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. The Daily Dose #297 | Why Your People Are the Whole Business With Luke Cotterrell

    1d ago

    The Daily Dose #297 | Why Your People Are the Whole Business With Luke Cotterrell

    Most 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 Cover Luke'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 Luke Reach 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

    1h 22m

  2. 3d ago

    The Daily Dose #296 | Who's Going to Build These Homes?

    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 Cover The $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

    28 min
  3. The Daily Dose #295 | Why 1 in 25 Builders Don't Survive a Decade With Rod Frampton

    6d ago

    The Daily Dose #295 | Why 1 in 25 Builders Don't Survive a Decade With Rod Frampton

    Most builders can swing a hammer. Far fewer can run a business. And the gap between those two things is exactly why, by Rod Frampton's own count, roughly one in 25 builders never makes it to a decade. Rod is the founder of Frampton Builders, a Brisbane custom home and renovation business that's been going strong since 2014, and more recently Frampton Clean Rooms, a pharmaceutical-grade fit-out company that earned some of the best feedback the TGA has ever given a first-time facility. He's one of those rare operators who thinks like a CEO and works like a tradesman. In this conversation, Az sits down with Rod to unpack what actually keeps a building business alive long term. They get into why a builder is really a business owner first, how the skills shortage took hold after the late 2000s, and why knowing your numbers matters more than almost anything else on site. Rod also breaks down the square metre rate trap that catches so many builders and clients, walks through the thinking behind his documented "Frampton Way" process, and explains why he treats every client relationship like a marriage built on trust. The two of them close with a grounded, practical take on where AI fits for builders — and where relying on it too early can sink a young business. If you're a builder trying to think past the next job and build something that lasts, this one's worth your time. What We Cover Why a builder is a business owner first, and a tradesperson secondThe real reason so many builders don't survive ten yearsHow the post-2000s push for numbers affected trade quality and the skills shortageThe case for skilled migration and investing in apprenticesThe square metre rate trap — and why custom builds can't be priced that wayInside the "Frampton Way": a documented, repeatable client processTreating client relationships like a marriage: the MCP approach (Myself, Company, Product)A measured, builder-first view on AI and where it actually helpsWhat Rod believes makes a good builderSponsor callouts This episode of The Good Builder is powered by MyConstruct — the construction management software built for Australian builders. Get your jobs, clients, and numbers in one place and spend less time buried in admin. Start your free 30-day trial at myconstruct.com The Good Builder is also proudly supported by Pay.com.au. Pay your trades, suppliers, and bills by card — even where cards aren't normally accepted — while earning points on spend you're already making. Head to pay.com.au/tgb for terms and use the code GOOD20 to receive 20,000 bonus points. #TheGoodBuilder #CustomBuilder #BrisbaneBuilder #ConstructionAustralia #BuildingBusiness #Tradies #BuilderLife #SkillsShortage #ConstructionPodcast #CustomHomes #RenovationBuilder #BuilderMindset #TradeBusiness #AustralianBuilders

    42 min

  4. May 27

    The Daily Dose #294 | The OGs of Prefab: Kersten Gentle on Timber, Carbon and Why Builders Need Their Manufacturer

    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 COVER Why 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 CALLOUTS This 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

    1h 3m
  5. The Daily Dose #293 | Nagy Mourad: Why We Need Better Builders, Not Just More of Them

    May 26

    The Daily Dose #293 | Nagy Mourad: Why We Need Better Builders, Not Just More of Them

    The housing conversation in this country is stuck on one word: more. More homes. More tradies. More builders. Nagy Mourad thinks we're missing the word that actually matters. Nagy has worn nearly every hat in construction. He's a registered builder, a developer, and a trainer and assessor who spent more than a decade teaching Victorian builders toward registration. Before any of that, he ran national field and contract operations for the biggest names in Australian telecommunications, including NBN, Optus, and Telstra. He came into building the hard way. His first development stalled for three years and three builders went bankrupt on him before he picked up the tools, studied the trade, and finished the job himself. That lived experience runs through everything Aaron and Nagy cover in this episode. They get into why technical skill on the tools does not automatically make you ready to run a business, why so many capable tradies fall short at registration, and what defect-free building actually takes day to day on site. Nagy makes the case that competency is not one-dimensional, and that the single most underrated risk on any job is one many builders never name out loud: water. They also work through NCC 2025, the Victorian rollout, the difference between a compliant home and a quality one, and the proposed changes to Minimum Financial Requirements and what they could mean for small builders. Throughout, Nagy keeps returning to one idea. Building is a journey with very different stages, and the thinking that gets you to one stage will not carry you to the next. This is a calm, practical, and genuinely educational conversation for anyone serious about lifting their standards and future-proofing their business. What We Cover How three bankrupt builders and a stalled development turned Nagy into a builder, developer, and trainerWhy technical competency and business competency are two different skill sets, and why most tradies underestimate the secondThe real reasons capable people fall short at builder registration, and how to prepare properlyWhat defect-free building actually looks like, starting before you break groundWhy water is the number one risk on any project, and why it demands respect everywhereNCC 2025, the Victorian rollout, and condensation managementThe difference between a compliant home and a quality homeProposed changes to Minimum Financial Requirements and the balance between protecting consumers and keeping small builders viableNagy's take on what genuinely makes a good builderA Word From Our Sponsors This episode is powered by MyConstruct, the construction management software built for Australian builders. Quotes, variations, scheduling, client communication, and compliance documents all in one place. Start your free 30-day trial at myconstruct.com This episode is also supported by Pay.com.au. Pay your trades, suppliers, ATO, and rent on your existing credit cards, free up your cash flow, and earn points while you do it. Head to pay.com.au/tgb for terms and use the code GOOD20 to get 20,000 bonus points. Connect With Nagy Find Nagy through Beehive Homes Constructions, his Builder Registration Training service, and across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nagymourad/  His YouTube channel is Build Like An Egyptian: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildlikeanEgyptian

    53 min

  6. May 24

    The Daily Dose #292 | The Marketing Trap That Catches Busy Builders With Drew & Sean From Increase Construction

    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 COVER Why 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 CALLOUTS This 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.com This 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

    14 min

  7. May 21

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

    May 19

    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
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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
    297
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Good Builder
  • Show Website
    The Good Builder Podcast

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