You’ve been anxiously awaiting the keys to your new home—and now it’s stuck in circuit breaker limbo! Whether you’re just starting your renovation or are ready to move, here’s how you can get your new house ready during the circuit breaker.
- Make a mood board
If you’re just getting started on designing your dream home, putting together a mood board on sites like Pinterest can help you visualise what you want your future abode to look like. Once you know the kind of look and materials you’re going for, you can start looking for an interior designer who matches your needs. Make sure to browse plenty of portfolios before settling on a good match.
Image courtesy of cottonbro
- Schedule a video conference with your ID
Many interior designers are offering video and phone consultations during the circuit breaker, making it super easy to discuss all of your renovation plans with them even while stuck at home. To make your search for a designer as fuss-free as possible, we have compiled a whole list of interior designers who are currently offering video consultations! - Buy furniture online
While your interior designer might help you pick out and even buy your furniture, you are probably itching to browse furniture sites and buy some pieces yourself. Don’t worry, we get it—buying furniture is really exciting if we may say so ourselves. Some furniture shops, such as King Living and Castlery, are still selling their beautiful pieces through their online sites, making shopping from home incredibly easy.
Image courtesy of Castlery
- Look into home insurance
Home insurance for your building is crucial, but content insurance is equally important. After all, you want your shiny new furniture to be protected in the case of an accident. When you find yourself bored at home with nothing to do, use your restlessness to dive deep into home insurance. You can even call up insurance companies and ask for some basic guidance. Just make sure to do plenty of research and be wary of scams! - Secure some storage
Understandably, you might not have the space to keep all of your new furniture and appliances in your current house. If you don’t want to burden your friends and family with a whole lot of furniture and home appliances either, rented storage space will be your new best friend. There are plenty of storage facilities in Singapore offering all kinds of bells and whistles, but what you really need to look for is good storage conditions, security and insurance. A particularly popular and highly rated storage facility is Extra Space Asia.
Image courtesy of Extra Space Asia
- Book a moving company
When the end of the circuit breaker nears and you are all ready to pack up your things, it’s time to contact moving companies for quotes. If you’re moving items from your current home and have stored new pieces in a storage facility as well, make sure to let the movers know that the pick-up includes two separate locations. There are many different moving companies in Singapore and we urge you to do plenty of research before picking one. To get you started, Shalom Movers and Zealous Mover get overall very positive feedback. - Research your new neighbourhood
Planning your move to a new area during the circuit breaker can be really frustrating. Familiarising yourself with your new neighbourhood may seem impossible during this time, but thanks to the internet you can now have a look around your new home without stepping outside. Google Earth is particularly handy, allowing you to move around the street and see what’s out there. Local neighbourhood guides can be really helpful and fun to browse as well. If you have friends who are familiar with your new neighbourhood, don’t be shy to ask them for some info.
Image courtesy of HDB
- Plan to change your address
In the excitement of moving house, you might overlook a few practicalities, such as changing your address on important documents. The government, bank, doctor and your work place will all need to be alerted to your address change. If you are currently studying or have kids in school, the latter will need an update too. While you’re at it, start giving your friends and family your new address as well.
