Villa and bungalow renovations in Auckland that keep the character and fix the rest.

A villa and a bungalow come from different eras and were built differently, so a character renovation starts with knowing which one you have and what has been done to it since.

The Grey Lynn villa dates from the early 1900s. It kept its character at the street while the rear was completely reworked: open-plan living under a skylight, a deck, and a glassed outdoor room with a built-in bar. EMA Architects designed it.

Challinor, in Mt Albert, is a bungalow. Its 2020 renovation, designed by Pearson & Associates, brought the kitchen, dining and living into one open-plan space that opens to a deck and a saltwater pool, with three bedrooms, two tiled bathrooms and a separate studio. Mt Albert is also where our office is.

The approach is the same each time. Work out what the house is, keep what earns its place, and change the parts that no longer suit the way you live.

Many Auckland villas and bungalows sit under the Special Character Areas overlay in the Auckland Unitary Plan, or under a heritage overlay. That can mean resource consent for external changes, additions and demolition, on top of any building consent.

The rules are changing, so check your address on Auckland Council's Unitary Plan viewer and talk to a planner before you commit to a design. Finding out early costs far less than redesigning later.

Building consent is its own question. Structural changes, new plumbing and drainage usually need it, and so does a reclad, because recladding is Restricted Building Work. That matters on a character home whose cladding has reached the end of its life.

Indicative 2026 Auckland ranges put high-end renovation at roughly $3,500 to $7,500 per square metre, and a comprehensive high-spec renovation of 120 to 200sqm at about $350,000 to $600,000 or more. Treat these as a rough guide, not a quote. On a pre-1940s villa or bungalow, allow a contingency closer to 20 percent, because asbestos, rot and galvanised plumbing are common once the linings are off.

Kitchens, bathrooms and a rear extension are often where the budget goes, and each has its own page. If you are still weighing up a villa, our article on renovating a character villa covers what to know first.