Your renovation, run properly.
Refiner plans and manages home renovations across Auckland. You get one point of contact, licensed trades booked in the right order, and costs you can see from day one.
Renovations, from one room to the whole house
We don't sell you a builder. We manage the builder, and everyone else, so the job finishes on time and to the standard you were promised.
Kitchen renovations →
Layout, cabinetry, benchtops, plumbing, electrical and finishing, coordinated around lead times so nothing sits waiting.
Typical on site: 3–6 weeksBathroom renovations →
Strip-out to final silicone, with certified waterproofing, tiling and the paperwork you'll need when you sell.
Typical on site: 3–5 weeksWhole-home renovations →
Multi-room and structural projects, including design, consent and a staged programme you can follow.
Typical on site: 3–9 monthsRenovating to sell →
Targeted pre-sale work planned back from photo day, from people who have staged Auckland homes since 2016.
Typical on site: 2–4 weeksSix stages, one person accountable
Every Refiner project follows the same sequence, so you always know what's happening next and who is doing it.
Site visit and brief
We measure up, photograph the space and listen to what you want to change and why.
Scope and budget
A written scope, priced by real trades, with our fee shown separately. No surprises hidden in a single total.
Design and consent
We finalise selections and, where needed, prepare and lodge building consent with Auckland Council.
Trades and programme
Licensed trades booked in sequence, long-lead items ordered early, and a week-by-week programme you can see.
Build and quality checks
We're on site at the key points: before linings, before waterproofing is covered, before tiling and before handover.
Handover
A final walk-through, a defects list closed out, and one file with every certificate, warranty and photo.
Managing trades yourself costs more than it looks
Most renovation overruns come from sequencing, not workmanship. A plumber who can't start because the framing isn't signed off. Tiles ordered late. Decisions made on the spot without a price.
| Doing it yourself | With Refiner | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you call | Five to ten separate trades | One project manager |
| Pricing | Separate quotes, gaps between them | One written scope, every trade price visible |
| Scheduling | You chase availability and fix the order | A programme built around lead times and inspections |
| Quality | You find problems after they're covered up | Checks at each stage, with photos |
| Consents and paperwork | You deal with council and collect certificates | Handled, and handed over in one file |
| Your time | Evenings and weekends for months | Decisions only, with a weekly update |
Across Auckland
North Shore, Central, West, East and South Auckland, with trades who know the housing stock: villas, bungalows, 70s brick-and-tile and new builds.
Common questions
What does a renovation project manager actually do?
We run the job on your behalf. That means scoping the work, getting it priced, booking licensed trades in the right order, handling consents, checking the work as it goes, and keeping you updated. You deal with one person instead of a builder, plumber, electrician, tiler, painter and a kitchen company separately.
Do you do the building work yourselves?
No. We manage vetted, licensed tradespeople: Licensed Building Practitioners for restricted building work, registered plumbers and electricians, and specialist tilers, joiners and painters. Our job is to make sure they turn up, work in sequence and finish to standard.
How do you charge?
You get a written quote for our project management fee before any work starts, shown separately from trade and material costs. You see every trade price, so you know where your money goes.
Will I need building consent?
It depends on the work. Many like-for-like kitchen and bathroom updates don't need consent, while moving walls, adding a new wet area or changing structure usually does. We check this at the scoping stage and handle the application with Auckland Council when it's needed.
Which parts of Auckland do you cover?
All of Auckland, from the North Shore to Papakura and from Titirangi to Howick. See areas we cover for the full list.
Can we live in the house during the renovation?
Usually, yes, for a single room like a kitchen or bathroom. We plan the sequence to keep you with a working toilet and a temporary kitchen where we can. For whole-home projects we'll tell you honestly at the scoping stage if moving out for part of the job makes sense.
Start with a site visit
We come to you, walk the space, and talk through what you want to change. You get a written scope and budget range before you commit to anything.