I have read through most of this thread and would like to thank Zheilwane aka Zean (how do you pronounce this?) for unselfishly providing us all with such helpful information.

I confess to be a total noob at home improvement matters and have learned much from the questions and experiences shared here.

Having recently received the keys to our first house (in Ipoh, lot size 20 x 70), my wife and I are planning to do some minor improvement work with our limited budget to make our home a functional a comfortable living space. Attached is an amateurish floor plan I attempted to draw using a the free (non premium version) of MagicPlan app available on Play Store.

In a nutshell, we do not plan to break/build any walls and, at the moment, the following list is an approximate idea of what we intend to do:

1. Grilles + Awning for Laundry Room
2. Wiring + Additional Lighting and Power Points.
3. Plumbing (adding outdoor faucet and washer outlet)
3. Kitchen Cabinet (bottom only with simple open top racks)
4. Kitchen Appliances (Hood+Hob+Oven) --> the reason I am posting here.

After browsing through Builders Hardware FB and Xammax.my, I went to visited two Fotile dealers in Ipoh and was given the following preliminary quotes:

Dealer 1:
Recommended Rubine strongly, saying the price is much lower than Fotile, and suitable for small families who do less cooking (my wife and I both hit 30 this year and do not plan to have children in the medium term).
Package: Rubine Sapphire hood (1000m3/hr) + Rubine Prado hob + Rubine IA6 oven = RM3188
Not much effort was made to push Fotile, and the response we got was that Fotile would cost at least another RM1000. The dealer was friendly and seemed well versed with various questions though she denied being the owner of the business. She also introduced us to another promotion Cabana sink + faucet + dish rack for RM599.
Installation of all appliances is free of charge, but we will have to find a contractor to drill a 6" hole for exhaust ducting outlet. Before we left, she reminded us that prices will increase next month (don't know if this is just tactical or real).

Dealer 2:
This dealer also does interior design and kitchen cabinet. Owner (or senior staff) sat at the counter and basically ignored us (maybe she assumed us to be another pair of young punks). However, the young girl who attended to us was generally able to answer our queries and gave us a cost estimate (both for appliances as well as KC).
Package: As advertised in the Fotile March-May 2014 catalog. Fotile EH10BQ hood + Fotile GFG86201 hob = RM2700, which about RM500 less than the catalog price. As for oven, it is a PWP deal - Fotile KES6003A = RM1998 with no further discount. So total price for Hood + Hob + Oven would come to RM4698.
I showed her my floor plan (U shape kitchen) and she made a quick calculation for KC (bottom only, solid wood, granite top) = Approx RM8k . If we opt for chipboard+melamine coating, it will be approx RM6k.
Dealer 2 also provides free installation.

If you have visited Builders Hardware FB or Xammax, there seems to be a world of difference in price and products available. My wife and I are now discussing whether to get these from Ipoh (free installation + after sales service but at a higher price) or to order online with better price/product options but without installation.

How difficult/dangerous is it to leave installation to another person? Should I get these items from Ipoh dealers or KL via online purchase? Appreciate your kind advice on any related matters, too. Thank you.



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Thanks so much for the info. Now I have a better idea on how to proceed with confidence. That gives me more options than to just rely on ipoh dealers.

Any idea what is the range of cost for installing a hood? If I do not want top cabinets (planning to opt for open shelves), can the exhaust duct go through the ceiling?

No offense. Maybe you should ask her to demo fried chicken using induction and ask her to walk barefoot on her kitchen floor after that.

Thanks! Now I won't make decisions blindly.

Will check out zean's packages in the coming days and update you fellas again if I have any questions.

I am from Ipoh, can you recommend where I can check out r8nnai? Presently my research is limited to online store xammax and builders hardware. Xammax has a number of rinnai hood + hob packages, do you guys recommend any particular models? Am trying to keep budget to about rm4k for the three items. Previously noticed builders hardware had some affordable fotile deals which even comes with sink and faucet.

I couldn't make it to perfect livin and so plan to visit homedec this week. Any tips to share re finding a good deal at such fairs?

Appreciate any advice! Thx.