Ask us anything with Buildingsciology

What is the end game of building ?

“Do we want 1.2 million crappy houses?” That’s the question Jesse Clark (pro clima) drops early in this episode, and it pretty much sets the tone. We talk about Australian housing supply, building quality, and why “more homes” is not the win if we’re locking in mould risk, discomfort, and expensive fixes for decades. If you care about better homes, healthier homes, and what the future of construction should actually look like, this one’s for you. Jesse’s whole approach is simple and repeatable building systems. We look at practical building science for real sites: the building envelope, airtightness, membranes, wraps, and the kind of construction details that can be done consistently across projects without relying on luck or one superstar tradie. A big focus is moisture management and ventilation, because moisture safety is the foundation of durable homes. We get into vapour-permeable assemblies, how leaky buildings happen, and why mould in Australian homes is often the outcome of small decisions made early. We also touch on the debate around energy efficiency and building codes (NCC), and how chasing energy targets without understanding moisture can create unintended consequences. If you’re a builder, architect, designer, certifier, or homeowner trying to understand high performance homes without the hype, this conversation will help. Topics include sustainable building, passive house principles, condensation control, indoor air quality, and what it takes to build homes that last in Australian climate zones. 👇 CHAPTER MARKERS 👇 00:00 Meet Jesse Clarke 01:03 Simple Repeatable Systems 01:36 Australia Study Origins 02:12 Healthy Envelope Basics 03:21 Tropics Mould Reality 05:33 Future Building Trajectory 07:17 Carbon Versus Health 10:24 Energy Code Debate 15:10 Density And Housing Targets 19:13 Why Codes Move Slowly 22:48 Standards Board Conflicts 28:10 Membrane Standard Breakthrough 30:57 R&D Heat and Vapour Tradeoffs 34:48 Consensus Voting Explained 38:22 Leaks and Insurance Policy Wraps 42:04 Iterating to Build Better 43:19 Builder Journey Timeline 47:53 Mindful Moment Closing LINKS: Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima] MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt] Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod [https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/] Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes [https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/] Website: https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/www.yoursanctum.com.au/ [http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/] Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions [https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/] Website: https://www.carlandconstructions.com/www.carlandconstructions.com/ [http://www.carlandconstructions.com/]

Politics vs building

We do not usually have politicians on the show, so sitting down with David Southwick, the Planning, Building, and Construction Minister for the Liberal Party’s Shadow government, made for a very different kind of conversation. Less product talk and site detail, more housing policy, building regulation, and the decisions that shape what builders can actually do on the ground. If you work in the construction industry in Australia, this episode is a useful look at the levers that affect your day to day. David’s path into politics is not the usual script. He has been a DJ, a businessman, and a small business owner, and that comes through in how he talks about the industry. A big theme is the need for governments to listen to builders, tradies, and industry experts, not just write rules from a distance. It is a practical conversation about decision-making, consequences, and what happens when policy does not match reality on site. We get into the messy part of the current housing market. Construction costs, interest rates, red tape, delays, and the pressure to increase housing supply fast. But we are not interested in building more homes if they are worse homes. We talk about affordability alongside build quality, comfort, durability, and the long-term cost of homes that underperform. This is where topics like tax, approvals, and compliance start to matter just as much as what happens on site. We also explore future-focused solutions like prefab housing, kit homes, and 3D printing in construction, plus the need for stronger trade education and longer apprenticeships to lift capability across the industry. The thread running through it all is confidence and certainty. Builders need stable settings to invest, hire, and train, and clients need confidence to commit. Whether you agree with David politically or not, this is a grounded builder reality check on how politics and construction intersect, and what needs to change to support better outcomes in Australian housing. 👇 CHAPTER MARKERS 👇 00:00 Welcome 00:51 David’s Background Story 03:40 Minister Role and Big Picture 05:06 Housing Crisis and Targets 06:10 Taxes and Cost Drivers 08:08 Planning Delays and Infrastructure 11:08 Confidence and Building Quality 14:02 Future Housing and Prefab 17:04 Tradies and Apprenticeships 20:57 Rogue Builders and Regulation 23:22 BPC Critique and Better Enforcement 26:23 Promoting Good Builders 27:08 Showcasing Great Builders 27:59 Standards Should Be Accessible 29:36 Minimum Financial Rules Critique 31:25 Insurance Gaps And Defects 34:41 NCC Freeze And Product Influence 36:14 Cladding Liability Nightmare 40:30 Red Tape Vs Quality Fixes 45:22 Election Promises For Housing 49:46 One Silver Bullet Certainty 51:20 Getting Youth Into Trades LINKS: David Southwick: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/david-southwick/ [https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/david-southwick/] Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima] MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt] CR Kennedy - https://www.crkennedy.com.au/ [https://www.crkennedy.com.au/] Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod [https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/] Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes [https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/] Website: https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/www.yoursanctum.com.au/ [http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/] Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions [https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/] Website: https://www.carlandconstructions.com/www.carlandconstructions.com/ [http://www.carlandconstructions.com/] Mentioned in this episode: Proclima Sponsor [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima]

More good and less bad

“I don’t understand why people build houses like this.” If you have ever said that on site after spotting a leaky junction, a sweaty wall, or a home that is freezing in winter and cooking in summer, you are not alone. This conversation is our pushback against the shortcuts that have become normal in the Australian building industry. The whole point of More Good and Less Bad is simple. Build better homes, make fewer mistakes, and deliver healthier, more comfortable results through better building performance and smarter decisions. We recorded this one at Pro Clima HQ in Sydney with Andy Marlow, director at Envirotecture and a certified Passive House designer. Andy has a rare ability to talk about sustainable building without the greenwashing and without making it feel like a lecture. The focus is on outcomes that matter to homeowners and builders alike. Homes that perform, homes that last, and homes that do not quietly fail behind the plaster. We also dig into the Living Building Challenge, because it is one of the few sustainability frameworks that does not let you cherry-pick the easy bits. It looks at the full picture of holistic sustainability in construction, including materials, energy, water, and health. Not because every project needs a badge, but because it forces better questions about what sustainable construction really means when you zoom out and look at long-term impact. Finally, we talk about making Passive House principles more buildable and accessible through Andy’s Passive House Design and Construct model. Pre-designed, high-performance homes that still leave room for personal choice, without reinventing the wheel every time. We also share the lessons we have learned the hard way, and why building with intention is about mindset, systems, and balancing the ideal with what is financially feasible and genuinely buildable on real sites. 👇 CHAPTER MARKERS 👇 00:00 Introduction 01:55 Meet Andy Marlow - Envirotecture 03:31 Andy’s Path to Architecture 06:18 Living Building Challenge Explained 10:32 Materials Red List and Declare 17:08 Envirotecture Origins and Merge 23:15 Passive House Beyond Five 25:26 Quality Assurance and Certification 31:39 Why Start PH Design Construct 34:17 Cutting Costs With Standard Plans 34:44 Builder Territories And Low Touch Builds 37:13 Margins Overheads And Markup Debate 37:54 Repeat Builds And Site Variables 39:56 Prefab Options Straw Hempcrete 47:52 Cost Transparency And Pricing Stages 52:45 Solving Housing With Design Construct 57:17 Certification Limits And Client Expectations 01:02:07 Mindful Moment And Closing Reflections LINKS: Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima] MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt] CR Kennedy - https://www.crkennedy.com.au/ [https://www.crkennedy.com.au/] Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod [https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/] Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes [https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/] Website: https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/www.yoursanctum.com.au/ [http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/] Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions [https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/] Website: https://www.carlandconstructions.com/www.carlandconstructions.com/ [http://www.carlandconstructions.com/] Mentioned in this episode: Proclima Sponsor [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima]

Ask us anything with Buildingsciology

“As builders, you have huge overheads. Massive.” Matt said it mid-conversation and it just sat there, because it is the part people outside the construction industry rarely see. They see the finished home and the invoice. They do not see the cash flow pressure, the holding costs, the insurances, the compliance, the admin load, the delays, and how quickly one wobble in the pipeline can hit a building business. That is where this chat with Jessica Kismet from Climasure, host of the Building Sciology Podcast, really goes. Jessica jumps in as guest host and asks the questions builders usually keep to themselves. Money pressure. Risk. Ego. Family. The emotional load of running a residential construction business in Australia, especially when the market is tight and the margin for error is small. If you are a builder, contractor, or tradie trying to stay steady through uncertainty, this episode will feel very familiar. We talk openly about the financial tightrope and what it means to actually know your numbers. Builder margins, overheads, pricing, and the real cost of delays are not optional knowledge anymore. Post-COVID, “she’ll be right” is not a strategy. This conversation gets into the learning curve, the mistakes, and the shift from running on instinct to running a more sustainable construction business that can last. We also get into bigger industry questions. Would we encourage our kids to become builders? Who is the real villain in the building industry, from legislation to contracts to banks and insurance? How do you set boundaries with clients, protect your process, and avoid the compromises that come back to bite you later? And we finish on the long game of building science, where better outcomes depend on builders, architects, and designers understanding the whole system, not just their part of it. 👇 CHAPTER MARKERS 👇 00:00 Introduction 01:07 Passive House Display Tour 02:34 Financial Edge Stories 07:02 Learning Business Basics 11:31 AI As A Coach 13:02 Would You Encourage Kids 16:10 Training Paths And Overwhelm 20:12 Industry Villains And Red Tape 29:56 Midlife Balance And Mortality 32:16 Matt On Not Caring 40:20 Client From Hell Stories 44:37 Vetting Clients No Dickheads 46:15 Fixed Price vs Cost Plus 49:34 Quickfire Building Science 50:55 Failures, Mould, and Leaks 56:18 Builders vs Architects Buy In 01:01:03 Mindful Moment Apprentices LINKS: Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima] MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt] CR Kennedy - https://www.crkennedy.com.au/ [https://www.crkennedy.com.au/] Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod [https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/] Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes [https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/] Website: https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/www.yoursanctum.com.au/ [http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/] Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions [https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/] Website: https://www.carlandconstructions.com/www.carlandconstructions.com/ [http://www.carlandconstructions.com/] Mentioned in this episode: Proclima Sponsor [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima]

How to stop working in your business

“Version one is better than version none.” James Brown means it in the most practical way possible for builders. A rough first system in your building business is better than no system at all. Not the perfect process. Not the spreadsheet you will build “when things slow down”. Just something written down that gets the ball rolling, so you can test it, hand it to someone else, and improve it over time. If you have ever felt like the business owns you, this conversation will feel familiar. Quoting at night, solving problems all day, trying to remember what you promised clients and trades, and living in your inbox. James runs Builders Escape and helps builders step out of that reactive loop by putting simple business systems and processes in place that make a construction business easier to run. We take a look at what systemisation actually looks like on the ground for the building industry. The goal is to make the invisible visible. Get the key steps out of your head, document them, and make them easy for your team to follow. Not a corporate manual. Just clear, repeatable processes that reduce mistakes, improve communication, and help you build a more reliable operation. James also walks through starting with your client journey from enquiry to handover, because that is where the cracks usually show up. Missed steps, repeated conversations, and tasks that rely on one person remembering everything. We also talk about AI in construction business and why it only works when your processes are clear. If you are a builder who wants better margins, fewer fires, and more time and headspace, this episode is your reminder to start with version one and iterate from there. 👇 CHAPTER MARKERS 👇 00:00 Mindful Builder Podcast Intro 01:39 Meet James Brown from Builders Escape 02:21 Freedom Through Systems for Building Businesses 03:15 Systemisation Works in Any Construction Business 04:43 Choosing Software and the EOS Operating System Metaphor 05:55 What Is a System in a Building Company? 08:09 Over-Systemising Pitfalls for Builders and Tradies 10:04 Make the Invisible Visible: Documenting Processes 16:43 Systems vs Policies vs Training in Construction Teams 19:33 Where Builders Should Start with Systemisation 20:21 Choosing a Systems Champion in Your Building Business 21:36 Time, Authority, and Empowerment for Process Ownership 22:16 Getting Your Team to Follow Systems and Processes 27:35 Why AI Still Needs Systems in Construction Operations 29:13 SystemHUB and AI Drafting for Process Documentation 32:20 Systems Champion Lifecycle and Delegation 34:29 Real Examples: How Systems Create Builder Leverage 35:07 Start With the Client Flow: Enquiry to Handover 38:20 Builder Leverage and BOFT Explained 43:00 Minimum Viable Systems for Builders: Start with Version One 46:06 Owner as Systems Architect: Leading Process Improvement 49:15 Apprentices and Spaghetti Maps: Visualising Workflow 51:51 Effective Over Efficient: What Actually Works on Site 55:02 Contact Details and Wrap Up with Builders Escape LINKS: Builders Escape: https://www.biztechguru.com.au/builders-escape [https://www.biztechguru.com.au/builders-escape] Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima] MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt] CR Kennedy - https://www.crkennedy.com.au/ [https://www.crkennedy.com.au/] Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod [https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/] Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes [https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/] Website: https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/www.yoursanctum.com.au/ [http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/] Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions [https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/] Website: https://www.carlandconstructions.com/www.carlandconstructions.com/ [http://www.carlandconstructions.com/] Mentioned in this episode: Proclima Sponsor [https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima]