Mindful Builder

“Version one is better than version none.” James Brown means it in the most practical way possible for builders. A rough first system in your building business is better than no system at all. Not the perfect process. Not the spreadsheet you will build “when things slow down”. Just something written down that gets the ball rolling, so you can test it, hand it to someone else, and improve it over t...

“Legally, you can still build a house with no membrane.” That line from Villy Yordanov, Pro Clima’s Innovation Engineer, sets the tone for this conversation about what is technically allowed versus what actually leads to durable, healthy homes. We unpack the gap between building compliance in Australia and real-world building performance , particularly in weatherproofing , moisture management , an...

A German journeyman carpenter walks into our studio and within five minutes, we are thinking, hang on… have we made modern life way more complicated than it needs to be? Erik is living a tradition that feels almost impossible in 2026. He is travelling for three years and one day , working wherever he can, learning from other tradespeople, and doing it all without a mobile phone . Not as a gimmick....

Weekly Goss – April 23, 2026 Matt and Hamish are back from Adelaide to discuss the latest housing developments in Canberra, a major safety crackdown on silica dust, and the importance of representation in the trades. In This Episode: The Canberra Housing Deal: The ACT and Commonwealth governments have signed a $250 million deal to deliver 4,900 homes, with over 1,700 reserved for first-home buyers...

We sit down with Helen from Renew to unpack why the idea of a sustainable home still gets treated like a luxury, when it should really be the baseline. We talk about the shift happening across the Australian building industry , where sustainable housing , energy efficient homes , and high-performance building are becoming more mainstream. Better design decisions, not just bigger budgets, can lead...

In this episode, Hamish and Matt navigate the "geopolitical bruises" impacting the Australian construction industry in early 2026. They discuss the sharp rise in material costs driven by global tensions, the controversial shift in Victorian builder licensing, and the silver lining of surging apprenticeship numbers. The duo emphasises that while the climate is "doomy," transparent communication and...

The Australian building industry is shifting fast, and in this episode, we discuss what that really looks like on the ground. From economic pressure and labour shortages to changing technology and AI-driven disruption, this is an honest conversation about the reality of running a building business in a market that feels increasingly uncertain. If you are a builder in Australia , a construction bus...

Episode Title: The NCC Maze, Red Tape Blues, and a Win for Passive House Date: 9 April 2026 Hosts: Matt & Hamish In this second instalment of The Weekly Gossip , Matt and Hamish navigate the "grey areas" of the 2025 National Construction Code (NCC) updates and the mounting administrative burden currently squeezing the life out of small building businesses. We also look at some progressive move...

Construction technology is changing fast, and in this episode, we sit down with Vas from  C.R. Kennedy  to talk about the tools already reshaping the construction industry. From  geospatial technology  and  3D site scanning  to&nb...

This episode covers the latest updates in the Australian building industry, including new legislation, code transitions, and innovative materials. Hosts Matt and Hamish analyse recent news, government policies, and emerging technologies impacting builders and homeowners. Matt and Hamish from The Mindful Builder are launching a new, "short and sharp" weekly news segment. Capped at 10 minutes, the o...

“Sustainable design is not just lower energy bills. It is health, comfort, moisture safety, and long-term performance.” We sat down with Marcus Strang, Technical Lead in Passivhaus at HIP V. HYPE, to explore what sustainable building design really means in practice. With a PhD from the University of Queensland and deep expertise in building science, Marcus shares how Passive House design is helpin...

“Sustainable buildings focus on what's invisible, not visible” In this episode of The Mindful Builder, we sit down with Roberto Petruzzi, an Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) specialist, to unpack what building performance and energy efficiency really mean in practice. We talk about energy modelling, building science, and why the details you cannot see often matter most for comfort, durabil...

“Commercial teaches you speed and logistics. Residential teaches you people.” In this episode, we sit down with Alistair Meallin, Director at Y Projects, to talk about what it really takes to build high-quality custom homes in Australia. With over a decade in construction and a construction degree from the University of Melbourne, Alistair shares the lessons he learned on big commercial sites and...

“Architecture is not just drawings and pretty renders.” In this episode, we sit down with Roger from Borland Architecture to unpack the overlap between architecture, construction, and real estate, and why those worlds are far more connected than most people realise. This is a practical conversation about problem-solving, designing for real life, and making decisions that affect how people live eve...

“Success looks great on social media. The reality is usually messier.” In this episode, we sit down with Liam Wallis, Founder and Managing Director of HIP V. HYPE, to talk about what sustainable development really looks like behind the highlight reel. Not just pretty renders and big announcements, but pressure, responsibility, and the constant work of improving systems so each project is better th...

“I’m not just a carpenter.” That’s the energy Sam Aitken brings to this episode, and it is exactly what the construction industry needs more of. Carpentry is not a fallback job. It is craft, problem-solving, and leadership on-site. Sam is also using social media to show what pride in the trade actually looks like, without turning it into a glossy performance. We sit down with Sam to talk about his...

High-performance building is not just about premium products. It is about the system. In this episode, we sit down with Sven Maxa from Maxa Design to unpack what Passive House building really looks like behind the scenes, from airtightness targets to the practical realities of delivering high-performance homes on site. This conversation flips the usual format, with Sven taking the lead and putting...

“Most Aussie homes still don’t meet today’s energy standards.” In this episode, we sit down with Tim Forcey, a former chemical engineer turned home energy advisor who has assessed and advised in 1,000+ homes across Melbourne and Victoria. Tim is also qualified to assess homes using the Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard and runs the “My Efficient Electric Home” community with 120,000+ memb...

“Stop talking to everyone like they’re in the industry. Talk to them in ways that are going to evoke emotions and what’s important to them.” In this video, we sit down with Laura De Ridder from Sorted Digital Marketing to chat about why so much of the construction marketing we see misses the mark, and what builders and tradies can do instead to attract the right clients. We cover how to get clear...

“I remember crying, driving back to Geelong because it was just too much.” In this Mindful Builder Podcast episode, Devin Grant of Performance Membranes shares the real story behind building a successful construction business and what happens when the workload finally catches up with you. We talk burnout, six-day weeks, and the lessons Devin learned after starting Granted Constructions in 2013. Th...

“We’re dumping energy to maintain comfort.” That’s how Andre Griffs from BINQ sums up what’s happening in far too many Australian homes. We crank the heater, blast the air con, and wonder why the house still feels off. Often, the culprit is simple. The windows are not performing. We sat down with Andre to unpack what’s going wrong with Australian windows, why it matters more than most people reali...

"In Germany, you’d never see a timber frame left out in the rain."  That’s just one of the eye-opening differences we uncovered with Daniel Jakobs, a master carpenter and construction engineer from Germany, on the Mindful Builder Podcast. Dan has spent over 20 years in high-performance, ecological construction, and now serves as Technical Sales Manager for pro clima® in Australia and New Zeal...

"Is natural building just for green hippie owner-builders?"  We sat down with Rachel from Natural Building Australia to tackle this question head-on. Rachel's academic background and hands-on experience reveal how natural building has evolved from 1990s counterculture to a professionalised industry attracting broader audiences. Thanks to hemp industry growth and increasing awareness of health...

A couple of years ago, we weren't sure if a podcast focused on thoughtful, evidence-based building would resonate with Australia's construction community. Turns out, builders, architects, and clients were hungry for exactly this kind of conversation - real talk about what works, what doesn't, mental health challenges, and how to navigate the shifting landscape of codes, client expectations, and ne...

"Architects design things we can't actually build." We sat down with Saxon Hall, Principal Architect at Align Architecture, to tackle the age-old tension between architects and builders. Saxon's unique perspective as a carpenter's son gives him insight into both sides of this divide. In this episode, we explore why communication breaks down between architects and builders, and more importantly, ho...