Property Malaysia

This place is situated right next to Kemensah Mewah, in a land-locked plot surrounded by existing bungalows and some flats. The road leading up to this place is their only access, at the moment is quite narrow and poorly maintained, but according to the developers they are going to upgrade this access.

From the MRR2 (Middle Ring Road II) the fastest way to get here is via the National Zoo, which passes through more narrow roads.

There are 23 bungalow lots arranged on two sides of a single street, with a cul-de-sac at the end of the road. There are 23 lots and not 24 because on lot in the middle on one side is used as a park. At the front of the development, there is a smaller green area, and a sub-station.

Kemensah Residency has two types of large bungalow designs to choose from, and the special feature of this project is that you can choose which of the two types that you want to be built on your lot. So first you choose your bungalow lot, then choose which type of unit. An interesting concept that isn’t widely practiced here in Malaysia, which brings with it a whole set of pros and cons. But more on that later.

Let’s look at the 2 types of bungalows available. Plot sizes are at least 65’ x 100’, so you have at least 10’ of setback on the sides and the back, and for the front you have at least 25’ or more.

We’ll start with Elegant, 5,991sq.ft. with 5 + 1 rooms, 7 baths. There’s a large courtyard in the house, as large as the living room. At the front of the house on the ground floor, there is a study / guest room with it’s own outdoor terrace, which we liked. There is also a terrace at the dry kitchen and breakfast area, with forms part of the courtyard. The master bedroom is very large, but there is a walk in wardrobe slightly away it. Most of the rooms above including the family area overlooks the courtyard.

The Classic type is slightly smaller at 5,823s.ft. But then again, at almost 6000sq.ft. who’s complaining? Here the design is more compact, with also 5+1 rooms and 6 baths. There’s a bigger lawn and longer driveway. Instead of the courtyard, there is a large terrace beside living room, large enough to satisfy anyone’s landscaping cravings.

Both types retain a contemporary design, with low windows, and single pitch RC roof. This concept is also reflected in much of the interior. Also, the façade uses plenty of wide groove lines, which is also seen on top of the porch roof. Actually, between the two, there are plenty of similarities, and probably the only deciding factor for buyers is which internal layout you prefer. We’re pretty okay with both designs, but if we were to make a choice, we’d go with Elegant as the courtyard seems attractive for us to do some landscaping. For the super-rich with too many cars, Classic may be suitable as the driveway can easily park 6 or 8 cars, not including on the lawn. Speaking of which, both units come with large lawns, good for those with green thumbs.
The quality of the finishing and specs tend to reflect the prestige of the luxury bungalows, and there are actually a show unit of each type at the site for the buyers to check out. One feature that stands out is the staircase, which is extra wide for the first flight, allowing room for some fancy ID works.

As with Kemensah Mewah, accessibility to the site is not perfect, plus traffic on the highway can be problematic at peak hours. However, this represents the last significant plot of land with the small surrounding area here, and the view to the limestone hills is a major selling point.

Regarding the ‘choose-your-unit-type’ arrangement. This gives more flexibility to the buyer to have their choice of plot AND unit type, but it also presents a few drawbacks. Firstly, if the remaining units are slow to sell off, you have a situation in 2 years time where, construction works are going on when you move into your unit. We’re not talking about light renovation works here, which are annoying enough, but heavy concreting and deliveries. Plus, with the staggered construction, the contractor is bound to price more the works as it not an ideal situation for them.

However, having said that, the developers have noted that they are confident that they are able to sell off all the units within a short span of time, after all there are only 23 units. In addition to that, to avoid all the potential problems mentioned earlier, the developer has actually other ways to work round it, like using agents or buying the units themselves. But we more liable to concur with them that 23 units isn’t a problem for them to sell off fast. Especially when it looks more elegant and attractive when compared, to that, um, next door development…

Price range us from RM2.38mil to RM2.60mil, so you can expect what kind of clientele it is targeted at. We thought the price is expensive nonetheless, but different folks have different perception, that’s for sure.

The developers are first timers, but are actually from Siah Brothers, a prominent builder and developer. The quality looks decent, judging from the show units, hopefully it translates to the other units.