Closing or Opening a Void
Double-Volume Spaces in Landed Houses (2026)

What a void is, and why owners change it

A void is an opening in the upper floor that makes the room below double-height: over the living hall, the entrance foyer or the staircase. Many semi-Ds, bungalows and newer double-storey terraces are sold with one because it looks generous and brings light from high windows into the middle of the house.

Living with it is a different matter. Owners usually want to close a void for one of four reasons: an extra bedroom or study upstairs, a living hall that is hard to keep cool, noise that carries from the hall into the bedrooms, or high windows and fittings that are hard to clean and maintain. Fewer owners go the other way and cut a new void, usually to bring daylight into a dark ground floor or to create a feature space over a new staircase.

Why this is structural work

A floor is not just boards laid across a gap. It needs beams that carry the load back to columns or load-bearing walls, and those must be able to take it all the way down to the foundations. Closing a void adds weight the original design may not have allowed for; opening one removes part of a slab that may be bracing the structure or carrying loads from above.

That is why a professional engineer has to check the existing structure and design the change before anything is bought or cut. ClickBina's guide to adding a second storey explains the same principle for a bigger job, and lists an engineer's site visit and report at RM1,500–RM3,000. A contractor builds to the engineer's drawings; it does not replace them.

Approval before work starts

Closing a void usually adds floor area, and opening one changes the structure, so both are treated as building works that need plans submitted to the local council. The add-second-storey guide notes that building without plan approval is a criminal offence with a fine of up to RM10,000, and that the council can order the work stopped or removed at the owner's cost. Unapproved works also cause trouble when you sell or refinance.

In a strata development, such as a landed strata scheme or a duplex condo, the management's written approval comes first. ClickBina's duplex and penthouse renovation guide covers the condo version of this job.

Ways to close a void

The engineer chooses the floor system to suit the span, the load and the existing structure. The common options are a reinforced concrete slab, a steel frame with a deck, or a lighter timber floor for short spans. ClickBina's mezzanine guide, which covers floors built inside high spaces, describes timber joists with plywood decking as the lowest-cost system for short spans and a steel I-beam frame for longer spans or heavier loads.

Opening a new void

Cutting a void into an existing floor is the riskier direction. The engineer decides where the slab can be cut, whether new beams or trimmers are needed around the opening, and how the floor is supported while it is cut. The edge of the new opening then needs a balustrade, and the rooms upstairs lose floor area.

Before committing, check whether a skylight, a bigger window or better lighting would solve the dark ground floor more cheaply. ClickBina's skylight cost guide compares those options for landed houses.

What it does to aircon, light and sound

• Aircon: a double-height room holds a lot of air and warm air collects at the top, so closing the void usually makes the hall easier to cool. Opening one does the reverse; size the units for the real volume.
• Daylight: closing a void can leave the ground floor darker if the high windows were its main light. Plan new lighting before the ceiling goes up.
• Sound: a void carries television and kitchen noise straight to the bedrooms; closing it cuts that path.
• Windows: tall windows that span the void may end up half in the new room and half in the hall below, which the layout and the facade have to deal with.

Lighting, wiring and the chandelier

Most voids have a pendant or chandelier hanging from the roof slab or the upper ceiling. Closing the void means taking it down and planning new points in the hall's new, lower ceiling. Opening one may mean a new high fitting, and ClickBina's chandelier and pendant light guide explains why the fixing, the point and the access cost more than the fitting: a fan or chandelier point reinforced to the slab is listed at RM150–RM480 per point, and a pendant or chandelier over a stairwell void at RM500–RM5,000 for the fitting alone.

Wiring for the new upstairs room, aircon points and any switches on the new floor should be laid while the floor and ceiling are open, not chased in afterwards.

Staircase and railings

Many voids sit beside or over the staircase, so the stair, its railing and the upstairs landing are part of the job. Closing a void can mean a new landing and a shorter railing; opening one means a new edge that must be guarded. ClickBina's mezzanine guide lists a powder-coated steel or timber balustrade at RM350–RM700 per running metre and a structural glass balustrade at RM900–RM1,800 per running metre. The staircase renovation cost guide covers the stair itself if it is being refreshed at the same time.

What the main pieces cost

A reinforced concrete slab, new beams or foundation work are priced from the engineer's design, so they are not in this table. Finishes on both sides of the new floor, the ceiling below and the flooring above, add to the structure.

Order of work

1. Decide what you want: a new room, a quieter or cooler hall, or more light.
2. Have a professional engineer inspect the structure and design the floor or the opening.
3. Submit plans and get council approval; in a strata scheme, get management approval first.
4. Protect the house, take down fittings in the void and set up safe access at height.
5. Build the structure to the engineer's drawings, with the engineer inspecting at the stages they set.
6. Lay wiring and aircon points, then ceilings, flooring, balustrades and finishes.

How ClickBina can help

ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination. Once a professional engineer has designed the new floor or the opening and the approvals are in place, the building work, wiring, ceilings, flooring, railings and finishes can be planned and quoted as one job. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the area, the property type, where the void is and what you want the space for. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina mezzanine floor cost guide — floor systems, engineer's fees, balustrade prices.
• ClickBina add a second storey guide — engineer's visit and report, plan approval and the penalty for skipping it.
• ClickBina duplex and penthouse renovation guide — the condo void, aircon in double-height rooms.
• ClickBina chandelier and pendant light guide — reinforced points and stairwell fittings.

How we estimated prices: every figure is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guide named beside it; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges, not a quotation. This page is general information, not structural or legal advice; a professional engineer decides whether and how your void can be closed or opened.