It depends on what you are changing and where you live.  Auckland’s Special Character Areas Overlay, which covers much of Herne Bay, Remuera, Devonport, Stanley Point and Epsom, is primarily concerned with what is visible from the street. Internal renovations, and like-for-like repairs, often fall outside resource consent entirely. Once you start altering the front façade, the roofline, or anything that changes how the house reads from the street, resource consent generally comes into play, alongside the building consent your project will need in any case. We work through this at the very start of a project, so you understand what is possible on your site before any design work begins, rather than discovering the constraints partway through.

Both can produce drawings for consent, but the training, registration and scope of responsibility differ. A registered architect has completed a recognised architecture degree, several years of supervised practice, and ongoing professional accreditation through the New Zealand Registered Architects Board. For a difficult rural site, or a holiday home that needs to perform well against sun, wind and coastal exposure, the training an architect brings to resolving those constraints, while still delivering a beautiful and liveable home, tends to matter a great deal. Kate and Eva are both NZRAB registered architects and Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, and between us we bring almost fifty years of practice to every project.

Architect’s fees in New Zealand are typically structured as either a percentage of the construction cost or a fixed fee agreed at the outset, and this varies with the size, complexity and character sensitivity of the project. What that fee covers is the full journey from initial concept and feasibility, through design development, consent documentation, and construction drawings, to support during the build itself. At Rogan Nash Architects, we also offer integrated interior design as part of that process, rather than as a separate engagement, which means the fee reflects one coordinated service from first sketch through to the finished home. We are always happy to talk through likely fee structure for your specific project at an initial conversation, before you commit to anything.

For villas and bungalows, renovating is often the better starting position. Construction costs for a renovation can be similar to those of a new build on a per square metre basis, but you retain the proportions, ceiling heights and timber detailing in a renovation. If there is a lot about your existing house that you love, whether that is the original features, or simply its position and character, renovation is usually the way to keep that while bringing the rest of the home up to the standard you want. Rebuilding can make more sense when the house has no heritage value and little you are genuinely attached to, or where the existing structure has failed beyond what repair can address. In those cases, starting fresh can be the more cost effective path, since you are not paying to work around a building you were never going to fall in love with. The right answer depends on the condition of what you already have and how you feel about it, which is why we begin every enquiry with an honest assessment of the building itself, before any conversation about design.