For Australian homeowners planning a renovation, extension, new build or knockdown rebuild
Know Where the Commitment Points Fall in Your Project
Every renovation or new home passes through a series of commitment points: the decisions that set the course of the project, such as approving the brief, setting the budget and signing the contract. Many of them arrive well before construction begins, while changing them is still inexpensive.
Home Mastery™ shows you where each one falls and what to clarify before you make it, so that you understand the whole project before committing to any part of it. It is taught by a registered architect, through an eight-stage roadmap and practical tools.
Ed Hung, registered architect
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- Learn at your own pace
- Focused on Australian projects
- Clearer decisions before you commit
- Taught by a registered architect
Events you may meet: a price over budget, a variation or a delay, a concern about workmanship
The Dial shows your project from above, with every commitment point in the order it arrives, so you can see each one before you reach it.
Your step
Compare builders, prices and contracts
Next decision
9Choose how the work is priced
What to look for
A display home’s base price with ‘site costs to be confirmed’, or a quote headed ‘estimate only’.
Commitment points
Where the commitment points fall, and why each one belongs to you
It is natural to expect the professionals to make these decisions, since your architect, consultants and builder each know far more about their own part of the work. They will advise you on many of them, and that advice matters. But each one is made by you, when you approve, choose, sign or pay. It belongs to you whether or not you engage a professional, because it is your home and your money, and your household will live with the result.
Once a decision is made, something usually begins to hold it in place: drawings are lodged for approval, a contract is signed, materials are ordered, or work is built and then covered. Changing course after that point tends to cost more time and money, so the time to understand each decision is before it arrives.
Before design begins
- 1Choose whether to renovate, rebuild, move or wait
- 2Choose who designs and what they will do
- 3Choose what to find out about the site
- 4Approve the brief
- 5Set the total project budget
Design
- 6Choose the approval pathway
- 7Choose the design concept
- 8Approve the detailed design and its cost estimate
Pricing and the contract
- 9Choose how the work is priced
- 10Choose the builder and the price
- 11Finalise the selections before signing
- 12Sign the building contract
Construction and completion
- 13Approve a progress payment
- 14Make the final payment at handover
The LOG System
Each commitment point, worked through in the same three steps.
Locate
We locate each commitment point before it arrives, from what is on your own paperwork.
Own
Each decision remains yours, whether or not you engage a professional: the choice, and the reason for it, while each professional brings their own expertise.
Guide
We guide you through each decision while its options are still open: what is already fixed, what the home is meant to do and what matters most.
Events you may meet
Some decisions arrive only when something happens, such as a price that comes back over the budget, a variation or a delay, or a concern about workmanship. When one arrives, it can feel like a problem that has happened to you. It is still a decision about the course of the project, and its options narrow as the work goes on.
Home Mastery helps you slow the decisions down before the project speeds up.
Find the decisions in front of youDecision education rather than renovation inspiration
Many homeowners begin a project by imagining how the finished home will look, often by collecting images of the rooms they would like to live in. It is the most enjoyable part of a project, and a good place to begin. But several of the most important decisions, the ones that determine whether the home will work for your household and what it will cost, are made well before there are any drawings to look at, while the project is still a brief and a budget.
Home Mastery is built around those decisions, so that you can see which one is in front of you, what it will affect later and what is worth clarifying before you make it.
A decision not made early does not stay unmade.
The Project Map · Free
Where your project is, and the decisions in front of you
Answer a few questions about your project. The Map shows which of six steps you are at. It lists the decisions that belong to you at that step, and what to look for on your own paperwork.
- 1Your stepWhich of six steps your project is at, and the answers that placed it there.
- 2Your decisionsThe decisions in front of you, with what to look for on your own paperwork.
- 3Your next moveOne thing you can do yourself, and one resource matched to your step.
- What it is for
- It places your project at one of six steps and lists the decisions in front of you.
- When to use it
- Any time from the first idea to handover. Update it when something changes.
- What to have to hand
- Any paperwork you already have, such as drawings, a quote or a contract. You can answer without it.
- Doing it together
- You can work through it with a partner or anyone else in your household.
- What it does not decide
- It does not assess your project, your site or your documents. It sets out the decisions so you can see them.
Before you start
Step 4 · Compare builders, prices and contracts
Choose the builder and the price
- Why it matters for your project
- The total on a quote is a price for one builder’s reading of the drawings. Choosing on the total alone can mean choosing the quote with the least work included.
- What to look for
- The words ‘excluded’, ‘by others’, ‘allowance’ or ‘PS’, meaning a provisional sum, work still to be priced. A total stated excluding GST.
- What you can do now
- Mark each item in every quote as included, excluded, assumed or still open, and compare the totals last.
- Who to involve, and when
- Before you accept a price, a quantity surveyor, who estimates building costs, can tell you whether it is in line with the scope.
Notice when the Project Map opens, with practical guidance until then.
Ten reasonable assumptions that can become expensive later
Many homeowners are intelligent, careful and motivated, and still feel exposed during a build or renovation, because no one has shown them which decisions have the biggest downstream impact. Home Mastery is designed around those commitment points.
- 01
Starting with inspiration before defining the real problem
Move from "I like this look" to "this is the outcome my home actually needs to deliver."
- 02
Assuming renovation, rebuild or moving is obviously the right path
Compare the paths before you commit, so that the solution suits the property, the budget and the household's stage of life.
- 03
Treating "the budget" like one number
Understand the real budget and boundaries before the design, approvals and quotes start locking in expensive assumptions.
- 04
Waiting too long to investigate risks
Recognise which unknowns are worth clarifying before your project becomes emotionally and financially committed.
- 05
Focusing on finishes before the plan works
Review design decisions for how the home will actually work, as well as how it will look.
- 06
Believing "small" or "cosmetic" work is always simple
Know which approval and compliance questions to ask before assuming your project is straightforward.
- 07
Comparing builder quotes that are not based on the same scope
Read what each price is actually based on before you compare, choose or sign.
- 08
Thinking "fixed price" means "risk free"
Have the pricing and contract conversations before the signature creates pressure.
- 09
Assuming the contract will fix vague decisions later
Understand what should be clarified before signing, so construction does not begin with preventable uncertainty.
- 10
Stepping back once construction starts, or stepping in too far
Stay informed during construction without becoming the builder, the site supervisor or the source of confusion.
Foundations Program
The 8-stage roadmap for a better-prepared home project
Home Mastery is organised around the major decisions homeowners need to make clearly: the decisions that shape cost, design, approvals, contracts and construction outcomes later.
- 1
Choose the Right Path
Define the problem, the opportunity, the constraints and the pathway that makes sense, before committing to a direction.
- 2
Define Your Outcome
Create a clear outcome, ranked priorities, scope boundaries and decision rules before design work hardens.
- 3
Budget, Constraints & Trade-offs
Think about the full cost picture, uncertainty, contingency and trade-offs before your decisions lock in.
- 4
Shape a Better Design
Review design decisions for liveability, site response and their effect on approvals, pricing and construction.
- 5
Approvals & Compliance
Understand what is required, who is involved, what is included and when you are ready to build.
- 6
Prepare for Construction
Understand pricing inclusions, exclusions and contract terms before signing.
- 7
Stay in Control During Construction
Stay informed, make timely decisions, communicate well and keep a clear record of every change.
- 8
Completion, Closeout & Protection
Complete the project properly, close out outstanding items, secure the right documentation and protect your home after handover.
Knowledge, structure and tools for the decisions that matter
Home Mastery is designed to help you become the strongest participant in your own project. As a member, you will receive structured lessons and practical tools that help you:
- understand which step of the project you are at
- recognise which decisions carry the greatest consequences
- act earlier, before your options narrow
- clarify your brief and the approval pathway before design begins
- check what actually drives the cost, and what each price includes
- set expectations, structure the work and communicate clearly
- know when a question needs professional advice rather than guesswork
Member Portal
Membership Is Being Built Now
The member portal is being built now, as the one place where the Home Mastery Foundations Program, the Knowledge Library and the Toolkits will be found.
Foundations Program
The structured core program, following the commitment points of a project from the first idea to handover.
Knowledge Library
Short, specific articles that answer your questions as they arise, with the Homeowner Q&A beside them.
Toolkits
Practical templates, checklists and planners, with calculators that add up your own figures, to help you organise your information, compare options and prepare for each decision.
Project Assistant
Save articles and tools, keep notes, track progress and organise your ideas, all in one place.
- Under developmentLessons, templates and practical tools are being written, and subscribers will be told as each one opens.
- EducationNew articles and practical guidance, available now.
- ToolsChecklists, templates and calculators for your own figures, coming soon.
- Member portalA dedicated learning space and project tools in development.
Who This Is For
- Step 1Homeowners about to pay design or consultant feesKnow what the project must achieve, and what the site allows.
- Step 2Homeowners setting a budget for the projectSee the whole-project cost, beyond the builder's price.
- Step 3Homeowners reviewing a design before approvalTest how the plan will work on an ordinary day in the house.
- Step 4Homeowners with two or three builder quotes in front of themCompare what each quote includes before comparing totals.
- Step 4Homeowners preparing to sign a building contractIdentify what still needs clarifying while there is time.
- Steps 5 and 6Homeowners in construction or approaching handoverStay informed, keep records and prepare for completion.
Stay in the Loop
Be the First to Know
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Frequently Asked Questions
When does membership open?
Membership has not opened yet. Subscribe below to receive notice when it does, along with practical guidance and free resources as they are released.
What will membership include?
The Foundations Program, the Knowledge Library and the Toolkits are being built now. How they will be offered, and at what price, will be announced before membership opens.
Is this suitable if I am just getting started?
Yes. Home Mastery is designed for homeowners planning a renovation, extension or new home for the first time. The lessons are being written to help you understand the process, prepare for the key decisions and know what to expect as your project progresses.
What are The Layline Principle and The LOG System?
The layline is the line from which one well-timed turn sets a direct course to where you want to arrive. The term comes from sailing, where a boat cannot sail straight into the wind, so to reach a point upwind it sails at an angle to the wind instead. Once it reaches the layline, one last turn points it directly at its destination. Experienced sailors see that line long before they reach it and commit to it at the right moment. A home project is a journey with moments of the same kind. The Layline Principle names those moments: a few critical decisions determine the course of a home project. Prepare for each one before it arrives, and the course is yours to set; without that preparation, it is often set by default. We call those decisions commitment points, and The LOG System is how each one is worked through: Home Mastery locates it before it arrives, shows you the part that is yours, whether or not you engage a professional, and guides you through it while its options are still open.
What does Home Mastery mean by preparation?
At Home Mastery, preparation has a specific meaning: understanding each commitment point of your project before it arrives, while its options are still open, so that every decision comes with a reason you can explain.
Does Home Mastery replace professional advice?
No. Home Mastery provides general education to help you understand decisions and organise information. It does not replace project-specific architectural, legal, engineering, certification, financial or licensed trade advice.