Balancing Budget, Sustainability and Family Needs in a New Build, with Shauna

Jun 30, 2025

Join a conversation with Shauna, a sustainability practitioner, on her journey building a family home with sustainability in mind. She shares insights on balancing budget and family needs while tackling challenges like purchasing a derelict house and managing the project as a single parent. Discover how she crafted a clear design brief to guide her decisions and prioritized pragmatic sustainability solutions. The focus is on making intentional choices over striving for perfection, ensuring long-term livability and eco-friendliness.

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ANECDOTE

Built For Her Family's Next Chapter

Shauna built the house for herself and her two daughters as a long-term family home for schooling years.
She aimed for a 10–12 year home rather than a forever house and tailored decisions to that timeframe.

ADVICE

Invest In Professional Resources

Pay for professional expertise when it saves you time and reduces risk; Shauna invested in Home Method for reusable resources.
Use paid templates and checklists to avoid re-creating documentation and to stay organised across a long project.

INSIGHT

Practical Sustainability Over Perfection

Professional sustainability knowledge can increase decision paralysis when applied to a personal home project.
Shauna reframed goals to build a "more sustainable" home rather than chasing an idealised perfect standard.

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Hello! This is Episode 363, and in it, I’m chatting with HOME Method member, Shauna, who has recently completed her new family home.

Shauna is a sustainability practitioner by profession. So, what does someone who works in sustainability do when creating their long-term family home?

Well, you’ll hear how she approached her new build with intention, clear objectives, and a pragmatic approach that balanced the realities of her budget and site with her overall goals and wishlist in her newly built home.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/363]

In this episode, I talk with Shauna about how she identified her objectives, and worked to create an incredibly comprehensive Design Brief, using the HOME Method Brief Builder Template and Room Notes as her guide and template.

You’ll hear how she very quickly realised that this wasn’t about striving for perfection - which in fact can be paralysing for many in their projects, and a slippery slope in all the competing demands of a renovation or new build project journey.

Instead, Shauna focused on what mattered most - identifying her key objectives, understanding her constraints, and making deliberate, well-informed choices to do the best she could within them.

We talk about how she navigated some serious challenges: purchasing a derelict home in a brilliant location, tackling a steep and complex site, managing the project as a single parent, and balancing her values with a realistic budget.

Along the way she made trade-offs whilst provisioning for future upgrades and created a home that supports the sensory needs of her family.

You’ll hear us discuss how she used a Design-Build builder who handled the design inhouse and how she was actively involved throughout, ensuring she could get access to site and review works as they progressed.

Throughout the project, Shauna stayed clear on her values, true to what she was seeking to achieve, and used her Design Brief and well-researched preparation to guide her, backing herself to make the best decisions along the way.

What I love most is how this project has ended with Shauna feeling proud, confident, and content, not only because she’s created a comfortable and functional home, but also now lives in an authentic expression of her priorities and purpose.

This is such a fantastic conversation, especially for those who worry that they can’t do “everything perfectly.” Shauna’s story shows what’s possible when you stay connected to what matters and give yourself permission to build the best you can, with what you have, right now, ensuring you’re prepared and well-researched to realise the full potential of your budget, site and life.

I hope you find this conversation super helpful as you get ready for your project.

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/363.

Now, let’s dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/363

Accessing my free '44 Ways' E-Book will simplify sustainability and help you create a healthy, low tox and sustainable home. You can download your free copy here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/ways

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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