Mt Cook Large Residential Renovation

In September 2023, Built Construction Group took on a project for the Katsoulis family. The project involved converting a large, two storey residential building into three apartments and building a separate one bedroom sleepout in a similar style to the original building at 1 Bidwill Street, Mount Cook, Wellington.

The original building was the family home of the four Katsoulis brothers. It was starting to show its age. But the brothers also wanted to level the property’s ground floor via a substantial seismic upgrade, then convert the building into apartments for tenanting, while retaining a space for family members to stay when visiting Wellington on business. 

We worked closely with the client’s and architect to ensure the clients expectations were met. Built Construction Group assisted with council inspections throughout the project and reported monthly at site meetings.

The job was finished in November 2024, after 14 months. We had upwards of five builders working on this project at any one time. We also engaged a range of specialist subcontractors, including:

• Excavators
• Scaffolders
• Roofers
• Concrete placers and finishers – aggregate concrete driveways
• Suspended ceiling specialists
• Floor layers
• Tilers
• Joiners (aluminium and timber) – kitchen, windows, doors 
• Stainless steel benchtop manufacturers
• Passive fire services specialists
• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Painters and plasterers

The client and architect were not based in Wellington, which posed logistical challenges in making sure that work was reported, changes were discussed and items signed off. We maintained timely communication with the architect throughout the project and kept tidy documentation throughout

The end result was a fantastic set of apartments of one, two and three bedrooms dwellings, ready for tenanting, plus a matching sleepout for the owners and family to enjoy.