Mindful Builder

In this episode, we sit down with Joel from Heidi Build and Andrew “Hoppo” from Hoppo Construction for a no-script, no-agenda chat.
It starts with what makes tradie creators actually work online: being approachable, having an opinion, and showing up as yourself. Joel breaks down why the polished, curated Instagram approach did nothing for him, then the one raw timber-quality rant that finally cut through.
From there, we get into the stuff people don’t always say out loud. The stigma that tradies aren’t intelligent, why that stereotype still lingers, and the moment Joel’s own brother hit him with the line: “I’m not one of your dumb tradie mates.” We talk about what that does to your confidence, especially when you come from a culture where university is seen as the only “good” path.
It also turns into a proper Mindful Builder conversation about bullying, body image, and parenting. Hamish shares what it’s like watching your kid go through it, and Joel talks about how he handles it at home by listening, asking questions, and helping his kids feel heard.
We also cover the real side of “influencing” in the trades: DeWalt vs Makita, how brand partnerships actually work when they’re not forced, why you shouldn’t monetise too early, and what happens when you say yes to something that doesn’t align.
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Introduction
00:18 What Makes Tradie Creators Work: Confidence and Being Approachable
01:22 Why Curated Instagram Content Failed
03:00 DeWalt vs Makita: How Tool Sponsorships Actually Work
09:33 Feeling Valued: Why DeWalt Support Helped Them Lean Into Content
11:22 Quick Tradie Eats and the Misconceptions About Tradespeople
13:12 “Tradies Are Dumb”: The Stigma and Why It Still Exists
24:10 Confidence, Bullying, and Being the Overweight Kid at School
26:25 Parenting Through Bullying: Listening, Questions, and Helping Kids Feel Heard
31:50 Team Culture and Leadership: Honesty, Vulnerability, and Check-Ins
37:00 The “Wellness Survey” Debate: Corporate Systems vs Trade Reality
45:27 Influencer Goals: Cars, GM, and Brand Partnerships That Fit Your Identity

Our Sponsors:
Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima
MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt

Connect with Andrew - Hopkins Construction
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopkinsconstruction/?hl=en
Connect with Andrew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joel_heidibuild/?hl=en

Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod
Connect with Hamish:
Instagram: @sanctumhomes
Website: www.yoursanctum.com.au/

Connect with Matt:
Instagram: @carlandconstructions
Website: www.carlandconstructions.com/

Mentioned in this episode:
Proclima Sponsor

James Turner from JTurner Constructions didn’t plan to start a building business. A torn ACL and a forced shift into subbie life pushed him into it, and he built the company the way most builders do: decks, renos, extensions, then new homes.
Two and a bit years ago, he was ready to pull the pin. Bad estimating, people management gaps, COVID losses, and the mental load stacked up fast. A turning point came from an unexpected place: an eight-week men’s course (Rising Kings) that helped him rebuild structure through daily habits and exercise.
From there, Zara D’Cotta’s course sparked a new interest in the health of homes, and Future Builder gave him the systems and support to start moving toward Passive House and high-performance building.
This episode is a practical look at what it really takes to transition: filtering the noise, learning the fundamentals, marketing like a human, and selling health and comfort before you ever mention acronyms.
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Intro
01:00 Meet James Turner (J Turner Constructions)
02:20 How the business started: ACL injury, subbie shift
08:45 Exit meeting shock + the pivot into carpentry
10:10 Nearly quitting: estimating, people, COVID losses
11:30 Rising Kings: structure, habits, exercise, and the mental reset
17:50 Zara DCottas course: holistic homes and health
19:00 Kids health trigger: carpet, dust, mould, air filtration
24:00 Future Builder call: systems, assets, and direction
25:15 Discovering Passive House and high-performance building
34:25 Marketing advice: document the journey, be vulnerable
36:10 Content that works: face to camera, education, long game
39:25 Fear of failure + getting comfortable in your skin
44:05 Transition risk: don't shoot yourself in the foot
49:00 PHPP as an optimisation tool + right-sizing systems
50:20 MEGT Mindful Moment: resilience and career pivots
Our Sponsors:
Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima
MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt

Connect with James:
Website: https://jturnerconstructions.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jturnerconstructions/

Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod
Connect with Hamish:
Instagram: @sanctumhomes
Website: www.yoursanctum.com.au/

Connect with Matt:
Instagram: @carlandconstructions
Website: www.carlandconstructions.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
Proclima Sponsor

“The difference between a good businessman and a bad businessman is the good one fails and learns.”
A tradie builds momentum fast. Makes money fast. Spends it faster. Learns the hard way about GST, tax, super, and the cost of looking like you’ve “made it”. Then the pressure stacks up, burnout hits, and the whole thing starts to wobble.
Andrew Hopkins (Hoppo from Hopkins Construction) walks through the real comeback: rebuilding a construction business with better boundaries, a stronger brand, and a work week that actually fits parenting. It also gets practical on social media for tradies (recording vs editing), why AI in construction is useless without clean systems, and how to handle trolls without losing sleep.
If you’re a builder, carpenter, landscaper, or tradie thinking about starting a construction business, this is the reality check and the roadmap.
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00: Intro
04:36: Meet Andrew “Hoppo” Hopkins (Hopkins Construction)
06:09: Leaving school early and starting a carpentry apprenticeship
07:00: Getting suspended from an apprenticeship
08:50: Snowboard accident + income protection for tradies
11:05: Starting a business naive (tax, super, entitlements)
13:11: Tradie overspending (Rangers, trailers, debt)
18:10: Partnership breakup + learning from failure
22:07: Burnout: when the business runs but you crash
23:10: Tradie dads being present is hard
27:13: Rebuilding life and work after the split
29:10: Boundaries and setting expectations with clients
31:39: Social media on site: recording vs editing
37:31: AI in construction: fundamentals first
41:10: How many hours content creation really takes
48:10: Weird brand deals, saying no, and not being a sellout
52:15: Trolls, comments, and protecting younger tradies
56:28: MEGT Mindful Moment: advice for apprentices starting a business

Our Sponsors:
Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima
MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt
Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod
Connect with Hamish:
Instagram: @sanctumhomes
Website: www.yoursanctum.com.au/

Connect with Matt:
Instagram: @carlandconstructions
Website: www.carlandconstructions.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
Proclima Sponsor

“You’re at the mercy of the quality of the 2D plans.”
We sit down with Tom from Vision 2 Estimating (V2E) to talk about why traditional construction estimating and 2D-only take-offs are costing builders real money. If you’re quoting off PDFs, squinting at elevations, and hoping the details sort themselves out on site, this conversation will hit. It’s about accurate building estimates, protecting margin, and pricing work properly in modern Australian residential construction.
We take a look at why 3D modelling for builders is not about pretty renders; it’s about clarity. Tom explains how 3D estimating, quantity take-offs, and a proper Bill of Quantities (BOQ) help you see what 2D drawings often hide: junctions, returns, missing scope, and the “we’ll figure it out later” details that turn into budget blowouts. This is especially relevant for custom homes, high performance builds, and any project where small misses become expensive fast.
A big theme is what Tom calls your builder DNA. Every builder has a way they build: preferred details, standard inclusions, sequencing, and products. V2E’s approach is to model and estimate based on how you actually build on site, so your pricing matches reality. We also touch on modern estimating tools like PlusSpec (SketchUp plugin), digital BOQs, and connected workflows that make pre-construction smoother and reduce rework, disputes, and variations.
If you’re a builder, estimator, architect, or construction business owner trying to improve construction cost planning, tender pricing, and job profitability, check this episode out. We talk estimating systems, pre-construction services, reducing risk, and why better estimating is one of the fastest ways to lift building business profitability without working more hours.

CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Intro
03:07 2D plans miss scope and costs
06:55 Builder DNA and estimating accuracy
08:21 Who owns pricing and variations
15:14 Vignettes standards and estimating workflow
18:03 Coordination meetings, RFIs, design clarity
21:27 PlusSpec BOQ export and take-offs
23:16 Builder-friendly BOQ and trade breakdown
24:53 Cost codes setup for builders
26:27 Import BOQ into estimating software
27:02 Four cost buckets for budgeting
30:08 Master price lists and cost control
32:36 Model collaboration for builders and architects
35:14 Estimating as a repeatable system
36:59 Model viewer app for site teams
39:25 Charging for pre-construction estimating
47:40 AI estimating needs clean data
50:07 Apprentices: estimating and building careers

LINKS:
Vision 2 Estimating: https://www.v2e.com.au/
Our Sponsors:
Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima
MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt
Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod
Connect with Hamish:
Instagram: @sanctumhomes
Website: www.yoursanctum.com.au/

Connect with Matt:
Instagram: @carlandconstructions
Website: www.carlandconstructions.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
Proclima Sponsor

“If you can’t hit 0.6 ACH on a brand-new build, you probably shouldn’t be building.”
Let’s stop tip-toeing around the reality of the Australian housing market. We are throwing up volume-built boxes and high-density apartments that are practically end-of-life before they’ve even seen their first winter. We sat down with Linden Thorley, architect, Passive House designer, and chair of the Australian Passive House Association Retrofit Committee.
We take a look into why retrofitting the existing 9.5 million homes in Australia is the single biggest business opportunity for trades over the next decade. Linden walks us through the differences between a cosmetic renovation and a high-performance retrofit, detailing how his team utilises the PHPP (Passive House Planning Package) to model data and manage moisture, insulation, and ventilation risks case-by-case.
We don't hold back on the real pain points of the industry either. We talk about the skyrocketing costs of business insurance, why Australian labour rates are fundamentally shifting project costs, and how to structure building contracts using provisional sums for airtightness so builders aren't crushed by unexpected site variations.
Linden also breaks down his frustrations with legacy bank valuations that prioritise bloated 300-square-meter floor plans over highly efficient, smaller family homes.
Finally, we hit the political wall: how heritage advisors and council planners are actively preventing energy efficiency upgrades, and the clever, practical drawing tricks

CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 – Introduction
02:08 – The Passive House Association Retrofit Committee & Playbook
04:12 – Finding the Ideal Market: How Long Does the Shift Take?
05:45 – Passive House as a Design-Agnostic Calculation Tool
07:11 – Can a House Be Great If It Doesn’t Reach Certified EnerPHit?
09:00 – Retrofitting Multi-Story Blocks vs. Standard Residential
10:38 – Managing Airtightness Expectations with the Builder
13:36 – How to Contract for Airtightness: The Provisional Sum Solution
15:21 – Dealing with Double Brick and Suspended Timber Floors
16:23 – The Spray Foam Debate in Subfloors vs. Walls
18:41 – The New Build Advantage vs. Retrofit Blind Spots
19:16 – A Case Study: Turning a 25 ACH House into an 8 ACH Home
22:27 – Threading Centralized MVHR Systems Through Bulkheads
23:28 – The Necessity of the ECI Process for Architects
26:16 – Why Don’t We Just Knock Them All Down?
27:43 – Renovation vs. Extension vs. Retrofit
29:47 – Do We Overcomplicate the Carbon Conversation?
31:14 – Lessons from Toronto: The 100 Macnab High-Rise Retrofit
32:38 – Drawing the Line: When to Demolish an Existing Fabric
37:28 – Forcing Council’s Hand with Legal NCC Clauses
39:34 – Is Passive House Actually a Premium-Priced Product?
41:11 – Breaking Down the True Cost of Australian Site Labour
44:46 – Linden’s Fire Loss & Installing His Own INTELLO Membrane
48:26 – Thermal Envelope vs. High-End Cabinetry
53:03 – The Intensity Slump on Modern Australian Building Sites
55:26 – Overheads, Insurance Hikes, and Free Market Economics
57:41 – The 3-Story Walk-Up: How Codes Limit Small Footprint Living
58:21 – Why Banks Hate Small Homes and Force Massive Floorplates
01:01:45 – Macroeconomics, Inflation, and Building for the Top 10%
01:08:37 – MEGT Mindful Moment: Harnessing the Un-Jaded Apprentice Mindset
01:11:16 – Connect with Linden Thorley

LINKS:
Our Sponsors:
Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima
MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt
Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod
Connect with Hamish:
Instagram: @sanctumhomes
Website: www.yoursanctum.com.au/

Connect with Matt:
Instagram: @carlandconstructions
Website: www.carlandconstructions.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
Proclima Sponsor