Construction Brothers

(While we remodel our studio in preparation for some exciting changes, we’re sharing this conversation with Matt Haskins that aired in July of 2022.) Matt Haskins has been in construction for a very long time. When we talked to him, he was working in northern Minnesota on a small, 100-year-old apartment building. Lead pipes. Ugh. We start out with a discussion about early mornings. He completes ye...

Today we share some multi-generational wisdom. These are useful tips and principles passed down to us from our dad and grandfather. Our dad and grandfather both reminded us not to be a project pilot… Actually, what they meant was not to be a project “pile-it.” Don’t just pass paperwork on to others. Don’t be the “please advise” monster. Just don’t. PLEASE. DON’T! Stay in front of the airplane. Thi...

We start out with a brief discussion about the mystery of lost files (due to some tech challenges we encountered today).Today we’re discussing inefficiency–specifically as it relates to the amount of time allocated to a task. We discuss the art (or the science?) of scheduling in a way that provides just the right amount of time–not too little, not too much. OVERVIEW OF PARKINSON’S LAW: Tyler share...

Stunned. Tyler is stunned that he is praising Bing. While scrolling through LinkedIn, Tyler encountered a mention of punching shear. His understanding of that phrase was reasonably solid, but he thought it might be interesting to see if AI could help him understand it just a bit better. Then he challenged Bing to explain it to him in an even simpler manner–at the level that a child could understan...

Today we’re flashing back to an episode from May of 2022. We start out with some banter about Eddie’s kids giving Tyler a hard time. Then Tyler signs up for a marathon… Oh, wait, no he doesn’t. What a slacker. Nate Patrick is facilities project manager for the Pennsylvania State University Office of Physical Plant. Before taking that position, he worked several years as a mechanical design enginee...

Have you experimented with it yet? Well, we’re ready to nudge you into the future. Tyler shares some insights that he thinks will increase your efficiency. Here they are: “Rewrite this.” This can work if you struggle with clarity or style with your writing. “Summarize this.” This one can work when you receive a binder full of information. “Create an agenda.” Give ChatGPT a raw collection of info a...

Dan Stine is Director of Design Technology at Lake|Flato Architects. You could also say he wrote the book on architecture–or at least the top-selling textbook on Revit. As if that weren’t enough, he teaches graduate architecture classes and is active with Committee on the Environment (COTE). We start out with a brief overview of Dan’s work with COTE. Then we ask Dan to share about some of the tech...

Micah Piippo has worked at Google, at a shipyard, and at a plutonium-processing facility. Now he’s a schedule and integration manager with Intel. He helps deliver projects on time. Micah describes the plutonium facility: “It felt like a James Bond lair.” (By the way, Dr. Brown does, indeed, pronounce gigawats as “jigawatts. ” That movie was filmed before we all became familiar with the prefix giga...

It’s a problem–a very common one. When you’re trying to be consistent with just about anything, burnout on some level is likely to occur sooner or later. It takes a toll. Tyler acknowledges that he’s experiencing a good deal of creative burnout at the moment. Eddie has felt it in the past too. So, we discuss ways to fight it. Talk through it with someone. There’s a good chance that the people clos...

Today we welcome Fouad Khalil to the show. Fouad calls himself a reformed architect. About three years ago he eased into offsite construction and founded Modly, a modular construction consultancy that provides the building and real estate sector with market research, feasibility analysis and advisory services. His focus is on helping owners and construction companies integrate manufacturing proces...

A question: Do you see yourself as the only competent one in your world? Are you able to hand things off to team members? It can be a hard mindset to release because it can feel so risky. Taking ownership is a good thing, but check yourself. Is there some arrogance there? Eddie says that “Gram” used to say, “If you want to know what kind of difference you’re going to leave when you’re gone, stick...

Terry Dussault is President of Yellowknife Consulting Services in Huntington Beach, California. His focus is conducting incident investigations and promoting safety programs. Many of the projects that require Terry’s attention involve waste-cleanup and pollution abatement. These sites often contain lots of piping and pumps, which means lots of ways workers can get hurt. (Tyler asks if scuba gear i...

Well. It’s debatable.  What is the best day for project deadlines? Eddie thinks it’s Tuesday. For a long time, he thought it should be Friday, which makes sense in your head. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t usually operate in accordance with the vision in your head. Monday (according to Eddie’s work rhythm) is a very productive day, but it’s also a day that is overweighted with managerial duties....

Tom Yeshurun joins us today from San Francisco. Tom is Founder and CEO of Civ Robotics, a company that automates construction layout. Their robots drive themselves around a site and locate points by paint or laser so they can be marked by their human operators. Tom shares the names of a few of the robots they currently have operating: Betty, Ugly, and Joey… No #5 yet . Regardless of the name, each...

Even if you’ve never been in the military or marched with a band, you’ve heard the pace-setting rhythm of a drum beat or the chanting troops.  Projects have a rhythm too. Each project has a unique feel. If you want to be a productive contributor to a project, you need to sense that cadence.  Know when to enter with your information–when to bring your concern to the table. You can’t just throw it o...

Elon and an increasingly-ripped Zuckerberg in a cage match. And Threads. That’s where we start today’s conversation. But then we move on.    Today we're talking to Jacob D'Albora. Jacob is Director of Digital Building Operations at VIATechnik, LLC. His job is to serve as an owner’s representative in regard to digital plans and related VDC data.   Jacob says that he has seen owners who had to recre...

Eddie’s been thinking about our episode with Patrick Fernbach . Specifically, he’s thinking about the discussion we had about small changes.  Sometimes you get several steps into a project and discover that things just aren’t looking right.  Tyler recalls an experience that he encountered pretty regularly when he was still doing steel detailing. Someone would call to explain that one tiny thing ne...

We love interviewing authors, and today we have a great one. Henry Nutt III started in the industry when he was 19 years old. He worked as general superintendent for 34 years. Henry has been with Southland Industry for 15 years, where he currently works as Pre-construction Executive.  All of this experience makes him eminently qualified to share some advice about building strong teams.  Henry spen...

You know what we have to say about your positivity?  NO! Actually, today we’re talking about how this word can be a way to be positive.  Eddie explains that your nos are more positive than your yeses.  Both yeses and nos come in seasons. Tyler explains that he and the family are headed into a season of nos.  We discuss the feelings that come along with a good, solid no. Although there might be som...

We open today with a discussion about the latest epidemic in the US. Yes, we’re talking about the epidemic of pickleball-related injuries. Here’s the story in Bloomberg .   Then we move on to a topic that John Roach brought to Eddie’s attention recently. It’s all about architects and the pricing of their services.    It all goes back to the Sherman Anti-trust Act , which was enacted in 1890 to add...

We start out today with a little Chicken N Pickle talk and some eye rolling about Tyler’s $150 pickleball paddle.   Then we move on to content most of you will find more substantial. Patrick Fernbach, our guest today, is Director of Mechanical Engineering at KLH Engineers in Kentucky.    Tyler asks Patrick what grinds his gears when it comes to the construction industry. Patrick discusses the fact...

Sometimes things get away from you. Today we discuss the ways we reduce the number of things that get away from us.    Eddie introduces the idea of a barricade.   His primary barricade for excessive scrolling or social media usage? Use a browser-based version that is clunky enough that he doesn’t want to keep staring at it.    We discuss the relentless attention suck that social media is for us an...

(Note regarding intro: The film festival in France is actually pronounced “Can .” The “S” is silent, unlike Tyler.)    We start out today with Tyler’s church-league softball story and his related megaphone message: If you’re 6’2” and 260 pounds, don’t combine dehydration and intermittent fasting with an effort to prove yourself on the field.    Then, on to the substance of today’s episode. Fair wa...

Nobody likes a parasite. (Well, maybe Kelly Kapoor ) When was the last time you asked yourself about parasites in your life?  We’re not talking about people. We’re talking about habits.  Maybe alcohol? Maybe social media (for sure social media)?  Maybe there are some activities that simply trigger anxiety for you but somehow still suck you back in.  Identify those and be ready for us to talk next...