The Construction Life

In this episode, Tim Khalimov of Ravineview Construction shares his insights on managing sub-trades and clients in the construction industry. He discusses his selection process for sub-trades, how he handles delays, and his thoughts on contractors who give the industry a bad reputation. We also talk about taking design risks in cottage construction, uncredited trades in social media posts, and lea...

Here we are, the last show of 2022, we have been fortunate enough to record 141 new shows and we posted 109 shows. Expect those numbers to increase for 2023. For our last show we have a very special episode, and this one show will tug at your hearts, it was a difficult one to record and I had no idea what Taha was going to share. There are many lessons in this one show, and I thank Taha for streng...

Bamboo as a Building Material with Brett Kelly of MOSO North America" In this episode, Brett Kelly of MOSO North America joins us to discuss the benefits of using bamboo as a building material. Brett talks about MOSO's partnership with GRAD and the impressive work they've done with bamboo, including in airports. Learn about the advantages of bamboo over lumber and see examples of MOSO's creative w...

Constructing Our Best Lives in 2023 with Mandy Ross" In this episode, life cheerleader Mandy Ross joins us to talk about how to construct our best lives in 2023. Mandy shares tips on how to raise our standards, prioritize ourselves, and take inventory of our lives. She also discusses the importance of having a positive outlook and returning to our inner child, as well as how to stop ourselves from...

All About Tiling with Sebino Bove of Tile Install Plus Inc." In this episode, Sebino Bove of Tile Install Plus Inc. joins us to discuss all things tiling. The show starts with a discussion about the lack of knowledge among renovation actors and the influx of "tilers" when clips became available. Sebino shares his thoughts on various products, including liners, epoxy, and dustless mortar. He also t...

Roofing with Surg and Peter of Home Star Roofing" In this episode, Surg and Peter of Home Star Roofing join us to talk about the challenges and intricacies of roofing. They discuss different types of roofs and why there can be such a wide range of prices offered by different companies. The show also touches on the importance of avoiding overexertion and the age-old question of why there isn't an i...

Gripes with the Construction Industry with Aaron Vehkala and Surge Lappaire" In this episode, Aaron Vehkala of Futurescapes Landscaping and Surge of Complete Home Services join us to talk about the frustrations and challenges of working in the construction industry. Topics of discussion include the prevalence of cheap jobs for rentals, "fuck it" tradespeople, and the pressure to present well on so...

Brick and Masonry with Stacey Altayebi of Tri-County Brick" In this episode, Stacey Altayebi of Tri-County Brick joins us to talk about her experience as a distributor of brick and masonry products. Stacey shares her perspective as a woman in a male-dominated industry and discusses what motivates her to work long hours. We also delve into the history of brick, the current portland cement shortage,...

Business Conversations with Kim Piller of Sandler Sales Training" In this episode, we welcome Kim Piller of Sandler Sales Training to talk about the art of having effective business conversations. Kim shares his insights on questioning techniques, making connections with clients, and the pros and cons of selling to people. He also discusses the persistence and understanding required to win over ne...

In this episode of The Construction Life Podcast, we are joined by Jeff Kutas of MB Sentinel to discuss package theft and the parcel safe product offered by his company. Jeff shares his experience of losing a brick-and-mortar retail business to the rise of online shopping, and how this inspired him to develop a solution for the increasing issue of package theft. We delve into the features of the M...

Andrew Prete of Carpenter on Site Inc. and Gabriel DiVito of Zinnia Place Trim Carpenter join us to talk about trim carpentry. We discuss how trim carpenters are underpaid, the short lists of builders they gather to deal with that, and apprenticeship lessons. This show is comprehensive on the ins and outs of trim carpentry, with how to cut sharp corners, poplar versus MDF, tools, glues, rounds and...

Jarret of Pacific Wild General Contracting Services and his wife Candace join us to talk about horror clients and being married to a tradesperson. Jarret shares stories about the bad clients he's had to deal with, and Candace tells us about how bringing work home can affect the family. We also discuss clients threatening bad social media posts, boasting about the cheapest reno, Candace's impressiv...

Brian DesChamps of DC Improvements joins us to talk about politicians, shitty tradespeople, and the industry at large. We discuss the issue with clients choosing the cheapest options, business owners not being accountable for their poor quality tradespeople, and learning hard lessons. Brian has lots of stories about the lessons he's learned, and he introduces the product he's come up with to help...

Dave Settlemyer of LS Underground joins us to talk about outdoor living spaces and decks. He talks about working outdoors, issues with supplies, lumber shrinkage, and trends. He shares how he uses 3D modelling to show his designs to his clients, and what his designs might cost a client. The show wraps up talking about building details like fasteners, joists, pedestals, and new lighting tech. Hear...

Simon Breslar and Azam Khan of Trax Codes join us to discuss their Trax app, the google for building codes. Gone are the days of carrying around massive books of code. Simon and Azam tell us about how Trax Codes helps builders and inspectors alike search through provincial and national building codes easily. They talk about their plans for future features and show us exactly how Trax Codes works....

Coralee Beatty of Thrive HQ joins us to talk about coaching women in the industry and how to build a better business. We discuss business coaching and the differences between men and women in the industry. Coralee offers helpful tips on everything from setting end goals to being vulnerable to learning from difficult situations. Come hear how to build yourself as well as your business on this episo...

Hans Eich joins us to talk about building better, not faster. We open up the show with Bill 23's issues and how rushed jobs create low-quality homes. Hans explains how we have to slow down to change the industry's problem with quality. He advocates for prefabrication and education on green building, to build passive homes at the same cost. Get educated on the issues with Canadian construction on t...

Luke Hansen of CompanyCam joins us to talk about visual communication and their app, CompanyCam. Luke walks us through how the app came into being, the importance of organization, and how valuable job site photos can be. He discusses making tech for tradespeople, and what they did to make an easy-to-use app. Manny asks Luke the questions tradespeople are asking about his product, so tune into this...

On this 300th episode of the Construction Life Podcast, Gary from @marescarpentry and Carrie from @mysticalca talk about something that has affected so many of us: cancer. Come listen to their story of hardship and perseverance, going from having 6 months to live, to beating all odds and getting the chance to have a family. Thank you for sharing such a personal story and thank you to everyone that...

Monique of AMA Roofing Supplies joins us to talk about running a mom-and-pop and staffing issues. She tells us how both shingles and tradespeople have changed over the decades, for better and worse. We also cover recession concerns and just how much prices have increased. Monique also explains her gripes with insurance making it too hard to hire drivers, and shares an interesting tidbit about home...

Richard Eipl of RETile & Finishes joins us to talk tiling. To start, Richard talks to us about his past in welding and the health risks that made him leave. Richard has some strong opinions about everything from clips to thin-set to blades to grout. For everything you need to know about climatizing tile, working on century homes, thin-set setting temperature, tiling on ceilings, priming and ep...

Clint Young of Fieldstone General Contracting joins us to talk about subcontractors, pricing and tiling. We discuss how tradespeople can balance rising material prices with making a profit without selling themselves out of a job. That leads to Clint's three-strike rule with subcontractors and the importance of building relationships. We also get into tiling gripes, and educating clients about mate...

David Paraguirre of the Mexican Carpenter joins us to talk about carpentry, construction and passion. He has a lot to say about many aspects of the industry, including whether tradespeople make enough money, whether they will be able to charge more due to the labour shortage, and whether the construction stigma is changing in younger people. We also talk about family, language and being passionate...

Agnes of NextGen Professional joins us to talk about women in construction and getting people into the trades. She tells us about what NextGen does to connect clients to employers and train "paper" skills, just how bad the labour shortage really is, and the importance of recognizing the skills immigrants bring to the workforce. After banging her head against the wall with the government, Agnes des...

Ken Morgan of Kenneth Morgan Group joins us for an inspirational conversation about building up from the bottom. He explains his story of starting as a street kid and working hard through adversity. He believes in chasing passion, not money, and in two years he now has over 60 employees in a handful of companies. Learn from a man whose mindset makes sure he always gets paid on this episode of The...