What are the big mistakes to avoid with your designer or architect?

This page features 3 mini-sodes I’ve released as a special, to help you avoid the big mistakes many make when using a designer or architect in their renovation or new build.

These mini-sodes will help you avoid these 3 mistakes, and be much better prepared for your design process.

And they’ll help you work well with your designer or architect, whoever that is!

Scroll down to see all 3 episodes, and the 3 mistakes to avoid.

Plus, you can download the free PDF transcripts of all episodes as well. It’s all here for you to access.

This is a special series of mini-sodes I’m doing to help you avoid the mistakes I see many make with designers and architects during their home renovation or new build. 

It could be an architect, building designer or interior designer. I don’t consider draftspeople designers, but this information will also apply to working with them as well.

They say that teamwork makes the dream work, and I think there’s nowhere this is more true than your renovation or new build project.

Getting it right in your project team, and especially in the designer you work with, can make or break your project.

And yet, it’s an area that so many struggle with, or have a terrible experience of. So much so, that many believe that designing their home themselves will be the simplest way they can avoid dramas, maintain control, and not run into design issues in their project.

If you’re wanting to work with an architect, a building designer or even an interior designer in your new build or renovation project, these three mini-sodes will help you avoid some of the common mistakes I see homeowners make when they become clients.

These mistakes come from seeing clients work with me in their own projects, and also in connecting and with speaking to hundreds and hundreds homeowners through Undercover Architect over the years, and hearing all sorts of stories.

The thing to be aware of is this: it is not pot luck that you end up with a good designer. It is not accidental. And yet, so much hinges on that 1:1 relationship and it working successfully for you.

That’s why you’ll hear me say: You unlock what is possible for your future home. Because you choose who you work with, and then how you work with them. And that makes all the difference in how your project goes.

So, in these special mini-sodes, I’ll be sharing the main mistakes I see homeowners make in:

• How they choose their designer
• How they start with their designer
• And how they work with their designer.

This will be super helpful for you getting it right in the design team you bring on board to make your future home a reality.

Now, let’s dive in!

This is the very first mini-sode, and first mistake many homeowners make: How you choose your designer.

Once you’re ready to kick off your project formally, and move from that ‘dreaming up ideas’ phase into ‘now we want to do this’ … most people are thinking “do we use an architect, building designer or draftsperson? Or go straight to a builder?”

For some, they’ve already decided they’ll definitely not use an architect. I’ve had homeowners tell me they totally wanted to avoid it. 

For others, they know the type of professional they want to use, but they’re not sure of who it’ll actually be. 

For others, they’re not sure which is the best fit for them, or they’re trying to work out the best approach to have confidence and control in their project journey. 

Many are unsure of the differences between these different types of design professionals, and what is involved in working with them, or their design process overall.

If you get it right, your designer becomes your counsel and your concierge for your project journey. They’re a trusted ally who understands your wishes and wants for your home intimately, and interprets them in a way that exceeds your expectations. 

If you don’t get it right, the relationship can feel stunted, difficult and like you’re talking a different language. 

And like you’re having to do their job for them as they miss out on critical steps, won’t help coordinate other parts of the process, and only deliver what you ask for.

LISTEN TO THIS MINI-SODE NOW

The second mini-sode, and second mistake many homeowners make: How you start with your designer

So, you’ve chosen your designer, and you’re starting working with them on making all your home dreams a reality.

It can be really exciting to be getting started, and understandable so. Many people I speak to have been thinking about and researching their project for a long time before they finally choose their designer to work with. And they’ve been dreaming of having a new or renovated home for some time prior to that.

If you’ve gone through the process of finding a designer you believe is suitable and trustworthy, then you’re most likely really looking forward to kicking things off, and seeing what they can come up based on their expertise and your vision for your future home.

There can also be a huge urgency at this starting point. What I often find is that, even though a homeowner may have been thinking about their renovation or new build for YEARS, once they actually commit to the process and hire a designer, they want things done as soon as possible. 

And there can be a lot of mistaken assumptions about how things will go, what the process will look like, and what it’s like to work with a designer.

How you start the journey with your designer can make a big difference to how the design process will go overall. 

LISTEN TO THIS MINI-SODE NOW

The third mini-sode and third mistake many homeowners make is: How you work with your designer

I’ve had homeowners say to us they feel like mere mortals because of the way some parts of the industry presents itself. Design is a strange mix of art and science, and it’s the art side of things that the industry can seem to hold you, the client, at arms length. Even though it’s your money and your home.

Add to that, it’s one of the most languaged industries, with its own terminology to describe its work, it can seem foreign. And unfortunately, there’s some architects and designers who think of clients and their budgets as patrons and their funds for their artistic pursuits. The starchitect ethos is still strong in the industry. It’s shifting, for sure. But it’s still there.

It’s also the fact that the design is inside someone else’s brain, and your ability, as the client, to understand it, is reliant on their ability to communicate and demonstrate it to you. And not all designers can do a great job of that. 

And, it’s not until the design is drawn that you can really see if it’s going to be in alignment with your vision for your future home. Plus, if you don’t know what ‘good design’ actually looks like, or you can’t read drawings and translate that into the spaces and rooms of your future home, then you can struggle.

So, how will you make your design process something that’s enjoyable, where you get to play the role you want to, and feel part of the journey of your design leaving a designer’s head and becoming the drawings for your future home?

Well, of course the success of this is reliant on the designer you choose, and how you start your relationship with them. And then, it’s also about how you continue that working relationship as your project progresses.

LISTEN TO THIS MINI-SODE NOW

RESOURCES:

Listening in October / November 2022? Register for my free 4 Factors Workshop >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/workshop

(and if you’re listening after that, still head to that link, because we’ll have something special for you)

All other podcast links and resources can be found in the PDF transcripts.

Want to work with me?

Access the support and guidance you need to be confident and empowered when renovating and building your family home inside my flagship online program >>> HOME METHOD https://undercoverarchitect.com/courses/the-home-method/