WHAT would you do if you bought a resale detached house on a 4,300 square foot (sq ft) of land? Opt for relatively minor addition and alteration works, or go for broke and do a complete rebuild?

For the Tans, the original plan for their Namly View property was to do simple renovations. After all, they bought the house precisely because Tan liked the developer’s original tropical Balinese design that was once all the rage. His two adult daughters, however, had a different idea. They wanted a drastic change – a modern resort look.

No prizes for guessing who got their way.