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Jul 3, 2011

Hulking houses

They mar the landscape, dwarfing their neighbours and jutting out of the street like a sore thumb. Monster homes are becoming a common sight in many private residential areas and they are upsetting residents. CHERYL ONG reports


A three-storey house (left) soon to be ready in Jalan Angin Laut in Simei towers over neighbouring properties. Residents have complained that it stands out too much in their estate, but nothing can be done as its size is within the acceptable limits set by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. -- ST PHOTO: TED CHEN


A newer house (above) rise high above the older ones next to them. Such massive homes have emerged in many private residential estates over the years as home owners try to maximise every bit of space on their land by pulling down old houses and building up and out. -- ST PHOTOS: LAU FOOK KONG


Another house under construction (above) rise high above the older ones next to them. Such massive homes have emerged in many private residential estates over the years as home owners try to maximise every bit of space on their land by pulling down old houses and building up and out. -- ST PHOTOS: LAU FOOK KONG

On a small, quiet street in Simei, a giant looms and it is scaring the residents.

It is a three-storey property, soon to be ready, that towers over its one-storey-tall neighbours and features an attic, a swimming pool and more than 10 rooms, each with an attached bathroom.

Residents of Jalan Angin Laut have complained that the house stands out too much in their estate, but nothing can be done. Despite its size, it is within the acceptable limits set by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Monster homes have emerged in many private residential estates over the years as home owners try to maximise every inch of space on their land by pulling down old houses and building up and out.

'It ruins the whole feel of the estate,' said Mr Lee Siong Keng, 54, a businessman who lives in the Hillview area and whose neighbour down the street added a third level to his semi-detached house.

'If everyone living in an area wants his home to be different, the only word the estate will be associated with is 'messy',' he said.

The authorities should impose rules to ensure that the uniform look of private estates is maintained, or at least for the houses along the perimeter, so the estates look neat from the outside, he argued.

Since 1994, the URA has placed building restrictions on most neighbourhoods, including Simei and Serangoon Gardens, 'to preserve the character and ambience of established landed housing estates', said a spokesman.

Limits include the number of storeys, floor-to-floor height and size of the attic.

Jalan Angin Laut is designated as an estate of mixed landed housing. This means a variety of landed housing, such as detached, semi-detached and terrace houses, may be built there, up to two or three storeys high. It, too, has to adhere to the URA restrictions.

In the case of the monster house there, the URA spokesman said that while the home owner has maximised his property based on the limits of URA guidelines, the structure itself does not infringe any building codes.

'While newly redeveloped houses may appear larger than some of the surrounding older single- or double-storey houses, the disparity is only transitionary and will appear much less when the surrounding houses are gradually redeveloped over time,' said the spokesman.

'In land-scarce Singapore, it would not be possible to preserve all landed housing estates in their original forms or control the scale of new buildings in existing landed estates based on old housing norms of many decades ago.'

The Sunday Times understands that the house in Jalan Angin Laut was the first to be built to the maximum allowable limit set by the authorities.

Architects and contractors say that, over the years, they have been getting an increasing number of requests from home owners who want to maximise what is allowed to be built on their land.

Some architects said their clients have asked that their houses be built close to the perimeters for more space, or to install an additional storey.

An architect with 30 years of experience said he has occasionally installed illegal modifications, such as attic space at the top of some bungalows, to make better use of the living space.

'Once the initial approval for the building has been sought, it's very hard for the authorities to track down the houses that have been modified afterwards, unless someone makes a complaint.'

Generally, owners need approval from the URA if their renovation affects the external facade of the building, or results in an increase in gross floor area - such as by adding a storey to the house.

The designers or contractors must also submit building plans detailing what changes will be made to the house.

'The main reason owners want to 'max out' their houses is that they have more people to house,' said engineer Weston Liew of Metropole Builders.

Houses built in the past tend to have larger gardens or more parking space, so they look smaller in comparison.

As new owners buy over properties and rebuild, they opt for larger houses that inevitably stand out from their neighbours'.

'So these maxed-out houses might be quite prominent in some old estates where the other houses are smaller,' said Mr Liew.

The URA spokesman said the agency will investigate and take enforcement action if home owners are found to have flouted the rules.

Architects and designers say that while home owners expect more bang for their buck, the challenge is in finding a balance between working within the limits and meeting their clients' demands.

HG Development manager Jin Peh, 42, said her company, which does building work and interior decoration, constantly tries to maximise use of the land it must work with because home owners demand it.

And there are ways to get around a building's space limitations, legally.

'We follow whatever plans we have submitted to the authorities for approval. But nowadays, the open-concept look is very popular. That means we open the kitchen instead of building a wall to separate it from the other rooms. It makes the space look bigger.'

But the customer is still king.

Designer Jumadi Saleh, 40, said: 'A designer will always try to make his project stand out, since that is what the client wants too. We can take into account the surroundings of the property, but that isn't our main consideration.'

For some residents, it is more important to have harmony - both aesthetically and between neighbours - than to have a house that boasts sprawling spaces.

When housewife Desiree Ong, 46, moved into the Serangoon Gardens area five years ago, she considered changing the facade of her house, but decided against it as she did not want the house to 'look too out of place'.

She bemoans how her neighbourhood looks 'very haphazard now because of the heavily renovated or rebuilt houses'.

She said: 'New residents won't feel as attached to an estate as those who have been living there for years. Now, I'm glad I didn't make drastic changes to the house. It gives me a sense of belonging.'

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Additional reporting by Sia Ling Xin and Georgina Ng