Show Notes
Let’s face it—your Pinterest board might have champagne taste, but your project budget is the reality check you need to consider. In this episode, Rebeka and BHC's Head of Interiors Rebecca, dive into the heart of what it really means to design smarter, not pricier. The key? Understanding the cost implications of your design choices from day one—and learning where a small tweak can save you thousands (without compromising on style). What you’ll learn: Why starting with a budget isn’t limiting—it’s empowering.
How small design decisions can create big cost differences (hello $12K bath!).
Smart swaps that deliver luxe looks without the luxury price tag.
The hidden structural choices that silently eat into your budget.
Why “design now, cost later” is a trap—and how to avoid it.
You’ll also hear real stories (including a $1M design build turned $280K reno win) and relatable laughs as we keep it refreshingly real. Because building beautifully on a budget is completely possible! Tune in to learn how to take control of your design story—on your terms, and within your means. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Building With BuildHer
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.
Everyone's either terrified of AI or shouting that you're behind. This episode is neither. Rebeka sits down with Rhiannon Lee - founder of Oleander and Finch and one of the design industry's clearest voices on AI - for the most honest conversation we've had about using these tools without losing yourself in them. If you've ever opened ChatGPT to save half an hour and lost half a day, this one's for you. In this episode: Why nobody is the expert - and why that's good news, not bad ChatGPT goes wide, Claude goes deep: how Rhiannon actually uses each one The real reason some people get magic out of AI and others get bland mush (hint: it's your foundations, not your tool) Where AI quietly becomes dangerous - the confident subdivision advice that could cost hundreds of thousands Why a hallucination isn't a lie, it's a plausible answer that isn't real Staying the creative director: the part of your work that never gets outsourced The automation trap, and why two good posts beat twenty bland ones Keeping your business off the tool - own your foundations in a platform that's yours A line worth sitting with: "You're the creative director. Creativity sits under your role and it doesn't get outsourced." - Rhiannon Lee Rough timestamps: 00:00 - Nobody's the expert: cutting the AI noise 03:44 - The tools Rhiannon actually uses (and how) 12:00 - Where AI gives dangerous answers 15:35 - Image generation: concept, not detail 21:27 - The pendulum swinging back to human voices 33:10 - You're the conductor, not the cast 43:36 - Keep it off the tool: own your foundations 53:00 - Where to find Rhiannon About our guest: Rhiannon Lee is the founder and designer behind Oleander and Finch, and a sought-after mentor helping creatives build the systems behind their businesses. Her program Studio Build runs over six weeks, with the next round starting 7 July. Instagram: @oleander_and_finch Website: oleanderandfinch.com Ready to back yourself? If this episode lit something up, come and see how BuildHer Collective helps women build, renovate and develop with confidence. Explore DevelopHer at buildhercollective.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.