The Construction Life

We get right out of The Construction Life gate with food that Matt brought us from Speducci, pizzas, spiedini and more, what a pure gem of a gentleman. Matt began his construction career like most, sweeping floors in sub division and once he saw other trades digging holes for the next build he was hooked and wanted to know everything about excavation.

The official term that Matt performs is Engineered Earth Retention Shoring. We get chatting about his very first machine and what that cost him to rent per week and then quoting his first job right from the cab of that excavator.

Espresso machines come up of course and we get right into the good, the bad and the Chinese machines that are ruining the true espresso nature of the coffee. That chat brings us right back to shoring machinery and back to the construction site. The connection of Chinese tooling vs Italian and American is what determines how successful your business will be. 1/3 operator, 1/3 machine and 1/3 tooling is what makes his business successful and Matt has done his R&D to streamline a very successful business. That tooling talk brings us right into his loyalty to tools and brands and which tools are best for his business and why.

Matt talks about his online network of shoring, concrete, machinery connections from Russia, Germany, Italy and more, where he is always networking with them and looking to build his business better by way of technique and tools. We even get into how Covid effected his business, how many guys stayed at home, how many guys came back and how he adjusted everything to survive.

Where is Turnkey heading Matt? He’s getting into drilling for geothermal and being a part of geofields. Matt has the machinery and manpower to drill and dig so why not expand a successful business. He is also getting into dewatering on job sites, where you basically drill a hole to let the water table rise up to grade and escape from the excavated area.

Matt has built a successful business based on quality and safety first followed by profit, it’s a TrunKey culture that he has built and everyone associated with his brand has that common goal. Thank you so much Matt for being on the show.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Matt for joining the show, all the amazing food and sharing so much great insight about your construction shoring business and all of the amazing projects you have had a chance to be a part of from the very beginning. Find him at @turnkeyshoring www.turnkeyss.ca [email protected] and his YouTube Channel – Turn Key.

Thank you to Mark from @skyluxeroofing for letting us record the show in his breakroom and welcome him and his guys always walking through the recording. Give Mark and his solid crew a call for your next roofing, cladding, ACM project.

This is The Construction Life

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We begin with a specific shout out to David from @blucarpentry and how he gets a good laugh at Manny and Carlito having a hard time converting imperial to metric. Enjoy.

Brendan gets right into his pretty sweet IG handle @redsealcarpenter and his matching license plate that has been stolen before. Brendan wrote his test, achieved higher than 70% and that grade got him into his first year of apprentice and with that got a secure job with an established builder. Right of the construction gate and he’s making great moves. We get right into Journeymen wages across the country, the national average and local average and what the work day is like or what it should be like.

Brendan makes the statement that all Carpenters should be licensed just like Plumbers, HVAC, Electricians and we discuss would it be better industry if that was the case? Will the cost of you running your business and the cost of your service you provide, will it increase? Brendan brings up a great point, how much do you value your worth?

We have some fun with what type of tool brand is Brendan and that leads us into job site etiquette and supplying or not supplying tools to apprentices. Then we touch upon females in trades and how they get a higher incentive from the government to get a career in trades. As an apprentice you have to go into construction and construction education with an open mind, check the ego at the door, you are there to learn, to watch and to listen. 1, 2, 3, if you can’t retain the task and it takes you more than 3 attempts and you are continuously wasting material, then you are gone and should consider another career. Farmers make great contractors and Brendan has farming in his family history.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Brandan for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about your construction path and all of the amazing projects you have had a chance to be a part of. Find him at @redsealcarpenter

This is The Construction Life

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We are talking with Tony Anderson from Upwardor, one “o” should have been two “o”’s but he never named it, he just bought it. We have a lot to talk about when it comes to garages.

We get into colors, styles, construction of the doors, all of those little details that make a garage door last a very long time. People don’t realize that a single car garage door is 56 sq ft of surface area and on your front façade of your home and more attention to detail and care should really be put into the selection of your garage door. We even discuss the R16 in a 1 ¾” thick door, it’s a trade secret and they know how to make that happen.

We discuss fast opening air doors with uses for ambulance and fire hall applications, we get right into jack shaft or direct shaft openers and the benefits and even prom night is brought up. Let’s get into the world of installation and what to look for when hiring a professional and how the future garage door will be integrated into your smart home systems. A garage door should never be an after thought, homeowners really should spend more time on a garage door.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and lastly the 10 questions of construction.

Thank You so much Tony for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about your garage doors and all of the amazing products you have. Find him at @upwardor_inc www.upwardor.com [email protected]

This is The Construction Life

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34-year-old Jason began his construction career 17 years ago working with his Dad who was a body man. We quickly get into the image of your construction brand and Jason has benefits for his employees and even goes as far as to give them all a boot allowance, this is such a great idea. Branding your business leads to a lot of work and completion and every contractor should embrace the competition and continue to build better, Jason has a lot to say about that. Jason has built his business by reaching out to others in the industry online and on the job site because he believes you have to fail to learn.

We get into estimating and hiring someone to estimate on your behave. Get the clients to do as much of the leg work as possible, get them to be involved with the scope from the very beginning. Then we get talking tools, lots and lots of tools. We discuss the mistakes the young guys make and even the seasoned guys and ways to avoid those mistakes. We wrap up the show with a few great ways to handle clients and how they change and expect things outside of the scope. What a great talk with Jason, thank you so much. Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Jason for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about your construction path and all of the amazing projects you have had a chance to be a part of. Find him at @guest_contracting.incwww.guestcontracting.com [email protected] 705 229-7875.

This is The Construction Life

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Vincent opens the show full of awesomeness and talks about his Uncle and how much of an influence he was, is and continues to be. Vincent was 11 years old when his Uncle brought him along onto the job site and he was hungry to learn how best to prep, fill and paint. This show isn’t all about paint or prepping, we dive into a number of construction topics and great products to use. Sit back and listen to what the new generation is thinking about when it comes to construction.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Vincent for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about your construction path and all of the amazing projects you have had a chance to be a part of. Find him at [email protected] and 647 984-0896.

This is The Construction Life

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We have a great show for you today and will be discussing a number of fine cabinetry and woorkworking details. We get right into talking about shop classes at the high school level and how they are disappearing. Machine vs hand wood working and grasping the differences in working each piece. You can hear the passion that Chris brings to every project he works on. Chris brings up a great connection between construction and furnishings, we are going to quote him for years to come.

After his university days Chris tracked down all of the master woodworkers all across the country and wrote letters to each and every one of them with the hope of getting a shot at working in their shops. From a lot of tool and blade sharpening to pipe organ building Chris was determined to learn as much as possible from everyone he could.

Chris brought gifts and thank you so much for the hand turned bowls and the amazing story attached to this piece of wood. Much respect.

Was school worth it? Chris enlightens us. Chris talks a lot about his next steps and how everything led him to his collaboration with Cardinal Cabinetry, a company with over 60 years of fine work. Chris shares a few other woodworkers to follow on social, from @siggibuhler @stevethewoodturner @thelucentcrow

We wrap up this show with The Ten Questions of Construction, you will love how our guests answer these questions. Chris discusses one of his more challenging pieces, a 30-foot-long table that had to be stable all along the length and once completed required to be transported. At his shop he talks about building with less and whatever waste there is they are doing things to reuse as much as possible.

Finally, Chris shares what his kitchen looks and works like. Lot’s of great and practical design and woodworking ideas. From there we discuss bringing on students and how Chris and his team works with these new woodworkers, absolutely amazing how they handle them. There is a connection between how Chris teaches anyone and martial arts, beautifully explained.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Chris for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about your construction path and all of the amazing fine workmanship. Find him @chrismckaskell www.mhdbonline.com [email protected] @designcardinal

This is The Construction Life

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We have Valerie and John from Bins Plus Disposal on the show talking everything to do with garbage. Right into contractor and client expectations and how they just keep throwing all kinds of garbage and couldn’t care less about separation of garbage for the environment. From there we get into our biggest pet peeve about bin companies that don’t care, driveway protection. A lot of garbage can be and should be recycled such as concrete, asphalt and dirt, please don’t mix these up or worse place all of them into one bin because that becomes a full waste bin and will cost more. A little garbage care goes a long way. At Bins Plus they offer a “load and go” service where they will come to deliver and bin and they will stay there and assist with the loading of garbage and then take the bin with them. Great service. Considering a bin for your next stage of construction, calling on all you trades and homeowners looking to declutter your homes please consider giving Bins Plus Disposal a call for your next bin.

We wrap up this show with a brand new segment and we call it, the Ten Questions of Construction, you will love how our guests will answer these questions.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Valerie and John for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about garbage and more. Find them at @binsplus1_disposal www.binsplus.ca 647 331-2467 and that spells B I N S

This is The Construction Life

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We begin the talk with a very interesting History with Manny segment and that leads into the real estate market is not going to crash and our guests explain why. The investment in properly marketing your property is paramount in the buy and selling of real estate and our guests share all of those key details. Let’s discuss what people should be buying and for how much and why. The beauty and benefits of being a landlord and looking at getting others to pay your total mortgage and keep your cash flow in the positive. There is a lot of work to get everything set up but the payoff can be massive. We get right into the financial numbers of what is required for lending approvals for every property, Michelle breaks all of the associated details. The conversation of retirement for contractors is a topic that always comes up in our shows and yet again we discuss having that pension, those savings to secure your future. We get financial terminology with key things such as Gross Debt Service Ratio and what the lenders look at when it comes to you as a buyer. You have to look at your financial statement in percentages and what you can afford and expect to pay off. Then we get into the lovely world of flipping properties, all the good, the bad and the ugly. We end the show bringing up a bunch of renovations details that are worth it or not worth it, great replies from our guests. Bottom line, you want to succeed in real estate? You need to know Lot Location Layout and the right real estate agent and the right mortgage broker.

We wrap up this show with a brand new segment and we call it, the Ten Questions of Construction, you will love how our guests will answer these questions.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Anthony and Michelle for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about properties, real estate, loans, mortgages and more. Find them at @thecaputogroup.realestate www.thecaputogroup.ca [email protected] 416 938-7771 and find Michelle @mlfarrugia and @cognitive.capital and www.cognitivecapital.ca 647 355-1823

This is The Construction Life

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We open the show with some very interesting facts about trades, you will be surprised to hear what we researched. From there we discuss the lovely wine Mario was so kind enough to bring us and for any future guests we accept any gifts you are considering bringing us. Thank you Mario, such a gentleman. On with the show.

We get right into how Mario was taught, who taught him, and the reasons behind those lessons, from there we get into electrical functionality in every single room. We dive deep into arch fault receptacle and set ups then discuss the math behind each and every circuit especially in the working rooms like the Kitchen. Let’s get talking permit fees, inspections, and why? We discuss low voltage and applications from outdoor to accent interiors. We eventually get into EMF – Electro Magnetic Field and is snake oil and for real? We also get into a lot of bulb talk and discuss the older CFL’s, the first gen LED and todays LED’s and that leads us to color temperature and output where we discuss Lumens and Kelvin. We finally get to installing light fixtures and the hours and hours it takes to assemble and how clients need to understand a licensed electrician charging by the hour is your best and most economical way to handle these details. 73 mins into this show Manny asks Mario a simple question, “do you watch any of the reno shows?” Let the fireworks unfold. This conversation gets real good and very real. We wrap up the show with Mario sharing his tool brand selection, always great to have this chat with trades.

We wrap up this show with a brand new segment and we call it, the Ten Questions of Construction, you will love how our guests will answer these questions.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Mario for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about electrical skillset and more. Find him @electricallocal69

This is The Construction Life

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Liz has carved out a nice niche where she has built a strong Circle of Construction and takes great care in bringing the best trades to her clients to get the work done correctly, on schedule and within budget. We discuss the effects of certain stones and how stone can add heathy elements to your life and your outdoor areas of escape. We get right into balcony sizes and limitations for furnishings and decorating details. A lot of shopping when it comes to outdoor landscaping projects, Liz never wants to have a completed space empty, the furnishings should arrive on the completion date and ready for use. We even chat about the current reno shows and what Liz thinks about them and the way they portray the construction industry.

We end the show with a discussion about her investigation into fraud of the construction industry and the do’s and don’t’s. Our listeners really need to understand that insurance fraud in Canada is in the billions and construction fraud is 40 million plus annually.

We wrap up this show with a brand new segment and we call it, the Ten Questions of Construction, you will love how our guests will answer these questions.

Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny at the beginning of the show, Building Code Talk with Manny at the midpoint and Green Book Talk with Carlito at the near end.

Thank You so much Liz for joining the show and sharing so much great insight about outdoor design and a bit about investigation and fraud. Find her @gtacondodecor Sapphire Landscaping and Interior Design Inc on LinkedIN and Facebook.

This is The Construction Life

www.theconstructionlife.com