The Mindful Builder podcast
Building better, building smarter, building mindfully.
An Australian construction podcast about the two conversations our industry isn't having loudly enough: mental health, and what it actually takes to build high performance homes and certified Passive Houses that genuinely improve people's lives.
Two conversations the industry needs to have, out loud
We didn't want to do it alone, so we teamed up with our good friend Hamish from Sanctum Homes to create something that tackles both. The Mindful Builder brings in industry experts, celebrates the people doing the work properly and asks the hard questions about where Australian construction needs to go.
Mental health
Too many trades are burning out and too many builders carry it alone. With a practising psychologist joining us regularly, we talk honestly about the pressure, the failures and the comebacks.
Building better
What high performance, energy efficient and certified Passive House homes really take, with one of Australia's leading building scientists joining us every month to go deep.
Listen to the latest episodes
New episodes every week. Pick one below, or follow us on your favourite app so you never miss one.
Find an episode worth your drive to site
Filter by topic and tap any episode to listen.
Want to Build Passive Houses? Ask Us Anything
Jimmy, June BuildingJimmy learned Passive House through Instagram and won a Pro Clima Passive House tradesperson scholarship, then turned up with questions of his own on airtightness, ventilation and building for comfort rather than compliance.
Listen to the episodeBuilding scienceBuild Without This and Your Home Fails
Dr Cameron Munro, Passive AnalyticsWhy thermal modelling early and often should be standard in preconstruction, whether you want a certified Passive House or just a comfortable home.
Listen to the episodeBuilding scienceThe Truth About Cheap Aussie Windows
Matt and HamishWhy so many Australian homes are uncomfortable in winter and summer, and how window choices drive comfort, power bills and condensation.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionThe Building Clients We Refuse to Work With
Matt and HamishThe first episode of our preconstruction series, on why choosing clients carefully is one of the biggest risk controls in a construction business.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionTendering Your Build Is a Costly Disaster
Matt and HamishTendering looks fair on paper, but pricing rewards omissions, risk loading and variations. Here is why it so often ends up costing more.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionWhere Most Building Dreams Quietly Die
James Goodlet, Altereco DesignWhat good design actually means in practice, and what a properly run preconstruction process looks like.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionYour Block Is Hiding an Expensive Disaster
Brad McEwan, Sanford Build CoWhat a thorough site visit should cover, and how it protects a builder's time, margin and wellbeing.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionHow Builders Really Price Your Construction
Rick Hughes, Estimating OnlineWhy quick estimates cause bigger problems later, and how loose estimating costs builders time, money and trust.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionThe Building Project That'll Ruin You Financially
Brad McEwan, Sanford Build CoA frank look at project feasibility and why so many custom home builds in Australia blow their budgets.
Listen to the episodePreconstructionThe Estimating Mistake That Costs You Thousands
Tom, Vision 2 EstimatingWhy traditional estimating and 2D take offs cost builders money, and how accurate estimating protects margins.
Listen to the episodeMental healthI Hit Rock Bottom, Everyone Thought I Had It All
Brad McEwan, Sanford Build CoAn honest conversation about carrying too much for too long, hoping someone would notice, and realising it couldn't go on.
Listen to the episodeMental healthThe Day I Almost Quit Building for Good
James TurnerJames speaks openly about the fear of failing, especially failing publicly while staff, clients and cashflow depend on you.
Listen to the episodeMental healthThe Tradie Who Lost It All and Came Back
Andrew Hopkins, Hopkins ConstructionEarly success, poor financial decisions, a business collapse and a rebuild, told by the bloke who lived it.
Listen to the episodeMental healthWhat Tradies Won't Say Publicly
Joel, Heidi BuildJoel takes on the stereotype that tradies are less polished, capable or intelligent, and what that does to people.
Listen to the episodeIndustryWe Got Challenged on Everything We Believe
Joel, Heidi Build, as guest hostJoel turns the questions on us: ownership long after handover, the damage viral circus build videos do to trust, and the line between educating and selling.
Listen to the episodeThe preconstruction series
Most building dreams don't die on site. They die in the months before anyone picks up a hammer, in a tender, a quick estimate or a block nobody looked at properly. This series walks through how to get the start of a project right, for homeowners and builders alike.
- The Building Clients We Refuse to Work With
- Tendering Your Build Is a Costly Disaster
- Where Most Building Dreams Quietly Die
- Your Block Is Hiding an Expensive Disaster
- How Builders Really Price Your Construction
- The Building Project That'll Ruin You Financially
- The Estimating Mistake That Costs You Thousands
We're good at knowing what we don't know
So we've surrounded ourselves with the best people in the industry and given them a platform.
Matthew Carland
Co-hostBuilder and founder of Carland Constructions. A nutrition and science graduate who started a carpentry apprenticeship at 20, admits he was never the best on the tools, and found his calling in Passive House.
Hamish White
Co-hostBuilder at Sanctum Homes. Started a business degree, realised office life wasn't for him, began his apprenticeship at 23 and now aims for every Sanctum home to meet the Passive House standard.
Dr Cameron Munro
Monthly building scienceOne of Australia's leading building scientists, from Passive Analytics, joining us monthly to go deep on building science and Passive House design.
Julie
Regular, mental healthA practising psychologist who joins us regularly to help navigate the mental health side of the industry.
Brad McEwan
ContributorBuilder at Sanford Build Co, and a regular voice on feasibility, site visits and the realities of running a building business.
The construction industry has a reputation problem
- Too many builders overpromise and underdeliver
- Too many trades are burning out
- Too many homeowners are handed the keys to homes that were never tested or proven to perform
We want to put genuine confidence back into the industry by being honest about the hard stuff, celebrating the builders and designers doing it right, and showing that healthy homes, certified Passive Houses and a healthy building culture can all sit alongside a successful business.
A free monthly chat about building science, over a beer
Bring your building problems, test your ideas or just talk shop with builders, designers and building scientists from around the country. No question is too big or too small.
Come on the show, or back it
Got a story worth telling?
Whether you're a builder doing it properly, a designer pushing the envelope or someone who's been through the hard stuff and come out the other side, we'd love to hear from you.
Say helloSponsor an episode
Reach a highly engaged audience of builders, architects, clients and decision makers. Every ad is read live by a host, in our own words.
Sponsorship enquiriesThe Mindful Builder FAQ
What is The Mindful Builder podcast about?
The Mindful Builder is an Australian construction podcast hosted by builders Matthew Carland of Carland Constructions and Hamish White of Sanctum Homes. It covers two conversations the industry isn't having loudly enough: mental health, and what it actually takes to build high performance homes and certified Passive Houses.
Who are the hosts of The Mindful Builder?
The Mindful Builder is co-hosted by Matthew Carland, founder of Melbourne Passive House builder Carland Constructions, and Hamish White of Sanctum Homes, with regular appearances from building scientist Dr Cameron Munro and psychologist Julie.
Where can I listen to The Mindful Builder?
New episodes come out weekly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, and every episode is also listed on themindfulbuilder.com.
Is The Mindful Builder only for builders?
No. It's for anyone interested in building, from homeowners planning a Passive House to architects, trades and builders who want to build better.