Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should: Using AI Without Losing Your Voice (with Rhiannon Lee)

Dianne Kovacevic and her husband Dave spent years getting ready before they bought a single site. He refused a limited builder's licence and spent a year on slabs and foundations to earn the unlimited one. She completed a diploma in contract drafting and estimation. Only then did they go looking for land. What followed was four townhouses in Heidelberg Heights and an education that came with invoices attached. Two and a half years fighting the council, including VCAT. A construction loan pulled after unconditional approval, because they were owner builders, a question they had asked in writing before they started. Development contributions of $58,000, a levy of roughly $20,000, and civil works that have run anywhere from $16,000 to $46,000 across their projects. Then COVID, a finished project they could not lease, and money borrowed from Dianne's parents to get it done. They still made more than $1.3 million on it. Dianne also talks about the design decision she has never repeated: double garages in the two middle units, which took space out of the living areas and showed up directly in the sale prices. The front unit set an area record at $1,065,000. The middle two sold for $850,000 and $895,000. She became a mortgage broker after Dave got sick and the family lost its income, and her business now sits squarely in construction and renovation lending. If you have only ever taken out a home loan, this conversation is worth your time. Dianne is at DK Capital Lending. You can reach her on [email protected] or 0478 842 895. Read the full write up on the BuildHer blog: buildhercollective.com.au/blog Want to learn how to renovate and develop for profit? Explore DevelopHer. Connect with BuildHer Collective at buildhercollective.com.au or on Instagram @buildhercollective. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elise Weavers is back for renovation number three: a single fronted Melbourne terrace on 370 square metres, nearly done and already home. In this episode, Elise and Rebeka unpack the three levers Elise pulls to control cost on every project: the size of the build, the materials she chooses, and the labour that puts it all together. They dig into why every square metre you add costs you, how eight floor plans became one, and how tall raked ceilings and compression and release make a modest footprint feel generous. Elise shares why she clads with James Hardie Stria (fire rating, a slim profile on the boundary, and her builder partner Sam can install it himself), how she squeezed a dining table, bedside tables and a coffee table out of one slab of kitchen stone, and why a polytech kitchen was the smart trade off. Plus the labour decisions that save thousands: prefab trusses and wall frames, choosing methods that suit your team, and knowing whether your builder is a site manager or a builder carpenter. If you are renovating in a rising cost market, this one is a masterclass in spending where it counts. Connect with BuildHer Collective at https://buildhercollective.com.au or on Instagram @buildhercollective See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us think a feasibility is a spreadsheet. It isn't. It's a decision-making tool, and the thinking behind the numbers is what tells you what to put in them.

We'd all like to believe we make property decisions with a calculator. The truth is messier. Doubt, second-guessing, and a market that never sits still all get a vote.

We spend so much time obsessing over layouts, floorplans, stone selections and budgets… but what if the thing that actually stops people in their tracks is something far less obvious? In this episode of Building With BuildHer, Rebeka sits down with Cat Brown from Arch Melbourne to unpack the power of styling, colour and thoughtful finishes - and why creating emotional connection can help propel sales results. Known for Arch Melbourne’s distinctive styling approach (think layered textures, statement furniture, unexpected colour moments and homes that feel anything but cookie-cutter), Cat shares why styling goes far beyond making things “look pretty”. It is about shaping perception, creating mood and helping buyers picture a better version of life within a home. Rebeka and Cat dive into why developers often overcapitalise in some areas (hello built-in joinery everywhere) while overlooking the details that create real impact, how thoughtful styling can soften newer builds and make them feel warm and lived-in, and why neutral does not always need to mean safe—or worse… grey. They also unpack why furniture planning should happen earlier than most people think, how styling influences photography and buyer engagement, why “scroll-stopping” moments matter in a world where buyers first meet your property online, and the role colour, texture and art play in making homes memorable. Whether you renovate, build or develop property for profit, this episode is a reminder that beautiful homes are not built through finishes alone - they are built through feeling. And buyers remember how a home made them feel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.