Room Decision System

Doors, windows & screens

The doors, windows and screens that let in light and air and keep the weather and insects out — and the hardware that makes them lock, seal and last.

Each decision below is shown three ways — what it changes in use, which way it moves the cost, and how it looks. Price-free; ALUMAX confirms the figure.

Room

Specialists: Aluminium doors & windows · ALUMAX cabinet & joinery

Internal doors

SpecialistAluminium doors & windowsProduct decisionConfigure & price

Specialist tradeELS specifies

Hollow-core flush doorBaseline
Solid-core / moulded doorEssentialLow
Glazed / framed-glass doorSignatureModerate
Feature pivot / concealed-frame doorBespokeHigh

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Hollow-core flush door

In use: The light, low-cost bedroom door — fine in dry rooms, but it dents easily and offers little sound or moisture resistance.
Cost impact: Baseline — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A plain flush leaf, paint-grade; the default, unremarkable door.

Solid-core / moulded door

In use: Heavier and quieter, with better sound privacy for bedrooms and studies; it holds hardware better and lasts longer.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A more substantial door with a moulded or flat face; feels solid to open and close.

Glazed / framed-glass door

In use: Borrows daylight between rooms and opens up a dark corridor; obscured glass keeps privacy where it is needed.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A slim-framed glass door — light passes through, the space feels bigger and more considered.

Feature pivot / concealed-frame door

In use: An oversized pivot or concealed-frame door makes a design statement at the entrance or a key room; the most joinery and hardware.
Cost impact: High — specialist quotation required
How it looks: A tall, frameless-looking leaf that reads as architecture, not just a door — the most premium opening.

Take this into your room plan

Insect screens

SpecialistAluminium doors & windowsProduct decisionConfigure & price

ALUMAX productELS specifies

No screensIncluded
Fixed mesh screenEssentialModest uplift
Retractable / pleated screenSignatureNotable uplift

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

No screens

In use: None fitted — you keep windows shut against mosquitoes and dengue risk, losing the natural breeze.
Cost impact: Included
How it looks: Nothing added to the window — the cleanest glass.

Fixed mesh screen

In use: A fitted mesh lets you open windows for breeze while keeping insects out — important against dengue in Sarawak; simple and cheap.
Cost impact: Modest uplift — Screens by the aluminium trade; priced by ALUMAX or the supplier.
How it looks: A discreet mesh panel within the frame; barely visible from inside.

Retractable / pleated screen

In use: The mesh rolls or folds away when not needed — good on doors and large openings you pass through; smooth daily use.
Cost impact: Notable uplift — A retractable screen system; priced by ALUMAX or the supplier.
How it looks: The screen disappears when retracted, so the opening reads clean when it is not in use.

Estimate these windows Take this into your room plan

Windows & glazing

SpecialistAluminium doors & windowsProduct decisionConfigure & price

ALUMAX productELS specifies

Keep existing windowsIncluded
Aluminium casement / top-hungEssentialModest uplift
Sliding / large glazedSignatureNotable uplift
Laminated / performance glazingBespokeSignificant uplift

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Keep existing windows

In use: Reuse what is there — no cost, but old aluminium or timber frames may leak air, water and noise, and warp in the humidity.
Cost impact: Included
How it looks: The existing frames and proportions are kept as-is.

Aluminium casement / top-hung

In use: The Sarawak standard — powder-coated aluminium resists corrosion and termites, opens for breeze and seals against monsoon rain.
Cost impact: Modest uplift — Aluminium windows by the aluminium trade; priced by ALUMAX or the installer.
How it looks: Clean powder-coated frames in your chosen colour; crisp, durable openings.

Sliding / large glazed

In use: Wide sliding panels bring in light and a view and open a room to a balcony or yard; tracks and drainage are detailed for driving rain.
Cost impact: Notable uplift — A sliding glazed system; priced by ALUMAX or the installer.
How it looks: Broad glass panels and slim frames — the wall opens up; the most light and the best view.

Laminated / performance glazing

In use: Heavier frames with laminated or insulated glass cut heat, noise and UV and add security — best on a west face or a noisy road; the most spec.
Cost impact: Significant uplift — A performance glazing system; priced by ALUMAX after measurement.
How it looks: Substantial, precise frames and deep glass; a quiet, cool, resolved envelope.

Estimate these windows Take this into your room plan

Hidden / concealed door

SpecialistALUMAX cabinet & joineryProduct decisionConfigure & price

ALUMAX productELS specifies

Flush jib doorEssentialModest uplift
Bookcase / shelf doorBespokeSignificant uplift
Mirror doorSignatureNotable uplift
Panel-matched concealed doorSignatureNotable uplift
Touch-latch handleless doorEssentialModest uplift

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Flush jib door

In use: A frameless leaf set flush with the wall on concealed hinges with a push or touch release, so it reads as solid wall until you open it. Build it on a moisture-stable, termite-resistant core with fully sealed edges — Sarawak humidity swells a natural-timber leaf until it binds and jams in its frame.
Cost impact: Modest uplift — The baseline concealed door — a flush leaf on hidden hinges; priced by ALUMAX.
How it looks: Disappears into the wall — the same paint or finish runs straight across, broken only by a hairline reveal. The quietest way to hide a doorway.

Bookcase / shelf door

In use: A full shelf unit that pivots or swings open on heavy-duty hardware — a favourite for a study, store or private room. Because a loaded carcass is heavy, it needs a robust pivot and a moisture-resistant frame that will not sag, rack or drop out of alignment in the humidity.
Cost impact: Significant uplift — A structural pivoting bookcase on a heavy-duty mechanism; confirmed by ALUMAX after measurement.
How it looks: The most theatrical concealment — a wall of books or display that opens as a door. Nobody reads it as an entrance.

Mirror door

In use: A concealed leaf faced in mirror that doubles as a full-length looking glass and bounces daylight deeper into the room. Near a bathroom or wet zone, specify a moisture-sealed backing and sealed edges so Sarawak humidity and condensation cannot creep behind the silvering and black-spot it.
Cost impact: Notable uplift — A mirror-faced leaf built over a concealed door; priced by ALUMAX.
How it looks: Reads as a mirrored panel, not a door — it expands a narrow hallway or bedroom and lifts the light. Seamless and space-making.

Panel-matched concealed door

In use: The door face is clad in the same wall panelling — fluted timber, veneer, slat or composite — so the grain, reeding and joint lines run unbroken across it. Alignment is everything, so panels and substrate must be dimensionally stable; in humidity a mismatched material opens gaps at the seams.
Cost impact: Notable uplift — Matched panelling carried across the leaf and precisely aligned; priced by ALUMAX.
How it looks: The seam vanishes into the panel rhythm — fluting or grain continues as though the wall were never cut. A refined, architectural concealment.

Touch-latch handleless door

In use: A push-to-open touch latch means no handle at all — press the leaf and it releases, so nothing breaks the surface. Set the reveal a touch generously: a leaf that swells slightly in Sarawak humidity must still clear and re-latch cleanly, and the latch itself should be corrosion-resistant.
Cost impact: Modest uplift — A push-to-open latch fitted to a concealed leaf; priced by ALUMAX.
How it looks: The purest handleless read — an unbroken plane with no pull, no plate, no line. Touch it and the wall opens.

See the range on ALUMAX Take this into your room plan

Internal door handles, hinges & seals

SpecialistALUMAX cabinet & joineryProduct decisionConfigure & price

Specialist tradeELS specifies

Basic handle setBaseline
Lever-on-rose + concealed hingesSignatureLow
Perimeter seals + soft-closeBespokeModerate

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Basic handle set

In use: Standard lever handles on a backplate with ordinary butt hinges — everything a bedroom or bathroom door needs to latch, lock and swing. It does the job day to day, though lighter finishes can dull or spot over time in humid coastal air, and the door meets its frame across a plain open gap. Expect the familiar feel of a builder-grade door: functional and unfussy, with nothing that draws the hand or the eye.
Cost impact: Baseline — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Reads as a normal door from across the room — clean and unremarkable. The hinge knuckles show along the frame edge, which is completely standard.

Lever-on-rose + concealed hinges

In use: A lever set on a compact round rose sits more precisely in the hand, and concealed hinges let the door hang flush and be fine-tuned so it swings true and stays aligned as timber moves with the seasons. With nothing exposed on the frame edge, there is less hardware to catch dust or wipe around, which suits humid rooms. Day to day the door simply feels tighter and better sorted every time you use it.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Cleaner and quieter to the eye — the small rose reads as a deliberate detail, and with the hinges hidden the closed door shows an unbroken line down the frame.

Perimeter seals + soft-close

In use: Compression seals run around the frame so the door closes against a continuous soft edge instead of an open gap, cutting more of the corridor, rain and household noise that carries under and around an ordinary door — noticeably quieter, without promising silence. Soft-close hardware catches the door in the last stretch so it settles shut on its own rather than banging, sparing sleeping children and slamming in an evening breeze. Where a rated level matters it is specified against the doorset manufacturer's tested specification, and the seals also hold back draughts and dust.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: Looks all but identical from across the room — the seals tuck into the frame rebate and the closer stays hidden — so the difference is felt in the hand and the hush, not seen.

Take this into your room plan

Entrance door locking & access

SpecialistALUMAX cabinet & joineryProduct decisionConfigure & price

Specialist tradeELS coordinates

Cylinder deadboltBaseline
Mortice multi-point lockSignatureLow
Digital smart lockBespokeModerate

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Cylinder deadbolt

In use: Day to day this is a straightforward key-in-and-turn lock that throws a single bolt into the frame. It does the everyday job of securing the door, and copes with Sibu's humidity as long as the cylinder is kept clean and lightly lubricated. One turn, one point of hold, quick to use and simple to re-key if a key is lost.
Cost impact: Baseline — specialist quotation required
How it looks: From the corridor it reads as a normal keyed entrance, a single escutcheon and handle with nothing that signals a security upgrade. The difference between this and the tiers above is felt in the hardware, not seen on the door face.

Mortice multi-point lock

In use: Turning the key or lifting the handle throws several bolts into the frame at once, top, centre and bottom, so the door is pulled tight along its whole height. In daily use it feels more solid to close and sits flatter against the frame, and the fuller engagement helps the leaf resist warping and rattling in heavy rain and wind. More points to force means it is harder to lever open, and the tighter seal also cuts a little more of the corridor and weather noise.
Cost impact: Low — specialist quotation required
How it looks: On the door face it reads almost the same as a standard lock, the same single handle and keyway, so nothing announces the upgrade. What changes is along the edge of the leaf, where the extra locking points sit hidden inside the frame.

Digital smart lock

In use: Everyday entry becomes keyless, with a code, fingerprint or phone unlocking the door, and it can auto-lock behind you so the house is never left open by accident. This suits a household where several people come and go, or letting in a cleaner or relative without cutting a spare key. In a humid coastal climate keep the battery and sensors maintained, and keep a mechanical key backup for a power or battery failure.
Cost impact: Moderate — specialist quotation required
How it looks: This is the one option you can actually see, a keypad or touch panel replacing the plain keyway and giving the entrance a more contemporary, considered face. Choose a finish that sits with the door and handle rather than fighting them.

Take this into your room plan

Window operation & locking

SpecialistALUMAX cabinet & joineryProduct decisionConfigure & price

ALUMAX productELS specifies

Standard latchIncluded
Friction stays + lockable handleSignatureModest uplift
Multi-point lockingBespokeNotable uplift

Your choice · Whole home

See what each option changes

Standard latch

In use: A single cam handle swings the sash shut and holds it there — the operation almost everyone already knows, worked easily with one hand. Upkeep is minimal: an occasional wipe and a drop of lubricant keeps it smooth through Sibu's humidity. Security and sealing rest on that one catch point, so in wind-driven rain the sash can rattle a little more than a locked, multi-point setup.
Cost impact: Included — Supplied and installed by ALUMAX.
How it looks: A slim, unobtrusive handle that sits close to the frame — the standard, quiet look you would expect on any aluminium window.

Friction stays + lockable handle

In use: Friction stays let the sash hold steady at whatever angle you set, so a sudden gust or an evening breeze will not swing it wide or bang it shut — handy on upper floors and along breezy terrace corridors. The handle takes a key, so a window left ajar for airflow can still be locked against a reaching hand. Day to day it feels more controlled and reassuring than a plain latch, with the stay arms wanting only an occasional clean to keep grit out.
Cost impact: Modest uplift — Hardware supplied and fitted by ALUMAX.
How it looks: From the street it still reads as an ordinary window — the stays tuck into the reveal and the handle is only a touch more substantial. The difference is felt in use, not seen.

Multi-point locking

In use: One turn of the handle drives several bolts into the frame at once, pulling the whole sash tight against its seals instead of holding it at a single point. Pressed evenly all round, the window sits more weathertight against wind-driven rain and cuts more of the road and downpour noise from outside — noticeably quieter, though not silent. It is also markedly harder to force, which matters on ground-floor and easily reached openings, and the handle action feels solid and deliberate every time.
Cost impact: Notable uplift — The locking system is supplied and installed by ALUMAX.
How it looks: Looks identical from outside — the same clean handle, no extra visible ironmongery. What changes is the seal and the sense of security you feel each time it closes.

Estimate the window Take this into your room plan

Each decision's badge shows who supplies it. A real figure belongs only to what ALUMAX supplies; appointed-trade works — electrical, air-conditioning, ceiling, flooring, painting, data and security — are quoted by the trade, and loose items are the owner's own purchase. ELS specifies and coordinates throughout. Cost is a relative direction only, never a price; maintenance is described in each option's “In use”.

Zoom out

Not sure which product — or want the whole scope priced?

Find my best-fit product Estimate my whole project

← All decision domains Previous: Power, data & security Next: Surfaces Configure Your Room