In this episode, we speak with Kerri-Ann Hooper from Carnelian Projects, a builder in the Hunter Valley, who shares her insights on the journey of volume building and the considerations required for knockdown-rebuilds.

She talks about how crucial it is to really understand the full cost of a new build, making sure you’re aware of all the inclusions and requirements. Kerri-Ann also gives practical advice on assessing your site, considering factors like services, slope, and access.

With her experience, she helps clients make informed decisions, ensuring the process goes smoothly and leads to a successful build.

You can learn more about Carnelian Projects below:

https://www.carnelianprojects.com.au/

In this episode, we speak with Kerri-Ann Hooper from Carnelian Projects, a builder in the Hunter Valley, who shares her insights on the journey of volume building and the considerations required for knockdown-rebuilds.
She talks about how crucial it is to really understand the full cost of a new build, making sure you’re aware of all the inclusions and requirements. Kerri-Ann also gives practical advice on assessing your site, considering factors like services, slope, and access.
With her experience, she helps clients make informed decisions, ensuring the process goes smoothly and leads to a successful build.
You can learn more about Carnelian Projects below:
https://www.carnelianprojects.com.au/

Rebeka Morgan from BuildHer Collective chat about all things building and renovating and everyday people making their mark in the building industry.

Building With BuildHer hosted by BuildHer Collective

Building With BuildHer

Navigating the Complexities of Volume Building

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

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

Size, Materials, Labour: How Elise Weavers Keeps Her Third Reno on Budget

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.

 

In this solo episode Rebeka takes you behind the scenes as she helps her two boys, Liam and Ben, assess a live site for their first project: where the value is hidden, what to look for, and how to decide if a deal is a go, a no-go, a rework, or a find-out-more.

 

She gets into why a stuck, uncertain market can be one of the best times to buy, why both Claude and ChatGPT said no to this site and why you can't let a robot make the call, the difference between feeling risk and calculating it, and a real deal at deal level: the $800k buy, the $1.6m to $1.8m end, a $150k to $350k profit range, and the one tree that could decide the whole thing.

 

The question she comes back to every time: if this was your money, would you still do the deal?

 

Want the feasibility spreadsheet? Comment FEASO on Instagram or DM us feaso and we'll send it over.

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.
&nbsp;
In this solo episode Rebeka takes you behind the scenes as she helps her two boys, Liam and Ben, assess a live site for their first project: where the value is hidden, what to look for, and how to decide if a deal is a go, a no-go, a rework, or a find-out-more.
&nbsp;
She gets into why a stuck, uncertain market can be one of the best times to buy, why both Claude and ChatGPT said no to this site and why you can't let a robot make the call, the difference between feeling risk and calculating it, and a real deal at deal level: the $800k buy, the $1.6m to $1.8m end, a $150k to $350k profit range, and the one tree that could decide the whole thing.
&nbsp;
The question she comes back to every time: if this was your money, would you still do the deal?
&nbsp;
Want the feasibility spreadsheet? Comment FEASO on Instagram or DM us feaso and we'll send it over.

Would You Do This Deal? Assessing a Live Site With My Boys

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.

 

In this episode Rebeka sits down with Louise Woodcroft to talk about what it actually takes to make the hard calls in property and renovation: when to trust the numbers, when to back yourself through the doubt, and how to keep moving when everything feels uncertain.

 

In this conversation they get into emotion vs logic and spotting which one is really driving your next decision, working through the doubt and second-guessing that show up in every renovation, why a solid feasibility study is your steadiest friend when your nerves aren't, cosmetic flips and where the real value sits in a traditional renovation, moving fast and staying competitive when you're buying in a softer market, and the real power of having the right support around you when the journey gets hard.

 

Whether you're weighing up your first project or your fifth, this one's a reminder that the numbers and your nerve both matter, and you can learn to back both.

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.
&nbsp;
In this episode Rebeka sits down with Louise Woodcroft to talk about what it actually takes to make the hard calls in property and renovation: when to trust the numbers, when to back yourself through the doubt, and how to keep moving when everything feels uncertain.
&nbsp;
In this conversation they get into emotion vs logic and spotting which one is really driving your next decision, working through the doubt and second-guessing that show up in every renovation, why a solid feasibility study is your steadiest friend when your nerves aren't, cosmetic flips and where the real value sits in a traditional renovation, moving fast and staying competitive when you're buying in a softer market, and the real power of having the right support around you when the journey gets hard.
&nbsp;
Whether you're weighing up your first project or your fifth, this one's a reminder that the numbers and your nerve both matter, and you can learn to back both.

Navigating the Complexities of Volume Building

In 1 playlist(s)

Building With BuildHer

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips