Why the Renovation Industry Needed Structural Change

Five years.

In startup terms, five years is often the first real checkpoint. Not the victory lap. Not the unicorn headline. But the moment where you look back and ask:

Did we build something real?

When I started SIXiDES, the intention was simple. Not to build another listing portal. Not to chase traffic. But to fix something structural in the renovation industry.

Because if you’ve ever renovated a home in Singapore, you know this already.

Renovation is not just design. It’s coordination, trust, expectations, payments, timelines, and a lot of anxiety in between.

The industry hasn’t changed much in decades. But the risks for homeowners have.

And that’s where the idea for SIXiDES began.

The Renovation Industry Problem Nobody Wanted to Solve

For years, the renovation ecosystem has been fragmented.

Homeowners jump between:

• Pinterest boards
• renovation forums
• interior designer portfolios
• contractor quotations
• payment schedules that differ from firm to firm

There is no universal system.

Contracts vary. Specifications are inconsistent. Even spelling errors are commonplace. I still remember reading a quote where gypsum boards were spelt as “jimson boards”.

Payment structures differ across companies.

Which means every homeowner is effectively learning renovation from scratch.

We believed the industry needed something different.

Not another marketplace.

But a Renovation Operating System.

A layer that connects homeowners, designers, brands, tools, and data into one journey.

That’s what SIXiDES set out to build.

And five years later, we’re beginning to see the shape of it.

The Numbers Behind the SIXiDES Renovation Ecosystem

When we started, SIXiDES was essentially an experiment.

Today, the ecosystem looks very different.

According to our latest platform data (as of 2025):

• 661,000 website visits recorded in 2025
• 1.3 million returning visits
• 50,000 – 60,000 monthly users researching renovation

More importantly, these users are not just browsing.

They are renovating.

To date (2025):

• 12,281 homeowners have used SIXiDES to find an interior designer
• 2,564 homeowners have successfully converted into renovation projects
• Average renovation spend per project: approximately $55,000

This translates into over $140 million worth of renovation decisions influenced through the platform.

And that’s just the part we can track.

These figures reflect SIXiDES’ platform performance and user activity up to 2025, providing a snapshot of the ecosystem’s growth over the past five years.

As of 2025, these numbers are reflected across the ecosystem we’ve built:

• 156 interior design firms listed
• 80+ merchant partners
• A growing media platform with 100,000+ YouTube subscribers, making it one of the largest renovation-focused media channels in Singapore.

The audience breakdown also tells an interesting story:

• 77.8% HDB homeowners
• 19.7% condominium owners
• 2.4% landed homeowners

Which confirms something we’ve always believed:

Singapore’s renovation economy is driven primarily by HDB homeowners navigating their first or second homes.

And they need guidance.

From Listing Platform to Renovation Ecosystem

One of the biggest misconceptions about SIXiDES is that we are a listing portal.

We’re not.

The platform was designed as a growth, credibility, and protection ecosystem for the renovation journey.

This includes layers that most platforms never attempt to build.

Casefile

A structured homeowner project dossier that captures:

• renovation goals
• budget expectations
• lifestyle needs
• spatial requirements

This allows interior designers to understand homeowners before the first meeting.

eQuote

A structured quotation system designed to reduce misunderstandings early in the process.

ID Progression Framework

Interior designers on the platform progress through stages:

• Waitlist / Whitelist
• Brand Grooming
• Lead Generation
• PPS Verified Designers

This ensures homeowners interact with designers who are ready for real renovation responsibility, not just marketing exposure.

Because trust in renovation cannot be bought.

It has to be earned.

The Next Chapter: The Renovation Operating System

The next evolution of SIXiDES is something we have been quietly building.

We call it the Renovation OS.

Later this year, we will be launching ASAP by SIXiDES, a homeowner renovation dashboard that integrates:

• project tracking
• renovation milestones
• payment visibility
• site progress updates
• AI-generated design tools
• homeowner feedback loops

The goal is simple.

To turn renovation from a chaotic experience into something structured and transparent.

We are also exploring deeper integrations with financial institutions to test homeowner-authorised milestone payment systems for renovation projects.

In other words:

Renovation with us should eventually work more like a project management platform, not a series of WhatsApp messages.

What Five Years of Building SIXiDES Has Taught Us

Building SIXiDES hasn’t been glamorous.

There were moments when the easier path would have been to simply build another renovation directory.

But easy solutions rarely fix structural problems.

What we learned over the past five years is this:

The renovation industry doesn’t need more marketing.

It needs systems.

Systems that help homeowners understand what they’re committing to.

Systems that protect good designers.

Systems that make the renovation process transparent.

And most importantly, systems that allow the industry to mature.

The Road Ahead for SIXiDES

We are still early.

The Singapore renovation market alone sees tens of thousands of projects each year, with billions spent annually on residential renovation.

Our goal isn’t just to capture traffic.

It is to build the decision infrastructure behind renovation.

That means:

• better tools for homeowners
• stronger credibility frameworks for designers
• deeper partnerships with brands and suppliers
• and eventually expanding beyond Singapore

Five years ago, SIXiDES was just an idea.

Today, it’s an ecosystem.

The next five years will determine whether it becomes something much bigger.

But for now, I’m grateful to the homeowners, designers, and partners who believed in what we’re building.

Because renovation is one of the most personal investments anyone makes.

And it deserves a system that respects that.

Happy birthday SIXiDES.

Frequently Asked Questions About SIXiDES and the Renovation Ecosystem

What is SIXiDES?

SIXiDES is a renovation ecosystem platform that connects homeowners, interior designers, merchants, and renovation tools into one structured journey.

How does SIXiDES help homeowners renovating in Singapore?

The platform helps homeowners compare interior designers, understand renovation costs, and manage renovation projects with more structure and transparency. 

What is a Renovation Operating System?

A Renovation Operating System refers to a platform that integrates renovation planning, designer selection, quotations, project tracking, and payment visibility into one ecosystem.

What is eQuote on SIXiDES?

eQuote is a structured renovation quotation system designed to help homeowners understand potential renovation costs before engaging interior designers.