Key Highlights
- The 50% Rule: A&A works require retaining at least 50% of the existing floor plate; violating this pushes the project into “reconstruction” territory, significantly extending the timeline.
- Regulatory Clearance: Rebuilding triggers a full, rigorous suite of BCA and URA approvals, adding 3 to 6 months of paperwork before a single brick is laid.
- The Hidden Drag: While A&A seems faster, uncovering structural defects in the preserved sections can cause mid-project delays that rival a full rebuild schedule.
- Weather Dependency: Full rebuilds are more susceptible to monsoon delays during the heavy structural and roofing phases compared to internalised A&A works.
In the high-stakes world of Singapore property, time is not just money; it is sanity. Every month your project drags on is a month you are paying for rental accommodation or servicing a mortgage on a house you cannot live in.
Homeowners often approach us with a budget fixed in stone, but a schedule based on optimism. They assume that tweaking an existing structure is a quick sprint, while tearing it down is a marathon. The reality is far more nuanced. The choice between A&A works in Singapore and a full rebuild is rarely just about design preference. It is a strategic decision about how long you are willing to wait for the keys.
Understanding the timeline mechanics of each approach prevents the dreaded “renovation fatigue” that plagues under-prepared owners.
The A&A Sprint: Speed with Constraints
Additions and Alterations (A&A) are often marketed as the “lite” version of construction. The general expectation is speed. Because you are not demolishing the entire building, the assumption is a swift turnaround.
In a perfect scenario, an A&A work typically spans 9 to 12 months. This includes the design phase, submission, and actual construction.
The speed advantage comes from the regulatory definition. For a project to qualify as A&A, you must retain the existing structure and at least 50% of the gross floor area. Because the skeletal integrity of the house remains largely untouched, the submission process to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is streamlined. You skip the heavy piling and deep foundation work that eats up the first quarter of a rebuild schedule.
However, A&A is not without its timeline traps. You are working with a legacy structure. Often, once contractors strip back the finishes, they find spalling concrete or rusted rebar in the columns you intended to keep. Rectifying these issues halts progress. You are no longer building; you are repairing. This “discovery phase” is the primary reason why an A&A timeline can suddenly bloat, eroding the time advantage you thought you secured.
The Rebuild Marathon: Predictability in Chaos
To rebuild landed property in Singapore is to hit the reset button. This is a “New Erection” or a major “Reconstruction” in regulatory terms.
The timeline here is a different beast, typically ranging from 15 to 24 months.
The front-end of this schedule is heavy on bureaucracy. Before a bulldozer arrives, you face a lengthy period of soil tests, topographical surveys, and complex structural submissions. You are asking the authorities for permission to change the skyline, and they do not grant that lightly.
Yet, once construction begins, a rebuild offers a strange form of predictability that A&A lacks. Because you are demolishing everything, you are not beholden to the sins of the previous builder. You are not trying to graft new steel onto old concrete. You control the grid, the materials, and the sequence.
The “slow” part of a rebuild is the foundation. Piling is loud, messy, and technically demanding. It is also weather-dependent. If your project starts during the monsoon season, expect the foundation phase to drag. But once you are out of the ground, the speed of erection is surprisingly fast. Modern construction methods allow for rapid assembly of floors and walls, provided the supply chain for materials holds up.
The Regulatory Gap
For A&A works in Singapore, the approval process is often handled by a Qualified Person (QP) with a faster turnaround from the agencies. You might be looking at 2 to 3 months of pre-construction compliance.
Conversely, when you rebuild landed property in Singapore, you trigger requirements for household shelters (bomb shelters), rigorous energy efficiency scoring (Green Mark), and sewer line protection. Each of these requires a separate submission and approval loop. You might spend 6 months on paper before you break ground.
This pre-construction phase is often invisible to the homeowner, but it is the most critical part of the timeline. A savvy owner uses this time to finalise material selections—tiles, sanitary ware, and lighting. The biggest cause of delay in a rebuild isn’t the builder; it is the owner making changes to the kitchen layout while the concrete is drying.
The Verdict: Choosing Your Battle
If your priority is a specific move-in date to align with the school year or a lease expiry, A&A is the logical gamble. It offers the shortest path to habitation, provided the existing structure is sound.
However, if your timeline has flexibility, a rebuild is often the superior long-term play. You are not patching an old ship; you are building a new one. The extra six months of construction often yield a property with a fresh 30-year lease on life, free from the maintenance gremlins that plague older, renovated homes.
Contact Colebuild today. Let us turn your blueprint into a reality without the endless waiting game.
