Episodes

Today, Michael Anschel of @oabuilds joins Mike Knoche for a raucous discussion in the explanation of the Cost of Project Execution (C.O.P.E.) method for estimating.We immediately drop into the issues surrounding single margin multipliers, a general misunderstanding of knowing profit from overhead and a general lack of trust that comes with not wanting to talk about project costs with clients. It’s an uncomfortable topic so, we avoid it.We walk through a number of examples the make the C.O.P.E. method accessible to spec homes builder, custom home builders, remodelers, and sub trade contractors.There are no markups using C.O.P.E. But Mike, this flies in the face of anything I’ve ever known about estimating.Mike casts doubt on Michael and this blasphemous method throughout.This is a fun and interesting look at a different approach to estimating with Michael Anschel on his second appearance on TCH.Michael is teaching a 6-week class starting December 1. Details at www.costofp…

“If you can’t explain something simply to someone else, then you don’t quite have mastery of it.”In episode 101 of The Contracting Handbook podcast, it’s Jon Hilgenberg’s “Craftsmanship 101” on educating and evolving his business. We drop into the universal issue for contractors, how much to charge? Knowing his worth came with a decade of problem solving while subbing out to designer that provided drawings with limited details. Know your worth people!While Jon is clearly a master of his craft, he didn’t start on this path. I echo his statement for my self “nobody would have expected me to go into the trades.”Sharing his craft online has made him better. He knows there’s always someone better and he must be one his game. If you can’t communicate your process quickly and succinctly, you haven’t mastered it.There are lessons that carry from starting JCH cabinets into the Craftsman Program. Got debt?As tradespeople, we take for granted our mobility until the dreaded injury. It…

Meet my story telling crew! Twenty-two skilled professionals from all walks sent me their stories in their voices to share in this 100th episode of The Contracting Handbook podcast. As of prepping this post, I have not heard the stories in their entirety.

“It’s important to build a strong reputation and do such good work so you don’t have to work for the sheep.”For those of you who know Harvey Jesso, you know he’s a positive force and reputable contractor, for those who don’t, you’re in for a treat. He’s running two contracting businesses, loves what he does and takes weekends off for family time.He started in the business at 9 y.o., so it’s in his blood.I (Mike) want to know why clients are perfectly happy to pay electrical quotes but balk at the price of custom carpentry. Harvey generates quotes for both trades but agrees that carpenters are under-rated!We hit on the greatest challenge of a tradesman becoming a businessman.Harvey seems comfortable in his shoes today and has a plan to retire. Harvey’s father-in-law showed up at the BBQ fully decked out in Maritime Carpentry swag. What was he angling for?Find out the best tools and the best live concert he’s been to!

“You must have a number of stories, based on your experience, of how you are going to build a better home so that your clients are going to have piece of mind and less issues.”He may make being an award-winning custom homebuilder in Vancouver look easy, but it wasn’t always that way.Today, your guy, Larry Clay, owner & operator of Clay Construction talks behind the scenes of what he overcame to be the recipient of the prestigious Grand Georgie Award for best custom home.It was October, 2009 (if that doesn’t give you chills….)…an accident, a planning glitch, then, the Great Recession…and re-inventing himself.He became the reluctant custom home builder. Reluctant because he had been a custom builder before, and spec houses were more straight forward. How do you sell your client on the added cost of high-performance homes? (I’m asking, answer below)It’s all about the language with Larry Clay, he captivates his clients with his vision, not the price tag.Last year, he met on…

“If you’re gonna do something, do it right.”Most of you already know that Tom Lawson is a straight shooter and in this new podcast, we talk life lessons in many capacities.We head straight into billing for experience and not time. We got their from a previous conversation with Brant Taylor @thetoolhacker where the jist was the ole “potential client doubting our price”. What and when to charge? It’s there!Part of this process is instilling confidence. We 100% agreed on this one and shared some experience.Tom’s rocketed to incredible heights in a short period of time. He may have had valuable industry experience under his belt that helps him focus on his craft, but alcohol stood in the way. It wasn’t an easy ride, but the man is in control and he knows what matters to him. The education system didn’t suit Tom, so he chose the trades. That’s surprise coming from this country boy who has been inventing and teaching himself the ropes since age 7 Today, “standards”, #tomlawsonst…

Janeen Oliver is “not your average concrete rep” because it’s all about being hands on, boots on the ground with the crew and then working her day job.You already know this if you follow @concrete_diva and if you don’t, today Mike Knoche of The Contracting Handbook podcast hosts Janeen to hear her story as a third generation concreter, leaving the family biz, returning after a couple few careers and repping for the company that eventually bought her dad’s company.The labor deficit in North America (and everywhere) fueled Janeen’s push to help found the Crew Collaborative @the.crew.collab , an organization formed to recruit more youth into the trades through classroom talks and outreach programs.Janeen is all about her relationships on the ground. She shows up before the (mega) pour starts, helps keep the ball rollin’, keeps the crew fed with food and support and it does not go unnoticed when she’s not onsite) as indicated by texts she received just before we recorded on a Monda…

“I’ve got two kids and when they are my age, I want them to be able to drive by the houses and show their kids, Grandpa built that. That’s as important to me as anything.”Jason Bekebrede, of Monticello Custom Homes, has his client process dialed.He likes to get with the clients before the design process starts.They save time on client intake with detailed videos of expectations on their website.He knows the challenges of budget tracking and has honed his team to keep up with them.Some components are nonnegotiable such as wall assemblies and rain screens. The homes we leave behind are our part of our legacy. The client chooses the bells and whistles but leaves the basic components up to us.The clients choose Monticello because they know the other builders aren’t offering the same product.The value of an office manager, one more step in scaling up that you should hear.Gut instinct and warranty of work.The times they are a-changing’! We are in a new era of scheduling.

“If you think you’re there, then you need to check yourself because you’ll never be, there’s always new materials comin out, new ways of doing things, a new trick… always learning.”For those of you that don’t know Dan Ford, Dan started as a one-man freelance carpenter band and now he’s got a design build firm.I love that Dan describes being a GC as chaos! It’s familiar because I always say it’s “trying to control chaos”. There is no one I’ve had on that I feel more parallels the experience as a GC.This is a tale of scaling up, building relationships and nurturing those relationships.Self-observation and personal growth (check)Learning trust and delegating (check)Cooperation and respect for the knowledge of the staffDiet, sleep, and stressChecking ego at the doorAnd the last one rings true throughout this podcast episode. Dan knows he’s a work in progress and he’s humble when he shares his experience.

“We know that people make the decision based on money and not the environment but there is this beautiful environmental narrative that is very impactful”This is a talk how the building industry decided that installed resources no longer had value. It was a time of abundance. It’s the economics of “unbuilding” instead of going to the landfill. It’s not a new idea, but a return to a lost practice.Getting contractors on board takes a while. If you’ve gutted a place, you can understand why. Price, but will it become affordable? Adam doesn’t just see the money, it’s a passion for salvage and preserving the earth’s resources and best illustrated by his teaching classes that will educate his competition in the industry.Adam is at the frontier of, not just waste, but standards of practice for abatement. His crew goes into buildings after asbestos has been removed, but current standards are not high enough to protect his crew, the neighbors and bystanders. Current legislation that back…

“My values are in the right order… my children come first, above anything else and that is why I went into business, to create freedom in my world, to turn up better as a mother.”If you know Krystal Brookes, you know she values family first and being balanced. Line up your values in the right order. In this now available podcast episode between painter, Krystal Brookes, and Mike Knoche of The Contracting Handbook podcast, the conversation hits upon those values, the side hustle, the nuance of relationships, mental health, leadership, scaling up via hiring and the best tools!While Krystal acknowledges that the movement to support women in the trades, Krystal gives a shout out to the men who have passed their knowledge to her. We dive straight into her growing social media presence, is it Affordable Sunshine Coast Painting or @_paintchick_ ? I’m not going to give it all away here but it’s a good exploration of creating content and why, potential for monetizing, and the pitfall of …

“Get good at your trade and then worry about how you’re going to manage people. If I didn’t know what to do in the field, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now”You guys might know Evan Sparks @e_s_sparks from his previous handle where he was a budding IG influencer, but did you know he’s reluctant to call himself an electrician? Since many of you last saw him publicly, life has changed for Evan. He got this new andthought he was going to be a service manager leading a couple dudes. It turned into bids, chases down regulations, hiring & firing, negotiating with clients and essentially running the company he works for. It’s not where he thought he’d be right despite always knowing that he would one day make moves to climb the ladder in addition to learning his trade.Managing people is different today than it was just a short time ago. Evan’s first boss used the brutal techniques of leadership from a past age. It’s also the expectations of the incoming crew.Service manager …

The Contracting Handbook podcast is all about the builders and skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen in the construction industry from all over the world. Here you’ll meet the tradespeople who took a leap of faith from working their craft to running the own construction company. You’ll meet people who left lucrative careers to enter the trades. For newcomers to running a construction business, there is a ton of advice on “how to” run your contracting company. For established contractors, you get to ...

“The more people tell you no and the more challenging it seems, the more you’re going to thanks yourself later on for growing as a person”Niya gave it a go in a career that has included advertising, health care and accounting… but they were boring. As soon as she mastered what was required, they were deeply unsatisfying. Sound familiar anyone?As soon as she was shadowing a finisher, it was off to the races! She picked up her own sprayer and compressor. It quells the ADHD and the dyslexia is a superpower. She’s sees things the client cannot, she copes and doesn’t let the stigma stand in the way.Work life balance is a work in progress but, she is goal oriented and moves between her life like one of her pieces… there’s a bit of sanding, touch up, and drying time involved so move the next piece and return later.One of my favorite moments is the interpretation of the word “new” for the contractor (her) and one of her clients. A classic nuance in the art of communication!Back to t…

“I want my employees to retire happy someday, same as I do.”Are you acting like a real company?You guys that know your guy, Jake Bruton, know he does so with his company @aarowbuilding . For the rest of you who don’t know him…Jake is a high-performance home builder, and he knows and wants it to be clear to everyone that tradespeople should be treated as professionals.Flex weekPaid time off Paid trainingTruck, phone, and toolsRetirement accountMy market won’t support it!!?! How can I afford to act like areal company AND build high performance homes? That’s a lot of money, Jake!He quotes buddy Steve @stevebaczekarchitect“Is there a Mercedes dealer within 100 miles of the house? If there is, then your market is supported by people that want something that costs more because they seek value…”Look out! LIVE CALCULATIONS (insert nerd face) of additional overhead costs of the benefits package relative to gross income per employee.If you meet wit your client and at the end …

In this episode, Mike introduces a bunch of his guest from the upcoming season. It's all the fun, sincere, off the cuff typical sounds bits you've come to know! Please listen and share in your stories!

Today, I highlight some of the comments from episodes that got a lot of feedback from the audience. Personally, I would never rank these pods. They are all hits on there own! Listen to these inspiring moments and bits of advice from our construction business owners and tradespeople from our building community. We are all experts at what we do in construction where live, but the business and operations of managing a construction company are universal. Here we talk about the challenges, overcoming those challenges and moving ever closer to excellence. Thanks for joining us!

Today I'm asking everyone who has an instagram account to go my @thecontractinghandbook and report it. Scroll down for instructions. I'm also gonna tell you about a crazy Alaskan Wildfire Season and a story about my travels in Africa.Here is the contents of my email to the crew!Dear TCH friends and guests,Much to my dismay, there is no obvious recourse for hacked IG accounts, believe me, I’m an expert now. As a result, I am hoping that by a group effort of reporting the account, it will either be returned to me or deleted. Those are my preferred outcomes. This might be the only way to trigger the Metaverse algorithm. Here is how you can report my account on Instagram:1.Go to account2.Tap bubbles upper right3.Tap "Report"4.Tap "Report Account"5.Tap "Pretending to be someone else"6.Tap "Someone I know" or "Public Figure”I have also attached “episode art” that can be shared in your stories if you want to go the extra mile. This will also show up on Spotify. Please DO NOT …

My IG was hackedRemember those phishing scams where a Nigerian Prince would tell you that he wanted to share his fortune with you, just send bank information..Well, he’s got a new focus!Alas, the Nigerian Prince has taken over my Instagram account. I never thought it could happen to me. By the end of this pod, I’ll make sure you know how to not let it happen to you.But first, let me tell you what its like to have your IG get hacked…BTW- I’m currently seeing the importance of my newsletter. Keeping in touch with you all. My website and email are secure, so please go to thecontractinghandbook.com now where to will be prompted to join my crew. I wont spam you, ever. Just occasional updates and behind the scenes stuff. If you did sign up and didn’t get an email announcing this episode titled “I was hacked, what’s next and how to protect yourself”, please check spam folderNow back to that hackIf you’re like me, you put a lot of yourself into everything you do. You’re not always …

The Contracting Handbook host, Mike Knoche, introduces the pod to new listeners and updates the podcast for everyone!

“Your core focus should be how do I create value and then leverage that value”Spencer Lewis is a method man. Whether its his YouTube tutorials or creating a business around his trade, he always checks the boxes to complete the work. He knows how to run his construction company.He is an advocate for sharing trade techniques to ease others into the trades and follows the abundance mindset instead of the scarcity mindset.He started in the trades at 16 with an Amish building crew and continues on until starting his own business 5 years ago.He knows the 70 hour per week grind but does not advocate for it as a long-term objective. I’ll let him explain.

“As humans I think we appreciate things more when we know it was crafted by another human being...by someone who cares and takes pride in their work”Eric Ruggiero grew up in the trades but early on he knew he didn’t want to continue with the status quo of the construction industry. Our dm’s get pretty colorful!Eric is Passive House certified but his belief in healthy, efficient homes doesn’t just mean abiding by that standard. It’s personal. Never having attended college, he self-edifies and has a number certifications. He knows that building takes intelligence, experience and wisdom and sees no reason why contractors and tradespeople should not be seen as professional! Nobody questions the price of the architect, engineer or doctor but they love to try to bargain us down! Certifications earn respect.He quit the union and started his own business with no business experience. We hit on some of his struggles on the office side (eternal struggle for the contractor) and what he ha…

If that quote doesn’t have your attention maybe the second picture will. It doesn’t matter which trade your in, Ryan Smith has an urgent message.That’s to teach.His passion for his craft, hand cut roofs, is only matched by that of his desire to, well, keep craft alive. It’s not just carpenters, it’s plumbers, electricians, mechanics. The world is growing and the work force is shrinking. I know, “gloom and doom”. Ok, then listen to him weave the tail of how he became an industry leader (I proclaimed that, he’s humbler). Listen to him talk his mastery. It ties right back into him teaching at MT Copeland, an organization aimed at having educational programs for all trades. After we said our goodbyes, the conversation carried on for another 15-20 minutes. We ended up talking mental health and we both want to remind you, it’s ok to not be ok. It’s totally normal.Can you guess what Ryan’s favorite jobsite jams are without cheating? Let us know below!We’d love…

Casey Finan of Finan Craftsmanship is a restoration artist but he would never claim to be a contractor.On ADD…when he first heard of it he essentially looked down on it, like many, like it was an excuse. He now sees building as therapy because it engages all of his senses.Casey says he was a “C” student. School did stimulate him but he was reluctant to pursue trades because of the stigma…in high school the burnouts pursued trades (this was my experience as well).Then he carves his own path in to rehabbing old houses and started an apprenticeship program to pass the torch.In the second installment, Casey “Not a Contractor” Finan tells us how he created a job for himself. Why he can’t be a traditional contractor and why he charges his mom full rate! Value: Integrity- life family, friends, subs, inspectors, and no yelling, why do we accept yelling?Greatest mentorWhen I ask this question, Caseys reply dives into the eternal question of how we bring people into the tradesCa…