Builders, Budgets, and Beers

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

Reece Barnes sits down with PJ Antonik of Oak Development to talk about the real difference between “having a gut feel” and actually knowing your job costs. PJ breaks down how he audits past projects, tightens his funnel, and uses budget vs actuals to catch mistakes before they wreck cash flow. If you have ever felt unsure whether you can safely spend what is in the bank, this one will help you get your confidence back. Subscribe and share this with a builder friend who is still estimating off vibes.

https://oakdd.com
https://www.instagram.com/oak_development

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
03:03 Who is PJ
06:29 Picking the right jobs
11:52 Deal breakers and filters
13:44 Red flags and fit
18:01 Process improves over time
21:12 Cleaner back office
26:16 Finding missing costs
31:04 Stop pricing on gut
35:27 Setting sub numbers
37:07 The Nantucket case
46:09 TV shows and brand
50:04 Final advice and wrap

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece Barnes sits down with Joel Route of Mark D Williams Custom Homes to talk about the real cost of messy job costing and how it wrecks trust with clients. They break down how miscoded invoices can turn into double billing, end of job surprises, and $60K to $70K hits to margin. You will hear simple process rules, how to keep draws clean, and why real time cost tracking changes everything. If this helped, subscribe and share it with a builder who is still doing this in spreadsheets.

https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
01:01 Joel’s role
02:34 Where costs broke
05:46 Keep it simple
07:04 Double billing damage
12:10 Fixed vs cost
17:02 Change resistance
23:39 Weekly client updates
26:39 The $70K lesson
33:24 Stop end change orders
39:34 Process takeaway

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media