Get It Right with Undercover Architect

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 their team, with establishing 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: Your team, Your brief, and Your language. In this episod...

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 failing or missing.  So what is i...

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, f...

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 progress. And then th...

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&nb...

There’s a saying that goes something like this …  “A new home or renovation will always cost twice as much, and take twice as long, as you expect it to”   It’s usually given as a warning to those embarking on their project. And often it’s handed out at school gates or BBQs or in the workplace … where well-meaning friends and colleagues who&rsqu...

When you’re first starting out on your project, you’re generally looking for a designer or a builder (or both). And ultimately you’re trying to find someone you can trust, and who is a good fit for your project.  It can be tricky to know how much to say, and whether to admit you don’t know what you’re doing. This episode is all about how to have that first conver...

Amelia wants to take you through some of the early mistakes she sees homeowners make. Ones that can cause budget blowouts down the track – before you’ve even begun your renovation or new build. These are the components that homeowners can overlook completely. And in doing so, they miss the opportunity it gives them to be strategic in their project. And, they potentially set themselves...

There are 5 top money saving ideas Amelia hears homeowners use to explain how they’ll save big money in their reno or new build. In this episode, Amelia share why these can be in fact MYTHS. Huge mistakes that can actually cost you far more in the long run. So what are these money saving ideas? They are … Money Saving Idea #1: “I can get cheap tiles … or paint … or...

Often when you’re starting to think about your project, and trying to determine the budget you need to set aside for it, you don’t to have to many public conversations about it. This is for a few reasons. One might be that you just feel clueless. You don’t know who to start speaking to, or the questions to ask. And in feeling like that, you may be worried that you’ll look f...

Finding out what your renovation or new home will cost you is not a one-step exercise. In fact, in Amelia's experience, the best results come from approaching this question from various angles.   When you work out what your project will cost you in a more holistic way, using several inputs and types of information, you ultimately come up with a much more reliable answer. And can be more...

Over the years Amelia has been working with homeowners, she has often them asked this question …    “What are you most afraid of when renovating or building your home? What makes you most nervous, causes the most stress and brings about that feeling of overwhelm?”   The answer to this gets delivered in different ways. Sometimes with tears, and sometimes...

Our homes’ front entries and front gardens are how our homes present themselves to the world.   This episode brings us to the front of your home – which is usually the most public face of it. It’s actually the side of your home that most people see. It presents your chosen aesthetic, personality or style to the street.   And it’s usually the first thing...

This episode is about your outdoor living spaces … so your alfresco, or deck, or patio, or terrace, or outdoor room. Amelia will also be talking about swimming pools.    In so many parts of the world – and especially here in Australia – we’re blessed with a great climate. This helps us really expand the interior of our homes into the garden around them. So l...

Stairs and garages. Whilst it may seem odd to put these two items together, there’s a few things they have in common.   Firstly of course, they don’t need to go into every home. If you’re renovating or building a single-storey house on perfectly flat land, there’s going to be part of this podcast not relevant to you! And not everyone wants to or needs to build a g...

Listen to this episode to learn how to get it right in your study nooks, studies and home offices. Our lives are busy. And whilst we do what we can to bring intention and quiet into them where possible, and focus on one thing at a time … sometimes we are juggling. Often we are juggling. And this seems to be most true in how we balance work and family life in our homes. We find the edges can...

This episode is all about secondary bedrooms. “Secondary bedrooms” is the terminology Amelia uses to refer to any bedrooms that aren’t the main bedroom. These can include: Nurseries for infant babies and toddlers Kids’ bedrooms, for kids as they grow into their teenage years and beyond Guest accommodation for friends and relatives that may come to stay Bedrooms for elderly...

In this episode, Amelia will be talking about wardrobes, linens, laundries and mudrooms.   She'll also cover walk-in robes and other storage. These spaces can be important to get right for a home to work well, so let’s learn more.   In this episode, Amelia talks about the four Fs upfront and gets through them quite quickly.   Then, she tackles each of these spac...

This episode is about the wet areas in our home, namely bathrooms, ensuites and powder rooms.   These are cost-intensive areas in our home. They, as well as our kitchens, will have the highest cost rate in $ / m2 compared with the rest of the home (when looking at your project overall). This is of course because of the electrical, the plumbing, the finishes, and the fixtures in these roo...

The main bedroom of the house … Bedroom Number 1. This can be simply a bedroom, or it can be arranged in combination with extra or attached spaces such as a walk-in-robe, ensuite and even a parents’ retreat. Other names for it are the master bedroom, or master suite.   Ensuites and walk-in robes will come in Episode 6 and Episode 7, so Amelia can give you more detail about t...

There’s a huge amount to consider when it comes to designing your kitchen. And it, more than any other area of your home, you can feel a lot of pressure that you’ll stuff it up.  This episode is about kitchens … all thing kitchens, which means Amelia will also talk about butler’s pantries, walk-in pantries and appliance cupboards.   Your renovation or new bu...

This episode is about the second living space in our homes. It goes by lots of different names, but most homeowners planning a renovation or new home want to create one. So, let’s learn more about how to get it right.  This episode may also be a little controversial, as Amelia challenges you to consider whether you really need a second living space in your home. As you stretch your budg...

The question we’re asking today is: How do we make our living and dining rooms, great spaces in our new or renovated home? We spend a huge amount of our time in our homes in our main living and dining rooms. In fact, these spaces, along with our kitchen, get prime use in our homes. So, getting it right in these rooms can and will have a significant impact on how our home feels and functions...

Let’s get down to the fundamentals. This episode introduces the "four F"s Amelia likes to consider when designing any room in your home. And in designing your home overall.  What are these four Fs? They are:   Functionality  Flexibility  Furnishability  Flow  (There’s a secret fifth F too!)  Amelia will share with you what each of these mean, and...