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Rawhitiroa renovation in Kohimarama, the enlarged kitchen and dining

Rawhitiroa · Kohimarama renovation

Renovations · Auckland

Home renovations in Auckland, done properly from first quote to final coat.

Major renovations and extensions to character and high-end homes across Auckland. Our Rawhitiroa renovation took the National Supreme Renovation of the Year at Master Builders House of the Year 2023.

What a renovation really involves

An old house will tell you what it needs. Usually once the linings are off.

01

Find the surprises first

Older homes hide things. We open up early, sort structure, services and consents up front, and price the real job, not a guess that grows mid-build.

02

Keep what's worth keeping

Character stays where it earns its place. On the Grey Lynn villa the street frontage kept its original face, while the rear was reworked and opened to the sun and the garden.

03

A build that fits around your life

We stage the work, keep the site tidy and secure, and walk you through progress every week, so the renovation runs around your household instead of taking it over.

Renovations we have completed

All projects and awards
Rawhitiroa renovation
Master Builders House of the Year 2023 National Supreme Renovation of the YearMaster Builders House of the Year 2023 National Category WinnerMaster Builders House of the Year 2023 Gold AwardMaster Builders House of the Year 2023 Gold Reserve, national Top 100

Kohimarama

Rawhitiroa

Challinor renovation, Mt Albert

Mt Albert

Challinor

Grey Lynn villa renovation
Master Builders House of the Year 2018 Gold AwardMaster Builders House of the Year 2018 Gold Reserve, national Top 100

Grey Lynn

Grey Lynn

Mt Eden alteration

Mt Eden

Mt Eden

Remuera renovation and addition

Remuera

Remuera

What we take on

Home renovations we take on across Auckland

We take on major renovations to character and high-end Auckland homes, and most of them are several jobs at once. A new kitchen usually means moving a wall, and moving a wall usually means the structure.

Rawhitiroa in Kohimarama was a 460sqm masonry home reworked around a 60sqm extension, with steel beams in place of structural walls and all three bathrooms rebuilt. Challinor in Mt Albert was a full bungalow renovation: an open-plan kitchen, dining and living opening to a deck and a saltwater pool, two tiled bathrooms and a separate studio.

On a villa or bungalow, the job is keeping what gives the house its character and changing what no longer works. On the Grey Lynn villa that meant keeping the street front and reworking the rear (more in villa and bungalow renovations). If you need more room, the extension is best worked out together with the inside of the house, not bolted on afterwards (see house extensions). And if it is one room, we do bathrooms and kitchens on their own too.

We also reclad. Recladding is Restricted Building Work, so it is consented and run like any other major job.

How it runs

How a renovation runs, from first call to handover

It starts with a call to Finn, who prices the job and runs it. Tell him what the house is and where your thinking is up to, and if it looks like a fit he comes out to see it. We charge for that first visit, because it is real work: he looks at what the structure, services and ground will actually allow, and that is what makes the price that follows a real one.

On an older house we open up early where we can, so the surprises turn up while they still cost least to deal with, and we price the real scope rather than a hopeful one. Structural work, new plumbing and drainage usually need building consent, and a character or heritage overlay can add resource consent for changes to the outside. If something changes once we start, it is priced and agreed before it is done.

If you are staying in the house, we stage the work around you. A project manager runs the day to day alongside Finn, and the job is handed over once council issues the Code Compliance Certificate.

Cost, 2026

What a home renovation costs in Auckland

As a rough 2026 guide, a high-end Auckland renovation runs about $3,500 to $7,500 per square metre, with premium finishes past $5,500. Treat these as industry averages, not a quote. Every price is subject to site specifics.

Comprehensive renovation, 120 to 200sqm: $350,000 to $600,000+

Extensions: $3,500 to $8,000 per sqm

Mid-range kitchen: $35,000 to $60,000 excl GST

Mid-range bathroom: $25,000 to $40,000

Structure and finish move the number more than floor area: walls coming out, drainage moving, the joinery and glazing, and the state of the house you start with. On a pre-1940s home, allow a contingency closer to 20 percent. Finn prices the actual scope once it is clear.

Where we work

Where we renovate in Auckland

We renovate mainly in central and eastern Auckland, from our office in Mt Albert. Recent renovations are in Kohimarama, Remuera, Grey Lynn, Mt Eden and Mt Albert, and each suburb brings its own housing stock, ground conditions and overlay rules.

KohimaramaRemueraGrey LynnMt EdenMt AlbertPt Chevalier

At a glance

Based in
Mount Albert, Auckland
What we do
Major renovations and extensions to character and high-end homes
Service area
Kohimarama, Remuera, Grey Lynn, Mt Eden, Mt Albert, Pt Chevalier and across Auckland
Experience
Building since 1994. Master Builders House of the Year across five competition years, including the 2023 National Supreme.

Behind every Glenbuild job

Who you are dealing with, and what stands behind the work.

Master Build 10-Year Guarantee

Available if you want it. Applied for when you sign the contract.

A Master Builders House of the Year record

Awarded work across five competitions from 2009 to 2023, including the 2023 National Supreme Renovation of the Year.

Building since 1994

Thirty years under the same name, and Finn still takes the first call, prices the job, and is on site through the build.

Common questions

Renovations: the questions that come up first.

What kind of renovations do you do?

Major renovations and extensions to character and high-end homes, not small cosmetic work. That covers whole-house renovations, extensions, villas and bungalows, kitchens and bathrooms, and reclads. The Rawhitiroa renovation in Kohimarama is the reference project: a 460sqm masonry home reworked around a new 60sqm extension.

What does a home renovation cost in Auckland?

Industry averages for Auckland in 2026 put a high-end renovation at roughly $3,500 to $7,500 per square metre, with premium finishes past $5,500. A comprehensive high-spec renovation of 120 to 200sqm typically runs $350,000 to $600,000 or more. They are a guide, not a quote: structure, layout changes and finish level move the number more than floor area, and Finn prices the actual scope once it is clear.

Can you renovate a villa without losing its character?

Yes, and on a character home that is usually the brief. On the Grey Lynn villa, an early-1900s house, the street frontage kept its character while the rear was completely reworked into open-plan living under a skylight, with a glassed outdoor room and a built-in bar. It took Regional Gold and a national Top 100 place in 2018.

Do I need consent to renovate?

Usually yes for structural work, plumbing and drainage, though Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 exempts some minor work, such as like-for-like bathroom work within the existing room. Exempt work still has to comply with the Building Code.

What are heritage and special character rules in Auckland?

Many Auckland villas and bungalows sit under the Auckland Unitary Plan's Special Character Areas overlay or a heritage overlay, which can require resource consent for external changes, additions and demolition. The rules are changing, so check your address on Auckland Council's Unitary Plan viewer and confirm with a planner. In practice, character work is usually kept at the front and the change happens at the rear.

How do you price a renovation when nobody knows what is behind the walls?

By opening it up early rather than guessing. Older homes hide their surprises in the structure, the services and the ground, and the honest approach is to expose the real scope and price it, rather than discovering it mid-build and pricing it under pressure. On a pre-1940s home, cost guides suggest a contingency closer to 20 percent.

Can I live in the house during the renovation?

Sometimes, depending on the scope and how the work can be staged. Where it is possible, Glenbuild stages the work, keeps the site tidy and secure, and keeps you informed week to week. Where the scope makes it impractical, it is better to know that at pricing rather than three weeks in.

Do you work with the client's architect?

Yes, on almost every job. Rawhitiroa was designed by Neu Architecture, the Grey Lynn villa by EMA Architects, and the Challinor renovation in Mt Albert by Pearson & Associates. Glenbuild prices and builds from their drawings.

Do you do extensions as well as renovations?

Yes, and often together. Rawhitiroa was a 60sqm extension to a 460sqm home, done as one piece of work with the internal reworking, so the new part and the old part were resolved together rather than bolted on. Indicative 2026 Auckland ranges put most extensions at about $3,500 to $8,000 per square metre.

How do I start a renovation with Glenbuild?

Send an enquiry describing the house and where your thinking is up to, or call Finn directly. Finn reads them himself, and will be straight with you about the heritage constraints and the budget before you commit to anything. Send an enquiry

Further reading

Renovating a character villa in Auckland: what to know before you start

Renovate or rebuild? How to decide on an Auckland home

Building consent for a renovation in Auckland: what needs one and how long it takes

Weighing up a renovation?

Tell us what the house is and where your thinking is up to. Finn reads these himself.

Tell us about the buildCall Finn on +64 21 977 470