ONEHUNGA BUNGALOW Heritage Renovation, Onehunga

There are streets in Auckland that don't need improving - they need protecting. This heritage enclave in Onehunga, lined with workers' cottages and established magnolia trees, is one of them. Macfie Architecture has had the privilege of working on three projects here, and each one carries the same responsibility: to add to the street, not detract from it.

This project began with a classic bungalow in need of revival and a brief shaped by two equally real constraints - stringent heritage overlay regulations and a considered budget. Neither proved an obstacle so much as a discipline, guiding the design toward decisions that were smarter for being bounded.

New bathrooms were introduced with care, the living and dining spaces revamped, and the connection between inside and out made seamless - each intervention calibrated to the bungalow's existing character rather than working against it. The heritage overlay's demands were met not as a minimum requirement but as a design principle, the historical essence of the property held intact throughout.

The result is a home that feels entirely of its street - and entirely of its moment. A fusion of old-world character and modern comfort, delivered for two newlyweds beginning the next chapter in a home that was already full of history.

Project Scope - concept design, developed design, resource consent, building consent, on-site monitoring.

Photography by Tori Hayley