Get It Right With Undercover Architect

What do industry insiders think it’s important for you to know when building or renovating? One of the reasons I created Undercover Architect, and why I continue to make so much knowledge and advice freely available, is because in my 20+ year career in architecture, I felt I was always finding people too late. I'd be at the school gate, or at a BBQ, and someone would find out I was an architect, and then proceed to tell me the horror story of theirs, a family member's or a friend's project. And there was always a consistent element ... they could have avoided the drama with the right advice at the right time. And anything I told them now was too late for them. SHOW NOTES: So much information and knowledge gets locked up inside the 1:1 relationship a homeowner has with their designer or their builder. In that long journey of renovating or building, it can feel like 'pot luck' whether you end up with the right people, or getting the right advice at the right time. Spoiler alert ... it's not pot luck. Wi

Are you chasing the after photo? Styling and staging may be seducing you to make the wrong choices for your home design. As you browse the internet, look at glossy magazines and spend hours on Pinterest, it’s easy to fall in love (and aspire to achieve) the images you see of renovation and building projects. But it’s not all about the ‘after’ photo. SHOW NOTES: The way we view renovations and new homes when we look online, or on reality TV, is very carefully crafted. Heavily curated homes, with the ‘right’ amount of furniture, artwork, cushions, rugs, and throws, make for beautiful photographs we begin to lust after and collect as inspiration for our own home. It can be easy to think … “I just need to achieve that ‘look’ and my home will be perfect. However, in my experience, styling and staging are not what make a home work. It’s not how a great home design is actually achieved. And it can seduce you into chasing the ‘after’ photo

Renovating or building your forever family home is entirely different to flipping a home for profit - but not in all the ways you think. Many homeowners seek advice and guidance from reality TV and online renovating or building experts who are flipping homes for profit. It can be a misleading way to seek help for your forever family home. Flipping and forever are very different mindsets. When you’re creating your forever family home, the significance of what you’re doing can be overwhelming. SHOW NOTES: If flipping the home, there’s a certain freedom that comes from knowing you won’t be the one living with the consequences of your decisions. Decisions don’t seem so consequential - not for you anyway. This is entirely different to the exercise of building or renovating your forever family home. I see homeowners unable to be detached or objective about the outcomes they’re choosing for their forever family home. In a previous episode, I talked about the emotional baggage we

If you’re just wanting to get your renovation or new home built, the real life process may be disappointing for you. Why? Reality TV and online renovating / building are ALL about the build … and this is a huge departure from the time, investment and team required to make your project happen. The real life process involves a lot more than just the construction phase. SHOW NOTES: There are actually 4 phases to any project. Whether you’re building or renovating, wherever you’re located, and whatever your budget. These 4 phases are: #1 Before you begin #2 Getting your design right #3 Before you build #4 Getting your project built Reality TV and online renovating and building are all about phase #4. Because this is the exciting part. It makes good content. It creates engaging, dramatic footage. And it’s fun to see a dream take shape in floors, rooms and buildings on a site. So many homeowners focus their attention and effort on racing to the construction phase. It’s all about

The most significant differences between real life renovating and building and reality TV and online versions is COST and TIME. Why does it seem so much cheaper and faster to renovate or build in the television or online world? SHOW NOTES: I’ve been working with homeowners for almost 25 years now, and one thing has been constant. Their expectations of what it will cost, and how long it will take, are vastly different to real life renovating and building. You’ll be told by well-meaning friends when you announce you’re planning to renovate or build … “You know what they say? It’ll cost you twice as much and take twice as long as you plan it to.” However, in my experience … homeowners commence the process with a budget that’s 50% - 75% of where it needs to match their brief (their needs, wants, wishes and desires for their home). And they don’t understand how long the whole process will take, and that it can sometimes be 2 to 3 years from start to fin

What style is my house? And my preferred taste? Do you find yourself asking this question when renovating or building? Everyone wants to know “What style is my house?” But naming your style can be dangerous and limiting. SHOW NOTES: One of the things I see that’s really prevalent in the world of reality TV and online building and renovating is this desire to name the style you’re seeking for your project (and future home). It’s a common question others will ask you too. “What style are you doing? … Hamptons is SO popular right now!” With names like Scandi, Plantation, Industrial, French Provincial, Coastal, there’s a huge range of descriptions for an apparent choice of style, look, finishes, colours and fabrics. And you’ll see many online renovators and builders teach you to ‘pull together your vision’ … or create your vision board or scrapbook to show others the look you want for your home. They recommend it as a great way to g

SEASON 9 - KEEPING IT REAL EPISODE 03 - Anyone can renovate or build their home (apparently) They say anyone can build or renovate their home - can’t they? Then why does it go SO wrong for so many. Well-meaning reality TV renovating and building mentors and online experts will tell you “Anyone can do this”. “We didn’t know what we were doing either when we started. Look at us now! You don’t need to be a professional. We’re just mums / people like you. And we figured it out.” And this can be really misleading for homeowners taking on the design, renovation or new build of their own family home. SHOW NOTES: Scratch below the surface of these reality TV and online experts and you’ll find a tribe of professionals and consultants who support and guide them on their projects. Who help ensure they meet council requirements, pass building inspections, that their design actually works, and that their project will be durable, legal and livable. You’ll also fin

Nervous about building or renovating? Want to manage your project well? You may be surprised to hear many say it’s like having children. This is why. A mum posted this in a Renovating Facebook group … Today I realised how much doing a renovation is like having children. It takes way more time and commitment than you ever thought it would. You receive constant conflicting advice and everyone thinks they know best. You’re woken in the night with the sudden thought that you’ve chosen completely the wrong tile and your bathroom will be disaster. You leave for work with knots of anxiety wondering if you’ve left your home in the care of the right builders. Now I realise why I’m feeling so bloody stressed! … I knew she’d nailed it. SHOW NOTES: In this episode, I talk about the unexpected blindside in renovating and building: the emotional piece. Many expect that it’ll be a stressful process due to it being outside the normal comfort zone. However, very few

Planning a renovation or new home and inspired by reality TV, YouTube and social media? You may already be aware that real life renovating and building is not the same as reality TV. But how different is it? And are you REALLY aware of how damaging and misleading it can be to your journey? I’m nervous about this season of episodes … but I feel this conversation is important and timely. And I feel that there’s an alternative way to creating a great home that feels great, when we choose to KEEP IT REAL. SHOW NOTES: In this season of the podcast, I share openly and frankly what I’m seeing happen to homeowners who embark on their renovation and new home projects. And why reality TV, Youtube and social media ‘inspiration’ can be damaging and misleading in so many ways. In this episode, I talk about ... Why I’m nervous about being so frank and open with you about reality TV and real life renovating and building Why I feel this conversation is so important at this time Wha

Want to build a sustainable forever home? Frances Cosway of White Pebble Interiors tells us about her family home. The White Pebble Home is a stunning example of a family home that is designed to be sustainable, flexible and adaptable. And it has a natural pool to die for! SHOW NOTES: Meet Frances Cosway from White Pebble Interiors Frances is an interior designer, published author and speaker with a passion for creating beautiful homes people love to live in. With over 15 years’ experience in renovating and building, her true passion lies with helping clients design and build their ‘Forever Homes’. Having lived in Europe for 12 years, she draws on her own unique influences whilst seamlessly incorporating the individual styles of her clients when developing projects. Her philosophy on design is that your home is a story of you; how you live, your lifestyle and your life journey. She’s committed to ensuring every home she works on is a true reflection of its owners, based on these princi

How do you renovate a home as a Passive House (or Passivehaus)? Especially when that home is an early 1900s weatherboard cottage? In this episode, I’m going to be sharing the experience of a homeowner who renovated their early 1900s weatherboard home into a Passive House. They’ve lived in it now for 3 years, and it’s located in inner Melbourne, about 10km from the CBD. This project is a great opportunity to see how an old weatherboard home can be renovated into a Passive Home that is comfortable and saves thousands in running costs each year. Cameron’s family home is known as Armadale Passivhaus. They open this home for Sustainable House Open Day each year, and Cameron also has a great website on all the nitty gritty details of the home and project (see the resources below for more information). Circa 1910, this weatherboard home faces north-to-street. So, if you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, and heard the episodes I did back in Season 1 about orientation, you’ll

Is Passive House necessary in Australia? This is a question many ask, because they believe our climate is too mild to necessitate the Passive House approach. Yet, Clare Parry disagrees. She is a Director and Principal at Grun Consulting, and is a Certified Passive House Certifier and Trainer. Clare was also one of the founding members of the Australian Passive House Association. Its vision is to lead change by educating, promoting, and supporting the delivery of Certified Passive House buildings in Australia. Clare is the Certifier for the Owl Woods Passive House project - so it’ll be her job to provide the tick of approval that everyone else has done their jobs, and the home can actually be certified as a Passive House. Clare however, fulfills many roles when it comes to sustainable design in Australia, and whenever I researched or talked about Passive House - it was Clare Parry’s name that came up. I’m really excited you’re going to meet her through this episode, and hear about her e

How do you build a Passive House? The construction of a Passive House requires specific processes and knowledge. Learn what it takes to build the Owl Woods Passive House Project in my interview with Stuart Lee. SHOW NOTES: In this episode, we meet Stuart Lee of Craftsmen Quality Builders. Stuart is the builder for the Owl Woods Passive House, and if you listened to my interview with David Rhind, the client and owner, you may recall that it was when they met Stuart, that they got interested in making this home a Passive House, and dived into this whole process. Stuart is a fantastic advocate for the building industry, as he really demonstrates what quality building, client collaboration and teamwork looks like. Even if you don’t want to build or renovate a Passive House, I really encourage you to listen to this episode and learn what to look for when choosing your own builder. Stuart provides some great advice to support you in your selection. Introducing Stuart Lee, Craftsmen Quality Builders Stuart is

So you want to build or renovate a Passive House? Your specialist team may need to include a Certified Passive House Consultant to help test and measure your Passive House design. Let me introduce to you Luc Plowman, of Detail Green. Luc is a Passive House Certified Consultant and Certifier. In fact, he’s only one of 2 Passive House certified building certifiers in the country, and there’s only about 50 world-wide. Luc was brought in on the Owl Woods Passive House project as Talina wasn’t certified yet. He assisted with reviewing and auditing the design, running it through the Passive House modelling tool, and providing feedback and advice on what needed to be included and amended in order for the home to reach required benchmarks. SHOW NOTES: Meet Luc Plowman, from Detail Green. Detail Green has a wealth of building design, engineering, construction and sustainability performance experience.  This includes both local and international projects in residential, commercial, industrial and

Talina Edwards, of Talina Edwards Architecture, is the architect on the Owl Woods Passive House project. This project didn’t start out as a Passive House, and Talina didn’t start the project as a Passive House Certified Designer … but that’s what she is now, and that’s what the house is now. I think you’ll learn a lot from hearing how Talina talks about the process of working with a client, understanding their wants, needs and aspirations for their home and her responsibility in bringing that to life … and how she’s worked collaboratively with the client and other team members to deliver this family their forever home. SHOW NOTES: Let me introduce Talina Edwards to you, and Talina Edwards Architecture. Talina Edwards Architecture: elemental design studio is passionate about creating healthy, beautiful, functional, comfortable and sustainable architecture. The practice has a passion for design that improves people’s lives – for residential, communit

What happens when you decide you want to build your forever family home as a Passive House? This is the story of a homeowner who did just that. I’m really excited to be introducing you to the Owl Woods Passive House Project. SHOW NOTES: The Owl Woods Passive House is a new home being built Victoria. Its design meets the Passive House requirements and will be certified as a Passive House when complete. This home is David and Yvonne’s forever home, and we’re going to hear from David about what their journey has been like as the clients in this project - and the future owners of this home. At the time of recording this, the project was nearing completion, and due to be finished right about now actually!   We’re going to be meeting the whole team over the upcoming episodes, and you’ll get a great insight into this project from various viewpoints. In this episode, David Rhind, the client, tells us what it’s been like to be the client in this project. Everything from how th

What is Passive House? Or Passivhaus (as the Germans say!) Passive House offers an opportunity to create a home that is comfortable, improves your health and well-being, and lowers the energy use of your home. This episode is an introduction to what Passive House is. As a building system, it involves a range of measures to have your home performing the way it needs to, to be deemed a Passive House. SHOW NOTES: What’s Passive House? Well, you may be familiar with it when it’s spelt the German way - Passivehaus. Let me say upfront … Passive House is not to be confused with Passive Design or Passive solar design. Passive House is a specific way of designing and building a new or renovated home so it meets certain requirements that lower its energy use and improves the health and wellbeing for its occupants. It creates energy efficient homes. It gives a system to design, test and audit the home’s performance overall. And I actually think it’s going to get some serious traction in Au

In this episode, I’m going to be sharing with you how to really get yourself ready for your renovation or building project if that’s on the cards for you in 2019. NOW is the time to prepare properly, and so I want to help you get really well set up for a successful project so you can save time, money and stress, and get it right in your future home. Sound good? So, let’s dive in. SHOW NOTES: In my experience, when homeowners start thinking about building or renovating, this is commonly what they do: they jump online, perhaps set up a Pinterest Board or Houzz Ideabook, and start gathering gorgeous images of kitchens, living rooms, alfresco areas … a lot of aspirational photos of finished projects that look like what they hope they’ll have in their dream home They really do try to nail and define their ‘style’ and put a name on how to describe it … be it Hamptons, or Coastal, or Scandi or something similar They may get a builder around and throw a bunch of idea

Your Reno Roadmap, my renovation and building course and membership can provide the 1:1 support and advice to save you time, money and stress in your project. How would it feel that, as you navigate the journey of building you new home or renovating your existing one … that you had a professional to check in with, get a second opinion from, and ask for advice at each step of the way. Right from figuring out if you can afford what you want to do, to choosing your designer, getting your floor plan and home design right, making budget savings along the way, selecting your materials and fixtures, and then going through the construction of your project. Someone who you could ask all your questions, and get a response, or get a review of your floor plans, or get help with making decisions? And what if that someone was me, on tap, to help guide and support you at a 1:1 level? Well, it’s possible, and that’s what this episode is all about. WANT TO JOIN YOUR RENO ROADMAP? Head here >>> http

Are you starting the build of your new home or renovation soon and worried about it not going well? So many homeowners walk blindly into signing contracts, not realising how significantly they obligate themselves ... in time, money and by law. They don't protect themselves or understand what should happen next. To be frank, it's where things begin to go seriously wrong in projects. This, followed by not having an understanding about the sequence of construction, and working with a builder who doesn’t have systems in place, or shows any accountability to timelines and budget, or keeps communication open and regular … well, it’s not long before things go pear-shaped during the build or your new home or renovation. So, in this episode, I’ll be talking about how to avoid that when overseeing construction of your new home or renovation. WANT TO JOIN MANAGE YOUR BUILD? Head here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/manageyourbuild/ SHOW NOTES: Manage Your Build is a self-study, onli