Safety and convenience were two important criteria that prompted property owner Anwar Jumabhoy to move to Duta Nusantara in Sri Hartamas six years ago with his wife and four children.

"We lived in Bukit Damansara and were in the process of rebuilding a new house on our property," said Anwar, who is the director of operations for Tune Hotels.

Bungalow-like semi-dee Click on thumbnail to view

"We wanted to have a ready-built house with some facilities. A gated property, we thought, would be very safe and convenient."

Located down the road from Plaza Damas in Sri Hartamas, Duta Nusantara is right across from the new Home Affairs Ministry Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory (KL FT) Complex on Jalan Duta. The complex also houses the KL FT Immigration office.

Extensive renovations

This freehold, gated and guarded development was built on a site of 14ha (34.5 acres).

It comprises 42 detached houses and 136 semi-detached houses designed by a local architect.

The homes feature a tropical theme characterised by terraces, mini-courtyards (void areas), patios and skylights.

However, many property owners have embarked on extensive renovations to cover up the exposed areas to ensure greater privacy, security and more usable space.

Anwar and his family live in a double-storey, semi-detached unit with 390sq m (4,200sq ft) of built-up space on a 418sq m (4,500sq ft) plot.

"Most parts of the house have been renovated," pointed out Anwar, who is in his 50s, "Starting with the outside space. We tiled and covered the back porch, added a pergola and koi pond at the side of the house, outside the dining room."

The ground floor comprises a guest bedroom, living room, dining room, piano area as well as a dry kitchen, a separate wet kitchen and a room for the maids.

The first floor includes a television lounge, study area, master bedroom and three secondary bedrooms.

In total, there are four bedrooms on the first floor and one on ground floor.

Spacious The spacious car porch can accommodate a total of four cars and can double up as party space during festivals like Hari Raya Puasa when the family entertain friends and relatives.

"We expanded the maids' room. Most significantly, we removed the void area, installed a glass roof and expanded the floor space on the upper floor, which is now the study area. The houses were sold as a bare shell, so we put in all the built-in cabinets, lighting fixtures, electrical appliances and so on."

Added Anwar: "With the renovations, although a semi-detached unit, the house feels like a bungalow."

The monthly maintenance cost for a property like this in Duta Nusantara is RM880 (S$360.27), inclusive of sinking fund contribution.

Contemporary Art

In decorating their home, Anwar and his wife, Camille, have an eclectic taste as they are ardent collectors.

The numerous collectibles in the house include crystal figurines, antique furniture, carpets, sculptures and even an authentic stone rubbing from Angkor Wat.

But their prized possession must surely be their cache of artwork of top artists.

"We collect mainly Malaysian contemporary art and have tried to get a broad collection with figurative and abstract art. The reason for collecting is that my wife and I, both enjoy art and we thought living at this time in Malaysia, with art at reasonable prices, we should build a small collection that we and our children could enjoy," said Anwar.

"We have tried to get one or two artwork from different artists, so we have Latiff Mohidin, Dr Jolly Koh, Awang Damit, Juhari Said, Amron Omar, Yusof Ghani, Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Jailani Abu Hassan, Tajuddin Ismail, Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Zulkifli Yusoff, Chan Fee Ming and a few others."

Pakistani cuisine Anwar whose parents still live in Penang, credits his creative wife for coming up with sumptuous meals whenever they throw dinner parties at home.

"My wife is an excellent cook and as she is from Pakistan, our cuisine for dinner parties is normally Pakistani dishes. So mutton, chicken and beef dishes based on traditional recipes accompanied with basmati rice, chapatti, yoghurt or salad."

According to Anwar, the plus-points about living in Duta Nusantara is the tight security and convenient location with easy access to the NKVE, Jalan Kuching and Mont' Kiara.

"Of course, living in a gated and guarded community means that one does not have to worry about security issues. There is a pool, function room, playground and tennis court, so there are enough facilities to keep the kids occupied," said the father of four, referring to his children who are studying overseas, with the youngest at 19.

Next phase Preparing for the next phase in their life when their children leave the nest, Anwar and Camille intend to move back to their old neighbourhood in Bukit Damansara when their new home is completed.

And since they don't intend to keep two homes, they are willing to part with this house if the price is right.

"We are currently rebuilding our old house and intend to move there," explained Anwar:

The last transacted price for a similar property in the neighbourhood was RM4.2mil (S$1.72 million) but the asking price for Anwar's house is RM4.8mil because of the extensive renovations undertaken.