When can you drill in an HDB flat, and which walls are off limits?

HDB drilling rules: when drilling is allowed

According to HDB's important information on renovations, heavy and excessive drilling works count as noisy work and are allowed only Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, not on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays or the eves of major public holidays. Other renovation works may run Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. For DIY, HDB only asks residents to avoid drilling between 10.30pm and 7am.

Can I drill on a weekend in an HDB flat? It depends on the job. A contractor's heavy and excessive drilling cannot take place on Saturdays or Sundays. Light DIY drilling, such as a hole for a picture hook, is not banned on a Saturday, as long as you avoid 10.30pm to 7am.

The HDB drilling time for light DIY jobs is wider than for renovation works, but a quick drill is still noise. Be considerate of neighbours who may be resting.

Walls you must not drill

The household shelter

Drilling household shelter walls is never allowed. MyNiceHome states that the walls of the household shelter must not be hacked or drilled, and that its door must be left intact. This covers small holes too, so do not fix hooks, shelves or a TV bracket to a shelter wall.

Reinforced concrete walls

Take care with reinforced concrete walls. They are hard to drill and contain steel bars. If the bit meets metal, stop, do not force it, and move the hole slightly.

Drilling holes to fix items is different from hacking or altering a wall. According to MyNiceHome, hacking or altering walls needs a permit, and plans must be submitted when you hack or build walls. If your project goes beyond fixings, read our guide to HDB renovation permits first.

Tiles in new BTO toilets

In a new BTO flat, MyNiceHome says you must wait 3 years before removing wall or floor finishes in the toilets, although tiles can be overlaid. Drilling a few holes is not the same as removing tiles, but toilet walls and floors are waterproofed, and a badly placed or unsealed hole can damage that layer. Keep holes to a minimum and consider asking a professional.

Hidden pipes and wiring

• Do not drill directly above or below sockets and switches. Wiring can run in a straight line to and from them.
• Scan the wall with a detector before you mark the hole, and treat the result as a guide, not a certainty.
• In kitchens and bathrooms, where pipes and cables are more likely, ask a professional to do the drilling.

EMA's electrical safety advice is to switch off the power before you touch an appliance, and every home must have a residual current circuit breaker (RCCB). If you are drilling close to a socket or a light fitting, switch off that circuit first.

Drilling tiles and concrete

Use a bit made for tiles to get through the tile surface, then change to a masonry bit for the concrete behind it. Keep hammer mode off until you are through the tile, as the impact can crack it.

Put a strip of masking tape over the spot and mark the hole on the tape. The tape helps stop the bit sliding across the glaze and reduces chipping. Start at a slow speed with light pressure, pause now and then so the bit does not overheat, and hold the drill square to the wall.

When to hire a handyman

Consider a handyman if:

• you are fixing something heavy, such as a large TV, where TV wall mounting is a common job
• you need a straight row of holes for tracks or rods, as in curtain installation
• the wall is in a kitchen or bathroom, or close to sockets and pipes
• you are not sure what the wall is made of

Before you book anyone, go through these questions to ask before hiring a handyman, such as how they check for wiring and pipes.

The cost depends on the job, the type of wall and the number of holes, so compare handyman services to see what companies publish.

Being a good neighbour

• Tell your neighbours. A short note or a quick word the day before lets the flats around you plan for the noise.
• Keep to the hours. Book heavy drilling for Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, keep DIY drilling out of 10.30pm to 7am, and group your holes into one session. The renovation hours checker shows the hours for any date.
• Clean up dust. Vacuum as you work and do not leave dust or debris in the common corridor.

For bigger clean-ups, MyNiceHome says to contact the Town Council to dispose of bulky items, and contractors must dispose of renovation debris properly.

If drilling happens outside the allowed hours or late at night, neighbours can raise the noise with HDB or the Town Council.

Questions