50-Year-Old Terrace in KL Turned into Balinese-Inspired Bachelor Pad

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Like being on a perpetual holiday!

Kenneth Tan, a business owner and barista, decided to purchase his own home after realising the importance of having his own space during the pandemic. When it came to buying his first home, he had very specific requirements. He wanted a single-storey home with a lot of land that is at least as equal as the property built up. After searching for almost a year, he discovered a 50-year-old single-storey terrace house located within a short distance from his old neighbourhood growing up.

We had the opportunity to interview Kenneth, who shared with us his journey of transforming the dated property into his dream home, a project that spanned 6 months and came with a substantial renovation budget of RM1,400,000.

Qanvast: Hi Kenneth, can you share with us some information about your property?

Kenneth Tan (KT): With a total area of 3,000 sqft and a built-up size of 1,550 sqft, this single-storey corner-lot terrace originally comes with 3 bedrooms, 1 WC, and 1 shower. It also boasts plenty of old design charm such as terrazzo flooring, vent blocks, louvre windows, and square tiles. Despite my (and the team’s) initial efforts to preserve as much of the original property as possible, it proved to be quite impossible in the end due to how old it is! (more on this later).

Q: Did you hire an interior designer to renovate your home? Tell us about your experience working with them.

KT: For my home renovation, I enlisted the services of both an architect and an interior designer. My interior designer, Juan, whom I've worked with on several of my commercial spaces in the past, were tasked with creating the 3D renderings and bringing my ideas to life. Meanwhile, my architect, Maw Jia, was responsible for mapping out the architectural details of the house. Personally, I find that working with an architect and interior designer is very important. Having a detailed plan and visual facilitates better communication and alignment with the contractor during the construction process.

In terms of the on-site renovation, there were three parties involved. The first party is the main contractor, Timbunan Makmur Sdn Bhd, who oversaw the renovation of the general construction works such as the plumbing, electrical, and painting. The second party was a pool specialist, AC Pools, entrusted with constructing the pool from scratch. The third party was the carpenter, Jacky, responsible for all of the custom fixtures and built-ins throughout the house. Although I’m working with an interior designer and architect, I like to deal directly with contractors, as I enjoy taking a hands-on approach to overseeing the renovation myself. And given that this is my first home, I also want to ensure that the renovations meet my standards and turn out perfectly.

I believe that my house renovation experience was less intimidating than that of other first-time homeowners. I own multiple commercial spaces in Kuala Lumpur, including bars and restaurants, and having undertaken multiple renovation projects in the past, I've gained valuable experience in managing various contractors and interior designers. As a result, any issues or challenges that arose during the renovation didn't cause me a lot of stress.

Q: Tell us about your home design, and where did you get your inspiration from?

KT: I would describe the home design as a fusion of minimalist and Balinese villa styles. Over the years, I have figured out my preferences through visiting various places/locations. I came to the conclusion that Balinese villas resonate with me the most. In fact, about half of the inspiration photos on my mood board are derived from Balinese villas, minus the timber elements that are commonly found in Balinese homes. Because wood is a rather expensive resource in Malaysia, I substituted this with industrial materials such as cement and metal.

I opted for a safe and non-risky approach when it came to the colour choices. The palette is predominantly neutral, featuring shades of wood, off-white, and beige, contrasting with black elements. The walls are painted in a soft off-white shade which adds warmth to the home. The rest of the space including the furniture and curtains, all adhere to the neutral colour scheme.

Q: What renovation works were done to your home to achieve the desired look?

The home was completely renovated inside and out. I also changed the entire internal layout of the house to accommodate my lifestyle (more on this later). The living room, for example, was once the bedroom, and the original living room is now the kitchen area.

The front porch and pool area

While conceptualising the front porch, my idea was to create a transition from a robust exterior to a welcoming interior. The exterior facade has a touch of industrial ruggedness with concrete vent blocks, pebble washed flooring and matte black aluminium gates, yet as you step inside the house, you'll encounter a more inviting and softer interior.

The side yard, on the other hand, is intended to be like a tropical paradise with a ground-level pool and a row of plants adjacent to the exterior walls, contributing to a softer atmosphere. Although Balinese villas are known for their abundant greenery, I try to minimise it as much as possible to reduce the attraction of bugs and insects, making maintenance more manageable.

Although I haven't used the pool very often since I moved in, one of the reasons I wanted to include the pool was because I enjoy the sight and sound of water. In the morning, the water in the pool will ‘reflect’ on the ceiling of the living room roof, and at night, the light will ‘reflect’ on the plants. When the water pumps down to the pool, you can also hear a slight sound of water from the master bedroom or the living room, which I find very soothing.

The guest bedrooms

As you walk into the house, you'll notice a guest bedroom on the left. This is the only room from the original house layout that I kept because the windows facing the front porch allow ample natural light to enter the room; otherwise, it would be gloomy and dark.

The second guest bedroom, which is located adjacent to the first guest bedroom, receives natural light from a wall constructed of old school glass blocks that faces an internal courtyard. And for visual continuity, the guest bathroom, which is positioned next to the courtyard, features the same glass blocks to allow abundant natural light into the space.

The open-plan living area

The living area is an open concept, combining the kitchen, dining room and living room in one space. The living room is small yet full of character. It has enough space for a two-seater sofa, a coffee table, two side chairs, and a single sofa lounger. The living room's best feature is that it receives direct morning light through the glass doors. It also has direct access to the pool.

The dining area and kitchen are next to the living room. The kitchen has a quartz waterfall island with bar stools, a kitchen sink, and my coffee maker. And, as a barista, this is usually where you'd find me brewing a cup of coffee on a daily basis.

I don't cook very often, so I don't see the need for a wet kitchen. Hence, I converted a small room next to the kitchen into a pantry. What I like about this pantry is that it allows me to hide all of the unsightly items, such as the kitchen appliances.

The master bedroom and en suite bathroom

The master bedroom is probably my favourite part of the house. I converted the original kitchen and some of the yard area into the master bedroom and en suite bathroom. The main reason why I chose to move the master bedroom to the back of the house was because I wanted it to have direct access and view of the pool. This bedroom is also better oriented now because the morning sun does not directly shine into the room, which will make the bedroom space warm.

My master bedroom is a small and cosy space, but the walk-in wardrobe helps to make the room appear larger. It is located right next to the bathroom, and I find that this layout makes the most sense to me, as I would want to be able to choose and wear my clothes as soon as I step out of the bathroom.

The laundry area

My laundry room is situated adjacent to my master bedroom. It is an extension of the house with direct access to the master bedroom. My concept behind this design was to have the laundry area accessible from a space where I usually shower (the bathroom), ensuring it's both near and convenient.

Q: Did you encounter any problems during your home renovation? If yes, how were they resolved?

KT: Yes, there were many instances that delayed the renovation process. Among these were roof-related issues. When I bought the house, the roof was in good shape, and I intended to leave it that way to keep the renovation costs low. Throughout the on-site renovation process, I noticed that, while there was no leak, the roof tiles appeared damp when it rained.

So I asked the contractor to remove a piece of roof tile for inspection, and it turned out that the tiles had become so worn out over the years that there was no sealant left on them, and they had become porous. As a result, I had the entire roof replaced, which increased my initial renovation budget. It also caused a two-week delay in the renovation timeline because we were already halfway through the renovation process and the electrical work had been done, so we had to strip the roof, cover the electrical wiring, and do up a new roof while everything at the bottom was also being renovated at the same time.

Q: Are you happy with the outcome of your home renovation? Is there anything else you'd like to change or enhance in the future?

KT: I'm quite pleased with the results of my home makeover. If there is one thing I would change, it would probably be to increase my bathroom airflow by installing an extractor fan. Although there’s a window, I can’t leave it open all the time because it would attract insects or bugs.

Q: What is your advice for first-time homeowners renovating an old home?

KT: If you purchase a resale home that is more than 3 or 4 decades old, I would suggest you fully demolish it rather than work with its original structure. I disregarded my contractor's advice, which proved to be costly! By the end of the renovation process, there was almost nothing left of the old house because we couldn't recover what was left due to the building materials or structure of the house either being worn out or poorly constructed in the first place. I had to fork out an extra RM400,000 of my initial budget (RM1 million) due to the unanticipated costs of reconstructing the front porch, replacing the roof, and relocating the sewage system.

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