A peephole in a door that is allowed to have one
A peephole is a hole through the leaf. On a fire-rated HDB or condo door that hole is a rating question, not a ten-minute drill. No peephole price is published. Quote on inspection, and often the answer is no.
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Photo: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
How it works
- 1
Send one photo per task on WhatsApp, with the block and whether the home is HDB, condo, or landed.
- 2
We match each task to a published band, or we say quote on inspection.
- 3
You confirm the scope before anyone comes. Licensed work and permit work are named, not folded into the hour.
- 4
The fitting is repaired and tested. Parts that a row does not include stay off the invoice.
What this job actually is
Peepholes are a small hole with a large consequence on a rated door. Many HDB and condo main doors are fire-rated. The digital-lock guide explains why new holes are not a hobby: the leaf, the closer and the ironmongery are a tested set. A viewer is another hole. If the fire detail does not show a viewer, we will not drill one because a parcel thief was on the news. Quote on inspection starts with “is this door rated?” If yes, and the detail is silent, the job stops.
Bedroom and storeroom doors are the ones that are usually not rated. A viewer there is still quote on inspection, because no price is published. The hole has to be the diameter the viewer needs, in a leaf thick enough to hold it, without blowing out the face veneer. A hollow core can look ruined around the rim. Send the door thickness if you know it. We will not use the hinge band of S$60 to S$120 for a hole. That band is alignment.
People also ask for a viewer because a digital lock has no way to see out. That is a lock choice, made before the holes, on the digital-lock guide. Fitting a lock you bought is S$188 to S$320 when allowed. Adding a viewer beside it is not included. Condo rules may require the door furniture to stay uniform. Ask the MCST. A viewer that breaks a uniformity rule becomes your deposit problem, not a handyman souvenir.
We do not drill from the corridor side as a favour to see into a flat that is not yours. Installation is for the resident of that door, with the door open and the leaf identified. Lost keys are not solved with a peephole. The locked-out guide applies. 995 is for danger, not for curiosity.
If a previous viewer has been smashed and the hole is already there, send a clear close-up photo. Filling a hole in a rated door is not a dab of filler. It may be a door replacement, which is quote on inspection, not the veneer patch of S$160 to S$350 unless the door page’s sentence actually matches a surface scratch. A hole through the leaf is not a scratch.
Homey Furnishing Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 202018148K), 27 Mandai Estate, #06-10 Innovation Place, Singapore 729931, invoices the permit-exempt visit. V On Construction Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 201611708H), on the HDB Directory of Renovation Contractors, invoices hacking, a new layout, windows that are not exempt, and the household shelter. Homey Furnishing is not a MOM-licensed employment agency and does not place helpers, nannies or caregivers.
The priced door catalogue stays on door repair: alignment and hinges, HDB PD pivots, pocket rollers, balcony bogies, veneer patches and surface-mounted drop seals. This page does not replace that list. It only covers the narrower job in the heading.
What to do first
- Say whether the door is the main entrance.
- Do not start the hole yourself on a fire door.
- Photo the leaf thickness and any existing viewer.
- Read the digital-lock guide if the door is rated.
- Expect quote on inspection, or a refusal.
| What you see | Safe check | Stop |
|---|---|---|
| Main HDB door, no existing viewer | Assume it may be fire-rated | We may refuse the hole |
| Bedroom door | Still no published price | Quote on inspection |
| Smashed viewer, open hole | Not a scratch patch | Quote on inspection. Not the veneer band by default |
| You want to see into a neighbour’s flat | We will not do that | Not a service |
HDB, condo and landed
HDB main doors are the sensitive case. Condo entrance doors can be too. Landed front doors still need a yes on whether they are rated. A viewer is never a reason to open a household shelter.
| Question | HDB | Condo | Landed |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDB | Main doors are often fire-rated. Common letterbox banks are often the town council. | Weekday drilling if a private leaf needs a hole. | Shelter doors are not modified. |
| Condo | MCST before a new bore. Lobby boxes may be the management’s. | No door surcharge. | Deposits are not a Homey fee. |
| Landed | A gate box is private. A rated leaf still is not free to drill. | No HDB permit for a hinge. | Say gate versus front door. |
How you're charged
How you're charged
These four lines are the published handyman charges. A job that already has its own band uses that band. The hour is not added on top of a band unless the written scope says so. There is no fuel surcharge.
| Charge | What it covers | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | Permit-exempt handyman time | S$45/hr |
| Minimum charge | One task on one visit | S$55 |
| Call-out | The same single-task visit. No separate trip fee | S$55 |
| Materials | Parts, unless a job row says they are included | quote on inspection |
Small, medium, and large visits
Times are planning estimates for the work itself. They are not a promise of when someone arrives.
| Size | Example tasks | Planning time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | One generic hinge, tap labour on the existing outlet, or a socket on an existing circuit | Often under an hour |
| Medium | An exposed cistern siphon, one silicone zone, or two or three small tasks on the same visit | About 1 to 3 hours |
| Large | A typical HDB bathroom regrout, a dishwasher bay, or an exposed storage-heater labour visit | Half a day or longer |
What a handyman can't do
What a handyman can't do
Permit-exempt fittings stay on the Homey Furnishing invoice. These do not:
- A new cable, a new circuit, or a consumer unit. That is an EMA licensed electrician. A socket on an existing circuit is the S$55 row. A dedicated appliance circuit stays S$220 to S$450.
- A new or relocated water point, or a hacked chase. That is a PUB licensed plumber. Tap labour on the existing outlet is S$55.
- Piped gas. That is a Licensed Gas Service Worker.
- Hacking, a new layout, or the household shelter. That is an HDB renovation permit through V On Construction Pte. Ltd. UEN 201611708H.
- A hole in a fire-rated door that the fire detail does not allow.
- Common-corridor lights, stacks, and letterbox banks. Those follow the town council on the S&CC bill, or the MCST in a condo.
Handyman vs licensed contractor
| Work | Who does it | What this site prices |
|---|---|---|
| Existing fitting, no new cable or pipe | Handyman visit | S$45/hr, or the job band |
| One small task | Handyman visit | S$55 call-out |
| New circuit or DB | EMA licensed electrician | S$220 to S$450 for a dedicated circuit, or the DB bands |
| New water point | PUB licensed plumber | quote on inspection |
| Hacking or a new layout | HDB permit, V On Construction | quote on inspection |
Ways to keep the bill smaller
Ways to keep the bill smaller
- Put several tasks on one visit. The S$55 call-out is one task. Extra permit-exempt time is S$45 an hour, not a second trip.
- Buy the part when the row is labour only. Tap labour is S$55. Toilet-bowl labour is S$168. Instant-heater labour is S$108 to S$260. Exposed storage-heater labour is S$188 to S$380.
- Send the photos first, so the reply can use a published band instead of a vague hour.
WhatsApp the photos to +65 8561 0630.
Price, or quote on inspection
Rows below are already published elsewhere. This part is quote on inspection when it has no row.
| Scope already published | 2026 band in the repo | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Fit a digital lock you bought, HDB fire-rated door | S$188 to S$320 | A lock, not a viewer |
| Door veneer or pet-scratch patch | S$160 to S$350 | Surface patch, not a through-hole |
| Door viewer | quote on inspection | No catalogue row |
Anything not in that table is quote on inspection. A second trade, when the law requires one, is named. It is not folded into a handyman hour.
WhatsApp the photos to +65 8561 0630. The reply uses a band already printed on HomeySG, or it says quote on inspection. It does not invent a third number in the chat.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a peephole?
Quote on inspection, and only if the door is allowed to have the hole. No price is published.
Can you drill my HDB main door?
Often no. Fire-rated leaves are not given extra holes. We will say no rather than void the door.
Is it included with a digital lock?
No. A digital-lock fit is S$188 to S$320 when the fire detail allows those holes. A viewer is separate and may still be refused.
The old viewer is broken. Can you fill it?
Send the photo. A through-hole is not the veneer patch at S$160 to S$350. A rated door may need a proper repair, quoted on inspection.