Kyle Stumpenhorst on "What's good enough?", Saying "No", and Red Flags

Matt Blomquist and Mike Knoche discuss how to set up a home building shop class in your local schools: What did you make in your shopclass? My next guest Matt Blomquist and his students build high performance homes in his shop class. In my talk with Matt, we talk about the guts of a home building shop class and how to set one up where you live. Join us! That’s my guest today on the contracting handbook podcast, Matt Blomquist. He’s a shop class teacher that builds houses with his students. Today we are going to look at what it takes to start and operate a program like this. The idea is, lets get more schools involved and do whatever we can to get todays kids to be tomorrows builders. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

89 min listen

Barbie the Welder: The Art of the Business and The Business of Art: “I’m only as good as the last thing I did, that’s the only thing that matters to me” Is it the Art of the Business or The Business of the Art? Today, the tale of a woman who started her trade career in a vocational program for auto mechanics then found her passion as a self-taught welder. Listen for the aha moment when Barbie knows its not just something she made, it’s art. Now, she believes all tradespeople are artists. Do you guys know Barbie has pieces in 15 different countries worldwide? She’s not the type to tell you how to live, but as a community, she believes we need to honor our skills by making sure we’re compensating part for our time. Michelangelo might have had a small army of sculptors under him but, not Barbie. Her creations, her hands! We get into some cool mentors in this one! What a real pleasure we had killing an hour for this podcast. Please join us! Please save this post so you can come ba by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

52 min listen

Building Owner Lean Construction with Tim Singleton: Navigating design and construction challenges while building strong relationships isn't easy. Tim Singleton, Assistant Vice President of Capital Projects at Northeastern University, shares nearly 20 years of wisdom from working on the owner's side so... by The EBFC Show

41 min listen

Mark Wille talks the importance of sharing information and burnout: Mark Wille and Mike Knoche talk about Mark's YouTube and Podcast shows, #BS and beers, and BS Fridays, briefly but turn the importance of sharing information with the building community. Why? Because people and potential clients want to work with builders that are proud of their work. They go on to discuss Mike's book in regards to sharing of information as Mark points out, most craftspeople and tradespeople don't have experience with business. Mike's head gets blown up! They have a candid talk about what Mark's friend calls "chasing endurance" and burn out! We all burn out! Mike shares one of his methods to stave off burn out and Mark has a powerful story about burn out! This is a must listen episode! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

38 min listen

Mark Wille talks Building Science and talking face to face with clients: Mark Wille is a passive house advocate and contractor. He's been involved in the residential building science scene for years, had a hand in starting the #BS Fridays podcast, and help developed the T-Stud. The conversation drops right into talking to clients about energy efficient homes and the importance of putting in that time face to face when explaining project costs. While he likes to focus on envelope and mechanical, he really just wants the client to pick paint color and sheen. Mike recently completed a Six Star Energy rated home build and the boys meander into the relaxing of national standards for air barrier. Both men agree that we need to do better than the standard. Way better because, it's our legacy. At this point, they get of the path of running a contracting business and get into wall science. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

47 min listen

Tariffs and the Future of Commercial Real Estate: Our current economic cycle continues to show growth, but what impact could new tariffs have on our economy and the commercial real estate industry? Join Michael and his guests Mitch Roschelle, Partner with PwC, and K.C. Conway, Chief Economist with the ... by America‘s Commercial Real Estate Show

33 min listen

International Flashing Awareness Day with Big Dog Construction and The Life of Bub by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

68 min listen

Ella Star talks her start up "Plumberella": This week, we meet up with Ella Star, owner and operator of “Plumberella”. She opened the doors of her plumbing business on March 7, yeah, that’s right, two weeks ago. She and I get into what it takes to run a business but, more importantly, living the life she wants to by moving to a place that she enjoys, leaving the company she worked for, and taking the leap of faith to be her own boss. It sounds like she has surrounded herself with a good community of builders and, from where I am sitting, it would appear she’s going straight to the top. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

60 min listen

Michael Anschel and Mike Knoche talk Alaska and World Travels: These guys both spent time on the Yukon River and traveling the world. It's ten minutes of banter that will clearly pave the way for more calls in the future to share adventures. THIS IS A BONUS EPISODE! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

22 min listen

Tim Sprague From Pound 4 Pound Construction "Make saw dust, build dreams!": Tim Sprague has been running his concrete foundation and home framing business for three years. He's 29 years old and light years ahead of where host Mike Knoche was at this point in his career. Tim talks about breaking away from his former boss, general contractor Randy of Ringmaster Construction /, and the incredible support he received from him as he made that transition. Tim took that support seriously and lays it all out for anyone who is trying to start their own contracting business in his trade. He built on his predecessors experience but realized he needed to constantly be improving his systems. Then, Tim talks about the power of social media in solving problems. He talks to other people he follows online real-time if he's looking for another set of eyes on something. He doesn't let pride get in the way. He struggles with office work and Mike gives Tim some unsolicited advice! No one asked, Mike! They by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

64 min listen

Robin Clevett is a carpenter and building fanatic with a business problem! Take the work with the clients you choose,: Robin Clevett is a carpenter, joiner, and passionate builder in the UK and he's translating that work into a YouTube channel that has tutorials and techniques from his hands on business. He weaves a great tale about how he came out of school and "accidentally" getting onto business after he'd learned a bit of carpentry. It was a struggle but once he had a taste of self employment, it was over! Even though Robin and I grew up in distant lands, starting the business had similar challenges. They go into self employment vs working for somebody. It's a different mindset bc we have different goals. Then we move on to avoiding bad clients. Even if you think you know, it's still good to hear how Robin teases apart the contractor-client interaction to determine 1. if they really want to do it 2. do they have or will they fund it. Programming (television, cable) programs on prop by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

57 min listen

Niya Doncheva of Faux & Finish discusses leaving that higher education track career, the mind of a tradeswoman, client expectations and life.: “The more people tell you no and the more challenging it seems, the more you’re going to thanks yourself later on for growing as a person” Niya gave it a go in a career that has included advertising, health care and accounting… but they were boring. As soon as she mastered what was required, they were deeply unsatisfying. Sound familiar anyone? As soon as she was shadowing a finisher, it was off to the races! She picked up her own sprayer and compressor. It quells the ADHD and the dyslexia is a superpower. She’s sees things the client cannot, she copes and doesn’t let the stigma stand in the way. Work life balance is a work in progress but, she is goal oriented and moves between her life like one of her pieces… there’s a bit of sanding, touch up, and drying time involved so move the next piece and return later. One of my favorite moments is by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

55 min listen

Dan Ford of Ford Custom Renovations: Removing himself from the field and scaling up: “If you think you’re there, then you need to check yourself because you’ll never be, there’s always new materials comin out, new ways of doing things, a new trick… always learning.” For those of you that don’t know Dan Ford, Dan started as a one-man freelance carpenter band and now he’s got a design build firm. I love that Dan describes being a GC as chaos! It’s familiar because I always say it’s “trying to control chaos”. There is no one I’ve had on that I feel more parallels the experience as a GC. This is a tale of scaling up, building relationships and nurturing those relationships. Self-observation and personal growth (check) Learning trust and delegating (check) Cooperation and respect for the knowledge of the staff Diet, sleep, and stress Checking ego at the door And the last one rings true throughout this podcast episode. Dan knows he’s a work in progress and he’s humble when he shares his by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

90 min listen

Jake Bruton of Aarow Building: Act like a real company!: “I want my employees to retire happy someday, same as I do.” Are you acting like a real company? You guys that know your guy, Jake Bruton, know he does so with his company @aarowbuilding . For the rest of you who don’t know him… Jake is a high-performance home builder, and he knows and wants it to be clear to everyone that tradespeople should be treated as professionals. Flex week Paid time off Paid training Truck, phone, and tools Retirement account My market won’t support it!!?! How can I afford to act like areal company AND build high performance homes? That’s a lot of money, Jake! He quotes buddy Steve @stevebaczekarchitect “Is there a Mercedes dealer within 100 miles of the house? If there is, then your market is supported by people that want something that costs more because they seek value…” Look out! LIVE CALCULATIONS (insert nerd face) of additional overhead costs of the benefits package relative to gross income per by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

63 min listen

Jason Bekebrede of Monticello Custom Homes on non-competitive bidding, non-negotiable components of a custom home, building a legacy and more.: “I’ve got two kids and when they are my age, I want them to be able to drive by the houses and show their kids, Grandpa built that. That’s as important to me as anything.” Jason Bekebrede, of Monticello Custom Homes, has his client process dialed. He likes to get with the clients before the design process starts. They save time on client intake with detailed videos of expectations on their website. He knows the challenges of budget tracking and has honed his team to keep up with them. Some components are nonnegotiable such as wall assemblies and rain screens. The homes we leave behind are our part of our legacy. The client chooses the bells and whistles but leaves the basic components up to us. The clients choose Monticello because they know the other builders aren’t offering the same product. The value of an office manager, one more ste by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

52 min listen

Steve Baczek, Architect talks budget and client process: Steve Baczek is a hands on architect with previous experience in the trades. After some brief background, Steve and Mike talk the importance of talking budgets from the start. Bla bla bla. It's an in-depth discussion between two guys who have a lot of experience weeding out tire kickers and getting straight to the point. How much money do you have? Both of them agree that a lot of their clients are "pre-qualified" in a sense if they came to them based on reputation but the budget question still needs to be addressed! And tire kickers? They talk about some red flags and turn down a lot of people. When it comes to friends and family, charge full price or charge nothin at all! Steve then talks about his process with clients...listen as he describes " narrative" he assigns his clients for homework and then meet and discuss before any drawings are started. Guiding, coaching, or leadership, call it what you want, Mike and Steve agree by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

48 min listen

Adam Corneil Of Unbuilders: Deconstructing the Demolition Mindset: “We know that people make the decision based on money and not the environment but there is this beautiful environmental narrative that is very impactful” This is a talk how the building industry decided that installed resources no longer had value. It was a time of abundance. It’s the economics of “unbuilding” instead of going to the landfill. It’s not a new idea, but a return to a lost practice. Getting contractors on board takes a while. If you’ve gutted a place, you can understand why. Price, but will it become affordable? Adam doesn’t just see the money, it’s a passion for salvage and preserving the earth’s resources and best illustrated by his teaching classes that will educate his competition in the industry. Adam is at the frontier of, not just waste, but standards of practice for abatement. His crew goes into buildings after asbestos has been removed, but current standards are not high enough to protect his by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

49 min listen

Episode 100: TCH Halloween Podcast Special- Tales from the Jobsite: Meet my story telling crew! Twenty-two skilled professionals from all walks sent me their stories in their voices to share in this 100th episode of The Contracting Handbook podcast. As of prepping this post, I have not heard the stories in their entirety. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

66 min listen

Nick Lonsdale of Lonsdale Building Group: From tradesman to businessman, the 10-yr warranty, and "hire 'em quick, fire 'em faster!!": We get right into award winning builder Nick Lonsdale's design build business structure to micromanaging, quickly shift to the mandatory 10 year warranty, and mental health. Stepping way from design. That’s the first 7 minutes! Yes, that his bulldog Boston snoring away in the background Importance of trade relations! Setting standards as builders that are above code. Then it’s a bit of banter comparing building in AK vs Oz How does Nick choose clients? This is where it gets interesting…as his company grew, he stood back and looked at it and thought “is this what I want”. There was a ton of work Choosing client comes down to these factors: Distance to jobs “can they regulate their emotions” We get in bed with clients for ten years Its their life savings so there is so much emotion involved.- affirmation He’s building a legacy (he sounds just by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

79 min listen

Rachel Taylor: Talks client contractor relationship: IT DOESN’T matter what type of business you have, if you are in business for yourself, you need to listen to Rachel Taylor. Rachel is my guest during Women in Construction week and she is full of inspiration, business insight, and she shares her story. I keep saying it but we just graze the surface in this chat. Please join us tomorrow on The Contracting Handbook. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

83 min listen

E.S. Sparks: Service manager in title, COO in function! The life of an unlicensed sparky.: “Get good at your trade and then worry about how you’re going to manage people. If I didn’t know what to do in the field, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now” You guys might know Evan Sparks @e_s_sparks from his previous handle where he was a budding IG influencer, but did you know he’s reluctant to call himself an electrician? Since many of you last saw him publicly, life has changed for Evan. He got this new andthought he was going to be a service manager leading a couple dudes. It turned into bids, chases down regulations, hiring & firing, negotiating with clients and essentially running the company he works for. It’s not where he thought he’d be right despite always knowing that he would one day make moves to climb the ladder in addition to learning his trade. Managing people is different today than it was just a short time ago. Evan’s first boss used the brutal techniques of lead by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

99 min listen

Interview with Andrew Itnyre of Masters Roofing, Memphis, Tennessee: Andrew starts off explaining the structure of Masters Roofing and how they came to be. In 13 short years they have done 9000 roofs with annual sales in the 8-9M range. Mike and Andrew talk about customer care, warranty of work, what it takes to have an edge on your competition, and the current economy. Trying to make sense of the current economy draws question marks for all of us. Listen as two industry veterans give their take on it and listen to Andrews advice for the next generation of roofers! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

46 min listen

Fiona Plett of Herself Contracting: House healing and a builder at a crossroads: “Learn from everything, every experience is an opportunity to learn.” Fiona Plett @herselfcontracting loves working close with her clients to heal their homes. She wants to rid them of the “irritants” that plague their space. Upcycling and re-purposing materials rank high in what to use for projects, but you know the catch, it costs more than buying that factory built hollow core door, 100%. So how to do you get the client on board with the idea? Physical time: Waste time- your choice On communication: anticipating the conversation and scripting in a sense. Lessons: Bookeeping Time off Buy the stuff you need The goal: Making “one of’s” The direction? Getting more creative with what she knows which may incorporate the new timber framing. Advice: don’t volunteer your time, get paid for your time. Join us for another podcast episode on self-determination! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

57 min listen

Michael Anschel of OA Design+ Build talks client perception, are contracts negotiable, the path to contracting and more...: In this episode, Mike welcomes Michael Anschel of OA Design Build and they go deep right away. Do we tell our clients how good we are? Does it sound arrogant? How do we move past our insecurities as professionals? Then, they blast into Mike treatise on contracts, "this is not a negotiation". But, Michael has considered this and parses the "my way or the highway" attitude vs. charging for your work and the duties that are assigned to that- guiding and teaching your clients. They revisit the importance of relationships from trade partners to family and friends. Michael And Mike discuss how they ended up as contractors bc it wasn't the original trajectory and how their prior experience helps them in their businesses. Then, on to the resources that they used to build upon and get to where they are today. There's a lot of laughs at the parallels in their lives. It's by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

57 min listen

Harvey Jesso of Maritime Carpentry & Maritime Electrical talks running two construction companies, stepping away from work at night, the retirement plan and more: “It’s important to build a strong reputation and do such good work so you don’t have to work for the sheep.” For those of you who know Harvey Jesso, you know he’s a positive force and reputable contractor, for those who don’t, you’re in for a treat. He’s running two contracting businesses, loves what he does and takes weekends off for family time. He started in the business at 9 y.o., so it’s in his blood. I (Mike) want to know why clients are perfectly happy to pay electrical quotes but balk at the price of custom carpentry. Harvey generates quotes for both trades but agrees that carpenters are under-rated! We hit on the greatest challenge of a tradesman becoming a businessman. Harvey seems comfortable in his shoes today and has a plan to retire. Harvey’s father-in-law showed up at the BBQ fully decked out in Maritime by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

52 min listen

Greg Eicher of Consiglio Builders talks building luxury homes, the clients, self improvement, and his favorite tool: “Throw fear out the window, there’s so much more to live for than worrying about what might happen.” With 300-400 line items in the contract, a contract must fiercely manage expectations, in my opinion. For Greg Eicher, partner at Consiglio Builders, expectation management is at the forefront of the process. As I learned in my interview with Greg, building luxury homes ranging in the $2,800-3,200 sq foot price range, is different than my experience as a smaller custom remodeler and homebuilder. The details of these houses are many, we all know that it’s a rare bird that maintains there home, but with a price tag like this, there must be a plan…listen to the lengths they go to. Changes orders are par for the course for everyone involved…. Same old story, he’s not seeing interest in the trades despite high wages where he lives. We hit upon what he sees as the greate by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

79 min listen

WHO’S GONNA BUILD THE BRIDGES? featuring Brant "The Tool Hacker" Taylor: Today, its Brant "The Tool Hacker" Taylor. He rails on the lack of an entry point into the trades and construction industry in the US because its not just public perspective on trades causing the issue with new recruitment. Brant, wants to go even further though. He's making tools and developing techniques to make work easier on the body to "keep the craftsman alive". Many people try trades but once they're in, there is no clear path to upward mobility. We have a huge housing shortage. We have a labor shortage. Who is gonna build the houses? Who's gonna build the bridges? Even with some movement towards "sustainable" building techniques, it's not enough. It's still incredibly wasteful and our building have relatively short lives. Brant suggests a direction for the industry. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

54 min listen

Schannon Yodice of That Tile Chick talks quitting a lucrative career to follow her passion in the trades and the focus of the entrepreneur: I truly admire Schannon Yodice’s ability to communicate tiling advice, business advice, and encourage tradespeople across multiple platforms and, you know, operate a tiling business, simultaneously. So, I am fortunate to get her to talk to us. Schannon left her dream job to start a business because the local operators work was sub par. This is where the story starts and we quickly get into: -being taken seriously as a woman in the workplace -working with GC’s vs clients -vetting clients -not cheapening yourself -issues around hiring help -mentors and mentoring -her philosophy (pretty well covered in the quote here) -then we wade into the discussion about how to treat the next generation of incoming trades people Schannon is also a badass in the gym but we didn’t have time to get into that topic in this pod. Anyway you slice it, Schannon is an ex by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

84 min listen

Larry Clay of Clay Construction: Foundation to Finish- Building Your Company and Brand: “You must have a number of stories, based on your experience, of how you are going to build a better home so that your clients are going to have piece of mind and less issues.” He may make being an award-winning custom homebuilder in Vancouver look easy, but it wasn’t always that way. Today, your guy, Larry Clay, owner & operator of Clay Construction talks behind the scenes of what he overcame to be the recipient of the prestigious Grand Georgie Award for best custom home. It was October, 2009 (if that doesn’t give you chills….) …an accident, a planning glitch, then, the Great Recession…and re-inventing himself. He became the reluctant custom home builder. Reluctant because he had been a custom builder before, and spec houses were more straight forward. How do you sell your client on the added cost of high-performance homes? (I’m asking, answer below) It’s all about the language with Larry Cl by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

70 min listen

Brek Goin: Co-founder of hammr: Brek Goin is the co-founder and CEO of the Hammr App. He was raised by a contractor and had the brain child to start an app that showcases and elevates the work of trades people. In this episode Mike and Brek talk about Brek's inspiration to make the app and how development is going. The feedback from the building community is strong. Brek talks a bit about hiring tradespeople off the app, what it means to contractors and monetization. Then Brek talks about toxic masculinity in relation to the Hammr app. Mike gets personal about Brek's habits and life lessons. Listen to the complete episode to get to know Brek Goin. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

47 min listen

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Kyle Stumpenhorst on "What's good enough?", Saying "No", and Red Flags

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