Mindful Builder

About Mindful Builder

Join Matt from Carland Constructions and Hamish from Sanctum Homes in a podcast discussing sustainable building practices and passive house concepts. They also talk to experts from all avenues of the building industry to share their knowledge and insights on what the industry looks like today. Further to this, Matt and Hamish are building a platform through the podcast to discuss mental health issues that arise in the building industry. The industry can be quite negative at times and there is a great deal of stigma around what it means to be a "tradie". Matt and Hamish are here to shine a light of positivity on the industry and share relatable topics that will help you in your own building or construction business.

Publisher

Matthew Carland and Hamish White

Category

business · education · leisure

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Mar 2024

Latest episode

4 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

142 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Oct 2026

   Tendering Your Build Is a Costly Disaster

   “At some point, someone’s paying for that tender.” Tendering sounds fair on paper. Same drawings, three builders, pick the best price, move on. But once you understand what it actually costs to price a job properly, and how tendering rewards omissions, risk loading, and variations, it starts to look less like a “market test” and more like a costly way to kick off a relationship. In this episode, Hamish and Matt break down what a tender really is, why the classic draw, bid, build model creates isolation and blame, and why negotiated tendering (paid pre-construction with clear costing stop points) changes the incentives for everyone. They also get into the uncomfortable bits architects and clients don’t always see: the real cost of tendering, why prices can come back wildly different, how gaps in documentation become legitimate variations, and why trust matters more than pretending you can compare builders like-for-like. If you’ve ever wondered why a project can look “fully resolved” and still blow out, or why builders hate competitive tendering, this one will probably ruffle a few feathers. CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Introduction 01:05 The Classic Tender Process And Why It Starts Badly 02:10 What “Resolved Documents” Really Means 04:19 What Gets Left Out Becomes Variations 05:12 Why Projects Go Over Budget And Who Gets Blamed 09:06 Tender Vs Negotiated Tender Depends On The Builder 11:17 Risk Loading And Why Tendering Increases Markups 13:01 Variations In Tender Jobs Vs Negotiated Jobs 16:00 Wild Price Gaps And Why Tender Numbers Can Be Useless 23:00 What A Negotiated Tender Actually Is 35:26 Trade Quotes, RFIs, And Reducing Risk Before Site 41:22 Tendering Feels Like Isolation Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima (https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima) MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt (https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt) Biz Tech Guru: https://www.biztechguru.com.au/ (https://www.biztechguru.com.au/) Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod (https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/) Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes (https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/) Website: (https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/)www.yoursanctum.com.au/ (http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/) Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions (https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/) Website: (https://www.carlandconstructions.com/)www.carlandconstructions.com/ (http://www.carlandconstructions.com/)

2. 

   27 Sept 2026

   Where Most Building Dreams Quietly Die

   Good design isn’t something you look at. It’s something you live in. We sit down with James Goodlet from Altereco Design to talk about what “good design” actually means in the real world, and what a proper pre-construction process looks like when it’s done properly. We get into why comfort is more than temperature, how designers extract the details that shape the lived experience, and why due diligence and risk management need to happen before anyone starts drawing. We also break down why James brings builders in early, how he thinks about budgeting versus estimating versus contract, and why clients need clarity on exclusions and allowances instead of getting buried in noise. We talk contingency versus inflation, the feedback loop between builders and design teams that improves outcomes over time, and a simple practical fix for smoother pre-con. Whiteboard the whole timeline, agree on milestones, and make sure everyone knows who owns what. CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Introduction 01:27 Meet James Goodlet 02:16 Good Design Is Seen Or Felt? 03:00 Comfort Beyond Temperature (Hempcrete House) 04:12 What Comfort Actually Includes (Sound, Air, Light) 07:08 James’ Path Into Design 11:25 Why “Alter Eco” And Sustainability 12:52 Pro Clima Detail Library 14:00 Alignment First: The Real Start Of Design 17:21 The Client Questionnaire (Sleep, Routines, Storage) 21:46 Due Diligence Before Sketching 28:10 Choosing Builders Based On Fit 37:00 Budgeting vs Estimating vs Contract 42:45 Contingency And Inflation 48:22 How Designers Read Trade Breakdowns 49:00 The Feedback Loop With Interiors Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima (https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima) MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt (https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt) Biz Tech Guru: https://www.biztechguru.com.au/ (https://www.biztechguru.com.au/) Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod (https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/) Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes (https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/) Website: (https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/)www.yoursanctum.com.au/ (http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/) Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions (https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/) Website: (https://www.carlandconstructions.com/)www.carlandconstructions.com/ (http://www.carlandconstructions.com/)

3. 

   20 Sept 2026

   Your Block Is Hiding an Expensive Disaster

   A proper site visit isn’t a stroll around the block. It’s where you catch the stuff that turns into $30k surprises later. We’re back with Brad from Sanford Buildco to have a conversation about what a site visit should actually involve, and why doing it properly is one of the simplest ways to protect your time, your margin, and your sanity. We break down how our checklists differ across inner-city and rural sites, but still cover the same core categories: access, services, water management, demolition risk, and the existing building. We talk through real examples like tram and train line constraints, construction zones and parking permits, combined drains, earthenware stormwater, boundary trap upgrades, three-phase power, septic fields, and when a sump and pump becomes the only option. We also get into the stuff that catches builders out if you don’t look early: neighbour water issues you can’t control once you’re hard on the boundary, asbestos you can’t spot from photos, and demolition rule changes that can turn normal waste into hazardous waste overnight. The theme is simple: gather better information now, and you’ll have fewer ugly conversations later. CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Site Visit Checklist 02:49 Access Constraints 03:40 Rural Access Costs 06:00 Plumbing Red Flags 07:10 Sewer Plans and Cameras 10:47 Power Upgrades Reality 11:45 Septic and Stormwater Pumps 14:38 Service Locators and Photos 16:58 Electrical Planning 20:09 Neighbour Water Risks 21:27 Retrofit Foundation Checks 22:43 Asbestos Budgeting 27:13 Digital Site Reporting 30:14 Parking Constraints 33:57 Demolition Rules and EPA 35:58 NBN and Service Scope Brad - Sanford Buildco Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanfordbuildco/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/sanfordbuildco/?hl=en) Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima (https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima) MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt (https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt) Biz Tech Guru: https://www.biztechguru.com.au/ (https://www.biztechguru.com.au/) Wunderbuild: https://www.wunderbuild.com/ (https://www.wunderbuild.com/) Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod (https://www.instagram.com/themindfulbuilderpod/) Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes (https://www.instagram.com/sanctumhomes/) Website: (https://www.yoursanctum.com.au/)www.yoursanctum.com.au/ (http://www.yoursanctum.com.au/) Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions (https://www.instagram.com/carlandconstructions/) Website: (https://www.carlandconstructions.com/)www.carlandconstructions.com/ (http://www.carlandconstructions.com/)

Who has been a guest on Mindful Builder

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Brad McEwan
• Joel
• Monika Rogers
• Andrew “Hoppo”
• James Turner

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

55,856

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

4.9 / 5

82 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 83 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

94

YouTube

72

Engagement

77

Contact Mindful Builder

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Mindful Builder