Villa renovations and extensions in Auckland

Character homes reworked for how you actually live, with the consent side handled from the start.

Book a consultation

Free, 30 minutes, no obligation

We specialise in renovating and extending Auckland's villas and bungalows, mainly in Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Westmere and Herne Bay.

Most of these homes sit under Auckland's special character overlay, which shapes what you can change at the front, the side and the rear. We work within those rules from the first sketch, and take the project from feasibility and concept design through resource and building consent to detailed design and construction.

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.

Modern minimalist kitchen featuring a white kitchen island with a sink, white cabinetry, a built-in oven, and a stovetop, with a high sloped wooden ceiling and a natural light source.

Sydney House

Interior of a bedroom with a closed door, wooden chair, small side table, and a wine glass.

Alfred House (Northcote Point)

Living room with large windows, a white daybed with pillows, a glass coffee table, and a paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, with greenery outside.

Alfred House (Northcote Point)

Interior of a modern living room with bookshelves, artwork, a flat-screen TV, and a sideboard, with sunlight coming through curtains.

Remuera House

A narrow hallway with light-colored wooden flooring, beige walls, and white built-in closets on each side leading to a laundry area with a window, a light fixture hanging from the ceiling, and a mat on the floor.
Minimalist kitchen with beige cabinets, a marble countertop, and a wall with light-colored tile. Two large windows revealing lush greenery outside, illuminating the space with natural light.

Alfred House (Northcote Point)

The Process

Conversation.

We walk the house, talk through what's not working and what you love. No obligation past this point.

Concept.

We design the idea, the moves that make the house work, so you can see it before committing to the full process.

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.

Through to build.

We stay with it, drawings, builder, site, so the thing that gets built is the thing you signed off on.

A woman with long blonde hair, sitting at a table with samples of different textured materials, looking at the camera with her chin resting on her hand, in front of a window with greenery outside.

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.

  • Rachael has been a dream to work with - designing our bungalow renovation. With efficient and reliable communication, Rachael kept momentum and made our project feel top of mind.

    Anna & Benedict - Northcote Point House

  • I couldn’t recommend Rach more highly! She took the time to really listen to my ideas and understand the vision I had for my home

    Nicky - Parnell Terrace House

  • Amazing. Rachael understood our needs, the space, and parameters perfectly which transpired into a perfect renovation for our family to use and enjoy

    Campbell & Emily - Chamberlain House

  • We've worked with Rachael on multiple projects throughout our renovation, and she's been invaluable. Her spatial planning completely transformed our apartment's flow and functionality.

    Megan & Nicholas - De Pijp Apartment

Frequently Asked Questions

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • You can reach us anytime by emailing studio@rustarchitects.co.nz or fill out the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.

  • 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.

  • 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