Advertise on podcast: Glorified Carpenter

Today I'm thrilled to have the one and only Erin Stetzer of Erin Stetzer Homes out of Houston, Texas, joining me on the podcast! Erin and her team build some of the most extraordinary homes in the business, with execution to match. We only had 60 minutes, but my big takeaway: Erin is one of us. She knows how to navigate massively complicated projects and understands the ebbs and flows of construction — how to build process, create checklists, and visually communicate with the craftsmen and technicians who bring these homes to life by hand. We hit the following; communication, delegation, focus, systems, sense of urgency, CYA & project staffing & hiring….. Erin knows her systems inside and out, and she teaches them, too, offering classes for builders, project managers, supers, and even clients. Ready to level up your game? Links to Erin's Bootcamp are below. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Learn more about Ep. 45 Guest: @Erinstetzerhomes erinstetzerhomes.com Project Manager Classes: Builder’s Edge & PM boot camp https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-industry-professionals Client Classes: Beyond the Blueprints https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-homeowners Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com @durationmouldingandmillwork  heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

How do you go from a PM hire to owning the company? That's Preston Miller of Fellow Built. His vision runs well ahead of his years in the business, and what backs it up is drive — plus a real understanding of what it takes to build great things: architect-driven design, and the team of craftsmen who bring it to life. We get into how he found the industry and why he's never left, how he bought out his boss, and how he's put his own stamp on his team and their projects. Such a cool take and thought process. I hope you enjoy Preston's story. Learn more about Ep. 44 Guest: @Fellowbuit www.fellowbuilt.com Project size: $2m-6mil Employees: 7 Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Buckle up — Mike's story is worth tuning in for. Grew up in Worcester & Webster, MA. Started in the trades in high school, swinging sledgehammers and building circus tents on tour with a tent-rental company. Bartended his way through two degrees, walked away from academia at 26 with $130 to his name and $60K in student debt, and built a career out of "figuring it out." We talk starting a company knowing the craft but not the business. The ups and downs. Sobriety. Challenges that hit us all in different forms, at different times — and what it actually takes to accept the bumps and come out the other side. His latest chapter — Cairn Collaborative Design/Build out in California — is just as good as the story that got him there. Hope you tune in, hope you enjoy it, and hope you share this one. 🎙️ Learn more about Ep. 43 Guest: @Cairncollaborative Project size: $350k-$2.2mil Project per year: 4-7 Yearly Revenue: $5.5-6.5m Employees: 9; Principal; Financial Controller; Project Coordinator; Project Manager; Licensed Architect; Architectural Designer; Lead Carpenter; Carpenter; Carpenter; and we are actively interviewing now for a second PM and also an assistant PM Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Angelica Armitage — Owner/Operator, Armitage Construction Company Ltd. | Sussex New Brunswick, Canada Angelica put in 10 years with her bags on to earn her Red Seal Certification. A mix of great mentors, bad mentors, and hard-won experience gave her everything she needed to hang her own shingle. Today she runs a crew of 5 carpenters — bags on, all day — while wearing every hat in the company: owner, project manager, estimator, business development, and everything in between. Working in a market with real limitations on trade scope, Angelica has kept the majority of work in-house. It's a debate a lot of us know well — overhead vs. quality control — and she's got a strong take on it. We dig into what pulled her into the trades, what's pushing her toward bigger and more challenging projects, and how she's building something worth being proud of in Halifax. Hope you enjoy the convo! Learn more about Ep. 42 Guest: @Armitageconstructioncompanyltd Project size: $50k-800k Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects Employees: 5-6 (including Angelica) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

CJ Nielsen of CNC Electric Co. joins us to share what it's really like running an electrical sub-contracting business from the inside. We get into scaling, systems, crew structure, and how he manages everything from small projects to ultra-high-end builds — each with their own tech stacks, client expectations, and GC dynamics. CJ breaks down what keeps his work consistently sharp no matter the job size. Then we go deep — lighting controls, solar, all-electric (fossil-free) homes, load-shedding panels, and the latest in battery tech. This one's packed. Hope you walk away with as many takeaways as I did. Learn more about Ep. 41 Guest: @CNC_Electric @thebuildshow contributor @finehomebuilding brand ambassador Project per year: 8-15 projects per year Yearly Revenue: $1.5 million Employees: 5-6 (including Dave) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Dave Hanes is a second-generation builder running a family-owned boutique firm in Northern California. He learned the trade working alongside his father at Hanes Construction — a shop built on hustle, handyman work, and the occasional $200k renovation. The strategy was simple: ballpark the numbers, stay busy, and hope for the best. Dave wanted more. He set his sights on architects and high-end custom projects, which forced him to build real systems, tighten his estimating, and elevate every level of his operation to compete for the work he actually wanted. We cover 25 years of lessons — what's evolved, what's held firm, and what it really takes to grow a boutique build firm without losing what makes it special. You're going to love this one. Learn more about Ep. 40 Guest: @hanes_construction_inc www.hanes-construction.com Project size: $2-5Million Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects Yearly Revenue: $5million Employees: 10 (including Dave) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Matthew Logue of Matte Building Pty | Newcastle, Australia We dive into what’s the same—and what’s completely different—about construction and renovations on the other side of the world. Matt’s cut from the same cloth. Came up through the trades on a similar path, with a real love for building and creating. But where things split? He’s scaled—taking his company from just him and his sister (part-time) to a tight team of 10. No shortcuts. Builders who take pride in every swing of the hammer. We get into how he built that team, earned his reputation, and what it actually felt like hiring that first employee… versus what keeps him up at night now. Great dude. Building something special down in Australia. Hope you enjoy the chat with Matt. Learn more about Ep. 38 Guest: @mattebuilding www.mattebuilding.com.au Project size: $500k-$1.5mil Project per year: 4-8 projects per year Yearly Revenue: $2.2mil Employees: 10 (including Matt) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Jason Pietruszka of JJP Construction, out of Los Angeles, joins us this week on the pod. Jason takes us back to 2008 — when his dad gave him that first nudge into the industry. From there, he’s gone on to build 250+ homes… starting in production, where there’s little to no connection to the end product, to where he is today — designing and building homes in the Palisades, rebuilding in areas impacted by the wildfires. Through his architecture and design firm, Shelter, and his semi-custom construction company, JJP Construction, Jason’s now controlling the full process — from concept to completion. We get into building a team, AI agents, TikTok, branding, lump sum contracts — the pros, the pitfalls — and everything in between. Hope you enjoy this one. Learn more about Ep. 38 Guest: @jjpconstruction @shelterhomesla @goldlandscapers www.jjpconstructioninc.com Project size: $1-4Million Project per year: 10-15 projects per year Employees: 6-8 Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Chad Coll of C.S. Spoon & Co. is doing what a lot of us in construction have done — turning a hobby into a business. And the path? It’s almost too familiar. This wasn’t some calculated move chasing market share — “let me go grab 5% or 10% of the spoon market.” Nope. Life unfolded… and Chad stumbled into a niche that gave him purpose, allowed him to support his family, and actually be present — not stuck on-call, running a maintenance grind. There’s something real about that. Chad’s story hit home for me. It’s a reminder that not everything has to be forced or over-engineered… sometimes you’ve got to roll with it and see where it leads. Maybe something better is waiting on the other side of that. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Learn more about Ep. 37 Guest: @cs_spoonco www.csspoonco.com Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Paige Heron — a female framer out of Canada.
I’ll let that sink in for a second. After chasing a career in firefighting, Paige landed in a cabinet shop for a summer job… and never really looked back. Over the next 6+ years, she went on to frame homes with some of the best crews in the Toronto area. We get into what it’s like navigating this industry as a female. And speaking for myself — it was intimidating enough as a young guy trying to break in and prove myself. Paige gives us a real window into her experience… and honestly, it left me with some takeaways on how I need to be better on my own sites. I’ve got a feeling you’ll walk away with the same. Really hope you enjoy Paige’s story as much as I did. Learn more about Ep. 36 Guest: @carpenterpaigey 🎥 YouTube Series: #RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— April
Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh *link is in bio Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Episode 35 with three great guests and presenters from this year’s JLC Live. Always love this show and the people who make it what it is. We talk about their approach, the why behind stepping up to present, the nerves that come with it, and why paying knowledge forward matters so much in this industry. Great meeting Ryan Smith and catching up with Rick Mills and Mike Whalen. Hope you enjoy the conversation — and hope you make it to the show. Below is the details of the classes mentioned in the podcast: Ryan Smith @roofslayer2681 Advanced Efficient Roof Cutting Thursday, March 26 • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM The Ultimate Framing Experience: Framing Basics – Smooth Layout Friday, March 27 • 9:30 AM - 10:15 AM The Ultimate Framing Experience 2: Floor Framing – Engineered Products Friday, March 27 • 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM The Ultimate Framing Experience: Wall Framing Strategies Friday, March 27 • 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM The Ultimate Framing Experience 2: Stacks on Stacks – Framing Load Paths Friday, March 27 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM The Ultimate Framing Experience: Basic Roof Geometry Friday, March 27 • 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM The Ultimate Framing Experience 2: Calculating and Cutting Roofs Friday, March 27 • 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM The Ultimate Framing Experience: Eyebrow Dormers Saturday, March 28 • 9:30 AM - 10:15 AM The Ultimate Framing Experience 2: Truss the Process Saturday, March 28 • 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM The Ultimate Framing Experience: Eyebrow Dormer Framing Part 1 & 2 Saturday, March 28 • 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM The Ultimate Framing Experience 2: Irregular Hip Framing Saturday, March 28 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM Rick Mills @rick.jacksonandrewsbuilding High Level Project Management & Execution Thursday, March 26 • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM MIke Whalen @mwhalen1823 A Lead Carpenters Guide for Residential Remodeling Thursday, March 26 • 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Bathroom Remodel 101 From the Field Friday, March 27 • 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM Some others I want to mention: Connor Malloy @design.build.educate & Aron Jones @bigdogconstruction.gm High Performance: Foundations That Perform Friday, March 27 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM High Performance: WRBs, Windows and Control Layers Friday, March 27 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM High Performance: “If It’s Not Vertical, It Needs a Roof” Friday, March 27 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM High Performance: Exterior Insulation and Why It Matters Friday, March 27 • 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM High Performance: Foundations That Perform Saturday, March 28 • 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM High Performance: WRBs, Windows and Control Layers Saturday, March 28 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM High Performance: Exterior Insulation and Why It Matters Saturday, March 28 • 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Mike’s Owner Of DBS Brian Altmann The Pre-Construction Process…Set the Table for Success! Thursday, March 26 • 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM The 7 Pillars of a First-Class Remodeling Company Friday, March 27 • 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Ross Trethewey Mechanicals for GCs: The Unintended Consequences of Building AirtightFriday, March 27 • 9:30 AM - 10:15 AM Mechanicals for GCs: All About ERVs Friday, March 27 • 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Mechanicals for GCs: IAQ Solutions Friday, March 27 • 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM Mechanicals for GCs: Kitchen Ventilation Friday, March 27 • 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Mechanicals for GCs: The Unintended Consequences of Building Airtight Saturday, March 28 • 9:30 AM - 10:15 AM Mechanicals for GCs: All About ERVs Saturday, March 28 • 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Mechanicals for GCs: IAQ Solutions Saturday, March 28 • 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM & Eric Aune @mechicalhub Fri. Starting at 10:30 every other class after Ross Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: BOOTH 14 www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Brent Hull — Fort Worth, TX native and award-winning master builder. A graduate of the North Bennet Street School in historic preservation in the ’90s, Brent is also the author of six books and co-host of the podcast Passion for Craft. Brent is more than a romantic about the craft — he’s a purist. He believes in quality inside and out and has devoted his career to understanding the details and where they originate from: materials, sizes, angles, proportions — every element that makes traditional architecture feel right. He also recognizes that it’s becoming harder and harder to find the craftsmen capable of producing these components. Instead of accepting that loss, Brent brought the work in-house, building three companies around the craft: Hull Homes, Hull Millwork, and most recently Hull Designs. At a time when the means and methods of traditional building are fading, Brent is helping preserve and pass them on — through his work, his companies, and his books. It was an absolute pleasure spending the afternoon touring Brent through one of our 1908 renovation/restoration projects and talking a little shop. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Learn more about Ep. 34 Guest: @hullmillork_hullhomes @hull.works brenthull.com Project size: Construction & Renovation; Avg. $6mil Projects per year: 2-4 depending on size Employees: 50+ 🎥 YouTube Series: #RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— March
Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh *link is in bio Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Dmitry Shevchenko of Shevcon Custom Homes is a different breed. Most will agree — framers are warriors. Out in the elements, winter and summer, building the bones so every other trade has something to pile into. But beyond that grit, Dmitry introduced me to something I’d never experienced before: The wood-fired banya. We start with his story — how he got into framing, what shaped his work ethic, and how he’s built Shevcon into what it is today. Then we shift gears. 230 degrees.
Venik.
Steam.
Cold plunge. And repeat. For a couple of hours, we cycled heat and cold while digging deeper into mindset, resilience, and what it really takes to endure — on the jobsite and in life. This one was more than a podcast.
It was an experience. Hope you enjoy it. Learn more about Ep. 33 Guest: @chevcon_custom_homes Shevcon.com Project size: Custom Frames; New Construction & Renovation Projects per year: 2-4 depending on size Employees: 13-15 🎥 YouTube Series: #RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— EARLY 2026
Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh *link is in bio Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Troy’s Journey: From House Moving to Tiny Home Innovation I loved catching up with Troy and digging into the innovations he and the Fritz team are bringing to the tiny home space. His path is anything but linear — from growing up in a family house-moving business, to aviation mechanics, to flooring, and ultimately co-founding First Tiny Homes with Kevin and Heather Fritz. Today, they’re building premium tiny homes that challenge the standards of the industry. One of the biggest takeaways?
Building smaller — and even building indoors — doesn’t magically eliminate the challenges of construction. You’re still creating something custom and unique with human hands. The process still demands leadership, sequencing, culture, and accountability. We get into what it really takes to build a team before you build an exceptional product — because the structure is only as strong as the people behind it. Hope you enjoy Troy’s story. Learn more about Ep. 32 Guest: @fritztinyhomes Fritztinyhomes.com Project size: $155k-$250+ Project per year: 13-16 tiny homes & 4-6 sauna builds per year Employees: 12 🎥 YouTube Series: #RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— EARLY 2026
Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh *link is in bio Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

In this episode, I sit down with architect Breck Craparo to dig into the thinking behind the work — not just the drawings, but the decisions. We talk about what it really takes to build an architecture firm, the do’s and don’ts he’s learned along the way, and what actually matters when a design moves from idea to reality. As builders, understanding how a design is created, why it was created, and the key factors that shaped it changes everything. It leads to better collaboration, smarter execution, and ultimately a better home for the client. This one’s for anyone who cares about process, intention, and the people behind great design. Hope you enjoy Breck’s story. Learn more about Ep. 31 Guest: @breckstudio breckstudio.com https://www.youtube.com/@breckstudio Project size: $5mil - $15+mil builds Projects per year: 1-4 Employees: 3-5 🎥 YouTube Series: #RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— EARLY 2026
Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh *link is in bio Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors