Get It Right With Undercover Architect

Hello! This is Episode 337 and in it, I continue my conversation with HOME Method member, Ellen.  Their new build project is underway in Ballarat, Victoria, and it’s for herself, her partner and their two teenage kids. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/337] If you missed Part 1 of my conversation, be sure to head back to Episode 336 and catch up there. In that episode, Ellen shares how they found their home, made the decision to do a knockdown rebuild, and their design journey as well. You can listen or download the PDF transcript by heading to www.undercoverarchitect.com/336 In this project update, you’ll hear more about how she chose their builder, and moved their project into construction, making their selections along the way. Ellen is also a psychologist by profession, so she shares more amazing insights about some psychological aspects of making a project like this happen. The way she explains them is so helpful for

Hello! This is Episode 336 and in it, you’re going to meet HOME Method member, Ellen. She and her partner are building a new home in Ballarat, Victoria and have a really interesting project journey to share. Ellen and her partner bought their property with the view to do a knock-down rebuild. However, as it can, life got in the way, and time passed, with their project taking longer than expected. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/336] Ellen shares more about this, and how she’s navigated her project to maintain momentum, managed the uncertainty along the way, and is achieving the outcome that’s being realised in their home, which is now under construction. Ellen is also a psychologist by profession - so it’s also super interesting to hear her also share her insights into the psychological aspects of navigating a project journey.  I loved this conversation, and I hope you do too. Remember, if you’d like to grab a full trans

Hello! This is Episode 335, and in it, I’m continuing my conversation with Andy Pace from The Green Design Center in Wisconsin, USA, where we dive into the most impactful decisions in a new build when creating a healthy home. We also discuss improving indoor air quality, how to support your health and well-being through your project choices and decisions, and the process Andy uses to audit the integrity of the products he stocks at The Green Design Center. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/335]. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of our conversation, it’s definitely worth catching up on first. Head back to Episode 334, or download the free transcript at www.undercoverarchitect.com/334. Andy Pace is a Healthy Home Concierge and Founder of The Green Design Center, a leading resource for homeowners and contractors looking to source products that are healthy and green, and receive expert consulting advice on designing and build

Hello! This is Episode 334, and in it, I’m talking with Andy Pace from the Green Design Center in Wisconsin, USA. Andy is joining me to talk about his role as a Healthy Home Concierge and Founder of The Green Design Center, and how he helps and works with homeowners in all locations, to not only supply healthy and sustainable building products and materials, but also provide advice through consultancy, on what’s required to achieve a healthy outcome for both existing and new homes. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/334]. When Andy reached out to connect and chat about coming on the podcast, I thought it was a really great opportunity to compare notes, and discuss the evolution of green and healthy building practices.  We’ve both got over 30 years industry experience, but on opposite sides of the globe. And so, it was brilliant to have this conversation, and discuss the exciting developments we’ve seen in the industry as th

Hello! This is Episode 333, and in it, I’m sharing information about an amazing company that’s Australia’s leader in textile recovery and recycling. UPPAREL, based in Melbourne, Victoria, is a BCorp Certified company, and is an award-winning leader in textile recovery and recycling, providing convenient solutions to textile waste for both consumers and businesses. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/333]. UPPAREL first came onto my radar when previous podcast guest, Joost Bakker, shared some of their incredible products on social media.  As Joost is super passionate about zero waste products, he was at the UPPAREL Factory and showing the panels being made from recycled textiles, and it was amazing to see the process and the volume of waste UPPAREL are able to recycle. Waste that would normally go to landfill. So, I knew I wanted to get UPPAREL on the podcast, and put them on your radar, as i think there’s some really excitin

Hello! This is Episode 332, and I’m back with HOME Method member, Elizabeth, and discussing the renovation of her brick home in a Bushfire BAL Rated Flame Zone area. In this episode, we talk more about the investigations Elizabeth will be doing as she dives into her renovation project, and my suggestions on how to keep working to her ideal project timeline.  We also talk through some of the renovation decisions she’s making based on the home being in a BAL Flame Zone area.  [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/332.] If you missed Part 1 of my conversation, you can listen to it in Episode 331. You’ll hear how Elizabeth and her family came to purchase this home, who it's being renovated for and her intentions for it. You’ll find that at www.undercoverarchitect.com/331. We share Part 2 in this episode, and you’ll get to hear more about the construction of the existing home, what that means for renovating it, and the various prod

Hello! This is Episode 331, and I’m looking forward to introducing you to HOME Method member, Elizabeth. Elizabeth has been one of our long-time members, having joined HOME Method, or an earlier iteration of the program, almost 5 years ago in 2019. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/331] In the world of online businesses, that’s a long time … but for me as an architect having worked in this industry since 1994, it doesn’t feel that long!! Elizabeth’s story is a really interesting one, because when she joined, she didn’t know what kind of project she was going to be working on, or where, or with who. You see, Elizabeth’s home sits on land that was rezoned some years ago, which meant that a move was going to be on the cards, but there were a few hurdles to jump through first. Elizabeth decided not to wait for those hurdles, and instead start upskilling herself, so that when they needed to act, she could feel much more comfort

Hello! This is Episode 330. In it, I continue my conversation with Angela, a Tasmanian HOME Method member, currently kicking off the design phase of her project. She and her partner have decided that, instead of doing the knock-down rebuild of their home as was originally planned, they are undertaking a more efficient and lower cost renovation of the existing home. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/330] If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of my conversation with Angela and how they arrived at this decision, I encourage you to check out Episode 329. You can find it at www.undercoverarchitect.com/329 and hear what drove their project change after initial discussions about a new build with a local builder. In this episode, we learn more about the design process, and some of the specific renovation preparation Angela has been undertaking to explore the condition and energy efficiency of the existing home. You’ll also hear me giv

Hello! This is Episode 329. In it, you’re going to meet Angela. She and her partner own a block of land with an existing home on it in Tasmania, and after purchasing the home, they started their project journey with the plan to demolish the home and build a new one - otherwise known as a ‘Knock Down Rebuild’ or KDRB! However, once they lived in the home for a little while, their ideas changed. And what was to be a knock-down rebuild project of a new home, has morphed into a planned renovation of the existing home.  [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/329] I think you’ll find it super interesting to hear how Angela and her partner arrived at this project change, and how they’ve sought help and support so they can make informed decisions about creating the right result for them, their budget and their long-term plans. Remember, if you’d like to grab a full transcript of this episode, you can find that by heading to www.underco

Hello! This is Episode 328, and it’s part 2 of my conversation with HOME Method member, Janet, about the pre-build and build phases of her project.  Janet and her partner Paul, have been building a new home in Brisbane on a tricky site, and it’s almost finished! And this is our chance to hear how the construction process has gone. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/328] If you haven’t listened to the first part of my conversation with Janet in Episode 327, head there to bring yourself up to speed. You can find it at https://undercoverarchitect.com/327 to listen or download the transcript. In this Episode, Janet shares with us how their construction process has been. At the time of recording this episode, Janet and Paul are only a few weeks away from moving into their new home.  For many, this can be a time full of stories about battle scars, as homeowners recover from a stressful experience and recount horror stories of a t

Hello! This is Episode 327, and I’ve brought Janet back to talk more about her project of building a new home on a challenging block for her family in Brisbane, Queensland.  We’re talking all about how they selected their builder, tendered their project, made their selections and got ready for construction. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/327] We first met Janet back in Episode 319 and Episode 320, where Janet shared how she and her partner Paul, and their 3 children, started on their project journey in 2021.   Janet shared that they’d lived in their existing home for almost 19 years, and renovated it whilst their two oldest kids were really little.  Janet felt, in hindsight, they rushed it, and now were living in a home that isn’t adapting to the changing demands of family life.  AND she knew they didn’t want to renovate it again, as they felt they’d have to undo things to make the necessary changes. Whilst investigatin

Hello! This is Episode 326, and it’s Part 2 of my conversation with HOME Method member, June, about their new build of their retirement home in the West Australian coastal town of Green Head. Whilst living remotely from the site - 3.5 hours away. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/326] If you haven’t listened to Part 1, be sure to head back to Episode 325, where you’ll hear June discuss how they thought about ageing in place in their design, and the decisions they made for their coastal location with its harsher conditions. You can find the episode and a downloadable transcript at www.undercoverarchitect.com/325. In this episode, we dive into some of the details of windows and external cladding, and choices made for the location’s conditions and climate resilience.  June discusses how she worked with her team, and her realisation that she didn’t have to be the one to solve all the problems whilst she ensured she was getting

Hello! This is Episode 325, and in it, you’ll meet HOME Method member June, who at the time of recording our conversation, is only a few weeks away from moving into her new home in Western Australia with her partner. June and her partner are both researchers professionally, so when building a new home, you can imagine that their approach involved researching and getting informed so they could navigate their project confidently. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/325] After living in copious rentals as they moved around for work, June and her partner found their ideal lifestyle location on the coast of Western Australia, where they decided to build their new home.  This is their retirement home, so it’s designed for ageing in place. They also wanted it to be low maintenance, highly energy efficient, and built using passive solar and Passive House principles.  In addition, they wanted this home to be pet friendly, climate res

Hello! This is Episode 324, and in it, I’m continuing my conversation with Michael about their new home project in Western Australia.  This is a home that Michael and his partner are building to retire to, in a beautiful location on an acreage site. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/324] If you haven’t listened to the first part of my conversation with Michael, you can find Part 1 in Episode 323. Head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/323 to listen now or grab the full transcript. It’s a great introduction to Michael’s project, including the design process for their new home. In this episode, Michael goes into more detail about how he weighed up volume builders and custom builders, so he could review the best solution for constructing their new home and make an informed choice. And in investigating different types of builders, he also did a really good job of drilling into the detail of his project so he could compare apples

Hello! This is Episode 323, and I’m looking forward to introducing you to Michael, a member of HOME Method who is building a new home in Western Australia. When Michael and his partner joined HOME Method in April 2021, they were looking to create a home that would enable them to live comfortably in a beautiful location on an acreage site.  [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/323] Intended as their retirement home, you’ll hear more from Michael about how they approached this project so it could support their overall lifestyle goals, as they transition away from running a working property, to enjoying and relaxing more regularly, and spending time with family and friends. Building a home that you plan to retire to can be quite a different experience and require a different brief to other types of family and home situations. Michael shares some of the specific things they incorporated in their design to make their home suit thi

Hello! This is Episode 322, and in it, I continue my conversation with Cindy about building her new home on the NSW coast. Cindy is a HOME Method member, as well as a qualified Thermal Performance Assessor helping homeowners in her business, Consciously. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/322] If you haven’t listened to part 1 of my conversation with Cindy, I’d encourage you to head back to Episode 321 now so you can listen to that first. You’ll find that at www.undercoverarchitect.com/321. In this episode, you’ll hear more about CIndy’s project. She talks about how she established her criteria for material selection and what that’s meant in doing a project in a regional area.  She also talks through her window selection, as well as the modelling of her home both from a visualisation point of view, and in testing energy performance.  And she shares with us how construction has been progressing, and how she’s navigated her r

Hello! This is Episode 321, and in it, I’m talking with HOME Method member, Cindy. Cindy is a HOME Method member, but one with a difference. Because she’s also trained in design and achieved her qualifications as a Thermal Performance Assessor, or Energy Efficiency Assessor as it’s also known. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/321] So, designing her own new home, both as client and designer, came with some interesting learnings and challenges.  Particularly as Cindy and her partner want this home to be a fantastic hub for their family and friends, a comfortable place where they can relax and restore, and an example of the sustainable and functional design of a beautiful home in a beautiful location. It’s a great conversation where Cindy shares her insights and learnings generously and takes us on the journey of her new home build. Remember, if you’d like to grab a full transcript of this episode, plus information on the re

Hello! This is Episode 320, and in it, I continue my conversation with Janet, a HOME Method member who is sharing with us the journey that she and her partner have been on to build a new home for themselves and their three children. In this episode, you’ll hear how Janet, her partner Paul, their building designer, Aaron from Greencoast Design and their builder, Dwain from Hezzelic Homes, dived into their journey together, and how their design came to fruition through this process.  [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/319] It’s a really different design for a new home, so it’ll be great for you to hear how that came about, and then developed over the project’s progress. As a clue, Janet calls it ‘the home with a hole’! Remember, if you’d like to grab a full transcript of this episode, plus see photos of the project, you can find all of that by heading to www.undercoverarchitect.com/320. And if you haven’t listened to Part 1 o

Hello! This is Episode 319, and in it, you’re going to meet Janet, who is a HOME Method member building a new home in Brisbane, Queensland. And, it’s a new home with a difference! Janet, her partner Paul, and their 3 children, have been on their project journey for a few years now. You’ll hear us talk about their timeline in this episode, which started back in 2021.  [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/319] Having renovated before, and knowing they didn’t want to renovate again at their current home, Janet and her partner initially didn’t expect to build new. However, when a block became available near their current home, they decided to dive in. This is a great conversation about the steps Janet and her partner are taking to make their home a reality, and the learnings, wins and challenges along the way. Janet is fantastic at sharing all the details, so I know you’ll find it super helpful. Remember, if you’d like to grab a

Hello! This is Episode 318, and in it, we continue my conversation with Louise and Zane about beginning the renovation of their Californian Bungalow in Melbourne. [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/317] If you haven’t listened to the first part of this conversation, I encourage you to go back and check out Episode 317. Louise and Zane share background information about who the project is for, their vision for their future home, some of their nerves and concerns about budget, and decisions they’re making about their team. You can find all of that at www.undercoverarchitect.com/317. This episode begins as we continue discussing Louise and Zane’s expectations about when they want to start construction, and me sharing some challenging feedback about those expectations. Plus, I also make suggestions about their next steps, and we talk about the best way to begin when you’re exploring whether to go out with an extension or up wit