diff --git a/compiler/gen/src/llvm/build_str.rs b/compiler/gen/src/llvm/build_str.rs
index 10a06cd363..ddf2fdf564 100644
--- a/compiler/gen/src/llvm/build_str.rs
+++ b/compiler/gen/src/llvm/build_str.rs
@@ -24,15 +24,19 @@ pub fn str_concat<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
     let second_str_ptr = ptr_from_symbol(scope, second_str_symbol);
     let first_str_ptr = ptr_from_symbol(scope, first_str_symbol);
 
+    let str_wrapper_type = BasicTypeEnum::StructType(collection(ctx, env.ptr_bytes));
+
     load_str(
         env,
         parent,
         second_str_ptr.clone(),
+        str_wrapper_type,
         |second_str_ptr, second_str_len, second_str_smallness| {
             load_str(
                 env,
                 parent,
                 first_str_ptr.clone(),
+                str_wrapper_type,
                 |first_str_ptr, first_str_len, first_str_smallness| {
                     // first_str_len > 0
                     // We do this check to avoid allocating memory. If the first input
@@ -66,7 +70,7 @@ pub fn str_concat<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
                             second_str_length_comparison,
                             if_second_str_is_nonempty,
                             if_second_str_is_empty,
-                            BasicTypeEnum::StructType(collection(ctx, env.ptr_bytes)),
+                            str_wrapper_type,
                         )
                     };
 
@@ -199,19 +203,26 @@ pub fn str_concat<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
     )
 }
 
-pub fn str_len<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
+fn str_len_from_final_byte<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
+    env: &Env<'a, 'ctx, 'env>,
+    final_byte: IntValue<'ctx>,
+) -> IntValue<'ctx> {
+    let builder = env.builder;
+    let ctx = env.context;
+    let bitmask = ctx.i8_type().const_int(0b0111_1111, false);
+
+    builder.build_and(final_byte, bitmask, "small_str_length")
+}
+
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+fn str_len<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
     env: &Env<'a, 'ctx, 'env>,
     parent: FunctionValue<'ctx>,
     wrapper_ptr: PointerValue<'ctx>,
 ) -> IntValue<'ctx> {
     let builder = env.builder;
-    let ctx = env.context;
 
-    let if_small = |final_byte| {
-        let bitmask = ctx.i8_type().const_int(0b0111_1111, false);
-
-        BasicValueEnum::IntValue(builder.build_and(final_byte, bitmask, "small_str_length"))
-    };
+    let if_small = |final_byte| BasicValueEnum::IntValue(str_len_from_final_byte(env, final_byte));
 
     let if_big = |_| {
         BasicValueEnum::IntValue(list_len(
@@ -237,21 +248,19 @@ fn load_str<'a, 'ctx, 'env, Callback>(
     env: &Env<'a, 'ctx, 'env>,
     parent: FunctionValue<'ctx>,
     wrapper_ptr: PointerValue<'ctx>,
+    ret_type: BasicTypeEnum<'ctx>,
     cb: Callback,
 ) -> BasicValueEnum<'ctx>
 where
     Callback: Fn(PointerValue<'ctx>, IntValue<'ctx>, Smallness) -> BasicValueEnum<'ctx>,
 {
     let builder = env.builder;
-    let ctx = env.context;
 
     let if_small = |final_byte| {
-        let bitmask = ctx.i8_type().const_int(0b0111_1111, false);
-
-        let len = builder.build_and(final_byte, bitmask, "small_str_length");
+        let len = str_len_from_final_byte(env, final_byte);
 
         cb(
-            wrapper_ptr,
+            cast_str_wrapper_to_array(env, wrapper_ptr),
             builder.build_int_cast(len, env.ptr_int(), "len_as_usize"),
             Smallness::Small,
         )
@@ -267,14 +276,7 @@ where
         cb(list_ptr, list_len(builder, wrapper_struct), Smallness::Big)
     };
 
-    if_small_str(
-        env,
-        parent,
-        wrapper_ptr,
-        if_small,
-        if_big,
-        BasicTypeEnum::IntType(env.ptr_int()),
-    )
+    if_small_str(env, parent, wrapper_ptr, if_small, if_big, ret_type)
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Copy, Clone)]
@@ -296,9 +298,10 @@ fn clone_nonempty_str<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
     // Allocate space for the new str that we'll copy into.
     match smallness {
         Smallness::Small => {
-            let wrapper_struct = builder.build_load(bytes_ptr, "str_wrapper");
-
+            let wrapper_struct_ptr = cast_str_bytes_to_wrapper(env, bytes_ptr);
+            let wrapper_struct = builder.build_load(wrapper_struct_ptr, "str_wrapper");
             let alloca = builder.build_alloca(collection(ctx, ptr_bytes), "small_str_clone");
+
             builder.build_store(alloca, wrapper_struct);
 
             (wrapper_struct.into_struct_value(), alloca)
@@ -346,7 +349,29 @@ fn clone_nonempty_str<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
     }
 }
 
-pub fn if_small_str<'a, 'ctx, 'env, IfSmallFn, IfBigFn>(
+fn cast_str_bytes_to_wrapper<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
+    env: &Env<'a, 'ctx, 'env>,
+    bytes_ptr: PointerValue<'ctx>,
+) -> PointerValue<'ctx> {
+    let struct_ptr_type = collection(env.context, env.ptr_bytes).ptr_type(AddressSpace::Generic);
+
+    env.builder
+        .build_bitcast(bytes_ptr, struct_ptr_type, "str_as_struct_ptr")
+        .into_pointer_value()
+}
+
+fn cast_str_wrapper_to_array<'a, 'ctx, 'env>(
+    env: &Env<'a, 'ctx, 'env>,
+    wrapper_ptr: PointerValue<'ctx>,
+) -> PointerValue<'ctx> {
+    let array_ptr_type = env.context.i8_type().ptr_type(AddressSpace::Generic);
+
+    env.builder
+        .build_bitcast(wrapper_ptr, array_ptr_type, "str_as_array_ptr")
+        .into_pointer_value()
+}
+
+fn if_small_str<'a, 'ctx, 'env, IfSmallFn, IfBigFn>(
     env: &Env<'a, 'ctx, 'env>,
     parent: FunctionValue<'ctx>,
     wrapper_ptr: PointerValue<'ctx>,
@@ -360,13 +385,7 @@ where
 {
     let builder = env.builder;
     let ctx = env.context;
-
-    let array_ptr_type = ctx.i8_type().ptr_type(AddressSpace::Generic);
-
-    let byte_array_ptr = builder
-        .build_bitcast(wrapper_ptr, array_ptr_type, "str_as_array_ptr")
-        .into_pointer_value();
-
+    let byte_array_ptr = cast_str_wrapper_to_array(env, wrapper_ptr);
     let final_byte_ptr = unsafe {
         builder.build_in_bounds_gep(
             byte_array_ptr,