DIY Renovations Turn a Port Dickson Home Into a Stylish Holiday Haven

A pet project that took 1.5 years to complete.

40-year-old engineer Nash enjoys spending his free time on house maintenance, DIY projects, and landscaping. When he purchased a corner lot house near his current family home, it presented the perfect opportunity for him to channel his passion, taking up the majority of the renovation work himself.

Nestled in a quiet Port Dickson neighbourhood, post renovation, the house is now a serene getaway complete with a private swimming pool. We had the opportunity to tour Nash's newly completed holiday home and chat about his renovation project.

About Nash and his family

My wife and I have been happily married for 14 years, and we are blessed with 4 children. Our family has been living in Port Dickson for the past 12 years, after relocating from Perak in 2012 due to our careers. I work as an engineer for an oil company, which is located just a short distance from our home.

In 2021, I noticed that the developer in our neighborhood had begun expanding the area and offered an attractive deal on a corner lot property. I was immediately drawn to it, which led me to make the purchase. Spanning 1,540 sqft, we transformed this house into a holiday home. It’s now our go-to spot for hosting family gatherings and birthday parties, and on occasion, we would rent it out as a homestay.

About the home design

I love DIY projects, so when it comes to designing the house, I prioritise practicality, affordability, and ease of execution. I handled the majority of the renovations myself, including the installation of lights, fans, furniture, and cabinetry. However, we did hire a contractor for the more complex/skilled tasks, such as installing the plaster ceiling, replacing the original steel staircase railings with an industrial-style staircase, and replacing the doors, among other things (more on that later).

Since this is a holiday home, we aimed to create a cosy and simple atmosphere. We opted for a minimalist design, with soothing tones like white, beige, and cream, as well as warm wood accents. Most of our inspiration came from Pinterest, where we specifically searched for designs that closely matched our house layout. This way, we only need to make minimal changes to the original structure, making the renovation process simpler.

Car porch turned into a resting area

Originally, the house came with a spacious porch that could accommodate up to 4 cars. Since we didn’t need such a large car porch, we decided to transform the space into an indoor-outdoor resting area.

We asked the contractor to create a ventilation block using red bricks, inspired by Indonesian architect Andy Rahman who frequently incorporates this type of facade in his designs. The ventilation block allows light and breeze to flow in while maintaining privacy. This way, we can open the entrance door without worrying about people being able to see inside the house.

We also installed a long bench at the entrance, providing a comfortable spot for people to sit while putting on or taking off their shoes.

Side yard turned into a pool area

Since the house comes with a side yard, I saw an opportunity to transform the space into something functional. Drawing inspiration from Balinese design and the tropical island vibe, I created a similar atmosphere in this area. To achieve this, we created a swimming pool, working with Nekad Jaya, who offered competitive pricing for the construction.

In addition to the swimming pool, I created a patio area complete with a swing and wooden decking myself.

For the landscaping, I worked with a landscape contractor to draft a design based on my ideas while I purchased and planted the plants myself.

My family and I often enjoy quality family time in the pool area, and since this house is just a short walk from our home, my kids would occasionally come here to practice their swimming skills.

Living room

In the living room, we asked the contractor to replace the original tile flooring with SPC to add warmth to the space. We also introduce wooden elements, such as the loose furniture and the feature wall that I installed myself. The wood tones blend beautifully with the white, cream, and beige palette.

Kitchen

Since this kitchen isn’t used every day, we chose a light colour scheme to make the space feel bright and open. Light colours can be difficult to maintain and stain easily, but it works well here because the kitchen won't see heavy use.

The original kitchen featured a large square window, which we replaced with a letterbox-style window for added privacy. Additionally, we had the contractor replace the original floor tiles with SPC flooring and install a new tile backsplash.

The kitchen originally had a wooden door, but we replaced it with a glass door to allow natural light to flow in and brighten the space.

A spare room turned into a surau

Next to the kitchen is a spare room that we transformed into a small surau. Inspired by photos I found on Instagram, I enlisted the help of a mihrab contractor to create a beautiful mihrab as the focal point of the room.

The master bedroom

To create a focal point in the master bedroom, I installed wooden panels individually on plywood to form a custom headboard. My only regret is spending hours on this painstaking installation only to later discover that I could have purchased ready-made headboards for the same price!

Besides white, we introduced grey to add some colour variation to the room. We also created a dedicated corner for performing daily prayers in this room.

Challenges faced during the renovation

The biggest challenge during the renovation was conducting research and buying materials directly from factories that were quite far from where we live. However, this effort helped us to reduce renovation costs.

For example, we initially planned to have the contractor install the flooring deck next to the swimming pool, but when we received the quotation, it was quite expensive at over RM20,000. Instead, I opted to handle the renovation myself and purchased the materials directly from the factory for just RM3,000. I have to admit that it takes a significant amount of time and effort to make this happen.

To sum up

I’m very happy with the outcome of the renovation, as most of the renovation work was my own. We spent less than RM230,000 on the entire house, including the swimming pool. While we saved money by doing the majority of the installation myself, the process took about a year and a half to complete because I could only spare my weekends to work on the house renovation.

This house is not yet fully completed. In the future, I plan to renovate the balcony area in the master bedroom and transform it into a cosy lounge space. For now, I want to shift my focus to another project which is aquascaping.

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