Sustainable Builders Yak

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Andy Marlow's definition of efficiency in passive house and airtightness will annoy some people: it's doing the bare minimum required to clear the hurdle, which he says is much the same as being really bloody lazy. Andy is a director at Envirotecture, a long-time passive house advocate and former Australian Passive House Association board member — and he thinks the industry's obsession with beating its own numbers is costing builders money for no measurable gain.
The core of the conversation is where the point of diminishing returns actually sits. Once a building is genuinely airtight, the model becomes predictable — you can't model a sieve — and that predictability is what lets you cut back everything else until you just clear the benchmark. Andy walks through the UK apartment work presented at the Passive House Conference where parts of the building are deliberately built worse than code because the form factor absorbs it, the concrete footings nobody needs to perfect, and the one thing you can never compromise on: condensation risk.
Brian makes the same case from the other direction — that a decade of chasing certified perfection is what teaches you how much performance you can buy for far less. They get into the airtightness arms race between builders, the bloke who hit 0.06 and probably wasted his weekends doing it, achieving 2 ACH cheaply through the plasterboard line, and whether a tiered certification pathway would drag the volume market across the line. Andy also explains the relaunch of Passive House Design & Construct as pre-designed-only homes — the same logic applied to design fees.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Why the Passive House model only works once you're airtight, and how predictability lets you cut everything else back
An educated way to cut corners.
The airtightness arms race — 0.6 versus 0.5 versus the 0.06 warehouse, and where the ego takes over from the engineering
Condensation risk as the one thing you don't get to compromise, and Andy's caution on loosening airtightness
Low Energy Building as the sensible tier down, and why a 300mm-plus wall isn't always financially sane
Health, comfort and longevity as the real product — "no one cares about energy efficiency"
Applying the same logic to design: the relaunch of Passive House Design & Construct as pre-designed homes you can't modify
LEARN MORE
Envirotecture: https://www.envirotecture.com.au/
Passive House Design & Construct: https://passivhausdc.com.au/
Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au
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Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au
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Kyle Zanetto lost close to $400,000 in a single year working eighty-hour weeks. Luke Davies sat $75,000 in overdraft with a maxed-out mortgage and had to sell his house. Both now run successful Tasmanian building companies — and together founded Future Builder to stop other builders repeating their mistakes.

The core of the conversation is what sits between a good builder and a profitable building business: markup versus margin, estimating bottlenecks, recovering overheads, and how business structure determines the numbers. As Luke puts it, if someone tells you what your markup should be, they don't know your business.
Kyle explains how a 30-point client questionnaire now filters roughly fifty leads down to two, and why that shift — not cost-cutting — is what protects quality.

They also walk through Future Builder itself: the asset library, the courses, the Monday masterminds, and Alfie, the AI business companion Luke has been building for nine months that runs a 104-point health check across six business pillars and connects to Xero. 
The conversation moves into lean methodology on site, burnout and why builders won't ask for help, suicide in the industry, and what each of them would change in the NCC if given one shot.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
How a builders markup can make or break a business — and the difference between markup and net profit
Kyle's 30-point client entry questionnaire: open-book negotiated tenders, 30% cash, and turning down 48 of 50 leads
Luke's approach to saying yes to the right job even when the schedule is full
Alfie, the AI business companion: business life stages from start-up to prime, the 104-point health check
Lean methodology on the building site — spaghetti maps, rework, and the triple hit to the bottom line
Burnout, self-awareness and hustle culture: the routines to business owners use to keep operating at high load
LEARN MORE
Future Builder: https://www.futurebuilder.co/
Zanetto Builders: https://www.zanettobuilders.com.au/
Davies Construction: https://www.daviesconstruction.com.au/
Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

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Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au
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Most builders are more exposed than they realise, and usually find out at the worst possible moment. 
In this episode, Daniel Webber of Webber Insurance, a broker who specialises in complex construction risk, walks through the cover a builder actually needs and what each policy really does.

The core of the conversation is the essentials — home warranty, contract works material damage, and public liability — then the covers builders routinely underestimate: statutory liability, professional indemnity, cyber, and key-person. Daniel is direct about where the gaps sit and why assuming you're covered is an expensive habit.
It also digs into the traps: worker-to-worker claims where an injured sub's insurer comes after the builder, insuring the existing structure on renovations, and how blown-out project values or timelines can quietly void a claim. The throughline is simple — more insurance isn't always the answer, but understanding your cover, running an annual health check, and getting your subcontractor contracts right are non-negotiable.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
The three core policies every residential builder needs — and what each actually covers
Why home warranty protects the homeowner, not the builder, and how your limit is tied to your finances
Worker-to-worker claims: how an injured subcontractor's insurer comes after the builder
Statutory liability, and why public liability won't cover SafeWork fines or investigations
Professional indemnity for builders — and the "design and construct" element people miss
Insuring the existing structure on renovations, and the home-insurance chat to have with clients
Why fixing your subcontractor contracts is the single biggest risk lever a builder has
LEARN MORE
Webber Insurance: https://www.webberinsurance.com.au
Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

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The Sustainable Builders Alliance
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In this episode, Ben Bardon, CEO of the National Australian Apprenticeships Association (NAAA), shares his journey from working as a painter and decorator to becoming one of Australia's leading voices on apprenticeships, skills development, and workforce planning. The conversation explores the challenges facing the construction industry, including labour shortages, apprenticeship completion rates, skills pathways, and the growing demand for qualified tradespeople needed to meet Australia's housing and infrastructure targets. 
The discussion dives into the realities of the apprenticeship system, examining how young people enter the trades, the role of schools and vocational education, and the barriers preventing more Australians from pursuing construction careers. Ben also unpacks the impact of migration, government incentives, workforce participation, and industry culture, while highlighting practical solutions to improve apprenticeship outcomes, attract more women into the trades, and build a stronger, more sustainable construction workforce for the future.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
 Ben's journey from tradesperson and educator to CEO of the National Australian Apprenticeships Association 
 The state of apprenticeships and workforce shortages in the Australian construction industry 
 Why apprenticeship commencements and completions are struggling to keep pace with demand 
 School pathways, vocational education, and helping young people discover careers in the trades 
 The role of migration, government incentives, and workforce planning in addressing skills shortages 
 Supporting apprentices through training, mentoring, and industry pathways 
 Increasing female participation and creating more inclusive construction workplaces 
 The future of Australia's construction workforce and the challenge of delivering enough skilled tradespeople

LEARN MORE
NAAA: https://www.naaa.com.au/about-us
Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au
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The Sustainable Builders Alliance
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In this episode, Candice Halliday from CNA Design Studio shares her journey from founding a successful architecture practice to becoming a leading voice for emerging professionals within the Australian architecture industry. As the incoming president of Imagine at the Australian Institute of Architects, Candice discusses the importance of collaboration, sustainable design, and creating healthier, higher-performing buildings that meet the challenges of a changing climate. 
The conversation explores the role of Passive House principles, building performance, retrofit design, and the future of sustainable construction in Australia. Candice shares insights from the Thrive Passive House Conference, discusses the need for better building quality and public education, and explains why architects, builders, policymakers, and industry organisations must work together to drive meaningful change. We also dive into adaptive reuse, reducing embodied carbon, improving building standards, and how emerging technologies and AI could help shape the future of architecture and construction.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
 Candice's journey from sole practitioner to founder of a growing architecture practice 
 Lessons and insights from the Thrive Passive House Conference 
 Passive House principles and improving building performance in Australia 
 Building healthier, more energy-efficient homes through better design 
 Retrofit strategies, adaptive reuse, and reducing embodied carbon 
 The future of sustainable architecture and the role of the NCC 
 Why collaboration between architects, builders, and industry bodies matters 
 AI, innovation, and emerging opportunities for the next generation of architects

LEARN MORE
CNA Design Studio: https://www.cnadesignstudio.com/
Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
The Sustainable Builders Alliance
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