Jun 2, 2009

Contemporary Bachelor Pad

Photographs by Raymond Ooi

A wall of mirrors visually enlarge the 98sq m (1,090sq ft) built-up space.

Buying a condominium usually depends on the location, budget and the purchaser’s perception of what is a good buy, even if it costs a bit more than planned.

IT consultant Derrick Thia, is typical of the average buyer in the condominium market in the Klang Valley. His hopes, aspirations and response to what he has achieved, mirror that of many other condo buyers and owners.

Derrick bought a 98sq m (1,090sq ft) condo unit in the Metropolitan Square development in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya. He has lived there for over a year.

“I chose this development because of its close proximity to the KL city centre and hang-out places such as malls and cinemas. Hypermarkets like Tesco, Ikea and the 1 Utama mall are only a few minutes away by car,” explains the fastidious owner, who planned the purchase and subsequent renovation job with precision.

In his mid-30s, Derrick works in the KL City Centre (KLCC) area for a telecommunications firm. Home used to be his parents’ house in Bukit Jelutong in Shah Alam. He had to start at an early hour to get to work to beat the traffic jams leading into KLCC.

Tired of driving long distance, he wanted a place closer to his place of work. However, what’s available in the KLCC area was beyond his budget, as the cost per square foot was at least RM600 to RM700 for one of those new condo developments (search this web portal for properties in “KLCC” for a cost comparison).

Derrick’s budget was about RM300 per sq ft for a condo unit that spans some 1,000sq ft. With that sort of budget in mind, he surveyed condo developments along his commute.

One of the targeted areas for his prospective home was the Damansara Perdana “township.” Accessible via the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP), Penchala Link, North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) and the North-South Highway, the many condo developments here matched his idea of affordable modern living within easy reach of his work place.

However, by the time he made up his mind, his choice of the Metropolitan Square condo units (Phase 1) had sold out. Built by Saujana Triangle Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of MK Land Holdings Bhd, the mixed commercial and residential development is located on a 17-acre leasehold site.

The Metropolitan Square development was first launched in 2003. Phase 1 of the development comprised two condominium blocks which have been handed over. The initial 300 units have built-up space of between 88sq m and 181sq m (975sq ft and 2,016sq ft). The developer’s prices ranged from RM286,491 to RM1,214,730.

The third block comprises serviced apartment and condominium units. The 422 serviced apartments have built-up space from 40sq m to 105sq m (450sq ft to 1,166sq ft) while the 300 condominium units range from 87sq m to 113sq m (975sq ft to 1,259sq ft). Two more condominium blocks with another 448 condo units have been scheduled for development.

In 2007, Derrick heard from friends of a low-rise Phase 1 unit for re-sale. He had, in fact, looked at other units but found this particular fifth floor unit to his liking.

Industrial-looking

Grey is the owner's preferred choice of colour for his walls, mainly to match his black and white accessories and appliances for a masculine ambience.

By October that year, Derrick paid RM305,000 and budgeted some RM120,000 for renovation. He intended to transform the unit into his dream pad. He enlisted the help of two friends, who were involved in the construction industry – an interior designer and a property developer.

Despite all the planning and running around for perfectly-coordinated accessories and material, renovation works weren’t smooth sailing. In fact, his idea of a sleek and industrial-looking floor of bare concrete turned out to be a disaster.

“At the hand-over, I told the contractor that I couldn’t accept such a finish. It wasn’t what I wanted. He said that with a bare concrete finish, cracks and patchy spots were bound to happen,” recalls Derrick, who hired the contractor on the basis of a flyer found in his condo development.

“I couldn’t live with that and had no choice but to have the entire floor broken up and replaced with tiles that can match the effect I had planned. On hindsight, I shouldn’t have hired him because his quotation was the cheapest.”

The clean lines and clutter-free interior looks good at first glance. But like any fastidious and self-conscious homeowner, there were too many renovation flaws to his liking.

For instance, the kitchen cabinets didn’t hang properly and the veneer was peeling at the seams. Sounds familiar? Anyway, the unit comes with “2+1” bedrooms, two bathrooms, a tiny drying yard and a balcony. This unit is allocated two car park bays.

Derrick reckons the market value of his unit could now be between RM300 and RM350 per square foot.

“I chose this particular fifth floor unit because of the good views of the pool and club house. It is just about the right size. Generally, I have a liking for a lower level unit.”

When Derrick took vacant possession of the unit, it did not come with any built-ins at all.

“In my renovation, the major items were the built-in wardrobe units, kitchen cabinets and floor tiles for the whole condo,” explains Derrick, who personally sourced for almost every accessory in the home such as taps, faucets and even the doors.

High density

Out of the RM120,000 make-over budget, about RM90,000 was spent on actual renovation works and the rest on furnishings.

Is the owner finally satisfied with the results after rectification of the major renovation flaws?

“Yes, pretty much. I love a simple and modern home. I probably will not renovate further, as I love the place as it is. If anything, I would change my curtains.” Derrick cites the “fairly good facilities” such as banks and restaurants, just below his condo, as advantages.

However, he is quite concerned about the increasingly “high density” within the development as the latest phase comes up. Already, he has intentions of upgrading to a bigger home in the near future as he plans to stay at Metropolitan Square only for the “next three to five years.”

He is looking for another condo unit of between 108sq m and 135sq m (1,200 sq ft and 1,500 sq ft), likely to be in the same Damansara Perdana area.

“I simply love this area as there are so many malls, eateries, shops and most importantly, easy accessibility to the city centre in KL. However, I must say that traffic congestion here can be quite bad during peak hours.”

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