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The Before You Build Podcast
If you're thinking about building a custom home or remodeling an existing home, this show is for you! The Before You Build Podcast is your one-stop shop for practical planning advice, smart decision-making, and actionable tips to help you build or remodel with clarity, confidence, and within your budget.
We'll answer all of your burning questions such as: How do I plan for building a custom home? How do I plan a home remodel? What should I do before building a house? What should I do before remodeling my home? How do I create the perfect floor plan for my family? How do I hire the right builder or remodeling team? How do I finance my project?
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 intentional planning long before the work ever begins.
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 building or remodeling project with less stress, more confidence, and a plan to stick to budget. And just so you know ... the key to creating a home you love without blowing the budget is all in the intentional planning you do BEFORE YOU BUILD! So let's dive in and get started!
The Before You Build Podcast
111. How to Create a Realistic Custom Home Budget Before Meeting a Builder
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, I'm answering a question I got from someone in my free on-demand class, and honestly, it was SO good I had to share it with everyone.
We're talking about how to create a realistic budget before you ever sit down with a builder — so that when you do get a quote, it actually means something.
I walk you through:
- Why your vision has to come before your numbers (and why skipping this step is so costly)
- How to identify your true financial comfort zone — not just your ceiling
- What most people forget to include in their total build budget
- How to research cost per square foot in your area so you walk in informed
- What a SPLURGE + SAVE PLAN℠ is and how having one changes everything about that first builder conversation
If you're in the planning phase right now, this episode is for you. It's the kind of prep work that makes a builder meeting actually productive — and sets you up to stay on budget from the very start.
SHOW NOTES → carolineondesign.com/custom-home-budget-before-builder-meeting
Get the SPLURGE + SAVE PLANNER℠ → carolineondesign.com/splurge-blog-promo
Join BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ → carolineondesign.com/before-you-build
Download FREE HOME BUILD GUIDE → carolineondesign.com/home-build-guide
My FREE CLASS → Build Within Budget and Without Regrets! Grab your seat at carolineondesign.com/free-training