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Before You Build℠ Podcast
Whether you’re dreaming of building a custom home in the future or you’re ready to start planning now, this show is for you! The Before You Build Podcast is your one-stop shop for actionable home-building tips and advice as well as tips for designing your dream home so that you feel equipped to design the home of your dreams that makes you (and your wallet) happy for years to come.
We’ll answer all of your burning questions such as: How do I plan for building a custom home? What should I do before building a house? How do I design my new house? What mistakes should I avoid when building a house? How do I create the perfect floor plan for my family? How do I hire a builder? How do I finance my home build? And the biggest question of all, how do I bring my dream home to life without blowing the budget? Well, friends … the answer is in PLANNING for your home build long before you ever break ground.
I’m your host, Carrie Barker (aka, Caroline on Design). I designed my own custom home from the ground up, inside and out. Through trial and error (psst … I built pre-Pinterest), I created my absolute dream home that is not only perfect for the way my family lives but also turned out more beautiful than I imagined. The best part … I did this all without blowing the budget and without design regrets.
I cracked the code on how to bring my own dream home vision to life while sticking VERY close to budget and now I’m here to teach you everything I learned along the way so that you, too, end up with that cozy, beautiful home you envision in your head and a mortgage you’re comfy with.
The short, actionable, and bingeable ‘Before You Build’ episodes will prepare YOU for a successful home build with less stress, more confidence, and joy throughout the process. And just so you know … the key to building your dream home close to budget is all in the planning you do BEFORE YOU BUILD! So let’s dive in and get started!
Before You Build℠ Podcast
103. 4 Things I Would Change if I Built My Home Again
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Clients and podcast listeners ask me the same question over and over: "What would YOU change if you built your home again?"
After living in my custom home for almost 13 years (and now planning my NEXT build), I've really been thinking about my answer to this question.
I don't have any regrets, but there ARE some tweaks I would make.
In this episode, I'm sharing four things I'd change if I built again, and four things I would NEVER change.
We cover:
- Why separate primary closets are at the TOP of my list (for my next house)
- The exact kitchen island size I wish I had (and why I had to forego it)
- How combining my mudroom and laundry room seemed smart on paper, but doesn't work in real life
- The one thing I added to my daughters' closets but forgot to add to my own (oops!) 😳
- PLUS, four things I got 100% right and would never change
Thankfully, we took the time to plan strategically BEFORE we built, so none of these are actual regrets—they're just small things I'd tweak next time.
This is what I want for YOU too.
This episode gives you my real-life lessons learned so you can make smarter floor plan decisions NOW—before they become permanent.
FREE FLOOR PLAN WORKBOOK: carolineondesign.com/fp-free-workbook
EPISODE: carolineondesign.com/change-if-built-my-home-again
BEFORE YOU BUILD℠: carolineondesign.com/before-you-build
FREE CLASS → 4 Steps to Build Within Budget and Without Regrets! Grab your seat at carolineondesign.com/free-training