Doing lots of research for your new build or renovation project? So, how much is too much?

Learn how to tell when your research is helping, and when it’s keeping you stuck… before you disappear into a research rabbit-hole.

This is Part 4 in the ‘Start Here’ Mini-sodes Series.

Listen to the episode now.

Hello! And welcome to Episode 388.

Once you’ve decided that you really are going to renovate or build, something shifts. The dreaming phase starts to give way to planning, and the stakes begin to feel real.

It’s often at this moment that research ramps up. Podcasts, articles, social media, saved folders, screenshots, notes. It can feel like the most responsible thing to do. To educate yourself thoroughly so you do not miss anything or make a costly mistake.

This episode is not about doing less research.

It is about understanding when research is actually helping you move forward, and when it quietly becomes a way to delay decisions, avoid commitment, or feel productive without making progress.

If you have ever thought, “I just need to learn a bit more before I commit,” or felt like you should absorb everything before taking the next step, you are not alone. I hear this all the time from homeowners who genuinely want to get it right. 

I’ve felt it myself too. As an avid learner myself, it can feel incredibly productive to be consuming useful information, but if it’s preventing you from progressing, you’re using research as a hiding place, and not the empowering tool it can be.

This episode is part of the Start Here Mini-Sodes Series, designed to help you pause at key moments, challenge unhelpful assumptions, and move forward with clarity rather than confusion.

Now you’ve seen how a project really unfolds through four phases in Episode 385, you’ve learned what to do before you begin designing anything in Episode 386, and you now know what to do before talking with builders, architects and designers in Episode 387…

In this episode, we are talking about research. How to recognise when it is building capability, and when it is pulling you into a rabbit-hole that feels responsible but leaves you stuck.

So let’s dive into Part 4 of the Start Here series, ‘Before You Dive Down a Research Rabbit-Hole’.

It’s common, once you’ve made the decision you’re going to make this project a reality, to accelerate your preparation. 

At that time, it can feel like decisions urgently need to be made, the fear of getting it wrong increases and research seems like an obvious choice in how to spend your time and efforts. 

It can also feel like a low risk, low cost investment before the much chunkier ones of hiring team members, and spending money on design, documentation and construction. 

Research feels responsible, and it feels like preparation. 

But the trap is this: research can feel productive even when it’s not moving you closer to a decision. You can feel that, if you just do enough research, you’ll be ready and things will feel more certain. 

What I regularly see happen is this:

As you seek to gather information to assist you in your project preparation, you can feel like you’re simply uncovering more of what you don’t know. That each new stone you overturn reveals a new subject, a new area of information you previously weren’t aware of, and now need to learn more about to see its relevance to your project. 

In the process, you can disappear a long way down irrelevant, terminology-rich rabbit-holes, trying to learn enough about a topic to determine if it’s useful or something you want to incorporate in your project. 

And as with any industry, anyone you speak to can provide different insights, as their way of doing business and projects can vary. Meanwhile, it can be hard to know whether the information you’re receiving is unbiased, or driven by an agenda attached to a company’s goals, or a product preference, or personal values, likes or dislikes.

It can feel like you need to know SO MUCH before you can know enough to make the right choices for your project and future home.

And I know this because I get messages from homeowners all the time. Undercover Architect started in mid 2014, with a commitment to provide access to great quality information based on real industry experience and expertise. 

Between Undercover Architect’s blog, podcast, social media and email newsletters, there is NO shortage of information to research. 

And believe me, many homeowners will say to me, “I just need to get through 300 plus podcast episodes before I hit ‘go’ on my project”, and they genuinely believe that will help them make more informed decisions and get it right.

That’s A LOT of listening and research through a lot of information that may or may not be relevant for your project, just to then cherry-pick what will work best for your project and home.

This is the thing:

Research is meant to inform decisions.

All this information that’s available to you – it builds awareness snd perspective, but consuming is not the same as applying a method.

People say to me “I can’t join HOME Method until I’ve listened to all the podcasts”. 

Or “my project is unique, so generic information won’t help, but it provides great background, so I’ll just keep digesting it all”. 

And they’ll also say to me “there’s so much shared on the podcast, there can’t possibly be any more helpful information inside HOME Method.”

But HOME Method is not generic information or advice. It is a structured way of decision-making that applies to projects everwhere, because it teaches a proven process that guides you through the steps you need to take, supported with the tools, checklists and resources you need each step of the way. And I don’t teach that anywhere except inside HOME Method.

This is the thing: Every project follows the same process. 

Wherever it’s located, and whatever the team, the scope or the budget. 

There can be specific climatic or site conditions, planning controls, design ideas, etc – but the process or system that underpins how you address and resolve those unique challenges is universal. Over 3 decades in this industry and seeing thousands of projects has shown me that again and again.

The most unique and unpredictable aspect of your project is not your site, your location or your home… it is actually you.

What your home means to you is super personal. And what you bring to this project is unique, including:

• Your communication skills
• Your money mindset
• Your aspirations
• Your values and priorities
• How you manage stress
• How you navigate uncertainty
• How resilient and flexible you are

… and the list goes on.

YOU unlock what is possible for your future home.

When you think your project is too special for a system, you’re often increasing your risk rather than reducing it. 

So, effective preparation is about undertaking helpful research, rather than expanding options without prioritisation, spinning your wheels, delaying commitment, or getting stuck in analysis paralysis, waiting to feel sufficiently informed. 

Or worse, diving into your project like you’re ripping off a band aid, and only discovering when you’re neck deep in expenses, big impactful decisions and hurtling towards construction that you don’t know what you need to know to feel confident and empowered in your project.

Helpful research enables you to ask better questions. It improves your ability to assess advice. It will clarify trade-offs and assist with juggling your priorities. And it builds decision confidence, which builds your trust in yourself, and that in turn enables you to build trust in your ability to assess you’re following the right process.

So I invite you – as you research, ask yourself:

• What decision is this research meant to support?
• What will I do differently once I have this information?
• Am I learning to decide, or am I learning to avoid deciding?

Notice where research feels clarifying vs exhausting. Notice whether consumption is replacing commitment.

Research is not the problem. Unstructured, endless research is.

Information is meant to support decisions, not delay them. And learning is most powerful when it helps you move forward with clarity, rather than keeping you circling, waiting to feel ready.

So take a moment to reflect…

• Is the research you’re doing helping you decide what matters next?
• Or is it expanding your awareness without giving you a clear way to apply it?

RESOURCES

If you’d like support in turning research into progress, there are a few ways you can do that.

If you’re at the very beginning and want help orienting yourself without feeling overwhelmed, my mini-course, ‘The Get Started Guide’ will help you understand the first meaningful steps for any project, and where to focus your energy before you get lost.

If you want a broader foundation across cost, time, team, design and you, PROJECT 101 helps you understand how these five factors interact, so you can make informed decisions before committing too far.

And if you want guidance and support through all four phases of your project, with a clear structure, practical tools, and help applying what you learn to your specific situation, HOME Method provides the system, resources and community to support you every step of the way. It’s the most comprehensive and supportive way to navigate your project confidently, helping you take empowered action towards that home you’re dreaming of.

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