Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by lainux

BMW Mini Workshop to recommend

lainux — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 20:10:38 +0800

I have just bought a used 2005 mini cooper s, and am looking for a reliable & honest workshop around puchong/subang jaya area. Do you know of any to recommend?

- has anyone tried to installed the sprint booster or changed the pulley for better performance?

Mini Cooper S 2005 used Manual

lainux — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 22:48:15 +0800

I was testing out 2 used cooper s 2005, both manual, but they both don't feel like they are very powerful on 1st & 2nd gear. On one unit, it really felt like it was under powered. Even my classic mini felt more powerful especially when you are driving manual.

The power can only be felt when rpm is 3-4k. Is this normal?

Considering buying a used mini cooper s.

Any cooper s users are welcome to feedback. What problems do you usually face?

Retreat/Time share Ideas

lainux — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 12:23:39 +0800

It has been my dream to own an orchard retreat which I can retire to later. After searching for 10 years, I finally bought my land at Kampung Tras. It is an OK size land with a crystal clear stream running through & a forest reserved at the back of the hill. It is a durian orchard with many old trees. So, it fits my dream well.

All this while I have wanted to build it myself without opening to others. So, my idea is to build small & slow. One day, during a dinner discussion with friends, someone suggested why not do a time sharing thing for my orchard. Then others with similar interest could invest also. I didn't take it quite seriously then, cause with external money, comes the extra opinions. i want it to be completely mine.

Came back from a ChiangMai family getaway 2 weeks ago. My wife & sister came up with the similar ideas too, but not time sharing. It is something different. They suggested that each family member can invest and build a small cabin on the land, and call it theirs. I can then operate the cabins & generate income to run the retreat. We stayed in a boutique resort on the outskirt, which is similar to what I want in the future, but not as developed as a resort.

Their idea got me into thinking. So, I am discussing this here, hopefully I can get more valuable inputs from you:

My Idea:
1) let someone with similar interest to invest. I will come up with few cabin designs that I want to build, you can choose which you want, you may also make your suggestion. i am thinking investment should be RM60k-200k onwards.

2) with your investment, you get to stay for free of 24 days a year in your cabin. Of course, you may choose to stay at other cabins, but will have to pay at a discounted price?

3) you agree to let me rent your cabin out for profit, I will then share the profit with you. Currently I am thinking of paying 20% of rental. My target rental should start from RM150/night.

4) guarantee buy back at original price after 5 years.

5) no maintenance fee (should I be charging?) no other fees(no land rental)

What do you think? What else should I be worried about? Any feedback is welcome.

Fish pond safe as plunge pool?

lainux — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 13:43:39 +0800

Just curious, is it safe to swim in a koi pond? Is the pond filter enough or do I need to add chlorine?

Assuming my filter is working fine and water is clear. Is the water safe to accidentally drink in?

Painting wood planks with engine oil?

lainux — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 21:15:16 +0800

I am thinking of recycling some of wood and use them for my fence. I am thinking to water proof it by painting, and I want it to be kind of black or charcoal color. Someone suggested by recycling engine oil, and I thought it fits my purpose well. It helps to water proof it and add a dark color to the wood.

Any comments on the cons? Will the oil be hazardous to health?

Building my wood cabin in an orchard

lainux — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:28:31 +0800

After many years of searching, I finally found my piece of land and am ready to build my vacation retreat.

Have been searching around the web, and found this really cool design, so i am stealing its design & modifying it a bit. I have never build a house before, so I am asking any sifu here to give me feedback whether the frame is correctly designed.

I will be using mostly 2x4, and will use wood plank for cladding. Size is 8x16 so that I don't have to do too much cutting on the plywood or cement board. I intend to use cement board for flooring.

This is the original design by Mr. Falck

Cement board fence

lainux — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:47:44 +0800

i am thinking of redoing my fence with cement board, because it is an easy DIY project. however, i am not sure how durable is it under hot sun & rain?

- does anyone know where to get the reasonable one? I knew of 2 places(pouching & USJ), but they don't have cement colour, kind of white, i prefer the greyish type.

- regarding the post used. Would the 2x4 hollow steel bar work OK compared to the L type? From my research the hollow bar is cheaper. I am thinking of getting some H type where i would just slot the board in without having to screw them as well. Where to look for this? Is there a specialise shop for selling metal bars?

- how about using a 2x4 or 4x4 timber? Do i need special timber or those from hardware shop will do? if going with chengal will be expensive, right?

- how deep in the floor do i need bury the post in?

Thank you for your 2cents!

Organic Farming

lainux — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:17:25 +0800

I am curious whether is anyone doing this biz? Is anyone looking into this venture?

I have some land which is left vacant. I am no farmer and do not know how to farm. However, would like to learn a bit of this biz. My land is 1-2 acre.

What are the problems when doing organic farming? Is it easy to sell direct? Feel free to share your input.

Painting Floor Tiles

lainux — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 14:34:16 +0800

My floor tiles are kind of dirty, and can't be washed away. So, I painted it over with epoxy bought from hardware store. But it didn't last. The epoxy would peel off easily. Is there another kind of epoxy that I can buy? What are the procedure?

What I did was cleaned & mopped the floor, then painted it with epoxy & hardener mixed. Or do I need another layer after the epoxy paint? My another experience with epoxy wasn't great too. I painted over concrete floor, and it also peel off easily. I think normal metal paint might be better than the epoxy.

Please kindly help!

Wooden bathtub where to buy in Penang?

lainux — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:21:51 +0800

I am looking for the classic wooden bathtub in Penang area. Anyone knows where to get one? I bought one in Malacca before, but quality isn't that great. Anyone making it in Penang island? Or near the border?

Went to sanitary shop, but prices are super high quoted by them. I paid RM700 at Malacca.

Cooling the zinc roof

lainux — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 12:20:03 +0800

I wanna cool portion of the house with some crawling plants, will that work? any thing to concern about? My current plan is to install some wire mesh above the zinc roof with some crawling plant and let it crawl the entire roof. My concern is the root of the plant, whether it will cause leaking. Of course, I wanna do it on the cheap side as well.

Has anyone done it? Must I install some membrane to stop the root from going thru the roof? Where to find the membrane?

Homestay business

lainux — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:54:59 +0800

Just want to ask someones here to see whether operating homestay biz is legal from an apartment or condo?

To me it should be legal since it is like renting an apartment out, just the duration of stay is shorter. If one can rent an apartment out for one month, what is the problem of renting it out for 2 weeks? 1 week? 1 day? I know if operating it like a hotel is illegal, but if i am to rent the entire apartment out just like renting it for yearly term.

1) some argue that it is a biz, so you can't do it. how do you determine it as a biz? registered under company? can book over website(agoda...)? daily rental?
2) at what point does it become a normal apartment/house rental? how long of a rent period? 1 year? If yearly, doesn't it mean anyone renting his apartment out shorter than that is illegal?
3) tenancy agreement? what constitute as a tenancy agreement? is a simple agreement showing rental period suffice? or must it be stamped? does it also mean for a yearly tenancy, if no tenancy is signed, or not stamped, it is also deemed illegal?

can anyone share some knowledge?

What is the way to do it legally?

Bathroom in upper floor of a old wooden house

lainux — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:00:43 +0800

I wanna build bathroom in those old heritage house with wooden floor. What is the best & cheaper way of doing it? I dont wanna lay concrete on top of the timber flooring.

Currently, I am thinking of raising it up above 1 feet for all the piping works below. The platform will be built using plywood. Most people suggest then pour concrete above, but I worried of the weight & whether the concrete will stay on the plywood. I am thinking of how the american would do, some sort of plastic shower plate/container, then the toilet side just some vinyl sheet. But where to get these things?

Also talked to several reno guys most said very tough work, and never done it before. Any suggestions?

Container Cabin in my orchard

lainux — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:36:45 +0800

So, it is my dream to have an orchard retreat, and i have finally bought a 1 acre orchard in Tg Sepat. Now, I am ready to build my cabin in there. I want it to be special & green. After surfing the web for a long time, I have decided I want to modify a container and turn it into a modern cabin.

Here are some pix of the type I want.

[addedon]May 16, 2012, 11:39 pm[/addedon]Now, I want to cut off the side wall and turn it into a drop down platform. When I am away I can lift it up and lock it, and it will be super secure as a shipping container.

I have discussed it w/ my contractor, he basically thinks it is hard to do the drop down part securely. Does anyone have any idea where to buy the mechanical winch/pulley/system? I want it to be mechanical and not rely on electricity, as I want this container to be off the grid.

Will install solar panel later.

Where to buy beans cheaply for bean bag?

lainux — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:01:23 +0800

recently bought several bean bags without beans from Bali. Is there a place to buy the beans for cheaper price than Jusco? It is quite costly from Jusco.

[addedon]November 26, 2011, 3:32 am[/addedon]OK, found the factory that sells the beads directly. You just bring your bean bag there to fill it out, and pay for the weight u use.

Price is RM11/kg compared to RM11.90 for two small bags from Jusco.

Where to buy inexpensive bedframe/box spring?

lainux — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:10:23 +0800

working on a project, and will need about 20 units of queen sized bedframes, where to find them?

originally thinking of making them myself, but after some careful calculation, it still costs more than rm120 to make one, excluding my 'wage'. so, is it possible to find something around RM100 - 150? doesn't have to look nice, better just a simple box to support the mattress will do. don't even need the headboard.

any suggestions?

Wood pallet project

lainux — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:55:01 +0800

I am working on a wood pallet project. Now, I have been driving around the factories & shop lots hunting for pallets, this works but very time consuming, and the pallets collected are all of diff sizes.

Is there any company that is throwing away some nice/clean pallets? Last time I saw the motorola/seagate factory was throwing away many. Unfortunately, it was a while back.

If you know of any good place to collect/recycle wood pallets, please share with me!

Lori canvas or pond liner

lainux — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:38:51 +0800

not sure this is the right place to ask.

where i can buy those lori canvas? basically i wanna DIY a simple pond at home. Have seen someone done it, but he is using the pasar type canvas, which i think can't last long.

Good Indon workers to recommend?

lainux — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:00:57 +0800

if you have previously worked with some indon workers that are reliable and good. do you mind to forward me the contacts? i need some to help out on a project really really soon.

those that i worked with aren't that great, and getting greedy. some balik kampung. so, getting hard to find some body good.

will be doing some cement/concrete work.

Looking for an architect

lainux — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:51:09 +0800

i am looking for someone to help me with my home extension. I need someone to help me to design with a distinctive look that is green as well. Will also be doing my koi pond, so the person will have to be able to do landscaping as well.

Do you have anyone reliable to recommend? Most ppl i met are too old school, and not willing to explore or challenge.

Things i wanna do:
- an inexpensive way to re-package my house to look different & unique. I don't wanna hack away or to rebuild, just some facade make up.
- something unconventional, like utilizing corrugated sheet metal or plywood as compared to brick. or raw brick wall with patent?
- a little zen touch
- basically i like 'seksan' type of design as well

thank you!!