Podcast
The Good Builder Podcast
Hosted by The Good Builder · EN
This week in home building news! Catch up with Az and a colourful array of guests, to hear about who's killing it, who's innovating, and who's getting into strife in the world of new home construction.
33episodes
Episodes
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The Daily Dose #298 | Where AI Actually Helps Builders (And Where It Quietly Hurts)
Jun 400:42:08Tap to summarizeMost 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
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The Daily Dose #297 | Why Your People Are the Whole Business With Luke Cotterrell
Jun 201:22:06Tap to summarizeMost builders know recruitment matters. Few understand it the way Luke does.Luke spent more than a decade inside building businesses before he placed a single candidate. Chippy. Estimator. Senior CA. Residential and commercial, on jobs from 200K through to 2 million plus. He has seen the industry from the tools, from the office, and now from the outside looking in.That dual perspective is what makes this conversation different.In this episode, Luke sits down with Aaron to talk about the road that led him to start Prime Build Recruitment. It was not a clean run. He talks openly about losing his job, driving around the coast for three hours before he could face his wife, and starting again with a one year old at home and a mortgage he could barely service.From there the conversation opens up into the things builders actually deal with day to day.The gap between the office and the site, and why bridging it comes down to communication. The quality problem on site, even as trade rates climb. The shortage of skilled people, and what the Olympics build-up could do to rates. And the simple truth that runs through all of it: if you do not look after your people, you do not have a business.This is a real, honest conversation about people, pressure, and what it takes to build something that lasts.What We CoverLuke's journey from the tools to estimating to contracts administration to recruitmentWhy understanding both the office and the site builds trust on both sidesLosing his job, and the personal pressure that forced a rethinkHow and why Prime Build Recruitment startedThe trade quality problem, and why finish is slipping even as costs riseThe skills shortage, immigration, and what 2032 could mean for ratesWhy builders need to stay open to new ideas and new peopleWhat makes a good builder, from someone who has seen it from every angleConnect with LukeReach out to Luke and the team at Prime Build Recruitment: https://www.primebuildrecruitment.com.au/Sponsors:This episode is supported by myconstruct.com - The Aussie construction software built by builders, for builders.Get your FREE 30-day trial at myconstruct.com
Transcribe →The Daily Dose #296 | Who's Going to Build These Homes?
May 3100:28:04Tap to summarizeThe 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
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