The Good Builder Podcast

The Good Builder
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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.

  1. 2D AGO

    The Daily Dose #291 | Big Week at TGB: The Advisory Board, FTMA, AVID's Melbourne Land Grab & the Trust Tax Change Builders Need to Watch

    Happy Friday, and what a week. One of the biggest we have had here at The Good Builder. In this Friday wrap, Aaron runs through everything that happened inside TGB and out in the industry. We announced our Advisory Board, with MyConstruct and AVIA Homes the first two at the table and more names coming soon. We headed up to Twin Waters for the FTMA conference. And the next quarterly report is underway: the State of Builder Marketing, dropping in June. Then it is into three headlines that matter for builders right now. Powered by MyConstruct and Pay.com.au. What we cover: The Good Builder Advisory Board — why we built it, who is already on board, and why it is not just the biggest names but the mum and dad businesses that make up most of the industryThe FTMA conference at Twin Waters — what came out of a thought-provoking few days with the Frame and Truss Manufacturers Association, plus a heads up on upcoming pods with CEO Kirsten Gentle and Christine BriggsGuest pod previews — Rod from Frampton Builders and Clean Rooms on precision pricing and process, and Luke Cotterell from Prime Build Recruitment on why industry experience mattersThe next quarterly report — a preview of the State of Builder Marketing, digging into what actually wins work right now and where marketing spend is being wastedLunch and learns — a new idea for the community, and a question for you: would you come along?AVID locks in a major Clyde South site — what a developer consolidating greenfield land in Melbourne's south-east signals for the long-term pipelineThe 2028 trust tax change — a minimum 30 per cent tax on discretionary trust distributions, who it affects, and why now is the time to talk to your accountantNSW flood buyback land gets a new future — over 1,000 parcels across the Northern Rivers and Central West being repurposed, and the work that follows for regional buildersRead the full articles at thegoodbuilder.com.au. Try MyConstruct free for 30 days at myconstruct.com. Earn rewards on your bills and banking at pay.com.au/tgb and get 20,000 bonus points with code GOOD20.

    13 min
  2. The Daily Dose #290 | Philip Livingston, Vital Ease Home Modifications, Duty of Care, and the Sector Builders Are Missing

    4D AGO

    The Daily Dose #290 | Philip Livingston, Vital Ease Home Modifications, Duty of Care, and the Sector Builders Are Missing

    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 Cover The 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 sectorSponsors This 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 Vitaleese Philip Livingston, Trades Coordinator, Vital Ease — Melbourne, Victoria - https://vitalease.com.au/about-us/

    43 min

  3. 6D AGO

    The Daily Dose #289 | Building a brand without the b******t with Emily Pollard

    Emily Pollard from Nesta Builder Brokers flips the script this week and puts Aaron in the hot seat. The brief: how does a young, blunt, female broker market a business in an industry built on display home theatre and base-price advertising — without turning into the thing she's trying to fix? It's a working session disguised as a podcast. Emily wants to "set fire to display home marketing" but won't shit on builders to do it. Aaron unpacks why that instinct is right, and why most marketing advice given to builders and brokers is quietly broken. What they get into: Why fear-based marketing brings in the most anxious customers you'll ever deal withThe 1,000-lead experiment that taught Aaron what cheap hooks actually cost youWhy education beats hype — and how to make boring topics (soil tests, PC items, variations) the thing people actually want to readThe problem with "builders are f****d, come through me" positioning, and what to do insteadWhy brands aren't as powerful as the people behind themOrganic social vs paid: where small builders should actually spend their timeConsistency, resilience, and the cringe of putting yourself out thereIf you're a builder, broker, or supplier trying to work out how to market yourself without sounding like everyone else in the feed — this one's for you. Emily's back next Monday too. Sponsors This 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.

    31 min

  4. MAY 14

    The Daily Dose #288 | The Federal Budget From a Builder's Point of View

    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: Housing The 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 tax The $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 relief Fuel 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 skills All 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. Sponsors This 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

    11 min
  5. The Daily Dose #287 | The 22-Year Old Apprentice Rewriting What's Possible In The Trades | Lewis Italiano

    MAY 12

    The Daily Dose #287 | The 22-Year Old Apprentice Rewriting What's Possible In The Trades | Lewis Italiano

    Every now and then a guest walks onto the pod and you walk away genuinely fired up about the future of this industry. Lewis Italiano is one of those guests. He's a carpenter from WA, still finishing his apprenticeship, and already has a resume most blokes twice his age don't come close to. Gold at the regional and national WorldSkills competitions. A Medallion for Excellence representing Australia on the international stage in Lyon. Training stints through China, Japan and France. Master Builders Apprentice of the Year for 2025. WA Training Awards winner. And in between all that, he's standing up in front of high school students and parents talking about why the trades are one of the most future-proof career paths in the country. This is the first apprentice we've ever had on The Good Builder, and Az sat down with Lewis to unpack the mindset, the work ethic, and the standards behind a story that everyone in the industry should be paying attention to. We get into where it all started on the family dairy farm, why woodwork class in year 11 changed everything, and the realities of starting an apprenticeship on $350 a week. Lewis breaks down what WorldSkills actually is, what it's like representing your country against 1,600 competitors from 60 nations, and why he believes Australia is still on the back foot when it comes to celebrating the craft. We also talk about the stigma parents still carry around the trades, why mindset matters more than money in the early years, and what builders and supervisors can do to attract and keep the next generation of apprentices on their teams. If you're a builder looking for the kind of apprentice you actually want on your crew, this is what one looks like. If you're a young person sitting on the fence about which path to take, listen to this one twice. What We Cover Growing up on a dairy farm and where Lewis's work ethic actually came fromFalling in love with the craft through high school woodworkThe reality of apprentice wages and why mindset beats money in the early yearsWhat WorldSkills is, how you get there, and what it's like competing internationallyRepresenting Australia in Lyon, France against 1,600 competitors from 60 countriesWinning Master Builders Apprentice of the Year 2025 and what it actually meantSpeaking at Parliament House and why advocacy matters for the future of the tradesThe stigma parents still hold around the trades and how to shift itWhy AI won't be replacing tradies any time soonWhat makes a good apprentice and what builders should look for in their next hireLewis's plans to take on a second trade, build his own home, and keep mentoring the next generationSponsor Callouts This episode of The Good Builder is powered by MyConstruct — the all-in-one construction management platform built for Australian builders. Quote, schedule, manage, and communicate with your clients from one place. Head to myconstruct.com and get your 30-day FREE trial. We're also proudly partnered with Pay.com.au — the smarter way for builders to pay suppliers, subcontractors, and the ATO using your existing credit card. Earn points on every payment, improve your cash flow, and use the code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points when you sign up. Terms apply at pay.com.au/tgb. #TheGoodBuilder #TheDailyDose #AustralianBuilders #Apprenticeship #WorldSkills #ApprenticeOfTheYear #Tradies #ConstructionAustralia #CarpentryLife #FutureOfTrades #MasterBuilders #LewisItaliano

    35 min

  6. MAY 10

    The Daily Dose #286 | The Market Is Splitting: Modular, Mansions and the Squeeze in the Middle (with Emily Pollard)

    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 Cover The 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 priceSponsors This 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

    31 min

  7. MAY 7

    The Daily Dose #285 | Why "Quality, On Time, On Budget" Is Killing Your Margin

    Quality, on time, on budget. If that's how you sell yourself, you sound exactly like every other builder in Australia. And in a market this tight, sounding like everyone else is one of the most dangerous places you can be. In this Friday wrap, Az covers three big stories breaking across the industry this week, then goes deep on the one thing every builder needs but most never sit down to define: their Unique Value Proposition. He shares how UVP work drove $700 million in growth at GJ Gardner Homes, how it helped Avondale Homes hit $24 million in three years targeting a specific niche, and the five practical ways you can find yours this week. Plus an honest look at the mental health stat we can't ignore, the NCC 2025 split that's just gone live in Victoria, and the lessons from Tom Sachs at Stroud Homes Lockyer Valley. What We Cover The RBA rate move and what it could mean for builder enquiry over the coming weeksThe Built and Bunnings modular construction deal and what it signals about affordability and speedNCC 2025 going live in Victoria on 1 May 2026, and why Master Builders called the timing extremely disappointingWhat Victorian builders need to action right now on lead-free plumbing and Class 2 waterproofingThe compliance challenge for multi-state builders crossing the Vic and NSW borderThe peer-reviewed University of Melbourne research showing one construction worker still takes their own life every two days in AustraliaWhy loneliness is the single strongest predictor of risk, and four practical things builders can do from the top downWhy paying subbies on time is one of the most concrete mental health actions in your controlKey lessons from Tom Sachs at Stroud Homes Lockyer Valley on coming through the side door of the industryTom's three pillars of a good builder: leadership, knowing your numbers, then knowing how to buildMarkup versus margin and why most builders go under on the quote, not the buildWhat a UVP actually is, and the brochure test that exposes whether yours is realWhy "we care about clients" and "quality on time on budget" are commodities, not differentiatorsThree reasons UVP matters more in 2026 than ever beforeFive lenses to find your UVP: client, niche, process, proof, and personalityThe three places your UVP must live: website and socials, sales conversations, and operationsWhy UVP is a business exercise, not a marketing exerciseYour Friday action item: don't write your UVP from your desk, mine it from your marketSupport Resources Mentioned Mates in Construction: 1300 642 111 (free, 24/7)TIACS: 0488 846 988 (free phone and text counselling, Mon to Fri, 8am to 10pm)Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7)Sponsors This episode is proudly supported by MyConstruct — head to myconstruct.com to see how they're helping builders run better businesses. And by Pay.com.au — pay your bills, invoices and banking through their platform and earn bonus points you can spend on travel, family, whatever you like. Head to pay.com.au/TGB and use promo code GOOD20 for 20,000 bonus points to get you started. Terms and conditions apply. #TheGoodBuilder #DailyDose #AustralianBuilders #ResidentialConstruction #BuilderBusiness #UVP #BuilderMarketing #NCC2025 #VictorianBuilders #ConstructionMentalHealth #MatesInConstruction #TIACS #BuilderMargins #StroudHomes #MyConstruct #PayComAU

    25 min
  8. The Daily Dose #284 | From Tree Lopper to Stroud Homes Franchise Owner — Tom Sachs on Building the Right Way

    MAY 5

    The Daily Dose #284 | From Tree Lopper to Stroud Homes Franchise Owner — Tom Sachs on Building the Right Way

    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

    54 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    The Good Builder
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    291
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Good Builder
  • Show Website
    The Good Builder Podcast

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