Reece sits down with Julie Adams of Sage to talk about how AI is changing the way builders manage jobs, data, and decision-making across the business. They get into why this matters right now as builders face labor shortages, pricing pressure, and a market that still has real opportunity for firms that can see their numbers clearly. This episode covers the economic headwinds hitting construction, where firms are actually investing in AI, and how better visibility across estimating, operations, and finance can lead to smarter moves. If you want a clearer picture of how technology can help your business run leaner and make better decisions, this one is worth the listen.

https://www.sage.com/en-us

Show Notes:
00:00 Show Intro
00:54 Meet Julie Adams
02:15 State Of Construction
03:53 AI Builds Demand
06:01 Industry Headwinds
09:25 Better Decisions Faster
11:36 Why Builders Resist
13:01 Mindset And Adoption
20:18 Tech Provider Responsibility
27:09 Where AI Lands
31:14 Finance Gets Clearer
35:32 End To End Visibility
42:41 Final Takeaways

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Brad Robinson for his second time on Builders, Budgets, & Beers to talk about funding bigger projects without giving up the driver’s seat. They break down equity vs debt, what investors actually expect after you take their money, and how to choose the right partners for the deal. Brad also shares how he is connecting wellness-driven building with real estate strategy, plus the systems and SOP mindset builders need before they scale.

Website: https://bradfordbuilds.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfordrobinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradfordbuilt

Show Notes:
00:48 Show Intro
02:04 Brad's Background
05:37 Owner Rep Model
10:28 Holiday Show House
12:59 Where To Follow
16:47 Capital Viewpoint
20:23 Equity Vs Debt
23:53 Picking Investors
28:27 JV Vs Fund
30:25 Wellness Strategy
35:59 Systems Before Scale
38:53 SOPs Save You

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Christian and Deanne Lawson of Lawson Development to talk about the real cash flow squeeze behind fixed price custom builds, and why draw schedules can quietly force builders to finance jobs. They break down deposits, milestones, profit vs. payroll, and how to spot loan officer red flags before they wreck a project. You will also hear how charging for quotes and tracking simple “life notes” helped them level up fast. If this helped, share it with a builder friend and follow for more straight talk money conversations.

https://www.lawsondevelopmentllc.com

Show Notes:
00:14 Show Intro
01:45 Meet The Lawsons
06:15 Bookkeeping Reality Check
11:31 How Draws Work
14:45 Floating Jobs Problem
17:25 Deposits And Leverage
23:44 Loan Officer Red Flags
34:43 Charging For Quotes
43:11 Life Notes System
46:46 Write Off Talk
48:42 Final Takeaways

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with David Werschay of Werschay Homes to break down how builders can punch above their weight in land development and spec building without blowing up cash flow. They talk strategic partners, exclusive builder agreements, and a creative spec home funding play that got subs and banks aligned. You will walk away with practical ways to reduce risk, build repeatable processes, and keep momentum even when the market gets weird.

https://werschayhomes.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Big land, shared risk
00:19 Show intro
00:54 Meet David
01:57 Werschay Companies overview
03:59 From code to construction
05:40 Starting Werschay Homes
11:08 Mentors and partners
13:46 Exclusive builder deal
20:30 Building community value
24:09 Risk and recession
30:21 The spec home play
36:46 Processes and feedback
43:00 Advice for builders
47:01 Wrap up

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Connor Watumull from Miter to talk about the biggest labor money leak most builders miss: getting every hour, burden, and benefit tied back to the right job. They break down what “contractor built” payroll and HR actually means, plus simple ways to level up onboarding, compensation, and performance without making it feel corporate. If labor is your biggest cost, this is the playbook for making it measurable, motivating, and profitable.

https://www.miter.com

Show Notes:
00:00 New generation
01:11 Connor’s path
03:21 Why construction
06:12 What is Miter
08:22 Labor tracking pain
11:00 Building great teams
15:21 How small matters
20:56 Values that work
26:08 Reviews that happen
28:49 Miter in practice
36:51 Who should call
39:33 Build better close

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Trapper Roderick of Roderick Builders to talk about why most custom homes blow up on budget before they ever break ground. They discuss the broken “architect first, builder later” pipeline, and how to pull the builder into design early so the scope, the money, and the build reality actually match. You will hear how Trapper wins work through real estate relationships, design-forward content, and tighter processes so profit supports quality instead of fighting it. If this helped, share it with a builder friend who is tired of value engineering after the bid.

https://www.instagram.com/roderickbuilders
https://www.roderickbuilders.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Design and budget together
01:15 Trapper’s builder roots
03:43 Utah growth and demand
07:50 Why residential design
12:21 The broken bid system
14:59 Winning clients first
17:58 Networking and content
25:26 Profit funds quality
30:09 Systems and Adaptive
34:41 Principals on site
41:18 Invest in yourself

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Mark Willie to break down why price per square foot can wreck budgets on custom homes, and what builders should lead with instead. They get into expectation setting, where costs are really climbing (hint: the envelope), and how finishes can quietly 4x a plan in one showroom visit. You will walk away with a clearer way to talk budgets, scope, and durability without getting trapped in a single number.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-build-small-casitas-wille
https://www.instagram.com/wille.build

Show Notes:
00:00 Notice what’s right
01:12 Meet Mark Willie
03:44 Lumber acronyms decoded
06:48 How they met
09:55 Consulting role
11:43 Saying no
16:51 Price per foot
29:01 Costs shifting
34:52 Finish budget blowup
43:54 Where to spend
53:30 Where to find Mark

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Hayden Croxall to unpack how he built a multi-entity construction group by leading with purpose, not just profit. They discuss why residential work is so emotional, how Hayden thinks about holding companies and cross-serving trades, and what his tech stack changed for job costing and AP. You will walk away with a clearer filter for growth, culture, and hiring. If this one hits, share it with a builder who needs the reminder.

https://www.croxallcommercial.com

Show notes:
00:00 Money and purpose
00:49 Meet Hayden
01:51 From recession to resilience
04:53 Teaching to painting
07:42 Tornado to roofing
14:10 Four companies
16:45 Why residential's emotional
21:19 Holding company setup
24:55 Adaptive saves hours
32:02 Diversify or focus
39:43 Hiring for character
43:30 Culture you enforce
45:59 Final thoughts

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Jeremy Sloane of Sloane Construction Company to talk about job costing, cost codes, and why clean data is the difference between protecting margin and getting blindsided. They get into hiring lessons and the simple systems that keep projects on track. You’ll walk away with practical ways to tighten up billing, align your cost code “language,” and price future work with confidence. If this helps, subscribe and share it with a builder friend who’s tired of guessing.

https://www.sloaneconstruction.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro and why job costing matters
01:12 Jeremy and Sloane Construction
06:12 Luxury costs explained
09:04 What scale takes
13:13 Hiring burn story
17:36 Builders helping builders
21:31 Daily logs system
24:31 Remote coordinator shift
35:41 Growth without chaos
44:34 Rebuilding pay apps
50:31 One cost code
55:07 Burden rate reality
56:54 Wrap and takeaway

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Tim Calderala of Apex Homes Florida to talk about the money impact of hiring, leadership clarity, and building a bench of talent. Tim shares what four acquisitions taught him about systems, KPIs, and why “right people in right seats” beats any process on paper. You will hear how he launched a custom home company from scratch and what builders can do today to stop letting team gaps wreck margin.

https://www.apexhomesfl.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Right people first
03:43 Tim’s builder path
06:30 Acquisitions lessons
09:51 Clarity and vision
14:23 OKRs and KPIs
17:44 Starting Apex Homes
23:45 Pipeline and priorities
31:00 Build your bench
38:15 Jobsite leadership
43:54 One big takeaway
45:16 Where to follow

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media