The Build Show Podcast

Matt Risinger sits down with Jason Alcott of Breakthrough Academy to discuss how contractors can become more proactive in managing their businesses. They cover annual strategic planning, setting revenue and profit goals, and using quarterly reviews and regular team meetings to keep projects and people aligned. The conversation also explores meeting structure, leadership accountability, company vision and values, and making staffing decisions before business pressures force them. Alcott explains how Breakthrough Academy helps contractors build systems, develop leadership teams, and reduce their dependence on the owner so the business can operate more independently. 

Huge thanks to our episode sponsor, Festool. To learn more visit: http://festoolusa.com/buildyoursystem  

FREE TOOLS: Download the annual planning playbook from Breakthrough Academy. If you're feeling too busy to plan for 2027, why not take a shortcut?

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In this episode of the Build Show Podcast, Matt Risinger sits down with Nikki Krueger, Marketing Manager at AprilAire and Santa Fe, to discuss the importance of humidity control, the hidden dangers of moisture buildup, and how to prevent mold problems in both new and existing homes. Humidity can be one of the biggest threats to a home's durability, comfort, and indoor air quality, even in a well-built house. Matt and Nikki explore why air conditioning alone isn't always enough to control indoor humidity, the dangers of oversized HVAC systems and short cycling, and the importance of maintaining proper relative humidity levels. They break down the differences between portable, whole-house, and ventilating dehumidifiers, the role of ERVs, and strategies for managing moisture in basements, crawl spaces, and tightly built homes. The conversation also covers proper equipment sizing, air sealing, and the benefits of dedicated dehumidification systems to help builders and homeowners protect their homes from costly moisture damage.

Huge thanks to our episode sponsor, Pella. 

To learn more, visit: https://www.pella.com/

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Matt Risinger, Founder of The Build Show, sits down with architect Steve Baczek and Author/Builder Mark Wille for a preview of the Build Science 501 series, covering building science concepts for builders, architects, and homeowners. They explain double wall construction and its role in thermal bridging, exterior insulation, and framing practicality in cold climates. The conversation moves to vapor control layers, why water and air control come before vapor concerns, and how that approach reduces mold risk. They also discuss air tightness, blower door testing, and why more insulation alone doesn’t make a better wall, using coolers and windows as comparisons, along with common mistakes in northern homes.

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Matt Risinger, founder of The Build Show, sits down with Travis Brungardt, host of the Building Consensus Podcast and contractor, for a conversation on unconventional insulation approaches. They start with insulated over-roof assemblies, discussing how continuous insulation above the roof deck supports airtight construction, conditioned attics, and better comfort in hot-humid climates. Travis describes framing methods and compares rigid board with batt insulation for the roof. The conversation then moves to lesser-used materials, including sheep’s wool, wood fiber, foam glass aggregate, denim batts, ICF, SIPs, and straw bale. They weigh availability, cost premiums, installer experience, and the environmental and indoor air quality reasons builders choose these products.

Explore the Builder's Insulation Playbook Series and discover valuable insights, techniques, and best practices for better insulation and better building. Watch the full series here: https://buildshownetwork.com/bsn-series/builders-insulation-playbook

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In part two of their insulation series on the Build Show podcast, Matt Risinger, Founder, The Build Show and Travis Brungardt dig into board insulation, with a focus on basements and foundations. They compare rigid foam, polyiso, and mineral wool boards, covering water management, vapor-open assemblies, and thermal continuity. The conversation weighs interior against exterior placement below grade, including pest pressure, inspection access, and drainage. They also cover insulating slabs, offsetting joints in multiple layers, and how compressibility and labor affect installation. Durability and moisture control come up throughout, tied to the BUILD HD standard.

Explore the Builder's Insulation Playbook Series and discover valuable insights, techniques, and best practices for better insulation and better building. Watch the full series here: https://buildshownetwork.com/bsn-series/builders-insulation-playbook

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Matt Risinger sits down with builder Travis Brungardt on the Build Show podcast to dig into fibrous insulation, meaning any non-foam product that traps air between fibers. They start with fiberglass batts and blown-in loose fill, then move to cellulose and wood fiber, and they cover how installation quality and air movement affect real-world performance. The conversation looks at attics and walls, wind washing, settling, and the difference between rated and long-term R-value. They also touch on less common options like denim batts and blown-in blanket systems. The episode works as a companion to Travis's “Builders Installation playbook series and sets up a follow-up on rigid board insulation.

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In this episode of the Build Show Podcast, Matt Risinger and special guest Jake Bruton discuss lessons they’ve learned from building homes for their own families and how those experiences have influenced their approach to clients. They talk about communicating plans more clearly, using 3D models and physical mockups to help clients understand spaces, and setting realistic expectations around construction schedules. The conversation also explores HVAC design, comfort, zoning, ventilation rates, and the importance of monitoring indoor air quality in high-performance homes. Matt and Jake share experiences with tight building envelopes, air sealing, pest control, and the realities of completing work themselves. They also discuss routine HVAC maintenance and how builders can help homeowners stay on top of ongoing service. 

Huge thanks to our episode sponsor Huber. 

To learn more visit: https://www.huberwood.com/

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Matt Risinger sits down with the digs.com team at Build Show Live to unpack a new partnership shaping how custom and production builders document construction. The conversation traces digs.com's evolution into an AI-powered platform that captures takeoffs, diagramming, and selections, then converts that data into a 3D digital twin for homeowners—often compared to a "Carfax for homes." Talk turns to the newly launched Build HD standard, a durability-focused building certification addressing water intrusion and construction defects, and how it integrates with an upcoming AI tool trained on years of building-science content. The discussion also touches on data ownership, homeowner privacy controls, a builder-supply partnership expanding distribution, and where artificial general intelligence might fit into future construction workflows.

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On this episode of the Build Show Podcast, host Matt Risinger talks with architect Steve Baczek and builder Mark Willie about Joe Lstiburek's well-known list, "Top 10 Dumb Things to Do in the South." The three work through building science missteps common to hot, humid climates — vented attics, duct leakage, vapor barriers in the wrong place, painted brick, and carpet over concrete slabs — explaining why practices that work fine up north can cause moisture problems and mold growth in Texas. Risinger draws on his own remodeling experience, describing how negative air pressure and impermeable wall coverings trap humidity inside southern homes. 

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Matt Risinger examines the growing number of mold-related lawsuits involving homebuilders and connects today’s problems to changes in building practices and energy efficiency. He explains how tighter homes, oversized HVAC systems, poor moisture control, vented attics, and inadequate air sealing can contribute to elevated indoor humidity and condensation. Risinger also discusses lessons learned from earlier building failures involving bulk water and flashing, along with practical approaches for builders and homeowners to identify moisture problems. The discussion covers HVAC design, dehumidification, water management, building commissioning, moisture measurements, and the importance of keeping building assemblies dry.  

 Referenced in this episode: Watch Forensic Files — Season 7, Episode 37, “Breaking the Mold,” covering the Austin, Texas mold case discussed by Matt:https://youtu.be/QhRfeDavAhQ?si=qlPlSfr0Mk8GVr8o. 

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