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 […]

Hey there! Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast. I’m Carrie, and today, in episode 96, I want to talk about something that’s going to be SO helpful for your custom home planning – and it’s something you can do the next time you host people at your house OR visit someone else’s home. […]

Today I’m chatting with Jenn Smith, a licensed residential architect with over 20 years of experience, about one of the most overlooked yet transformative parts of the home building process … lighting and electrical planning. Jenn is the founder of Jenn Smith Architect, Inc. and creator of Your Pocket Architect. What I love most about […]

Building a custom home with your spouse can feel like navigating a minefield of conflicting priorities and different ideas about the budget, which can lead to some pretty heated discussions about whether or not certain features are really worth the splurge. But here’s the good news … it does NOT have to be this way. […]

Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast. I’m your host Carrie Barker (aka Caroline on Design), and today, in episode 90, we’re talking about the number one question you should ask yourself before you start planning your custom home. If you’re planning your custom home for your family, I want you to pause browsing […]

If you’ve googled the phrase ‘custom home must-haves’, you’ve likely seen all the lists claiming that you *must* have *this* and you *must* have *that*.  These types of lists are all over Pinterest, Instagram, and home-building blogs … and they *can* be helpful. But here’s what those lists don’t tell you … there are NO […]