The eagle method is a 5 step framework for preparing for your home redesign the right way.

Following these steps gives you a sky high view. Once you have that in place your project will fly!

The 5 steps are:

E = evaluate your existing home

We consider your home and your relationship with it, and how well it works for you.

A = assess your lifestyle

We examine how you live your life and how much your home defines or supports you.

G = gather information

We identify what information is relevant to you and how to collect it.

L = listen to your heart

We envision your dream life and how you can design to help you create that.

E = emphasise your priority

We set your requirements and decide a priority

Why I created the EAGLE Method.

Before I set up iarchitect in 2009 most of my experience working as an architect was on large public sector projects. I was the lead architect on several multi-million pound high schools. Those projects had teams of people writing architectural briefs that set out the requirements to instruct architects like me on the design outcomes.

I started my career with several years working in a practice that specialised in community and social housing projects. There I helped create and run huge community consultation events. I learnt how to ask the right questions that are relevant to creating an architectural design.

Many architects, or architectural designers, spend an hour or far less chatting with their clients before going away to start designing. I know that it's impossible to understand someone, their needs, wants, and desires in enough depth with a simple hour long chat.

When I started working with homeowners in 2009 I soon realised that homeowners are usually unaware of what they needed to tell their architect to get the best design for them. I found it was frustrating for both clients and me that without having the depth of information it was impossible to design the best solutions for them.

So I started to create questionnaires, then exercises for my clients to complete to help fill in the gaps. These developed into the EAGLE Method, which is the structure for the Design Your Home Vision Programme. It is also the basis of the preparation stage of my Home Design Foundation Package, and I cover a simplified approach in my 5 Day Get Ready To Redesign Challenge.

What are the benefits?

I believe strongly that we all deserve a home that supports us in living our version of our best life. This means a home that suits YOUR life, YOUR priorities, YOUR dreams.

By working through this programme you will be able to:

• clearly define what you need and want from your home.

• Communicate your requirements to your designer

• be in control of your design

• confidently move forward with your project

• feel unstuck, no longer overwhelmed by not knowing and all the decisions

• get a design that really meets your needs and desires

• see the potential in your home instead of feeling limited

• reach agreement with your partner on the big design moves to take forward

• feel listened to when your designer takes on board your requirements

• identify when the design doesn't deliver what you need and want

• choose lower cost options and potentially save tens of thousands of pounds or build to a higher quality

• find less obvious solutions and opportunities that suit you better

• improve your life so it's closer to the way you dream of living

• take a staged approach to improving your home so you can fit it around your life and budget better

• meet your priority of time, cost or quality

• avoid expensive mistakes

• have a design that accommodates your essential needs and wants

• make decisions more quickly and easily

This is all made possible by uncovering and highlighting relevant information through this preparation process.

Lesson Activity

I'm really interested to know if there is anything more I can help you with at this stage. Email me at jane.leach@i-architect.co.uk with the answer to this question:

Is there anything holding you back from making your home improvements happen? What if anything is making you feel stuck or overwhelmed?