Our Team
Hola. I'm Matt, but Mum would probably prefer you call me Matthew.
I started in construction in 2010 as a 20-year-old apprentice carpenter. Before that I did the whole uni thing, a Bachelor of Science and Nutrition, but it wasn't for me. I love science and I love food, but the combination wasn't working and I needed more. I'm the type who's always thinking three steps ahead, so getting stuck was a new and uncomfortable feeling. I'd always been drawn to building and architecture (Dad's an electrician, my brother was starting his plumbing apprenticeship), so carpentry it was.
But carpentry alone wasn't enough, and I'll be honest, I wasn't the greatest carpenter. I worked out early that my real strength was in building and management, so I did something about it. In the second year of my apprenticeship I started night school for my Certificate IV in Building and Construction, back when it wasn't a 16-week course and you were taught by real industry professionals. That still wasn't enough, so I followed it with a Diploma in Building and Construction at Victoria University while working on the tools.
Somewhere in all of that I finished my apprenticeship. I never had much interest in working for anyone else, so I started my own business. That was the foundation of what Carland Constructions is today.
In 2017 I sat my licence interview with the VBA and passed with flying colours. I thought I'd made it. Turns out it was just the start. Working with clients, architects, engineers and designers has been one long, enjoyable progression, but for a while I knew something was still missing.
I'd first read about this Passive House thing back when I was an apprentice. I'd wanted to do the training, but as a young bloke a trip overseas won out over a building course. In 2019 I finally enrolled, and it changed how I see the entire industry. It challenged me, opened my eyes, and questioned everything I'd ever done. I knew straight away it was the way forward.
So late in 2019 I changed the whole direction of the business, which is probably why you're reading this. We decided to only take on Passive House and high-performance projects from that point on. We went cold turkey, turning away anything that didn't fit. It was scary and full of unknowns, but I knew it would work. It did.
Today we've completed five certified Passive Houses across Melbourne, every one independently tested, with more in construction. I couldn't be prouder of that, and I've never enjoyed the job more. We've still got plenty to learn, but only because I want to keep getting better.
The proof, honestly, is where I live. My family and I are in the Pigeon Passive House in Yarraville, a certified home I built myself, and the tightest result we've ever produced. It was followed by Grand Designs Australia from start to finish. So when a client asks what a Passive House actually feels like to live in, I don't reach for someone else's story. I tell them about mine.
Work isn't my whole life. I've got a close network of family and friends who keep me grounded. I grew up in Williamstown and recently married my wife, my best friend and the marketing brains behind most of what we do. We're dog parents to our cheeky bernadoodle Charli, who you'll spot in half our photos, usually chewing on a leftover roll of Pro Clima tape.
I love getting away somewhere new each year, I still stupidly play footy because I love my sport, and I've suffered as a Carlton supporter for as long as I can remember (please don't hold it against me). I'll also never say no to a good whisky, especially a Tasmanian one.
Who knows what's next, but the promise is simple. I'll be better with every project, keep challenging what's possible in construction, and keep working out what sustainable really means in this industry.
That's enough from me. I'd rather tell you the rest over a coffee.
