With home prices climbing, we may soon see a day when families (at least smaller families) are forced to accept a two-bedder as a norm. But not all two-bedders are created equal: older two-bedders may be huge in terms of raw square footage, but may be terribly inefficient. Likewise, not all newer two-bedders layouts are practical, even with GFA harmonisation. Here are some key considerations, when gauging the layout of the ideal two-bedder:

1. No wasteful planter boxes or bay windows

This is most common among condos launched from 2010 to 2013. At the time, developers were unintentionally incentivised to create wasteful features: they were able to charge buyers for spaces taken up by planter boxes, bay windows, air-con ledges, strata void spaces, etc. This resulted in a higher total square footage, but possibly less livable space. These features are even worse in smaller units like two-bedders, where space is already at a premium. They’re...