When Joanne decided to tear down her family’s lakefront cottage and rebuild on the same lot, she knew building a custom home on a small waterfront lot, with her nearly 97-year-old mother living with her, would be anything but simple.
So she joined BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ because she knew there would be a lot to think through before breaking ground … and she was right.
Building a Custom Home: Joanne’s Story
In this episode, Joanne shares what it was really like to take on a teardown-and-rebuild on a small, waterfront lot in Massachusetts … from navigating the conservation commission to walking in and bursting into tears over her hickory cabinets. (spoiler … she LOVES her cabinets now!)
In this episode, we cover:
- Why she chose to tear down instead of renovate
- What she wishes she’d done sooner
- What it’s really like to permit and build on a lakefront lot
- How she designed vertically on a small footprint while planning ahead for aging in place
- How she stayed within 5–10% of her budget by going through her contract line by line, shopping vendors, and not being afraid to negotiate
- The emotional rollercoaster of seeing her paint color and hickory cabinets for the first time
- How she found and vetted her (amazing) contractor
- How an email trail saved her when her electrician “forgot” a conversation about lighting
JOANNE’S HOUSE
How Preparation Makes Building a Custom Home Less Overwhelming
Joanne joined BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ because she didn’t want to leave decisions up to her contractor — and she’d watched her two sisters have painful building experiences without any structured guidance.
Inside the program, Joanne got personalized feedback on her floor plan before construction started, community support on key decisions, and a framework (i.e. the BYB BLUEPRINT℠) to plan intentionally before she broke ground.
Want to Build with the Same Confidence Joanne Did?
Joanne is living proof that the right preparation makes all the difference — even on a complex, high-stakes build. If you’re planning to build a custom home and you want a clear, step-by-step framework to help you make smart decisions and stay on budget, BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ was made for you.
Not ready for the full program? Start with my free Custom Home Build Start Guide!
Listen to this episode.
Links Mentioned in this Episode.
Free On-Demand Class: 4 STEPS TO BUILD WITHIN BUDGET AND WITHOUT REGRETS!
