Half Moon Bay, Auckland
Full Home Renovation
in Half Moon Bay, Auckland
A dated home taken back to the studs and rebuilt for modern family living — kitchen, two bathrooms and laundry
Completed October 2020
RENOVATION
Project Managed By
Jimmy Zhou
Project Management
jimmy@superiorrenovations.co.nz
0800 199 888
Quick answer: We handled the full home renovation of a dated Half Moon Bay house — a custom kitchen, two bathrooms, a laundry, and a complete repaint and re-tile throughout — project-managing every trade through Auckland’s 2020 Level 3 lockdown so the owner moved straight into a finished home.
| Location | Half Moon Bay, Auckland |
| Completed | October 2020 |
| Scope | Full home — custom kitchen, ensuite + guest bathroom, laundry, full repaint and re-tile throughout, full project management |
| Project management | Jimmy Zhou, with the Superior Renovations design team |
| Project type | Owner-occupier |
Why a New Owner Took On a Full Home Renovation in Half Moon Bay
Our client had just bought the house and wanted it sorted before she moved in. It was an older home — the sort of do-up a lot of Auckland buyers take on — and she had a set budget and a clear goal: make as many changes as that budget allowed to turn a dated house into something comfortable and modern that suited the way she lived.
She’s a doctor, so her days were full. What she wanted was a company that could take the whole thing off her hands — design, trades, the lot — and run it without her having to chase anyone. This was her first renovation, so it was new ground. She got six quotes from renovation companies around Auckland before she chose us, and the deciding factor wasn’t price. It was Jimmy.
“Jimmy was just so friendly and did not shut down any of my ideas. He was young and energetic and more willing to listen to me than a lot of other people I spoke to.”
— The homeowner, Half Moon Bay
This was a project where every trade ran under one roof. We brought our full home renovation team together — design, build, kitchen, bathrooms and finishing — and managed the schedule end to end so she only had one point of contact.
Renovating Through Auckland’s 2020 Lockdown
We started in early August 2020 — days before Auckland dropped back into its second COVID lockdown. That meant working through Level 3 with strict protocols in place, and still holding the timeline so she could move in on schedule.
She was living across the road the whole time, which meant she saw exactly how the job was run.
“All I can say is that your teams were very hardworking. I would take my dogs for a walk in the mornings and evenings and they were always there, working on the agreed schedule.”
— The homeowner, Half Moon Bay
“A lockdown doesn’t move the deadline in the owner’s head — she still wanted to move in. Our job was to keep every trade sequenced and on site safely so the schedule didn’t slip.”
— Jimmy Zhou, Project Manager, Superior Renovations
Full Wallpaper Removal and Repaint
The house had very high ceilings — and wallpaper on them. We put up internal scaffolding throughout to strip it all back and repaint the whole house.
- Internal scaffolding erected throughout
- All wallpaper removed
- Holes filled, extensive plastering
- One undercoat, two top coats
Flooring
The house was fully carpeted when she bought it.
- All carpet removed throughout
- Staircase re-carpeted
- Living, dining, kitchen, hallway, entryway and bedrooms tiled in an oak-look tile
BEFORE
AFTER
Custom Kitchen Design and Renovation in Half Moon Bay
We demolished the wall between the dining room and kitchen to open the space up. The old kitchen was laminate with drab brown accents. The new one is contemporary — but we couldn’t push it too modern, because the arched doors and windows running through the house would have fought a flat, handleless look.
So we found the middle ground. The cabinets were custom built in MDF Melteca, wrapped in Dezignatek Thermoform with a vintage pattern to soften the contemporary lines, then finished with dull black handles to keep it current. Soft-close everywhere.
“The arched openings set the rules for the kitchen. A no-handle, ultra-modern kitchen would have looked bolted on, so we kept the shaker-style detailing and let dull black handles do the modernising.”
— Superior Renovations design team
Custom Built Cabinets and Benchtop
- MR particle board carcass
- HPL plywood sink carcass for high water resistance
- Melteca shaker-style cabinets, custom built
- 30mm engineered stone benchtop in a marble look
- Top-mount Blanco Silgranit sink for durability
- Matte-finish handles throughout
Appliances and Fixtures
- Induction stovetop and rangehood
- Blum soft-close hinges
- DTC soft-close drawer runners
- Insinkerator installed
- Pull-out rubbish bins and storage with built-in shelves
We chose every fitting around the way she actually uses a kitchen — durable, quiet, low-fuss. If you’re weighing up a custom kitchen for an older Auckland home, this is the kind of brief that wears well.
Two Bathrooms and a Laundry, Rebuilt for Family Living
Both bathrooms were stripped back and rebuilt as lighter, brighter spaces — somewhere to actually unwind. We also built a walk-in wardrobe off the master that opens into a large ensuite with a tiled shower and a custom double vanity.
If you’re planning a bathroom renovation in an older Auckland home, the order of work matters as much as the finishes — waterproofing, tiling and fixtures all have to land in the right sequence.
Main Ensuite
- All previous fixtures and flooring demolished
- Custom double vanity and benchtop with extensive storage
- Spa-style double sinks
- Tiled, waterproofed shower with custom frameless screen
- 600 x 600 veined tiles on floors and walls
- New toilet
Guest Bathroom
- All previous flooring and fixtures demolished
- Custom single vanity and benchtop with a spa-style sink
- Bath with protective screen
- 600 x 600 veined tiles on floors
- New toilet, ceilings and walls repainted
Laundry
- Laundry nook created in the garage
- Tiled throughout
- Plumbing and electrical re-done
The Challenges We Solved
Once the old flooring came up, we found the house wasn’t level. That’s the kind of thing you can’t see until you’re in — and it’s exactly where trust gets tested. We re-levelled the lounge and adjusted the quote to cover it.
There was never any padding to the numbers. Every change we put forward was something the house genuinely needed, and we said so.
“When we removed all the previous flooring, we realised the house was not level. We had to alter the quote to re-level my lounge, but I trusted them completely. Whatever improvements they suggested were for my own benefit — there was never a question of just adding money as they went.”
— The homeowner, Half Moon Bay
What a Full Home Renovation Like This Costs in Auckland
Every full home renovation is priced to its own scope — the size of the house, how many rooms come back to the studs, the finishes, and whatever the floor reveals once the carpet’s up. A figure that fits this Half Moon Bay job wouldn’t fit yours. Rather than quote a number that won’t match your home, run your own through our renovation cost calculators for a realistic Auckland estimate.
💡 Quick tip: On older Auckland homes, budget for what you can’t see yet — an unlevel floor or hidden damage often surfaces once the old flooring comes up. A contingency line keeps a surprise from derailing the whole job.
Bringing It All Together
A dated, fully carpeted house with wallpapered ceilings became a modern family home — new kitchen, two rebuilt bathrooms, a laundry, and fresh paint and tile from end to end — delivered on schedule through a lockdown, with one team running every trade. That’s what a managed whole-home renovation in Auckland looks like when you only want one point of contact.
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➡ See how our full home renovation service works
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Half Moon Bay Full Home Renovation FAQs
How long did the full home renovation in Half Moon Bay take?
We started in early August 2020 and completed in October 2020 — roughly three months for a whole-house job covering a custom kitchen, two bathrooms, a laundry, and a full repaint and re-tile. That timeframe held even though much of the build ran through Auckland’s Level 3 lockdown.
Did the owner live in the house during the renovation?
No. She was living across the road and moved in once the home was finished, which is the easier path on a full-home job where every room is being worked on at once. It also meant she could see the teams on site to the agreed schedule each day.
How do you keep a renovation on schedule through an Auckland lockdown?
The 2020 build ran through Level 3, so we put strict protocols in place and kept trades carefully sequenced so the site stayed safe and the timeline didn’t slip. The owner still wanted to move in on time, and that didn’t change because of the alert level.
What cabinetry was used in the kitchen?
Custom shaker-style cabinets in MDF Melteca, wrapped in Dezignatek Thermoform with a vintage pattern, finished with dull black handles. The carcasses used MR particle board with an HPL plywood sink carcass for water resistance, topped with a 30mm engineered stone benchtop in a marble look and a Blanco Silgranit sink. Blum and DTC soft-close throughout.
Can you modernise a character home without losing its original features?
Yes — that was the brief here. The arched doors and windows through the house meant a flat, handleless kitchen would have looked out of place, so we kept shaker detailing and used dull black handles to bring it up to date. The result reads contemporary without fighting the home’s character.
What happens if you find a problem like an unlevel floor mid-project?
We tell you, price it transparently, and fix it. On this Half Moon Bay home the floor turned out not to be level once the carpet came up, so we re-levelled the lounge and adjusted the quote to cover only the work the house genuinely needed — no padding.
How much does a full home renovation in Half Moon Bay cost?
It depends entirely on scope — house size, how many rooms come back to the studs, finishes, and anything hidden that surfaces once flooring is up. Rather than a figure that won’t match your home, use our renovation cost calculators for a realistic Auckland estimate, then we’ll confirm it with a fixed quote.
Further Resources
- More completed Auckland renovation projects
- Real client stories from across Auckland
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