Before and After

Hi again !

We've recently finished this job in PJ. The job was to renovate a second-hand condo. This family is frequently posted overseas and each posting will require them to stay in their host country for at least a couple of years. As it is, they do not know when or where their next posting will be. The challenge is to renovate the house with minimum spending ( since signs are there that they may need to relocate again next year ) , helping them to prioritise their budget, also to prepare for the eventuality that the unit will be rented out in the near future.

Now, to prepare for a house to be attractive enough for good rental income requires attention on 2 rooms : the kitchen and the bathroom. To minimise spending, we need to use economical materials which is robust enough for the wear and tear of a rental unit. To ensure that the end result will look good is SIMPLY ... CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLOURS.


KITCHEN

The original kitchen was enclosed and the height of the base units were extraordinarily low. No one knows why except guess that the previous tenant must be very short.

WHAT WE DID :

We tore down the wall so that the kitchen now opens up to the living area. The modern kitchen should no longer remain dark and oily and remains hidden from view! We put in soft ambient lightings, use a breakfast counter as a visual border to separate the cooking and the living room.

The lady of the house likes light and soft colours so we used a lot of creams and ivories. The whole room costs RM20,400.

** Feedback from the customer 2 days ago :

She says the breakfast counter is proving to be a " social magnet" - her kids like to gather there and so do her friends when they come over. People like to hang around there for a drink and a chat.

MASTER BEDROOM

There wasn't much hacking here except to remove the old and worn carpet and making over an old and tired looking room.

WHAT WE DID :

We stripped away the old carpet, gave the existing pine floors a good polish and repainted the old set of wardrobes.

** This is the extremely beautiful view from the MBR.


MBR BATHROOM

This MBR bath must have looked as grand as a hotel bath in it's prime but years later as at now, the tiles and everything else look old and requires a thorough makeover.

WHAT WE DID :

We tore down all the tiles, shower, shower screen, sink, wc... We used ivory, grey and black tiles and put in a new long bath. This room costs RM6,600, not inclusive of accessories and tile cost.

SON'S ROOM

We removed the old cabinets from the original position, put in new wardrobe at the opposite wall so that the window area is not covered to allow plenty of light and fresh air in. This room's wardrobe costs RM2,000.

DAUGHTER'S ROOM

The daughter's favourite colour is pink and her mom was initially quite reluctant to use pink as she tried imagining the whole room looking horrendous! If parents cannot afford to indulge in their children's whims and fancies, normally I would recommend something neutral that can be carried into a child's teens. In this case, the parents were very keen to ensure that their kids live an enjoyable and memorable childhood. So I proposed pink to be used only on the focus wall with the rest of the 3 sides ivory with white cabinetry.

This room's wardrobe costs RM4,000.