Babe lets build a house - The podcast

Sharon Robinson

Babe, Let's Build a House is the podcast for anyone planning to design or build their own home in New Zealand, and wanting to actually understand the process before they're in the middle of it. I'm Sharon Robinson, architectural designer, Certified Passive House Designer, and founder of Smart Living Spaces. Each episode works through my book of the same name, chapter by chapter, from the client's point of view, covering everything from understanding your site and choosing the right team, through fees, contracts, budgets, performance, and what happens after you've moved in. This podcast exists because professionals are very good at explaining things to each other, and not nearly good enough at explaining them to the people actually building the home. Understanding the process, who does what, what questions to ask, and where the costly traps are, leads to better conversations with your design and build team, and a better result for you. My approach is built around people, planet, place, and mind, and the belief that a home should be healthy, comfortable, and affordable to run, not just impressive from the street. We don't experience our homes from looking at them from the opposite side of the street, we experience them from the inside, and that's the lens I bring to every episode. Whether you're just starting to think about building, sitting down with a designer for the first time, or deep into contracts and consents, this podcast is here to help you build better, not bigger or more expensive, just more informed. Grab a copy of the book, Babe, Let's Build a House, at www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 05 — How to Prepare for the First Meeting

    Episode 05 — How to Prepare for the First Meeting | Chapter 5, Babe Let's Build a House How do you get the most value out of your first meeting with an architect, architectural designer or builder? Episode 05 follows Chapter 5 of Babe, Let's Build a House: How to Prepare for Your First Meeting. I cover what to bring, what homework to do beforehand, and what to make sure is covered, so your first meeting becomes either a valuable first step or a robust feasibility check on your project. In this episode: Aspirations and budget, and why being honest about your project budget helps your design team Defining your aspirations by how you live, not by a list of rooms Pinterest boards: why you should write down what you like in each image Building performance: power bills, overheating, air quality and acoustics, and why the Building Code won't take care of it for you Information to supply beforehand: covenants, geotech reports and property files Five key topics to cover in the meeting: project budget versus build budget, fees, time frames, process, and other consultants GST, contingency, and why budgets are never just the builder's cost Coming up in the series: Episode 06: From Consultation to Completion Episode 07: The Process That I Use Episode 08: What Is Passive House Download the first meeting checklist and find the book here: www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book Podcast page: www.smartlivingspaces.nz/podcast Hosted by Sharon Robinson, architectural designer, Certified Passive House Designer, Homestar Professional and Assessor, and founder of Smart Living Spaces. #BabeLetsBuildAHouse #NewHomeBuild #BuildingInNZ #ArchitecturalDesign #HomeBuildBudget #SmartLivingSpaces

  2. Oct 18

    Episode 04 — Choosing the Right Team

    Episode 04 — Choosing the Right Team | Chapter 4, Babe Let's Build a House Do you choose your builder first, or your architect? And what is the difference between an architect, an architectural designer and a draftsperson? Episode 04 follows Chapter 4 of Babe, Let's Build a House: Choosing the Right Team. I cover who to start talking to at the very beginning of your new home build, before the design process starts. In this episode: How group home builders work: land banking, design and build packages, baseline specifications and square metre rates Why the salesperson is not your designer, and the house that fell off the back boundary Contract labour, the LBP scheme, and a good question to ask: do you employ your own builders? Small builder teams: close knit, flexible, keen to learn, and why I love working with them Why I don't recommend tendering, and the value of bringing your builder into the first design meeting Architects, architectural designers and draftspeople: training, registration, design LBPs, and how each works Why a 15 minute chat helps you find the right fit for the way you make decisions Coming up in the series: Episode 05: How to Prepare for the First Meeting Episode 06: From Consultation to Completion Episode 07: The Process That I Use The book has quick reference summaries for each option, plus a full written explanation: www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book Podcast page: www.smartlivingspaces.nz/podcast Hosted by Sharon Robinson, architectural designer, Certified Passive House Designer, Homestar Professional and Assessor, and founder of Smart Living Spaces. #BabeLetsBuildAHouse #NewHomeBuild #BuildingInNZ #ArchitecturalDesign #ChoosingABuilder #SmartLivingSpaces

  3. Oct 11

    Episode 03 - Choosing your Site

    Riverside description for Episode 03, plain text, 1,796 characters (limit 4,000): Before you buy a building site, there is a lot more to check than where north is. In my career I've watched a client pour their $30,000 contingency into the ground as concrete, money they believed would help them choose their bathroom tiles, because the foundations didn't suit the ground conditions. I've also worked with clients whose dream double storey gabled home didn't suit the steep site they had already bought. When something on a site isn't easy, it tends to get expensive. In this episode of Babe, Let's Build a House, I cover chapter three of the book and the five things to be aware of before you purchase a site. In this episode: • Site physicality: topography, size, a buildable platform, slope stability, access, and why north isn't always the deal breaker • What's in the ground: soil tests, geotechnical reports, council property files, and the surprises that turn up once you excavate • Surroundings: wind, hills, planting, traffic noise, how the neighbourhood feels at different times of day, and what the zoning allows next door • Planning requirements: district plan rules, site coverage, boundary setbacks, height control planes, the difference between resource consent and building consent, and subdivision caveats • Infrastructure: what an unserviced site means for your lender and your budget, from septic and water tanks to getting electricity onto the site If it all feels overwhelming, there is a site checklist in the book, also available to purchase on my website. A design consultation with a professional can also help you make an informed decision before you buy. Next week in Episode 04, I cover choosing your team, who to speak to first and what questions to ask them. Book: www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book Podcast: https://www.smartlivingspaces.nz/podcast Title per the episode list: Episode 03: Understanding Your Site

  4. Oct 5

    Episode 02 - What kind of Decision maker are you?

    Building a home means making a huge number of decisions, and the way you make them shapes the whole journey. Over my 26 year career I've sat opposite couples who discovered in the design consultation that they weren't on the same page, and worked with clients whose decision making styles pulled in opposite directions. In this episode of Babe, Let's Build a House, I share the four decision making types I've come to recognise, so you can understand what you need and ask for it from your team. In this episode: Why understanding how you make decisions matters before you startThe quick, decisive decision maker, who keeps the project moving but needs time built in and a professional who will push backThe analytical thinker, who researches every detail and needs a clear process and checklists to decide and move onThe harmonising decision maker, the glue that holds everything together, who needs someone to draw out what they actually wantThe visionary, who pushes the limits for an amazing outcome and needs structure to stay focusedWhat to look for in a builder, architect or architectural designer to suit your styleMost of us are a combination, with one dominant trait. Knowing yours helps you choose a team whose systems and communication suit the way you work. Next week in Episode 03, I cover the key things to consider before you purchase a building site, so the vision you have fits the site you buy. Book: www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book Podcast: https://www.smartlivingspaces.nz/podcast

  5. Oct 5

    Episode 01 - Introduction

    Welcome to the first episode of Babe, Let's Build a House, the podcast that walks you through the process of designing and building your new home, chapter by chapter, from the book of the same name. I'm Sharon Robinson, your host, architectural designer and founder of Smart Living Spaces. In this episode I share why I wrote the book and started this podcast, who it's for, and a bit about me and how I ended up here. I talk about the shift I made back in 2019, moving from offering a service to being of service, and how that change shaped the way I work with clients today. I share a line I told a real estate agent recently, that we don't experience our homes from looking at them from the opposite side of the street, and what that means for how we should really be designing homes, for how they feel to live in, not just how they look from outside. I also talk about why cheap, poor performing builds are a false economy, and why building better doesn't mean building bigger or more expensive, just more informed. There's a real gap between how professionals talk to each other and how we talk to clients, and this book and podcast are my attempt to close it, so you can move from asking "what should I build" to "how do I build, and who do I build it with." I share a bit of my own story too, from drawing house plans at age seven, growing up in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and the experience that shaped how I think about architecture as an agent of social change, something that still drives Smart Living Spaces today. This episode sets up the whole series. Each following episode works through the book chapter by chapter, from the client's point of view, covering everything from understanding your site and choosing the right team, through budgets, contracts, performance, and what happens after you've moved in. My hope is that understanding the process leads to better conversations with your design and build team, and ultimately a better result for you and your home. Next episode, I cover Where to Start, the first step when building a house, and the four different ways people naturally make decisions when starting their build journey. Grab a copy of the book, Babe, Let's Build a House, at www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book Find more at www.smartlivingspaces.nz/podcast

About

Babe, Let's Build a House is the podcast for anyone planning to design or build their own home in New Zealand, and wanting to actually understand the process before they're in the middle of it. I'm Sharon Robinson, architectural designer, Certified Passive House Designer, and founder of Smart Living Spaces. Each episode works through my book of the same name, chapter by chapter, from the client's point of view, covering everything from understanding your site and choosing the right team, through fees, contracts, budgets, performance, and what happens after you've moved in. This podcast exists because professionals are very good at explaining things to each other, and not nearly good enough at explaining them to the people actually building the home. Understanding the process, who does what, what questions to ask, and where the costly traps are, leads to better conversations with your design and build team, and a better result for you. My approach is built around people, planet, place, and mind, and the belief that a home should be healthy, comfortable, and affordable to run, not just impressive from the street. We don't experience our homes from looking at them from the opposite side of the street, we experience them from the inside, and that's the lens I bring to every episode. Whether you're just starting to think about building, sitting down with a designer for the first time, or deep into contracts and consents, this podcast is here to help you build better, not bigger or more expensive, just more informed. Grab a copy of the book, Babe, Let's Build a House, at www.smartlivingspaces.nz/book

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