Level Up with Duayne Pearce
I take on the role of an authoritative voice that fearlessly communicates truths drawn directly from my lived experiences. With a genuine sense of ownership, my insights are free from any hidden agendas – they truly belong to the audience. My stories and journey add remarkable value, the key now lies in harnessing its power effectively to help others.
My purpose is to create a new residential building industry. My mission is to inspire unshakable self-confidence in my colleagues in the industry, empowering them to orchestrate prosperous, enduring, and lucrative businesses that bring exceptional projects to fruition for our clients.
My goal is to foster a deeper comprehension among clients about the identity and functions of builders, redefining their perceptions.
Level Up with Duayne Pearce
How following your Passion will lead to Success, from small steps to a 2 MILLION dollar FIRST project.
This weeks episode we chat with Sean Buchanan from the Tassie Builder's Blog. From his humble beginnings at a DVD rental store to becoming a respected carpenter and business owner, Sean's journey is a testament to his hard work, passion and determination.
check out Duayne's other projects here...
QuoteEaze
quoteeaze.com/Free-Offer.html
Live Life Build
livelifebuild.com
D Pearce Constructions
dpearceconstructions.com.au
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We're on a mission to elevate the professionalism of the residential construction industry, and help everyone enjoy building and renovating homes.
Easy to use Quoting software for Builders. Produce professional and accurate proposals. Quickly and accurately measure and markup plans in minutes. Win more jobs and track costs. 21 Day Free Trial.
Head over to Duayne's website here for other podcasts, merch and more...
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And that is what you want, really, isn't it? You want a happy client, you know. You want a great experience. I know like I'm super passionate about that G'day guys.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of Level Up. We are still in Tassie and I'm not even going to do a big intro for this fellow, because most people will know him and I'm super pumped to have him on the podcast. This chat's been coming for a long time, so a massive warm welcome to Sean from Tassie Builder's blog. Mate, how are you? Thanks for having me, mate. Really good to be here, mate. I can't believe you're sitting in front of me. We've had a few conversations on social media and messaging and stuff and you're the first guest that's turned up. You didn't just turn up on time, you turned up half an hour early and you bought beers. How good I like to be prepared.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So how are you mate? Yeah, really good, really good First year out in business. Now you know learning lots quickly and that, but as a whole everything's just unreal. Yeah, going really well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, your passion is infectious. Like for people that may not follow you or know what you do, like you put yourself out there on social media. You're very passionate about your career and and carpentry and materials and all that type of thing, but, yeah, your passion is infectious yeah, I, yeah, I guess I I don't really notice that.
Speaker 1:I don't certainly don't think of it from that perspective. I just really love what I do and want to share that with people, and if people find that interesting, that's great. If not, they can scroll on and I'll keep on posting stuff.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, you, I find it amazing, like because you're you're coming on here and like always trying to a little bit of research on people. But I knew a bit about you because of the conversation we've had and stuff. But I found it very interesting to go all the way back to when you started your page and your very first post says exactly what to expect on that page and you've stayed very true to that.
Speaker 1:It's pretty easy because I guess it's just genuine. It's just like I am just sharing who I am and what I'm passionate about, what I believe in, and, yeah, it's easy to stay consistent on that because it's just the truth, I guess.
Speaker 2:Something I've noticed just being down in Tassie this week and we've interviewed a heap of people. It seems like such a really tight um, and I might be wrong, but all the people we've met all either know or know of each other, support each other, speak very highly of each other, like does that make it easy for you to do what you do because you've got a lot of support around you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, it is like we are a pretty small island and everyone does generally know everyone's business. That's what kind of happens on an island. We sort of forget that we're on an island, I guess, but in the new mainland folk as we refer to you but yeah, it's a good, it's like a really good growing building community down here, a lot of support.
Speaker 2:I feel like you're leading the way, yeah like, especially when it comes to better building healthier homes like just um. Your even your government seems like supports you.
Speaker 1:You get funding for courses and yeah, it's pretty incredible all that stuff like and what, what like. What excuse do you have not to stay educated down here, especially because it's like well, 80 of it's probably going to be paid for, mate, and you're going to be able to advertise yourself and sell your business as a higher educated individual, more professional yeah so, yeah, like you, you got the opportunity to learn every day, so you just got to grab a hold of that and run with it, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so let's go back a little bit. Where did it all start? What got you into carpentry?
Speaker 1:Oh well, not the traditional path, I would say Most blokes that are in love with the trade as well, I probably knew about it in school. Maybe their dad was a chippy or like in the trade in some way. Probably knew about it in school. Maybe their dad was a chippy or like in the trade in some way.
Speaker 2:I was working, renting.
Speaker 1:DVDs when that was still a thing, the old Blockbuster yeah, blockbuster Video, easy, same deal, yeah, it was like just a retail job. I was stuck inside and I was just like I hate this. It's like perfect day, unreal weather, stuck in here like selling dvds to like bogans down at kmart and, um, I was talking, I was talking to my dad and I said I really want to like I don't want to do this anymore, I want to be working outside. And he, um, he knew a guy that was working on a building site and his brother was the foreman or something like that, and I said I will just put me in touch with him. You know, like I just want to, I just want to get outside. I don't care what I'm doing, I just want to be doing something that's not stuck inside, selling dvds.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I talked to this bloke, went down on site and I was like, yeah, well, I just like, I just want to work, mate, that's, I don't know what else to tell you and he said, no, I'll do you. And I was like well, I brought me lunch so I can start right now. And he was like, yep, go and get into it then yeah right, yeah, and that was like so you committed 100 straight in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, went, went to kmart, bought myself like crappy Hyvies T-shirt, went down and introduced myself to this bloke and then that was the start. My apprenticeship came sometime after that. Spent a fair bit of time as a builder's labourer yeah, just at the bottom of the run, I guess, like doing all the shit jobs. But I didn't care, I was outside. I was like this is the best thing ever you get to work outside. Yeah, it was just great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Like I said, your passion's infectious and I think there's a good message there for younger people that want to get into the industry. You've got to do whatever it takes For me as an employer like if someone turned up to me and said, hey, my lunch is in the truck, I'm ready to go I'd be like mate. Well, yeah, go over there, help the boys get into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's definitely different, like I think we've gone through that generational change. It's a bit harder to find that out of the younger blokes or females, but I don't know. It sort of is what it is like. You can either whinge about like, oh, they don't work as hard as what they used to, or it's like oh, we can find a way to motivate these people, communicate with them. Yeah, you just gotta adapt to it. Adapt to it, because I was, like I used to get pissed off with it. I'm like oh, this generation's like, they're not going to work hard, they don't want to do anything. But yeah, they just have a different mindset or something so yeah, it's completely different.
Speaker 2:There's no, I believe it goes back to school, like there's not as many expectations now as there was when I was at school, like everything had to be done in a certain time frame and if you didn't, there was a punishment and yeah, it's um. Now it's just you do what you do and it takes as long as it takes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I don't think that's um helpful. Um, maybe we'll come back the other way. You know, like sometimes it swings really far one way and the pendulum just comes back and we get back in a direction that makes sense. Who knows if that's going to happen anytime soon yeah, so how long?
Speaker 2:like was it? Um well, you've only only just got any iron. Like you're not that old, you're any young 33, but so did you what? How old you when you started your?
Speaker 1:apprenticeship. I was hanging out till I was 21. Yes, I was living out home, couldn't afford like the lower apprentice wage and, yeah, like I could have gone back home. I just didn't want to like I just wanted, like, once you move out, who wants to go back, right like? I've been back a bit and it's not that great and your parents don't want you there at halftime anyway. They're like no, no, you left, mate, so get the fuck back out before you started yourself, you've been working for cole as a neto builders.
Speaker 2:Yep, did you work for anyone else before? Yeah?
Speaker 1:work for a heap of different guys. Yeah, just finding like the work that I like doing, I guess. Uh, when I finished my apprenticeship, I was in a maintenance carpentry job, like cleaning out gutters, and I was like man, if any of my friends see me doing this, what the fuck? This is not being a chippy like this, is standing walls and throwing trusses around. Did that for a bit. Went into renovation work. That was really cool. You had to think a lot.
Speaker 1:Everything wasn't like square and straight so I feel like you, like you learn so much doing that sort of work, you have to think outside the box. It can't always be plum like sometimes it's just got to look good, you know. Yeah, so if you put something up that's plum and it's next something that's way out of plum, the client's going to be like, well, it's not right and you could argue the fact.
Speaker 2:But yeah, you learn a lot of skills there renovations are massive, like for like, not just picking up new skills, but just seeing how things were done, how things have failed, what can be done better.
Speaker 1:I think the first time I came across something of yours on YouTube, you're pulling apart an old house and you were look talking about like the like, the jack stud or the understud wasn't cut to the correct length, so there was a sag and I just like that was the first video I ever saw and that's when I got hooked on your stuff. I was like, oh, this is unreal. I think you're the first one really that I've seen. That was like really putting stuff out there, putting videos on youtube, at least inside australia, from as far as I can tell, mate. So cheers, mate now.
Speaker 2:Now we got australia's number one construction podcast, that's it. But look, I never used to be. It took a lot of persuasion from my wife and a marketing girl that we had at the time for me to start putting my face out there. It's the best thing I've ever done. Yeah well, you wouldn't look back on it now, would you? No, but for me now I really can't encourage people enough to get it out there. Like a video says so much. And and when you do video and this is why I love what you do like you can you can educate hundreds or, if not thousands, of people by that one video, rather than having the same conversation over and over again yeah but a video shows the same conversation over and over again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but a video shows your values, it shows your opinions, it shows your, your posture, like it. Just it says so much, yeah, and so you connect with people. You're basically creating friendships almost yeah yeah like I've never met you in person before, but I I reckon I could say we're mates yeah, like yeah, and that's that's what sort of video has the power of doing.
Speaker 1:It's a good side of the internet like there's a shit side, which is like distracting people from everything. Yeah, and then that like that is one of the good things, is like lately, certainly like it seems to be a really positive community. That's yeah you get the odd troll here or there, but whatever. So what? So what purpose with standing? I guess in australia not all that great building job keeping buildings standing up and down. But as far as weather tightness like we've gone and added insulations and the unintended consequences, I feel we're pretty far behind in that.
Speaker 2:Well, it's fucked, to be honest. Yeah, but, mate, to have a building code that allows buildings to get built 20 to 30 year land like and we talked about before. We said sustainable, I agree with you. Like it's thrown around here, there and everywhere, doesn't really have any meaning anymore. But like, how sustainable is it? Is it in 20 to 30 years and knocked down and put in a hole in the?
Speaker 1:yeah, well, and I'm no tree that like how is that? That's not it. We haven't figured that bit out. The answer Like these yeah, they need a decent living and they need to last a whole lot longer. All the time. Money, the natural resources, the environmental impact that that has if you're only getting 30 years out of that investment, that's shit, it's terrible.
Speaker 2:Well, everyone is like a lot of people are like I would really like to think the houses that I'm building my building company will last at least 100 years. Yeah, because I know like we've hardly left the house in the last few days here in tassie, but I know just from going down the main street and that here like I feel like connected here because it feels very similar up in queensland like I can drive past queenslanders that are 100, 120, 140 years old and give them a coat of paint and they're gonna last another 100 years. Yeah, like so I don't, I can't like.
Speaker 2:Obviously they had hardwoods, the timber was very old, like it's very hard to find good, solid timber now because it's all regrowth, yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't change our practices to still get the same outcome. Yeah, and a lot of like. It has a lot to do with what you're passionate about, like the, the water tightness yeah because ultimately, with the way we build these days, what makes things fail is is moisture it's the universal solvent water like that thing will humble you very quickly.
Speaker 1:Humbled me like I started sticking a hose on things that I thought were good and turns out they were shit, so something had to change.
Speaker 2:But what like? What made you do that like? Because most people just keep doing what they do not give a shit.
Speaker 1:I guess maybe I've just got a curious mind or something like that. Yeah, like you, I guess the youtube algorithm threw me a few things, like threw a few hooks in, and got me pretty good. And then, once you like, you just get on this like little learning cycle of, oh, that's actually shit, how do you do it? And then you go into this thing and you're like, oh, that's actually connected to that and that's connected to that. And then there's the whole concept of your house is a system. You're not just like it's those things don't, it's like your body thing operates in isolation. It's all one big system that these things flow into. One thing flows into the other and to the other and to the other. I don't know. That's like a reflection of nature, I guess well, it's a good way of putting it.
Speaker 2:I've just written it down like a house is a system, yeah, like it needs to be treated like a business. Like it. You have to follow this whole series of systems to get from a bare block of land to a completed home that you can walk in the front door. Absolutely, what do you get people reaching out to you with all the stuff you're doing on socials and asking questions and getting engagement?
Speaker 1:yeah, like quite quite a bit. Um, last year was a lot of apprentices which I got heaps out of, because the guy that I did my apprenticeship with like just typical hard ass, you know like would ride you and you'll never be anything, you'll never become everything, you're shit, you'll always be shit, blah, blah, all that sort of stuff. So, getting to a chance to chat to these younger blokes and just you know like, even if you can give one or two tips on how to do something and, yeah, give them a bit of confidence behind themselves so they can, yeah, really thrive, I guess, yeah, I think you're like, I think you're going to be a good boss, mate.
Speaker 2:The way, like you've, you've what. Have you been out on your own Three months? Yeah, three months. You're not going to have any issues getting an apprentice.
Speaker 1:It's just finding the people at the moment is so hard I don't know if it's the same up in Queensland, but it's so hard to find people. Even an apprentice, oh, we could pick it. I'm just hesitant with seeing it happen in businesses before. Like and my me and my business partner we've got like a very specific way that we want things to be done over years of working together. So, like, we're just careful on we don't, I guess what I'm getting, as we don't want to grow too quick. You've got to walk before you can run, or whatever they say.
Speaker 2:I take my hat off to you, mate, because there's not. So you've signed up to Live Like Build like you're part of our program now, like I just, whether it's Live Like Build or something else, but like anybody that is getting into the industry now, like time, money, energy in yourself but also get involved with communities and surround yourself with like-minded people. But like for you to be three months in and to have a plan like that, because most people don't. Most people just go from being a tradie. I want to work myself. I want to be a builder. I get a job and then within the first three years it all falls over, like to have some structure around it. You're going to be a builder. I get a job and then within the first three years it all falls over, like to have some structure around it. You're going to go a long way yeah, well, I guess we've got like.
Speaker 1:we've got our own goals and aspirations of what we want the company to look like in x amount of years, what we want our personal lives to look like, and, um, yeah, we just got to stay the course. I've seen it happen so many times. People grow too quick. The quality goes to shit. Your reputation like you were a great builder, now you're a shit one because you've got five guys that can't frame a house or do whatever, and it can just, yeah, it can turn so quick on you if you're not.
Speaker 2:But where does that come from? The goal setting and stuff.
Speaker 1:From Live Life Build, to be honest, because before that I look um. From live life build, to be honest, because before that I have not been much of a goal setter I guess like yeah, I just I know that was coming.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, surprise, um, but yeah, that's definitely one thing that I've learned from you is is that and you've talked about that on your podcast before, and that's something that has resonated with me, and I've gone thought about that as like, well, why haven't you like, why haven't you set goals? Are you scared of not achieving goals, or like. So, if you don't have goals, then what are you doing right now, like, and where are you going?
Speaker 2:yeah, so I'll set them. Big mate, you're better to set big goal, achieve half of it and set a lot and get half of that logo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you don't want to turn around on your deathbed either and be looking back with regrets.
Speaker 2:Everyone says that, so I don't think you will be so like. You've had a great experience. You work with other builders. You've finished up your subcontracting career with working with Zanetto Builders.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure if like it's perception maybe, but like Kyle definitely looks like he's leading the way down here, like. But like kyle definitely looks like he's leading the way down here, like he's definitely putting himself out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, um, I take my hat off to him as well because, like, he's not afraid to ask questions, like he's him, and I've had some really good conversations over the past 12, 18 months, yeah, and really important like, and that, like in my early days I was afraid to ask questions and I don't know what changed. I just got to a point where I was like fuck it, like I'm gonna ask anybody everything, yeah, and um, that's definitely helped me get to where I am. So, yeah, the fact that you're so young in business and reaching out and doing things and asking questions and surrounding yourself with people like kyle- yeah well, it's huge yeah, like it's just it makes sense.
Speaker 1:I guess they've been through half the shit that you're going to go through. You want to know like what? We want to go through this thing.
Speaker 2:It blows my mind Like if you want to be something or have something or do something in life, why would you not learn from people that have done it Absolutely?
Speaker 1:Rather than just Like it's going to save, like not just the money, it's going to save money. The time's the most important thing and like the money's nearly a nothing thing. When you realise that the time it's like it's ticking, yeah, you don't get like, you only get it for so long and then you're just not waking up anymore.
Speaker 2:So Well, imagine you reach out to someone that's doing what you want to do, you learn from all their experiences and their knowledge, you surround yourself with a like-minded community and you save 5, 10, 15 years of ups and downs and round in circles. So, like someone at your age like by the time, like 10 years time you could be sitting back, have a great business, having time off, spending time with your young family yeah right, or you could be still busting your ass, working 10 12 hours a day. No cat like, worried about cash flow, not making enough money, not knowing your numbers. Like what? Which way would you rather?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know why people are scared to ask questions. It's it, so it's funny. Also, all invest in themselves. Yeah, yeah, the big one, and, like, my partner has taught me that she, because she's really good at that and, um, yeah, she's like, well, you gotta put, you gotta put the work into you, like yeah yeah, because, and it pays, pays itself off, doesn't like, pays back tenfold oh, definitely I.
Speaker 2:I did it like I made. I rooted around for 10, 12 years and I think I was talking about it on the other podcast, I guess yesterday. I can't remember what it was, but it's almost like as tradies. We may not think we're important or valuable enough to, or doesn't suit us to do coaching, mentoring or whatever that type of thing, but at the end of the day, it's it's all business, it doesn't matter what profession you are, it all works well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, other business types they do it, don't they? Like? What's? What's the difference for tradies and I like I think it's changing now. It used to be like, oh yeah, you're just a tradie or whatever, like you're probably a bogan or some, but now it's like man, you can make a shitload money. You don't have to jump into a heap of debt to do it, you'll get paid to learn. I think it is such an awesome, like it's an awesome skill to have.
Speaker 2:Mate the construction industry seriously. I'm a firm believer that over the next 10 to 20 years it's going to lead the way. Like it'll catch up, builders and traders will be more professional, we'll get respected more, treated with a bit more authority, because there is, like I said, there's a lot of people like yourself. Like this podcast, like we're putting ourselves out there, we're lifting the level, lifting the game, and that's going to flow through to clients being happier. Yeah, you never know, it's coming, mate. We're going to see, instead of seeing all the shit stories on a current affair, we're going to see, instead of seeing all the shit stories on a current affair, we're going to see good stories.
Speaker 1:Well, that like, and that is what you want really isn't. You want a happy client, you know. You want a great experience, I know I like I'm super passionate about that, like how they feel throughout the build because they spend a lot of money with you, right, so like they should be getting, in my opinion, they should be getting the mercedes service. Like you need to be polite, professional, professional, organised, all that sort of thing, you know, yeah, and I love that, like making the clients have a good experience. I love that. It costs me a lot of my spare time, I guess, but yeah, yeah, but I am really committed to that. I get a lot out of that.
Speaker 2:I've seen oh, mate, with that attitude, you're gonna have great clients. I recently in the builder that's set up a business to I'm not really too sure what it is, whether it's mentoring or coaching or something, but he's team, he's teamed up with all sorts of businesses. But I watched his video and I was like man. That is so old-school and like one of the things he said in this. This video, which is supposed to be encouraging builders and traders to join up, is for every homeowner that says they've had a horror story. I can tell you multiple or 10 other trades that have had an even worse story and I was like man. That is really old fashioned mindset and that is a really shit way of thinking. There's no ownership at all in that statement.
Speaker 2:If you're having those situations, it's because of the process you have in place that's attracting those clients and I was blown away that this sort of stuff is still getting put out there in our industry, that clients are terrible, and I know for a long time that was my big thing, like I just saw, every problem I had was because of shit clients, yeah, but it was absolutely nothing to do with the clients. Yeah, it was 150 percent my fault. I wasn't educating them, I wasn't selecting them correctly, I was. I was chasing cash. I was taking any client that come my way yeah yeah, like it's, it's um.
Speaker 1:There's so much more to it than just and the client education thing's a massive thing because, like it might always, it's not always like malicious intent that these things they just don't understand. They just don't understand Like they just don't understand how this all goes and how this all works. So, unless you've taken the time to actually explain that to them rather than just rush in, sign the contract, right, let's go put a hole in the ground. Oh yeah, this is all these variations.
Speaker 2:But I look back now at all the situations I had and when I was blaming the clients and I just think, like, would they? Why wouldn't they have got the shits? Yeah, I well, it started off with tendering scenarios. So a lot of the time you like, I remember signing building contracts and the first time I met a client was the day I signed the contract because the architect was running the tendering process. Yeah, so there was no relationship built, you didn't know each other, and then everything was rush, rush, rush.
Speaker 2:I need this quote back like this it's got to get to contract, so you'd miss things or you hadn't been. There's no process around being involved in design, so I didn't know what was getting discussed, I didn't know, I didn't know that there was things a client had discussed that hadn't been put on the drawings because I wasn't at the meetings. So then I'm on site and I'm the clients expecting something and then I'm saying, well, I've only built what's on the drawing, yeah, and then I'm charging variations. So like the client had every right to have the shits because I had no systems and processes to set standards, to set expectations, to select the right clients, to like the. The breaking that tendering scenario is is huge, but you touched on it before you.
Speaker 1:I'm getting into our pack process yeah like it is so important to build relationships and then like, like you say, and you don't give too much away about your course, but. And then, like you say, and I don't want to give too much away about your course, but people like they might push back. Oh, why would I pay you to do what someone else is going to do for nothing, it's like, but they're not doing that. Look at all of that. Look how much value I'm giving you for that amount of money It'd be crazy not to do it.
Speaker 1:I'm going to save you 50 times that amount by everything that we're going to sort out before we get a contract, exactly, yeah. Yeah, maybe if people had done it before, like a built before, they might be easier to convert.
Speaker 2:I don't know, but yeah, but, mate, what's um, what's some struggles you've had through your, through your career.
Speaker 1:I was pretty shit, like I was a shit chippy, like man. These people like I'm so thankful for some of the businesses that um put up with me, like I remember that guy that did my apprenticeship with. He was like you have the determination. You have no fucking skill so you might make it, but you do not have, like you are not talented at this. I remember the first day I got there I broke like six 10 mil hammer drill bits in five minutes because I was just like I had no clue about the trade tools, any of stuff like that. So I guess, yeah, like sticking with it and just staying committed to learning and developing and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:But what kept you pushing?
Speaker 1:through it. I guess maybe I'm just like dumb and determined and I was like no, I'm going to figure this building thing out, you know.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say dumb and determined change you.
Speaker 1:You're eager yeah, yeah, but if I can do it, anyone can honestly like I was, oh man, not skilled at this building and now, like I can run a job I'm running a business you know like so I was down, I can get to up here like I honestly believe that anyone in the world can do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, mate, I never would have picked that because, watching your stuff on Instagram, you're very positive, you're very confident in what you're doing, years of not doing it right and then, yeah, years of practice, I guess. Yeah, yeah. And so what's your building business? What's the thing that's going to separate?
Speaker 1:Our clarity of client communication, so they're going to be extremely clear on what they're getting. Good communication I'm passionate about that, like communicating with people, even like just I always say to. When I was working with Colin, we had the apprentices. I'm like, if you don't get it, that's me, that's on me, oh, it's my job to make you get it. So if I need to explain it in a different way, we need to be shown in a different way, that's all on me. So I love the communication side of things. That's fantastic.
Speaker 1:Ownership and then educating the clients on the decisions that they're going to make and why building for durability and building for health and comfort is important and it may well be important to them, but they just don't they they might answer a question in a specific way and you're like, well, that is comfort that you're talking about. Yeah, it's just yeah, having the right question, asking the right questions, I guess to be able to educate the clients on on the best way forward for thing and the best outcome for them. Because that the like where the profession, we know, where the, where the mechanic, about the car, and then it's our job to educate them about the thing so that they can make the informed choice yeah, so what?
Speaker 2:why are those things important to you? The comfort, the health?
Speaker 1:I guess that's what, for me, that is what being a good carpenter is about. Being a good builder is like building something that you can stay behind, that you can show your family like all the family's family, or the family's family after that something that's going to stand the test of time, a space that people are going to be able to thrive in. They're going to be able to, you know, grow their kids in a house that's not going to make them sick. The walls won't rot things like that and I hate to use the sustainability word, but like We'll have to create another word, mate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but like, yeah, just conscious of the environment impacts. Not that I am like a huge, huge, like I don't have dreads and all that sort of stuff, but well, it doesn't. It doesn't matter like I we only have one planet and um, that's, that's my big thing like I, I shouldn't, but I talk about myself the same way.
Speaker 2:Like I'm not a greenie, not a tree, I go, I'm not a wee, wee guy, but my, my big thing now that I really focus on is like yeah, we only have one planet. Like why take advantage of it, why be wasteful? Like I just want to go back to something we talked about before we started recording, where you said mother nature will always bring us home. Like tell us, go back to that story you said about, about myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you were having tough times yeah, okay. So I guess we can get so distracted with societal things and Instagram and all that dope mean now, now, now, now, now, shit. But I don't know how long that actually makes you feel for right. And so when I was going through pretty hard times in my life, I, yeah, I was like pretty sad. Yeah, I remember being out I don't know if you want to call it atwood nature, but I was just out there and it was just me and nature was there. I just that.
Speaker 2:I always felt at peace there and I feel like as a society, we're being pulled so fast away from that, so fast everything's materialistic, like even just taking the time to walk bare feet on the beach, dirty, dirt, the bush, like, whatever it is, yeah, it, um. And so, yeah, the reason I want to go back to that because I I actually think you're right like I think mother nature it might sound woo-woo, but I think it's going to come full circle. Like there's so many people getting interested now in like where their building materials come from and what's put into them, and like even like I've really since doing like I was already into it and then I did zara's course and then I talked to paul, the back of the tribe, and I've spoken to a few other people and it just all makes sense.
Speaker 2:Like you look at like timber, for example, like we, obviously in the old days we built with all first cut hardwood, very durable, and then over the time, we're using more and more timber, so it's it's degrading. But then not only does the timber degrade, we're now pumping it full of chemicals for termite treatment and weather isn't in h3, all this stuff. And so in the past, a long time ago, timber had its own natural abilities to fight mold and and fungis and insects and it's all gone, yeah, and so now we have the like. I'm only using timber as one example. So we now have timber going into our homes that is full of chemicals. Look at our food that we eat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like, man, it's crazy. Like it's a rabbit, it's like one of those rabbit holes you can just fall that is full of chemicals. Look at our food that we eat. Yeah, man, it's like one of those rabbit holes you can just fall down. But yeah, like, look at the food. I guess it's a product of like how much stuff that we need to keep this beast turning over. Like we need so many houses, we need so many cows, we need so many veggies. And we're just like the volume, we can like the vot, like the volume. We can't keep like saying we can't keep the quality.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, so I think it. I think it has to come back down like we need to. We need to focus on smaller, better designed multi-function homes.
Speaker 1:100 like where I'm living at the moment. I don't know how many square meters is, but you could throw a rock from one end to the other. We're happy there. You fill your house up with shit like if you strip it all back. You don't need. Most people don't need all this stuff. Like my brother's looking to build a house. They don't have kids and he wants a four bedroom house or something. I was like but do you need like? What do you want for?
Speaker 2:Because society and real estate says that's what we need.
Speaker 1:Well, the real estate things. That's a funny one too, isn't it? Because they'll like, they'll value a house up that's run down like and that'd be worth like multi, multi million dollars, right, and yeah, like, what about the maintenance costs on that property? I might not understand enough about it, but, yeah, that's one thing that doesn't make sense to me. You could have a house that's like it's in shit condition and you're paying for the block of land, the location or whatever, but it's like, but that house is in shit condition, like it is. It's like buying a second-hand car. Yeah, well, when we buy a house, why don't we talk about the energy costs that are associated with that house? Because that is like a factor that will affect you. So why isn't that something that's discussed?
Speaker 2:I'd love to see I was talking to a few developers about this and Amelia and I. We've got another little side business going where we're building tiny homes and stuff. My big, like my grand plan at the moment, which is another business that we're trying to get off the ground, is I want to go into modular prefab stuff that's built off-site, a lot more control of the waste and the materials and it's a better environment, the the people working on them, like it's better for everything. But I would love to see I I hate that when I was bought up like we had 800, 1200 square meter blocks, the house was smaller and mate every afternoon, like me, my sister, every all the kids in the area like you were. The rule was like when the street lights come on, you had to be home, but like so everyone was in everyone's yards like playing footy, cricket, making jumps, like outdoors, because we had space to do it.
Speaker 2:And I hate now that like people are living in like well, the house takes up 70, 80 percent of the block. You live in housing estates where the gutters almost touch each other, um, and no one's connecting with. And like these new, I can't stand these new sets where they're saying, like people spend 90 of their lives in indoors. That's because they have no choice. They don't have a yard to go out into or they live in like these new head something.
Speaker 2:These new housing estates are becoming ghettos.
Speaker 2:Look the hell, everyone has so much materialistic shit that the garage becomes a storage area, so the cars end up on the driveway or out in the street.
Speaker 2:So and so one of my dreams and I've, like I said, I've spoken to a couple of developers about it if they're not going to make the blocks any bigger, I'd like to see a 400 square meter block with a tiny or a modular home on it that is designed and built so well that a family of four can live in it and we know it can be done like um, because they do it in europe all the time and then use that other 350 square meters to have a outdoor barbecue area and a veggie garden and a and a lawn area where the kids can run around like. I would much rather be sitting in a smaller house on a 400 square block, being able to look out my window and see my kids running around having fun in nature, chasing the dog, then then live in a 300 square meter house on a 450 square meter lot, with a pool in the backyard and no grass.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh it's just crazy. And that's the thing about great design you you like. You'll feel like you have all that space anyway. It's just efficient use of that space yeah rather than yeah, like big open plan wasted space, bullshit everywhere yeah, but it's again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's led by I don't know. We're just we're told we need certain size houses with so many bedrooms and two and a half or three baths and multi-purpose rooms and like all this shit. Um, another conversation that came up the other day on one of the podcasts like the garages in our houses take up this massive footprint, like what happened the old days where you had a carport in the front yard and the cars, like the cars, were just cars like it wasn't.
Speaker 1:I have to live inside. It can't feel the cold. Yeah, and then like the the thing of having your garage like attached to your house and the indoor air quality problems that can cause like yeah people don't realize like we're like little fish living in a fish bowl with this air. We've only got so much of it and you can put like exhaust, fumes and vocs and shit inside there well, I don't.
Speaker 2:I think I feel like this stuff is not even on a lot of builders radars, no not at all they're just getting given plans and slapping them up and clients happy. Move on to the next one yeah, we need a massive like.
Speaker 1:It's a massive education thing that needs to happen. I feel like it is getting better. There's a lot like you're seeing more stuff pop up and you're like, oh yep, this guy's thinking about that now and he's considering that, but I don't know what the clear fix is for that. I would like to, I'd love to get involved at the TAFE level and start being like well, this is what happens to your house and water's going to kill it. Probably that's what you're building wraps for.
Speaker 2:It's not just for cause yeah, well, we need people at a government level that are well one serious about solving the problem, but I think, probably actually more important than that actually understand the industry. Like we have these people in power that make rules that do not have a clue what it takes to build a house, what goes into it, the what's involved, the flow and effect. I did this letter um years ago. Um, like I remember my wife getting the shits with me because I wrote this big rant and I sent it off to some people in power and it was basically like just saying, like how the construction industry supports the planet.
Speaker 2:Like when you think about not just the end product but every single material that goes into a building, and then the transport companies, the manufacturers, the suppliers, the forestry, the shipping, like there is so much involved. And then when the house is finished, like most people build or renovate, they put furniture in it. So then you've got manufacturing, shipping, transport of all the materials to build the furniture, the TVs, the appliances. Oh, it's massive, isn't it? It's enormous, and we are such a huge part of the economy and everyone deserves to live in a house. So why not start asking more questions and learning more, and let's all work together to figure out how we can build more affordable, more more economical, better designed, more efficient, healthier homes like I, just it's, I feel like I feel like it's such a serious thing that isn't getting taken seriously.
Speaker 1:It's yeah, and you and your homes and the impact that can have on your, on your health and your life. Like look at what happened with zara, like tragic run, like not being able to live in houses, all that sort of shit like and not everyone's like that, but it like there's no safe level of mold for us yeah, like well, it's not just mold.
Speaker 2:Like it's like you said, the vacs are shit in the carpet. Like it's it's not just mould, like you said, the VOCs, the shit in the carpet. Like it's insane, like people getting there's so many sicknesses now that they're contributing to an unhealthy house and people don't know Like they're getting diagnosed with all these things and like it could be you could have a sniffly or a runny nose and you might be getting told you've got hay fever or it's the time of year or whatever. But if you actually dig deeper you might find that it's because of a chemical that's slowly getting released in your house or some VOCs or something in your carpet that you might lay on with the kids. It's insane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy. And that links back into what we're talking about before of like how important of being a builder or a carpenter, how important that job is. When you think about it like that I'm gonna have a bot, I'm gonna build a box for you that will dramatically affect your health, like you're not just a tradie.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, like it's serious yeah, yeah, no, mate, keep doing what you do. I love, um like I love seeing your videos where you do put the hose on the flashings and stuff. I you did one the other day, um you're using a new product. I think it was some sort of joist protector it was like a drainage system for deck yeah, drainage system for a deck.
Speaker 1:So this client, they decided they've got deck on the second story and they want to have a um, hot tub below. And then I don't know, I thought you know like be real nice sitting outside rainy winter in the hot tub would be shit if the deck was like dripping on you in the hot tub. So yeah, I found this thing. You just like it's just a plastic product that creates a trough and you link it up into a guttering system and there's so much stuff out there so many new products.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's pretty cool, didn't even cost that much so yeah, but like just the fact that you've taken that upon yourself to look into it and give the client that option yeah, yeah, that was I'm assuming the client was stoked when, you like, you brought it to the table yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, she was really happy like unreal it unreal.
Speaker 2:It's a mindset shift, isn't it? Because most builders, a lot of builders, might think of that, but then the first thing they're going to think is they won't want to spend the extra money. I won't bother about talking about it.
Speaker 1:That's their choice. It's your job as the professional to educate them. Hey, I've got this amazing product, it can educate them. Hey, I've got this amazing product, it can do this for you. And it costs that much. Do you see value in that? Yes, cool, let's do it. No, no worries. Yeah, give them the option. And then, from business perspective, great another sale, more markup, more revenue, sweet like you again, you're gonna kill it.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna follow your journey very closely, uh, from now on, especially now you got all the live life build stuff on board what's like? What's the plans, mate? Like with the building business? Like continue to educate people through the tassie builders blog, or will you start to do more on haven homes?
Speaker 1:um, so great question. Um, I got some advice from a few people that I really trust about that, because I didn't know what to do. I was like, oh, will I convert this account to you know? Like, boost my business, blah, blah, blah. And then, yeah, like the feedback that I got that I really just truly appreciated was don't do that. Like. Your business is going to be like beautiful pictures of your houses and your projects and the way that you commute. You'll be talking to clients through that page, because I want to pull business through that page. Tassie Build builder's blog is all about educating people. Yeah, I can drink a beer on there. I can carry on. I can show a water leak, because most of the stuff like that's, like that's who I'm trying to get the message out there. It's just other blokes out there like me wondering what's going on. Like how can we do things a bit better?
Speaker 2:I agree 100, mate. Like I, doing stuff on a personal page, um can obviously help a bigger audience. So, like you just said, so the personal page can be very personal. You can show a bit of your, your character and and having a beer or whatever might do a bit of time with family or whatever, whereas the building pages then that's showing the finished product. Yeah, so personal is this is the person I am, this is what I believe in, this is what I do, building businesses. This is the finished product.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah and like yeah, I trust that advice wholeheartedly and that's that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:So yeah, no good on you. Keep keep doing it, mate. It's um, it's so refreshing to see like I really, really love that. There's so refreshing to see Like I really really love that there's so many I don't know mid-20s, late-20s, through to like early-30s, mid-30s like yourself, that are just really putting themselves out there now and showing all this type of stuff because it's going to flow through to the younger generation, the new trades that are coming through. I love. I've really enjoyed hearing your passion about apprentices and the way that you think about training they're so important, like it's like raising good kids, that's like that's carrying on.
Speaker 1:I don't want to get too woo woo, but that's carrying on. The human race, like you, you raise a good kid and that kid has a good family and they raise another good family and what's the impact that that has, you know. So, yeah, like, and bringing in apprentices and teaching them up, you got like, I don't know you. Like you yourself, you've been in this industry a long time. You've got a lot to teach people and like, think of the impact. Like, even with live life, build all that stuff that you're teaching those people. That like how to run a successful and profitable business. That's just like, yeah, that sharing that knowledge, I guess, is what I'm getting at, and how much of a drastic effect that could save someone's life, you don't know well yeah, well, that's we.
Speaker 2:We have that feedback, mate, like we've. We've been told multiple times that we've saved people's lives, we've saved their family, we've saved their business, saved their marriage, like it like not just live, like bill, like this. This podcast gets those messages all the time. Yeah, and that's why I keep reaching out to people like yourself, because you coming on here telling your story, it'll inspire someone else. Yeah, and that's what that's all about. Like, the more information we share, the more knowledge we share, the better it is for everybody.
Speaker 1:We're're all in this game together. Really no one's truly got it, truly 100% figured it out. We're all trying to figure it out.
Speaker 2:Well, you can't figure it out. Anyone that thinks they've figured it out is kidding themselves. The day you think you know everything is the day you should give up, because there's always something to learn. Oh, absolutely so, mate. We'll start to wrap it up, but what's the chill out for you? Because, following your page, it looks like you never sleep. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's a good question, because I guess that is like how far you can push it. I lost that, lost the chill out Like you work so tenaciously at something and then you I don't know you kind of forget who you are in a way. Somewhere I remember going out bushwalking and all I could think about is freaking work. So I guess that is something for me that I need to work on is like you got to set that boundary, because work's always going to be there and there's always going to be something to do. Like Kyle says, you never complete work Like you've finished level work and it's all over. There's always something to do. But yeah, getting out in nature is like that's the reset, and cold showers, things like that.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you've done, we'll talk about this morning. I smash a cold shower twice a day at home. That's pretty much, don't even turn the hot on.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the last couple of days here. It's like having an ice bath standing under your showers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've just started to get back in. I was doing the cold showers every day and then I'm starting to get back into them. Now me and zane are actually doing like we're doing like a midweek mindset thing, where we go to cold plunge wednesday morning before we start work, get over the hump in the week, you know, reset your brain, um, but the water's not cold enough. So I'm home in the shower and it it like doesn't matter. It's weird, I don't know how it works, but it doesn't matter how sad you are, how stressed you are, whatever you got going on, like that'll snap you out, like you cannot. I can't get out of there with, like, not having a grin on my face yeah, it's so good for you.
Speaker 2:Like, it's incredible how such a simple thing can have such a big impact.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, oh yeah. I recommend to everyone and it's funny like a fit, like the night before and I guess this is like taking control of your mind and stuff. Right, I'll be telling you don't do that cold shower and then I'll get in there. I'm like you were such a little bitch like you're turning that handle and you're gonna stand under there until you're done. Yeah, it's good, it's it's, it's unreal.
Speaker 2:Everyone, everyone, should at least have one crack at it well, I don't think I can even call brisbane cold showers cold showers anymore after feeling the water down here. It is fucking cold. Do you guys use poly pipe and stuff down here? Is it all copper for you? No, poly, yeah, yeah, yeah, I was just. I was curious because I was like man, like if you had copper pipe, like that would be making it more cold.
Speaker 1:But yeah, no, it's just the average temperatures getting a lot lower down here. I think might be closer to antarctica, so yeah, no, they're definitely cold.
Speaker 2:It's like icicles dripping out of the shower head. Yeah, absolutely no. Well, mate, thanks very much for your time, really appreciate it and yeah, I'm really looking forward to following your journey and seeing how you go.
Speaker 1:So, look, apart from like Tassie builders blog, haven homes got a page like that, the best place for people getting contact with you yeah, yeah, well, um, haven homes more in the future once I start putting more business content up there, especially if your client reach out on that. But Tassie builders blogs where I hang out most of the time, and if you've got a question or you just want to shoot the shit, just send me a message.
Speaker 2:Yeah no, mate, take my hat off to you. Keep doing what you're doing. Um, look, as usual. If you've got a lot of value out of this podcast, make sure you like, subscribe, follow all those types of things, because, yeah, we can't continue to bring you incredible guests like I'm sean here without your support. So, um, yeah, have a crack at one and we look forward to seeing you on the next episode.
Speaker 1:Are you ready to build smarter, live better and enjoy life? Then head over to livelikebuildcom forward. Slash, elevate to get started.
Speaker 2:Everything discussed during the level up podcast with me, duane pierce, is based solely on my own personal experiences and those experiences of my guests. The information, opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only, and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We recommend that you obtain your own professional advice in respect to the topics provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We recommend that you obtain your own professional advice in respect to the topics discussed during this podcast.