Building Consensus

On this episode of the Building Consensus Podcast, hosts Brandon Jones and Travis Brungardt sit down with Jason Bekebrede, owner of Monticello custom home building and remodeling in the Ozarks, while recording at Build Show Live. Jason traces his path from business school to spec homes to custom work after the housing market collapse. The conversation covers building science, energy performance, and comfort as a point of difference in custom construction. They also discuss delegating roles, setting boundaries between work and home, investing in team education, sharing knowledge among builders, and setting long-range goals for how a construction business can fit the life its owner wants.

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

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Beware the demands on your generosity, for they create a perennial Yes. (Happy to help in this moment but not happy to be expected to take this on in perpetuity- subcontractor expectations, client expectations, on and on)

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

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We all work because we want to have the benefits of more money, but how can we attain this ever-elusive “more”? There’s more steps to getting paid than just showing up and doing the work so let’s decide how to add value.

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

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Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. There are a number of things we are doing to our homes now that don’t offer enough aesthetic benefit to justify their risk or inconvenience. So where should we prioritize practicality?

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

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s almost never good to put something off. Kicking the can down the road costs more time and money almost without exception, but are there some items that make sense to procrastinate on?

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

Some people become very wealthy in the building industry, but it seems like they aren’t usually the ones actually doing the building. Maybe you don’t need to get to the point of owning a publicly held company to establish wealth as a tradesperson if you are open to dealing with rental properties.

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

There’s always more to do than there are hours to get it down, so the way you use your time is critical to your success. Where can we trim wasteful efforts and establish more effective daily habits to gain more time?

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

Does the traditionally recognized time-and-a-half hourly rate after forty hours work as it’s intended or does it incentivize the wrong approach to labor and productivity?

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

When we look at our colleagues throughout the building industry we can occasionally feel less than, but should we? Perhaps given that same amount of time and budget to match we would all get there too.

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilma

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

Keeping the extra sticks of specialty trim or cutoffs from that last cabinet job can save you on the next one, but what does it really cost you to accumulate, store and manage those responsibly saved materials?

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilma

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

We all make mistakes, but when we do we often get the benefit of learning a lesson or at least a dash of humility. What happens when that humble pie is served in part by someone else leaving you with an “S” sandwich?Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilma

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

If manufacturers and suppliers have the ability to share the key details that make their products operate best then they have an obligation to do so. So why wouldn’t they?

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilma

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

Should a warranty on a material or product drive our selection? Does it offer any real value to the project, or just a perceived value to our client? Find out on the next Building Consensus Podcast!

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilma

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

When does it make sense for your firm to handle small projects and when do we need to decline them? How can we do either one with grace, efficiency and with profitability in mind?

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilma

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

When things don’t got precisely as planned on site, there’s often a period of assessing just who is at fault and who is responsible for the fix. Graceful execution of these conversations is critical to keeping partnerships alive and progress on track.

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

Brandon wanted to call this one the in’s and out’s of European (flangeless) windows, but Travis wanted to compare and contrast the tradition exterior mounted flanged units with the mid wall or innie alternatives. Listen to see who got their way and let us know in the comments.

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

We love receiving listener mail and even more so when there’s a question to answer, a problem to solve or a debate to be… debated. With some Building Science and Best Practices to parse here the fellas do their best to arrive at consensus yet again.

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

In our milestone episode we take a moment to appreciate the support of our listeners, celebrate our past guests and even quiz Brandon on what we’ve been doing these past 2 years. Enjoy!

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

We all have our own strengths and weaknesses and each of us has potential and the ability to contribute. That said, there are simply some tasks that require a certain trait and we need to be honest about that. Painters need good eyesight, framers can’t be afraid of heights and so on.

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.

Having a business partnership rather than flying all your missions solo can certainly spread the burden and make it easier to bear, but it also complicates decision making and invites debate. Would you be better of going it alone?

Find Travis & Brandon on the Web

Travis’ Build Show Videos: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/travisbrungardt

Travis’ Instagram: @catalystbuilt

Travis’ Website: https://www.catalystbuilt.com/

Brandon’s Instagram: @bbuildsit

Brandon's Website: https://www.aarowbuilding.com/projects/gilman

Don't miss a single episode of Build Show content. Sign up for our newsletter.