Renovation contractors in Kuching, from first wall to final coat.

Ask for the CIDB registration and the SSM company number and check them yourself — CIDB runs a public contractor search and SSM records show whether the company exists and who owns it. In Sarawak, contractors also register with UPKJ. NATHFRA GROUP (M) SDN. BHD. is registered with CIDB, with UPKJ and with the Ministry of Finance Malaysia; we give the registration numbers and the CIDB grade in writing before a contract is signed rather than publishing them on a page where they cannot be checked against the certificate.

Internal renovation that does not touch the structure normally does not. Extensions, structural alterations, a new car porch, a raised boundary wall or anything that changes the building footprint normally does, and the submission goes to whichever authority your address falls under — DBKU for Kuching North, MBKS for Kuching South, or Padawan Municipal Council outside the two city areas. We arrange the drawings and the submission as part of the contract.

A single room such as a kitchen or a bathroom is usually a few weeks. A full strip-out and refit of a terrace house typically runs two to four months, depending on whether the roof, the wiring and the plumbing are being replaced. The programme is dated in the contract before work starts, so the schedule is something you can hold us to rather than an estimate given over the phone.

We work across Greater Kuching — Saradise, Stutong, Tabuan Jaya, Batu Kawa, Matang, Petra Jaya and Kota Samarahan — and take work further out in Siburan, Bau and Serian by arrangement. Our office is at Block B2 Saradise, Jalan Saradise.

A contractor builds to a plan you already have; a designer produces the concept, the visuals and the material selections and then manages the trades, which in Malaysia typically adds 30–60% to the same scope of work. If you know roughly what you want, or you already have drawings, going direct to a contractor is cheaper. We build from your drawings, from your designer’s drawings, or from a sketch and a list of what each room has to do.

Sometimes. If the work is confined to one floor or to the rear of the house it can be phased so you keep a kitchen and a bathroom in use. A full rewire or a re-roof means moving out for that stage — we will tell you which it is at the quote, not halfway through.

Handover is a joint inspection with a snag list, and the snags are cleared before the final payment is released. After that a defects liability period runs — commonly six to twelve months for renovation work, set in the contract — during which we come back and fix what emerges at no charge. The retention sum is held until it ends, which is what makes coming back worth our while rather than a favour.