GREY LYNN COTTAGE Heritage | Renovation & Contemporary Rear Extension

Workers' cottages weren't built with modern families in mind. That's exactly what makes them such an interesting design problem.

Purchased by clients returning from abroad, this Grey Lynn cottage came with strong character and limited space - a combination Macfie Architecture has long understood how to work with. The brief called for a renovation that would honour the home's heritage without being precious about it, and introduce the space and flow a growing family actually needs.

The work began at the street, where the frontage was carefully reshaped and a new entrance introduced - changes that feel inevitable in retrospect, as the best heritage interventions tend to. A resource consent process managed in close collaboration with heritage planners ensured every decision was grounded in both care and compliance.

To the rear, a contemporary extension opens the home up without overwhelming it - open-plan living, a compact workspace, laundry, and a new ensuite, each considered in relation to the original cottage fabric alongside it. Natural light, long denied by the home's original configuration, now moves freely through the plan.

The result is a home that wears its age with pride and its additions with confidence - designed not just for today, but for the long term.

Interior Design by DeCourt Design 

Photography by Studio Weir and Tori Hayley