EDIT: realized the house dimension is 24x80, not 24x75

Hi sifus,

Embarking on the next stage of my life... and recently received keys for my "brand new" 40-year old house. It is a 24x80 double-storey link house. I hope this will be my dream home for the next 20-30 years at least and wish to obtain some guidance on my reno journey...

Still at a very early stage... looking to be an extremely daunting task not just on my pocket.

Guidance used:


Below are floor plan, details & budget:

1. Floor Plan


2. What I hope to achieve with above budget:
1. Extension (per attached plan - red arrows)
2. Ground floor - retile (hacking the terrazo + tiling)
3. 1st floor - change from parquet to something like laminated flooring which I believe to be cheapest for "wood-feel flooring"
4. Plaster ceiling (both floors)
5. Repainting
6. Bathrooms - retile, change all the hardware
7. First floor bathrooms (Bath 3)- split into two, one for each room.
8. Grills
9. Lighting, fans, air con
10. Possible rewiring (due to age of property) - including adding socket points, concealing wiring
11. Possible repairs... don't anticipate much since I'm basically redoing big chunks of the house... roof maybe
12. Other hidden costs / things I missed out?
13. (edit) solar panel for water heater

3. Problems
1. Ground floor - currently the bathroom is venting out into the Yard (circled) which is really a glorified indoor garden - if I close it up (ie extend the dining area) what's the best way to ventilate the bathroom?
2 & 3. First floor - same problem as ground floor bathroom. Maybe bathroom 3 can be extended all the way to the back together with the rooms, then it will be no issue. For bathroom 2, the extension will surround it leaving no space to ventilate.

Is there anything I missed out? Basically, am trying to get those big-hassle items out of the way first. Will be engaging a few contractors for pricing (please share if you do know of any) and update.

Will try and add pictures soon.

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Sep 27 2017, 10:36 AM

Congrats on your new home. First thing first, as this is a 40 years old house so I will say is a must to change all wiring and piping as all of this are inside the walls which you cannot see if there is defect. Secondly, do all the surface things like flooring, walls, etc. Than only go with extension and other things like fixture and fittings. Now as for the budget goes, 300k is not that much with the number of major items to be done. Easily all wet works will take up 50% of your budget.

On the ventilation, not too worry about it just can get some ventilation fan to solve the problem. As for the ground floor yard, is nice to have rather extend it. Put some greenery into it and will serve you better than the just little extra space if you extend. Happy renovating

Get the infra right first coz it involved hacking the surface again later on
1. Item rewiring include conduit for networking eg cctv/ lan etc

2. Water piping might need to be replaced

Congratz on yr purchase. Look like u gonna do alot wet works, with current price going to increase very soon. It will be tough doing all u planning with the budget allocated.

All yr washrooms facing inside the house, that will major headache to relocated. Mine 1st floor back rooms similar with yrs. I didn't extended it to the end, only extended to same wall of the toilet with the rest area as balcony for my washing machine and drying cloth area.

Me also didn't relocated my ground floor toilet as the toilet wall is a support beam for upstair. Too much hassle and $$ just to realign and with all digging and relocate the indah water manhole(no big kitchen with island design)

This post has been edited by Iceman74: Oct 21 2015, 12:36 PM

Just my 2cents, as you will be extending 1st floor to the end, so the bath room is also extended and lengthen into 2 separate one, so each of them can have a window

As for the ground floor, you can enlarge the bath area to include into wash area since both area is going to be wet. In my opinion, you do not need the yard anymore, as there will be no sunlight as you already extend your 1st floor

why car porch tepi living hall? allocate more space to ur living hall so ur house can look more grand and luxurious

I can suggest you this contractor Edmon, which lot of lowyat user actually did engage him

Congratz to you on having a nice plan to renovate your house, but it seem like didn't have an actual plan to run it. Do you need any consult from ID company? I can recommend a company for you since they renovated my neighbor's house nicely. If you need it just pm me, i will ask the ID company's contact from my neighbor. ^^

Managed to take pictures only today, most days too busy to visit the house. Thanks for all the comments so far, all being taken into consideration.

Edit: not sure why some picture appear rotated. They look correctly rotated on my computer. Sorry for any unintended neck exercise while I figure out what the hell is wrong with my pictures



This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Sep 27 2017, 10:38 AM

Definitely very old house but overall condition still good from the pictures. The floor is parquet is definitely something to replace.

1. I will extend the groundfloor toilet to the wash area and vent to backlane. Access utility from the dinning. Ill even consider to access toilet from dinning> utility > toilet.

Knock the kitchen dinning wall to make one open space with island/peninsula in btw.

2. I will remodel the masterbedroom toilet to the side. Not hard as you are already doing a whole new room above your porch. the existing toilet will be a good spot for walking closet. Also, brand new toilet in your master will be a highlight

3. for the 2 smaller bathroom remodelling, I will hesitate to touch cause U are gaining only little usable squarefoot but the work will be huge. I will leave it and spend the money just on re-tiling, changing the vanity and toilet bowl. give them refresh but not total remodel.

By the way, nice house! do update us on the progress

and also, 300k can do a lots of work with the size of your new house. With these money, I will suggest to hire a good architect that can help you in all the facilitate, including wet work and interior design. Save your time and your money!

I would place the ventilator abovevthe toilet door if there is no other choice..your hse in kl? Can i hv your parquet pieces after you remove them? Thank you..

There are fans for bathroom ventilation which activate when you turn on light in the bathroom. This may help if you don't prefer natural ventilation.

is the fan and the light is using same circuit ?
my house got same issue and design with TS, when extend, the bathroom will be in the middle of the house which no ventilation.
thinking to put fan using same circuit with light, so 1switch will turn on both, save money on new wiring/socket for fans.

Let me know if u need my contractor contact.

Terrazzo and parquet flooring are actually very nice once you polish them up and fill up the gaps.

yes,same
using this as well.

Congratulations on your journey. I used to live around that area just opposite end side away from the hospital but nearer the mall if I'm guessing it right. This house has character esp upper floors.

A few things to share from what I learnt w double story landed.
1. Tiles for living looks nice but is the main enemy in terms of creature comfort requiring AC to cool during the weekends or early evening unless there's a garden with trees. Broken marble is better for climate control purposes. Look up the thread on Venetian plaster wall by Hachilifestyle. I'm broken marble convert and have used it in my new place. Even in the heat of the afternoon and evening sun, it stays cool and somewhat dryer (less humid) because of what it does by nature (absorb excess humidity) which tiles cannot do.

2. If you're where I think you are, you're in luck. The best roof insulation guys is one taman away. When I moved in 7 years ago, my roof started creaking at night when there's strong wind. Next day went to the back and saw that there are roof turbine ventilators. Found out that the guys one Taman away doesn't just sell roof vent solutions, they insulate also and with one of the best. Install a combo of both and you won't regret. They can advise you on how to do. Even better to have them in before installing solar if that's the plan.

3. Bathroom tiles must be rough. If you have kids or elderlies in the household, this point cannot be emphasised enough. Heard and know of cases involving ppl, friends or relatives and a couple were tragically fatal. Cotto from jubin BMS is my preferred. Simple test is to ask for cup of plain water and pour over the tile sample. Put your bare foot on it and drag along the length of it. If it feels slippery even if there's grip, it's not up to task. Rough means rough.

4.Dark areas can be addressed with natural tubular lighting. They are already available locally. Areas like toilets, walk in wardrobe, stairwell. I was tempted to do one for the kitchen which was always in perpetual darkness.

5. Mechanical ventilation at strategic places produces cross ventilation ie front-back and bottom-up. Use it to good effect esp by timing it to run early in the am when it's cooler. At night, esp when outside temperature is cooler, it helps by bringing the cool in faster. Remember that a dwelling place is a structure that potentially stores heat. Heat expands outwards e.g. oven. Mechanical ventilation by using extractor fans is fit for purpose. Even clothes dry faster (esp if front load washed). Only time when it's not to be used is when AC is turned on.

6. Flexible partitioning helps esp dining living. Adds character to those spaces too.

7. Louvre windows ventilates best. There are styles that allows 4 bottom panes to be close whilst the upper 4 can be open. Separate action.

8. Parquet if still in good condition can be polished matte. I've seen it done before to good effect.

9. Vent ground floor toilet, to the back roof using extractor fan and cap. That will draw air in from the yard space rather then it venting out to the yard.

First floor extension is easier to do in the next Taman than yours. Think you'll have a serious challenge with the local council. Next Taman is FT.

Thanks all for the replies. Been busy seeing contractors, so nothing really to update here. So far prices range from 120k - 200+k on rough estimates.

Given the option, I would agree to keep the terrazo & parquet however the main concern is only to match the flooring of the new extended areas. The few contractors I've spoken with says new terrazo will be off-colour compared to the existing even after polish.

After getting a better feel of the prices (probably easily 200k) I'm now in cost-cutting mode to try and save some cost for other things (solar, grills, etc etc all not counted yet).

From the original plan, I've decided:
1) not to extend one of the back rooms to preserve the inner yard
2) if possible, maintain flooring - ground & 1st floor
3) not sure if I need 3 phase. There's a 3-phase thread that I've been reading so far but havent really come to a conclusion yet (40 pages ). It seems the safer and costlier way of course is to do 3-phase.

However, there's a potential hidden cost that I've not really factored in - the roof - depending on condition, might be a headache.

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Nov 7 2015, 08:31 PM

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Nov 7 2015, 08:26 PM

Turbine ventilator and Parsec roof insulation (must be laid over the roof battens - the wood supporting the tiles) from this company. Ask them to perforate it at the point where the ventilator neck base meets the insulation foil. Air ventilated into the roof space must have an exit point otherwise it's unhealthy. This would be a good chance to check the roof space, roof support wood quality and tiles too. Normally this done before installing solar panels or solar water heater. Because of your home's orientation, it faces WSW. Solar hot water will be over front roof. Ideally it should straddle over the two sides of the pitched roof for maximum solar harvesting which takes advantage of morning to evening sun. Mine was NNE hence that places the solar hot water at its most ideal SSW.

Natural tubular (runs in tubes) skylight differs from skylight or skydome. These two may just be a light admitting fixture i.e. transparent roof tiles or a dome that can be laid over the roof but without the light channeling tubes. Hence these also illuminates the roof space and brings in that heat. An existing forum thread discusses this. Here is an overview in concept.

Depending upon the light admitting brightness, kitchen 2x10", shared bathroom and downstairs toilet 10", stair wells 12-14", walk in wardrobe 10-12". Family hall 2x12". For kitchen, it will mounted from the wall but light gathering will be from the yard roof. Same with guest toilet. Here is one local contact. If you want, even the master esp the dark innermost part away from the window will benefit. See here for before and after examples. Note: smooth mirror tint tubes emit a greater fraction of light than creased wrinkled tubes like those use for cooker hoods.

Parquet: I'll get you a contact from a friend who's done it matte. Very nicely done. Only thing with parquet is scratches. Should be last before furnishing moves in. What would help is to survey it's condition in each room. Check with the other threads. Just ask around first and if still didn't like, go for your preferred choice. Also if not done, some install a vapour barrier kind of raised step between the bath and the bed rooms. This prevents wood rots and a host of problems that comes after. Oh and change the skirting to a 3" height/width type if you plan to use Ikea esp Billy book cases.

You might want to check if there's hot water piping in the bath which you might want to change to stainless steel if you're going solar.

Mechanical ventilation here refers to extractor fans either wall or ceiling mounted. These are cheap. In my place, that roof turbines sometimes draw lots of hot air in the afternoon that that ceiling extractor fan turns by itself without being turned on. In my opinion and experience, mechanical ventilation in bathrooms are necessary to wick excess moisture to the outside esp after hot showers. If doing roof insulation, never install ceiling venting port in bathrooms for hygiene reasons. Insist on this. Let bathroom be ventilated via wall mounted extractor fans.

Oh forgot about this but need to mention: two things that must be done.
1. Ceiling board - change wood board to gypsum board. If there's water stain from rain, roof tiles could be compromised ie crack or shifted out of alignment by wind. Also, is upstairs ceiling height is 9ft, I recommend not doing plaster ceiling for heat stratification (the distinct layering of air based on temperature from the bottom to the the ceiling and it's dynamic movement by heat convection) impact climate comfort. Below the minimum of 9', there's a trade off in room climate comfort as heat cannot dissipate easily and tends to accumulate at standing height. Sweetspot starts from 10'. 8.5' is actually not ideal. Also down lights ballast emit and accumulate heat into the plaster ceiling space which tends to radiate it downwards like an oven upper heating element. Unless roof insulation and bottom-top ventilation (ceiling to outside roof via turbine ventilator) is in place but even 8.5' is not ideal for heat stratification. I know so because my older condo was of that height without plaster and even on the low teenth floors without opening the balcony doors, it's very uncomfortable. If it feels so in a condo, what happens to a west facing landed with tile roof.

2. Incoming supply to tangki. Install membrane filter (for solar hot water and washing machine sake) after meter and after that route water pipe upwards to the roof space in front to tangki, tee off into tangki, the straight goes to the back into kitchen and backyard. Kitchen tap is terminating point. After 40 years you can't be sure how long the GI water supply pipe will last. Some burst in the porch giving rise to unseen leaks they only shows up in the water bill. Three neighbors did this. I learnt the hard way. I didn't do mine but two years after installing solar my master bath pipe sprung an unseen leak from a old terminated pipe at the porch pillar for gardening. The supply pipe still holding when I lived there but don't know for how long more.

Oh, the upper back room extension hurdle is more of by law (minimum distance set back for fire safety and drainage irrigation laws) and engineering in that order. It's easier to do so if you're in the other taman cos the by law is "relaxed". Things may have changed so I might be wrong but I'm happy if it's otherwise (ie not a hurdle). Good luck.

This post has been edited by halcyon27: Nov 8 2015, 10:22 AM

Some comments from the pix
The back top and bottom roof gutter is the first thing to check. Sludge deposits from bird droppings, wind blown leaves and dust from haze deposited from rain but not completely washed away. The gutter must incline in one direction towards the downpipe and there should be one on your end for each of them rather than rely on neighbour's as sludge and solids can only be carried so far.


Notice the dropped ceiling board from at the right top room. These like the rooms are plywood type which expands when wet. Probably caused by gutter overflow at that spot which overwhelmed the nail and caused water to flow out from there. Gives opportunity for birds to seek shelter temporarily but may not roost due to unsuitable afternoon climate and presence of predators.

Tip: install gypsum board and soffit vents which can be insect screened on the underside to increase roof space cross ventilation whilst keeping the bugs out. I've heard of ppl using cooker hood filter over that whilst reducing air flow reduces the amount of dust coming into roof space.


It's good to have your own firewall that separates your roof space and structure from your neighbors. The other Taman w mosque facing LDP has one house upper floor burnt down not only his own but his neighbour's roof. See if this is easy to do. Shared roof means one point compromised entry, all kena. Some reduce the risk by bricking up but the wood support is still shared with neighbor and gaps allow visitors access. Common visitors: cats, musang (said to be common in the older days), rats, squirrels. Look for signs of faeces. Mine had them esp on water tangki cover, perhaps warm at night hence the sleep or do business there. Roof insulation wouldn't work unless a separate firewall is raised on either side but that complicates severing the roof truss support to hold their own for your neighbors on either side. Roofing specialist advice needed here. An important aspect if going solar electric because you don't want rat climbing from the house down the road to scamper along and hello what's this and end up possibly chewing the inverter cable and electrocute itself and starting a fire.

An idea under your staircase: A storage cabinet on kitchen wall as deep as the stair steps or slightly out so heads don't bang into it.

Not sure if arch is removable. Needs to check with original plan. The master bedroom toilet soil pipe should run underneath the floor to the back before terminating at the inspection port for sewage. Verify first pic if one or two pipes run out from the external wall and down along the outside wall in the innermost car porch. If you're extending as planned the MBR over the porch, you have to build a faux pillar to hide these pipes which cannot be removed or repositioned unless you're leveling the dining and study the same level as living room.

Anecdote 1: one unit along road next to hospital: the soil pipe broke and sewerage smell seeped into living. The owner had to dig up the old GI soil waste pipe and replace with PVC. That pipe runs under the staircase so you can you guess how much ordeal they had to put through.

Anecdote 2: my old home have a neighbor down the road which spent 300k redoing the house leveling from living to reclaimed back yard to the same level. A lot of undergirding footing support to the foundations because of this. Didn't know why their reno stalled until we self invite after completion to busybody ooing aaing here there everywhere. We didn't see those but the neighbor related what he had done.

Tip: Kitchen cabinetry should be full height. You won't regret it. Learnt it from kitchen supplier fitting website and confirmed with main kitchen users of many homes. Those who do demonstrated practicality of confining all kitchenware within. Those who didn't, have their stuff spilling over into makeshift cabinetry all over the other spaces e.g. dining or utility. The latter respondents all said the same thing: not much kitchen stuff to begin with but overlooked the fact that kitchen is not just food storage but utensils and other storage accessories, rubbish bin, water dispensing unit, washing tools, cleaners, etc. These take space too.

Tip: Allocate 90-100CM for fridge width and 7ft for its height with headroom and side room for heat to dissipate. 13A point located at 6'3" height for easy access.


Idea: Light tubes installed on the wall space above the kitchen window facing the wet kitchen. Either two 10" would be placed else one 13" in the center. The wet kitchen roof is where the tubular light mounts.

Idea:Drying area over dry kitchen sink window
If retaining the sink, knock down the window and install a custom window casement about 3' 10" positioned from the pillar nearest back door. Fill up the rest of the gap with brick and tiles. Install 2 or 3 rows of Ikea Grundtal 120cm 3 rod open kitchen shelves one over the other. The lowest should clear the sink tap. Accessories like plate rack, cup rack, cutlery rack can be hung on the innermost bar but implies level wall support.

Traditional placement for WM which is not ideal for wet kitchen. Alternative placement is washing area.

Tip: Partition wash area from wet kitchen w framed glass casement sliding door. One side walled. Clear demarcation between kitchen and cleaning.

Tip: stainless steel insect netting over this area reduces insect infiltration esp those that fly in.

Tip: extend a metal bar across the bottom of the backlane door but very low just enough for water to course it's way out during washing. You shouldn't see light coming in as easily. The main idea is to prevent shrews or mice squeezing its way in. Insect screen the rest of the gaps.

The height of the upper floor ceiling is probably slightly over 9'. Floor to top of door frame or window frame should be 7'. Dropped ceiling board area hints at rain spots. Check room wall for rain stains.

Tip: Ceiling extractor fan at corner of each bedrooms speeds up cooling on nights where it feels hot in but very cool outside. If installing roof insulation, ensure turbine ventilators which should be correctly installed just under the ridge caps where two roof slopes meet with perforations over them to allow wicking of roof space air into the atmosphere through the turbines. Some model of extractor fans are more quiet.

Chances are water tangki hangs over stairwell intermediate landing (one before first floor landing). If not light tube could be near where the wall light over that spot.

Tip: ceiling extractor fan over landing outside MBR or next to wall light over intermediate landing if tangki is not over that.

Idea: Partition family area with glass and sliding door. This would enable 1-1.5HP AC over that family space.


Other tips: Check all toilet door frame and doors for wood rot.

This post has been edited by halcyon27: Nov 9 2015, 10:53 AM

Seriously thanks alot sifu halcyon for all the tips... a lot of these I never considered, really really newbie to all these

LOL. Bro, I used to live in the area. I know some of the problems which I faced but each area got issue unique to their location. You've to ask your neighbours regarding security, etc. Also drive around the Taman and see how others did their renovation and bodek sikit. Be neighborly.

Btw, I've confirmed with the friend on the parquet. Before that it was dull like someone poured brown-red paint. The contractor sand down and lacquer clear but can see each strip in its original tone, some very light birch, pine or beech tone. Others like rosewood or oak. But perhaps all are from Merbau or Balau wood etc. Very lively and nice unlike what I know of the old parquet until like I want to retain it if I was still there in the old place.

Update: To give an idea, matte parquet looks like the fourth picture from top left and bottom right at this link. The glossiness not so obvious. This one is not the contact; just want to illustrate what it looks like.

[Update 21-Nov]
Here's the parquet close up so you'd only see the features. Last photo is low light without flash on staircase.


This post has been edited by halcyon27: Nov 22 2015, 10:51 PM

What is the best solution for low ceiling at extension areas? Due to the slope of the roof... Anywhere I extend, the ceiling will be lower. Eg front master bedroom (the balcony area) and worse is the back room. The current ceiling already low. Less than 9 ft. The new ceiling gonna be maximum 8.5 ft.

Is there any cost effective way to eliminate / reduce this problem? Or is changing the roof structure / raising the roof the only way?

Otherwise might have to give up extending the back rooms because the extended area is quite huge... That big space with a claustrophobic ceiling height I feel not worth it.

halcyon27

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Nov 12 2015, 05:53 PM

dont need the kitchen to be dry or wet. lol. just make one kitchen and then that area make living room. and study area become another living room. if u need a study or work room. just design open a room. in future if u had more kid then that room can be useful too. move your study or work room stuff into your master room. lol

The wet and dry kitchen leveled is a good idea to consider since that will allow a more spacious kitchen but it's up to the kitchen's primary user preference as not all buy into that. There's still the keep-wet-separate-from-dry school.

If doing, cost depends on either:
A. raising the back/wet up to the be level with the dry - less headroom in the back unless the backyard roof is raised to the same height
B. Lower dry kitchen level with wet - lower than dining/study; ingress egress issues and the unknown: does the guest toilet, dining and study needs to lower also, etc. Risk is whether there's extra foundational footwork and support needed and for that the knowledge of those who'd done this before may give better information before deciding.
C. lower one step for the dry kitchen and raise up one step for the wet.
All these needs to see what neighbours have done and ask around. First place to check is to take a walk along the back lane.

The extension besides the MBR across the void over the porch can potentially be a study area if so wished. Phoenix, your reclaiming the balcony could serve the purpose of a private study too.

BTW and very important, changing water tank is not an easy thing to do and perhaps this is the only occasion to add another 500l water tangki above this reclaimed area. Hence the structure should cater for the added weight. Also this will be an opportunity to lay new and reroute existing water supply piping to the new tangki as well as the existing one for the shared bath. The pipe should be external but routed upwards from the front structure rather then embedded in the floor. If touching the existing roof (due to laying insulation), there's a slim chance that a new higher capacity tangki can replace the older one. Roof specialists can advice on that and plumber on tangki.

Sounds like it but I've never done roof raising before. Engineer and architect might be able to sound out on feasibility of that idea as these touches structure. In FT, some places are allowed to add another storey ex the next Taman can see on LDP. Not sure about your area though. I think the end lot unit on your road did firewall, roof insulation, security windows, plastered ceiling but low. However their MBR ceiling very high perhaps due to removing ceiling board and they probably use durable wood or painted it dark color stain to preserve the roofing supports. They plaster up behind the insulation and have skylight. Lovely kitchen design though albeit cramped. Been there to view once. The unit diagonally opposite but facing main road same thing but nice theme.

This post has been edited by halcyon27: Nov 13 2015, 08:18 PM

phoenixx, check out this thread esp post #64. Get qualified advice if you're touching structure.

This post has been edited by halcyon27: Nov 14 2015, 12:52 AM

Check this house out in terms of the addition whose roof slopes perpendicularly to the original roof. Notice this owner's home either added or originally has a firewall (party wall) on the neighbours side to the right dividing their roof.

This could be an idea for the extension over the car porch as it solves at least two things:
1. Ideal placement for solar hot water which in your home this would give it NNE to SSW orientation. The sun path in this manner is ideal as the panel is shined on all day long. Edit: NNE means it faces your existing MBR. SSW is towards your neighbour to your right. Hence it slopes downwards facing your right hand side neighbour. Ensure the roof supports are spaced 2ft apart and can withstand the additional load from the solar water heater. Call up the manufacturer and ask.
2. The wall facing your MBR roof (from outside looking in) can install clerestory windows that will illuminate the room very good from the north all day long.

The challenge is building it high enough to give clearance over the neighbours roof plus the space inside it if accommodating a water tangki. The clerestory windows are just under the tangki.

Edit: another radical idea for ideal solar anything in the future is build a firewall/party wall dividing the roofs. If local council permits. Reroof using a shed or skillion roof. It starts high facing your neighbor to the left and slopes towards the right. Make it high enough so that you can add clerestory on either left (NNE) and right (SSW). This will bring in light without resorting to light tubes. It allows for new higher capacity tangki as well. If done in cascading terrace skillion, one side higher and the roof interrupted by another wall before the other lower roof half continues sloping, you could effectively collect rainwater in another tangki. Perhaps with this approach, it could effectively raise the ceiling height as well if structural engineering allows this design. Three tangkis envisaged. One over each bathroom and rainwater tangki over where the existing tangki used to sit.

This post has been edited by halcyon27: Nov 15 2015, 08:31 PM

Currently getting approval / permit. Doing this concurrently while engaging contractors. Spoke to MBPJ, apparently I can't use their pelan setara (standard plans) as those can only be used if extending ground floor.

Since my extension involves balcony & 1st floor as well, I have to engage a draughtsman to draw up a proper plan.

Where do you stay bro? Are you based in KL? I am looking for contractor as well but mine is 22 x 70. My ideal renovation looks similar to yours. Mind to share you contacts?

hi.. you may want to consider this:
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f...0#entry77580557

Bro
Based in Selangor. I've not selected a contractor yet. I'll PM you the contacts later this evening.

-Double post-

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Dec 5 2015, 01:45 PM

A small distraction in the midst of planning. Went to Eubiq warehouse today, and spent an absurd amount of money just for plug & switches

Again the photo orientation is screwed eventhough I have the orientation right on the PC. More neck training

Eubiq track + 6 plugs + Bachman elevator




Eubiq track - currently using 6 plugs, but can fit up to 8. For computer area.



Bachman elevator - for kitchen island. 1 plug + 2 USB



Total damage: RM1.2k

Have you got a "theme" for your house yet ?
I started my Reno with a theme first and take it from there.
It is easier to design once you have a theme in mind.
For eg whether you want a modern look or a minimalist look or traditional, hotel look, etc.
For eg if you want modern or minimalist, you would want to change the staircase railing to glass.
If you want traditional, you might use leave the wood banister and just revarnish.

When you come to switches and power outlets, it will cost you even more.
Have a look at Schneider or Simone.
If you want smart switches, Schneider Neo looks good but very expensive.

Thx for the tips. Definitely want a modern design with wood elements. Some initial sample & layout from one of my con, will change more but the general feel is there I suppose.
- one of the bedrooms (2 / 3) will incorporate a study room + less bed (single maybe)
- downstairs foyer will remodel a bit to incorporate a general working area.

Appreciate any comments & critique on the layout. Any concerns, etc. Any better way to do it? This floor plan will otherwise be accepted, with minor modifications as mentioned above.




This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Dec 6 2015, 10:30 AM

Yes, use more wood and glass - gives it a modern look.
Google Houz for more ideas.

Actually you should try metal and glass. Is even more modern look

Is it advisable to buy all the internal house items this year? eg:

-WC
-taps
-sinks
-other toilet stuff eg towel hanging bar, floor trap
-light switches
-clothes drying rack
-hood, hob, fridge, oven
etc etc

I went surveying couple of weeks back and a few stores having Christmas promotion, plus most tell me new pricing will be effective next year (GST, exch rate, general increase, etc). How much do prices generally increase for these items? If really that bad I might go do some last minute shopping before 2016.

Well if you have the budget to spend than by all means. You will never know how the price changes

I wouldn't bother much if it was electrical appliances eg. dyer or washing machine etc...because there's always gonna be newer models coming out and the older models will always be discounted.

Was considering that too. Maybe I'll limit myself to the non-electrical items, whereas fridge oven etc etc I will wait. Better for warranty too since buying now will just eat up the warranty period unnecessarily.

If the parquet can be salvaged, and you can get a contractor to do a good job to grind and refinish it properly, go for it. Otherwise change to solid timber. Don't waste your money on laminate. Changing to solid timber is a major job that will take a couple of months, so if you're going to do it, do it now.

Just sharing one of my quotes for comment & discussion. This one covers A-Z from wet works to ID. Total around 300k

1) I feel the electrical points is gonna be a killer, around 15-20k extra rough estimate.
2) Solar and roofing/insulation not included - another 25k there.
3) Approvals & drawing - 5k
4) Ventilation fans +ducting etc- 2k
5) Flooring not included - 20k

self note
6) Tiles not incl
7)

Total might breach 350k-370k

Some of the things I feel this guy maybe overpriced:
1) Part B - electrical/etc points gonna cost a bomb!
2) Part D - <Question> 17.5k including solar piping reasonable?
3) Part E - paintworks for link house costing 13.5k feels a bit expensive
4) Part E (the WINDOWS Part E, labelled twice) - folding door - RM5k?!
5) Part F - curtain I think I go Kamdar get cheap one.
6) Part G - built in I really have no idea what the pricing should be like.

Hope to get some tips from sifu here to formulate a robust nego/bargain plan






This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Dec 19 2015, 12:26 PM

Agree. the old parquet is totally incomparable in quality vs the ones nowadays.

i just finished renovating my house, and my one piece of advice is plan ahead what you want for your raw materials and finishing ( stuff like fixtures, tiles, etc. ). there are warehouse sales once or twice a year that make some things a steal vs what you would actually pay but they are never on when you are available. if you have your concept early, then plan ahead and take advantage of these.

Thx for the tip. Yeah, I'm kinda juggling those now - looking at everything from W.C. to tiles, shower etc to get a good idea on pricing & design so that I can snap up if the opportunity arises. Homedec was a wasted opportunity for me because I only went to collect brochures, I had no idea then what I wanted / needed. Lots of switches, bathroom / kitchen items going for a steal. So, I'm planning for these concurrently now.

Then there was Electrolux @ JayaOne. I actually even managed to book some items (kitchen hood&hob, washing machine, other small items) but decided to let them go because of doubts. A friend saw my name and I released it to him, so at least he benefited In hindsight the prices are really great for Electrolux brand & quality, same for Homedec.

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Dec 19 2015, 12:35 PM

WRT your suggestion for 18mm merbau wood (in the laminate topic) is there any reason why I should go for 18mm vs 15mm? 3mm doesnt sound like a big difference to my novice ears. Hehe. Is it to leave extra for future sanding & grinding?

Overall the quotation is not expensive. Is reasonable. If can get 5% discount will be just nice

Based on latest discussion
Quoted price: 294,950

Add unquoted items
1) Upstairs timer flooring (based on 15mm Merbau) - 20k
2) Roof - retile, insulation, reflash, add steel battens - 20k
3) Electrical points + fittings - 15k (sounds unbelievable based on his rates, somemore include the fittings! )
4) CCTV & Alarm points - 3.5k
5) Solar - 4k
5) Mosquito netting whole house - 3k
6) Tiles whole house - 15k
7) Air con x 6 - 2k 12k
8) Grills - 12k
9) Misc (kitchen/toilet railings, tissue holder, various racks etc) - 2.5k
Subtotal: 107k

Total: 391k 401k
(EDIT: +10k due to erroneously counting air con as 2k instead of 12k)


He promise to do all the above for 360k
+ help do up my porch as well with minor items like repairing crack in walls, etc
+ throw in a security door for my back door

360k, still 20% more than my original intention. Wondering when actual work start, will there be another 20% on top of that, I will sleep on the streets then

His promise is he will cap the cost at 360k, with high likelihood it will be cheaper. No black and white.





self note - confirmed items
1) Copper piping for hot water solar - agreed
2) Reroute water pipe through roof - agreed
3) "Bypass" method for W.C. pipe (no need to go through pump) - agreed
4) Vapour barrier - toilet will drop down (lowered) - no need
5) Firewall / party wall - agreed
6) Con will bear unexpected cost with difficulties on old house - agreed
7) Con will cover repair / damage to neighbour - agreed

Others
1) Alarm & CCTV = ???
2) Window tinting/heat insulation = ???
3) Roof acrylic = ???
4) Electronic front door lock = ???
5) Membrane filter 2x - outdoor & indoor = ???
5) Extra water tank / replace with larger = ???
6) Rainwater harvesting = ???

This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Dec 19 2015, 05:53 PM

With the other item listed, most likely you going to add another 30k to 40k. So is best to prepare 400k as your budget

That's exactly it.

Bro, if you can, use the new plan minus the furniture except fixtures like WC to lay out electrical points, fan points, switch points etc. Also align and center fan points relative to occupant activity. Switches should be labeled and accounted for to avoid forgetting. The latter consequence is hacking or the ugly exposed add-on. Vent and light should be separate circuit. Even in the night, turning on the vent in the toilet won't waste unnecessary electricity from having to leave the light on because they have dedicated circuit. Ensure shared bath use dipole for both so that both rooms can turn on and off independently.

Also consider the following:
1. Ground toilet: just under the beam, have a 60cm wide x 30-45cm high fixed glass pane but frosted tint on the drying area side plus a 45x45cm on the part which faces that ground floor garden (ex dry yard). An 4-6" wall mounted exhaust fan on the side nearest the utility room but the model chosen must be have ventilation piping fittings attachable to the outside. That vent cap is on the back roof but see if supplier can supply one that has stainless steel mesh grill. Also that cap should be elevated 4-6" ie a neck over that roof tiles so that wind driven rain will not surge into the vent do easily. Solves lighting and ventilation.

2. Shared bathroom, just under the beam facing the back do the same as per ground floor toilet. This brings in morning sun which should be very nice. This one can be top hung casement if wished but with grill and mosquito screen. Also solves perennial lighting issue. Use a 4-6" wall mounted fan beside this window with a vent directly outside. KDK sells one with 90° down turn hood. If you wish, that original louvre can be replaced but have another similar sized one on the other side. This brings in light from NNE, E and SSW. Should brighten up the bathroom considerably.

3. Also what's the dimension of your master bathroom? It looks rather large. You might want to toy around the idea of "bringing in the garden". Bathrooms always have dark and gloomy lighting profile but this renovation brings the opportunity to improvise. Ventilation wise would be wall or mounted on that roof side wall for high clearance but pull a ceiling vent in the bathroom to allow suction or vice versa ceiling mounted vent fan but have pipes all the way to roof side wall.

4. Ensure enough clearance for fridge door opening since or will be obstructed by wet kitchen partition door.

5. If possible build a slightly raised flood/moisture barrier in all bathrooms that adjoin rooms with wooden floor. This prevents moisture ingress that plagues these areas eventually leading to wood rot.

This post has been edited by halcyon27: Dec 20 2015, 08:34 AM

400k with only car porch/ masterbed extension ? With the current layout the cost should not more than 300K as the staircase unchange, without back extension and the bathroom position also remain the same.

If you go through the entire list of the quotation you will know why

I believe if u spend a little time and efforts and moniter all by yourself u can atleast save around 10 to 15% , thats what i did, i have just done my renovation on a double story house ,

If the total from the quotation is RM294k -RM142k = RM152k for wet work which is excluding wiring cost, tiling materials, roofing?

From the quotation, already know that furniture work is bread and butter for this contractor.

Finally, after months of planning I have come to the finalized scope of work with my contractor. This is a different one from the update posted above.

Currently waiting for architect & runner to settle with local council. Hope to start work by end of this month

Just sharing the scope & plan here...

Renovation: RM190,000
Council Approval fees: RM5,000
Solar, water pump, filter, toilet stuff, sinks, lights, fans, aircon, curtain etc etc: RM30,000 est.
Total: RM225,000

Notes:
1) Extra room downstairs + new back balcony upstairs (laundry here).
2) After surveying some friends houses, decided to go for laminate instead of timber. Too costly.
3) Decided to change the entire roof structure to make first floor ceiling higher. Ceiling est. can raise another 1ft+ with new structure.
4) Not much extra costs apart from the RM30,000 mentioned above (hopefully). Contractor covers everything incl. tiles, laminated flooring, rockwool + aluminium sheet (for roof)... can't think of any more

From here on, I think it will be easier to keep costs within my original RM300,000 budget vs. if I had gone with the other one. Balance of RM75,000 or so to play around with for ID works.

Attached below the scope & plan for sifus here to peruse.



 EDCNP_2.3.16.pdf ( 214.8k ) Number of downloads: 130


This post has been edited by phoenixxx: Mar 7 2016, 11:27 AM

Before you start Reno ur house, I think you should looking for ID to help you draw out your house design first..once the 3D come out edy you can find the contractor to quote the house actual quotation..it will be more safety..

Wow, do u really need that studio room? can play music without noise disturbing ur neighbours? personally i think it would be nicer to have a mini herb garden there, with outdoor storage cabinet to put your penyapu, mop, maybe power tools & car accessories etc. just my 2 cents lah

The studio room is convertible to a bedroom in the future (old parents, etc). Yes, definitely can have studio for now since I'm using e-drums, so 3am also can play and no one will be able to hear

parking first to see end result.

you don't need space to park your car?

The plan only show built up area bro... outside got around 20-25ft for parking

Your house seems old. You sure you don't want to change wiring and piping ?

Yes, both included.

I mean is removing 100% all old wiring and pipes to change new one.

Ya, all pipes and wires will be changed to new. I don't know they will remove the old one or just leave it in the wall though.

most likely they wont remove

Any problem leaving them in the walls? Or should I ask them to remove

No problem.

Your overall price seem to be very cheap. You can trust this contractor ?

Should be... he did my friend's house reno also.

As long as is good than will be ok.

I got one ID - quote RM 0.90 per sq feet.
So for double story, about RM1.5K - is that reasonable??

Btw - I got few quotes from contractor, and it seems better to buy your own tiles, due to GST 6% added
by contractor to me. So you will kena double GST, as we dont claim input tax.

Another thing, contractor usually give sub-tiles... hence better choose our own.

Any sifu got lubang?? .... Good tiles on discount?

This post has been edited by loginet: Mar 8 2016, 04:36 PM

i just want to add some info, i did my house few months back, and was deciding laminate until my friend told me about his house. in front of bathroom, laminate all problem cos soaked water. end up, i used vinyl. have to spend money to level the floor though, but if you have tiles or parquet already, should be flat enough

Price is cheap.
But you may need to check with them on few items:

1) budget of tiles they supply (price range)
2) Laminated flooring (only for room but how about the walkway?)
3) Rewiring (suggest to use mega wires)
4) Piping (suggest Class 7 pipes)
5) Paint (what brand?)
6) Grille (what thickness and design?)
7) Autogate (include system? Suggest to use DC Moto)

Bro, for 3d layout from ID, I was quoted RM12k for 15 pieces of 3d layout alone.

Would suggest you to use Niro tiles. Get it from APEX at Jalan Ipoh if you are from KL/SEL.

Go for better quality of tiles. It solve a lot of tile standard issues...

PM me if you are interested in Niro. I can quote a good price.

this contractor "bao kah liao"? Means he cover everything? e.g. architect, drawing, approvals and etc? how long is the project duration ...

Yeah he cover everything. Estimated 4-6 months, but now everyday rain like this, dunno can or not.

Work already started this week but only dismantling here and there inside the house (no hacking) since approval still pending, more than 2 months liao ><

ok thanks ... i will keep your progress as a reference as I am also planning to do something similar like urs next time probably in 1 - 2 years time ...

Wow approval take that long ? Mine was done in 5 days. Maybe different majlis perbandaran is different

Can share your ID who quoted you RM0.90 per sq ft. Am keen to engage too.

This post has been edited by welly1999: May 11 2016, 06:56 PM