For people who
don't do ordinary
An extraordinary Auckland residence created from a piece of the city's industrial history.
Not your
ordinary home
Built for power. Reimagined for living - By Negotiation.
Onehunga Substation is one of Auckland’s rare former Electric Power Board substations to have been transformed into a private residence — an extraordinary collision of industrial architecture, contemporary design and genuinely original living - bringing the scale and raw industrial character of a New York loft to the heart of Auckland.
Behind its solid concrete walls is a home unlike anything around it.
At its centre, a soaring double-height atrium creates a dramatic living space, with raw concrete walls providing a gallery-like backdrop for art, furniture and everyday life. Original industrial character sits comfortably alongside thoughtful contemporary additions, including custom metal door storage that references the building’s past while becoming part of its design.
The home has been extensively transformed to create three generous bedrooms, two beautifully finished bathrooms and a separate media room, while the open-plan kitchen, dining and living spaces connect naturally with the north-facing grounds.
Outside, the industrial architecture gives way to something completely unexpected: a heated in-ground swimming pool, cedar spa and private outdoor living, with elevated views toward Cornwall Park. The property includes a double carport and off street parking for a third vehicle.
And despite its urban location, inside the Substation there is a remarkable sense of calm. The massive poured-concrete structure provides exceptional thermal mass, while soundproofed steel joinery shuts out the outside world. In winter, a Pyroclassic wood burner brings another layer of warmth to the concrete interior.
This isn't a reproduction of an industrial aesthetic.
It’s the real thing.
A genuine piece of Auckland’s infrastructure has been preserved, reinvented and given an entirely new life.
For someone looking beyond the conventional — a creative, an architectural enthusiast, a collector, or simply someone who wants to live somewhere nobody else has — Onehunga Substation offers something increasingly difficult to find:
A home with a story. A home with attitude. A home that could never be repeated.
1 Living Room
3 Bedrooms
1 Office
2 Bathrooms
Heated Pool
Double Carport
Defying the numbers
Onehunga Substation has never fitted neatly into a valuation model.
In 2001, the Council Valuation was just $150,000, the purchase price $295,000 — almost twice that figure — because even then, this was never an ordinary property.
Today, after more than two decades of transformation and investment, the Substation has a Council Valuation of $1.2 million.
For a property with almost no true comparison, perhaps that's not surprising. And there is one rather nice upside to a modest CV — our current council rates are just $4,236.18 per year.
Some homes fit the formula. This one never has.
