The Build Insite Podcast

About The Build Insite Podcast

Welcome to the Build Insite Podcast – back with Season 2 and a renewed mission to bring you raw, practical building insights from across Australia and beyond. Led by a passionate team of builders and industry professionals, we explore the latest in construction techniques, design innovation, and the tools shaping modern building. But this isn’t just a trade chat — it’s a space for real stories, sharp lessons, and conversations that go beyond the build. Beginning Season 2, we’re doubling down on what matters: Smarter, healthier homes Business strategies that support better living Technology and systems that future-proof your work The balance between building, business, and well-being From high-performance homes to behind-the-scenes of iconic builds, we’re spotlighting the people, ideas, and challenges driving the industry forward. Whether you’re just starting out or leading your crew, you’ll find something valuable here — every week. Let’s build better, together.

Publisher

Build Insite

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Apr 2024

Latest episode

4 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

169 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Oct 2026

   #68 Paddock to Wool Insulation: High Peak Station with Hamish and Gemma

   This one goes back to where the insulation starts: on the sheep's back. After a morning touring the Terra Lana wool insulation factory, Luke and Dean head out to High Peak Station, just outside Christchurch at the foot of the Southern Alps, made possible by McCormacks Australia. Hamish and Gemma farm about 10,000 acres there, running 4,200 Perendale ewes alongside deer and beef cattle. Hamish explains why they breed Perendales, a small, hardy, dual-purpose New Zealand sheep with a bright white, hard-wearing wool, and how every fleece gets graded on micron, brightness, whiteness and length. The top grade goes into rugs that can be dyed any colour. The next step down is just as good in quality but not as pretty, and that's the grade Hamish reckons ends up in insulation. Gemma talks about building their home 15 years ago with young kids and asthma in the family, and why wool insulation and wool carpet were never in question. Dean shares his own story of living in a badly built, uninsulated house. Then it's on to where farming is heading: Halter collars on the cattle, phone cameras that weigh a sheep, and why young people who understand the technology now see farming as a cool industry to be in. Luke draws the same line to the trades. Dean finishes on the hard question: why should builders move away from fibreglass? Hamish's answer is that wool closes the loop. In his view it clears the air, it's flame retardant, and it breaks down in landfill within three years. His advice to anyone choosing products: don't get sold on the story, look at where they come from and where they end up. What you'll learn:- Where wool insulation starts, from the paddock to the factory- Why a hard-wearing Perendale fleece suits building products- How a fleece is graded, and which grade ends up in insulation- Why a family with asthma chose wool insulation and wool carpet- How AI and wearable technology are changing livestock farming- Hamish's case for wool over fibreglass Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:27 - Welcome to High Peak Station01:00 - 10,000 acres of sheep, deer and cattle01:46 - Breeding Perendales for meat and wool02:55 - How a fleece is graded, and what goes into insulation04:36 - Building a healthy home with wool05:51 - Asthma and a badly built house06:25 - Mould, and fibreglass in the roof06:58 - Running the station: staff and working dogs07:59 - AI and Halter collars on the farm08:55 - Weighing sheep with a phone camera10:21 - Genetics and EID tags10:42 - Getting young people into farming11:38 - The same problem in the trades12:30 - Why wool over fibreglass13:44 - Make a conscious choice14:13 - Wrap up Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke CalleryGuests: Hamish and Gemma from High Peak Station Listen to the Build Insite Podcast on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.Explore more at: https://buildinsite.com.au/Follow us on Instagram: @build.insite

2. 

   27 Sept 2026

   #67 Inside a Finished Foreverbreathe Home: Whio Homes at Springfield with James and Leesa - Part 2

   Part two, and this time the house is finished, sited and lived in. An hour out of Christchurch at Springfield, Luke and Dean walk through a 70 square metre Whio Homes build with James and Leesa Anderson. It's an adaptation of their Piwakawaka design, delivered on the back of a truck just before Christmas and livable within four days of landing. Full Foreverbreathe spec: Terra Lana wool insulation, Magnum Board inside and out, LVL framing, a Knightons plantation eucalypt floor and thermally modified radiata cladding and decking. James explains why every fixing in the build is stainless, how a proprietary bracing panel keeps an engineer off the job, and why they stopped trying to make Magnum Board look like plasterboard and made a feature of the joins instead. Then the numbers. Energy modelling put a Foreverbreathe three bedroom at 25 per cent less power to heat than a standard build, and overheating at 0.1 per cent of the year against 8 per cent. One small split system does the whole house. James makes the case for why this isn't Passive House: no mechanical ventilation, no chasing airtightness, natural materials doing the work instead. What you'll learn:- Why every nail, screw and fixing in the build is stainless- How a finished house gets routed and trucked across the South Island at night- What 70 square metres actually gets you, and why it isn't a tiny home- Why they stopped fighting Magnum Board and made the joins a feature- The energy modelling numbers behind a Foreverbreathe home- Why Foreverbreathe doesn't chase airtightness the way Passive House does Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:20 - Springfield, an hour out of Christchurch00:34 - A 70 square metre Piwakawaka adaptation00:54 - Foreverbreathe spec and a Knightons eucalypt floor01:24 - The attic space01:38 - Terra Lana, Magnum Board and LVL01:57 - Thermally modified decking02:20 - Delivered before Christmas on the back of a truck02:41 - Moving houses at night and planning the route03:46 - Getting a house to the West Coast04:30 - Walking the house04:51 - Gable vents and a roof space humidity vent05:31 - Warm roof against cold roof06:11 - The deck, the view and the client06:45 - Ten to twelve weeks, and livable in four days07:15 - Designing to the top of the snow load08:26 - Why every fixing is stainless09:47 - This is not a tiny home10:56 - Thermally broken aluminium windows11:09 - Bracing a big opening without an engineer12:11 - Oil finishes against polyurethane13:46 - Magnum Board floors, tiles and adhesives15:00 - The V groove, and not fighting the product17:32 - Attic storage in a small house17:50 - What you get in 70 square metres18:56 - A log burner for the power cuts19:37 - Solar fitted at the yard21:00 - When off grid beats a power connection21:49 - One small split system for the whole house22:06 - Full height doors23:20 - Front doors and uPVC24:55 - Foreverbreathe against Passive House26:04 - The energy modelling numbers27:14 - Why they don't chase airtightness28:50 - Carbon, off cuts and end of life30:46 - Wool insulation and the people installing it31:58 - The bedrooms and the bathroom32:40 - Hot water cylinders, inside or out33:44 - Underfloor heating on a timber floor38:05 - Scissor trusses and playing with volume38:48 - Where to find Whio Homes39:40 - What a whio actually is Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke CalleryGuests: James and Leesa Anderson from Whio Homes Listen to the Build Insite Podcast on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.Explore more at: https://buildinsite.com.au/Follow us on Instagram: @build.insite

3. 

   20 Sept 2026

   #67 Modular, Transportable and Foreverbreathe: Inside Whio Homes with James and Leesa - Part 1

   Day two of our New Zealand road trip, and this time the build site is under a canopy. Luke and Dean head out to Whio Homes in Christchurch, made possible by McCormacks Australia. James and Leesa Anderson build high performance modular and transportable homes out of a 100 foot container barn, and every one of them goes to the Foreverbreathe specification. They walk us through why they detail their own frames, how a finished house gets jacked up and trucked out over the fence, and how a team of five staff turns out 12 to 15 homes a year with room to more than double that on a second shift. James makes the case against building to code minimum, and explains why sealing homes up airtight has trapped the off-gassing from petrochemical products inside with the people living there. Then it's into the detail: LVL framing, Magnum Board as the rigid air barrier, Terra Lana wool insulation, clay-based paint, wool carpets, thermally modified cladding, and the jump in cost from aluminium to uPVC to timber windows. Leesa finishes on one of their biggest challenges: convincing clients that bigger isn't better. What you'll learn: - Why a canopy and shipping containers can do the job of a multi-million dollar factory- How a house leaves the yard fully finished and ready to connect on site- What goes into a Foreverbreathe wall, floor and ceiling- Why code minimum is the bare minimum, not the cost-effective option- Why the window frame matters as much as the double glazing- Why a smaller, better-performing home can be the better investment Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:42 - Day two in New Zealand: Whio Homes01:00 - Inside the 100 foot container barn01:24 - Detailing frames for a vertical sheet install02:16 - Build height, transport and getting the house out03:18 - Turnaround time and locking in selections early04:21 - Why code minimum is the bare minimum05:00 - Airtight homes and trapped off-gassing05:39 - The Foreverbreathe materials list07:19 - The dry bathroom from day one07:53 - A small team and managing growth08:41 - 12 to 15 homes a year, and scaling up09:25 - Why a barn beats a multi-million dollar factory11:02 - Piles, transport and setting the house on site12:43 - Fully finished before it leaves the yard13:23 - Delivered Tuesday, moved in by the weekend14:04 - Second dwellings and granny flat enquiries15:13 - Log burners and heating in the South Island16:27 - Magnum Board, silica and finishes18:04 - Cladding options21:01 - Windows: aluminium, uPVC and timber23:34 - Why bigger isn't better25:03 - Floor plans and designing with the client26:42 - Wrap up Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke CalleryGuests: James and Leesa Anderson from Whio Homes Listen to the Build Insite Podcast on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.Explore more at: https://buildinsite.com.au/Follow us on Instagram: @build.insite

Who has been a guest on The Build Insite Podcast

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

• Devin Grant
• Joel Seagren
• Andrew Healey

Reach and audience

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

Spotify

4.6 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100

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

Quality

37

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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