A Build Story.
Every build project has a story. Not just the outcome of a completed house, but the chapters that led there, the ideas, the choices, the people, and the path taken.
Like all stories, a build story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Too often, the focus is only on the ‘happily ever after’ at the end—the finished home. But to reach that ending successfully, the earlier chapters must be written with intention and care.
Projects that rush the opening chapters—fuelled by excitement but without a direction or a chapter outline—often end misaligned with expectations. The truth is, most builds aren’t undone by poor construction—they’re undone by poor planning from the outset.
A build story begins long before construction. It flows through defining wants in a brief, selecting the approach and project team, designing, documenting, permitting, contracting, and then, finally, building. When preparation is vague or rushed, budgets blow out, confidence erodes, and the experience becomes unenjoyable.
Think of the build journey like a book. For it to succeed, we need to:
Outline the chapters: This will require some research and planning. Stay open to adapting the plotline as learning deepens.
Cast the right characters: Bring in the people who will shape that journey.
Protect the ending: Plan for a successful finish, even if the journey turns out to be different from what was initially imagined.
A successful home is the happy ending—but it only exists because of the chapters that came before. And those chapters are strongest when everyone—homeowners, builders, and designers—reads into the strategy.
In a time when the building process often feels fragmented and disconnected, success depends on collaboration. Each player in the story has a role to play. When we share the same intentions from the very beginning, the story flows, the stress reduces, and the ending is one worth telling.
PS: I help people write the chapter outline for their build story. If you want to get your chapter outline right or help your clients get it right. Book a Cuppa with Katie, and let’s set projects up for success from the first decision.