Today I'm thrilled to have the one and only Erin Stetzer of Erin Stetzer Homes out of Houston, Texas, joining me on the podcast! Erin and her team build some of the most extraordinary homes in the business, with execution to match.

We only had 60 minutes, but my big takeaway: Erin is one of us. She knows how to navigate massively complicated projects and understands the ebbs and flows of construction — how to build process, create checklists, and visually communicate with the craftsmen and technicians who bring these homes to life by hand. We hit the following; communication, delegation, focus, systems, sense of urgency, CYA & project staffing & hiring…..

Erin knows her systems inside and out, and she teaches them, too, offering classes for builders, project managers, supers, and even clients.

Ready to level up your game? Links to Erin's Bootcamp are below. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Learn more about Ep. 45 Guest:

@Erinstetzerhomes

erinstetzerhomes.com

Project Manager Classes: Builder’s Edge & PM boot camp

https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-industry-professionals

Client Classes: Beyond the Blueprints

https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-homeowners

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

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@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

@durationmouldingandmillwork 

heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Local Sponsor:

hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Today I'm thrilled to have the one and only Erin Stetzer of Erin Stetzer Homes out of Houston, Texas, joining me on the podcast! Erin and her team build some of the most extraordinary homes in the business, with execution to match.

We only had 60 minutes, but my big takeaway: Erin is one of us. She knows how to navigate massively complicated projects and understands the ebbs and flows of construction — how to build process, create checklists, and visually communicate with the craftsmen and technicians who bring these homes to life by hand. We hit the following; communication, delegation, focus, systems, sense of urgency, CYA & project staffing & hiring…..

Erin knows her systems inside and out, and she teaches them, too, offering classes for builders, project managers, supers, and even clients.

Ready to level up your game? Links to Erin's Bootcamp are below. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Learn more about Ep. 45 Guest:

@Erinstetzerhomes

erinstetzerhomes.com

Project Manager Classes: Builder’s Edge & PM boot camp

https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-industry-professionals

Client Classes: Beyond the Blueprints

https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-homeowners

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

@durationmouldingandmillwork 

heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Local Sponsor:

hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

How do you go from a PM hire to owning the company?

That's Preston Miller of Fellow Built. His vision runs well ahead of his years in the business, and what backs it up is drive — plus a real understanding of what it takes to build great things: architect-driven design, and the team of craftsmen who bring it to life.

We get into how he found the industry and why he's never left, how he bought out his boss, and how he's put his own stamp on his team and their projects.

Such a cool take and thought process. I hope you enjoy Preston's story.

Learn more about Ep. 44 Guest:

@Fellowbuit

www.fellowbuilt.com

Project size: $2m-6mil

Employees: 7

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

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@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Buckle up — Mike's story is worth tuning in for.

Grew up in Worcester & Webster, MA. Started in the trades in high school, swinging sledgehammers and building circus tents on tour with a tent-rental company. Bartended his way through two degrees, walked away from academia at 26 with $130 to his name and $60K in student debt, and built a career out of "figuring it out."

We talk starting a company knowing the craft but not the business. The ups and downs. Sobriety. Challenges that hit us all in different forms, at different times — and what it actually takes to accept the bumps and come out the other side.

His latest chapter — Cairn Collaborative Design/Build out in California — is just as good as the story that got him there.

Hope you tune in, hope you enjoy it, and hope you share this one. 🎙️

Learn more about Ep. 43 Guest:

@Cairncollaborative

Project size: $350k-$2.2mil

Project per year: 4-7

Yearly Revenue: $5.5-6.5m

Employees: 9; Principal; Financial Controller; Project Coordinator; Project Manager; Licensed Architect; Architectural Designer; Lead Carpenter; Carpenter; Carpenter; and we are actively interviewing now for a second PM and also an assistant PM

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

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@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Angelica Armitage — Owner/Operator, Armitage Construction Company Ltd. | Sussex New Brunswick, Canada

Angelica put in 10 years with her bags on to earn her Red Seal Certification. A mix of great mentors, bad mentors, and hard-won experience gave her everything she needed to hang her own shingle.

Today she runs a crew of 5 carpenters — bags on, all day — while wearing every hat in the company: owner, project manager, estimator, business development, and everything in between.

Working in a market with real limitations on trade scope, Angelica has kept the majority of work in-house. It's a debate a lot of us know well — overhead vs. quality control — and she's got a strong take on it.

We dig into what pulled her into the trades, what's pushing her toward bigger and more challenging projects, and how she's building something worth being proud of in Halifax.

Hope you enjoy the convo!

Learn more about Ep. 42 Guest:

@Armitageconstructioncompanyltd

Project size: $50k-800k

Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects

Employees: 5-6 (including Angelica)

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

CJ Nielsen of CNC Electric Co. joins us to share what it's really like running an electrical sub-contracting business from the inside. We get into scaling, systems, crew structure, and how he manages everything from small projects to ultra-high-end builds — each with their own tech stacks, client expectations, and GC dynamics. CJ breaks down what keeps his work consistently sharp no matter the job size.

Then we go deep — lighting controls, solar, all-electric (fossil-free) homes, load-shedding panels, and the latest in battery tech. This one's packed. Hope you walk away with as many takeaways as I did.

Learn more about Ep. 41 Guest:

@CNC_Electric

@thebuildshow contributor

@finehomebuilding brand ambassador

Project per year: 8-15 projects per year

Yearly Revenue: $1.5 million

Employees: 5-6 (including Dave)

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Dave Hanes is a second-generation builder running a family-owned boutique firm in Northern California. He learned the trade working alongside his father at Hanes Construction — a shop built on hustle, handyman work, and the occasional $200k renovation. The strategy was simple: ballpark the numbers, stay busy, and hope for the best.

Dave wanted more. He set his sights on architects and high-end custom projects, which forced him to build real systems, tighten his estimating, and elevate every level of his operation to compete for the work he actually wanted.

We cover 25 years of lessons — what's evolved, what's held firm, and what it really takes to grow a boutique build firm without losing what makes it special. You're going to love this one.

Learn more about Ep. 40 Guest:

@hanes_construction_inc

www.hanes-construction.com

Project size: $2-5Million

Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects

Yearly Revenue: $5million

Employees: 10 (including Dave)

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Partnerships:

projektnetwork.com

@projektnetwork

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Matthew Logue of Matte Building Pty | Newcastle, Australia

We dive into what’s the same—and what’s completely different—about construction and renovations on the other side of the world.

Matt’s cut from the same cloth. Came up through the trades on a similar path, with a real love for building and creating. But where things split? He’s scaled—taking his company from just him and his sister (part-time) to a tight team of 10. No shortcuts. Builders who take pride in every swing of the hammer.

We get into how he built that team, earned his reputation, and what it actually felt like hiring that first employee… versus what keeps him up at night now.

Great dude. Building something special down in Australia.

Hope you enjoy the chat with Matt.

Learn more about Ep. 38 Guest:

@mattebuilding

www.mattebuilding.com.au

Project size: $500k-$1.5mil

Project per year: 4-8 projects per year

Yearly Revenue: $2.2mil

Employees: 10 (including Matt)

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Partnerships:

projektnetwork.com

@projektnetwork

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Jason Pietruszka of JJP Construction, out of Los Angeles, joins us this week on the pod.

Jason takes us back to 2008 — when his dad gave him that first nudge into the industry. From there, he’s gone on to build 250+ homes… starting in production, where there’s little to no connection to the end product, to where he is today — designing and building homes in the Palisades, rebuilding in areas impacted by the wildfires.

Through his architecture and design firm, Shelter, and his semi-custom construction company, JJP Construction, Jason’s now controlling the full process — from concept to completion.

We get into building a team, AI agents, TikTok, branding, lump sum contracts — the pros, the pitfalls — and everything in between.

Hope you enjoy this one.

Learn more about Ep. 38 Guest:

@jjpconstruction

@shelterhomesla

@goldlandscapers

www.jjpconstructioninc.com

Project size: $1-4Million

Project per year: 10-15 projects per year

Employees: 6-8

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Partnerships:

projektnetwork.com

@projektnetwork

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth

Chad Coll of C.S. Spoon & Co. is doing what a lot of us in construction have done — turning a hobby into a business.

And the path? It’s almost too familiar.

This wasn’t some calculated move chasing market share — “let me go grab 5% or 10% of the spoon market.”

Nope. Life unfolded… and Chad stumbled into a niche that gave him purpose, allowed him to support his family, and actually be present — not stuck on-call, running a maintenance grind.

There’s something real about that.

Chad’s story hit home for me. It’s a reminder that not everything has to be forced or over-engineered… sometimes you’ve got to roll with it and see where it leads.

Maybe something better is waiting on the other side of that.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Learn more about Ep. 37 Guest:

@cs_spoonco

www.csspoonco.com

Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW

@apple

@spotify

@youtube

Sponsors:

www.durationmillwork.com

 @durationmouldingandmillwork 

www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com

@hdpocketdoors

www.shubee.com

@shubeeshoecovers

Show Merch:

upstatemerch.com

@upstatemerch

Partnerships:

projektnetwork.com

@projektnetwork

Local Sponsor:

www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs!

@HireSmooth