Balancing Budget, Sustainability and Family Needs in a New Build, with Shauna

Hello! This is Episode 363, and in it, I’m chatting with HOME Method member, Shauna, who has recently completed her new family home. 

Shauna is a sustainability practitioner by profession. So, what does someone who works in sustainability do when creating their long-term family home? 

Well, you’ll hear how she approached her new build with intention, clear objectives, and a pragmatic approach that balanced the realities of her budget and site with her overall goals and wishlist in her newly built home.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/363]

In this episode, I talk with Shauna about how she identified her objectives, and worked to create an incredibly comprehensive Design Brief, using the HOME Method Brief Builder Template and Room Notes as her guide and template. 

You’ll hear how she very quickly realised that this wasn’t about striving for perfection - which in fact can be paralysing for many in their projects, and a slippery slope in all the competing demands of a renovation or new build project journey. 

Instead, Shauna focused on what mattered most - identifying her key objectives, understanding her constraints, and making deliberate, well-informed choices to do the best she could within them.

We talk about how she navigated some serious challenges: purchasing a derelict home in a brilliant location, tackling a steep and complex site, managing the project as a single parent, and balancing her values with a realistic budget. 

Along the way she made trade-offs whilst provisioning for future upgrades and created a home that supports the sensory needs of her family.

You’ll hear us discuss how she used a Design-Build builder who handled the design inhouse and how she was actively involved throughout, ensuring she could get access to site and review works as they progressed. 

Throughout the project, Shauna stayed clear on her values, true to what she was seeking to achieve, and used her Design Brief and well-researched preparation to guide her, backing herself to make the best decisions along the way. 

What I love most is how this project has ended with Shauna feeling proud, confident, and content, not only because she’s created a comfortable and functional home, but also now lives in an authentic expression of her priorities and purpose.

This is such a fantastic conversation, especially for those who worry that they can’t do “everything perfectly.” Shauna’s story shows what’s possible when you stay connected to what matters and give yourself permission to build the best you can, with what you have, right now, ensuring you’re prepared and well-researched to realise the full potential of your budget, site and life.

I hope you find this conversation super helpful as you get ready for your project.

Remember, if you’d like to grab a full transcript of this episode, plus links to some helpful resources, you can find that by heading to www.undercoverarchitect.com/363.

Now, let’s dive in!

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/363

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