Can builders use AI like an apprentice? This is AI for builders explained. In this episode, business strategist Therese Tarlinton breaks down what’s actually worth applying from the AI hype. 

From quoting and variations to client communication and paperwork, discover how AI can help builders save hours each week, reduce admin, and improve speed and consistency across jobs. 

AI isn’t here to replace builders - it’s here to scale them. Therese name-drops the tools to use, and how to train AI on your processes and standards so your business becomes less dependent on you. You’ll also learn how AI can analyse your jobs and identify which ones actually make you money today. 

Connect  

👉 LinkedIn: @theresetarlinton

The client wanted a wine cellar. It turned into a full-scale Home of the Year build. 

Mark Supple from Mazzei breaks down delivering a complex home on a windswept Red Hill (Victoria) site, with winery views one side and ocean the other. He covers planning, trade coordination, cantilevered concrete, and 50,000 bricks over a 23-month build - while keeping the client’s vision intact. 

There’s straight advice for builders taking on bigger, more complex jobs - watch and take something back to site.

Discover more at:

Mazzei.com.au

@mazzeihomes

Housing policy, planning constraints and industry ego are stalling the homes we actually need.  

Architect AJ Bala, Director of DNA Architects, unpacks why the “missing middle” — duplexes, townhouses and low-rise apartments — remains critically undersupplied, and what needs to change to fix it.  

With over 20 years across residential and commercial projects, AJ brings a grounded, real-world perspective to medium-density done properly — beyond glossy renders and into what actually gets built. He also chats on how builders can drive real industry change through committees. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• Designing smarter to reduce build costs  

• The ‘Missing Middle’ explained  

• Multi-generational living and medium density done properly  

• Why approvals drag out for months  

• Getting community on board with gentrification  

• How policy affects what actually gets built  

• How builders can drive real change through committees  

• AI in architectural practice  

Connect with AJ: 

👉 Insta: @dna_architects 

👉 FB: @DNAArchitectsCanberra 

👉 LinkedIn: Ajanthan Bala 

Clients are asking for prefab — but most builders are still picturing cheap boxes and design limits. This episode clears things up.
Steve Bridger, founder and Managing Director of Saltair Modular, explains how design-led modular delivers good-looking custom outcomes, tighter finishes, and repeatable quality without cutting corners.
We dig into how modular methods can shorten build times, improve productivity, and where modular fits in lifting pressures on housing supply and affordability.
Check it out yourself:
Insta/FB: @SaltairModularHomes
LinkedIn: Saltair Modular | Steve Bridger
saltairmodular.com.au

Good people are leaving worksites. Productivity cops it. Culture is usually why. In this episode, carpenter and Build Like a Girl founder Joanne “Jo” Farrell breaks down what actually keeps women—and good blokes—on the tools and in the industry. From lifting female participation at Kane Constructions ACT from 6 to 48 per cent, to fixing the behaviours that push apprentices out, Jo demolishes stereotypes and builds up the next gen of female builders. An eye-opening story on how site culture links directly to retention, safety and profit.

Get a practical look at running a business like an engine, so you’re not just wearing every hat. Caleb Adams, founder of Pilgrim Homes, follows the principle of ‘momentum over margin’ and breaks down how he built a boutique design-and-build business using clear systems, the right people, and a strong sense of purpose. We talk hiring staff based on attitude, really understanding your business model, how having a growth mindset and branding impact your profitability - even before the slab’s poured.
Insta: @by.pilgrim
FB: @bypilgrim.co
LinkedIn: bypilgrim

Subscribe to the Made To Build podcast on: 🔔SPOTIFY PODCASTS: https://open.spotify.com/show/26QevY9nm0gapy6yhtn3o9?si=6f6a5b964a7744c4&nd=1&dlsi=dac874550eff4586🔔APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/made-to-build-by-hia/id1806259466

What can we learn from international cities to build more affordable, sustainable communities? Professor Philip Oldfield explains how 15-minute cities can influence the way we plan and build; and what the $10b Housing Australia Future Fund means for supply and affordability. He lays out the practical design choices, material decisions and planning moves that help builders improve their carbon footprint while still meeting rising housing demand.

Questions are welcome! Connect with Philip via

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @sustainabletall

 If you’re flat-out but still not getting ahead, this episode shows you the way out. Andy and Angela Smith from Lifestyle Tradie break down the systems, pricing habits and team structures that pull builders out of the grind. They call out the “busy = successful” mindset and show how to break the Tradie Trap. Real examples, simple fixes and practical steps you can use straight away to run a cleaner, more profitable building business.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to attract and employ the right people
• How to identify your ideal clients and projects
• Why organisational structure matters in husband/wife teams
• The key numbers every builder must know
• How your mindset and habits impact business

performanceFacebook: facebook.com/lifestyletradie
Instagram: instagram.com/lifestyletradie
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/lifestyle-tradie

Look behind the build of a 1900s heritage villa with brothers Hamish and Jed Villis of SA’s Build Theory. They transformed a run-down city house into an award-winning home after a full structural overhaul, open courtyards, and a kitchen that won 2025 HIA Australian Kitchen of the Year. Watch now for stunning before-and-after results. 

https://buildtheory.co/ 

@build.theory

Subscribe to the Made To Build podcast on: · SPOTIFY PODCASTS: https://open.spotify.com/show/26QevY9nm0gapy6yhtn3o9?si=6f6a5b964a7744c4&nd=1&dlsi=dac874550eff4586· APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/made-to-build-by-hia/id1806259466 Find out more about Made To Build: https://hia.com.au/hia-community/made-to-build-podcast

3D-printed homes are here thanks to Ballarat-based duo Paige Gercovich and Ash Quiddington from Dune Build, one of Australia’s first companies using 3D-printed concrete for housing. They break down the process from digital design to built form, explain what sets it apart from traditional builds. With any innovation, they share the wins (faster construction, less waste, more design freedom), plus the challenges of bringing new tech to market. Discover the future of Australian homes.

https://dunebuild.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/dunebuild/

https://au.linkedin.com/in/paige-gercovich-102406193

https://www.instagram.com/paigebuilds_/?hl=en

https://au.linkedin.com/in/ash-quiddington-9851b1335

Find out more about Made To Build: https://hia.com.au/hia-community/made-to-build-podcast