Shoeboxes = HDB 1- and 2-
Room Flats?
(Taken from SGPropTalk) One of our readers has
commented that small spaces do
not mean un-livable or not
conducive for family living,
since people & families are still
living in a 1- and 2-room HDB
flats (which are considered
"shoebox" HDB-style) in
Singapore.
This got the wife and I really
curious. So we decided to find
out for ourselves how big (or
small) the HDB 1- and 2-room
flats actually are.
Scouring the HDB website,
we discovered that a typical early
1-room HDB flat was between 23
to 33sqm (= 247 - 355sqft),
while the early 2-room HDB flat
ranged from 37 to 45sqm (= 398
- 484sqft).
So there appears to
be some logic in saying that such
1- and 2-room HDB flats
are similiar to private "shoebox"
apartments, at least size-wise.
But if one looks beyond the
superficiality, he/she will
appreciate the following stark
differences:
· The HDB flats do not come
with disproportionately large
air-con ledges, planter boxes,
balconies etc etc that are
regular features in most
shoeboxes. So the 300sqft, 1-
room HDB flat actually comes
up top in terms of "livable
space" compared to a shoebox
of similiar size.
· The price that people pay
for such HDB flats are many
times lower than your typical
shoeboxes, whether in terms of
quantum or psf price. However,
one can argue that the quality
of living (i.e. facilities, privacy
etc) is different, which we don't
disagree.
· Most importantly, people
and families do not typically
choose to live in such small 1-
and 2-room flats. These
are mainly occupied by low-
income households, who cannot
"downgrade" any further in
terms of the types of homes
they can afford to buy. But for
shoebox purchases, this is
usually a deliberate informed
decision.
For those who are interested,
you can read more about the
different types and sizes of flats
offered by HDB by clicking on
the link below:
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/
fi10320p.nsf/w/
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Originally Posted by carbuncle
