120-year-old College Hill villa transformed into boutique cosmetic clinic

In order to turn the residential property into a commercial one, the Fortified Construction team first needed to replace the old foundations to ensure the building could handle increased capacity.

“To replace the foundations, we had to crawl under the house on our hands and knees and take the old piles out one at a time,” says Fortified Construction co-founder Nathan Reynolds.

“We had to do it in such a way where the foundations were engineered to be a lot stronger than what they were originally. Thankfully there was quite a lot of room at one end of the house, but at the other end we were almost down on our bellies. It was quite elaborate for an old villa.”

Alongside structural enhancements, residential-turned-commercial properties need additional fire safety measures; as 76 College Hill is so close to the neighbouring homes, a sprinkler system was installed in every space that was two square metres or more, and along the underside of the soffits parallel with the adjacent properties.

Permeable concrete was also used for the carpark and footpaths to help manage stormwater flow.

“You’re only allowed to cover a certain part of your property with impermeable surfaces like concrete, this is to help manage water runoff. We installed a system under the driveway and carpark that catches as much water as possible, and either releases it into the ground, or into the stormwater system. We had never built a system like that before, so it was a pretty cool undertaking,” Reynolds says.

Other aspects of the property needed to be altered to allow for visitors with access needs, including a wheelchair ramp at the front of the property, wider door frames, and an accessible bathroom.

Prior to renovation, the floors had been carpeted. As with most villas of the era, the house was originally fitted with kauri floorboards. To restore the floors to their original glory, the carpet was pulled up, gaps were filled in, and the wood was sanded and buffed to reveal the rich honey-coloured kauri beneath.

Wood restoration was also completed on the cladding, internal archways, and dome ceiling.

“All the paint was falling off, and there were rotten weatherboards, so it was just a case of stripping everything back. We stripped the weatherboards, the archways, and the big dome ceiling completely before it was all repainted,” Reynolds explains.

“It required a high attention to detail, and the painter was really hard working. He did a fantastic job.”

Fortunately many of the building’s character features were able to be salvaged with care and attention, including the sash windows that Reynolds says just needed a little TLC.

“You can do quite a few things to the sash windows to make them better, like replacing the cords and weights. A lot of the time they stop functioning well because they’ve been painted over hundreds of times.

“They needed a bit of attention, but we got them all working well, so a lot of them are the original double-hung windows.”

The completed project is a far cry from the run-down student flat that had once occupied the property. Gleaming in the midday sun, the crisp white north-facing façade is accented by fine corbels, lacework, and mouldings that give the house an air of refined elegance.

Inside, soft furnishings and kauri floors are balanced by white walls and ceilings, offering respite from the bustle of one of Auckland’s busiest suburbs. For a boutique cosmetic clinic, it’s just what the doctor ordered.

“One of the most satisfying things was watching this building transform from a place that was pretty rundown to the final coat of paint on the outside, and the floor being sanded on the inside.

“The rich honey colour of the kauri floor really transformed the whole place, it was just incredible. Walking in the front door, everything looked beautiful,” Reynolds says.

Learn more about Fortified Construction.