Tag / KEN Rimba
Many of you do know that I stay in Shah Alam, specifically, at the KEN Rimba township, which I wrote about way back in 2013, also the time when I placed my down payment to a unit at the place I now call home.
Well, the township has since grown quite a bit since many of us moved in several years back, with the KEN Rimba Condominium 1 residents being the latest batch to be joining the neighborhood.
A bit of re-cap on KEN Rimba township –
The community is set up at Seksyen 16 Shah Alam, and located just slightly over 1km from the i-City/UiTM exit. As for major highways, you can also get to NKVE in a few minutes, and with the West Coast Expressway now being built, accessibility will only get better.
The township itself has also certainly grown since I last moved here. There’s now a few convenient stores such as 99 Speedmart, 7-Eleven, and MyDin, there’s a 24 hour mamak, several restaurants (including a big Ana Ikan Bakar), 24 hour laundry, car wash, service centers, and more.
Additionally, within a few KM you’ll find the Taman Rashna Chinese School, Padang Jawa School, the above mentioned UiTM, KTM station, Shah Alam hospital, Pantai Hospital at Eng Ann, JPJ, JPN, and even a cinema (TSR Cineplex). With the huge iCity Mall being near completion and situated perfectly just 5 minutes away, the township is rather well served in terms of convenience.
Having stayed here the past 3 years or so, I came to appreciate the community and convenience at this area, slightly away from the super busy KL & PJ area to be able to anjoy the slightly quieter suburban life, but still within reasonable travel time even if you work in the city center.
On a more personal level, as someone who’s passionate about food, the location has also been pretty kind to me. Being just a short drive from Klang, I have since explored quite a few more breakfast bak kut teh places such as Kee Heong, Teong, and Teck Seong, expanding knowledge on one of my favorite dishes. Other nearby awesome food includes fatty meehun kuih, and poh piah at Eng Ann. Then there’s also the 24 hour ayam penyet place, Klang style red wine mee suah, and the most awesome apple strudel in Klang Valley too, so many hidden gems in this area.
Show unit of KEN Rimba Condominium 1
The good news is, there are some limited available units up for grabs at the KEN Rimba township, including both the Condominium 1 and landed houses.
For those who’re not familiar with KEN Rimba, I’ve made 3 different videos show casing KEN Condominium 1 with it’s interior, amnesties & facilities, as well as the township overall to show you how living in this place is about.
Check them out below & call the sales office at 03-7727 9933 or click https://kenrimbatownship.wasap.my to talk to the sales rep today.
This is Part 2 of our Garden Revamp project, part 1 can be found here, which I’ve forgotten to include the original design done by Haze on Sketch Up, it is now included in this post.
Garden Revamp Plan
We followed the design quite accurately, with the only difference being omission of the climber fence on the right bottom corner. We ended up planting kantan flower, lengkuas, and lemongrass on that particular plot, which does not warrant a climber fence.
building the water planter, aggregates, sand, cement
By far, the most difficult part of the project involved building the water planter, which serves three purposes:
- filtration system for the koi pond
- planter for water plants such as lily, lotus, kangkung etc.
- pond for edible fish (tilapia, soon hock)
We made some rough measurements on the red bricks, aggregate, cement, sand, wood, and BRC needed for the planter and went to the nearby hardware store to get the goods.
the second layer is a bit trickier
Concrete work started on the 8/5/2016 in the evening. It turned out to be quite an unfortunate timing as you must complete concrete pouring in one go, it started raining heavily half way through and gotten dark, we ended up working till past 10pm to get it done. Thankfully that was possible partly due to the lights we had bought for Mount Kinabalu hiking trip.
After the foundation is done, we built up the perimeter with red bricks and cement (1 part cement, 3 part sand mix). We’ve also added some pipings for water inlet (1.5″) & outlets (2 x 2″).
waterproofing turns out to be quite a challenge, we used Sika
To make the upper level of the planter, I laid out bricks to support the wooden mould and did the same concrete pour. Then it was another round of red bricks and cement.
The inside of the pond was done plastered with cement and then painted over with Sika waterproofing agent. Waterproofing took quite a number of iteration as our plastering job was quite corse and uneven, thanks to the lack of experience. Oh well.
Building the water planter took a month, but water proofing was another couple months since we took some time off in between.
holes for posts in preparation for climber plots
While building the water planter, we also built some fencing for climbers.
The poles were actually 1″ water pipes sourced from local hardware store. We dug 1 feet deep holes and cemented the poles in with concrete. They turned out to be quite sturdy.
we procured galvanized fencing and repainted them black
We then affixed galvanized fencing (with anti climb fence fixtures) by drilling some holes on the poles. The lesson learned here was on drill bits, always buy quality bits, I ended up spending so much effort drilling a couple holes with cheap bits while the more expensive Bosch bits did the job with ease.
We then painted the whole thing black to suit our color theme.
At this point the garden is some 80% done, awaiting piping & planting. Will update part 3 with a rough total material cost soon.
After successfully experimented with planting our own herbs and vegetable at home, we decided to actually have a garden that looks worthy of a house an artist live in. So earlier this year, Haze spent some time in coming up with a proper garden design, and we started our (eventually) 4 month long project on April this year.
While I showcased the new garden a little bit on this post, I thought having a series to properly document our journey would be nice.
grass removed, and design chalked on the ground
Haze wanted the garden to look beautiful, while I wanted a design that include a big water planter to replace the current plastic koi pond filtration system, plus something that isn’t overly too complex to DIY. That took quite a few weeks.
After finally landed on a design that satisfied both of our requirements, we started ground work in early April.
Rich was kind enough to lend us a rotavator that made removing the grass and turning the soil over a much easier job.
After clearing the land, we used some chalk to draw up the plan on site and went upstairs to take the first look on how it’ll look like.
using red bricks to confirm our design
Next, we bought some red bricks and lay them on the ground according to the design, then we started by preparing a couple planting beds ahead of time since we had some plants in pots that needs a permanent home while the garden revamp is in progress.
laying irrigation piping
Next was a crucial part which many gardeners fail to do – having proper irrigation system.
We buried the PVC pipes underground and made sure each planting bed has an outlet. This proved to be a great time saver and especially important if you’re not someone who’s going to be able to water the garden manually every single day.
Our watering system utilizes a timer so everything is done automatically once installed. I’ll end up channeling the water from fish pond to irrigate the garden.
stone pathway and planting beds
Next up was laying pathways on the plot. For this we actually put down some landscape fabric to prevent possible erosion of soil and to attempt to slow down potential growth of weed on the pathway. We used gravel on the semi-circle side and later topped up with smaller yellow pebbles for aesthetics.
old railway sleepers as pathway
For the pathway leading to the deck, we procured some abandoned railway sleepers and cut them to size. This was done using a circular saw and had to be cut from bottom and top. We actually used some mahjong paper to make samples shapes and make sure everything lined up too.
This step was quite a laborious task considering how heavy these woods were, but at the end we were very happy with the results.
Upcoming part two I’ll share the concrete work on water planter as well as the climber’s structure of our garden.
Ever since we moved to KEN Rimba, we have had to drive out for most of our meals, until very recently – the famed Ana Ikan Bakar Petai opened a branch literally right outside at our doorstep here in Shah Alam.
Ana Ikan Bakar Petai, now in Shah Alam
For the uninitiated, Ana Ikan Bakar Petai is a “brand” originated from Kuantan which also has a rather popular branch in Bangi. This is their 3rd outlet, occupying three shop lots, including upstairs & side walkway, a pretty big set up for the this otherwise pretty sleepy commercial area.
We’ve been to the place quite a few times since, it certainly is legit.
squid, prawns, crab, shellfish, and a variety of fish to choose from
At Ana Ikan Bakar, you get to choose from quite a variety of seafood – squid, lala, bamboo clams, prawns, blue crabs, sting ray, cencaru, siakap (barramundi), jenahak, garupa, and more. The price is per 100 gram (RM 3.50 – RM 7.00) is clearly stated on the display as well, so you know what you going to have to pay.
There are several cooking methods as well, with the most popular being bakar petai. If bakar isn’t what you want, you can have them masak cili, manis, halia, kicap, pedas, tiga rasa, asam pedas, lamprik, kerabu mangga, goreng kunyit, or steam limau, asam boi, or halia. Quite a number of permutations really.
pari & sotong with petai
On our first visit we had a ikan pari & sotong prepared the traditional bakar petai style. The fish was absolutely on point, super spicy with the hint of petai permeating from the sauce. As it is basically covered with the sauce, you really don’t need to have a separate condiment to go with. I also particularly like the texture of the fish here that is not overly cooked like many others.
all wrapped up in banana leaf, the only way!
The sotong bakar petai was pretty good too, but to be honest if you already have a bakar petai dish, it’s best to go with a different cooking method. On subsequent visits, we found out that the sotong is best deep fried, and they also serve very good ikan siakap steamed limau, with tiga rasa among their most popular orders as well.
keropok lekor, tomyam, lala, kailan ikan masin
Ana Ikan Bakar Petai serves more than just ikan bakar. There’s a full menu of traditional “goreng goreng” dishes. Their vegetable dishes are among the best I’ve had (try their kailan ikan masin), tomyam was good as well. There’s also other dishes such as various types of fried rice, meat, soup, etc.
Oh by the way, the lala is not worth ordering. Happy dining!
Address:
Ana Ikan Bakar Petai
No. 27, Jln Lengkuas B 16/B,
Ken Rimba, Seksyen 16,
40200 Shah Alam, Selangor
GPS: 3.055502, 101.484363
Tel: 017-791 0197, 018-321 4519
We officially moved into our KEN Rimba home a little over a year ago after going through the obligatory renovation period putting in our own touches to dress up the house the way we wanted it. We bought the house after learning about the project via an engagement with the developer for this write up on Sustainable Living at KEN Rimba a few years back.
our (almost) completed garden as of Q4 2016
One of the reasons we chose a corner unit is that we had wanted to make full use of the additional land on the side. The photo above is how our almost completed (pending lights) garden looks like as of current.
If you remember my Grow Your Own Herbs and Vegetable post from earlier of the year, you’d have noticed that our garden looks quite a bit different since then.
we actually DIY the whole garden, designed by Haze
The first version of the garden was a temporary solution. After a pretty long process of coming up with a design we both like, revamping was in progress by April.
We removed the grass, and started with putting in some railway sleepers as a curvy walking path to the pool area.
Then it was installation of power cables for lights later, and water piping for automatic irrigation system. Red bricks were used to mark the borders of walkways next.
building the water feature was the most labour intensive part
Then we installed some posts and started building the water feature with red bricks and concrete. This is the part that took the longest and also most labour intensive.
Waterproofing it alone took weeks of trials and re-applying even more water proofing agent. Luckily we got it all sorted out, the installation serves as a water planter as well as the filter for our koi pond.
We then procured some galvanised fencing and installed them to let creepers a wall to climb. We then installed the piping for the water planter and it was complete!
The whole project took slightly over four months as we worked mostly only during weekends afternoon. Everything was done by myself and Haze with zero hired help.
making full use of the extra land we have of the corner unit
We’re really happy on how it turns out, I think it’ll look much better at night when the lights are installed.
That’s how we utilised the 20 feet of land on the side. A pond, a pool, and now a proper garden.
corner unit with pool still available, always love the ambiance (Legian)
If you have your own 20 feet of land, what would you do with it?
The good news is, there are still corner units available at KEN Rimba, some of which comes with swimming pools as well.
Having a pool really gives the house that villa ambience, and it is also a pool that you don’t need to share with strangers.
master bedroom, guest room (ground), first room, 2nd room (show unit)
The corner units also come with extra two feet’s width in built up compared to intermediate units. There are three rooms upstairs and one on the ground floor. Enough for a family of 7 comfortably if you really want to maximise bed space, or use one as a study, a guestroom, or like us, a game/AV room.
living & dining room from the staircase column (show unit)
Every unit also comes with green features such as rain water harvesting tank. For corner units, that comes in really handy in watering your garden. We used ours to keep the koi pond filled up with rain water instead of tap water. I’ve yet to get a water bill at KEN Rimba.
Landscaping around the neighbourhood is well kept and it’ll get even better when the trees grow taller/bigger.
pretty mature but quiet neighbourhood at Legian
around the KEN Rimba neighbourhood
green is in
The corner units are priced from less than a million ringgit, if you’re in the market for a new home, this is a place to check out.
Website: http://www.kenholdings.com.my
Facebook: https://facebook.com/KEN.Greenbook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamCS10
Email: contact@kenholdings.com.my
Sales enquiries: 1300-22-9933
