The Build Insite Podcast

A heritage facade with an architectural extension is one thing. Conserving Australia's oldest sandstone castle from 1849? That's an entirely different game.

In this episode of the Build Insite Podcast, Dean and Luke sit down with Brett Way, co-founder of VW Building Projects. Brett and his business partner Josh started out as childhood friends turned carpenters, working under the same mentor for nearly a decade before going out on their own. Today, VW Building operates two divisions across Melbourne and the Geelong/Bellarine Peninsula, with a sharp focus on true heritage conservation and high-complexity architectural builds.

Brett walks us through the story behind Corriell, the oldest building on the Bellarine, where his team is undertaking real restoration work on an 1849 sandstone property once owned by the founders of Drysdale and Newcomb. From six metres of underpinning beneath untouched stonework to hand-stencilled fretwork replicas, this is heritage building at its most demanding.

He also opens up about making the sea change to Barwon Heads, splitting roles with his business partner, building culture across two locations, and why VW Building hires the right people first and builds the role around them.

What You'll Learn:
- Why heritage conservation demands a completely different skillset to standard renovation
- How to split roles across two locations without losing momentum as a business
- What it actually takes to underpin a 175-year-old sandstone wall
- How to manage team culture and communication across two divisions
- Why hiring for the person, not the position, pays off long term

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:18 - Brett's Journey into Building
03:07 - Finding the Heritage Niche
04:05 - Splitting the Business Across Two Locations
05:54 - Inside the Corriell Restoration
08:12 - Underpinning 175-Year-Old Stonework
11:31 - The Sea Change to Barwon Heads
13:09 - Avoiding Burnout as a Business Owner
14:42 - Advice for Builders Considering a Sea Change
17:19 - Managing Culture Across Two Locations
20:26 - Hiring the Right People

Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke Callery 
Guest: Brett Way co-founder and builder from VW Building Projects

🎧 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

Every builder has a different DNA. The way you trench plates, wrap a cavity, run your crews. It all changes the price, the program, and the product. So why are most builders still being handed a one-size-fits-all quote?

In Part 2, Dean and Luke continue the conversation with Tom Lawson from Vision 2 Estimating, going deeper into how V2E tailors every model to the way your business actually builds. From pre-model meetings and onboarding through to integrating directly with Buildxact and price book setup, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at what makes their process tick.

Tom also opens up about where V2E is heading next, including some serious investment in AI tools, a new model viewer release, and plans for an AI chatbot built into the model itself. It wraps with rapid fire questions, plenty of laughs, and a reminder that the builders winning in 2026 are the ones treating estimating like the engine room of the business.

What You'll Learn:

- Why your "Builder's DNA" should drive every estimate, not generic plan notes
- How pre-model meetings catch the costly stuff missing from drawings
- The smart way to integrate estimating data into Buildxact and your price book
- Why a "measuring stick" beats gut feel when reviewing subbie quotes
- Where AI is heading in construction and how V2E is leading the charge

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
00:20 – What is "Builder's DNA" and why it matters
02:38 – Onboarding and pre-model meetings
04:25 – Inside the V2E team: building the right mix of skills
08:05 – Integrating with Buildxact the smart way
12:00 – Building your price book for instant pricing
14:30 – Why empathy with builders is the V2E difference
16:00 – Using data as a measuring stick against subbie quotes
19:08 – When to bring V2E in and what you need
22:30 – What's next: AI tools, model viewer, and chatbot integration
24:33 – How Michael first reached out to Luke
25:24 – Rapid fire questions
26:35 – Final advice and where to find V2E

Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke Callery
Guests: Tom Lawson from Vision 2 Estimating (V2E)

🎧 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

"A builder who doesn't estimate properly in 2026 is going under." Tom Lawson didn't sugarcoat it, and what follows is a masterclass in why the old way of pricing jobs is leaving builders exposed.

This week, Dean and Luke sit down with Tom Lawson from Vision 2 Estimating (V2E), fresh off the Build Insite Hub Launch and Live event at Circa and Bowens in Port Melbourne. Tom flew in from Adelaide to unpack how 3D construction modelling is reshaping the way builders price, plan, and deliver projects.

From his early days bouncing between structural engineering and architecture, to seven years detailing roof trusses at K&B Timber, Tom walks through the path that led him to co-founding V2E with Michael. What started as a "why can't we do this for the whole project?" idea has grown into a 17-modeller team helping builders nationwide resolve plans before they hit site.

If you've ever been buried under conflicting documents, frustrated by square metre rate guesswork, or burned by design issues that only surface mid-build, this one's going to hit home.

**What You'll Learn:**

- Why traditional estimating is setting builders up to redo work twice
- How 3D modelling catches engineering and design clashes before site
- The key differences between SA and VIC frame and truss design responsibilities
- Why square metre rates don't reflect what your build actually costs
- How visual estimating brings clients into the conversation and unlocks smarter decisions

**Chapters:**
00:00 – Introduction
00:27 – Welcome Tom Lawson to the studio
01:15 – Tom's journey: From engineering to architecture to detailing
04:00 – Inside K&B Timber and the world of frame and truss design
05:23 – The idea that sparked Vision 2 Estimating
07:11 – SA vs VIC: How frame design responsibilities differ
10:00 – What is Vision 2 Estimating?
11:04 – Why the traditional estimating process is broken
13:36 – The problem with square metre rates
15:07 – Managing 10+ sets of documents on every project
16:18 – Catching design issues before site (real examples)
19:55 – Helping clients visualise the final build
21:55 – Educating clients through 3D visuals
22:57 – Wrapping up Part 1

Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke Callery
Guests: Tom Lawson from Vision 2 Estimating (V2E)

🎧 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

What if you could find out your dream home was a million dollars over budget before you spent a cent on design fees? That's exactly the problem Saxon Hall set out to solve.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Saxon Hall from Align Architecture, we dig into the part of the build process where most projects quietly start to fall apart: the gap between what a client thinks their project will cost, and what it actually costs to deliver.

Saxon walks us through his fixed-fee Sketch Design Service, a transparent early-stage process that pairs the architect and builder together from day one, presents two schematic options (one budget-focused, one brief-focused), and ends with a pre-build feasibility document that gives clients real numbers before they're locked into months of design fees.

We also get into the bigger picture: why builders and architects still struggle to trust each other, how the industry's old-school teaching shapes that dynamic, and what genuine early contractor involvement actually looks like on a real project.

Saxon also opens up about how Align is rethinking contract administration, getting creative with materials to fight rising costs, and why he believes more transparency in the early stages is the single biggest fix the industry needs right now.

What You'll Learn

How a fixed-fee sketch design process protects clients from spending tens of thousands before knowing if their project is even viable

Why presenting two designs (budget vs brief) is the fastest way to find out what a client actually values

How a pre-build feasibility document breaks down site costs, construction costs and consultant fees into one clear total project investment

Why early builder involvement saves more than money; it saves buildability headaches on site

A smarter alternative to traditional contract administration that cuts admin hours without losing oversight

Practical examples of using materials creatively to reduce waste and keep budgets in check

Chapters

00:00 - Recap and Welcome Back

00:17 - Managing Design Costs from the First Conversation

01:00 - Inside the Sketch Design Service

02:00 - Two Designs: Needs vs Wants vs Reality

03:22 - The Pre-Build Feasibility Document Explained

05:30 - Why Walking Away Early Is a Win, Not a Loss

06:42 - How Builders Can Plug Into the Process

08:00 - Why Clients Still Get Burned (The $1M Story)

11:21 - Trust, Ego and How Architects Are Taught

12:29 - The Real Value of Builder Input in Design

14:55 - Relationships as the Foundation of Every Project

16:07 - Reinventing Contract Administration

19:11 - Getting Creative with Materials and Budget

22:38 - Mentoring the Next Generation of Architects

24:28 - Rapid Fire

26:30 - Wrap Up and Where to Find Saxon

Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke Callery Guests: Saxon Hall from Align Architecture

📸 Saxon on Instagram: @saxonhallarchitecture 📸 Align Architecture on Instagram: @align.architecture.au

Listen, Watch & Follow

🎧 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

Architects get blamed for blowouts. Builders get blamed for misreading plans. But what if the old way of doing things is the actual problem?

In this episode, Dean and Luke sit down with Saxon Hall, Lead Architect at Align Architecture, who made the trek over from Tassie to share how his team is flipping the traditional architect-builder dynamic on its head. From growing up on construction sites in regional Tasmania to leading a six-person team across Hobart and Victoria, Saxon brings a unique perspective shaped by both high-end traditional architecture and hands-on building experience.

We dig into the rise of AI in the design industry, why architecture is more than just a floor plan, and how Align is pushing Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) as a smarter, more transparent way to build. Saxon also shares a behind-the-scenes look at what could be Tasmania's first architecturally designed Passive House Plus project, and why having the right people around the table changes everything.

If you've ever wondered why some projects run smoothly while others spiral into variation hell, this one's for you.

What You'll Learn:
- Why Early Contractor Involvement beats traditional tendering for residential builds
- How AI is reshaping the architectural workflow (and what it still can't replace)
- The real value of transparency and open-book pricing between builder, architect, and client
- Why the builder-architect-client triangle is the foundation of every successful project
- How Align Architecture blends traditional rigour with a modern, collaborative approach

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
00:33 – Meet Saxon Hall from Align Architecture
01:46 – Growing up on the tools in Tassie
03:04 – Joining Align and shaping the vision
05:46 – Inside the Align team
08:58 – AI in architecture: hype vs reality
11:46 – Why architecture isn't just a floor plan
12:36 – Inside a Passive House Plus design meeting
14:31 – Breaking the architect vs builder mentality
15:46 – Early Contractor Involvement explained
17:52 – Relationships before budgets
18:57 – The hidden cost of tendering and variations
21:48 – Wrap up Part 1

🎧 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