4d ago

How To Avoid Miscommunication Problems In Architecture with Usman Yaqub | 125

Avoiding Costly Miscommunication in Architecture: Clearer Client Communication with Usman Yaqub Jon Clayton hosts Architecture Business Club with guest Usman Yaqub, president of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and director at Studio Yaqub Architecture, to discuss how miscommunication and technical jargon damage projects and client relationships. Usman explains that clients, contractors, planners, engineers, and consultants view the same project through different lenses—emotional investment, buildability and program, or compliance and policy—so communication must be adapted to what “success” means for each audience and to reduce “scope canyons” between silos. He shares examples where stakeholders misunderstood milestones and where “planning approval” was wrongly assumed to mean ready-to-build, stressing the need to confirm understanding. Practical tactics include using relatable explanations, storytelling, and visual tools like drawings, BIM, and visualisations, plus framing meetings to invite questions. Today’s Guest Usman Yaqub is the current President of The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists & Director at Studio Yaqub Architecture. He’s an Associate Lecturer at The University of the West of England and holds positions with a number of charities and not for profit organisations. He also established the popular online CPD series - CPD in 43. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 01:12 Meet Usman Yaqub 02:11 Different Lenses Different Goals 03:33 Keeping Clients Emotionally Engaged 05:10 Bridging Scope Canyons 06:19 Jargon That Backfires 06:58 Simplicity Shows Expertise 08:04 Making The Process Accessible 10:09 Miscommunication Stories 10:46 Milestones And Expectations 11:59 Planning Approval Confusion 13:12 Spotting When They Don't Get It 14:50 Planning Vs Building Regs Explained 16:25 Bookending Meetings For Clarity 18:28 Tailoring To Each Audience 22:05 Storytelling And Visual Tools 23:57 Biggest Communication Advice 24:59 Final Thoughts And Where To Connect — Key Takeaways Think about who you are talking to Everyone you work with sees a project differently. A client cares about how it will change their life. A contractor cares about how to build it. A planner cares about rules and policy. When you understand what matters to each person, you can talk to them in a way that makes sense for them — and things go much more smoothly. Simple words show more skill than big ones Using jargon might make you feel clever, but it can leave people confused and too embarrassed to say so. The real skill is taking something complex and explaining it in plain language. If someone walks away understanding you, that is a much better result than if they walk away impressed but lost. Good communication means checking understanding, not just sharing information Saying something clearly is only half the job. You also need to make sure the other person has understood it the same way you meant it. Watch for small signs — hesitation, odd questions, or repeated words — that tell you there may be a gap. Ask "what questions do you have?" instead of "do you have any questions?" to give people a proper chance to speak up. — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Connect with Usman Yaqub on LinkedIn 🤝 Learn more about Studio Yaqub Architecture 🖥️ Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

31 min

May 28

Navigating Home Design Costs with Michael Sweebe | 124

Fixing Budget Misalignment in Residential Projects. A conversation with Michael Sweebe on Build Cost Estimation. Host Jon Clayton interviews residential architect Michael Sweebe of Sweebe Architecture about the common problem of homeowners’ design goals outpacing their budgets and the lack of early tools to define scope and estimate costs. Mike shares how his childhood experience in an unsuitable apartment shaped his focus on homes as expressions of memory, identity, and aspiration, and how 20 years in commercial practice led him to residential work. He explains how a COVID-era, space-by-space cost spreadsheet helped him give live ballpark project costs, preventing clients from spending money on drawings they couldn’t afford to build. That approach evolved into Scopify, a free homeowner app (beta) that estimates “soup to nuts” build costs by U.S. postal code and delivers pre-qualified leads to architects, reducing unbillable qualification time. Today’s Guest Michael Sweebe is a practicing architect & the founder of Sweebe Architecture. Mike’s practice specialises in residential architecture & interior design – designing homes that bring families closer together. Mike is also the founder of Scopify – a new app helping homeowners to estimate & control their build costs from the outset & to connect them with the best service providers. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Meet Michael Sweebe 01:36 What We Will Cover 02:08 A Childhood Home Mismatch 03:00 Drawing Plans At Age Nine 04:19 Finding Purpose Early 05:41 From Uni To Real Practice 06:40 Why Homeowners Matter More 08:42 Residential Brand Mindset 09:44 Residential Project Pitfalls 10:23 No Tools For Early Costing 12:16 Chicken and Egg Problem 13:14 Building Without Architectural Guidance 14:46 COVID Spreadsheet Solution 15:47 Space By Space Estimating 16:47 Why Homeowners Think In Rooms 18:15 Live Pricing Saves Projects 20:24 Stop Gatekeeping Cost Info 21:51 Limits Of One To One Help 22:29 Sales Funnel Sparks Scopify 24:52 Scaling Impact Nationwide 26:47 Scopify Beta Overview 27:28 Homeowner Experience And Pricing 28:12 Postal Code Cost Algorithm 29:15 40 40 20 cost rule 30:00 Qualified Leads For Architects 30:54 Beta Results And Conversions 34:05 Homeowners Know 85 Percent Of What They Want 34:54 How To Try Scopify 35:23 Key Takeaway 36:16 Must Have Business Resource 39:11 Where To Find Michael Sweebe — Key Takeaways Help homeowners understand costs before they hire anyone. If you work in architecture or home design, one of the biggest problems you will see is that homeowners have no idea what things cost. When they find out late in the process, it can kill the whole project. You can save everyone a lot of time and money by giving people a rough idea of costs right at the start — before they pay for drawings or sign any contracts. Think about spaces the way the people living in them do. When you are working with homeowners, remember that their home is about more than just building materials and square footage. It is about who they are, what they care about, and what kind of life they want to live. If you keep that in mind, you will do better work and build stronger relationships with your clients. Technology can help you reach more people and save time. If you are a small practice, you can only help so many clients on your own. But if you use the right tools — like an app that lets homeowners self-qualify before they even speak to you — you can spend your time with people who are actually ready to go ahead. That means less unpaid time in meetings that go nowhere, and more clients who are a good fit for your work. — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Learn more about Scopify 🖥️ Test the Scopify app 🖥️ Learn more about Sweebe Architecture 🖥️ Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

41 min

May 7

Marketing & Lead Generation Tips For Small Businesses | 123

Top Marketing & Lead Generation Episodes for Architecture Practices Jon Clayton introduces a roundup of Architecture Business Club episodes focused on improving marketing and lead generation for architecture practices beyond a website portfolio and occasional Instagram posts. Jon highlights the most popular marketing and lead generation episode to date, shares a “hidden gem,” and reveals one of his personal favourites. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 01:32 Most Popular Marketing & Lead Generation Episode To Date 02:42 The Right Way For Architecture Firms To Use LinkedIn 03:53 A Hidden Gem From Our Marketing & Lead Generation Episodes 05:05 How To Use Pinterest To Build Know, Like & Trust 06:19 A Personal Favourite From Our Marketing & Lead Generation Episodes 07:39 Strategic Marketing System For Small Firms 09:47 Wrap Up — Key Takeaways Show who you are, not just what you build On LinkedIn, you might think sharing photos of your finished projects is enough. But clients want to know you. They want to see your personality, understand how you work, and feel they can trust you. Try sharing why you love what you do or a little about your process — that personal touch can make a big difference. Pinterest can help you reach clients early Pinterest is not really a social media platform — it works more like a search engine. If you post helpful content there, people can find you while they are still deciding which architectural designer to hire. Over time, they get to know your work, trust your brand, and when they are ready, they come back to you. A lean marketing system can work for small firms You do not need a big team to market well. Start by getting clear on who your dream client is, create a simple core offer, and set up a way to bring in leads. Even a small "gateway offer" — like a paid strategy session — can help turn first conversations into paying work and grow your business step by step. — Get to grips with LinkedIn in this popular podcast episode Learn how to leverage Pinterest in your architecture practice Build an effective marketing system for your micro-sized business — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

11 min

Apr 23

Solopreneur's Guide To Business Mastery with Kathy Ennis | 122

Host Jon Clayton welcomes Kathy Ennis of Little Piggy Ltd to Architecture Business Club to discuss why many solopreneurs and micro business owners struggle and what drives success. Kathy explains that talented people often rely on passion and “window dressing” marketing without learning core business skills, especially planning and cashflow forecasting. She outlines her five “Ps”: people (start with psychographics and choose who you want to buy from you), product (for services, productise offers into clear packages and entry levels), price (set targets based on business costs, salary, tax and profit, then align pricing with customer and offer), promotion (balance brand and sales marketing; go beyond social media with networking, lead magnets and email), and productivity (allocate time to run the business, build systems, and outsource). — Today’s Guest Kathy Ennis is the founder of LittlePiggy and an award-winning Business Mentor who specialises in working with Solopreneurs, Freelancers and Side-Hustlers to build businesses that actually work and bring them the success they deserve. After 20 years in the corporate world, Kathy launched her own business in 2000 at 40, knowing nothing about business. It didn't all go to plan – redundancy, a financial crisis, and even pension fraud tested her resolve – but she learned, adapted and built something sustainable. Those hard-won lessons became the foundation of everything she now teaches. With over 26 years of running her own businesses, Kathy knows that talent and passion aren't enough. You need the business fundamentals. That's why she developed her 5Ps framework – People, Products, Price, Promotion and Productivity. It's a practical, proven approach that takes clients from assumptions and guesswork to clear strategy and consistent profit. Kathy works one-to-one with business owners and delivers training through organisations including Enterprise Nation and Visionnaires, where she tutors and coaches on start-up and business growth programmes. She previously tutored on the York St John University MBA programme and runs the Women Talk Business programme for the Business and IP Centre Norfolk. She's also a regular public speaker and workshop facilitator. What sets Kathy apart is her straight-talking, no-fluff approach. She doesn't coach people on their feelings about business, she teaches them what they don't know. Because running a business is a skillset, and it's one you can learn. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Meet Kathy Ennis 02:15 Why Solopreneurs Start 03:49 Passion vs Profit Gap 04:22 Planning Builds Profit 05:21 Architecture Iceberg Analogy 07:15 Unsexy Business Basics 08:54 Five Ps Framework 10:30 Know Your People 11:01 Psychographics Over Demographics 12:28 Choose Who Buys 13:47 Productising Services 19:40 Packages To Upsell & Downsell 25:35 The Golden Triangle Of Pricing 26:28 Turnover Not Salary 27:42 Tiered Offers Math 28:45 Supermarket Pricing Analogy 29:36 Spreadsheet Stress Test 30:17 Packages Versus Capacity 31:16 Avoid Salary Replacement Trap 33:26 Unemotional Numbers Mindset 34:47 Reevaluate Offer And Audience 35:21 Brand Versus Marketing 36:10 Beyond Social Media 37:52 Lead Magnets And Email 39:49 Productivity For Solopreneurs 41:33 Outsource To Build A Team 44:14 Final Takeaways And Wrap — Key Takeaways Running a business is a skill you can learn Just because you are great at what you do does not mean you automatically know how to run a business. Kathy points out that most solopreneurs are brilliant at their craft but do not understand the basics of business. The good news is that business skills can be learned. Once you start learning things like pricing, planning, and knowing your customers, you put yourself on much firmer ground. Know your numbers before you set your prices Do not just think about what you want to take home as a salary. You need to work out how much it costs to run your business, pay yourself, cover tax, and have a little left over to reinvest. Once you know that total number, you can work backwards to figure out your prices and how many clients you need. Using a simple spreadsheet to do this takes the emotion out of it and helps you make clear, sensible decisions. Plan your marketing and do not rely on social media alone Many small business owners rely too heavily on posting on Instagram or LinkedIn and hope that their work will speak for itself. Kathy says you need a proper marketing strategy that includes email, face-to-face networking, and things that bring people to you, like a free resource or a short introductory chat. The more people know you and what you do, the more likely they are to refer others to you. — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Connect with Kathy Ennis on LinkedIn 🤝 Visit Kathy’s website 🖥️ Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

51 min

Apr 9

Get More People To See Your Content (Repurpose It!) with Annette Mashi | 121

Host Jon Clayton interviews Annette Mashi on Architecture Business Club about repurposing existing website content—case studies, portfolios, photos, and blog posts—so more people see it across platforms and are driven back to the website. Annette explains a top-down process: start with a large piece (e.g., an energy-efficiency case study), turn it into a blog, then break it into topic-specific newsletters and short LinkedIn posts that link back to the blog. They discuss finding content ideas in everyday client conversations and frequently asked questions, using AI tools like ChatGPT as a starting point while editing for voice and avoiding generic language, and why LinkedIn builds awareness, email newsletters nurture leads over long sales cycles, and blogs provide depth and a content library. Annette emphasises client-focused benefits over “we” messaging and highlights the value of a supportive professional network. — Today’s Guest Annette Mashi creates magic with words. She gives visibility to female architects, interior designers, and women in the construction industry. She positions them as experts, demonstrates the value they provide, and helps them stand out from their competition so they attract clients they love and win their dream projects. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Introducing Annette Mashi 01:13 Why Repurpose Content 02:05 Multi Platform Sharing 02:30 Driving Website Traffic 03:14 Channels To Use 03:31 Top Down Process 03:57 Case Study Example 04:22 Turning A Case Study Into A Blog 04:45 Turning A Blog Into A Newsletter 05:02 LinkedIn Snippets 05:27 Main Course Analogy 05:56 No Reinventing Wheel 06:14 Repurpose Podcasts Too 06:52 Guest Appearance Content 07:09 Ask For Transcripts 07:49 Finding Content Ideas 08:27 Marketing Team Analogy 10:48 Client Questions Content 12:30 Social Proof Framing 13:05 AI Repurposing Pitfalls 14:21 Use AI As Tool 17:19 ChatGPT Tells 18:18 Content Ecosystem Package 19:49 Awareness Building Content 20:11 Nurturing Content 20:44 Why You Need To Nurture Leads 21:44 Email Newsletter Opportunity 22:15 How Often To Send Your Email Newsletter 24:13 Flow Analogy 25:12 Results From Just Eight Blogs Per Year 25:39 Building A Content Library 26:42 Long Term Benefits From Content 28:09 Linking Content Together 29:46 Putting It Into Practice 30:55 Getting Started With Content Repurposing 32:11 Sharing Your Process 32:31 Content Marketing Book Recommendations 33:28 Benefits Vs Features 34:29 A Simple Exercise: We Vs You 35:26 The Resource Annette Mashi Can't Live Without 37:15 Closing And Connect — Key Takeaways You already have more content than you think You don't need to start from scratch. Look at what you've already got — a case study, a project photo, a blog post. You can take one big piece of content and break it into smaller pieces for LinkedIn, your newsletter, and your website. It's like getting more meals from one big cook-up. Stop letting good work sit there unseen. You need to share your content in more than one place Putting something on your website and hoping people will find it doesn't work. You need to share it across different places — social media, email, your blog. Each place does a different job. LinkedIn helps new people find you. Your email list keeps people warm over time. Your blog shows them how you think and what you can do. Together, they bring people closer to hiring you. You should email your list at least once a month Most designers — around 85% — don't send regular emails. That means if you do, you're already ahead of the crowd. People often take a year or more before they're ready to hire an architect. Sending a monthly email keeps you in their minds. Even if they don't read every word, they see your name and remember you're there. That matters a lot when they're finally ready to get started. — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Connect with Annette Mashi on LinkedIn 🤝 Visit Annette Mashi’s Website 🖥️ Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

39 min

Mar 26

What is Succession Planning & Why Does It Matter with Kevin Crawford | 120

Jon Clayton hosts Architecture Business Club with guest Kevin Crawford, an architecture practice leader with 20+ years’ experience who implemented a succession plan at Crawford Architecture via a transition to employee ownership. They define succession planning as future-proofing the business, protecting legacy, and ensuring continuity if the owner retires, can’t work, or dies, noting many practices delay it until it becomes urgent. Kevin shares how waiting until his father was around 70 created pressure and highlights why planning matters for owners, families, staff career paths, valuation, and avoiding rushed sales to the wrong buyer. They discuss that succession planning applies to all firms, including sole practitioners, and stress the need to take time away from day-to-day work, use structured planning (including ideas from the book “Traction”), clarify roles, communicate a shared vision, and maintain discipline. Today’s Guest Kevin Crawford is an architecture practice leader with over 20 years of experience running and growing a practice, before putting a succession plan in place through a transition to employee ownership. Today, he’s the founder of Designing Success and co-founder of ASC and Pilotis, where he helps architecture practice leaders design better businesses — gaining more clarity, time and freedom, while strengthening the person behind the practice. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Meet Kevin Crawford 01:20 Why This Topic Now 01:40 Defining Succession Planning 02:15 Planning For Inevitability 02:49 Family Firm Backstory 03:58 New Ventures Plan From Day One 04:33 Ostrich To Eagle Mindset 05:18 Forced Change And Complexity 05:39 Most Firms Delay This 06:23 Reactive Industry Trap 06:52 Hamster Wheel Workaholism 07:27 Two Year Transition Journey 08:03 Balancing Three Stakeholders 08:29 Protecting The Legacy 08:48 Choosing Employee Ownership 09:36 Others Still Ignore It 10:18 Why Succession Matters 10:42 Time With Family Motivation 12:34 Shared Vision And Culture Shift 13:53 Risks Of Leaving It Late 15:28 Is Succession Planning Relevant To Small Firms 16:33 Buying Time To Plan 20:25 Consequences Of Ignoring It 22:36 Collaboration Over Competition 24:24 Where To Start Today 24:49 Frameworks And Reflection 26:21 Discipline And Weekly Structure 27:41 Key Takeaways 29:26 Employee Ownership Realities 30:31 Must Have Business Resource 30:51 Project Management Game Changer 32:02 Connect With Kevin — Key Takeaways Don't put it off — start thinking about succession planning now. It's easy to say "I'll deal with it later," but Kevin learned the hard way that waiting too long makes everything harder. His dad was 70 before they started planning, and by then it was stressful for the whole family. Even if you're not ready to act right now, you should at least start thinking about what happens to your business when you're no longer running it. You need to make time to work on your business, not just in it. Kevin used to think working longer hours was the answer. He'd start at 4am and work until midnight. But that didn't help him plan for the future — it just kept him stuck on the hamster wheel. The real change came when he stepped away from the day-to-day and gave himself proper time to think. You need to block out time in your week to focus on the bigger picture, even if it's just a couple of hours on a Friday. Succession planning matters no matter how big or small your practice is. You might think this only applies to large firms, but Kevin says it's just as important for sole practitioners. If your business depends entirely on you, what happens if you can't work? Who looks after your projects and your clients? Having a plan in place protects you, your team, and the legacy you've built — whether you're a one-person studio or a team of twenty. — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Connect with Kevin Crawford on LinkedIn 🤝 Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

34 min

Mar 12

Navigating Our 100+ Episodes: A Guide to Discovering Hidden Gems | 119

Jon Clayton marks Architecture Business Club’s 100+ episodes (nearing 120) and explains how new listeners can quickly find relevant content using newly added episode categories on architecturebusinessclub.com. He lists key themes including business strategy and growth, marketing and lead generation, personal brand, sales and pricing, systems and automations, mindset and wellbeing, career journeys, content/PR/podcasting, industry events, community, and team collaboration. Spotlighting the Business Strategy and Growth category, he highlights the most downloaded episode. He also recommends a lesser-known “hidden gem”, and shares his personal favourite. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Why This Episode Exists 00:50 The Back Catalogue Problem 01:41 New Website Categories 02:03 All Episode Themes Overview 02:58 Why Categorising Matters 04:00 Business Strategy & Growth Episodes 04:16 Most Popular Business Strategy & Growth Episode 06:28 Hidden Gem in Business Strategy & Growth 08:50 Personal Favourite Of Mine 11:59 Wrap Up — Key Takeaways You can break big goals into smaller parts Instead of planning your whole year at once, divide it into 90-day chunks. This makes it easier to see where you're going and change direction if you need to. It's like planning a road trip in stages rather than trying to map out everything at once. You will make mistakes, and that's okay When you run a business, you'll mess things up sometimes. You might waste money or make poor choices. The important thing is to learn from what went wrong and move forward. Don't be too hard on yourself about it. You need to create urgency to get people to buy If your service is available all the time, people will think they can buy it later and they'll forget about it. You should use special launches or limited-time offers to give people a reason to act now instead of putting it off. — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

14 min

Feb 26

How To Avoid Structural Issues In Home Extensions with Sam Dean | 118

Architecture Business Club host Jon Clayton interviews structural engineer Sam Dean of Porthouse Dean about common structural design pitfalls in home extensions and how to avoid spiraling costs. They discuss ground conditions as a major uncertainty (especially clay), the influence of nearby large trees and desiccation, and the use of low-cost desktop geological reports based on British Geological Survey borehole data to flag risk. They cover ceiling downstands and why beam position is often a cost-and-aesthetics decision between homeowner, architect, and builder, with installation complexity increasing when first-floor joists run into the beam. Sam explains cantilever “rules of thumb” and how corner bifold-door cantilevers can drive up steel and foundation demands, sometimes requiring columns and large foundations due to uplift forces. They address adding an extra storey and the case for trial holes. They also highlight risks of building onto existing, undocumented steelwork from previous extensions, which can force intrusive investigation or replacement when later loft conversions are planned. Sam explains how the architectural design can affect structural costs and outlines what to expect from a good structural engineering service. They touch on AI-generated architectural information, Sam’s launch of an AI review service, and he shares the software tool his business can’t work without. Today’s Guest Sam Dean. He started out as a materials scientist and structural engineer, spent a year in the nuclear industry, then teamed up with his friend Chris Porthouse to start PorthouseDean structural engineering. Sam then got hooked on building business systems and automations - to cut out the boring stuff and let his team do better work. When he’s not solving process problems – he’s cycling to work, playing and watching football, or baking crusty bread and homemade pizzas. — Episode Highlights 00:00 Introduction 00:39 Introducing Sam Dean 01:38 Managing Risk with Groundworks 03:08 The Clay Problem 04:08 Trees Near Extensions: The Hidden Foundation Cost Driver 04:30 When Is a Site Investigation Worth It? Practical Triggers 05:10 Low-Cost Desktop Geology Reports: A Smart Early Warning 05:49 Designers Missing Key Site Info (Like Trees) 06:59 Case Study: The 20m Oak That Shows Up Too Late 07:55 Using Maps + Clay Likelihood to Spot Risk Early 08:48 Removed Trees Still Matter: Clay Desiccation Explained 10:32 Ceiling Downstands vs Flush Beams: Set Expectations Early 11:33 “Where Do I Put the Beam?” Why Engineers Don’t Always Decide 12:13 Joist Direction Changes Everything (and Can Add Thousands) 13:01 Goalpost Frames & Rear Wall Openings: What’s Cost-Neutral? 14:00 Builder vs Client vs Architect: Who’s Steering the Decision? 14:37 Protecting the Homeowner: Budget Trade-Offs in Plain English 15:36 When Architects Aren’t On Site: How Design Intent Gets Lost 18:06 Roles, Responsibility & the Principal Designer Confusion 19:38 Why Small Projects Are So Cost-Driven (and Getting Worse) 21:07 Cantilevers 101: The Rule of Thumb That Saves Your Budget 23:12 Corner Bifolds + Floating Roofs: The Cantilever Trap 25:23 Engineering Workarounds: Columns, Anchors & Uplift Forces 27:34 Adding a Storey: Foundation Reality Checks 29:32 Building on Existing Steelwork: The Missing Calculations Problem 33:37 Prevention Playbook: Trial Holes, Checks, and Lightweight Options 36:46 Quick Wins to Avoid Spiraling Costs (Wind Posts, Pillars, Layout) 41:45 What Great Structural Engineering Service Looks Like 46:49 The Rise of AI 48:55 The One Piece of Software Sam Can't Live Without 50:18 Final Thoughts — Key Takeaways Check the Ground Early to Avoid Big Surprises Learn what's under the ground before you start building. Clay soil can be a big problem. If there are large trees near your building site (especially within 20 metres), they can make the situation worse. The tree roots dry out the clay, which means you might need to dig much deeper foundations. This can cost thousands extra. Even if you remove a tree, the clay takes about three years to go back to normal. You can get a cheap report to check if clay is likely on your site or dig trial holes, which can help you plan ahead. Think About Where Beams Go Before You Build Help your client decide if they want the steel beam to show below the ceiling or to hide it inside the ceiling. If you hide it and the floor joists run into the beam, the builder may need to cut the joists and fix them to the side of the beam. This may cost more money. You should talk about this early with your client and builder. It's a trade-off between how it looks and how much it’ll cost. Plan Cantilevers Carefully to Keep Costs Down A cantilever is when part of your building sticks out without support underneath. There's a simple rule of thumb: if you want one metre sticking out, you need two metres anchored back inside the building. If you don't follow this rule, you might need heavier, more expensive beams. Corner bifold doors with cantilevers look great, but to keep costs reasonable, make one side shorter (say 1 to 1.5 metres) with the other side being longer (up to 3 metres for example). — Subscribe on YouTube (for upcoming video episodes!) 📺 Send a Voicemail to the show (we listen to every message!) 📢 Connect with Sam Dean on LinkedIn 🤝 Learn more about PorthouseDean 🖥️ Curious about podcasting? Click here to book a chat with Jon 🎧 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝 — 👇 And if you enjoyed this episode… Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

52 min

Architecture Business Club with Jon Clayton

How To Avoid Miscommunication Problems In Architecture with Usman Yaqub | 125

Navigating Home Design Costs with Michael Sweebe | 124

Marketing & Lead Generation Tips For Small Businesses | 123

Solopreneur's Guide To Business Mastery with Kathy Ennis | 122

Get More People To See Your Content (Repurpose It!) with Annette Mashi | 121

What is Succession Planning & Why Does It Matter with Kevin Crawford | 120

Navigating Our 100+ Episodes: A Guide to Discovering Hidden Gems | 119

How To Avoid Structural Issues In Home Extensions with Sam Dean | 118

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