Landed homes
Extending or rebuilding a landed house in Singapore
An extension or attic is usually additions and alterations (A&A). An added storey or a new house is reconstruction. Each needs URA and BCA approval through a registered architect or professional engineer, and a licensed builder.
This is general information from URA and BCA, not advice on your plot. Your Qualified Person (a registered architect or professional engineer) confirms what your plot allows.
What do you want to do?
Likely additions and alterations (A&A)
A&A when the added floor area is at most 50% of the approved floor area, and the external walls replaced and the structure changed are each at most 50% of the existing. Beyond that it is reconstruction.
Approvals
- URA: your architect lodges the A&A plans online, or applies for planning permission where lodgment is not open (conservation areas, Good Class Bungalow areas and special control areas).
- BCA: building plan and structural plan approval, then a permit for structural works applied for by you, your Qualified Person and your builder before works start.
Who you hire
- Registered architect. Designs the works and, as your Qualified Person, lodges or applies for URA approval and submits plans to BCA.
- Professional engineer (civil or structural). Designs the structure and submits the structural plans to BCA. Only a civil or structural engineer may.
- Licensed builder. Builds to the approved plans. Works whose plans need BCA approval need a BCA-licensed builder.
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Planning controls by house type
A landed house may not exceed the 2-storey or 3-storey control of its area. To see yours, open URA SPACE (opens in a new tab), then Control Plans and the Landed Housing Area layer.
| House type | Min. plot | Min. width | Setbacks (front, side, rear) | Site coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 400 m² | 10 m | 7.5 m, 2 m, 2 m | 40% sub-control, 50% overall |
| Good Class Bungalow | 1,400 m² | 18.5 m | 7.5 m, 3 m, 3 m | 35% sub-control, 45% overall |
| Semi-detached or corner terrace (Terrace-I) | 200 m² | 8 m | 7.5 m, 2 m, 2 m | No control |
| Intermediate terrace (Terrace-I) | 150 m² | 6 m | 7.5 m, –, 2 m | No control |
| Corner terrace (Terrace-II) | 80 m² | 8 m | 2 m, 2 m, 2 m | No control |
| Intermediate terrace (Terrace-II) | 80 m² | 6 m | 2 m, –, 2 m | No control |
The 7.5 m front setbacks are for category 3 to 5 roads; a site on a category 2 road follows its road buffer. Terrace-II houses have a fixed 2 m front setback.
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026.
- URA: Additions and alterations to landed housing (opens in a new tab)
- URA: Plan lodgment for A&A to a landed house (opens in a new tab)
- URA: Prevailing planning controls for landed homes (opens in a new tab)
- BCA: Permit for structural works (opens in a new tab)
- BCA: Builders Licensing Scheme (opens in a new tab)