Karyn, the first place we lived in was in the Coronation area, off Bukit Timah Road. We lived in a condo, a maisonette on the ground floor. We moved out as soon as our two year lease was up - our maid had a shock to find a cobra trying to come into the kitchen! The security guards got rid of it and put a line of yellow sulphur down, apparently snakes avoid it. However, there was a drain nearby so I guess the snake came from that. I never felt comfortable after that and moved up a couple of floors! A lot of snakes are disturbed by the perpetual construction work going on, so look for somewhere which isn't likely to be demolished if you're intent on living on the ground floor (ie. a newish place with new places around it). Also geckos (house lizards) are much more prevalent on the ground floor, but to be honest they have little suckers on their feet so can climb up anything. I actually like them as they keep mosquitos down and they're scared of you and run away if you go near them - and I'm terrified of spiders! I also love their little clucking noises, just like someone "tutting" when they're calling out - the locals call geckos "cicacks" due to the sound they make.
I'd advise a condo rather than a house for when you first move in. You will quickly find other expats to make friends with around the pool or barbeque pits. You could get lonely living in a house and you won't have any facilities. Also you can have a nice swim in the evenings on a condo without having to drive off somewhere. Brits are scattered around the island, it all depends on where your husband's office is based and on how he will get to work; many expat wives (me included) provide a taxi service for their husbands so they can keep the car all day! However, the schools which most British kids attend are Tanglin Trust and United World College, with a smaller amount at Dover Court school, which are all a 5 minute drive from Holland Village. It follows that a lot of Brits live in the areas fairly close to the schools - Holland Village is in District 10 which is an expensive area so you might have to search hard for a nice place for $6k, but many others live in Clementi and Pasir Panjang village (again, convenient for Holland village and not too far from Orchard Road) and you'll certainly find a good apartment in a nice condo for $6k or less in those districts. Just ensure that there are no drains or those large monsoon drains right next to where you choose to live!
