Modern Craftsman

Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Musgrave Pencil is a 100-year-old American-made pencil company out of Shelbyville, Tennessee. We learn about the craftsmanship and entrepreneurship behind their custom pencil business.  We also gain insight into the 3 billion dollar pencil industry that is actually growing.  The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Guest:  Musgrave...

Tyler Grace gives an update on his current job, which he is finding frustrating due to issues with the cabinetry. He emphasizes the importance of owning up to mistakes and fixing them properly, rather than offering half-measure solutions or hiding them.   SPONSORED BY: Kuiken Brothers Residential & Commercial Building Materials (NJ & NY) Featuring: Andersen Windows & Doors If you have a project in...

Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: No guest, Nick and Tyler discuss the challenges of running a construction business, including high employee turnover and unrealistic expectations from potential hires. They compare building a business to training as a professional athlete, requiring relentless dedication over many years. The conversation touches on setting clear expectations, effective ma...

Tyler Grace talks about his simple and free Gantt chart scheduling process. He explains how he creates the chart in Excel / Google Sheets with color-coded tasks and time estimates to track progress over the life of a project. Tyler also provides tips on using the chart as a flexible tool rather than rigidly adhering to dates. SPONSORED BY: Kuiken Brothers Residential & Commercial Building Material...

Tyler discusses how he establishes and maintains schedules for remodeling projects. He creates a detailed scope of work and communicates regularly with customers to assess progress and make adjustments to the schedule, budget, or scope as needed to meet priorities. SPONSORED BY: Kuiken Brothers Residential & Commercial Building Materials (NJ & NY) Featuring: Andersen Windows & Doors If you have a...

Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Jeremy Kassel based in Albany New York discusses how he balances quality and affordability for his customers by coming up with innovative solutions to problems. He also discusses the classes he teaches at JLC Live about coordinating trades and the order of the construction process. Tune in for a good one! The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpod...

Thank you to our sponsor: Kuiken Brothers Andersen Windows & Doors   Tyler shares his business philosophy of transparency in construction projects. He emphasizes creating detailed budgets, scopes of work, and schedules to track costs.  He also talks about his approach to reducing stress allowing him to have honest conversations with his customers.    The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsman...

Nick and Tyler are joined by Spencer Powell this week to discuss how a proper marketing strategy can help your business grow. Spencer has found his niche in residential remodeling and custom building companies and describes why that market works for him. In an industry that has previously relied on word of mouth referrals for new leads, Spencer shares why adopting newer marketing techniques can br...

Tyler is back this week with advice for starting your own business and sharing what the first initial years of his business journey looked like. He includes what pushed him to make the first move to start up, and what helped him find his stride. Starting a company takes time, hard work and sacrifice, but Tyler let's us in on how he made his start more physically and emotionally manageable. Whateve...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Jeff Sweenor returns 230 episodes later... He discusses the legacy of Sweenor Builders and the importance of building a team with strong core values. Jeff gets into building science and establishing expectations with clients upright, especially since Sweenor Homes are built to last with higher end material. Check out the episode for more! Th...

Tyler updates us on his recent project and how the renovation is going. He takes a trip down memory lane after not having done a plaster/drywall repair for a while, and how he is currently going about it. If you've followed along, you know this renovation project hasn't gone exactly to plan, so tune in to hear how Tyler is moving forward and staying positive!  Thank you to our sponsor: https://www...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Mike Guertin joins the show after five years to share how his life has changed and to talk building science with Tyler and Nick. With years of experience, Mike shares how he maintains his credibility in the field and if he will ever stop building. Check out the episode to find out! The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find...

Tyler opens up about his recent bout with anxiety and how he is learning to get through the hardest points of it. Tune in to hear how anxiety has contributed to the person he is today, and how he manages it.  The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Host:  Tyler Grace   Podcast Produced By: Motif Media Music: "Dessert" by  Nate Gusakov

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Al Hamed, president of Hamed Homes, joins Nick and Tyler to talk everything from his journey into building to fitness. Al is a man with a plan, and stresses the importance of having one. Whether this be an outine for the project timeline or a plan to manage and offset costs, it is important to think things through. This can helps bring struc...

Join Tyler this week for a personal catch up as he gets back to work after his family vacation to the Cape. Tune in as he shares his adventures and how he gets over the anxiety that comes with being away from the grind for a week. Check out the episode to see how he gets back to business! The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Host:  Tyler Grace   Podcast Produced By: Moti...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Jordan joins the show again after five years for a one-on-one discussion with Tyler. Jordan details his experience leaving MT Copeland and going back to his own building business. He shares with Tyler and our audience advice on content partnerships based on his experiences. They also address the challenges of making educational content profi...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Josh Salinger discusses his approach to designing and building high-performance homes that are durable, healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient. The guys debate strategies for growing a construction business while maintaining quality and employee satisfaction. The conversation also touches on training builders, integrating design and cons...

This week, Tyler shares how he keeps the relationship with his subs good and honest. He discusses the similarities and differences between how he manages co-workers he has history with and his newer hires. Tune in to the episode for how Tyler keeps it fair and forthright when assessing subs. The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Host:  Tyler Grace   Podcast Produced By: M...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Nick and Tyler speak with Sarah Schultz about her branding and marketing agency Free Afternoon and her blog Hey Sarah Schultz. Sarah discusses her journey as an entrepreneur and advice for other business owners, including the importance of building a strong brand. She also talks about her podcast The Refund which aims to empower women busine...

Tyler shares his story starting his own remodeling company, and what he has learned along the way. From managing renovation projects to overseeing subcontractors, Tyler provides advice and recommendations for the initial start of you company to find a successful work flow. He also speaks on when to subcontract work versus self-performing tasks, and the pros and cons of taking on work yourself. Tun...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Bryan Uhler, VP of Pioneer Builders, talks spec home building and the importance of building to code. As the person behind his own bookkeeping, Bryan shares how they utilze strategies to maximize profit and how you can too. Check out the episode to improve your cost efficiency and see how Bryan runs his business!  The Modern Craftsman: linkt...

Tyler answers a viewer email this week asking about business growth, and where to start. Tyler shares his experience of what works for him, and what to look out for when scaling up. Tune in for ways to sustainably and realistically grow your business! The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Host:  Tyler Grace   Podcast Produced By: Motif Media Music: "Dessert" by  Nate Gusa...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Bob Kelly, owner, GC and inventor at WickRight Inc. shares the systems that he's creating with his team. Specifially vapor release systems for flat roof details, and ways to improve our current adopted methods. Bob talks about what he is learning at building science summer camp and how we have come to the methods our present system uses. Wit...

Tyler walks through his processes with inspections and how his mindset has shifted towards them. Viewing them as a peer versus a road block changes that interaction and dynamic, but there is a lot of work to do to get there. Check out the episode to hear how we can make those changes.  The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Host:  Tyler Grace   Podcast Produced By: Motif M...

Our Partners: Andersen Windows Buildertrend The Episode: Jason Bent shares how he's turned his love of wood working into his livelihood and ways to pursue your craft. After recently cutting back his time making custom furniture to focus on creating content, Jason strives to help his audience diversify their income and become better craftsman. The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast...