Podcast
Modern Craftsman
The Modern Craftsman is a podcast for builders who think beyond the jobsite. Hosted by Nick Schiffer and Tyler Grace, this show explores what it takes to build a better business, a stronger team, and a more sustainable career in the trades.
Each episode features real conversations about leadership, project management, client communication, team culture, mental resilience, and long-term success in construction. Whether you're a carpenter scaling your company, a remodeler refining your process, or a builder navigating burnout, you'll find insight, support, and hard-earned lessons from those who've lived it.
- Entrepreneurship chart
- #133
- Episodes
- 602
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 1 hr
- On air since
- 2017
- Latest episode
- 2 days ago
Episodes
602 episodes, newest first
-
1 hr 23 min
424 Residential Builders Responsibility to Develop Leaders In The Field
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler sit down with Ryan Sweenor to talk about what it takes to build a strong field crew, develop future leaders, and maintain high standards while the work keeps moving.
Ryan breaks down how his role has shifted from doing everything himself to feeding information, setting expectations, planning ahead, and trusting other people with more responsibility. The conversation also gets into framing tolerances, speed versus quality, family business succession, and what it looks like to prepare for leadership without skipping the years of field experience that make it possible.
Ryan Sweenor https://sweenorbuilders.com/
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1 hr 31 min
423 The Responsibility Problem In Residential Construction
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler sit down with Ryan Surette of RMS Ironworks to talk about what happens when small coordination misses become expensive field problems. Using structural steel, anchor bolts, base plates, and layout as the starting point, Ryan explains why residential construction so often falls into a gray area where responsibility gets passed between the GC, concrete crew, surveyor, and steel contractor.
The conversation expands into preconstruction, 3D modeling, schedule impacts, building a high-performing crew, creating a culture where mistakes are communicated early, and what Ryan has learned while growing RMS to several times its previous size.
Ryan Surette https://www.rmsironworksllc.com/
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31 min
422 Why Do Residential Builders Struggle To Delegate?
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Tyler uses the challenges of building his own house to confront a problem a lot of residential builders eventually create for themselves: becoming the person every decision has to run through.
After realizing he had treated his personal build differently than a client project, Tyler breaks down why accountability only works when roles, expectations, authority, processes, and communication are clearly defined. If everything stops when you leave the job, the problem might not be your team—it might be the system you gave them to work within
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1 hr 18 min
421 How Residential Builders Balance Craft And Profit
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler catch up with Colby Blauvelt four years after he began transforming his family's production plastering company into a highly specialized, craft-driven business. The work has changed, the team has grown to 15 people, and now the challenge is figuring out how to protect the standard that built the brand while creating a business that can actually scale profitably.
They get into pricing complex work, saying no to the wrong projects, tracking labor, building better field systems, choosing the right level of finish, and the uncomfortable reality that craftsmen can sometimes care more about perfection than the client is willing to pay for.
Colby Blauvelt https://www.instagram.com/trowelincplastering/?hl=en
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1 hr 7 min
420 What Wealthy Clients Actually Expect From Residential Builders
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler sit down with Grant Bowen of Peak Projects to unpack what an owner's rep actually does and what builders can learn from projects where the stakes, budgets, and client expectations are exceptionally high.
Grant explains how to manage complex residential projects from due diligence through construction, how high-net-worth clients evaluate builders, why concise communication and transparent financial reporting matter so much, and how trust is built long before construction begins. The conversation makes one thing clear: on high-end projects, great work is expected—the differentiator is how well you manage the entire experience.
Grant Bowen https://www.peakprojects.com/
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1 hr 29 min
419 How Maturity Changed The Way Gary Katz Sees Architecture
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler sit down with Gary Katz to talk about American Mantelpieces, a project that began nearly three decades ago and became something much bigger than a book about fireplaces. Gary reflects on craftsmanship, architectural proportion, rejection, persistence, and how years of studying the work helped him understand not just what looks right, but why it looks right.
The conversation expands into how a craftsperson's perspective changes with experience, why finishing imperfect work can be more valuable than chasing perfection, and how understanding the history behind what we build can completely change the way we see our own work.
Gary Katz https://garymkatz.com/new-book
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50 min
418 Knowing how to utilize in-house labor in residential construction
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler sit down with Jeff Sweenor to talk about what it actually takes to keep framing, finish carpentry, cabinetry, masonry, and other trades in-house. Jeff breaks down the constant balance between quality, productivity, overhead, scheduling, hiring, and knowing when a specialized subcontractor can simply do the work more efficiently. The conversation also gets into how Sweenor Builders tracks each division, develops skilled craftspeople, and decides which capabilities are worth continuing to own.
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Video Notes:
• Self-Performing vs Subcontracting (3:30)
• Managing Labor Productivity (7:23)
• Competitive Advantages in Framing (13:12)
• Logistics of Custom Builds (27:36)
• Hiring and Market Positioning (33:40)Partners:
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43 min
417 Building My Own House Without Chasing Perfection
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Tyler is back with an update on where his house build actually stands, what has gone according to plan, and where he has intentionally chosen practicality over perfection. He gets into framing the house, crawl space and insulation decisions, managing costs, working alongside a framing crew, upcoming windows and rough-ins, and the lessons he is learning from being both the builder and the client. It is also a look at everything happening around the project, from TRG and Modern Craftsman to family, work, and trying to keep all of it moving at once.
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Tyler is back with an update on where his house build actually stands, what has gone according to plan, and where he has intentionally chosen practicality over perfection. He gets into framing the house, crawl space and insulation decisions, managing costs, working alongside a framing crew, upcoming windows and rough-ins, and the lessons he is learning from being both the builder and the client. It is also a look at everything happening around the project, from TRG and Modern Craftsman to family, work, and trying to keep all of it moving at once.
Video Notes:
House Build Details and Challenges (3:17) Foundation and Crawl Space Preparation (5:09) Framing and Subcontracting Decisions (12:10) Next Steps and Project Management (19:24) Challenges and Learnings (23:12) Personal and Professional Updates (38:44)
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45 min
416 Nick And Tyler Walk Through 45WO & The Reality of Building A Home without Compromise
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
This house looks calm. Precise. Almost effortless.
Behind that simplicity is an enormous amount of coordination, fabrication, experimentation, and restraint. Nick and Tyler walk the completed home from front door to mechanical room, breaking down the details that made it possible, from full-height doors and flush transitions to custom millwork, stone fabrication, integrated ventilation, dropped framing, hidden storage, and thousands of hours of finish work.
Nothing here happened by accident. It was a prototype in nearly every sense, built around the idea of seeing how far a team could push residential construction when compromise was taken off the table.
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VIDEO NOTES
• Entryway and Initial Impressions (0:03)
• Cabinetry and Material Coordination (2:47)
• Kitchen and Material Consistency (4:50)
• Detail and Execution in the Kitchen (8:05)
• Dining Space and Skylight (13:08)
• Living Room and Outdoor Spaces (18:23)
• Staircase and Second Floor Details (20:23)
• Primary Bedroom and Bathroom (26:11)
• Secondary Bedrooms and Bathrooms (34:29)
• Basement and Mechanical Room (36:42)
• Garage and Mechanical Room Details (37:57)
• Final Thoughts and Reflections (40:11) -
1 hr 20 min
415 Custom Residential Building Doesn't Have To Mean Expensive
Episode 415
Show notes
Download your free Vision & Scaling Plan here https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/vision-worksheet
Nick and Tyler sit down with Architect David Hornstein to talk about what has been lost as residential construction has become more specialized, more layered, and more expensive. Drawing from decades as a carpenter, builder, architect, and product designer, David makes the case that highly custom work can still be efficient if the people doing it understand the entire process. They get into the master builder mindset, the value of having experienced people on site, why communication gets diluted through layers of management, and how relentless attention to small efficiencies can dramatically change the cost of custom construction. David also shares how that same mindset eventually led him to create Dura Gutter.
David Hornstein
https://www.light-house-design.com/
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Video Notes:
• David Hornstein's Background and Initial Impressions (0:00)
• Challenges of Modern Construction (9:21)
• Efficiency and Specialization in Construction (10:25)
• The Role of the Master Builder (10:42)
• The Impact of Product Development on Craftsmanship (10:59)
• The Evolution of Construction Management (11:11)
• The Importance of Building Experience (11:44)
• The Development of Dura Gutter (11:58)
• Architectural Details and Product Evolution (12:32)
• Insulation and Exterior Details (72:16)
• Efficiency in Construction (74:10)
• Challenges of Modern Construction (76:57)Partners:
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1 hr 29 min
414 Who Should Carry The Cash Burden In Residential Construction? with Shane Durkin
Show notes
Nick and Tyler bring Shane Durkin back, with Brad Leavitt joining the conversation, to challenge one of construction's most persistent problems: how project money moves and who should actually carry the financial risk. They get into deposits, escrow accounts, credit card rewards, cost-plus construction, project-level accounting, lien waivers, trade payments, and the hidden complexity that comes from running millions of dollars of client funds through a builder's business.
Shane explains how LedgerWise separates project finances into their own accounts while Brad, Nick, and Tyler push on the tradeoffs, risks, and real-world practicality of the model. Ultimately, the conversation asks whether builders should be spending their energy managing cash flow and financial workarounds at all, or whether a simpler system could let them get back to building.
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Shane's Websites: https://www.buildpatriot.com https://www.ledgerwise.com ShowNotes: Cash Flow Challenges in Construction (0:00) Introduction of Ledgerwise and Construction Accounting (0:39) Discussion on Construction Accounting Models (4:24) Details of the Escrow Model (6:41) Benefits and Challenges of the Escrow Model (6:58) Case Study: Handling Project Cancellations (9:27) Conclusion and Final Thoughts (10:28) Minimum Balance and Client Trust (10:42) Payment Process and Trade Onboarding (11:19) Lien Waivers and Preliminary Notices (11:37) Cost and Revenue Model (74:47) Builder Testimonials and Industry Challenges (79:27) Upcoming Events and Final Thoughts (83:04)
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41 min
413 The Five Systems Every Construction Company Needs
Episode 413
Show notes
Most builders start by taking every job, doing everything themselves, and figuring out the business after the work is already underway. Nick & Tyler pull together the five systems that helped them move from owning a job to building a company: pre-construction, numbers, production, lead vetting, and team.
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This episode was compiled from conversations originally heard in episodes 380, 384, 387, 390, 394, 399, and 410.
Show Notes: 00:00 Coming Up 00:35 Where Most Builders Start 05:36 System 01 - Clarity Before Construction 14:31 System 02 - Know Your Numbers 19:32 System 03 - Run the Build 23:38 System 04 - Attract the Right Work 30:54 System 05 - Build the Team 36:25 Teaching From the Scars 40:25 Free Workshop August 11
Video Version:https://youtu.be/PjjwwTEz3TM
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9 min
Offcut 412: Why Builders Keep Going When the Job Should Stop
Show notes
A job can turn into a completely different house when major design changes arrive after framing starts. Charles Ochello, Nick, and Tyler talk about the pressure to keep moving, the cost of avoiding a full stop, and why the big decisions need to be settled before construction begins.
Charles' Website: https://www.vitruviusbuilt.com
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Show Notes: 00:00 Bringing the Design Team in Too Late 01:34 A Beautiful House Delivered a Year Late 02:50 Why the Project Needed a Full Stop 07:43 Preconstruction Is Everything
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1 hr 31 min
412 Why Starting Over Can Be Worth the Risk with Charles Ochello
Episode 412
Show notes
Charles Ochello walked away from emergency medicine to build luxury homes in Park City. He talks about the financial runway, the insecurity of starting over, and how lessons from the ER shaped the way he manages high-stakes projects and clients.
Charles' Website: https://www.vitruviusbuilt.com
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Show Notes: 00:00 The Work You Wake Up Thinking About 02:29 The Financial Reality of Leaving Medicine 06:57 When People Think You're Crazy 17:51 How Insecurity Fuels the Chase 27:39 Why Park City 43:28 Managing Homes Like Family Office Assets 53:32 The Project That Should Have Been Paused 1:06:36 Learning the Language of Luxury 1:12:23 The Emotional Weight of High-Stakes Work 1:17:35 Chasing Consistency Instead of More
Video Version:https://youtu.be/Dvm4c6QxY5I
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13 min
Offcut 411: The Real Midlife Crisis Is Giving Up
Show notes
A midlife crisis might not be losing control. It might be reaching a dead end, quitting on creativity, and deciding there's no better version of yourself left to build.
Mark D. Williams talks about risk, fulfillment, expensive lessons, and why the next bet can matter even when it doesn't fully check out on paper.
Full Episode: https://youtu.be/A6S_eqGEstA
Mark's Website: https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com
Mark's Podcast: https://www.curiousbuilder.com
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Show Notes: 00:00 There's Never Enough Time Anyway 01:22 The Entrepreneurs Who Couldn't Give Up Their Phones 02:11 When the Project Doesn't Pencil 04:40 The Guy in the Mirror Can Sell You Anything 05:32 What If You Lose $2 Million? 08:34 The House Became a Reflection of Himself 10:24 What a Midlife Crisis Really Is
Video Version:https://youtu.be/BKTU_Q47TfA
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1 hr 16 min
411 The Risk of Building What You Believe In with Mark D. Williams
Episode 411
Show notes
Everybody wants to build the project they believe in, right up until the risk gets real. This episode gets into what it looks like to take a swing on a house that does more than one job, why Mark D. Williams built Mysa Hus the way he did, and how the project became part business play, part creative reset, and part bet on the future.
Mark's Website: https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com
Mark's Podcast: https://www.curiousbuilder.com
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Show Notes: 00:00 The big bet 00:09 Intro 04:19 What Mark fears most 15:18 Risk, danger & decision-making 19:03 From spec house to story home 27:25 The build that made Mark love building again 29:49 What wellness actually means 38:28 Boundaries create freedom 46:37 Buying back time 53:25 When a risky project is still worth it 1:15:18 Building a home that fits your real life
Video Version:https://youtu.be/A6S_eqGEstA
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15 min
Offcut 410: Why Everything Falls Apart When You Hire
Show notes
The business starts leaking money when the plan in your head never makes it to the people doing the work. Nick and Tyler talk about teaching clearly, building repeatable systems, and why shadowing someone only works when they eventually have to do it themselves.
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Show Notes: 00:00 The Lesson That Changed the Business 02:47 You Don't Know It Until You Teach It 05:32 Every Step You Forgot to Explain 07:22 Why Apprenticeship Still Matters 13:16 Builders Keep Reinventing the Wheel
Video Version:https://youtu.be/tOjp2zn7GWc
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1 hr 7 min
410 The Education Builders Never Got
Episode 410
Show notes
Most builders learn the trade first and figure out the business by taking hits for ten years. Nick and Tyler talk about college, online education, fake gurus, systems, financial clarity, and what builders should actually invest in before the business gets away from them.
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Show Notes: 00:04:15 The Problem With Builder Education 00:14:55 Are Online Courses Any Better? 00:22:49 Builders Never Learned the Business Side 00:30:29 You Don't Know It Until You Can Teach It 00:40:32 Builders Keep Reinventing the Wheel 00:46:45 Where Should a Young Builder Invest? 00:53:43 Teaching From Scars, Not a Script 01:03:06 There Is No Silver Bullet
Video Version:https://youtu.be/Th0DA9TFKoU
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45 min
409 Five Takes on Building a Better Business
Show notes
This compilation pulls from recent guest conversations with Mark O'Brien, Shane Durkin, Mike Romanowicz, Morgan Molitor, and Michael Holmes Jr. Five different perspectives, but a shared thread runs through all of them: risk, money, systems, tools, identity, and what it really takes to build a better business.
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Show Notes: 01:00:00 Five Takes on Building a Better Business 01:00:35 EP 406 Mark O'Brien 01:06:47 EP 407 Shane Durkin 01:18:00 EP 403 Mike Romanowicz 01:24:49 EP 402 Morgan Molitor 01:33:27 EP 401 Michael Holmes Jr. 01:43:37 You Need the Backbone Before You Scale
Video Version:https://youtu.be/aU1xKwkUOsE
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27 min
Building the House Between Jobs | Midweek with Tyler
Show notes
Tyler gives another update on the house build while juggling client work, family, site prep, foundation details, and the next round of framing decisions. He gets into the reality of self-performing a build while life, work, and money keep moving.
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Video Version:
Show Notes: 0:14 Midweek From the Build 1:15 Working Around the House 4:43 Foundation & Crawl Space 10:15 Framing the Floor 13:02 Exterior Plan & Windows 17:37 Partners & Products 22:19 Building a Real House 24:02 Course & Community Updates
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