PROBLEMS FACED

Generally, we have faced the challenge of Water and some dampness. All of which are very common problems in Malaysia. What was pretty pissing off was having to come back home everyday and see our Foyer wall in shits because of the water from our RC Slab above. 

A word of advise, There is no point tiling your RC Slabs. Leave it. Just use Pentens T 200 over it. There is also no point in trusting the countless of companies that offer Torch On Membrane solutions as water can still pond underneath it if it is not done right. 

When we were looking to solve our issues in 2023 and 2024, the thought of Torch On Membrane did come. It was expensive, but then again, whats the point of companies offering 10, 15 year old warranties when these companies have had not but 2 years of experience under their belt and close shop less than 3 years down the line. There are SOOOOO many Torch on Membrane companies today which to me, are just quick buck companies.

Then there is Lee Chong Wei on Pentens. Its got to be good stuff, why is it cheap and if it wasnt good stuff, I doubt Lee Chong Wei would put his endorsement on Pentens. Pentens is not going to close shop tomorrow. 

WATERPROOFING

Notice the left part of the skylight has a leak ?

Water beginning to make its way down our wall

Wall skimmed, still there

Here is what our Foyer wall looked like not long after it was painted during MCO 3.0

During MCO 3.0 Rains

How much did you invest in your paint ? =)

Upstairs had its own issues, look at this wall. It was a from rain water hitting this wall. Not from the RC Slab for the water tanks. But this Skylight ALSO will have leaks because it was probably not even Waterproofed at all. 

First Floor Living Room Wall

Waterproofed roof. Looked good in white while it lasted and faded back to a grey in the end. Problem solved, leaks solved. Just a yearly thick coat should prevent issues from rising, and the cost of recoating is faaaar cheaper than a Torch on Membrane solution

PLUMBING

We also had another challenge with our Kitchen and Bathroom. Imagine having to build fresh road, only to hack it to lay some stupid cables in it. Pristine finishes, ruined.

Our Original Plumbers were assholes. Like the workers who left Beef Bones burried in the corner of our property out of spite for whatever reason, the Original plumbers workers would argue with the boss, and come in quickly, bang some shoddy work and fuck off by closing up their works. On various occasions. 

I will say that if you have workers scolding a boss, thats not a good sign especially when the workers curse and fight back. These workers left all sorts of crap deliberately fucked up to cause problems to their boss which gets only passed to me. 

Common thing lah in Malaysia. Workers dont get paid, they will spray GAJI on your wall. Its happened before but not to us.

Water was not flowing out from out kitchen, and guess what, we had to hack and find the source of the issue. How ? Hack your new floors and walls !

Water was not flowing out, so we had to hack and find the source. Hmmmm,...not here,....

Nope, not here either,...

There it is ! There was a deliberate closed connection. No water was flowing

Wait, theres more..... now comes the bathroom downstairs, right next to the kitchen

Lucky we didnt install the carpet on the steps yet

Water was coming out through the walls, so this had to be carefully sourced. It was coming from our Guest Bathroom. The bathroom that we love so much

This Plumber was good

Upon hacking a little, it was clear that water was inside for days now. Here is the bathroom that we were supposed to use if all was to plan for our Prayers that were supposed to be held. 

Call it the Universe, but the Universe was saying to us obviously, YOU SHALL NOT HAVE YOUR TIME YET for Prayers. YOU HAVE ISSUES TO SOLVE

Like an Inspector, the Plumber says the pipe was cracked. Deliberate ?

Even when we were laying our Septic Tank in the ground, the right way should be to have the hole its going to sit in have a base of Crusher Run and Concrete on Top. This was not done and they thought that I wont be around to see this but I was, almost every day on site.

Busted Mother Fucker ! Where is the base ? You putting a Septic Tank on just Earth ?

You can tell your Tractor to wait till the works are properly done, till we have a proper base for the Spetic Tank

Once again, they look at you like its your fault but I couldnt give a shit till what was being paid for was done right first. 

The Original Plumber didnt last long after that. Wouldnt have costed 200 ringgit of Crusher run and a few bags of cement, but cutting corners for such a simple job that would have costed Thousands later, was not an option here.

DRIVEWAY

Petrol that leaked on our Brand New Driveway with Pebble Wash finish

Doesnt look thaaaaaaaaaaaaaat bad

Fuk

I couldnt remove this stain at all. Pressure Wash, did everything, and my car looked like it had Diaorhea in the driveway. Its a permanent feature now

Yes, its pretty fucking bad

Still wondering whats the best way to solve this in 2024

BALCONY RAILINGS

Almost 3 years after moving in, I decided to change the balcony railings and get them made from Aluminium. They were in an ugly state due to rust and I was not going to keep them and recoat railings which would cost more than throwing Pentens on the floor for Waterproofing the Balcony. 

We took away the railings and we finally had the time in early June to manufacture and repurpose some Aluminium Tubing that had turned from being flexible to hard. This was no good for our furniture and was doing nothing in our factory so I used them. Although the profile has a fluted pattern, I decided to go with it anyway. 

This was my original plan all along to one day use Aluminium and getting the tubes closely packed together. We had to downgrade our height from 3 1/2 feet down to 3 feet as that was all the tubes we had available according to what we could do.

We also removed the shitty flashing at the same time.

After a quick trip to Thailand in January 2024, we had removed the Grills and Flashing

After a family holiday in Japan in July 2024, we returned Home to this beautiful looking Grill work. Notice Unifi's excellent workmanship ? Fucking idiots. 

Another thing we noticed is how the boundary wall has deteriorated due to the vegetation and rain water streaks. Algae has built up, but its a common problem in Malaysia especially when there are trees and plants near a wall. This, we are still wondering how to solve elegantly and whether to plant Creepers instead

Grill Work Shown. In September 2024, I decided to change the theme a little and purchased some Vernonia plants, and got a few cheap pots for starters that I hope one day I can make into a proper trough. Notice that the floors are fading back in colour to Grey from pure white after Waterproofing the Balcony in White ?

Growing these Vernonias through the railings. Mind the ugly Air Cond fan, its going to be solved soon too with some ingenious way 

The Railings add more aesthetic appeal and creates a more luxurious feel. I have a strange feeling Lowyat folks will be looking to do this to their properties soon. 

Vernonias / Lee Kuan Yew plants were originally something I was totally against about. I was adamant. However, I like a little foliage nowdays, so I planted them. Wifey originally loved them but I said NO

What the Vernonias will do is increase the appearance of the property and provide a little grentleness to the overall structure. In addition to being a contrast of Green to a White building for a pop of colour, its main function here also is to work to :-

1. Assist rain water drops

2. Camouflage any rainwater marks that are visible below the Concrete slab

3. Cover up any paint imperfections 

4. Prevent staining on the front of the Concrete Slab

Many Malaysian homes with Concrete Slabs be it for their Driveways or Balconies, when you see the slab at the front, it usually is stainned badly and turns black. People paint them in Puchong Dark Grey to hide away any rain water streaks, but this doesnt work. So its best to work with Nature and let it do its work by providing covering up the enitre slab's cement work at the front.

The railings take inspiration from a typical Queenslander White Home. Wait, What is that haa ?

You mean you never heard of a Queenslander White Home ? Of course not. Here is what a Queenslander White Home is like. This is my little kept secret. I wanted a Queenslander White Home theme that was PJ influenced. Take this example below :-

Yes, now you Lowyat folks are going to start a fad of having a Queenslander look soon. Please stick to your Cherasville Green Glass for your Balconies and Chrome Gates and Grey HAUS design

Finally its revealed fully now that I finally finished (well almost) finished my grill work. Its a PJ & Modern Quenslander home theme.

FLASHING WITH NEIGHBOUR

I mean come on lah. WTF kind of Mickey Mouse shit is this. This is the best we could do ? Our neighbour fixed it for us in the end.

Here is a classic case of when an Engineer Neighbour, gets involved with our contractor and workers and shit gets lost in translation and you have to live with this embarrasing Indon Design Sdn. Bhd. work for 1.5 years.

What

The

Flying

Fuck

This is the best Brains and hands can give ? Look at the left side of the building where it joins. Costed me less in the end by paying our Neighbour who helped sort this out for us in the end

PLANTS & GARDEN

Grass

The Grass that we got planted had come well, no weeds etc. But this is Malaysia and specifically PJ where all the birds avoid shitting on grass planted at the side of the road by council, and specifically aim at shitting on your beloved garden. Weeds are a common problem and a constant tackle in 2024. We will soon be replanting some fresh grass as well.

Then in 2025, we figured out why the grass just doesnt grow, its not just because of our Dog who used to Drag her frisbee with her paws and pull out the grass on specifically one side of the garden, neither was it due to a lack of water, it was due to the soil being dried up and due to being hard (likely over compacted by an Indon)

Calatheas

The Calatheas although mean well, are a challenge once they grow. Having too many Calatheas like we did destroys your grass if you dont have enough space. In addition Calatheas grow exceptionally fast to a good height. From a 4 foot Height Calathea planted in the ground, reaching 8 - 10 feet is exceptionally easy in 6 months. 

Then, when they begin to sprout out more, they will have a real menacing problem of trimming off old leaves, and ensuring they dont grow out of control. 

I have spent 3 hours on a Sunday just trimming them back, only to have to revisit trimming again 2 - 4 weeks later to keep these Homies at bay. 

Grass slowly revealing patches, Calatheas still short in size in November 2021

By 6th Jan 2023, The grass has not bald spots, and the Calatheas were almost removed, as an indication of how tall all of them grew, the thin stalk had grown above the neighbours wall. As I was a Father by now, I could not spend time looking after then bi weekly, or afford a good enough Gardener to help out. So a tough decision was made. Today in 2024, we are trying to grow them again but in lesser numbers

In 2024, we will be planting grass again, one we till the land and soften the ground for Grass to grow again. Lots of weeds to clear, and new Calatheas will soon sprout but in controlled numbers. 

Gardens require a lot of attention like a good steak. There are many factors to consider from water, light, heat, bla bla bla. Something that time has taught us and costly mistakes too.

Life had changed a LOT in 2022, and that, we will talk about in my next Post

POST MOVING IN WORKS

We moved in on the 18th of September 2021, without having a fully completed home, but thats fine, its about taking it from there. 

We did though get the Staircase done the very next day, the couches in, and the Driveway done, which would be ruined by Dog Pee and my car that leaked Petrol onto the floor due to a fuel pump.  

STAIRCASE CARPET

19th September - Sunday

While you are having Mimosa's for brunch, we were finishing up our Staircase. Finally !

Now now there, before you go judge this decision, we have firstly 

1. A long flight of steps at 15 steps to the landing, and another 5 steps making it 20 Steps to climb 

2. Our knees to look after

3. Safety in all aspects

We were not going to get the Staircase in Wood or tile them up. Safety was the most crucial part here. This was my sole decision, I had to get it carpeted for future children, pregnant Mum as well.

I wish we could have done like a Burnt Orange or a Dark Green 80s style which would have been fun, but had to be practical here with dust etc.

Wooden Frames with Nail Pins installed

Foam Padding being Cut as backing

Carpet being cut to size

Padding being installed

Carpet being applied

Almost done

Done

Beers in new Fridge too, celebrate Sunday. Now I cant drink this much. More modest 6 on Sunday

COUCHES

2nd November - Diwali Eave

After a long search and giving up on IKEA for not being able to get what we wanted off the shelve, we had to invest more into ouches. IKEA would have costed us around RM 6k, but we ended up getting some couches for RM 10k. A lot more. 

However, the couches that we need to go for had to be low couches, sleek and simple. Our couches were not your typical 6 - 7 foot couches in the end, we ended up with couches that were 10.5 feet long. 

This was justified lah, if IKEA made the same couches we have today from China, they would have asked the same. Here are out Couches that came from Semenyih from a brand called Abraham & Sorrels. Yes, Malaysian, their stuff is excellent, and quality and delivery was punctual ! Delivered on time for Diwali.

I requested to have the couches leg studs applied further back, so that it would appear that the couches float.

I love the length of these couches, I hate it being almost 6 feet tall and when you lie down you cant stretch out for a sleep because of arm rests. Here, I have no problem at all. Family have slept on these couches because they can fully spread out

Notice a Dog Bed there ? I used to keep our Pup company and sleep on these couches the first 3 days when we got our new Pup

COMPLETING DRIVEWAY - Pebble Wash

19 - 22 Jan 2022

A new year has come, and this would be the last of our finishing up works, In 2024. We decided to go for a Pebble Wash finish in White. However it was a BIIIIG Mistake I made by saying even the Cement in White. In 2024, its badly damaged. 

I thought that everything will just fade in with the dust that settles on the white cement, but clearly it didnt. 

Instead, our Dogs pee, rust marks from our gate, and my car that leaked Petrol from its fuel pump left all sorts of various bad stains that now we are considering Epoxy Painting over it which I would hate to do. 

Nevertheless, here is what the end result looked like while it was still nice and pretty. I should have just gone with tiles. But I know tiles are hot on the feet and paws of Dogs, so I didnt do it. What I should have done was to have the Cement on the Pebble was done in Grey instead, that would have been correct.

Starting on the last  thing that needs to be finished

Cement being poured on Concrete

Getting ready for Pebble Wash

White Pebble Wash

Applying Pebble Wash

Halfway done

Done, nice and fresh, while it lasted, Lol

That completed our works. Done. Felt like we finally finished what we set out to do. Next will be the Problems we faced

PLANTS

17st October - 8th November 2021

Calathea Lutea

I decided to just plant 1 major type of plant to have a more clean and resort feel, or somewhat like a Damansara Heights clean kind of a feel, so Calathea Lutea's were planted. These plants worked well in closing off the windows of our neighbour that built to the boundary wall.

This too we would regret in time as while they were great while they were still small, and grew to a medium height of 6 - 8 feet, they would eventually provide enough shade to kill of our grass. This I will cover in our PROBLEMS section as well.

They are great, but its advisable that in a slim garden such as ours, do allow for 4 feet of grass to be lost in the process. 

Frangipanni

I pinched a couple of Frangipannis that were from our Parents

Colocasia

Also called Elephant's Ears were planted at some corners which grew well

Crotons

Crotons were bought, but we decided not to stick with them as they disturbed the whole Green Look effect. The Crotons are at our factory today

Cordyline

Like the Crotons, they look great for a burst of colour. They are especially nice when they are short and bright red, but they didnt go well with the theme so out they went. Also at the factory today.

All plants were planted by Yours Truly, without the help of any nursery or gardener. As I have made it clear, Im not a keyboard warrior pencil pusher who doesnt allow his Wellingtons to get dirty. Im a pretty hands on dirty bloke and dont shy from it.

Frangipanni, Colocasia and Calathea

Another Croton at the corner of the preperty

31st October 2021, taking in more Calatheas

Im not going to tell you where I got them, you can buy them anywhere

Arrangine the Calatheas

Soo the Lawn would face its own challenges from Grass, Weeds, Puppy, Hard Soil spots and Calatheas that over grew successfully

Frangipanni and Crotons here shown

And in 6 short months, they would totally eclipse the neighbours windows and provide a wall of green. I bought Tooooooo many of them and this was a good, and yet challenging and frustrating thing but if you have the right Gardener to do a good job of maintaining them, they are really worth it

Next will be about all our Problems we faced with the property and what we did to solve them which includes the Calatheas as well