Villa renovations and extensions in Auckland
Character homes reworked for how you actually live, with the consent side handled from the start.
Free, 30 minutes, no obligation
The thing about villas.
You didn't buy the villa to change it. You bought it for the light through the leadlight, the ceiling height, the way it sits on the street. You just want it to work now. A kitchen you can actually cook in. A way to reach the garden without going through three rooms. Space for the family it holds these days.
The worry is doing that without flattening the character, or getting stuck in a consent process nobody warned you about.
That is the exact problem we like.
How we think
Our projects show how we approach a villa: where the light wants to go, how the old part and the new part meet, what's worth keeping and what's holding the house back.
How it goes
Not knowing what you're signing up for is the thing that stops most people picking up the phone. Here's the shape of it.
Conversation.
We walk the house, talk through what's not working and what you love. No obligation past this point.
2. Concept.
We design the idea, the moves that make the house work, so you can see it before committing to the full process.
3. Consent.
Character and heritage rules trip a lot of people up. This is where knowing the villa and knowing the council earns its keep. We handle it.
4. Through to build.
We stay with it, drawings, builder, site, so the thing that gets built is the thing you signed off on.
Who you’d be working with
Rust Architects is small on purpose.
You work with me, Rachael, from the first sketch to the last site visit, not a rotating cast who've never met your house.
Behind the studio is a decade-plus working on high-end residential, here in Auckland and earlier in London and the Netherlands. I live and work in these streets, and character villas are the work I care most about. That matters more than it sounds: I know how these houses are built, where they hide their problems, and what the council will and won't wear.
Experience includes top New Zealand and international firms: Fearon Hay, Cheshire, and UNStudio.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We are a residential architecture and interior studio. Most of the work falls into two camps: new homes, built anywhere in New Zealand, and renovations of older Auckland houses, mostly the pre-1940s villas and bungalows around Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Westmere and Parnell. That covers extensions, full reworks, and the interiors that tie a house together once the walls are in the right place.
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The simplest first step is a message through the contact page, or booking an Architectural Consultation. That's a 30 minute session where we go through your site, your plans and your budget, and work out whether the project stacks up and where the real decisions sit.
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You work with me, Rachael, from the first conversation to the last detail. It's a small studio on purpose, which means the person who designs your house is the same person on site and on the phone. The work tends to be quiet rather than showy: homes that suit how you actually live, sit well in their street, and don't cost more to run than they need to.
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You can reach us anytime by emailing studio@rustarchitects.co.nz or fill out the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.
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Fees are set per project, not as a fixed percentage taken off the top. Broadly, projects fall into three groups, minor works, renovations and additions, and new builds, and the fee reflects which one you're in and how much design and documentation the job actually needs. I work in stages, with cost and scope agreed before each one starts, so you're never signing up for the whole thing sight unseen. For anything beyond a rough range, I'll put together a written fee proposal specific to your project.
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Collaborative, honest, and straightforward. We're here to guide the process, bring ideas to the table, and keep things moving.
Book an Appointment
If you're interested in working with us, complete the form with a few details about your project. We'll review your message and get back to you within 48 hours.
If you’d prefer to reach out directly, please email the studio at:
studio@rustarchitects.co.nz