Building with Confidence: Contracts, Builder and Selections, with Ellen

Mar 31, 2025

Ellen shares her journey of building a new home in Ballarat and the early lessons learned in construction. She discusses overcoming fears about unforeseen issues and emphasizes the importance of clear communication with her builder. Ellen highlights the benefits of making selections early to ease the construction process and how she established trust with her design team. With insights about contract reviews and accepting imperfections, her story is both informative and relatable for anyone embarking on a home-building adventure.

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ADVICE

Trust Your Prepared Team

Rely on a vetted team to catch gaps you might miss during preparation.
Trust the specialists you've engaged so you don't have to oversee every technical detail.

INSIGHT

Character Matters As Much As Credentials

Assess builder traits like conscientiousness and transparency, not just credentials.
These character cues shape trust and how issues are raised and managed during build.

ADVICE

Set Clear Communication Boundaries

Ask your builder to set and stick to business hours so expectations are clear.
Respecting these boundaries reduces stress and prevents messy after-hours demands.

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Hello! This is Episode 356, and in it, HOME Method member Ellen is back to give us an update on the construction of her new home in Ballarat, Victoria.

Ellen and her partner are doing a knockdown-rebuild, and creating a single-storey home for their family, which includes Ellen and her partner, and their two teenage kids.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/356]

Ellen was on the podcast in Episodes 336 and 337 discussing her project journey up to commencement of construction. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to those episodes, I encourage you to check them out as you’ll hear more about the earlier parts of the process, choosing her team and getting the design right.

This has been a long process for Ellen and her family, so it’s super exciting to have her back to talk about the build process itself, and how she’s set herself up for success and a smooth process overall.

In this episode, Ellen and I talk about the early signs she started getting from her builder that communication and collaboration was going to be a positive experience during construction.

We also discuss how useful it’s been to make selections earlier in the project, so that construction itself can be managed more effectively and calmly. Ellen also shares how she’s developed confidence in her selections, and how she’s worked with her team to feel comfortable that the significant and impactful factors for her home and build are taken care of as construction commences.

Plus, Ellen is a psychologist by profession, so I love understanding her insights into human behaviour in a project such as this, and her suggestions for dealing with hiccups, managing your mindset and well-being and overcoming concerns as the project unfolds.

This is a fantastic conversation with so many gems of wisdom - I hope you really enjoy it.

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/356.

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.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST NOW.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/356

Access my free “Your Project Plan” online workshop and awesome bonuses now >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/projectplan

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

Just a reminder: All content on this podcast is provided by Undercover Architect for reference purposes and as general guidance. It does not take into account specific circumstances and should not be relied on in that way. You should seek independent verification or advice before relying on this content in any circumstances, including but not limited to circumstances where loss or damage may result. The views and opinions of any guests on the podcast are solely their own. They may not reflect the views of Undercover Architect. Undercover Architect endeavours to publish content that is accurate at the time it is published, but does not accept responsibility for content that may or has become inaccurate over time.

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