31 St Benedicts Street

31 St Benedicts Street has 14 New York–style apartments inside two turn-of-the-century commercial buildings.

In 2019, while the roof was being replaced, a severe storm caused significant water damage and several apartments had to be vacated. Scaffolding and shrink-wrap were put back up so work could continue, but a later storm caused further damage and the remaining residents had to leave.

After a long dispute with insurers that did not result in compensation, the building sat empty for several years. In late 2023, we were engaged to carry out a full reinstatement.

We rebuilt all 14 apartments, fixing long-standing water damage and returning the building to a safe, habitable standard. After six years away, every resident has now moved back home.

31 St Benedicts Street is made up of two heritage buildings from the early 1900s, converted in the late 1990s into 14 New York–style loft apartments. The apartments range from studios to three-bedroom, two-storey layouts.

A severe storm caused the roof to fail, and the buildings were vacated. When each apartment was stripped out during the recovery, the passive fire provisions were found not to meet current fire safety requirements.

A full internal rebuild followed, including new inter-tenancy walls and fire-rated assemblies throughout. We managed the passive fire remediation to bring the buildings into compliance with the NZ Building Code before the internal finishes went back in.

The project ran for about 18 months, from late 2023 to 2025. Every apartment was rebuilt internally while keeping the character of the original heritage buildings.

31 St Benedicts Street holds 14 individually designed New York–style apartments within two connected turn-of-the-century commercial buildings.

In late 2023, we were engaged to refurbish the entire property. The scope covered a full internal upgrade of all 14 apartments and every common area in the building.

Each apartment was stripped back and rebuilt with its own tailored kitchen, bathroom and laundry, plus new linings, floor finishes, fittings and services. Corridors, circulation areas and shared facilities were refurbished to the same standard, so private and shared spaces feel consistent.

The project returned the building to full residential use. On completion, every apartment was reoccupied.