Chen Ning Was So Hands-Off For Her $30K Condo Renovation, She Only Checked On Her House 3 Times During Reno

Most first-time homeowners renovating their homes would most likely be stressed or more hands-on about the whole affair.

Unless you're YES 933 DJ Chen Ning.

In the recent episode of Mediacorp bite-sized series JustSwipeLah, the 31-year-old jock welcomed host Seow Sin Nee into her 721 sqft new condo, which she moved into this January before Chinese New Year.

Chen Ning subsequently tells 8days.sg that she purchased the two-bedder condo, which comes with a study room, back in March 2021 but only collected the keys last August. 

While she declines to reveal how much she bought the house for, Chen Ning did share in fellow YES 933 DJ Hazelle Teo's Kaypoh Room Tours that her renovation cost her roughly S$30K. 

A quick look at the jock's house showed that she had opted for a rustic theme, which she explained is because she "likes the feeling of being a little messy." 

In fact, her interior designer, Din, knew her style so well, she nailed the look that Chen Ning was going for. And when Din handed the completed home back to her, she told the excited homeowner: "Please make your house as messy as possible."

"She thought it might add to the [grimy, raw] vibe after being messed up," explained Chen Ning, who laughingly emphasised that she's someone who likes "order amid chaos". 

Now you'd think that as a first-time homeowner, Chen Ning would be slightly more uptight, but she's surprisingly still as easygoing as ever.

In fact, she pretty much left her house entirely in the hands of her interior designer.

When asked why she didn't engage a contractor instead since her house didn't need much renovations given its new condition, Chen Ning unapologetically deadpanned: "Because I'm lazy". 

"My ID is amazing, she even helped me to shop online for whatever I needed for the house," she elaborated. 

Chen Ning trusted Din so much that she actually visited the house "probably only three times" during the entire renovation process, including the time she went to choose the paint colour for her walls. 

We know, it sounds too good to be true, but Chen Ning explained that the trust was there also because her elder brother, Paralympic shooter Daniel Chan, had employed the same ID before. 

"So I had a guinea pig," she laughed. "I think his house turned out great."

That said, Chen Ning tells 8days.sg that she did feel bad for not being a little more hands-on due to her work schedule late last year, and reckoned she would have been more involved if she had the luxury of time. 

"But based on my understanding of myself, I think I also won’t. Instead I’ll be maximising my free time to make more plates or bowls for my house," chuckles the pottery enthusiast, who hand-made almost all the cups in her new abode. 

Nevertheless, she constantly asked Din what she could do to help, and the latter ended up only giving her one job: To find a sofa. 

As you can tell, renovating the house was kinda fuss-free for the jock, and the "easily contented" Chen Ning affirms that there's nothing she would do [differently] now that her house's completed.

"Because what I was more particular about is just the location! I really wanted a place near to all my loved ones," she chirps. 

Isn't she the best type of client any ID could ask for?