Want to learn how projects really unfold so you can begin with clarity and confidence?

Understand where to start when building or renovating, and learn the four real phases that shape cost, stress and success in your project.

This is Part 1 in the ‘Start Here’ Mini-sodes Series.

Listen to the episode now.

Hello! And welcome to Episode 385.

Most people think projects start with design or budgeting. They don’t. This episode introduces the four real phases of every project, and explains why confusion, rework, and cost blowouts usually come from skipping or rushing the early ones.

So if you’re starting out and feeling overwhelmed or confused, you’re not behind. And in tuning into this episode, and the Mini-sode Series I’m kicking off, you’re in the right place to gain some helpful insights and know-how before you start your project.

Welcome to this Mini-Sodes Series called ‘Start Here’. Each episode is designed to eliminate assumptions, bust common myths, and help you understand what actually matters first, before you dive headlong into your project driven by excitement alone.

You’ll learn what to prioritise now, what can wait, and how to move forward without feeling overwhelmed.

So let’s dive into Part 1 of the Start Here Series, ‘How Every Project Really Unfolds’.

Most homeowners feel overwhelmed before diving into their new build or renovation planning. Nervous, but excited. Confused, but optimistic. Creating your future home is an opportunity to support your lifestyle, reflect your values, and create a place to live and enjoy for years to come.

At the same time, a renovation or new build is often the biggest financial investment you’ll make outside of purchasing property. There can feel like a lot at stake, and the industry can appear opaque and complex.

If you’re wondering where to start, that’s the most common question I receive at Undercover Architect, and it’s why I created this series.

Many people assume their project starts with choosing a designer or builder, beginning design, or setting a budget. As a result, it’s easy to focus on the wrong things, invest energy in unhelpful decisions, and feel busy without actually making meaningful progress.

Whatever you’re doing, whether it’s a kitchen renovation or a multi-million dollar new build, your project will work best when it begins the same way and moves through the same four phases.

Every project unfolds through these phases, whether you consciously plan for them or not. When steps are skipped or rushed, that work doesn’t disappear. It shows up later, costing more time, more money, or forcing compromises that could have been avoided.

So let’s talk about these four phases, and what each can achieve when you move through them in the right order.

The first phase is Pre-Design

Pre-Design is the phase most commonly skipped, rushed, or quietly absorbed into design work. And yet, it is the phase that does the heavy lifting in your project. This is where clarity is created, not just for design decisions, but for everything that follows. It’s where you begin testing the feasibility of your ideas and developing a realistic understanding of the constraints and conditions of your site, your block of land, or your existing home if you’re renovating.

Pre-Design happens before any design work is done, and importantly, it can also happen before you speak with architects, designers, or builders.

This is the phase where you step back from solutions and spend time interrogating intent.

• What are you actually trying to achieve through this project?
• What matters most to you?
• And how do you want this home to support your future lifestyle, not just your current one?

It’s also where you begin to understand what is possible, and what is permitted, based on planning rules, regulations, and site-specific constraints.

Budget and cost considerations do come into Pre-Design, but it’s important to set expectations here. It is unrealistic to know exactly what your project will cost at this stage. Any cost thinking should be indicative rather than precise, grounded in current, comparable projects rather than outdated anecdotes.

What’s far more valuable at this point is understanding how the project will be funded, what that funding means for you over time, and how your local property market behaves. Questions around value, resale, and overcapitalisation will surface at some point. Doing this thinking early allows those questions to be considered calmly and strategically, rather than later under pressure, when change is expensive and options are limited.

Next is the Design Phase

When done well, the Design Phase is a translation phase. It’s where the preparation, research, and intentional thinking from Pre-Design is translated into drawings for your future home. That includes what you’ve learned about your site, your lifestyle, and your finances, brought together in a way that can be explored, tested, and refined.

Many people mistakenly believe this is where their project begins. That all they need to do is determine a checklist of rooms and settle on an aesthetic style, fixtures, and finishes. Some even create hybrid style labels, things like “Coastal Plantation” or “Scandi Industrial”. While they can sound decisive, they’re often vague and unhelpful when it comes to designing a home that genuinely works for you.

Any design professional or builder you work with will do their best work when guided by a clear design brief. And you’ll have a far better chance of finding the right collaborators when you’ve already clarified how your home needs to function and feel to support the lifestyle you want to live.

I want to mention two key goals in the Design Phase

• The first is creating a home that works with the natural assets of your site, so it is energy efficient, comfortable to live in, and economical to run over time.
• The second is ensuring the documentation clearly communicates decisions and specifications, so costing is reliable and expectations around budget and scope are well managed.

This phase is not just about locking in a floor plan or external form. It’s also an opportunity to think holistically about interiors, fixtures, and finishes. Being thorough here supports better pricing, fewer surprises, and a smoother process overall.

The next phase is the Pre-Build Phase

Pre-Build is another phase that is often skipped, rushed, or bundled into the start of construction. When this work is delayed or overlooked, it typically shows up later as stress on site, cost overruns, and decisions being made under pressure.

The Pre-Build phase is critical to setting up a smoother Build phase. This is where costing can be finalised with greater confidence, contracts can be informed by detailed and accurate documentation, and risk can be actively managed before construction begins.

It’s very common to feel an urgency to move into construction at this point. That urgency might come from a builder wanting to proceed, or from personal circumstances such as needing to move out during a renovation. It can feel like you’re racing to get everything in place so the “real” work can begin.

But moving too quickly through Pre-Build means missing the final opportunity, before construction starts, to ensure your documentation reflects what you actually want to build. This includes capturing verbal agreements, clarifying assumptions, and confirming that the cost aligns with your expectations.

It’s also the phase where timelines, communication processes, and decision-making pathways should be clearly understood, before you’re legally committed and work begins on site.

Lastly, there is the Build Phase

The Build Phase is where all the earlier thinking, decisions, and preparation are put to the test on site. This is the phase most people picture when they imagine their project, because it’s where physical progress becomes visible and your home starts to take shape.

When the earlier phases have been done well, the Build Phase tends to feel more grounded and predictable. The focus shifts to implementation, coordination, and communication, rather than constant problem-solving. Expectations are clearer, decisions are easier, and there is shared understanding about what is being built and how.

That doesn’t mean the Build Phase is without challenges. Construction is complex, and there will always be variables to manage. One of the most significant variables is you. Your mindset, your resilience, your communication, and the preparation you’ve done all influence how this phase unfolds.

When Pre-Design, Design, and Pre-Build have been properly observed, issues are more likely to be anticipated, discussed early, and resolved with less stress and fewer compromises.

The Build Phase is not the time to be making fundamental decisions about your home. It’s where earlier decisions are carried through with care and clarity, so the home you move into reflects the intentions you set at the very beginning of your project.

When you step back and look at these four phases together…

What becomes clear is that successful projects aren’t about rushing ahead. They’re about understanding sequence. Each phase has steps to follow, and when that’s understood, decisions become easier, risks reduce, and the overall experience feels far more manageable.

These four phases unfold over a timeframe. Most projects will take at least two years from the beginning of Pre-Design Phase to completion of the Build Phase… sometimes longer. Rushing, skipping steps, or doing things in the wrong order are all a surefire away to experience stress, panic, budget blowouts, mistakes in your project, leading to regrets and frustration long-term.

So, where does your own project sit right now? 

Where does it REALLY sit vs where you’ve been thinking you’re at. Knowing what phase you’re in, and what matters most right now, helps you stop trying to solve everything at once, and also helps you access meaningful guidance to improve your project experience and future home.

RESOURCES

If you’d like support in taking this thinking further, there are a few ways to do that. 

You can jump into Undercover Architect’s mini-course, The Get Started Guide, which helps you begin organising your thinking about the first best steps for any project. 

If you’re still working out whether building or renovating is the right move for you, or you want to get your head around what’s involved before committing too far, PROJECT 101 is designed for that stage. It helps you understand the moving parts of a project and how cost, time, team, design, and you interact, so you can feel oriented and informed.

And if you want guidance and support right through all four phases of your project, with the steps, tools, resources and personalised help to navigate your project confidently, manage your risk and avoid costly mistakes, then Undercover Architect’s signature online program, HOME Method, is where you’ll find the community, coaching and education you need to support you every step of the way.

Note: This episode is for education and general information only, and it’s not a substitute for personalised professional advice.