The Home Project Podcast

Are your renovation decisions quietly draining your budget? The advice to get a structural survey is well established. The advice to get professional input before you even make an offer is not. In this episode, we dig into the decisions that add cost without improving your home. Buying a property without the right professional input, skimping on surveys, engaging contractors before there is anythi...

Should budget or design come first? The assumption is that a design can always be scaled back once the costs land. We explore why setting a budget and developing a design in isolation is one of the most costly mistakes in residential projects. We cover what happens when design runs ahead of budget, why early-stage cost planning is essential, and how hidden costs, from structural work and party wal...

Are you spending money before your project has even begun? The assumption is that the sooner works start on site, the sooner the project is finished. In reality, a premature start is one of the fastest ways to waste significant money. We cover where the real pre-construction money traps are, from missing permissions and party wall awards to CIL charges, overcomplicated building management systems,...

Is your renovation idea as viable as you think it is? The figure in a homeowner's head and the layout they've settled on are rarely either accurate or final. We explore how to properly stress-test a project before it costs you serious money. We cover how the brief-writing process uncovers what you need, why hand-drawn sketches outperform any online room planner, and how to approach budget conversa...

Is the planning system really as unpredictable as everyone says? Plenty of homeowners treat a refusal as a catastrophe and an approval as a green light to break ground. Neither assumption holds up. We walk through the entire planning process from first principles. That means understanding whether your project needs full planning or permitted development, how to structure an application that makes...

What if you could see every planning delay coming? The delays most homeowners fear are more predictable than they think. We sit down with Geoff Megarity, planning consultant at Bell Cornwell, to map out exactly where delays hide and what you can do to get ahead of them. From the validation checklist to ecology survey seasons, Geoff explains the preparation that separates a smooth five-month proces...

Do you really know what your permitted development rights allow? The rules are nationally set, locally interpreted, and full of conditions that can catch even experienced owners out. We cover what permitted development allows: extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings, and barn conversions. We explain where the rules get complicated, why the same street can have completely different rights, and h...

Is planning permission as frightening as everyone says? Planning is a black box where decisions are made arbitrarily, and outcomes are impossible to predict. We cut through the confusion with chartered town planner Aaron Zimmerman of Centro Planning Consultancy. We cover what constitutes development, the difference between permitted development and full planning permission, how the eight-week dete...

What decisions shape the success of a home build? A residential project can take three to four years, yet many of the most important decisions happen long before construction begins. In this episode we walk through the entire project journey, from setting the brief and budget through to selecting the design team, securing planning approval, tendering contractors, and managing the construction phas...

Do you know what actually changes the moment you get the keys? Handover feels like the finish line, but for most homeowners it marks the start of a process they have never been prepared for. We cover everything that happens at the point of practical completion: what the term legally means, why the contract administrator holds the only authority to issue it, and what changes hands the moment that c...

Is your build being managed, or just happening? The build phase feels like the moment everything finally comes to life. But without the right management structure in place, it's also where home builds quietly unravel. We cover who is responsible for what once work starts on site, why 80% of disputes trace back to decisions made at tender, and why the Contract Administrator works for the contract,...

Is your contractor selection process setting your project up to fail? The assumption is that once you've found a builder and agreed a price, the hard part is over. Between us, we've spent 40 years on high-value residential projects, and contractor selection is consistently the decision clients underestimate most. In this episode, we break down why choosing on price and gut feeling is a costly mist...

How do you protect yourself from costly disputes? Signing a JCT contract guarantees protection and clarity throughout your build. We break down the most common procurement routes and explain why choosing the right contract matters more than most homeowners realise. Traditional lump sum contracts give you maximum control over specification and finishes but require complete design before tender and...

How do you avoid costly delays on a build? Planning permission approved is just the beginning, not the green light to start building. We break down the eight RIBA stages that structure every successful residential project, from initial feasibility through to post-occupancy evaluation. Through our combined experience as architect and quantity surveyor, we explain why spending time on technical desi...

Why does your day one budget never match your final cost? That first figure feels fixed, but it's actually just the starting point for a journey of controlled change. We walk through every stage of cost control, from initial budgeting to final account settlement. As an architect and quantity surveyor, we explain why early builder estimates carry risk, how professional cost planning builds in allow...

Are you choosing the right design team for your home? Getting this decision right is an essential part of a successful home build project. In this episode we explore why appointing the design team is the second most important decision in any high value home build, and how that early choice influences cost, risk, programme and quality from day one. We unpack what a design team really is, who should...

What actually has to be approved before you can build?   In this episode, we give a clear overview of the statutory approvals that apply to residential construction projects, and explain how they shape what you can design, when you can start on site and how much risk you carry.   We break down planning permission, permitted development and pre application advice, and explain why approvals are abou...

Building a high value home means managing far more people than you expect. On a residential project, dozens of professionals are involved, each with a specific role, responsibility, and risk attached. We break down who does what, who works for whom, and where confusion can lead to costly mistakes. We explain the key roles across the full build team, including architects, project managers, quantity...

Home design is about more than drawings. It is about decisions that shape how you live for decades. In this episode, we break down what the architectural design process really looks like on a private home project. We walk through how a design brief is developed, why it cannot be rushed, and how understanding family life, future needs, and everyday habits directly influences layout, flow, and long-...

Most people think a home project starts with an architect or a builder. In reality, the most important work happens long before that conversation ever begins. In this episode, we explore what homeowners really need to think about before engaging any professionals. From understanding what’s driving the project in the first place, to aligning as a family on goals, budgets and timelines, we unpack th...

Building your own home should be exciting, but too often it becomes overwhelming, and stressful for all the wrong reasons. We believe the home building process is misunderstood, full of hidden risks and unnecessary complex, at all scales.  In this podcast, we’ll be exploring how you can build your home with none of the stress, jargon free. We’ll. be sharing how we approach home projects, why so ma...