Wollongong City Council workers have been doing extensive repairs to the heritage-listed building since May, with its roof, gutters, joinery, windows and doors replaced.

The council’s tenant, Diggies, requested the works due to a leaking roof and other problems with the 77-year-old building.

The council’s director of infrastructure and works, Mike Hyde, said the $500,000 project had been completed ahead of schedule and on budget, despite a number of unexpected problems during construction.

‘‘We had to completely rebuild this structure and it ended up being a much more drawn out project than we thought, but the contractor was able to work his way around the problems so it didn’t get held up,’’ Mr Hyde said.

‘‘When we pulled the windows out, the paint was holding them together, and one of the heritage doors was also held together by paint alone and had to be replaced.’’

Diggies’ owner Stan Crinis, who had originally expressed concerns about delays affecting his business’ bottom line, said the project has been ‘‘extremely positive’’.

‘‘It’s come in two weeks ahead of schedule, and I have to say – compared to when the [work on North Beach Bathers] pavilion happened – it’s been really positive,’’ he said.

North Kiosk has been operating out of a pre-fabricated kiosk to the north of Wollongong surf club during the works, and Mr Crinis said it would be a shame to see the temporary building go.

‘‘Today’s the last day of the pop-up and tomorrow we’ll be trading out of the kiosk,’’ he said.

‘‘The pop-up has been so good, we’d like to keep it there. The grassy area is fantastic and gets such good sun, so all the locals have loved it.’’

The temporary building – which is owned by the council – will be dismantled and used to support future construction projects. For instance, Mr Hyde said it may be used at future sites in Stanwell Park and Beaton Park.

‘‘To set this structure up requires us to go through the entire DA process, and it was one of the reasons why we couldn’t start the [kiosk] project earlier, because we were waiting for Crown Lands and other bodies involved,’’ he said.

‘‘So it was lovely as a cafe, and everyone raves about how nice it’s been... but we can’t keep it there.’’