Glorified Carpenter

Johnny Hourihan
  • 4.9 (123)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

It’s intentionally long-form — too many podcasts try to cram everything into 30–45 minutes, leaving no room for real conversation. John's goal is different: authentic stories, honest experiences, no fluff. Just two like-minded people talking shop, the way you would around a campfire. Listeners get to be a fly on the wall — learning through our stories, hearing both the wins and the failures, and walking away more confident in their own craft. I’m a builder myself, with 30 years in the industry. I’ve signed both sides of a check. I’ve had major wins — and major losses . There were times I felt completely alone in this business, and that’s why I started the podcast: to make sure others never feel that way, and to give them a place to find perspective, truth, and community. Hosted by: Johnny Hourihan @heresjohnnyh Find us on instagram: @theglorifiedcarpenter Want more info and knowledge: glorifiedcarpenter.com More knowledge check out our SubStack: substack.com/@heresjohnnyh?

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 43 Michael Horgan

    Buckle up — Mike's story is worth tuning in for. Grew up in Worcester & Webster, MA. Started in the trades in high school, swinging sledgehammers and building circus tents on tour with a tent-rental company. Bartended his way through two degrees, walked away from academia at 26 with $130 to his name and $60K in student debt, and built a career out of "figuring it out." We talk starting a company knowing the craft but not the business. The ups and downs. Sobriety. Challenges that hit us all in different forms, at different times — and what it actually takes to accept the bumps and come out the other side. His latest chapter — Cairn Collaborative Design/Build out in California — is just as good as the story that got him there. Hope you tune in, hope you enjoy it, and hope you share this one. 🎙️ Learn more about Ep. 43 Guest: @Cairncollaborative Project size: $350k-$2.2mil Project per year: 4-7 Yearly Revenue: $5.5-6.5m Employees: 9; Principal; Financial Controller; Project Coordinator; Project Manager; Licensed Architect; Architectural Designer; Lead Carpenter; Carpenter; Carpenter; and we are actively interviewing now for a second PM and also an assistant PM Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 43 Michael Horgan

  2. Jun 30

    Episode 42 Angelica Armitage

    Angelica Armitage — Owner/Operator, Armitage Construction Company Ltd. | Sussex New Brunswick, Canada Angelica put in 10 years with her bags on to earn her Red Seal Certification. A mix of great mentors, bad mentors, and hard-won experience gave her everything she needed to hang her own shingle. Today she runs a crew of 5 carpenters — bags on, all day — while wearing every hat in the company: owner, project manager, estimator, business development, and everything in between. Working in a market with real limitations on trade scope, Angelica has kept the majority of work in-house. It's a debate a lot of us know well — overhead vs. quality control — and she's got a strong take on it. We dig into what pulled her into the trades, what's pushing her toward bigger and more challenging projects, and how she's building something worth being proud of in Halifax. Hope you enjoy the convo! Learn more about Ep. 42 Guest: @Armitageconstructioncompanyltd Project size: $50k-800k Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects Employees: 5-6 (including Angelica) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 42 Angelica Armitage

  3. Jun 8

    Episode 41 CJ Nielsen

    CJ Nielsen of CNC Electric Co. joins us to share what it's really like running an electrical sub-contracting business from the inside. We get into scaling, systems, crew structure, and how he manages everything from small projects to ultra-high-end builds — each with their own tech stacks, client expectations, and GC dynamics. CJ breaks down what keeps his work consistently sharp no matter the job size. Then we go deep — lighting controls, solar, all-electric (fossil-free) homes, load-shedding panels, and the latest in battery tech. This one's packed. Hope you walk away with as many takeaways as I did. Learn more about Ep. 41 Guest: @CNC_Electric @thebuildshow contributor @finehomebuilding brand ambassador Project per year: 8-15 projects per year Yearly Revenue: $1.5 million Employees: 5-6 (including Dave) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 41 CJ Nielsen

  4. May 18

    Episode 40 Dave Hanes

    Dave Hanes is a second-generation builder running a family-owned boutique firm in Northern California. He learned the trade working alongside his father at Hanes Construction — a shop built on hustle, handyman work, and the occasional $200k renovation. The strategy was simple: ballpark the numbers, stay busy, and hope for the best. Dave wanted more. He set his sights on architects and high-end custom projects, which forced him to build real systems, tighten his estimating, and elevate every level of his operation to compete for the work he actually wanted. We cover 25 years of lessons — what's evolved, what's held firm, and what it really takes to grow a boutique build firm without losing what makes it special. You're going to love this one. Learn more about Ep. 40 Guest: @hanes_construction_inc www.hanes-construction.com Project size: $2-5Million Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects Yearly Revenue: $5million Employees: 10 (including Dave) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 40 Dave Hanes

  5. May 4

    Episode 39 Matthew Logue

    Matthew Logue of Matte Building Pty | Newcastle, Australia We dive into what’s the same—and what’s completely different—about construction and renovations on the other side of the world. Matt’s cut from the same cloth. Came up through the trades on a similar path, with a real love for building and creating. But where things split? He’s scaled—taking his company from just him and his sister (part-time) to a tight team of 10. No shortcuts. Builders who take pride in every swing of the hammer. We get into how he built that team, earned his reputation, and what it actually felt like hiring that first employee… versus what keeps him up at night now. Great dude. Building something special down in Australia. Hope you enjoy the chat with Matt. Learn more about Ep. 38 Guest: @mattebuilding www.mattebuilding.com.au Project size: $500k-$1.5mil Project per year: 4-8 projects per year Yearly Revenue: $2.2mil Employees: 10 (including Matt) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 39 Matthew Logue

  6. Apr 27

    Episode 38 Jason Pietruszka

    Jason Pietruszka of JJP Construction, out of Los Angeles, joins us this week on the pod. Jason takes us back to 2008 — when his dad gave him that first nudge into the industry. From there, he’s gone on to build 250+ homes… starting in production, where there’s little to no connection to the end product, to where he is today — designing and building homes in the Palisades, rebuilding in areas impacted by the wildfires. Through his architecture and design firm, Shelter, and his semi-custom construction company, JJP Construction, Jason’s now controlling the full process — from concept to completion. We get into building a team, AI agents, TikTok, branding, lump sum contracts — the pros, the pitfalls — and everything in between. Hope you enjoy this one. Learn more about Ep. 38 Guest: @jjpconstruction @shelterhomesla @goldlandscapers www.jjpconstructioninc.com Project size: $1-4Million Project per year: 10-15 projects per year Employees: 6-8 Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 38 Jason Pietruszka

  7. Apr 20

    Episode 37 Chad Coll

    Chad Coll of C.S. Spoon & Co. is doing what a lot of us in construction have done — turning a hobby into a business. And the path? It’s almost too familiar. This wasn’t some calculated move chasing market share — “let me go grab 5% or 10% of the spoon market.” Nope. Life unfolded… and Chad stumbled into a niche that gave him purpose, allowed him to support his family, and actually be present — not stuck on-call, running a maintenance grind. There’s something real about that. Chad’s story hit home for me. It’s a reminder that not everything has to be forced or over-engineered… sometimes you’ve got to roll with it and see where it leads. Maybe something better is waiting on the other side of that. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Learn more about Ep. 37 Guest: @cs_spoonco www.csspoonco.com Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 37 Chad Coll

  8. Apr 13

    Episode 36 Paige Heron

    Paige Heron — a female framer out of Canada.
I’ll let that sink in for a second. After chasing a career in firefighting, Paige landed in a cabinet shop for a summer job… and never really looked back. Over the next 6+ years, she went on to frame homes with some of the best crews in the Toronto area. We get into what it’s like navigating this industry as a female. And speaking for myself — it was intimidating enough as a young guy trying to break in and prove myself. Paige gives us a real window into her experience… and honestly, it left me with some takeaways on how I need to be better on my own sites. I’ve got a feeling you’ll walk away with the same. Really hope you enjoy Paige’s story as much as I did. Learn more about Ep. 36 Guest: @carpenterpaigey 🎥 YouTube Series: #RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— April
Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh *link is in bio Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Partnerships: projektnetwork.com @projektnetwork Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

    Episode 36 Paige Heron
See All (44)

Trailer

4.9
out of 5
123 Ratings

About

It’s intentionally long-form — too many podcasts try to cram everything into 30–45 minutes, leaving no room for real conversation. John's goal is different: authentic stories, honest experiences, no fluff. Just two like-minded people talking shop, the way you would around a campfire. Listeners get to be a fly on the wall — learning through our stories, hearing both the wins and the failures, and walking away more confident in their own craft. I’m a builder myself, with 30 years in the industry. I’ve signed both sides of a check. I’ve had major wins — and major losses . There were times I felt completely alone in this business, and that’s why I started the podcast: to make sure others never feel that way, and to give them a place to find perspective, truth, and community. Hosted by: Johnny Hourihan @heresjohnnyh Find us on instagram: @theglorifiedcarpenter Want more info and knowledge: glorifiedcarpenter.com More knowledge check out our SubStack: substack.com/@heresjohnnyh?

Information

  • Creator
    Johnny Hourihan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Glorified Carpenter

You Might Also Like