Design Phase: Mistakes to Avoid

Hello! This is Episode #215, and it’s the second of four episodes where I’m discussing in more detail the four phases of building or renovating your family home. If you haven’t listened to the most recent episode (Ep 214) about the mistakes to avoid during your Pre-Design phase, be sure to head back and catch up on that episode.  Even if you’ve already moved through the Pre-Design phase and are in the Design phase right now, the information in that episode will help you ensure you’ve got your ducks in a row, and haven’t missed something important. In this episode, I’ll be diving into some key Design Phase mistakes I see made by homeowners. Whether you’re working with an architect or building designer, or you’ve gone straight to a building company, or you’re designing your home yourself, these Design Phase mistakes will be relevant to you. So stay tuned. Remember too, you can grab a full transcript of this episode, plus info about other helpful links and resources related to this topic, as a free PDF download by heading to www.undercoverarchitect.com/215. So be sure to do that so you can file that away and review this episode as needed. Now, let’s dive in! SHOW NOTES: If you’re struggling with understanding the overall steps for your project, what you should be focussing on and when, or how to best invest your efforts, energy and money to get a great outcome in your future home, I’ve created something super helpful for you. Access my free online workshop “Your Project Plan” now >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/projectplan This free workshop will really help you understand the best steps to take wherever you’re at in your project, and how you can avoid some serious and expensive mistakes.  Plus, I’ll share with you what to focus on and when, so you know you’re getting everything in order for a successful project and beautiful home. And you’ll get access to some great bonuses as well. Now, to clarify - design as I’m talking about it here, is the act of creating the three dimensional spaces and rooms of your future home. And deciding on the volume, the experience, the feeling, and lifestyle that those spaces will create for you. It’s when ideas are sketched up as floor plans with more certainty, and it’s when the home’s exterior is also discussed and also drawn up.  Design as I’m talking about it here is NOT just the act of picking finishes and fixtures, and deciding on the colours for your rooms and home.  Design itself is really an exercise of problem solving.  The problem to be solved is usually about how to create a building that can cater to the needs, wishes and wants of your future lifestyle, balanced with ensuring it suits your site and climate, and meets your budget and construction requirements.  Those can sometimes feel like competing demands, but the process of design is about keeping these things in mind, as the right solution is realised for you. It’s an involved process that can have a lot of too-ing and fro-ing as ideas are explored and tested. It requires careful communication, as well as skill, creativity and experience.  And it takes the ability to imagine a future that doesn’t yet exist for your family, and order the priorities of what matters most to you, into something that can be physically built on your site, for the money you want to spend. This episode will be about the Design Phase, and the mistakes to avoid during this phase. I have three key mistakes many make, and I’ll share what they are, the damage they can do, and how you can, and should, avoid them in your project.  In the next episode, I’ll discuss the Pre-Build Phase. Then after that will be the fourth of our episodes, where we’ll cover the Build Phase.  So, let’s dive into the second phase, Design.  LISTEN TO THE PODCAST NOW. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: For links and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/215 Get your name on the list for our free online workshop “The 4 Universal Factors that will make or break your project” >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/four Access my free “Your Project Plan” online workshop and awesome bonuses now >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/projectplan   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.