The Good Builder Podcast

Most builds get into trouble long before anyone picks up a hammer. They get into trouble in the design.In this episode of The Good Builder, Az sits down with Vicky Cutler, a registered architect across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria with more than twenty years in residential design, and the founder and director of Cutler and Co.Her argument is simple. The builder should be in the room from the start, not handed a finished set of drawings and asked to price them.Vicky makes the case against tendering and for collaboration from inception. Get a builder involved early, get a real cost breakdown, and design something that can actually be built to budget. She explains where the old tension between architects and builders comes from, how it cracks open on site, and why most of it traces back to working in isolation and ego.The conversation covers the early decisions that quietly cost builders later, from construction method to site access. It covers the render that looks the part but cannot be built, and what that does to a client's trust. And it covers the practical side most builders overlook, including charging for time in the early stage like any other consultant.For builders, trades and suppliers, the takeaway is direct. A good designer alongside you does not add cost. It takes a large share of the stress, the rework and the risk off the table.Vicky also shares what she is building now, from commercial work across the coast to a boutique resort in Sri Lanka, and what a real working partnership between a builder and an architect looks like when both leave the ego at the door.Show notesMost builds get into trouble long before anyone picks up a hammer. They get into trouble in the design.Az sits down with Vicky Cutler, registered architect across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria with more than twenty years in residential design, and the founder and director of Cutler and Co. Her case is simple: the builder belongs in the room from the start, not handed a finished set of drawings and asked to price them.What we get into:Why working in isolation is the root of most builder and architect tensionThe argument against tendering, and what to do insteadThe early decisions that quietly cost builders later, from construction method to site accessThe render that looks the part but cannot be built, and what it does to client trustWhy builders should charge for their time in the early stage like any other consultantHow a good designer can take a large share of the stress, rework and risk off the tableThe state of women in construction, and why Queensland needs to lift its gameWhat Vicky believes makes a good builderChapters00:00 Why the builder and the designer need to meet 01:52 Meet Vicky Cutler and Cutler and Co 03:47 Residential vs commercial: designing for how people live 07:12 What architects really do beyond the drawings 14:34 The early decisions that quietly cost builders later 17:30 Where the architect and builder tension comes from 19:19 The case against tendering 21:49 Why builders should charge for their early stage time 27:51 Renders that sell vs renders you can build 36:13 How a good designer takes the stress out of a build 43:00 Leaving the ego at the door 50:45 Women in construction and lifting Queensland's game 1:01:45 What makes a good builderGuest: Vicky Cutler, Founder and Director, Cutler and Co https://cutlerco.com.au/Follow The Good Builder for more conversations with the people building a better industry.Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by MyConstruct. The software platform built by Australian Builders for Australian Builders. Get yiour 30-day trial at https://myconstruct.com/

Ask most builders who runs their HR, and the answer is "me."That's the problem.In this episode, Az sits down with Julie Bolitho, a recruitment and HR specialist who has spent close to 30 years in the building industry. She started at sixteen in a land surveying office, studied drafting at TAFE, and went on to work across the HIA, Apprenticeships Queensland and the Australian Industry Trade College before founding Dedicated Staffing Solutions. She knows a building business from the inside.The throughline of this one is simple. Your people are your most important asset, and getting recruitment right is everything.Julie and Az get into the real stuff. Why so many women in the industry undersell themselves, and why they need to back themselves more. Where builders get unstuck hiring friends and family. What candidates using AI on their resumes actually looks like from the other side of the interview table. And why a tidy LinkedIn profile matters more than tradies might think.There's a strong section on workforce planning too. With the trade shortage and 2032 on the horizon, Julie makes the case for bringing on apprentices, trainees and cadets now — and mentoring them under your best people so you're not caught short later.They also talk leadership. The kind that shows up when the conversations get hard, not just when the beers come out.And when Az asks what makes a good builder, Julie's answer is one worth sitting with: someone who embraces change, looks after their people, and knows when to step up, step aside, and step down.A genuinely useful conversation for anyone who employs people in this industry.What we coverWhy your people are the real core of a building businessWomen in construction, and why backing yourself mattersWhere builders get unstuck hiring friends and familyCandidates using AI on resumes and cover letters, and how to see through itWhy LinkedIn and social profiles matter for tradiesWorkforce planning ahead of the trade shortage and 2032Using apprentices and trainees to replicate your best peopleLeadership when times get hardSkilled migration and local trade pathwaysSponsors This episode is proudly supported by MyConstruct, construction management software built by Australian builders, for Australian builders. Start a 30-day free trial at myconstruct.com

This week Az is back on the Monday couch with Josh Peapoint from Elevate Estimating.Josh has just returned from two weeks in Bali with his family. No phone. No work. Just time off. That sets the tone for an honest chat about something most builders never stop to look at: the way they actually run their business.The conversation starts with pricing. Diesel is coming down. The fuel levies that went on through the year are starting to come back off. Josh shares what he is seeing across builders around Australia, why suppliers have handled the volatility better than the headlines suggest, and what builders should be factoring in when they project costs six to twelve months ahead.From there it turns to the bigger issue.Most builders are not struggling because they lack skill. They are struggling because they are wearing every hat at once. Estimating. Drafting. Marketing. Client communication. Site work.Spread that thin and the cracks start to show. Cash flow slips. Stress builds. And in an industry with the highest rate of insolvency in the country, that pressure has real consequences.Az and Josh talk through what changes when builders stop trying to do it all and start putting the right people in the right roles. They cover trust, delegation, working on the business instead of in it, and why getting this right flows straight through to your health and your family.A practical conversation about building a good business, not just a good product.What We CoverWhere fuel prices and levies are heading, and what to factor into your quotesWhy the mainstream headlines do not tell the full story on costsThe real reason so many builders feel stretched and stuckHow wearing too many hats links straight to cash flow and burnoutWhy estimating sits at the heart of a profitable businessGetting the right people in the right roles, and learning to trust themWorking on your business instead of in itLooking after your health and showing up for your family#TheGoodBuilder #TheDailyDose #ConstructionAustralia #BuildingIndustry #Estimating #BuilderBusiness #Tradies #ConstructionPodcast #CashFlow #BuilderMentalHealth

Our first New Zealand builder steps onto the couch, and Aaron reckons he summed up everything TGB stands for in about thirty seconds.Dan Saunders started building in 1993 and formed DS Construction in 2002. In 2012 he built the first 8 Homestar-rated home in Australasia, the highest rating going at the time. Since then he's built close to 30 high-performance "super homes," helped get the Super Home Movement off the ground, and co-founded EcoPanel, a prefabricated wall system that can get a house closed in inside a week.This one covers a lot of ground that lands the same on both sides of the Tasman:Why Dan calls the building code "the worst house you're legally allowed to build" — and why he walks away from jobs that won't go above itThe link between cold, damp homes and New Zealand's childhood respiratory problemsWhere to actually spend your money: the thermal envelope, not the stone benchtopThe numbers on healthy homes — every $1 spent saves $4 in the health system, and an energy-efficient build can wipe out an $11,000-a-year power billEcoPanel and prefab: how a job gets framed, wrapped and ready for roof in two to three weeksNew Zealand's first zero-carbon home, built eight tonnes below zeroShared pressure points: $3-a-litre diesel, road user charges, and the post-COVID timber and plasterboard shortagesHis link with Future Builder's Kyle Zanetto and Luke DaviesAnd the simplest answer we've had to "what makes a good builder": good grounding, good morals, and leaving a bit of skin in the game for the next guyDan's coming back as a regular, so consider this the first of a few.Find Dan's work and EcoPanel in the links below.LinksDS Construction: https://www.dsconstruction.co.nz/EcoPanel: https://www.ecopanel.co.nz/Super Home Movement: https://www.superhome.co.nz/#TheGoodBuilder #HealthyHomes #SuperHomeMovement

Most builders have tried AI by now. A lot of them have also quietly pulled it back.In this episode, Az sits down with Anisha and Nayan from ScaleUp Smart to talk about what's really happening with AI in building businesses across Australia.The pattern is clear. Builders go all in. They hand over estimating, marketing, follow-ups, even answering the phone. Then they bring most of it back in-house.The reason isn't that AI can't do anything. It's that building is rarely black and white. Every job is different. Every client is different. AI doesn't know your business, your market, or what Mrs Smith actually wants from her home.Az is honest about his own experience too. When The Good Builder started, he went full AI and ended up with cold outreach emails inventing services the business never offered. The fix was simple. Use AI as a tool. Keep a human checking the work.Anisha and Nayan break down how ScaleUp Smart actually uses AI day to day, across estimating, admin, and project coordination, and why a person always has the final say. They also share practical, low-risk ways builders can start using AI without losing the relationships that win the work.If you've felt the pull of AI and the pull back, this one will make sense of it.WHAT WE COVERWhy so many builders go all in on AI, then quietly bring the work back in-houseThe real gap: AI doesn't know your business, your clients, or your marketAz's own cautionary tale of AI inventing services in cold outreach emailsHow ScaleUp Smart uses AI across estimating, admin, and project coordination, with a human always signing offWhy customers can now spot AI content and why it can read as lazyPractical, low-risk ways builders can start using AI todayWhat makes a good builder when the tools change fast but the standards shouldn'tHOUSEKEEPING (sponsor callouts)This episode is brought to you by MyConstruct, the construction management software built for builders. Start a 30-day free trial at myconstruct.com#TheGoodBuilder #AIforBuilders #ConstructionAI #BuildingBusiness #AustralianBuilders #ScaleUpSmart #ResidentialConstruction #BuilderTips #ConstructionTech #TradesBusiness

The government has committed $2.4 billion to housing and infrastructure.The intent sounds right. More homes. More support for first home buyers.But there is a question sitting underneath all of it.Who is actually going to build these homes?Emily Pollard from Nesta Builder Brokers is back on the couch to work through what this budget push really means on the ground. We get into the trade shortage, the affordability problem, and the contradictions that builders and buyers are about to face. It is a calm, honest look at a very murky moment in the market.What We CoverThe $2.4 billion housing and infrastructure commitment, and whether it solves the real problem or just adds pressure to an already stretched industryWhy the trade shortage makes "who builds these homes" the question that matters mostThe June 30 change to the Queensland First Home Owner Grant, and how the $750k cap catches buyers out at valuation, not contract priceHow the capital gains and negative gearing changes are pushing investors toward new buildsWhat affordable housing actually means, and whether it exists for the everyday buyerThe sudden rise of single part contracts for self managed super fund buildsLow valuations coming in on unconditional contracts, and the real risk this creates for first home buyersLand being allocated direct to builders, and what that means for pricing and consumersWhy doing right by a client means checking the existing market before anyone signs anythingA big thank you to Emily Pollard from Nesta Builder Brokers (nesta.com.au) for sharing what she is seeing across first home buyers, investors, and developers.Calling developers: Emily wants to understand how the $2.4 billion is actually landing in the PDA and government space. If you work in that world, reach out and come have a chat on the couch.This episode is proudly powered by MyConstruct, built by Australian builders for Australian builders. If you are still running your jobs, contracts, and client comms across text messages and spreadsheets, there is a better way. Head to myconstruct.com for a 30 day trial.#TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionIndustry #ResidentialBuilding #FirstHomeBuyers #AffordableHousing #HousingCrisis #Tradies #BuildingIndustry #QLDProperty

Everyone talks about "modern methods of construction" like it's something new. Kersten Gentle has a different take: the timber frame and truss industry has been doing offsite prefab for decades. They're the OGs.In this episode, Aaron sits down with Kersten, CEO of the Frame and Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia (FTMA), fresh off what he calls the most impressive industry conference he's ever attended. What follows is a conversation about how the industry actually moves forward — not through hype, but through relationships, knowledge sharing, and builders getting closer to the people who make their product.Around 80% of every detached home in Australia has timber frames and trusses in it, produced across roughly 280 plants — almost all of them family-owned businesses. Yet most builders never visit the plant, never sit down with their manufacturer, and never discover how much cost and time they could save by doing so. Kersten makes the case for why that relationship matters more than price.The conversation goes deep on the things builders rarely hear discussed properly: why 49% of the cost of a new home in New South Wales is government taxes and regulatory cost, why the rush to factory-built housing is failing in places like Cairns, and why local builders, local trades and local knowledge can't be replaced by an overseas investor's spreadsheet.Kersten also opens up on Carbon Warrior — the movement she trademarked to help builders understand that a timber frame stores around eight tonnes of carbon for the life of a home, and grows back in roughly 150 seconds. It's marketing material that happens to be completely real.And there's a powerful message for any builder who's come off the tools through injury: the timber systems design pathway, a career indoors that uses everything you already know about building.This one will reignite the fire. Builders, get closer to your manufacturer. You'll be blown away.WHAT WE COVERWhy the frame and truss industry are the original masters of offsite prefab — and what governments keep getting wrong about itThe 80% stat: how much of every Australian detached home relies on timber frames and trussesWhy builders should visit their manufacturer's plant — and the cost savings hiding in their plansService, delivery and quality over price point: what builders should actually look for in a supplierThe 49% problem: government taxes and red tape baked into the cost of every new homeThe Cairns modular housing failure and what it teaches us about ignoring local knowledgeCarbon Warrior: how a timber frame stores around eight tonnes of carbon for lifeThe new lightweight timber framing standard taking builders from two storeys up to fourA second-career pathway for injured builders through timber systems designThe signature question — in Kersten's eyes, what makes a good builderSPONSOR CALLOUTSThis episode of The Good Builder is powered by MyConstruct — the construction management software built for Australian builders. Spend less time buried in admin and more time building. Start your free 30-day trial at myconstruct.com Thanks also to Pay.com.au — the smarter way to pay your business expenses and earn rewards while you're at it. Head to pay.com.au/tgb for terms, use code GOOD20, and grab your 20,000 bonus points.#TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #FrameAndTruss #FTMA #TimberConstruction #Prefabrication #ModernMethodsOfConstruction #SustainableBuilding #CarbonWarrior #TimberFrame #ConstructionAustralia #BuildingIndustry #Tradies #HomeBuilders #ConstructionPodcast

Most builders don't lose their marketing because they're bad at it. They lose it because they get busy.In this episode, Az sits down with Drew, Sean and the team at Increase Construction in the TGB studio for an unscripted, real-world conversation about the problem nearly every builder runs into. You land a few good jobs, you feel sorted, so you quietly stop putting yourself out there. Three months later the work dries up and you're left wondering where the next lead is coming from.We talk about why marketing is the first thing to fall over when you're on the tools, why "I'll get to it later" turns into a month of silence, and what consistency actually looks like when you don't have time to sit at a desk. We also get into the bigger shift happening in construction marketing right now, including how automation and AI are starting to take the manual load off builders who can't justify a full-time videographer or marketer.It's a candid look at a problem that costs builders real money, and a practical conversation about how to stop the cycle.WHAT WE COVERWhy builders kill their marketing the moment they get busy, and the lull that followsThe real cost of going quiet for a few monthsWhy marketing on the couch on a Sunday night isn't a systemHow the "I missed a week" trap snowballs into a month of nothingWhere automation and AI are starting to help builders stay consistentWhy social media is still one of the most cost-effective ways for a local builder to get a leadSPONSOR CALLOUTSThis episode of The Daily Dose is powered by MyConstruct, the construction management software built for Australian builders. Spend less time chasing paperwork and more time on the tools. Start your free 30-day trial at myconstruct.comThis episode is also brought to you by Pay.com.au. Pay your trades, suppliers and almost any business expense by card, even where cards aren't normally accepted, and earn points while you're at it. Sign up and you'll get 20,000 bonus points. Head to pay.com.au/tgb for terms and conditions and use the code GOOD20.#TheGoodBuilder #TheDailyDose #ConstructionMarketing #BuilderMarketing #AustralianBuilders #Tradies #MarketingForBuilders #ConstructionIndustry #BuilderBusiness #LeadGeneration

Phillip Livingston is a trades coordinator at Vitaleese, a Melbourne-based home modification specialist working across aged care, NDIS, and private clients. They're a VBA-licensed builder, a registered NDIS provider, and an approved supplier under the State-wide Equipment Program.In other words, they sit right at the intersection of building work, compliance, and the people on the other end of it.This is a sector most builders never get exposed to. And after this conversation, you'll understand why that needs to change.One in six Australians are now over 65. Within a decade, the over-85 cohort is set to grow by around 67%, pushing past one million people. The demand for accessible, livable homes isn't coming. It's here.Phillip shares what it actually looks like to walk into someone's home — a home they've lived in for 50 or 60 years, raised their family in, built their memories in — and modify it so they can stay there. He talks about the privilege of doing that work, the duty of care that comes with it, and the cowboys who treat vulnerable people as a quick buck.We get into the grab rail story that ended with a client's face on the floor. The ramp that was beautifully built and completely unfit for purpose. The Rose Bush that's been there for 40 years and why it matters more than the regulation. And the mindset shift that, if every builder adopted it, would lift the whole industry.Phillip approached us to have this conversation. He wanted to talk about how it's done properly. That tells you everything you need to know about the bloke.What We CoverThe home modification sector and why it's growing faster than the people in itDuty of care, Australian standards, and why shortcuts hurt real peopleWorking with occupational therapists, case managers, and NDIS frameworksThe trust-building process — why the cup of tea matters as much as the installHow Vitaleese earns the right to deliver work in someone's most personal spaceThe cowboy problem and the clients who've been burnt twice — financially and physicallyWhat every residential builder can learn from this sectorSponsorsThis episode is powered by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Free 30-day trial at myconstruct.com.And by Pay.com.au — head to pay.com.au/tgb and use promo code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points. Terms apply.Connect with VitaleesePhilip Livingston, Trades Coordinator, Vital Ease — Melbourne, Victoria - https://vitalease.com.au/about-us/

The 26-27 federal budget has landed, and there's plenty in it that builders, tradies, and construction businesses will feel on the ground before they ever read about it in a forecast.This one isn't a normal budget. It's shaped by the global oil shock from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted fuel supply chains, pushed up fertiliser costs, and added inflationary pressure to almost every line in a builder's invoice.In this episode, Az breaks down the budget calmly, clearly, and from a builder's point of view. Here's what's covered:HousingThe new $2 billion local infrastructure fund for water, power, sewerage, and roads to support up to 65,000 new homesThe pro-housing supply reforms states have to commit to in order to access the fundingNegative gearing limited to new builds only from 1 July 2027The capital gains tax discount replaced with an inflation-based discountSmall business taxThe $20,000 instant asset write-off made permanentLoss carryback reintroduced from 26-27, with up to 85,000 companies expected to benefitThe new $1,000 instant tax deduction for workers' work-related expensesFuel reliefFuel excise halved for three months from 1 April (52.6 cents down to 20.6 cents per litre)Heavy vehicle road user charge reduced to zero for the same period$1 billion in interest-free loans for manufacturing and logistics businessesThe longer-term $14.8 billion fuel resilience packageProductivity and skillsAll Australian standards referenced in legislation now free to access (saving around $1,600 per small business per year)A commitment to remove barriers to modern methods of housing construction$85.2 million to accelerate skill assessments for migrant trade workersAz also walks through what this all actually means for housing affordability, and ends with three practical questions every builder should be asking inside their business this week.Over the coming days, TGB will be breaking down each of these measures in more detail at thegoodbuilder.com.au.SponsorsThis episode is proudly brought to you by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders, by Australian builders. Jobs, clients, quotes, and contracts all in one place. Get your free 30-day trial at myconstruct.com.Also supported by Pay.com.au — get rewarded on all of your business payments. Sign up at pay.com.au/tgb and use the code GOOD20 to receive 20,000 bonus points. Terms and conditions apply, available on the site.#TheGoodBuilder #TheDailyDose #AustralianBuilders #FederalBudget #ConstructionIndustry #Tradies #HousingPolicy #SmallBusinessTax #FuelExcise #NegativeGearing #InstantAssetWriteOff #BuildersAustralia #ResidentialConstruction #TradieLife #ConstructionNews #HousingAffordability #BuildingIndustry #AustralianTradies #ConstructionBusiness #BudgetBreakdown

Aaron is back with Emily Pollard from Nesta Builder Brokers for another Monday breakdown, and this week they dig into something Aaron has been watching in the Google search data for the past 12 months. The Australian housing market is splitting in two. On one end, more buyers are looking at modular, prefab, tiny homes and alternative builds. On the other, the luxury custom market is busier than ever. And right in the middle, the everyday buyer is getting squeezed.Aaron and Emily unpack what is actually driving the search data, where the project home builder fits now that million dollar builds are becoming the new normal, and what builders need to think about when picking their lane. They get into granny flats and secondary dwellings, intergenerational living, the rise of cashed-up first home buyers in the under-million market, and the buyers agents pushing equity uplift promises that often do not stack up.This is a real conversation about where the market is heading, what builders are seeing on the ground, and the gap between what the data says and what is actually happening in display villages and on building sites across Australia.What We CoverThe two ends of the market that are growing, and the middle that is going quietWhy people are searching for modular and prefab, and why it is not always cheaperWhat now actually counts as a high end build in AustraliaWhy project builders are quietly moving into the million dollar spaceThe granny flat and secondary dwelling boom, and why we should stop calling them granny flatsIntergenerational living and the cultural shift happening in Australian housingWhat the under-million first home buyer market really looks like in 2026The buyers agent equity uplift pitch, and why Emily is over hearing itWhere modular fits in display villages, estate covenants, and the future of housingWhy builders need to pick their lane and stop racing to the bottom on priceSponsorsThis episode is proudly brought to you by MyConstruct, the construction software built by Australian builders for Australian builders. If you are still running your jobs, contracts and client comms across text messages and spreadsheets, there is a better way. Head to myconstruct.com for a 30 day trial.This episode is also supported by Pay.com.au. Pay your business expenses, earn points on everything, and use the code GOOD20 to score 20,000 bonus points when you sign up. Head to pay.com.au/tgb

Tom Sachs didn't take the traditional path into building. He left school early, started lopping trees, discovered a love for working with timber in a mate's shed, and eventually found his way into a carpentry apprenticeship. From commercial construction to residential building, and finally to owning a Stroud Homes franchise in the Lockyer Valley — Tom's story is anything but straight lines.In this episode, Az sits down with Tom to unpack the journey, the lessons, and the mindset that shaped the builder he is today.What we cover:How tree lopping led to a passion for timber and eventually a building careerThe commercial construction apprenticeship that surprised him — and what he took from itWhat joining the Stroud Homes franchise system actually looks like from the insideWhy knowing your numbers matters more than being the best person on the toolsHow Tom built a stable team from day one and why culture starts with the person at the topThe role his wife plays in the business and why that partnership worksWhat leadership, numbers, and knowing how to build all add up to — in Tom's own wordsThis episode is one of those conversations that pulls everything together. Practical, honest, and lived in. If you're a builder trying to figure out how to grow a business without losing your standards, this one's for you.This episode is proudly supported by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders. Learn more at myconstruct.com.Also supported by Pay.com.au — use code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points. Head to pay.com.au/tgb#construction #building #StroudHomes #franchise #tradie #builder #thegoodbuilder #podcast #residentialbuilding #buildingbusiness

A big Friday Daily Dose...and a couple of important changes coming at The Good Builder.From next week, the Daily Dose is moving to three episodes a week; Monday, Wednesday and Friday. More room to breathe, deeper conversations, bigger guests, and more space for the research and data builders have been asking for.In today's episode, Az unpacks:— Why TGB is shifting to three days a week and what builders can expect — A 900% uplift in search terms for both modular and luxury custom builders, and what it tells us about a market splitting in two — Master Builders Australia putting the productivity case in front of the Senate, with construction productivity down 21.5% over the last decade and regulatory burden adding up to $327,000 per new home build — A heads up from Ash Turner at Glenvill Homes on clients running tender packs and contracts through ChatGPT, and what builders need to think about — The new MyConstruct and Billgrid integration that lets builders open up their trade and supply network instantly, all inside one workflowPractical, timely, and built for builders.Articles for every story are up at thegoodbuilder.com.auPowered by MyConstruct — construction management software built for Australian builders, by Australian builders. Head to myconstruct.com.Also sponsored by Pay.com.au — use code GOOD20 to get 20,000 bonus points when you pay your business bills through the platform. Head to pay.com.au/TGB.