Japanese Ancient Fire Resistant Wood Finish That is Green and Visualy Pleasing

There is an ancient traditional Japanese wood finish to make houses resist fire and rotting. The finish is based on the discovery by the ancient Japanese that it is harder for something already charcoaled to catch fire again.

The surface of each plank of wood is lightly burnt. This creates a lovely silver sheen on the blackened board







Next take a brush with firm bristles and dust off the board. This leaves some sheen on it in the woodgrain. Wash off the remaining dust. 

After the boards are dry, to seal the wood, oil the boards with the oil extracted from Brazillian oiticica nut (Penofin) a natural oil that does not give off any toxic vapors.
Once a year, reapply the oil as a spray to keep this finish, or let it age naturally outside. The resulting finish has a dynamic appearance. From different angles the board can look black, silver, or dark brown.

Curtain Rods Where 2 Buy Them

I had visited Jaya Jusco, Parkson and Ikea recently to look for curtain rods, and all three stores had good deals as it was end of the year sales (Malaysian Mega Sale).

I looked at the price, quality and flexibility of the items on these stores and decided to settle with Beskada model (black powder coated aluminium) from Ikea. Price starting form RM33.90 for the 7ft to 12ft extend-able model and RM23.90 for the 3ft to 6ft model.

They also have another model which is greyish  in colour called Vagen, selling for RM 29.90 for the 3ft to 6ft model. I find the product acceptable in style and quality and you don't have to get a professional to suggest one.

Painting Your Home (DIY) vs Contract Painting

Painting your home (DIY) vs Professional Painter

In my experience, it all depends on how much you are going to paint. I you intend to paint the whole house, please stick to the professionals or if you can source for some handyman to do the work on a daily rate, it will save you a lot of time.

Painting your own home is harder then you think. Preparing the surface for painting is more important than applying the paint. All surfaces should be sanded, clean and dry before fresh paint goes on. Yep. It’s lots and lots of work. Cracks will have to be sealed, areas with pealing paint would have to be applied with a sealer and etc.

Getting someone to paint is a lot cheaper here in Malaysia, the rate for an Indonesian labourer is about RM60 to RM80 per day, depending on your location. Local workers are around RM120 and above.

On average you should stand to spend about RM800 onwards for Indonesian labourer to paint the whole house (based on Link Home). This does not include the material and paint which you will be required to supply and subjected to how much you will be painting the cost to supply the paint and materials could reach RM2,000 onwards (subjected on the type of paint and brand).

Common Types of Curtain Tracks and Rods

There are many types of curtain tracks and rods to hold all types of curtains. The type of curtain you will be hanging will ultimately determine the type of rod you will use. Each type of rod has its own way of attaching to the wall or to the window trim. Some curtain rods can be very expensive, and this should be considered when purchasing your curtains if you're trying to stay within a budget. If money is not an issue, you can completely change the look of a room with beautiful and extravagant curtain rods.

Curtain tracks (picture above) are traditionally used with pelmets or valances, but many new tracks have good aesthetic qualities and are designed to be seen. Tracks are particularly suitable for bay windows and other difficult installations and most can be bent to the exact profile required. Curtain tracks can be non-corded, corded or electrically operated.

Curtain Poles (picture above) Choose from a huge selection of wood or brass pole, finials, brackets, rings and accessories available unfinished or select your own custom-made options for a truly unique look. Diameters ranging from 23mm to 50mm.

Finials are the end pieces that can go on most rod styles. They were invented to accentuate a rod design and make the design unique to a room. You can find styles for kid’s rooms such as baseballs, butterflies, airplanes and stars. You can also find many different modern and eclectic designs.


Curtain Track and Curtain Rod Accessories

Home Alarm System in Malaysia

New at this not many people are familiar on the types and brand of alarm systems. Below are some of the commonly available systems in Malaysia which have around for some times:

• Supa8 Alarm System, Supa10 Alarm form Australia; The control panel of SUPA8 Supa10series have been designed with a very simple purpose in mind to detect alarm and report them. SUPA8 Supa10 series of control panel have a digital dialler built-in which allows alarm messages to be sent to either a monitoring company or to your phone.
• BluGuard Alarm
  Bluguard L900 offers the intelligent 9 zones system to protect our family, apartments or office at a competitive cost. It comprises tone feedback and call in/out functions to users via the conventional phone line as the primary line and GSM as the back up line.

• SATEL alarm; function similar as above.
• Paradox Alarm
  PARADOX ESPRIT
  Esprit features a wide range of control panels with 4 or 8 on-board zone input terminals and can support up to 2 keypad zones.
• ADT function similar as above systems

All systems mention above are similar in function, they can be pre set to dial your handphone number should the alarm be triggered. What is more important is the company installing it, should provide after sales service during the first 6months as the system is settling in and there are bound to have false alarms due to thunder and etc. For such incidents the system would have to be adjusted for its sencitivity.


All systems come with a standard panel which houses the control system, a keyboard for arming and disarming the alarm, sensors which range from vibration sensors, magnetic contact sensors, motion sensors, photoelectric beam and etc.


These systems when installed can range from RM1k to RM3k for a Link Home, subjected to the number of points required.


The Basic Cost is as follows:

• for the control panel, siren and keypad: RM800.00

• for Magnetic Contact and vibration sensors: RM75 to RM85 per point or per unit
  

• for Motion sensors and photoelectric: RM150 to 200 per unit or per point
  

In summary, the more points you have the price goes up. The cost usually includes installation and wiring.


Some systems like ADT come with a response team from their company should the alarm be triggered. This service is additional at RM70 to RM80 a month. I find this not necessary but it would be useful is you are not at home most of the time.


Home or Office alarm systems are mainly for deterrent purpose and this does not mean the thieves would not try to break into your property.

It would be best that you get to know your neighbours, it makes a lot of difference on the safety and security of your Family and Property.

Home Renovation Steps

STEP 1: Run your numbers

Will the cost of your home renovation increase the value of your home? Yes, your new renovation will bring comfort to your home. But maybe your investment would be better spent in buying a new home. So run your numbers.

You should have fixed a Budget that you can afford and keep the financing / borrowings to a minimum. You do not want to be locked to a Bank for too long.

 

STEP 2: Start Developing Ideas

The first step in home renovation is deciding what you would like to do. You can use these guides to help flush out ideas and design considerations:

 

Start with home remodeling ideas: Sketch up some drawings of ideas you have and note it down. Get a copy of your house plan ready.

View houses for design ideas: Take a drive around your neighborhood, look at what some of your neighbors have done. Visit their homes.

View plans from Contractors: Should you have a contractor at hand, ask dome for some ideas and photos of completed works.

Browse the Internet: There are a lot of ideas that you can obtain for free from the Web.

 

STEP 3: Sketch your plan

Once you have your home renovation idea, your next step is to sketch out your plan. The sketch could be very simple or for those with a bigger budget, you could engage the services of an Interior Designer.

  You will use this plan to obtain quotations from contractors.

STEP 4: Find a Contractor

Look around; don’t jump into signing any agreement with any contractors. There are a range of contractors that do renovation works for only Offices and Homes. Look for a contractor who is near-by or by recommendation.

• Get recommendations from friends and neighbors.

• In a new Housing area, there are usually many contractors who set up their office close by.

• There are those who only do work in certain areas as they have repeated and recommended customers. They usually come highly recommended.

STEP 5: Arrange for Renovation Loan / Financing

Refer to my previous article on this.

STEP 6: Manage the project

Stay on top of your home remodeling project; become involved as much as needed to avoid cost overruns and to address issues that can turn into expensive repair problems.

 

Key issues to understand include:

• Type of management: owner vs. contractor; give explicit instruction to the contractor on how you would like to manage the works.

• Change management: Design change during construction can be negative to your budget, think before you have decide to proceed.

• Problem resolution management; resolve it immediately and without cost implication. Don’t let the contractor take you for a ride.

• Cost management: Direct purchase the materials and hand it down to the contractor for installation, would some up to substantial savings. Alternative materials of same performance and lower cost.

• Financing management; keep tab on the budget.

Home Renovation Tips - A Step by Step Guide to Home Renovations

When it comes to investment property renovations the one question question that strikes us is - "how much work should I do"?
The answer to this question will change dramatically depending on each person and their current situation. Are you the kind of person that loves DIY (do it yourself) home renovations? Do you love researching cheap renovation ideas? Or does the thought of a month's DIY home renovation make you feel sick? Only you can answer these questions but believe me there are huge advantages of doing minor renovations let alone a full month's work on a property
So let's assume that you have 2-5 weeks to complete your DIY renovations, what is a realistic goal to try and achieve? To a certain extent this will depend on your budget but you would be surprised at how much you can get done if you find some good cheap renovation ideas. My DIY renovation budget is the same for every project I do - I like to call it the "Spend as little as possible" budget! Below is a list of the most obvious and important things that you should look at when attempting a cheap DIY renovation.

Interior Painting
A fresh coat of paint is the easiest way to make a house feel new again. The great thing about painting is that everyone can do it and it's such a rewarding job.
RENOVATION TIP: If you're going to paint the house beige don't even bother! Property investors always make the mistake or choosing plain and boring colours. Paint the house as if you were going to be living in it. If you're feeling really adventurous you could even include a feature wall.

Floors
Replacing the existing flooring is another way to make your property feel brand new.
RENOVATION TIP: This is one part of the DIY renovation process that you should contract somebody to do it. The professionals do such a quick, good and cheap job that it's hard to make an argument for doing it yourself. To save some money you can by and supply the contractor the tiles / marble floor finishes.


Bathroom & Kitchen
These two rooms are very important when it comes to renovating your investment property. If you do have some money in your budget then the Bathroom; Kitchen are a pretty good place to spend it. How much work you do here is up to the individual but I would recommend trying to get both of these areas clean, modern and usable.
RENOVATION TIP: Rather than re-tiling you can use Tile Paint to great effect. This paint is a acrylic paint which is commonly used to re-coat bath tub. It is a durable material which is sprayed on for an even coat. One such company is Bathroom Works in Kuala Lumpur.

Fittings
Replacing old Light fittings, door handles and cupboard fittings is a great DIY renovation idea. It is a very easy and cheap way to create a more 'modern feel' for your home.
RENOVATION TIP: Look at the expensive designer brands and then find good quality imitations that are a quarter the price.

Garden
One full day in the garden and you can make a big difference to overall appearance of a house. Pull out some weeds, trim some branches, mow the lawns, sweep the driveway and suddenly your home is looking pretty good. You might be saying "Since when is sweeping the driveway considered DIY home renovation"? Well I don't care what you 'call it' - Gardening, DIY, Renovations, Cleaning - the fact is that putting a day or two's work into your garden will definitely make your house more attractive.
RENOVATION TIP: This is a great part of the DIY renovation to get some help from family and friends with. Everyone has done some gardening at some stage and you can even turn it into a BBQ event. This will make it more fun and easy as the whole family can come.

Exterior Painting
This might not be your first priority but it will drastically improve the first impressions that people have of your house. If your property is a weather board then a few coats of paint is a great idea .


Hopefully there is something here for everyone. So my answer to the question "how much work should I do on my investment property"? Do as much as you can whilst spending as little as possible. In the perfect world you would complete all the ideas that I have mentioned in about month and for under a budget of RM$20,000 (for a double storey link home). Is this a realistic DIY renovation goal? Yes I believe it is very achievable, especially if you (or someone you know) have a few 'handy man' skills. Remember that renovating you home property should be fun and exciting.

Best of luck.

Financing Your Renovation

For those of us who do not have the extra cash at hand, financing your home renovation will always be an issue. The first taught that comes to mind is the high cost of interest charged by the banks, especially when it comes to Personal Loans.

For those of us who are thinking of buying a new home please do you research! There are banks who currently package an over draft facility on your loan, giving you flexibility to withdraw from the amount paid while enjoying the low interest rate offered by home loans, we shall discuss this further in another topic.

Don’t despair! Don’t resort to Along help, they just spell TROUBLE!!!
I had come across several websites of prominent banks that offer personal loans that charge either a flat interest rate or compounded interest rate that range from 7% to 10%. Whichever way you try to look at it they lead to the same conclusion, the rates imposed are still higher then home loans. The reason for this is that personal loans do not need a guarantor and the risk by the banks is high.

1. OCBC bank has a loan called Home Xtra which can be applied for renovation works. The current interest rate starting at 8% (fixed interest). OCBC interest rate starts at 8.5% and up subjected to your credit rating and salary scale (Salary above RM10k, enjoy a rate of 8.5%).

2. Bank Islam Personal Financing-i provides personal loan at a rate of 6.8% to 7% flat up to 7 years financing period. But if you are a Civil Servant or a Medical Practitioner you can enjoy a rate up to 5.1%, I think this is a good deal. But however check out their terms and conditions which is stringent.

3. City Bank is currently offering a rate of 11.5% fix interest rate on personal loans.

4. Standard Charted Bank is offering 8.5% and up, subjected to credit rating and salary scale.

5. Or else if you already have a current Housing loan and making monthly payments, you could seek advise form the bank's Mortgage Officer on a term loan. It is a loan given on top of your existing home loan but as a separate account. The amount of loan is subjected to the property current value and amount you have already settled with the bank on the existing loan. At this current period you should be able to enjoy an interest rate ofBLR + (-2%). Current prevailing BLR rate is 5.5%

Before securing any kind of loans, please do your maths. Determine how much you intend to borrow, what would be the cost of renovation and what is your budget. Always bargain for the best price and compare it with other contractors.

Project 1: At Bandar Puteri, Klang

This is my first posting for this blog. And in Blogs to come I will update you on my pet project, in which I will be Renovating My very own Home.

My updates will include prices for renovation works, interior design, seeking financing and etc.

My main Goal is to ensure a Comfortable and Safe home, within an acceptable Budget.

Below are some photos of my property.