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Design & Specification · Sarawak

A specification everyone can quote from.

ELS writes a renovation specification service for Sarawak homes — a room-by-room brief covering materials, cabinets, lighting and electrical, so contractors, ALUMAX and suppliers quote the same clear scope. Use it when you want quotes from clearer material and cabinet requirements.

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What a specification is

The brief everyone quotes against.

Before you ask for a single price, the renovation should be written down. This is what a specification is, when to use it, and what it is not.

A specification, in plain termsA written, room-by-room description of exactly what your renovation needs — materials, cabinets, lighting, electrical points and finishes — decided before anyone prices it.
When to use itUse it when you want quotes from clearer material and cabinet requirements — so contractors, ALUMAX and suppliers price the same defined work, not their own guesses.
What it is notIt is not a render or a mood image, and it is not a contractor's quote. It is the brief everyone else quotes against — the document that keeps prices comparable.
What's in the specification

Six things, written down per room.

The Design & Specification service hands you a written document — not a render. Each part is built for Sarawak conditions and the way the home is actually used.

Room-by-room specificationEach zone written up on its own — kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living — so less is left to a foreman's assumption on site.In the spec: Scope and requirement per room, not one vague whole-house line.
Cabinet requirementsWhat each cabinet run must do — base, tall and wall units, internals, hardware grade and the moisture zone it sits in.In the spec: Built so ALUMAX product systems can be matched and quoted accurately.
Lighting directionGeneral, task and accent lighting planned per room — so the electrical plan and ceiling work are not decided by guesswork.In the spec: Layered lighting intent the trades can wire and the ceiling can carry.
Electrical & appliance notesWhere points, switches and appliances go before walls and ceilings close — the changes that cost the most when missed.In the spec: Points written down early, not chased after on a finished wall.
Material & finish directionMaterials matched to each zone's heat, humidity and daily use — so a wet kitchen is specified with a board that suits it.In the spec: Built for Sarawak heat, humidity, moisture risk and daily use.
Budget-sensitive upgrade notesWhere to spend and where to hold — which upgrades earn their cost in Sarawak conditions, and which can wait.In the spec: Honest trade-offs, so the budget is spent where it matters.
Why it changes the quote

Clear in, comparable out.

A specification is not paperwork for its own sake. It makes quotations comparable and helps identify the assumptions that could cause rework.

Quotes become comparableWhen every contractor quotes from the same written specification, the prices line up against the same work — so you compare like for like, not three different assumptions.
Fewer wrong assumptions reach siteMost costly rework starts with an assumption no one wrote down. A specification writes the assumption down — the material, the point, the cabinet size — so it can be checked before production begins.
ALUMAX supplies against a clear scopeALUMAX supplies and installs its defined product families when they suit the specification. With a written specification, the product scope is defined, so what is supplied and installed matches what was approved.

Just need the product? For a simple cabinet, wardrobe, door or window — with no full renovation to plan — ALUMAX can supply directly, no specification layer needed.

Go to ALUMAX for product
How the spec fits the process

Decide first, then quote, then build.

Choose the product, match the material to the zone, confirm the budget range, then approve the drawing before production or site work.

design.alumax.pro — understand the decisions.ALUMAX — configure, buy and install defined product systems.ELS — design, specify and coordinate complex spaces from concept through handover.

A written scope. Materials specified to each zone. Drawings for your approval before production is ordered.

Where ELS works

Based in Sibu — specifying across Sarawak.

SibuKuchingBintuluMiriMukahKapit
Renovation specification in Sarawak

Common questions

What is a renovation specification, exactly?

A renovation specification is a written, room-by-room description of what your renovation needs — material and finish direction, cabinet requirements, lighting direction, electrical and appliance notes, and budget-sensitive upgrade notes. It is the brief contractors, ALUMAX and suppliers quote against, so every price covers the same defined work.

Why should contractors and suppliers quote from a specification?

Because it makes the quotes comparable. When everyone prices the same written requirements, you compare like for like instead of three different assumptions — and you avoid the wrong-assumption rework that starts when a material, point or cabinet detail was never written down.

What does the ELS specification service include?

Design & Specification includes a room-by-room specification, cabinet requirements, lighting direction, electrical and appliance notes, material and finish direction, and budget-sensitive upgrade notes. It is the document you take to quotation — built for Sarawak heat, humidity, moisture risk and daily use.

How much does the specification service cost in Sarawak?

The Design & Specification service starts from RM1,600 (excl. SST), depending on scope. It covers the written specification you take to quotation. A final renovation cost can only be confirmed after site measurement and contractor quotation — the specification is what makes those quotes accurate and comparable. The Design & Specification starting fee is the price for one room. Four rooms RM5,600. Each room beyond the fourth is RM1,600.

How does ELS relate to ALUMAX?

ELS designs and specifies complex spaces. Under Style Adaptation and Design & Specification, ELS recommends the order of the work and checks the hand-offs set in the commissioned scope. Under ELS+ (Design and build): ELS+ takes responsibility for delivering the works included in its contract, using selected contractors and specialist trades. ELS may specify ALUMAX products where appropriate, but an ELS design is not constrained by the ALUMAX catalogue. For a simple product job — a cabinet, wardrobe, door or window — you can go to ALUMAX directly. For anything that needs a written brief first, the specification service is the right starting point.

Do I still need a contractor if I buy a specification?

Yes. The specification does not carry out the work — it defines it. You take it to your own contractor or foreman, or to ALUMAX for supply, and everyone quotes and builds against the same approved scope. No production before an approved drawing.

Prepared by George Wong — Founder, ELSFormer senior research engineer, Fortune 500 · Based in Sibu, Sarawak
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Related ELS services

Every path starts the same way — the free Pre-Check tells you which one your project needs.

Renovation Design, Sibu

Style, layout and material direction settled before specification begins.

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Full House Renovation, Sibu

Whole-home renovation planned, specified and coordinated to one approved scope.

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Cabinet Specification Service

Core, hardware, moisture zone and service access — engineered, not guessed.

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Renovation Coordination, Sibu

One approved scope and a recommended trade sequence — the seams held together.

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Not sure which you need? Start with the free Pre-Check: about two minutes, and it suggests which service to ask about.

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Specify before you quote

Get a specification every contractor can quote from.

A written scope. Materials specified to each zone. Drawings for your approval before production is ordered.