Skip the Red Tape: How We Fast-Track Your Office Refurb!

When it comes to refreshing your office space, navigating New Zealand's building regulations can feel overwhelming. That's why at WorkSpace ID, we always aim to secure a building exemption for minor works wherever possible. It's our way of saving you time, money, and hassle — while still delivering high-quality, compliant results.

Building Consent vs. Building Exemption: What’s the Difference?

Understanding the difference helps you see why exemptions are often the smarter route for interior office projects:

Building Consent

A building consent is formal council approval confirming that proposed work complies with the Building Code. Required for most significant work, it involves:

• Submitting detailed plans and specs.

• Undergoing council inspections during construction.

• Receiving a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) upon completion.

Consent is usually needed for work involving:

• Fire systems (alarms, sprinklers).

• Structural changes.

• Fire-rated partitions or doors.

• Accessibility or egress modifications.

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Building Exemption

An exemption means the council agrees your proposed work is low-risk and doesn’t need a formal consent.

There are two types:

• Automatic (Schedule 1): Applies to things like non-structural internal partitions.

• Discretionary (Schedule 1(2)): You apply for an exemption based on risk and compliance rationale.

Exemptions often apply when:

• You're adding non-loadbearing partitions.

• There are no changes to fire or specified systems.

• The building use and layout remain fundamentally the same.

  
  

Cost Comparison: Exemption vs. Consent

Getting a consent can cost significantly more due to the layers of documentation, consultancy, and council processes.

Building Consent - Typical Range: $9,500 – $30,000+

• Council fees: $1,000 – $3,000+

• Specialist reports (fire, access): $1,000 – $5,000

• Monitoring & sign-offs: $1,500 – $5,000

Building Exemption - Typical Range: $1,300 – $5,000

• Council exemption (if discretionary): $300 – $1,500

• Basic design and documentation: $500 – $2,000

• Statement of compliance (optional): $500 – $1,500

Design Fees: Typically 10% of the total project value.

Time is money too:

• Building consent: 20+ working days for approval and time for RFI's.

• Building exemption: Often 3–4 weeks.

  
  

Why It Matters to You

By aiming for a building exemption:

• You save thousands in project costs.

• Your project gets off the ground faster.

• You avoid unnecessary complexity.

  
  

Our Commitment

We assess every project to see if a building exemption is feasible. If so, we prepare a professional package to present to council — complete with drawings, a Schedule 1 checklist, and a clear code compliance rationale.

If your project requires consent, we’ll guide you through that too. But if we can keep it simple, we absolutely will.

Ready to upgrade your office with less red tape?

Let’s talk about how we can streamline your next office refurbishment

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