In this episode, Despina Priala of Priala Legal, provides fantastic tips and insight into building and renovating contracts. I think you’ll find it super helpful. PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in the interview does not constitute legal advice and anyone reading or listening is strongly recommended to seek independent legal advice conce ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

Want to make your construction process simpler – and you more sane and confident? Manage Your Build is my online program that will give you key knowledge, tools, cheatsheets and industry insider checklists and tips, plus strategies to save your sanity and budget as well. This online program can support you, help you avoid expensive mistakes and ...…

This episode introduces a new Project Diary on the Undercover Architect website – the design and construction of a new home in New Zealand. This is a project I designed for the owners late last year, and so, in this episode, I share how the design process went, and how I worked with these homeowners to create the design for their future forever ...…

Got questions about your renovation or new home? This episode answers 3 questions I receive frequently from the UA Community. I receive a lot of questions from homeowners. Between comments on the blog, people getting in touch over email or social media, and from the members in my online programs, it’s always great to see what homeowners are cur ...…

Know what to look for in an architect's or designer's quote so you can protect yourself and your project. Request your FREE Guide now … It includes a complete transcript of this podcast, my top 10 tips, plus 3 bonus tips not mentioned anywhere else >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/quotechecklist This episode is to help you know what to look for ...…

Grab the free e-guide “How to Design a Home – 5 Simple Steps to Get Started and Get it Right”. This guide will take you through how to create a home that works for you – now and always. It’s based on my work with hundreds of clients over more than 2 decades in this industry, and will simplify the design of your future family home. You can get i ...…

Request your free E-Guide “The View from Upper Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/viewfromupper Is your main view from the upper floor of your home? And are you needing help with how to design a home to best suit this? I receive so many questions about how to design a home when your best view is f ...…

Request your free E-Guide “The Dual Access Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/dualaccessblock What is a dual access block? Well, this is what we call a block that has two frontages – at opposite ends of the home. This may be via two street frontages, because for some reason there’s been a subdivis ...…

Request your free E-Guide “The Acreage Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/acreageblock Acreage homes can cover a lot of different types. It can be a single acre in a suburban area where large lots are the norm ... right through to a regional or remote area, where there’s thousands and thousands of ...…

Request your free E-Guide “The Sloping Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/slopingblock Do you have a sloping block? And do you know how to design your new home or renovation to make the most of it? So many homeowners get in touch with me because they have a sloping block and none of the inspiratio ...…

Request your free E-Guide “The Wide Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/wideblock Do you have a wide block? And do you know how to design your new home or renovation to make the most of it? When it comes to wide blocks, these can occur in different configurations. There’s of course the more generou ...…

Request your free E-Guide “The Narrow Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/narrowblock Do you have a narrow block? And do you know how to design your new home or renovation to make the most of it? When I refer to ‘narrow’ blocks, I mean anything that is 10m or less wide. For most areas, that constit ...…

Grab the bonus free download for this episode, which includes a transcript and worksheet for you to get it right on your corner block >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/cornerblock Do you have a corner block? And do you know how to design your new home or renovation to make the most of it? There can be a range of attitudes and feelings about corne ...…

This upcoming podcast season will be all about designing for difficult sites. For the non-standard, non-normal, tricky sites. A cookie cutter approach doesn’t work when your land, block size and shape is different. When you’re renovating or building, you have a unique opportunity to create a home that suits your block of land. That makes the mo ...…

There are 3 secrets I see homeowners keep when planning and carrying out their home renovation or building projects. These things are almost unspoken. It’s only been in digging, asking questions, and listening loads, that I’ve seen these things aren’t a one-off – but happen really regularly for many, many homeowners. These secrets are related t ...…

MY FREE 7 DAY CHALLENGE IS STARTING NOW! HEAD TO www.undercoverarchitect.com/7daychallenge Want to feel and sound like you know what you’re talking about when you build or renovate your home? And avoid being a newbie, feeling like you have a target on your forehead, waiting to be ripped off or taken advantage of? A recent report by Ernst & Youn ...…

Do you know what the most underestimated mistake is when building or renovating your home? Listen to the podcast to learn the renovating and building mistakes to avoid, and how to save your sanity and stress less when renovating or building. There’s a thing I see happen for many homeowners when embarking on, and executing their reno or new buil ...…

Do you know how to ask for what you want in your renovation or building project? And be sure you’re getting what you paid for? One of the most frequently asked questions, or challenges that homeowners share with me is “I have no idea where to start”. Also, many homeowners tell me also that there are 3 big fears or areas of concern around renova ...…

Hello! And welcome to 2018 and the first episode this year on the "Get it Right" podcast. And the first episode of Season 5: Mistakes Many Make. Is renovating or building your home on your agenda for this year? Well, you know Undercover Architect is packed full of useful information so you can get it right. And what's in store this year is no e ...…

In this episode, I wrap up 2017 on the “Get it Right” podcast, and share what’s coming up in 2018. I thought it would be worthwhile, so if there’s anything you want to go back and revisit or refresh, this can act as a reference and an index for you. There’s a LOT of information, ideas and inspiration that gets put out each year in Undercover Ar ...…

I get LOADS of questions … some on the blog, some via email, some on social media and lots and lots inside my online courses. I find inside my online programs that with everyone in a community, asking questions (and getting my answers), it’s incredibly useful in everyone learning far more collectively, than they would 1:1. It’s amazing. And I a ...…

How do you get started on planning a renovation or building project? And how do you avoid procrastinating for so long that you never actually get started? I love this quote by Christopher Parker ... “Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.” We can, and often do, dress up procrastination as 'planning'. An ...…

Trying to make the decision whether to renovate, or to knockdown-rebuild can prevent people from starting their project for months, or even years, as they juggle all the options and are unable to choose one way or the other. If this is you, and you’re trying to make the decision whether to renovate your existing home, or to start again and buil ...…

If you're listening to this around its time of release, it's late November, and there's less than 5 weeks until Christmas. And even less time to the start of school holidays! AArrrggh - where is the year going hey? So, if you're planning some work on your place over the holidays, I want to share with you some tips. Because NOW is the time to ge ...…

Let’s dive into the role of Builder on your project. Duayne Pearce is a Brisbane-based licensed Builder, with over 20 years experience. Now Duayne is someone, like me, who is passionate about helping educate homeowners about how to get the best outcomes from their building or renovation project. So, Duayne and I first connected on social media ...…

Julia Levitt and Fiona Ericsson are the team behind Sticks and Stones Landscape Design, and in this episode, we’re talking about what a Landscape Designer does, and how they can help your renovation or new home. Now, as we near the end of Season 4, we’ve had some amazing professionals sharing incredibly useful information with us about what the ...…

Today we’re talking about what a Building Certifier is, and why you need them – in fact, in most cases, they’re essential to any building or renovation project. They can also be known as a Private Certifier. Mick Tyrell is a Brisbane-based licensed Building Designer, with over 15 years industry experience. Mick is someone I’ve known and worked ...…

I speak with Matthew Willis of Bushfire Planning Services. Matt is a Bushfire Consultant, and will be sharing with us when you require this role in your renovation or building project. Now before you think: Bushfire Consultant? Why would I need a Bushfire Consultant? I don’t live near the bush, I don’t have any bush nearby, and fire isn’t an is ...…

This episode is all about Interior Designers, what they do and how they help you. I know this is an area where homeowners can get confused. I see some homeowners using an Interior Designer to simply choose soft furnishings like cushions and fabrics … through to getting their help for the overall vision for the internal colour and material palet ...…

In this episode, we head outside … and into the gardens and exteriors of our homes. When we’re renovating or building our home, we are often seeking a big improvement in our lifestyle at home. This can mean enlarging our home, or building a bigger one. And generally it means creating fantastic living / kitchen / dining spaces, that then flow to ...…

In this episode, we’ll learn all about how a structural engineer will help you in your project, and why you need one. Josh Neale is a Structural Engineer. He’s also the NSW Office Manager and Structural Project Engineer for Westera Partners. Westera Partners is a highly respected Australian consulting engineering firm that has been practicing o ...…

The requirements for working with a Town Planner, when you’ll need one and what you’ll need one for, will vary from state to state, suburb to suburb and house to house. However, there are some key consistencies to know, and ways they can make your journey simpler overall. So listen carefully for tips for your project. Let me introduce Nuala Dew ...…

In this episode, we’ll be diving into the role of Building Designer. Aaron Wailes is a Brisbane-based licensed Building Designer, with over 15 years industry experience. Now, Aaron is a friend and colleague I’ve known for many, many years. Aaron and I first met at Mirvac over a decade ago. When 5 colleagues and I set up our architectural practi ...…

So we’re in for a treat in this episode. The first interview in Season 04 is with Shaun Lockyer of Shaun Lockyer Architects. Now, if you’re based in Brisbane and planning your renovation or new home, chances are you’ve already come across Shaun’s work. It’s prolific and award winning and a huge body of new and renovated homes all over Brisbane ...…

Are you confused about who you’ll need on your team to renovate or build your home? Homeowners often tell me they are. They’re not sure who to speak to first, what costs to expect from everyone, how to know if they’re finding the right people, and when to get them on board. And sometimes they also don’t understand why they’ll need a specific pr ...…

Season 4 is called “Know Your Team”, and in this season, we’ll be exploring the roles of the various professionals that can help you when you’re designing, building or renovating your home. Often homeowners tell me that they’re confused about who they need to get on their team and which person or role they hire first. And this is the thing abou ...…

There are lots of mistakes that I see homeowners make when it comes to building and renovating their homes. Mistakes that cost them extra time, money and stress along the journey. Some of the main mistakes – the most stress-inducing mistakes – come from how homeowners manage their communication. So, I’m referring to their communication with the ...…

We continue our interlude - examining how to use communication as the powerful tool it can be, to get it right in our renovation or new build. In the last episode, I took you through the first 3 Communication Tools you can use in your project to help it go more smoothly, and achieve success overall. Do you remember what they were? They were: Yo ...…

I want to take a moment to deep dive into one key area that can be the cause of loads of challenges in your renovation or new build. I’m not overstating it, when I tell you that this one thing can be at the heart of most building disputes, errors and costly mistakes. In fact, a lot of serious litigation cases can be credited to this one thing f ...…

As you begin to design and plan your new home or renovation, chances are you’ll be: looking at the spaces you want to create how you want to wrap them up (their size, shape, etc ) and what you want to put in them (finishes, fixtures, furnishings, etc) When you start to allocate your budget to these dreamed and imagined spaces, finishes and fixt ...…

One of the things I often see occurs is that homeowners will be so diligent during their early phases of their projects. Total ninjas when juggling competing demands, sorting their priorities, hunting down bargains, making strong decisions so they meet their budget. And then construction will start. They’ll head to site and start seeing progres ...…

When homeowners find out – often with total shock – that their expectations for their renovation or new home project don’t match the reality of its cost, a readjustment has to occur for them to keep going on their journey. The challenge is that many homeowners often wait far too long to get to this point of readjustment. They hop on a train tow ...…