http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...ntain-20140929

URA ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE AWARD PAST WINNERS

Terraced house still a challenge to maintain

Published on Sep 29, 2014 12:52 AM


WHEN architect Daniel Teo bought an 80-year-old terraced house back in 1989, he had several challenges, including having to fix a side wall with very porous bricks.

Mr Teo, now 71 and chairman and managing director at Hong How Group of Companies, spent $500,000 on the terraced house at 11 Kim Yam Road. Works included waterproofing its brick walls and strengthening its foundation.

Decades on, the house still keeps Mr Teo on his toes - water tends to seep through to its inner walls whenever it rains. "It's like that with older buildings. We also have to take care of the cracks that form due to ongoing construction works nearby," said Mr Teo.

The restoration of the two-storey house was one of six buildings which won the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Architectural Heritage Awards in 1995.

URA said that the restoration had kept closely to the original charm and spatial quality of the building.