Gold & Silver Packages: The Same Solid Structure, Finishes to Your Taste

The three most common coverings are concrete tile, clay tile and metal sheet (metal deck or metal roofing). The first difference is pitch. Tiles need a steeper roof: for example, the maker of Monier Elabana concrete tiles sets a minimum pitch of 17.5°. Metal sheet can be laid much flatter; Lysaght's installation manual lists 5° for a standard corrugated profile, and a 0.42–0.48 mm sheet weighs only about 4.2–4.8 kg per square metre.

The second difference is heat. A metal sheet can reach 60–70°C in the Malaysian sun and passes that heat quickly into the roof space. Tile has thermal mass, so heat enters slowly. But when both are installed with proper insulation, their insulation values can be much the same. Insulation decides comfort, not the name of the material alone.

The third difference is noise. On a metal roof, rain noise is reduced with an insulation blanket pressed hard against the underside of the sheet; if it is not tight, it works less well. A “tick” or “pop” when the weather changes is the sheet expanding and contracting, and according to its maker it does not damage the sheet or the fasteners.

The truss is the frame that holds the covering, either prefabricated timber or light-gauge steel (coated with aluminium-zinc alloy). Prefabricated timber truss systems, and zinc or aluminium-zinc coated steel, are both on CIDB's list of controlled materials. Whatever the type, the truss is designed for the weight of the chosen roof covering, because the building by-laws (by-law 80) require the structure to carry its real loads. Do not change the type of roof covering after the drawings are approved without an engineer checking it again.

Rainwater must be drained to adequate drains, gutters or channels (by-law 115). If the house has a rainwater harvesting system, its pipes are green and its tank is labelled “Not For Drinking Or Bathing”.

The foundation type is decided by the engineer from the soil investigation results, not by the package (see why in the workflow). What you need to know is the two families of foundation.

Shallow foundations are built 1–3 metres from the surface: pad footings (the most common, one footing per column), combined footings, strip footings, and rafts that cover the whole house footprint for weaker ground. They suit light buildings such as houses on reasonably firm ground. Bearing capacity is usually tested with the JKR (Mackintosh) probe: about 40 blows per foot corresponds to 100 kPa. The weaker the ground, the bigger the footing: a 100 kN load needs a 1 m² footing on 100 kPa ground, but 2 m² on 50 kPa ground.

Deep (piled) foundations carry the load at least 3 metres down, to a stronger layer, when the upper layer is soft or loose. Common types: micro piles (small diameter, for tight spaces), reinforced concrete square piles (joined in 3, 4 or 6 metre segments), spun piles (round, hollow, prestressed) and bored piles. Their depth is planned from SPT tests. Precast concrete piles are a CIDB-controlled material.

This is why piled foundations are listed above as work determined after a site visit: the cost depends on your ground, and nobody knows the answer before that ground is tested.

Cement sand bricks and clay bricks (red bricks) are laid in mortar, then plastered. AAC lightweight block is aerated concrete cured with pressurised steam: its density is around 450–700 kg/m³, about one-fifth of normal concrete. AAC makers specify a thin-bed adhesive, not ordinary mortar, and a skim-coat finish. Lightweight block also needs a different bathroom waterproofing system from a brick wall.

IBS (Industrialised Building System) is CIDB's term for components made under controlled conditions, in a factory or on site, then installed with less labour on site. CIDB divides it into six systems: precast concrete, reusable formwork, steel framing, blockwork, prefabricated timber framing and innovative systems. If a product is sold as an “IBS brick”, check the maker's name in CIDB's list of certified IBS manufacturers (the IMPACT assessment).

Whatever the wall material, the building by-laws require a damp-proof course at least 150 mm above the ground next to the wall (by-law 84), so ground moisture does not rise into the wall.

Wet areas are not only bathrooms and kitchens. Waterproofing makers also list balconies, verandahs, yards and air-conditioner ledges. Waterproofing goes on before the tiles, and turns up the walls: at least 300 mm around a wet floor, and the walls in splash zones are coated as well.

A flexible polymer-modified cementitious coating (such as SikaTop Seal-109) is a common type: it can bridge hairline cracks of up to 1 mm. For bathroom, shower and wet kitchen floors, its maker specifies at least two coats at about 1 kg per square metre per coat. Ask the contractor which system is used, how many coats, and to what height on the wall. “We use Sika” alone is not an answer, because the same brand has different systems for brick, lightweight block, drywall and precast walls.

Pre-construction soil treatment is a termite poison (termiticide) applied into the soil of the area to be built on, before the house goes up on it.

Under the Pesticides Act 1974, the work is done by a company licensed as a Pest Control Operator (PCO), with staff licensed as Pesticide Applicators (PA) or Assistant Pesticide Applicators (APA). Licences are valid for two years. The chemical must be registered with the Pesticides Board: its official list, updated monthly, shows each product's LRMP number, active ingredient and expiry date.

Ask for the treatment certificate at handover. Its warranty period and terms are set by the pest control company, not by law; see warranty.

House wiring must be supervised by a Wireman holding an Energy Commission Certificate of Competency (single-phase or three-phase restriction), and tested when finished. Two forms come out of this: Form G (Supervision and Completion Certificate) and Form H (Test Certificate). TNB does not connect the supply until both have been submitted.

Regulation 36 of the Electricity Regulations 1994 requires earth-leakage protection (an RCD, which many people call an ELCB or RCCB) on every final circuit: no more than 10 mA where the floor is likely to be wet, 30 mA where hand-held equipment is used, and 100 mA for other circuits.

The colour code is changing. Energy Commission Directive No. 11/2026 moves the code to IEC 60445: red, yellow and blue phases become brown, black and grey; the black neutral becomes blue; earth stays green-yellow. The old or new code may be used from 1 January 2026, and all wiring must follow the new code from 1 January 2029. A mixed installation must be clearly labelled at the distribution board with an “AWAS” (caution) notice. The key point: in the new code, a black wire is a phase, not neutral.

Single phase or three phase? TNB's handbook gives a single-phase 230 V supply up to a maximum demand of 12 kVA, and three-phase 400 V for homes up to 100 kVA subject to a TNB study. Sockets, switches, cables and other domestic equipment may only be sold if approved by the Energy Commission (regulation 97).

The Water Services Industry (Water Reticulation and Plumbing) Rules 2014 require a storage tank between the meter and every tap, except the kitchen tap, which may draw straight from the mains. The tank must be watertight, properly supported, protected against corrosion, rodents and insects, with inlet and outlet at opposite ends, a float valve, and a scour pipe to drain sediment. It may not be buried unless it is a reinforced concrete tank that passes a watertightness test.

The minimum size is one day's water demand. For an urban dwelling house with its own tank, the schedule says 1,300 litres (about 286 imperial gallons); in a rural area, 800 litres. Pipes and fittings must be of materials permitted by SPAN and comply with recognised standards; using anything else is an offence with a fine of up to RM50,000.

Tiles are classed by water absorption in MS ISO 13006. Porcelain is a fully vitrified tile with water absorption of no more than 0.5%. Other ceramic tiles have low (up to 3%), medium (3–10%) or high (over 10%) absorption.

Ceramic tiles are a CIDB-controlled material, so their maker or importer needs a Certificate of Standard Compliance. Large tiles also need the right adhesive: the adhesive maker specifies grade C2TE for porcelain tiles up to 300 × 600 mm, and the flexible grade C2TE S1 for tiles larger than 600 × 600 mm.

The building by-laws (by-law 39) require every room to have windows totalling at least 10% of its floor area, with at least half of that able to open. Example: a 3 m × 3.6 m bedroom (10.8 m²) needs at least 1.08 m² of window, of which 0.54 m² opens. Every toilet and bathroom needs an opening of at least 0.2 m².

Glass, including safety glass, is a CIDB-controlled material. Glass thickness (5 mm, 6 mm) and frame type are written into the specification; what you can check is that glass's certification.

Minimum room heights in a dwelling (by-law 44): 2.5 m for living rooms and bedrooms, 2.25 m for kitchens, 2 m for bathrooms, toilets, porches and garages. For sloping ceilings the average height counts, and no part may be lower than 2 m. The 10 and 11 ft heights (3.05 m and 3.35 m) in the table above exceed these minimums.

Fibre cement ceiling board (asbestos-free) and the insulation above a ceiling, such as glass wool, rock wool and thermal foil, are all CIDB-controlled materials.

Side and rear boundary fences of a detached house are limited to 1.8 m if solid, and 2.75 m if built to let light and air through (by-law 98). A council may set its own, lower limit. An awning usually needs a minor works permit; Kajang's council form, for example, lists it.

Neither is included in the packages (see the list above). Council rules, fees and examples are on the renovation page.

Most materials are covered up once the house is finished: waterproofing under the tiles, chemical under the floor, cables inside the walls. What is left for you is paper. Ask for all of this during construction, not after a problem appears.

1. CIDB certification for controlled materials. Ceramic tiles, sanitaryware, cement, glass, prefabricated timber trusses, precast piles, insulation, thermal foil, fibre cement board and zinc or aluminium-zinc coated steel must carry a CIDB Certificate of Standard Compliance (PPS). Using these materials uncertified can be fined RM10,000 to RM500,000. CIDB publishes a register of certified materials.
2. “Or equivalent” must really be equivalent. Many specification lines end in “or equivalent”, because supply changes. If a material is swapped, ask for the replacement's product name and certification in writing.
3. Forms G and H from the wireman, and ask which cable colour code was used.
4. The anti-termite treatment certificate, with the PCO company's name and the LRMP number of the chemical used.
5. The name of the waterproofing system, the number of coats and the height it turns up the wall, before tiles are laid.