The Good Builder Podcast

AI can help builders produce estimates faster than ever. But when your margins, cash flow and reputation are on the line, who's checking the numbers? Recorded live from the TPB Summit, Az sits down with Haydn, founder of Price A Plan, for a conversation about the future of construction estimating, the growing influence of AI and why experienced people still matter. Haydn didn't set out to build an estimating business. After an operation left him unable to return to the tools for nine months, he started helping other builders with their quotes. Eighteen years later, Price A Plan supports more than 500 builders annually, employs 32 people and has accumulated approximately $6 billion in project history. And while Haydn is investing heavily in AI, he's taking a different approach to businesses looking to replace people with technology. His view is that faster estimating actually creates a greater need for experienced eyes and proper quality control. In this episode, we get into: The risks of relying on AI-generated estimates without experienced oversight. Why getting your estimating right is about more than winning the job. How Price A Plan uses $6 billion in project history to support cost forecasting. The importance of qualifying clients before spending hours preparing detailed quotes. When builders should consider outsourcing their estimating. How AI can improve productivity without sacrificing accuracy or relationships. Why Haydn would spend his first $1,000 on improving his sales process rather than advertising. The surprising quality Haydn believes makes a genuinely good builder: empathy. There's plenty of honest conversation about AI, including the pressure to keep up, the risk of handing over too much control and the importance of remembering what actually makes a building business work. Because at the end of the day, technology might help you produce an estimate, but someone still needs to stand behind the numbers. Another great conversation from the TPB Summit, bringing together the people, ideas and experiences shaping the Australian residential building industry. Proudly sponsored by The PULSE from Australian Building Research. The PULSE helps builders track the customer experience throughout the build, identify issues early and act before they become bigger problems. Discover The PULSE and book a walkthrough: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/the-pulse-cep The Good Builder Podcast. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. #TheGoodBuilder #TPBSummit #PriceAPlan #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionEstimating #AIinConstruction #BuildingBusiness

We're taking The Good Builder Podcast on the road. In this special series recorded at The Professional Builder Summit, Az sits down with builders from across Australia for honest, unscripted conversations about running a building business, the challenges they're facing and what they're learning along the way. No presentations or rehearsed answers. Just real conversations with the people doing the work. In this episode, Az meets Leithen, Jordan and Ange from Brisbane-based Baihn Construction. What starts with a fairly hilarious introduction quickly turns into a conversation about AI, marketing, customer relationships and what makes a good builder. The team shares how they've introduced AI-generated renders into their quoting process, helping homeowners visualise renovations before committing to a project. At one point, they were converting every quote they presented. They also discuss why authentic marketing works for their business, how they've become more selective about the clients they take on, and why communication and transparency remain central to delivering a good building experience. It's a conversation full of laughs, but there's plenty for other builders to take away too. About the series The Good Builder at TPB is a special series recorded at The Professional Builder Summit, bringing together the experiences, ideas and perspectives of builders who are actively working to improve their businesses. From technology and systems to people, profitability and the realities of running a construction company, we're sharing conversations that don't always happen on the main stage. A big thank you to The Professional Builder for bringing the building community together, and to Leithen, Jordan and Ange for being so generous with their time and experiences. The Good Builder Podcast. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. Australian Building Research Independent research and industry intelligence focused on understanding the Australian residential construction industry through real data, builder insights and customer experiences. Website: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/ The Pulse Helping builders better understand the customer experience through independent feedback and research gathered throughout the building journey. Website: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/ The Professional Builder Helping residential builders build stronger, more profitable businesses through coaching, practical systems and a community of builders learning from one another. Website: https://theprofessionalbuilder.com/ Thank you to our sponsors and partners for supporting these conversations and their ongoing contribution to the Australian building industry. #TheGoodBuilder #TheProfessionalBuilder #TPBSummit #BaihnConstruction #AustralianBuilders #BuildingBusiness #AIinConstruction #TheGoodBuilderPodcast

Sydney home values are falling, but the NSW Government is pushing ahead with faster housing approvals and new measures to get projects off the ground. In this Monday edition of The Good Builder Podcast, Az is heading to Sydney to find out what's happening on the ground and what it means for residential builders. According to figures discussed in the episode, Sydney home values have fallen 8.6% from their February peak. That's not just a concern for homeowners. Falling valuations can create problems at the final claim, leaving builders exposed when clients struggle to secure the finance needed to settle. Meanwhile, NSW is accelerating development approvals and using government-backed pre-sale guarantees to help unlock construction finance. Az looks at three questions facing the industry: What happens to builders when property valuations fall before the final payment? Can faster approvals actually translate into more homes being built? How are government-backed pre-sale guarantees helping projects secure finance? Plus, a wrap-up of The Professional Builder's AI and Marketing Summit, where The Good Builder recorded 26 conversations with builders, and a look at GRAYA's latest Brisbane River project, Ivory. A quick look at the numbers, the decisions behind them and what they could mean for builders over the next 12 to 24 months. The Good Builder Podcast. Real conversations. Real builders. #TheGoodBuilder #SydneyBuilders #ConstructionAustralia

Growing a building business should mean more opportunity, more profit and hopefully a little less pressure on the owner. But as many builders have discovered, more work and more staff don't always deliver those results. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Az sits down with Cheyne Hall, founder of Build Launch, to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing growing construction businesses: getting the right people into the right roles without letting overheads get out of control. Cheyne knows the pressures firsthand. After growing his own construction business to 60–70 staff across multiple states, he experienced the challenges of managing people, maintaining quality, controlling costs and keeping a growing operation profitable. Those lessons eventually led him to establish Build Launch, a business helping Australian builders access trained offshore talent for roles including estimating, contract administration, project support and finance. But this conversation goes well beyond offshore staffing. Az and Cheyne discuss why builders often hire too late, how poor onboarding and training can undermine even the best recruits, and why saving money on back-office roles could allow builders to invest more in the supervisors, construction managers and tradespeople delivering the work. They also explore the growing role of AI in construction, the importance of having proper systems before introducing new technology, and a surprisingly simple question every builder should ask before deciding to grow. It's a conversation about building a better business, not necessarily a bigger one. In this episode: Why growing headcount doesn't guarantee growing profit The hidden costs of scaling a construction business Which roles builders should consider keeping in-house How offshore teams can support estimating, administration and project delivery Why training, mentoring and management matter more than where someone works The risks of hiring when your business is already overwhelmed Where AI and automation genuinely fit into a building business How to make better decisions about growth, staffing and your own future Whether you're a one-person operation looking for your first team member or an established builder trying to get your overheads under control, there's plenty worth considering in this conversation. Guest: Cheyne Hall, Founder of Build Launch Build Launch: https://buildlaunch.com.au/ Host: Az Ng, The Good Builder The Good Builder: https://thegoodbuilder.com.au/ #TheGoodBuilder #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionBusiness #BuilderProfitability #BuildLaunch

Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're running a healthy building business. In fact, chasing more sales, taking on the wrong projects and carrying too much overhead can be exactly what gets a builder into trouble. In this episode of The Good Builder Podcast, Aaron Ng sits down with Mark Vassallo and Paul Hogan, directors of Dixon Homes Sydney, who bring a combined 60 years of experience across residential construction, land development, finance, sales and business leadership. Between them, they've worked with some of Australia's biggest building and development businesses, including McDonald Jones, Mojo Homes, Mirvac and Stockland. Now they're applying those lessons to running and growing their own residential building business. And they've got some interesting perspectives on what actually makes a building business successful. In this conversation, we cover: Busy versus profitable: Why a full sales pipeline can be misleading, particularly when projects are sitting on unregistered land. Knowing your numbers: The importance of accurate estimating, understanding margins and keeping overheads under control. The real cost of land: Why the cheapest block doesn't always produce the cheapest build, and what builders often overlook. Growing without losing control: When scaling makes sense, when it becomes dangerous and why some projects are better turned away. Lessons from the big builders: The systems, reporting and management disciplines smaller builders can adopt without carrying big-business overheads. Building customer trust: Why being upfront about difficult conversations can save builders and homeowners enormous problems later. The Sydney housing market: What's happening across knockdown rebuilds, duplex developments and new housing opportunities. Mark and Paul also share why they've deliberately built a business with lower overheads, strong systems and direct involvement in their customers' projects. One of the strongest messages from this conversation is that every sale is a promise the rest of the business has to deliver. And sometimes the smartest decision a builder can make is to say no. This is a conversation about building a better business, not simply a bigger one. About The Good Builder The Good Builder shares real conversations, industry insights and experiences from the people building Australia's homes. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. Proudly Brought To You By Australian Building Research: The program tracks the heartbeat of customer satisfaction and team performance across every job in real time, so you fix the small stuff before it becomes a bad review, a variation blow-out, or a client who won't refer you: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/