Advertise on podcast: The Good Builder Podcast

We've spent the past few weeks travelling through Victoria, New South Wales and the Gold Coast, meeting builders, visiting businesses and hearing what's really happening across the industry. And one thing keeps becoming clearer: there's an enormous amount we can learn from each other. In this Monday solo episode, Az shares some of the conversations and lessons that have stuck with him, from Cheyne Hall's experience growing a national building business to Paul Hogan's approach to delivering better outcomes for homeowners. We also reflect on our time around Newcastle with Mark Sutton from Goop Guys, meeting the next generation of builders at the TPB Summit, and why getting out on site tells us things the industry data doesn't always reveal. It's a conversation about growth, doing things properly, learning from mistakes and why sharing real experiences matters. Also coming up this week: Jason Voglis from Selection Steel UniCote joins us for our Friday feature, plus a conversation with young builder Jordy from J3 Built, who we met at the TPB Summit. At The Good Builder, we're not here because we've got all the answers. We're here to listen, learn and share the experiences of the good builders out there. The Good Builder Podcast is proudly brought to you by The Pulse by Australian Building Research. #TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionAustralia #BuildingIndustry #ResidentialConstruction #BuildingBusiness #BuilderLife #ConstructionPodcast #TPBSummit #AustralianConstruction

AI can help builders produce estimates faster than ever. But when your margins, cash flow and reputation are on the line, who's checking the numbers? Recorded live from the TPB Summit, Az sits down with Haydn, founder of Price A Plan, for a conversation about the future of construction estimating, the growing influence of AI and why experienced people still matter. Haydn didn't set out to build an estimating business. After an operation left him unable to return to the tools for nine months, he started helping other builders with their quotes. Eighteen years later, Price A Plan supports more than 500 builders annually, employs 32 people and has accumulated approximately $6 billion in project history. And while Haydn is investing heavily in AI, he's taking a different approach to businesses looking to replace people with technology. His view is that faster estimating actually creates a greater need for experienced eyes and proper quality control. In this episode, we get into: The risks of relying on AI-generated estimates without experienced oversight.Why getting your estimating right is about more than winning the job.How Price A Plan uses $6 billion in project history to support cost forecasting.The importance of qualifying clients before spending hours preparing detailed quotes.When builders should consider outsourcing their estimating.How AI can improve productivity without sacrificing accuracy or relationships.Why Haydn would spend his first $1,000 on improving his sales process rather than advertising.The surprising quality Haydn believes makes a genuinely good builder: empathy.There's plenty of honest conversation about AI, including the pressure to keep up, the risk of handing over too much control and the importance of remembering what actually makes a building business work. Because at the end of the day, technology might help you produce an estimate, but someone still needs to stand behind the numbers. Another great conversation from the TPB Summit, bringing together the people, ideas and experiences shaping the Australian residential building industry. Proudly sponsored by The PULSE from Australian Building Research. The PULSE helps builders track the customer experience throughout the build, identify issues early and act before they become bigger problems. Discover The PULSE and book a walkthrough: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/the-pulse-cep The Good Builder Podcast. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. #TheGoodBuilder #TPBSummit #PriceAPlan #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionEstimating #AIinConstruction #BuildingBusiness

We're taking The Good Builder Podcast on the road. In this special series recorded at The Professional Builder Summit, Az sits down with builders from across Australia for honest, unscripted conversations about running a building business, the challenges they're facing and what they're learning along the way. No presentations or rehearsed answers. Just real conversations with the people doing the work. In this episode, Az meets Leithen, Jordan and Ange from Brisbane-based Baihn Construction. What starts with a fairly hilarious introduction quickly turns into a conversation about AI, marketing, customer relationships and what makes a good builder. The team shares how they've introduced AI-generated renders into their quoting process, helping homeowners visualise renovations before committing to a project. At one point, they were converting every quote they presented. They also discuss why authentic marketing works for their business, how they've become more selective about the clients they take on, and why communication and transparency remain central to delivering a good building experience. It's a conversation full of laughs, but there's plenty for other builders to take away too. About the series The Good Builder at TPB is a special series recorded at The Professional Builder Summit, bringing together the experiences, ideas and perspectives of builders who are actively working to improve their businesses. From technology and systems to people, profitability and the realities of running a construction company, we're sharing conversations that don't always happen on the main stage. A big thank you to The Professional Builder for bringing the building community together, and to Leithen, Jordan and Ange for being so generous with their time and experiences. The Good Builder Podcast. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. Australian Building Research Independent research and industry intelligence focused on understanding the Australian residential construction industry through real data, builder insights and customer experiences. Website: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/ The Pulse Helping builders better understand the customer experience through independent feedback and research gathered throughout the building journey. Website: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/ The Professional Builder Helping residential builders build stronger, more profitable businesses through coaching, practical systems and a community of builders learning from one another. Website: https://theprofessionalbuilder.com/ Thank you to our sponsors and partners for supporting these conversations and their ongoing contribution to the Australian building industry. #TheGoodBuilder #TheProfessionalBuilder #TPBSummit #BaihnConstruction #AustralianBuilders #BuildingBusiness #AIinConstruction #TheGoodBuilderPodcast

Sydney home values are falling, but the NSW Government is pushing ahead with faster housing approvals and new measures to get projects off the ground. In this Monday edition of The Good Builder Podcast, Az is heading to Sydney to find out what's happening on the ground and what it means for residential builders. According to figures discussed in the episode, Sydney home values have fallen 8.6% from their February peak. That's not just a concern for homeowners. Falling valuations can create problems at the final claim, leaving builders exposed when clients struggle to secure the finance needed to settle. Meanwhile, NSW is accelerating development approvals and using government-backed pre-sale guarantees to help unlock construction finance. Az looks at three questions facing the industry: What happens to builders when property valuations fall before the final payment?Can faster approvals actually translate into more homes being built?How are government-backed pre-sale guarantees helping projects secure finance?Plus, a wrap-up of The Professional Builder's AI and Marketing Summit, where The Good Builder recorded 26 conversations with builders, and a look at GRAYA's latest Brisbane River project, Ivory. A quick look at the numbers, the decisions behind them and what they could mean for builders over the next 12 to 24 months. The Good Builder Podcast. Real conversations. Real builders. #TheGoodBuilder #SydneyBuilders #ConstructionAustralia

Growing a building business should mean more opportunity, more profit and hopefully a little less pressure on the owner. But as many builders have discovered, more work and more staff don't always deliver those results. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az sits down with Cheyne Hall, founder of Build Launch, to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing growing construction businesses: getting the right people into the right roles without letting overheads get out of control. Cheyne knows the pressures firsthand. After growing his own construction business to 60–70 staff across multiple states, he experienced the challenges of managing people, maintaining quality, controlling costs and keeping a growing operation profitable. Those lessons eventually led him to establish Build Launch, a business helping Australian builders access trained offshore talent for roles including estimating, contract administration, project support and finance. But this conversation goes well beyond offshore staffing. Az and Cheyne discuss why builders often hire too late, how poor onboarding and training can undermine even the best recruits, and why saving money on back-office roles could allow builders to invest more in the supervisors, construction managers and tradespeople delivering the work. They also explore the growing role of AI in construction, the importance of having proper systems before introducing new technology, and a surprisingly simple question every builder should ask before deciding to grow. It's a conversation about building a better business, not necessarily a bigger one. In this episode: Why growing headcount doesn't guarantee growing profitThe hidden costs of scaling a construction businessWhich roles builders should consider keeping in-houseHow offshore teams can support estimating, administration and project deliveryWhy training, mentoring and management matter more than where someone worksThe risks of hiring when your business is already overwhelmedWhere AI and automation genuinely fit into a building businessHow to make better decisions about growth, staffing and your own futureWhether you're a one-person operation looking for your first team member or an established builder trying to get your overheads under control, there's plenty worth considering in this conversation. Guest: Cheyne Hall, Founder of Build Launch Build Launch: https://buildlaunch.com.au/ Host: Az Ng, The Good Builder The Good Builder: https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/ #TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionBusiness #BuilderProfitability #BuildLaunch

Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're running a healthy building business. In fact, chasing more sales, taking on the wrong projects and carrying too much overhead can be exactly what gets a builder into trouble. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Aaron Ng sits down with Mark Vassallo and Paul Hogan, directors of Dixon Homes Sydney, who bring a combined 60 years of experience across residential construction, land development, finance, sales and business leadership. Between them, they've worked with some of Australia's biggest building and development businesses, including McDonald Jones, Mojo Homes, Mirvac and Stockland. Now they're applying those lessons to running and growing their own residential building business. And they've got some interesting perspectives on what actually makes a building business successful. In this conversation, we cover: Busy versus profitable: Why a full sales pipeline can be misleading, particularly when projects are sitting on unregistered land.Knowing your numbers: The importance of accurate estimating, understanding margins and keeping overheads under control.The real cost of land: Why the cheapest block doesn't always produce the cheapest build, and what builders often overlook.Growing without losing control: When scaling makes sense, when it becomes dangerous and why some projects are better turned away.Lessons from the big builders: The systems, reporting and management disciplines smaller builders can adopt without carrying big-business overheads.Building customer trust: Why being upfront about difficult conversations can save builders and homeowners enormous problems later.The Sydney housing market: What's happening across knockdown rebuilds, duplex developments and new housing opportunities.Mark and Paul also share why they've deliberately built a business with lower overheads, strong systems and direct involvement in their customers' projects. One of the strongest messages from this conversation is that every sale is a promise the rest of the business has to deliver. And sometimes the smartest decision a builder can make is to say no. This is a conversation about building a better business, not simply a bigger one. About The Good Builder The Good Builder shares real conversations, industry insights and experiences from the people building Australia's homes. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. Proudly Brought To You By Australian Building Research: The program tracks the heartbeat of customer satisfaction and team performance across every job in real time, so you fix the small stuff before it becomes a bad review, a variation blow-out, or a client who won't refer you: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/

Most builders can tell you who their customer is. But there’s a big difference between knowing your customer and actually designing your business around them. In this short episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az looks at Queensland builder Mayde and the strategy behind its first-home buyer model. Mayde has built a clearly defined offering: 26 home designs, published pricing, two specification levels, narrow-lot options, standard facade choices and a simplified selections process. None of those things is revolutionary on its own — but together they reveal something interesting about the way the business has been designed.   The bigger question for builders is: how much of your business has genuinely been designed around the customer you say you serve? Az explores what builders can take from Mayde's approach, including product strategy, reducing unnecessary choice, simplifying the customer journey and whether greater standardisation could also play a role in construction productivity. Because sometimes growing a better building business isn't about adding more. It might be about getting much clearer on who you're trying to be really good for. Episode proudly brought to you by Australian Building Research. #TheGoodBuilder #BuildingBusiness #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionBusiness #BusinessStrategy #HomeBuilders #ConstructionIndustry #BuilderProductivity #CustomerExperience #ResidentialConstruction #BuildingIndustry #QueenslandBuilders

What actually makes someone a good builder? For Ben from Stroud Homes Brisbane North, it isn’t simply knowing how to build a house. It’s knowing how to bring the right people together. Ben’s path through construction is anything but conventional. From roofing and carpentry to concreting, rigging, major commercial projects and eventually residential building, he’s built his career by taking on difficult jobs, backing himself and learning along the way. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az sits down with Ben for a conversation that goes well beyond construction. They talk about discipline, resilience, building strong relationships with trades, why transparency matters with clients, the difference between commercial and residential construction, and why Ben believes building someone’s home is a privilege. Ben also explains why he believes a good builder is ultimately a connector of people — bringing together the right trades, team and clients to deliver the right result. They also get into: • Ben’s unconventional journey through the construction industry• Moving from commercial construction into residential building• Why discipline outside work carries into business• Building long-term relationships with trades and suppliers• Why transparency and fixed pricing matter• The problem with “smoke and mirrors” in residential building• Why builders need to spend time on site• Designing homes around how families actually live• Knockdown rebuilds, sloping blocks and difficult sites• Why Ben sees building a client’s home as a privilege• The culture behind Stroud Homes• What Ben believes actually makes a good builder It’s one of those conversations where the lessons about building, business and life end up being pretty closely connected. The Good BuilderReal conversations with the people building Australia. For more head to: https://franchise.stroudhomes.com.au/ Proudly brought to you by https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/ #TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionAustralia #ResidentialConstruction #HomeBuilding #BuilderPodcast #StroudHomes #BrisbaneBuilders #ConstructionBusiness

What actually makes a good builder? For Alex Palazzolo, founder of ATLI Building Co. in Melbourne, the finished home is only part of the answer. A quality build should be the minimum. What separates a good builder is everything that happens around it: communication, certainty, trust and the experience you give the client along the way. Alex brings an unusual perspective to running a building business. Rather than coming through the traditional trade pathway, he spent years working across scheduling, estimating and operations, including seven years with a volume builder. That experience shaped how he now runs ATLI. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az and Alex unpack what builders can learn from the customer experience, why trust is often lost through small communication failures rather than one major mistake, and how Alex creates certainty when renovating homes where the unexpected is almost guaranteed. They also get into ATLI's approach to involving the builder earlier in the design process, keeping projects aligned with the client's actual budget, using social media to educate rather than simply promote, limiting the number of projects running at once, and conducting client health checks during construction. Alex also explains why he wants to grow ATLI but only while the business can maintain control of the client experience. And when Az asks the question we ask every guest, "What makes a good builder?", Alex gives one of the simplest measures we've heard: Client happiness. If the client is as excited at handover as they were at the beginning, you've probably done something right. This is a conversation about building businesses, but more than that, it's about bringing some of the human side back to building. The Good Builder Podcast. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. https://thegoodbuilder.com.au #TheGoodBuilder #GoodBuilderPodcast #AustralianBuilders #BuildingBusiness #ResidentialConstruction #ConstructionAustralia #BuilderLife #MelbourneBuilders #BuildingBetter

Does the energy feel a bit off at the moment? There’s a lot weighing on people. Cost of living, government decisions, what’s happening in our communities, pressure in business and the constant stream of things coming at us every time we pick up our phones. For this public holiday Monday solo, Az steps outside the usual building conversation to talk about something we can control: the energy we carry into our businesses, homes and communities. Because while it’s important to protect your own energy, it’s just as important to think about the energy you’re giving everyone else. Look out for your mates. Check in on people. Give someone the benefit of the doubt. As Ben Lee put it: we’re all in this together.

What happens before a client signs a building contract could be one of the biggest opportunities for builders to improve their business. Site feasibility, zoning, overlays, setbacks, siting, quoting and working out what can actually be built on a block have traditionally meant manual checks, multiple systems and plenty of back-and-forth between sales, estimating and construction. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az sits down with Mark Garner from Canibuild and Megan Burraston, Sales Manager at Stylemaster Homes, to look at what happens when you start changing that process. Megan brings the builder’s perspective, sharing what the process looked like inside Stylemaster before Canibuild, what changed when the technology reached the sales team, and how having better information earlier can affect the customer conversation. Mark takes us behind the technology: what happens when a builder enters an address, what information can be surfaced about a site, where digital feasibility ends and formal planning begins, and where AI could take preconstruction next. They also tackle a question that matters beyond the big builders. If you're building 20, 30 or 40 homes a year, where should you start if you want to make preconstruction more efficient? In this episode: What the traditional site-feasibility process actually involvesWhere manual preconstruction creates hidden costs for buildersHow Stylemaster Homes changed its early sales and feasibility processWhat Canibuild does when a builder enters a property addressThe line between digital feasibility and formal planning and approvalsWhy faster answers can change the customer experienceGetting sales teams to actually adopt new technologyWhere AI could realistically improve planning, permitting and site assessmentWhat technology shouldn't replaceWhere smaller and mid-sized builders can startWhat Mark and Megan believe makes a good builderA practical conversation about something that happens long before construction starts, but can have consequences right through the building business. #TheGoodBuilder #Canibuild #StylemasterHomes #AustralianBuilders #ResidentialConstruction #Preconstruction #ConstructionTechnology #BuildingTechnology #SiteFeasibility #AIinConstruction #BuildingBusiness #PropTech

What does being a good builder actually look like when you strip away the systems, processes and business jargon? In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az sits down with Mitch Thompson from Vista Built in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges for a conversation about building better homes, better teams and a building business you actually want to be part of. Mitch has deliberately taken Vista Built down the high-performance and healthy-home path, working across new homes, renovations and extensions. But some of the most interesting lessons in this conversation have very little to do with what happens on the tools. Mitch talks about why he’s prepared to knock back the wrong projects, how Vista Built can price five jobs rather than 50, why long-term relationships with trades matter, and why apprentices shouldn’t simply be viewed as cheap labour. He also explains why good culture comes before systems and processes, and why Australia’s minimum building standard should be exactly that: the minimum. It’s a refreshingly practical conversation with a builder who isn’t trying to become the biggest. He’s focused on doing good work, with good people, for clients who value the same things. In this episode: Why Vista Built has chosen to specialise in high-performance and healthier homesWhy Mitch treats minimum building standards as a starting pointThe business case for being selective about clients and projectsHow Vista Built has built a strong pipeline through reputation and word of mouthWhy culture and good people come before systems and processesThe importance of paying and looking after trades and suppliersWhy builders should think differently about apprentices and the next generationWhat Mitch thinks the current market could mean for good operatorsWhy he has no ambition to become one of Australia’s biggest buildersAnd ultimately, what Mitch believes makes a good builderThis one gets right to the heart of why The Good Builder exists: putting the spotlight on builders doing good work and sharing the lessons that can make the wider industry better. #TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ResidentialConstruction #BuildingIndustry #ConstructionAustralia #BuildingBusiness #HighPerformanceHomes #HealthyHomes #PassiveHouse #ConstructionLeadership #Apprentices #Builders

540 construction companies entered voluntary administration on a single day in August. It sounds catastrophic. But there’s an important detail buried underneath that number. In this Monday Builder Briefing, Az from The Good Builder takes eight minutes to unpack three stories Australian residential builders should have on their radar this week. First, we look at the extraordinary spike in construction insolvencies. All 540 companies that entered voluntary administration on that day belonged to the same corporate group. Remove that event and construction’s share of company failures across July and August falls from 37.4% to 23.5%. It doesn’t mean the pressure across construction has disappeared. It does show why builders need to look beyond the headline number. We also look at concrete surcharges and levies and why the increases appearing on builders’ invoices aren’t necessarily being reflected in the headline construction cost indexes. Finally, Queensland has 617 major projects worth $173.76 billion in the pipeline through to 2030. That sounds like good news for construction, but there’s another question for residential builders: where will the people required to build it all come from? Housing doesn’t compete for labour with housing alone. Infrastructure, commercial construction and major projects need many of the same electricians, plumbers, concreters, earthworks crews, supervisors and construction professionals. In this episode: • What really happened with the 540 construction company administrations• Why the insolvency headline needs context• Concrete surcharges and the costs indexes may not capture• What builders should be watching when pricing new work• Queensland’s $173.76 billion major-project pipeline• Why infrastructure and housing compete for construction capacity• What this could mean for trades and labour availability• What’s coming next on The Good Builder Podcast We also give you a preview of some big conversations coming to the podcast, including Mitch Thompson from Vista Built, Alex from ATLi, and Ben, the latest franchisee to join Stroud Homes. More reporting, research and conversations for Australian residential builders at: thegoodbuilder.com.au News links talked about in the episode:https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/queensland-has-174-billion-of-construction-coming-where-is-it-actually-going/https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/concrete-surcharges-are-back-and-the-cost-indexes-are-not-picking-them-up/https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/540-companies-in-one-day-why-the-insolvency-numbers-will-look-worse-next-year/

Australia needs more bricklayers. But according to Andy Shaw, simply putting more apprentices into the system won’t solve the problem. Andy is the founder of Brickies Network and has spent more than 35 years in construction. He started as an apprentice bricklayer, built and ran his own bricklaying business, worked on the builder side of the industry and has spent the past five years looking closely at how bricklaying businesses operate across Australia. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Andy and Az go deep into a trade that operates very differently from most others in residential construction. They unpack why bricklayers are particularly exposed to construction cycles, how per-brick pricing can hide the true cost of doing a job, why apprentices are leaving, what happens when experienced bricklayers disappear from the industry, and how changing employment and compliance requirements are reshaping the economics of running a bricklaying business. Andy also explains why skilled migration alone isn't a simple solution, why protecting yourself from non-payment matters, and why he believes the industry may be trying to solve the bricklayer shortage from the wrong end. One of the biggest ideas from the conversation is simple: before Australia can successfully train the next generation of bricklayers, it needs sustainable businesses capable of employing, training and retaining them. This is a detailed conversation about bricklaying, but many of the issues Andy raises apply much more broadly across Australian residential construction. In this episode: • Why bricklaying businesses operate differently from other trades• The economics behind per-brick pricing• Why Andy believes the industry is particularly fragile• Where apprentices are being lost• The difference between being qualified and being genuinely job-ready• The impact of employment, superannuation and compliance costs• Why good bricklaying businesses need to understand their true costs• Skilled migration and the importance of trade competency• Protecting subcontractors from non-payment• Why experienced trade business owners matter to the industry's future• What builders can do to build stronger relationships with their trades• Why Andy believes the answer is a "win-win-win" between builders, trades and the wider industry Andy also discusses Brickies Network, its work supporting residential bricklayers and its focus on helping members build profitable, sustainable and compliant businesses. The Good Builder PodcastReal conversations about the issues affecting Australian residential builders, trades and the people shaping the future of the industry. Proudly supported by MyConstruct. Get your 30-day trail at myconstruct.com with CODE: GOODBUILDER #TheGoodBuilder #Bricklaying #Bricklayers #AustralianConstruction #ResidentialConstruction #HomeBuilders #ConstructionIndustry #Apprenticeships #Tradies #BuildingIndustry

At 23, Carrick was installing aerials when the ladder slipped out from under him. He fell two storeys onto a concrete driveway, broke vertebrae in his back and his wrist, and lost his job before the ambulance had picked him up off the ground. Six months off work. His mum washing him in the shower. Two decades on, that fall is why he does what he does. Now National Enterprise Manager at HazardCo, Carrick joins Az for what Az calls the darkest episode The Good Builder has recorded, and one of the most important. They get into: - Why the real damage of an incident is what comes after it, for families, crews and builders, sometimes for decades- Psychosocial risk, the safety category most builders haven't heard of yet, and why it's on its way to being mandated- Why leadership, not paperwork, is what actually makes a site safe- Toolbox talks done in minutes: take a photo, turn on voice to text, done- Az's own near miss, one step from a dropped crane load National Safety Month runs in October, and HazardCo will be right in the middle of it. Az's challenge to every builder listening: if you trust what we tell you, do something about your safety this month. HazardCo's details are in the links below. We work in an industry where bad luck doesn't pay off well. Everyone should go home safe at the end of the day. #thegoodbuilder #constructionindustry #australianbuilding #buildingbusiness #sitesafety #constructionsafety #hazardco #nationalsafetymonth #healthandsafety #whs #safetyleadership #buildersofaustralia