You walk into a showflat and open a property portal on your phone. The Chuan Park resale is showing $2,675 psf. Chuan Grove Parcel A is launching at $2,792 psf. Same corridor, similar location, a new-launch premium of about 4%. That sum is wrong. The numbers are right. They just don't measure the same thing.

Direct Answer

The Chuan Park is pre-GFA harmonisation. Chuan Grove Parcel A is post-harmonisation. Put the two psf figures side by side and you're comparing strata area, which inflates The Chuan Park's number by 10% to 12%, against liveable area, which is what Chuan Grove quotes. Adjust for harmonisation and Chuan Grove Parcel A at $2,792 psf is cheaper than the corridor's existing stock per square foot you can actually use. The floor plan trap here isn't Chuan Grove's. It belongs to The Chuan Park buyer who hasn't worked out how much of their strata area they can't live in.

What GFA harmonisation actually changed

Before June 2023, developers in Singapore calculated and marketed unit sizes using gross floor area (GFA) measurement that included a range of non-habitable or semi-habitable spaces: AC ledges, planter boxes, void spaces above double-volume living rooms, and portions of balconies and bay windows. A 1,000 sqft strata unit might contain only 870 to 900 sqft of genuinely liveable, conditioned, furniture-ready space.

From June 2023, the URA's GFA harmonisation circular changed the framework for new GLS launches. Strata area for post-harmonisation projects more closely reflects the actual internal floor area a resident occupies. AC ledge area is no longer added into the strata calculation the way it was. The headline psf for a post-harmonisation project is substantially closer to a liveable-psf figure than the pre-2023 equivalent.

Chuan Grove Parcel A came from a GLS tender that closed in July 2025, well after harmonisation. Its $2,792 psf ASP is harmonised psf. Buy 900 sqft there and you get roughly 900 sqft you can actually live in.

The Chuan Park was an en bloc purchase in July 2022 and launched under the old rules. Its resale prices on SRX, EdgeProp and 99.co are strata psf. So when a Chuan Park unit resells at $2,675 psf, that's per square foot of strata area, AC ledges and other space you can't live in included.

The harmonisation adjustment table

To compare Chuan Grove Parcel A and The Chuan Park on a like-for-like basis, The Chuan Park's strata psf must be adjusted upward to approximate liveable psf. Industry practice applies a 10 to 12% factor for typical pre-harmonisation D19 mid-rise condominiums, reflecting the proportion of strata area that is AC ledge, planter, and similar non-habitable space.

Project Harmonisation Portal / Launch PSF Adjustment Liveable-psf Equivalent
The Chuan Park (resale) Pre-harmonisation ~$2,675 strata psf +10 to 12% ~$2,970 to $3,070 liveable psf
Chuan Grove Parcel A (launch) Post-harmonisation ~$2,792 harmonised psf None needed ~$2,792 liveable psf

The 10 to 12% adjustment is an industry estimate for pre-harmonisation mid-rise residential in Singapore. Actual strata inflation varies by project, unit type, and stack. Source: URA GFA Harmonisation Circular, June 2023; BCA GFA measurement guidelines.

On a liveable psf basis, Chuan Grove Parcel A at $2,792 is below The Chuan Park resale at $2,970 to $3,070. The new launch is not at a premium to its nearest comparable. It is competitively priced or marginally cheaper, once the comparison is made correctly. The full pricing analysis with additional comparables is in Part 3: The Pricing Test.

What to look for in the Chuan Grove Parcel A floor plans

Harmonisation fixes the strata inflation problem. It doesn't fix a bad layout. When the showflat opens and floor plans come out, ask these four questions before you commit to a unit.

Bedroom bay widths. A 3BR in a post-harmonisation project should show bedroom dimensions of at least 3.2m × 3.0m for the master and 2.8m × 2.8m for secondary rooms. Narrower bay widths indicate structural grid constraints that reduce furniture options regardless of the strata measurement.

Living room depth. A usable living area needs at least 4.0m depth to accommodate a sofa, TV wall, and circulation without crowding. Anything below 3.6m in a 3BR produces a functionally compromised main living space regardless of the quoted size.

Balcony proportion. Under harmonisation, balcony area above a set threshold is still left out of strata area, so the headline figure is mostly usable internal space. Ask for the internal and balcony split to confirm it.

AC ledge and household shelter location. These sit inside the strata boundary but eat into usable wall or floor space in particular rooms. Ask for a column or structural plan if the developer has one, or ask the sales agent directly. Harmonisation doesn't remove them. It only keeps them out of the psf figure.

James's Note

"The Chuan Park buyer may be living in 870 sqft and paying for 1,000."

This isn't a knock on The Chuan Park as a development. It's a knock on comparing psf without asking when a project was built. Every pre-harmonisation condo in Singapore carries some strata inflation, and some carry a lot more, depending on how many AC ledges and planters went into the design. A Chuan Park owner with a 1,000 sqft unit is paying $2,675 per strata sqft but living in roughly 880 to 900 sqft of it. On liveable space, which is how you actually experience a home, the Chuan Grove buyer at $2,792 harmonised psf pays less for more room. Nobody at the showflat will run that comparison for you.

James Ong · CEA Reg No. R008385F · PropNex Realty

Frequently asked questions

Does GFA harmonisation affect all units equally at Chuan Grove Parcel A?

Harmonisation changes how strata area is calculated across the board, not unit by unit. Lower floors, units with bigger balconies and some structural layouts can still show a real gap between strata area and usable internal area. Ask for the internal and balcony split on any unit you're considering. The headline psf is harmonised. The unit mix still deserves a close look when floor plans come out.

How do I know how much of my Chuan Park unit is non-habitable strata space?

Older developments don't publish a split between habitable and non-habitable strata area. The practical fix is to get the as-built floor plans and measure the AC ledges and planters yourself, or ask owners in the same stack who've lived there. The gap between quoted area and how big the home feels is usually obvious. For investment maths, 10% to 12% is the standard industry adjustment.

Will post-harmonisation projects command a permanent premium over pre-harmonisation stock?

Over time, probably yes. As more harmonised projects launch and buyers get sharper about psf, older stock is likely to trade at a discount to post-harmonisation developments of similar quality and location. That will happen gradually, not overnight. Projects hitting the resale market 10 to 15 years from now will face this comparison, and for Chuan Grove Parcel A owners it should work in their favour at exit.

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Sources

1. URA, GFA Harmonisation Circular, June 2023 · URA.gov.sg
2. BCA, Gross Floor Area measurement guidelines, 2022 to 2023
3. SRX Property, The Chuan Park resale transaction data, 2024 to 2025
4. URA REALIS, D19 resale caveats, Lorong Chuan, 2023 to 2025
5. PropNex Research, upcoming launches pipeline data, 2025 to 2026
6. EdgeProp, D19 psf trends, pre- and post-harmonisation comparisons, 2025

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Property investments involve risk. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Readers should seek independent advice from licensed professionals before making any property or financial decision. James Ong is a licensed real estate salesperson (CEA Reg No. R008385F) with PropNex Realty Pte Ltd and is not a licensed financial adviser.

James Ong | CEA Reg No. R008385F | PropNex Realty Pte Ltd