From the moment Renee bought her art deco property in Onehunga, she knew it had potential. While it was full of charm and personality, over time the reality of living in it started to wear her down. The house was cold, cramped, and dark, and instead of feeling like a place to relax, it became somewhere she didn’t enjoy spending time in. With just her and her little dog Sookie at home, she wanted a space she could retreat to, somewhere warm, open, and uplifting that she could truly enjoy day to day.
Having owned the property since 2012, Renee had built up enough equity to start addressing these frustrations. But like many people tackling their first major renovation on their own, she was nervous. There were a lot of unknowns, and the fear of getting it wrong or overspending weighed heavily on her.
Although we had completed an initial consultation with her, those concerns led her to try a lower cost option with another architect. A few months later, she came back to us. The experience hadn’t met her expectations, and she didn’t feel confident the right outcome was being achieved.
When we picked things back up with Renee, the focus was simple. We needed to fully understand what mattered most to her and create a plan that delivered on that without unnecessary cost or complexity.
We worked closely with her to:
• Understand what she loved about her existing home and what her must haves were
• Design a layout that achieved those priorities without overcomplicating the build
• Provide clear, detailed pricing so she knew exactly what was achievable within her budget
Along the way, we made practical suggestions to help bring her vision within reach. This included exploring alternative aluminium cladding options, working through the cost of renovating the existing bathroom so she could make an informed decision, and refining the layout and roof design to improve both street appeal and cost efficiency.
Once the design direction was locked in, our team took over from working drawings right through to construction, making the process significantly easier for Renee. Instead of trying to coordinate multiple consultants and trades, she had one team guiding her through each step, giving her confidence in both the decisions being made and what was coming next.
The extension and renovation completely transformed how the home functioned. We added two bedrooms, including a spacious master suite, finally giving Renee and Sookie the retreat they deserved. Within the existing home, we removed a dividing wall between the living area and the smallest bedroom and opened up the kitchen to create a much more functional open plan layout with the indoor outdoor flow she had been craving. A new front entry and sun filled hallway brought natural light deep into the home, turning what was once dark and closed off into something bright and welcoming.
Like many Onehunga home extension projects, the excavation phase had a few surprises of the rock variety. So unfortunately the builders had quite a bit more work to do than what we had first anticipated. Never doubt our commitment. This is one of the reasons why we always include a monetary allowance for excavations in our fixed price, it is the most uncertain phase of construction as you don’t know exactly what you are going to find until you start digging. Making a generous allowance means we can limit variations while accounting for risk. The worst that happens is a small variation that is a manageable adjustment as opposed to a stressful shock and the best case scenario is that we’re able to give you a credit that you can put towards something else. In Renee’s case she had a small variation of about $2,500.00 + GST. This was communicated clearly and early to Renee, so she knew exactly what was happening and that we were doing our best to limit this variation for her, keeping additional costs to a minimum.
The only other challenge that we experienced during the build which was a first for us, was our builder Steve injuring his back quite badly during the framing stage of the extension. It was meant to be one of, if not his final swan song before retirement but it became clear quite quickly that it wasn’t going to be in anybody’s interests for him to continue with the build, as progress did slow quite dramatically. Situations like this can create real stress and a lot of uncertainty, especially if you are dealing with an independent operator, but because of our fixed price structure Renee didn’t pay a single dollar more. We moved another crew onto site that had been working at a project a couple of suburbs over for us as soon as possible and things progressed quickly. In the end the beautiful workmanship of John and his crew was one of the highlights of the construction experience for Renee.
As the project came together, all of the little details that Renee had been thinking about for years finally found their place. The statement bathroom tiles that she fell in love with watching The Block, the black aluminium cladding, and the sea-foam green kitchen island she had been dreaming about all became part of a home that feels modern, bold, personal, and easy to live in.
By the time everything was complete the change was hard to believe. What had once been cold, dark and cramped was now light-filled, open and functional. A space where Renee can relax, entertain and genuinely enjoy being at home. More than anything it gave her confidence that she had made the right decisions.
If you want to extend or renovate your home but aren’t sure where to start, Certified Home Extensions can help. From clever extensions to seamless renovations, we transform homes so that they work perfectly for your lifestyle, giving you clarity, confidence and certainty every step of the way.
