Behind Schedule, Over-budget, and... Happy?
November 11, 2025
When Daniel Cannon started his home renovation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, he expected a typical construction project: create a plan, hire contractors, and get it done in a few months. What he didn’t expect was how strikingly similar the entire experience would be to building custom software and how many of his hard-won lessons from software consulting would apply to keeping his dream house project from turning into a nightmare.
In this episode of SaaS That App: Building B2B Web Applications, Daniel joins hosts Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards to unpack the surprising parallels between building software and remodeling homes. From scope creep and over-engineered visions to broken plumbing and software bugs, they share war stories, hard-won lessons, and a framework for handling shifting goals, mismatched expectations, and evolving priorities in any project.
This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems on their website.
Got a burning idea for an episode, or a SaaS question you absolutely must know the answer to? Leave us a voice memo at SaasThatApp.
When Daniel Cannon started his home renovation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, he expected a typical construction project: create a plan, hire contractors, and get it done in a few months. What he didn’t expect was how strikingly similar the entire experience would be to building custom software and how many of his hard-won lessons from software consulting would apply to keeping his dream house project from turning into a nightmare.
In this episode of SaaS That App: Building B2B Web Applications, Daniel joins hosts Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards to unpack the surprising parallels between building software and remodeling homes. From scope creep and over-engineered visions to broken plumbing and software bugs, they share war stories, hard-won lessons, and a framework for handling shifting goals, mismatched expectations, and evolving priorities in any project.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to replace fixed bids with flexible collaboration models
- Why discovery conversations should focus on mission
- The trust-building pattern
- How to educate clients on what you can’t know upfront
- Why regular touchpoints and visible progress matter more than detailed plans
Daniel Cannon is the Chief Innovation Officer at Delta Systems and Founder and CEO of Strive DB, bringing a wealth of experience in modern web development frameworks and architectures. His expertise spans full-stack development, with particular depth in Ruby on Rails and modern JavaScript frameworks. Daniel's hands-on experience with both traditional and cutting-edge technologies, combined with his ability to evaluate technical trade-offs in practical business contexts, provides valuable insights for organizations navigating technology decisions.
This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a big SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems on their
website.
Highlights:
- [00:00] Introduction
- [01:07] The Remodeling Metaphor
- [04:10] Dreams vs. Reality in Scope
- [06:06] Trust and the Expert Trap
- [10:32] Estimating Costs: A Fool’s Job
- [14:11] Scope Creep Is Real
- [16:43] Be Involved or Be Disappointed
- [22:30] Goals Will Move and That’s Okay
- [28:28] Agile vs. Waterfall
- [31:15] What Is a Bug, Really?
- [35:30] Off-the-Shelf vs. Custom Builds
- [44:22] Over-Prioritizing Design Over Functionality
- [50:04] Final Takeaways
Episode Resources:
Got a burning idea for an episode, or a SaaS question you absolutely must know the answer to? Leave us a voice memo at
SaasThatApp.
We’d love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out our audience questionnaire:
https://forms.gle/DN8hWFDcE9jwvNKo6
Your input helps us shape future episodes and continue bringing you practical, real-world insights into building B2B web applications.