The Real Build

In this episode of The Real Build, I sat down with Patrick Bolanos, owner of Trailer King Builders in Houston, Texas.  Patrick is the proud co-owner of a thriving food truck building company and the supporter of not only his own four children but also kids in his native country of Nicaragua, where he founded a baseball academy. Patrick's goal in life was to make an impact, especially in the l...

In this episode of The Real Build, I sat down with Kyle Vander Linden of W&N Development.  Kyle was the first concrete contractor Ive had on the podcast.  I was excited to have him on and talk about his process and how important it is within every construction project. W&N Development was initially established as a secondary company to Midway Homes.  Kyles's parents Wayne an...

This episode of The Real Build features entrepreneur, consultant, author, podcaster, and influencer Brian Hess.  I was excited to have Brian on the show because he is doing some big things in the construction industry. Brian is currently serving as President/CEO of The Pavement Group, where they offer full-service pavement installation, maintenance, and repair solutions to residential and com...

In this episode of The Real Build, I wanted to update you on the state of the building industry.  These statistics were taken from the National Association of Home Builders and what I have heard from other builders around the country. A report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) finds the housing market needs to build at least 5.5 million new single-family and multi-family homes j...

In this episode of The Real Build, I had the opportunity to sit down with Leadership, mindset, and business coach Adam Hiltner.  Adam and I discussed topics like customer service, why listening more to clients is so important, and leadership strategies in the Construction business. Adam is a Marine Corps Veteran with proven leadership skills and a passion for small businesses that focus on th...

In this episode of The Real Build, I got the opportunity to talk with Kyle Larmey of Moore Lending Group.  I wanted to have Kyle on the show because he is an up-and-coming mortgage lender that has done big things with his business in just a short two-year period.  Kyle stood out to me on social media with his consistent content educating people about homeownership.  We also talked a...

In this episode of The Real Build, I continue my series on What to do when building a custom home.  In this episode, I cover what to look out for after the build.  Here are the topics I cover: Final walk-through – Important info is given for contacts. Follow up with final punch list items. The owner will move in, and things start happening.  A quick response is necessary. A direct b...

In this episode of The Real Build, I continue my series on What to do when building a custom home.  In this episode, I cover what to look out for during the build.  Here are the topics I cover. When the contractor gets the Notice of Commencement – this is the start of the clock or build time frame. The builder must set the expectation of when things will happen and how long the build wil...

In this episode of The Real Build, I had the privilege of sitting down with commercial contractor Sunny Pinhero, the owner of Pinhero Construction. Sunny is a friend of mine and a fellow member of the Arete Syndicate who has completed over 400 commercial, retail, restaurant, and office scope projects. He owns and operates all aspects of Pinhero Construction, Inc., tapping into decades of experienc...

One of the very first steps to building a custom home is Architecture.  Hiring the right architect to design your homes is as crucial as hiring the right builder.  The architect is creating not just your home's footprint but also how the home will operate.  The more detail on a set of architectural plans, the beet.  This will help the build process run a lot smoother.   In...

In this episode of The Real Build, I got the opportunity to have on Top Contractor coach Tom Reber.  Tom and I had an in-depth conversation about the things contractors should be doing to deliver a better experience to clients.  If you are someone looking to build a home, this is a must listen to episode! Over the past several years, Tom and his team have helped 1000’s of home improvemen...

In this episode of The Real Build, I wanted to discuss what a customer should do when building a custom home.  This will be a three-part series highlighting before, during, and after a build and what customers need to do.  In this episode, I cover before the build.  Some topics I cover are the following. Financing - Must get this lined up - takes time - Plans - contract - Get initia...

Welcome to another amazing episode of The Real Build.  In this episode, I got the opportunity to sit down with a roofing power couple Joel and Laura Patzke, owners of Trueworks Roofing.  We talked about everything you need to know about roofing.  We also discussed how Joel and Laura have been having great success in the roofing industry after starting their company not too long ago....

In this episode of The Real Build, I got the privilege to feature Robert Kennedy III.  Robert is a leadership communication expert, international keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and best-selling author. Robert was a real estate professional at one point in his life, and he always knew the best approach to helping clients with homes was through excellent communication. Robert says that mos...

In this episode of The Real Build, I got to have a long-time friend Cason Parker on the show.  Cason and I went to college together at The University of South Florida and have been friends ever since.  I was excited when Cason asked me to come on my show because Cason is a financial advisor.  With many shifts in the financial world and government happening, I had to have Cason on.&n...

In this episode of The Real Build, I spoke with Ben Beard, owner of Red Cliff Homes.  Ben is a production home builder in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  He specializes in homes that exceed client's expectations without exceeding their budget.  Ben is also committed to bringing technical education to Las Cruces high schools. Red Cliff Homes seeks to bring technical education to young peopl...

In this episode of The Real Build, I wanted to cover a huge topic in the construction industry: Material Increases. Demand is high, but supply is low. Construction material prices have risen so sharply in 2021 that the Associated General Contractors of America issued a rare Construction Inflation Alert. A move the group hasn't taken since 2008, citing a 12.8% jump of input costs for projects since...

In this episode of The Real Build, I got the opportunity to speak with Sean Cahan, owner of Cornerstone First Mortgage.  Sean and I discussed a lot of essential topics within the Mortgage industry.  We mainly focused on critical points like best mortgages to get, interest rates, mortgage insurance, and refinancing.  Sean is the President of Cornerstone First Mortgage and brings over...

In this episode of The Real Build, I got the opportunity to sit down with Joe Meares, part-owner of KayJay Consulting.  Joe and I talked about real estate and all about the proper ways to invest and get started buying your first property.   Joe Meares is a Real Estate entrepreneur with hands-on experience as an investor, capital raiser, and coach. Beginning with baseball cards at age 6,...

In this episode of The Real Build, I had the opportunity to speak with real estate professional Liza Florida.  I was excited to have Liza on the show because Liza specializes in residential real estate, specialized assets, distressed properties (Short Sale, Pre-Foreclosure and Foreclosure), and mortgage lending.  The real estate market is on fire right now.  We are seeing low invent...

Fire Protection Should Be Top Priority In Every Construction Project - With Gus Gagliardi Fire Protection Engineer In this episode of The Real Build, we discuss one of the most important topics yet when it comes to construction: fire safety.  Most often, people don't think about fire safety too much when building a home.  There are many factors for proper fire safety in commercial and mu...

In this episode of The Real Build, I sat down with Phil Ma, the owner of Vamos Group in Canberra, Australia.  Phil in I talked about many topics our customers and we face in the building industry. There are a lot of similarities between construction in the US and Australia. Phil started his construction career in 2008 while working on the start of what is now known as the New Acton precinct i...

In this episode of The Real Build, I wanted to touch on a topic that came to my mind this past week dealing with potential clients.  Demand is very high right now for new construction.  With so much demand, many builders are taking on way too much work than they can handle.  I see this in my local market, and I am sure it is happening in other places.  It's about how builders a...

In this episode, I got to have a conversation with Mari Madrigal.  Mari is the owner of Foremost Improvements.  Mari's story is impressive.  Coming to America from Panama.  She got into construction after getting married and fell in love with it.  She loved every aspect of the industry and wanted to learn as much as she could.  She would spend many of her days talking...

In this episode of The Real Build, I wanted to hit on a topic that I face daily—fixed cost projects versus cost-plus projects.  We, as custom builders, prefer cost plus.  But there are many people that question it.  I wanted to explain a few pros and cons to both cost-plus and fixed cost pricing. What are they? Cost Plus Contracts the contractor estimates the base cost of the projec...