How do you navigate the start of a building project?
Here’s a familiar experience - “Sometimes it feels so daunting and it’s hard to know where to start.”
But this is where we would rather be: “Thank you so much for coming to my place and really taking the time to engage with me on the dilemma of what to do, when and how! You are amazing, and the Pros and Cons truly is so very helpful and clearly laid out, thank you!” (Janette, professional DJ and mum of 2 teenage boys)
Choices, decisions and unknowns.
They sneak up on us very early on in the project, before we even really know what it is that we want. We can feel the problem at hand and know we want “this” to be better, but very quickly we find there is no map, multiple paths and obstacles of various kinds. The realisation can have various effects that are unique to each person. It might create overwhelm and decision paralysis. It might motivate others to dive into the problem with research. It might steer our conversations to the topic so we learn from the experience of our personal networks. It might (strangely) mean we make the super-human effort to reach out to one source of help and then get stuck on that path because there is only so much time in the day. The psychologists call this the “sunk-cost fallacy”. It manifests as that feeling that there is no time for second opinions or a change of track…and where would you get a second opinion anyway?
Committing to an Outcome vs Committing to a Process
While it is completely natural and healthy to have an eye on the desired outcome, starting a project is really about a mental shift. There is no better time to take time to consider options, plan and calmly commit to a process of getting it right than at the start. The next best time is now.
Q. So how do you do get in that mindset?
A. By asking good questions.
Questions create conversation and connections, as well as providing answers. Dialogue is a whole lot more fun than monologue and invites us to be reflective and insightful. Win-win. We encourage people to think on three themes:
Big Picture and Blue Sky thinking (where you get to imagine your household’s perfect life)
Learning from the Present (where you reflect on what is and isn’t working right now)
Positioning for the Future (where you think forward to what success would look and feel like)
You can use our Good Questions structure for free here.
This is what Janette did (remember the professional DJ and mum of two teens quoted at the start of this post?) She thought her way through the questions, then she made an appointment for an Architect GP to come to her home and workshop it. They went through the questions and answers and had a huge conversation with walking, talking, pointing, measuring, sketching, trace paper, back of envelope budgets, options and evaluation.
She went from feeling a bit overwhelmed, confused and frustrated about getting her renovation started, to feeling the empowerment that comes from understanding the potential of her site and the sequence of events needed to get it all happening.
A good start is possible. A fresh start is not a failure. A second opinion is available. And it starts with asking yourself the right questions.
ARCHITECT GP
