Designing and constructing a home turns out to have far more in common with building complex software than most people expect. From shifting requirements and conflicting stakeholders to poorly scoped plans, technical debt in disguise, and the consequences of weak architecture, the experience is a masterclass in what not to do when delivering quality, as well as what to relentlessly protect.

In this talk, I’ll share the most valuable lessons learned from a challenging home-building project and translate them into practical takeaways for engineering teams: how to guard against misalignment, maintain craftsmanship under pressure, and design systems that stand the test of time. It’s a story about architecture, process, people — and why the smallest decisions can shape the entire structure, whether you’re building a house or a distributed system.