Interior Design Damansara Heights: Two Very Different Jobs

Two quite different jobs share the same address. One is an older bungalow, semi-detached or low-rise home from the 1970s and 1980s, where the plan is formal and compartmentalised and the services are past their design life. The other is a newly handed over unit in the high-rise stock around Pusat Bandar Damansara, where the shell is sound and the work is completing what the developer left bare. The first conversation is about which of the two you have, because almost every later decision follows from it.

Because the parts you cannot see usually date from the same year as the parts you can. In a house built forty or more years ago, the distribution board, the wiring runs, the plumbing and often the roof and ceiling structure were designed for a household that cooked, cooled and charged very differently. Air conditioning, an induction hob, a water heater in every bathroom and a modern kitchen all draw more than the original design allowed for. It is worth establishing the condition of the services before choosing a single finish, because the answer can change the sequence and the budget.

It varies more here than in most KL neighbourhoods, because the properties vary more. A newly handed over condominium unit is largely a carpentry and finishes exercise with a fairly predictable scope. An older landed home can carry structural changes, a full rewire, replumbing and window replacement before the design work is even visible. The honest answer is that the property decides the band and the scope decides the figure, and both need a site measurement first. Design and drawings are quoted separately from the build.

Often, yes. Much of Bukit Damansara sits on slope, so houses are frequently split-level, with retaining structures, terraced gardens and drainage that has to keep working during heavy rain. That affects three practical things: where site access and material staging can happen, whether a change to the ground floor touches something structural, and how water is managed around the house. None of it is unusual, but it needs to be established at the survey rather than discovered mid-project.

Mostly on the rules rather than the design. Newer developments usually have a management office, a renovation submission, a deposit, service lift booking, protection of common areas and defined working hours. Hacking in wet areas may also be restricted. The layout is fixed, so the design effort goes into the kitchen, the wardrobes, entrance storage and a lighting plan that suits the ceiling height you actually have. Give the development name at the first enquiry, since the rules differ noticeably between buildings.

Damansara Heights falls under Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. Structural alterations, extensions and changes to the external envelope of a landed home generally require a submission prepared by a qualified professional. Interior work that leaves the structure alone may not require the same submission, but the exact position depends on the scope and the property. Where an earlier owner extended the house, it is worth checking whether that work was submitted at the time.

Usually, though not always in the way people first picture it. Homes of this generation were planned around separate formal and family rooms, with the kitchen tucked away and sometimes a detached wet kitchen and staff quarters at the back. Opening the ground floor often works well, but the beams and columns that make it possible have to be identified first, and any change involving structure needs an engineer and a submission.

A handed-over condominium unit with a defined carpentry scope moves relatively quickly once management approval is in place. An older landed home with structural work, a rewire and new glazing takes considerably longer, and the approval stage is the part most often left out of a schedule. Design and drawings run ahead of both, and starting the build before that stage is finished is the most reliable way to lose time later.

It is, provided the underlying walls, floors and ceilings are in good condition. Stone, veneer and specialist plaster all rely on a level, dry, stable background, and they show every fault in what sits behind them. In a house of this age the sensible order is structure, waterproofing and services first, then finishes.

Start with whether they have worked on your kind of property, since a hillside bungalow and a new high-rise unit are barely the same trade. Ask what their drawing set includes, how they handle a DBKL submission and an engineer where structure is involved, how carpentry is measured and priced, and who coordinates site when conditions differ from the drawing.

The road or development name, the property type and approximate size, the floor plan if you have it, and photos of each room including the electrical board, the kitchen and the bathrooms. Mention the age of the house, any renovation a previous owner did, and whether the home is for your own stay or for letting. A rough budget band and a target start date help us tell you what is realistic before anyone visits.