If you’re thinking about building a home in 2026 (or 2027, or honestly anytime in the near future), you’re in the right place!
I’m Carrie, and I’m a Home Build Coach. What that means is I help families like yours confidently bring their dream home to life … within budget and without regrets.
This podcast is a great place to start (as you probably know because you’re listening right now).
The short, binge-able episodes are full of actionable home-build tips and advice to help you feel more confident as you prepare for and build your dream home.
Now, if you want to dive deeper and work with me directly in 2026, I invite you to join the waitlist for BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ (or as I call it for short, BYB). Doors open February 2nd, and I’d love to have you inside.
Just so you know … the goal of BYB is to help you prepare the RIGHT way for your home build so that when you get to the end and move in, you absolutely LOVE your house. 🙌
And the best part is that you come in either under budget or very close to budget, and your house layout is perfect for YOUR family.
Listen to this episode or read the transcript below.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Ready to confidently build a house that you absolutely LOVE … without blowing your budget? Doors to BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ open February 2nd! JOIN THE WAITLIST NOW!
Episode Transcript:
Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast. I’m your host, Carrie Barker (aka Caroline On Design). This is episode 98, and if you plan on building a house in 2026 (or 2027), this episode is for YOU. Plus, I highly recommend that you binge on the previous 97 episodes as well. 🙂
I’m super excited about this episode because it’s a fresh start. I might be one of the only people who loves January. I hate the weather here in the Midwest in January, BUT I love that it’s a clean slate and a fresh start.
It’s a great time to really start thinking about your upcoming home build … whether that will be this year or next. I’m kinda in this boat with you right now because my goal is to buy either land or a gut-job house in the next six months so I can build my next (and final) home.
So this year is extra special because I hope to be right there in the trenches with you.
I mentioned in the intro that I’m a Home Build Coach.
At the very core, my mission is to help you and your family feel CONFIDENT while building your dream home … confident in your design decisions … confident in the builder you choose so they can bring your vision to life … confident in where to splurge and save so you can actually stick to your budget … confident that you’ll get to the end of your home build with zero regrets and you’ll LOVE your home.
WHY START PLANNING NOW?
Here’s what I know after coaching hundreds of families through their builds …
The people who start planning early are the ones who come in under budget and send me messages saying, “I’m obsessed with every single detail” or “I can’t believe this is MY house”.
These are the people who have zero regrets on move-in day and are already inviting family and friends over because they’re so proud of their brand new home … they do house tours on repeat because they love their house THAT much! (this was me, by the way!)
On the other hand, the people who wait until they’re breaking ground to start thinking about their layout and their design and their budget end up living out those home build horror stories we all hear about.
They’re stressed beyond belief, they’re up in the middle of the night second-guessing decisions, they’re significantly over their budget, and they have tons of regrets on move-in day.
This does NOT have to be your story.
THE ONE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
I’m sure you know that planning before building is important.
You’ve probably told yourself, “Yeah, I’ll get to that … I’ve got time.”
But here’s the thing that most people don’t realize until it’s too late: there’s a massive difference between knowing planning matters and actually being READY for what’s coming.
So let me ask you this:
If your builder called tomorrow and said, “we’re ready to start,” would you feel confident and prepared?
Not “sort of ready.” Not “I think so?”
Would you feel CONFIDENT?
Because here’s what being truly prepared looks like:
- You know exactly what your budget is and where every dollar is going
- You’ve walked through your daily routine in your future floor plan
- You know which finishes are non-negotiable and which ones you’re flexible on
- You understand how your family actually lives, and you’ve designed for THAT
- You’ve thought through the decisions that are coming before they become urgent issues
If your honest answer is “no” or “not yet” … that’s exactly why you need to start planning NOW, not later.
Most people think they’re planning when they’re really just browsing Pinterest boards and saving floor plans they like. That’s not preparation. That’s daydreaming.
And that’s fine … that’s the first step to just get inspired and start saving ideas, but …
Real planning is STRATEGIC.
It’s INTENTIONAL.
And it makes all the difference between building a home you absolutely love and is perfect for your family (and on budget) vs. being full of regrets on move-in day and so over budget that you have to sacrifice your lifestyle to pay your mortgage.
WHAT PLANNING BEFORE BUILDING ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
Let me show you what strategic, intentional planning looks like in real life.
I have this adorable couple inside BYB, Patrick and Jessica, who just went through this process.
(Actually, I’m interviewing them later this month to dive even deeper into their story, so stay tuned for that episode!)
Here’s what they did:
They followed the BYB BLUEPRINT℠ to a T. (This is the framework I teach inside BEFORE YOU BUILD℠)
Here’s just one example from their building experience.
They sat down with their floor plan and literally walked through their day (while their plan was still on paper).
They asked questions like …
“When we walk in the house from the garage, where would we want light switches? When we walk in from the mudroom, where would we want light switches? Where do we want outlets in our mudroom? Where do we want outlets in our family room?”
They did this for their entire house.
That’s planning before building.
Then, when they got to their electrical walkthrough – which is overwhelming even when you ARE prepared – they showed up ready with answers for every single question.
Their electrician said, “Wow, you guys have really prepared for this.”
And their builder told them, “You’re way more prepared than most people.”
And Jessica told me with a smile on her face (over Zoom), “Our build has been awesome. It’s gone great because you and BYB set us up really well.”
That’s the power of planning before building.
It transforms your entire experience from stressful and overwhelming to confident and exciting.
Ready to confidently build a house that you absolutely LOVE … without blowing your budget? Doors to BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ open February 2nd! JOIN THE WAITLIST NOW!
WHAT STRATEGIC PLANNING ISN’T
Now, let me be clear about what strategic planning before building is NOT:
- It’s not “just winging it and hoping you’ll figure out the important stuff as you go” (that’s how people end up with costly regrets)
- It’s not spending months searching Pinterest for the “perfect” floor plan (one client told me she “searched for hours on end with no success”)
- It’s not watching endless YouTube videos and hoping you figure it out (that just leads to feeling more overwhelmed)
- It’s not assuming your builder will think of everything for you (builders handle construction—you have to make sure your home actually fits your life)
WHAT STRATEGIC PLANNING IS
Strategic planning before building is about understanding YOUR life well enough to make smart decisions when they come up during construction.
It’s thinking through your daily routines BEFORE you need to make decisions about them.
It’s preparing for the decisions you know are coming.
It’s choosing your team strategically instead of just going with whoever has the lowest bid.
That’s it.
Way simpler than most people think … and way more powerful.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PLAN THE RIGHT WAY
When you take the time to plan strategically BEFORE you build, you end up with a house that feels custom-made for YOUR family … because it was.
You walk through your front door on move-in day without immediately making a list of things you want to change.
You’re proud to show off your home because you love every detail.
You’re not stressed about your mortgage because you stayed within budget.
You can still travel, go to dinner, put your kids in activities, and live your life because you’re not “house poor”.
You’re not lying awake at night thinking, “I wish we’d done that differently.”
You’re just living in and loving the home you built.
That’s what smart planning gets you.
START PLANNING THE RIGHT WAY
And let me tell you … there is no such thing as too early to start planning for your home build.
I told you that I hope to build (or renovate) in the next two years, and I’ve been casually planning this house for years, but now it’s time to take it up a notch. I want to be ready to go when it’s time.
Because I know the value of planning before you build.
If you’re building in 2026 or beyond and you want step-by-step guidance to plan strategically and intentionally, you’re going to want to join BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ when the doors open on February 2nd!
I’ve been running this program since 2020 and have helped hundreds and hundreds of families build with intention and end up with homes they absolutely love.
And I want to help YOU build a home you absolutely LOVE … within budget and without regrets.
WHAT’S INSIDE BEFORE YOU BUILD℠
Inside the program, you get the complete BYB BLUEPRINT℠ framework. This is the same step-by-step system that Patrick and Jessica followed to feel completely confident and prepared throughout their entire build. Their house is finished, and they LOVE it!
I’m also there in the program, giving personalized floor plan feedback (so you can make tweaks before it’s too late), hosting live weekly home build coaching calls, and there’s a community of other families going through this process alongside you.
Plus, I’ve just added the coolest bonus ever!!! I created custom AI coaches that are specifically trained in the BYB BLUEPRINT℠ , so they coach you the same way I would coach you. This isn’t generic AI outputs … it’s based on my six years of working with people just like you inside the BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ program.
These custom AI coaches give you 24/7 support when you need it most! (I’m thinking about those middle of the night freak outs when you can’t stop second-guessing your decisions)
TIME TO START PLANNING THE RIGHT WAY
2026 is going to be an incredible year for so many families to bring their dream homes to life.
I want YOU to be one of them.
So ask yourself …
If your builder called tomorrow and said, ‘we’re ready to build’, would you feel confident and prepared?
If the answer is no, that’s okay. That’s exactly why I created BEFORE YOU BUILD℠. 😘
Doors open February 2nd.
GET ALL THE BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ DETAILS and JOIN THE WAITLIST!
