Get It Right With Undercover Architect

This is Episode 3 of Season 1.    In this episode, we continue on our adventure of uncovering what matters most, and what decisions to prioritise when designing your new or renovated home.   In this episode, we’ll talk about all things EAST.   This will help you get it right if you’re seeking ways to make your home feel great, and also if you have you have an east-facing home.  So what do you need to be aware of with eastern sunlight?   And how should you optimise this to make your home feel great?   This podcast will teach you how to understand morning sun at your home, and manage it effectively year-round.  Let’s dive deeply into:  What eastern sunlight is like  What’s not great about eastern light  How we need to shade and shelter from eastern light  Something you may not know about the sunrise everyday  You’ll understand in detail:  What rooms need to be facing east  What

This is Episode 2 of Season 1.   We continue to explore what matters most, and what decisions to prioritise when designing your new or renovated home.    In this episode, we’ll talk about all things NORTH.   This will help you get it right if you’re seeking ways to make your home feel great, and also if you have you have a north-facing home.  So what do you need to be aware of with northern sunlight?   And how should you optimise this to make your home feel great?   Let’s dive deeply into:  What northern sunlight is like  What’s not great about northern light  How we need to shade and shelter from northern light  You’ll understand in detail:  What rooms need to be facing north  What rooms don’t need to be facing north  A trick if you’re trying to stretch your budget and create great living spaces   And if you have a north-facing home, you’ll learn:  What

This is Episode 1 of Season 1. This season Amelia is going to be taking you through what matters most. What are the most essential choices when designing your home? And in this first episode of the season, Amelia is diving into the very first choice - the most important thing to know - to make your home great. Whatever your dreams, your location or your budget. Today's episode is going to bring immediate clarity to you as you design, renovate or build your home. And Amelia means immediate. It's a big promise isn't it? It's not one she makes lightly! This is largely because of this fact: renovating and building aren't one big decision or choice. They're a series of choices made one after the other. At any point, you may have 2 options, or 20 options, or 200 options. This is the thing Amelia hears regularly - the difficulty that homeowners have in knowing what option to choose in these myriad of options. What if, instead, you could know the most important thing to prioritise? The first choice to make in yo

In this episode, Amelia will be helping you answer the last question, which is “What do you, and your family, actually need from your home – now and into the future?” This may seem like a repeat of the first step, but stay with us here … Australia has the largest average home size in the world. Yes, that’s right. Bigger than our USA counterparts. And it’s climbed quickly.  In 1984, the average size of an Australian home was 162.2m2. In 2012-2013 ABS figures, this had jumped to 241.1m2. And our families haven’t got any bigger – in actual fact they’ve got much smaller. We all want more. The world of home ownership is littered with images to seduce us into wanting more and more from our homes. It’s also human condition to strive to improve and achieve. And there’s nothing wrong with that. However, when you really determine what you need to create a home that works for you, chances are you’ll find it’s actually pretty simple. And

This episode uncovers question 3: What can your budget afford?  Ugh … money. At some point it was going to get here, wasn’t it?!  Budget is the main thing that concerns homeowners embarking on their project. What will my build or reno cost me? And will it blow out along the way? In the last financial year (2015/2016) Australians spent a record $7.7 billion on home renovations according to the latest ABS figures.  That’s over $150 million a week. The figures for new homes are similar. When most of us tackle a renovation or new build, we have a figure in mind about how much we’d like to spend on our project. So our research and preparation becomes a study in what our money will buy us. How far we can stretch it, and whether it’s enough for the dreams we have for our home. Amelia starts with this advice. Do not ignore your budget. Do not avoid setting one. Doing this work early is one of the most significant things you can do to preserve sanity for your project, and

In this episode, let’s talk about question 2. This question is “What are you allowed to do?”  More specifically, it’s “What does your local authority or council say you’re allowed to do?”  Council rules and regulations can seem like a complete minefield to many homeowners.  It can be a complete dampener on your plans if you let it … but Amelia promises you, it doesn’t have to be like this.   There will be planning regulations as well as building regulations, determining what you can and can’t do in your project. Your local council will enforce planning regulations and help control how your suburbs and streets will look. In some councils, if your project meets all their rules, you don’t need any council approval. Or you'll have a fast-track option to get your approval. Some councils will require a Development Application for all types of work. (A Development Application, or DA, is Coun

One of the consistent questions I receive from homeowners is “Where do I start?”  It doesn’t matter whether you’re building or renovating. Knowing how to start can be confusing and overwhelming.  There is so much information and advice out there. Finding a simple path through it all can be challenging. It doesn’t take much to get overwhelmed. And it doesn’t take too many wrong turns to be in completely the wrong place.  The thing is that ‘wrong place’ is usually an expensive place to be. It can be costly to reverse decisions, and get back on track. It can also force you to have to live with your mistakes, and pay a mortgage on them as well. That's the double-whammy in building and renovating.  In my experience, all projects start the same way. Building, renovating, subdividing, extending … ALL projects. Whatever your dreams. Wherever you are, and whatever your budget is. This way involves answering four questions. 

Welcome to Get It Right! I’m Amelia Lee, the architect behind Undercover Architect, and I’m your secret ally. This podcast will help you get it right when designing, building and renovating your home. In this episode, you’ll learn more about what to expect from the podcast, why Undercover Architect began, and what it’s all about. After you’ve had a listen, hit subscribe so you don’t miss any of our weekly episodes. In the first four episodes released, I take you through the first 4 questions that every project – regardless of budget – needs to begin with in order to go well. If you’ve been struggling to get started on your renovation or new home, these first 4 episodes are for you. FOR RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST CLICK HERESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.