The Good Builder Podcast

The TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report is out now. Sixty-plus pages of real data — no spin, no government talking points, no marketing fluff. But data is only useful if you know how to put it to work. In today's Daily Dose, Az walks through five practical ways builders can use the report right now — from pricing jobs in a cost environment being shaped by the Strait of Hormuz disruption...

Today's guest is John Davis, Director of MMC Modular and creator of ModFloor, a light gauge steel chassis system that is changing the way modular buildings are designed, manufactured, and transported across Australia and internationally. John's story spans Darwin in 1974, residential building in Queensland, a successful expansion into New Zealand, and launching a light gauge steel framing company...

Az sits down with Drew and Sean from Increase Construction and what starts as a conversation about AI quickly turns into one of the most eye-opening episodes the show has done. These two aren't talking about AI. They're doing it. Live. On camera. In this episode, Az gets a behind-the-scenes look at the AI agent system Increase Construction has built. One that replaces the equivalent of $1.5 millio...

If you don't know your numbers, you're flying blind. That's the reality Josh Pierpoint has seen up close across 15 years in the industry, and across 56 builders in just the last 12 months through his business, Elevate Estimate. In this episode, Az sits down with Josh for an honest conversation about what's really going wrong in building businesses right now. They talk about the wave of fuel levies...

The Strait of Hormuz is 8,000 kilometres from Australia. Right now, it's hitting your build costs — and most of the commentary out there isn't telling builders what they actually need to know. In today's episode Az breaks down the Iran conflict and what it means for your supply chain in plain terms — which materials carry the most risk right now, why engineered wood and standard pine framing are t...

This one's a bit different — and a bit special. Az sits down with Vicki Cooper from Tamworth Property Co, who also happens to be his mother-in-law. With nearly 30 years in real estate across Queensland and New South Wales, Vicki brings real insight into what's driving regional growth in one of Australia's most active inland markets. Tamworth is moving. Commercial, industrial, residential — the dev...

Before the TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report drops, Az puts you to the test. This episode is a pop quiz built from real data inside the report — land prices, shrinking blocks, customer sentiment, and the one factor that determines a five-star review more than anything else. No headlines today. Just some numbers that genuinely surprised us when we were putting the report together. Have...

In this episode, Az breaks down the TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report — a 30-plus page document built from publicly available data across the ABS, ASIC, RBA, Master Builders, HIA, QBCC, Infrastructure Australia and more, including over 97,000 customer reviews analysed. This isn't opinion. It's the facts of what's happening across the Australian building industry, pulled together in pl...

Five things every builder needs on their radar this week, from a $500 giveaway to diesel prices, fixed-price contract exposure, a major industry health report, and a night out for a great cause. What we cover: The Pointsbuild shoutout and how to enter our $500 Mitre 10 giveaway before 26 April The Iran conflict, the Strait of Hormuz, and why diesel is up 67% since early March Why PVC, concrete, st...

Your weekly construction industry news wrap. Five stories that matter for builders and trades this week. This week: The Federal Government appoints Australia's first Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator as diesel supply chains come under pressure. Why the smartest builders are treating everyday site work as high-trust marketing. Goop Guys and the rise of low-risk specialist franchises expanding acros...

Most builders think they lose work on price. The reality is, they're losing work before the conversation even starts. In this episode, Az shares a story from inside the industry, a lead response audit he ran in 2018 while working within a national home building franchise. Real enquiries were submitted to some of Australia's biggest residential builders, and the response times were tracked from the...

Everyone is talking about AI right now. Most of them are trying to sell you something. Drew and Sean from Increase Construction are not. They went quiet, leaned in hard, and built something real.  A team of AI agents running inside their business. A general manager. A marketing manager. Operations. Sales. Each one with a name, a role, and a job to do. They deliberately stalled hiring staff for ove...

Bricklaying is a dying breed. That is the reality. But Damian and Tara are doing something about it. In this episode, Az sits down with the husband and wife team behind DA Bricklaying and DAT Tools, two businesses built from the ground up with no shortcuts, no outside funding, and no corporate playbook. Damian has been laying bricks for 27 years. Tara has been right beside him through all of it. T...

The Good Builder Directory is live. In this episode, Az walks through what it is, why it was built, and what it means for builders, trades, and suppliers who care about who they do business with. This isn't another listing site. It's a curated space built around reputation, trust, and the same standards The Good Builder has always stood for. Early members get the best positioning, and right now, t...

Four big stories. One theme. Pressure, coming from every direction. This week on Tuesday Headlines, Aaron breaks down what's happening across the global and local construction landscape, and why builders who aren't paying attention right now could get caught short. What we cover: US-Iran conflict and your build costs — Oil prices have surged 12–20% in a short window. Fuel isn't the only exposure....

Most builders say the same thing about content. They don't know what to post, they don't think their work is interesting enough, and they don't have the time. This episode flips that thinking completely. Az breaks down why builders aren't short on content — they're short on awareness. If you're on site every day solving problems, holding standards, and making decisions, you're already sitting on m...

Most builders have never thought about putting their frame in a client conversation. Christine Briggs thinks that's a missed opportunity — and she's built a career proving it. Christine is the driving force behind WoodSolutions' national timber campaign, a consultant with 35 years in the timber and forestry industry, and one of the most genuinely industry-focused people you'll meet. She sits on mu...

Bec Askin didn't plan to be in construction. It just became her life. And then she made it her own. In this episode, I sit down with Bec from Adapt Modular (a division of Campbell Construction Co.) to talk about her 25 years in the industry, studying for her QBCC licence while raising two kids solo during COVID, and why she's now heading up a modular building division doing work that genuinely mat...

You've heard it before...builders burning out, running the business solo, quoting at night and doing payroll on weekends. But when it comes to getting support, most builders don't know what it actually costs. This episode fixes that. Az is joined again by Anisha and Nayan from Scale Up Smart — and this time, it's all about price. What does it cost to outsource estimating, project management, admin...

It's Tuesday and the headlines are rolling. This week's Daily Dose covers five stories that matter to builders right now — from a geopolitical conflict that could hit your build costs, to a WA land release tying housing directly to major resource projects, to one of Queensland's fastest-growing builders revealing the mindset behind their 4.9-star sales system. Powered by MyConstruct. What we cover...

Dan Urquhart from 1000 Feet Deep is back on the couch...and this one gets real fast. Dan knows what it looks like when a building business starts to crack under the weight of its own success. He lived it. And now he helps builders understand the foundations they need before the cracks appear…not after. In this episode, Az and Dan get into why success can actually be the most dangerous thing for a...

In this episode, Az sits down with James Renshaw and Jason Shedden from the Bellevue Group Australasia — the team behind VuTrade, an Australian timber connector manufacturer with over 35 years in the building industry. This one's less about product specs and more about the philosophy behind doing things properly. James and Jason talk about what it means to actually listen to builders, why they onl...

Gregg Somerville is the General Manager of Stonewood Homes, a franchise builder with roots going back to 1987 and a growing presence across Queensland. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Gregg to unpack what a franchise model actually gives a builder that going it alone can't. The conversation covers the Homeye system that lets builders price and customise homes in real time, why the best build...

In this episode, I sit down with two blokes who know exactly what it takes to build a business that lasts, Jake from MyConstruct, one of Australia's leading construction management platforms, and Sean Hewitt, franchisee of Stonewood Homes on the Sunshine Coast. This one goes deep. We talk about what actually holds builders back when they try to scale...and it's rarely about skill. It's about syste...

Your weekly construction industry news wrap — five stories that matter for builders and trades. This week: DCOH acquires Melbourne's Unlimited Commercial Constructions in a major national expansion; new Queensland land clearing rules that could delay your projects; DARE Property Group starts construction on a $1.3M+ Fitzroy boutique apartment project; Bunnings enters the flat-pack modular market;...