Design with confidence: Foundations for a Sustainable and Healthy Home
Build a Home You'll Actually Love Living In. Not One You'll Regret.
Learn how to make confident design decisions that create a healthier, more comfortable, more efficient home—without increasing your budget.
Whether you're renovating or building new, Design With Confidence gives homeowners the knowledge to avoid costly mistakes, communicate effectively with builders and designers, and create a home that improves everyday life.
Take a sneak peak inside the course!
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Kate N. - Building a new home for her family
“Design with Confidence truly has given me the confidence in knowing I can design a healthy home as defined by my needs and the needs of my family, not a cookie cutter one-size-fits-all approach.
The course has given me tools to know exactly what to do when, and I feel so much more prepared going into the building process!"
Conquer the fears keeping you up at night
You're afraid of making the wrong decisions and blowing your budget, because it happens all the time.
You can spend hundreds of thousands on a home that overheats, needs constant maintenance, doesn't feel good, and makes daily life harder.
Or you can spend that same amount on a home that's comfortable, healthy, efficient, and designed around the way you live.
The difference isn't the budget.
It's the decisions you make before construction begins.
Design With Confidence gives you the knowledge to make those decisions wisely.
You know the kind of home you want...
But figuring out how to make that happen?
That's why I created
Design With Confidence: Foundations For A Sustainable And Healthy Home...
Your solution to cutting through the confusion
and Designing a Good Home
This online course gives you the knowledge to confidently make the decisions that have the biggest impact on your home’s comfort, health, durability, efficiency, and everyday livability.
Whether you’re designing your own home, working with an architect, choosing a stock plan, or renovating an existing house, you’ll know what to include, what questions to ask, and what mistakes to avoid.
By the end of this course you’ll know how to:
✔ Design a home that’s naturally comfortable year-round.
✔ Create healthier indoor air with better materials and ventilation.
✔ Reduce future energy bills without unnecessary upgrades.
✔ Make everyday life easier through smarter layouts and thoughtful design.
✔ Avoid expensive mistakes before construction starts.
✔ Understand the building science behind good homes, without technical jargon.
✔ Talk confidently with architects, designers and builders.
✔ Know where your money creates the biggest impact.
✔ Separate genuinely good design from expensive marketing and greenwashing.
✔ Build a home you’ll still love twenty years from now.
But here's the best part...
Mind
You will feel empowered and in control of your home design process, with the knowledge to confidently communicate your home design vision to contractors. No more second-guessing your decisions.
Earth
You will enjoy a beautifully comfortable home that works in harmony with your local climate, offering passive heating, cooling, and natural light, allowing you to stay aligned with your eco-friendly goals.
Taylor, Building a tiny home
"I am LOVING Design With Confidence & it has already been so helpful! My husband and I are building a 400 square foot tiny home. I've been studying all of the materials and filling out the resources and they have been amazing! "
You only get one chance to make many of the decisions that determine how your home feels and performs.
Before construction starts…
give yourself the knowledge to make those decisions with confidence.
Join Design With Confidence today and learn how to create a home that’s healthier, more comfortable, more efficient, and designed to improve your everyday life.
Choose which plan works best for you, so you can get past the road blocks and start designing your dream home.
One Time Payment
of
$
497
Best Value
3 Monthly Payments
of
$
177
/mo
Most Flexible
100%
Money Back Guarantee
Plus you'll be backed by a risk-free 14-day guarantee
If you've participated in the lessons and don't feel that you're getting where you need to go, simply reach out, let me know your struggles, and I'll refund your investment.
What's inside
Design With Confidence
Module 1: Prepare for Your Home Design Journey
In this module, you’ll learn why creating a good, comfortable home is essential and how to set a strong foundation for your project, whether you're building new or renovating. Here’s a glimpse of what each lesson covers:
Module 2: Core Design Principles For A Comfortable Home
Here you’ll learn essential design principles that set the stage for a comfortable, energy-efficient, and healthy home. Each lesson in this module guides you through key design choices that maximize your home’s efficiency and livability. You're learn:
Module 3: Get Detailed with Materials and Building Assemblies
Now it's time to dive into the essential components and material choices that make a home healthy to live in, airtight, and energy-efficient. This is an introduction to building science - no science or design experience needed! Here's a glimpse at the lessons:
Module 4: Sustainable Systems For Comfort and Efficiency
In Module 4, you’ll explore the best mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems that enhance your home’s comfort, energy efficiency, and sustainability. (Definitely no engineering degree needed here!) You'll learn essential understanding on:
Module 5: Bringing Your Sustainable Home Vision to Life
In the final module, you’ll learn how to bring together all aspects of your home project, from finding the right builder to budgeting and team assembly.
Enroll Today
And get these extra bonuses (for free)!
The 10 Step Pre-Design Process Mini Course
$197 Value
There’s nothing more important than getting as prepared as possible from the very start of your design and build journey. A prepared project helps minimize those nightmare stories you often hear from friends or see on home design TV shows.
This bonus follows my 10 step pre-design formula to get you fully prepared to start the design on the right path.
Complete with checklists to get you organized and on track.
Intro to the Healthy Home Elements and Biophilic Design Principles
$97 value
In this bonus video, you'll get a first look at the 10 Healthy Home Elements, the powerful framework I use in every project to make sure all aspects of health, sustainability, and comfort are covered.
You'll also be introduced to the core principles of biophilic design, so you can begin thinking about how to bridge a connection between nature and home.
To Sum it up
Here's what you'll get in Design With Confidence when you enroll...
5 Comprehensive modules
that break down quality, sustainable homebuilding into easy-to-follow, actionable steps
Checklists and Spreadsheets
to keep you organized and focused on the right tasks
Learn how to confidently communicate with contractors
advocate for your eco-friendly vision, and avoid being talked out of important design elements
Discover the best materials and systems
for a healthy, airtight, and energy-efficient home, with clear guidance on what to prioritize
Keep your project on budget
with expert advice on making eco-friendly choices without overspending
When you add it all up that's over $1,200!
But you can join Design With Confidence: Foundations For A Sustainable and Healthy Home for just...
One Time Payment
of
$
497
Best Value
3 Monthly Payments
of
$
177
/mo
Most Flexible
FAQs
Yes, absolutely. Whether you’re just dreaming or already knee-deep in design decisions, Design With Confidence helps you clarify your vision, troubleshoot your design, and make sure you’re on the right track before you commit to construction.
Many students use the course to check and refine the plans they already have, ask better questions, and avoid costly mistakes down the road.
Yes you do. This course doesn't teach you how to make construction plans, and you will not receive construction plans from the course. If you aren't planning to work with an architect, you can work with a draftsperson to draw your construction plans. I'll show you how to work with a draftsperson in the course.
Forever! You will never lose access to the course. Designing and building a home or reno is a long process, so I want to make sure you have the support you need through the whole journey.
Yes—and here’s why: even if you’re working with an architect, this course helps you prepare, get clear on what you really want, and communicate your vision with confidence.
It’s not uncommon for homeowners to feel intimidated or unsure during the design process, especially when it comes to sustainable and healthy choices. This course gives you the language, knowledge, and framework to ask the right questions, make informed decisions, and collaborate effectively with your architect—so you don’t feel like you’re handing over control or getting talked out of what matters to you.
Think of it as your prep work to make sure you get the most out of your time (and money) with your architect.
Yes! That’s exactly who this course was designed for, because I know hiring an architect isn't always within reach.
Design With Confidence is your step-by-step roadmap to creating a home that’s thoughtful, efficient, healthy, and aligned with your lifestyle—even without an architect.
I walk you through the design principles, layout decisions, systems, and sustainable choices you need to feel confident and informed. This course simplifies what most people find overwhelming and gives you tools to avoid costly mistakes.
Yes, this course can be a great resource for designers and contractors who want to better understand sustainable, healthy home principles and how to apply them in real-world projects. It breaks down building science and high-performance design into clear, practical steps, which can improve communication with clients and help professionals make more informed recommendations.
Meet your guide...
I'm Kate!
I’m a licensed architect and founder of Balanced Architecture, based in New Hampshire. I’ve been designing sustainable homes since 2007, with a focus on helping families create spaces that feel good to live in—homes that support their health, simplify daily life, and reduce their impact on the planet.
Over the years, working with hundreds of homeowners and living in a variety of homes myself, I’ve seen a clear pattern: most houses aren’t designed with people’s well-being in mind. In fact, many unintentionally work against it, affecting comfort, air quality, and how we feel in our own spaces.
Design With Confidence: Foundations For A Sustainable and Healthy Home is designed to help guide you through your renovation or new build design journey with clarity and confidence, so you can make decisions that truly support your health, your lifestyle, and your future home.
"Thank you Kate for helping us to brainstorm ideas, design and assist in creating our forever dream home with your thoughtful and mindful architectural suggestions! We wake every morning seeing and feeling the warmth of the sunrise to start our day peacefully, calm and stress free. We now feel so connected to the outdoors, being able to view all the wildlife in their natural habitat."
Carrie Nolet and Lucie Swain
"Kate really helped us to see the modern possibilities in a 50 year old mountain chalet. Her focus on healthy living and energy efficiency was also a great fit with our own personal values. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have found her for our project."
Tom Burack
This course isn’t about adding expensive upgrades.
It’s about helping you avoid expensive mistakes.
If this course helps you prevent even one poor design decision…
it could save you thousands (or even tens of thousands) of dollars over the life of your home.
More importantly…
it helps you create a home you’ll enjoy living in every single day.
Because that’s what you’re really investing in.
Not just a house.
A better life inside it.