Into the light

For decades, the owners of an intermediate terrace house off Orange Grove Road lived with the structural limitations of such a space. Sandwiched between neighbours with light only from the back and front, it was shadowy even during the day, plus there was the vague claustrophobia of being hemmed in on both sides.

Life would have continued in this fashion if age hadn't caught up with the house they'd been living in since 1984. The wear and tear could not be ignored, not when new plumbing and re-wiring were sorely needed. The inevitable questions asked by many landed home-owners stared them in the face - renovate or rebuild? Or sell and move out?

The owner - who prefers to be known as Mrs Kor - and her husband (they run a retail franchise business) leaned towards renovation, "but our architect friend convinced us that we would maximise the value of the land if we built a new home on it," she says.