IT is amazing what a simple push of a PH (penthouse) button on an elevator can represent. It is even more amazing, how much a small class of property purchasers in the country is willing to pay to get that elevated feeling. High-rise dwellers understand this concept only too well.

When it comes to living at the top, the view counts. The higher you are, the better the view and the deeper you need to dig into your pocket. This, in a nutshell, is the simple reasoning that makes penthouse living a commercially lucrative venture for builders.

But what is it that drives the penchant for penthouse living? Clearly, what it has been associated with for decades – status and prestige. While there is enough room for such sentiments, increasingly, people are opting for a room at the top for other reasons.

Security with all the facilities of condominium living, privacy and a larger floor size are some features which have hitherto been overlooked, but are becoming deciding factors for that switch. A change of lifestyle from bungalow to high-rise is another reason for the move up to higher floors as the nest breaks up.

A quick check on what prompted penthouse dwellers to make that switch. ''A bungalow does not give security, although it has the space,'' says one such high-rise dweller.

Another says he wanted the privacy while the view was a bonus. ''There's no privacy living on the lower floors.''

Depending on location, a medium to high-end penthouse unit could fetch a rental of RM10,000 to RM25,000 a month. In terms of a sale, it could be around the price of a bungalow.

Penthouse living started about 40 years ago in the US when the first high-rise was built. Because of the view and privacy it offers, the term ''penthouse'' was used to mean a premium unit, says architect Tan Loke Mun and director of Archicentre Sdn Bhd.

''Originally, it was used to mean the top of a building. When a block of high-rise was built, the premium unit is usually located at the top because as construction goes up, the top few floors carry less weight.

''In terms of design, it has a different column configuration from the units below, which makes it possible to have a duplex or a three-storey unit. This combination of factors makes it a premium unit,'' says Tan.

Malaysians' changing lifestyle and their preference for larger built-up areas have resulted in condominium units becoming larger, which in turn, feed the trend for larger penthouses, says Sunrise Bhd's head of marketing and sales Lee Meng Tuck.

''And we are ready to serve this market. It is not so much an issue of upgrading from a bungalow to a penthouse, but a change of lifestyle,'' Lee says, adding that the company tests the demands of the market with the launching of each phase.

Sunrise started developing Mont' Kiara area in Kuala Lumpur 12 years ago and has carved a name for high-rise living.

''We have come to the stage where we are confident to put out in the market penthouses ranging from 6,000 sq ft to 8,700 sq ft with prices ranging from RM2.8 million to RM4.2 million,'' says Lee.

A larger built-up and the option to customise the place according to one's needs are some of the options offered by Sunrise in its Damai project. In fact, the time has come when it need not even be a penthouse if floor space is all that matters.

The 230-unit Damai project offers standard units that range from 2,300 sq ft (rounded up to nearest 100) to 3,300sq ft and super deluxe units of around 6,000sq ft.

''They are not penthouse units in the sense that they are not located at the top of the block but in terms of size, they fit the bill of many who only want the floor space. For some of the units, buyers have the option to configure the floor plan. Is it going to be a three-room, or a four-room unit? How large are the rooms going to be? The buyers decide,'' Lee says.

''We came up with this extra-large concept because we wanted to convert landed property folks to high-rise dwellers. Another strategy is to provide facilities that match their lifestyle. If the standard units are this big, it’s only natural to have the penthouse at 6,000sq ft and above.''

Lee says a person who can pay RM1 million for a semi-detached would want four rooms in a built-up of about 3,000sq ft; 5,000sq ft is about equivalent to the size of a small bungalow. Transfer that to something in the air, and you would have the view and pool to boot.

Says Lee: ''The penthouse market is a very different market compared to landed property and even the standard condominium unit market. The price is also not determined by the lower units but by the size and it should have more features than the normal standard unit. That's what makes it a premium unit.

''Here we are talking about a place that one can show off to friends and relatives. For some, it's a status thing, a symbol that one has arrived. For others, as in retirees, it is only practical as the family house becomes too large after the children have grown up and have their own homes.''

Lee, who is also the principal of Kiara Realty, the company promoting Sunrise projects, says between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of his penthouse sales will be owner-occupied, and 90 per cent Malaysian-owned.

''The people who buy penthouses are not the usual walk-ins. They come with specific needs, having decided on the size and community they want to call home.

''Most of them come from single-income families, have their own businesses and are guys who are 40 and above. Some of them are retirees, who prefer single-storey units as opposed to duplex or triple-storey units,'' says Lee.

Whether it is men in their prime, or past their prime, the climb up the stairs may be tiring if the lift ever breaks down. With a reputable developer, that problem may not be encountered. But with a less than reputable one, it will be an expensive, not to mention, tiring climb up to the room at the top of the stairs.