The most common BTO call we get is the panicked one. “We’re moving in next weekend and the bedroom faces east and the sun comes in at 6:45am.” Standard blackout is two weeks of fabrication. The owner sleeps at their parents’ for ten days. After 17 years and 800-plus installs, the fix is simple: book the measurement before reno is done, not after. Here is the timeline that works.

The BTO Timeline Most Owners Follow

A typical BTO completion runs roughly:

  1. Key collection day.
  2. Defects inspection (1 to 4 weeks after keys, depending on HDB scheduling).
  3. Reno starts (often 2 to 6 weeks after keys, once the ID has scoped).
  4. Reno runs (usually 8 to 12 weeks for a standard 4-room BTO).
  5. ID handover (the day reno is signed off as complete).
  6. Owner moves in.

The mistake most owners make is to book the curtain measurement after step 5. By that point the unit is finished, the move-in date is set, and the curtain lead time of 2 to 4 weeks does not fit. The owner is moving into a unit with bare windows, sleeping at their parents’, or hanging temporary fabric on rented track for a month.

When to Actually Book the Measurement

The answer is between step 4 and step 5. Specifically, when the reno is roughly 70 to 80% complete and the windows are accessible but most of the dust is gone.

In practical terms, that’s usually 2 to 3 weeks before ID handover. At that point:

  • The window frames are final (they were in from the start, but now the trim work around them is done).
  • The ceiling is finished and the cornice or recessed light cove is in place. We can see exactly what the track will mount to.
  • The flooring is laid. We can measure the curtain drop to the millimetre.
  • Painting is done or near-done. The curtain hardware doesn’t get over-sprayed.

Book the measurement at this stage and the install lands in the week after ID handover, before move-in. The unit is ready when you walk in.

The window frame doesn’t change in the last three weeks of reno. Book the measurement when the ID is doing finishings, not after.

The Lead Times You Are Working With

For a standard 4-room BTO with three bedrooms and a living-room window:

  • Standard blackout (master bedroom): 2 weeks from order to ready-for-install.
  • Premium blackout with thermal backing: 3 to 4 weeks.
  • Day-and-night layered (living room): 3 weeks (because two fabrics, two tracks).
  • Motorised system (any room): add 1 to 2 weeks for the motor and controller.
  • Fully imported European fabrics: add 4 to 6 weeks (most BTO owners do not need this).

Install itself is a 1-day job for a standard 4-room. Two installers, four rooms, finished in 6 to 8 hours including light-leak testing and cleanup.

So the working backwards: if you’re moving in on July 30, with a standard blackout in the master and day curtains in the living room, the order needs to be placed by July 9 at the latest. Add a week for the measurement-to-order step and you’re booking the measurement around July 2. Earlier is better; later means cut corners or temporary curtains.

A bare-window BTO master bedroom on key-collection day. The right time to book a measurement is two to three weeks before ID handover.

What Changes If the Reno Is Running Late

Reno overruns are common. ID handover slips by a week or two. If the curtain order is already in, fabric is sitting in our workshop ready to install. We hold it without charge for up to four weeks past the original install date. Past four weeks, we ask for a small holding fee (typically SGD 80 to 150) to cover storage, but the curtain is not lost.

If you’re worried the reno will slip and you don’t want to commit to fabric early, the workaround is to do the measurement early and place the order conditionally on a “to be confirmed” install date. We’ll quote, lock the price, hold the spec, and order the fabric only when you give us a firm install date. This adds about 5 days to the lead time at order release but removes timing risk.

The Pre-Measurement Checklist

Three things to have ready before we arrive for the measurement:

Confirmed window dimensions are not enough. We measure ourselves. What we need from you is decisions on what each room is for. Master bedroom for sleep, second bedroom for guest, third bedroom as a study, living room for both daily use and hosting, and so on. The recommendation per room follows from that.

A photo of each window from inside the room. Helpful if you want to think through options before the measurement. Not essential.

An honest budget range. We will not push you into the top of it, and we’d rather know upfront if the budget is SGD 3,000 for the whole unit vs SGD 8,000. The recommendations differ. There’s no shame in either; the recommendation is just different.

The Day of the Measurement

The visit takes 45 to 60 minutes for a standard 4-room. Our consultant will:

  • Measure every window (width, drop, depth of the recess, ceiling clearance).
  • Walk each room and ask what it’s used for, who uses it, and at what times.
  • Note the orientation (east, west, north, south) and check for direct sun on the relevant windows.
  • Bring fabric samples in 4 to 6 weights and 8 to 12 colour ranges.
  • Quote on the spot for most standard combinations, or follow up by email within 48 hours for complex builds.

There’s no obligation to order from the measurement. If our quote doesn’t work for you, nothing to pay. The measurement is free regardless.

A Few BTO-Specific Spec Notes

Three things that come up often on BTO measurements:

Ceiling track is almost always the right call. HDB ceilings have a 2 cm depth limit on track recesses, which constrains the hardware. Within that limit, ceiling-mount delivers the cleanest line and the best seal. Wall-mount above the window frame is a fallback when ceiling mounting isn’t possible (rare).

The recessed light cove changes the install. If the ceiling has a cove for indirect lighting (common in BTO masters), the track mounts on the cove face, not the ceiling proper. We measure differently. Tell us upfront if you’ve added a cove during reno; it changes the bracket length we order.

Aircon ledge windows need extra return depth. The aircon ledge is a bump-out on the external facade. The track must extend past the ledge edge by 5 to 10 cm extra to seal light coming around the bump-out. We’ve seen “blackout” installs in BTO bedrooms where the side return was too short and a bright strip ran down the wall every morning. The fabric was fine; the track was the wrong length.

The Simple Version

If you’re a few weeks from ID handover and you want curtains ready for move-in, book a measurement now. We’ll come out within the week. We’ll measure, recommend, quote on the spot, and have your unit ready before you move in. The BTO bedroom is the most common job we measure for. We’ve done this 800-plus times. The timing is not the hard part if you book it right.