$20,000, according to Shin Min.

Temporary room also had issues

The family's living circumstances at that time were also hit by another problem.

Initially, after selling their old house, the family had been renting a room from July where they could stay while their new house was undergoing renovations.

But just a week after moving in, bed bugs were discovered in the room.

As the new house still had the floor exposed and construction materials lying around, the family had no home to stay in.

"We slept in the car, and left our clothes along the corridor of the 'new house', going back and forth to get them," Li said.

Later, she shared their predicament online, and someone kindly offered the family a master bedroom for S$1,500 for three months.

The family eventually hired another contractor to complete the work for S$8,000.

The contractor's response

When Shin Min reached out to the contractor about the incident, surnamed Hong, she said that the S$13,916 that Li mentioned was only a price quote based on the initial discussions.

Hong added that when the contract was eventually signed, Li did not raise any objections. Hong said that any dissatisfaction should have been raised before they began the renovation works.

Hong also claimed that Li kept changing her mind about the work she wanted and refused to recalculate the costs during the project.

Arguing that Li has been harassing her and making false accusations against her, Hong said that she was applying for a protection order.

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