The Build Insite Podcast

Most build stories get told by the people getting paid to be there. This one comes from the couple who lived in the middle of it, for nine months, with three kids and a dishwasher in the bathroom.

In this episode we're sitting at the finished marble benchtop of Callery Creek House with Zoe and Andrew, the homeowners. It's a rare thing to hear a renovation unpacked from the client's side of the table, and they don't hold back. We cover how a "bit of a tizzy up" turned into a full two storey extension, why an 18 month design process was worth every minute, and what it actually feels like to live on your own building site while it's being built around you.

Zoe brought a long held commitment to sustainable design and passive house principles to the project. Andrew brought a refusal to let her compromise on them. Between the two of them, and an architect willing to design for performance, the brief was set well before a builder was ever engaged. That timing turns out to be one of the biggest lessons of the episode.

We also get into how they chose their builder, what almost sent them in a different direction, and the one thing that ultimately got Callery Building over the line. Spoiler: it wasn't the glossy finished photos.

What you'll learn:
- Why careful design takes time, and why you should be worried if it doesn't
- What early contractor involvement gives you, and what it costs you to skip it
- The real pros and cons of living on site during a renovation, from both sides
- How to interview builders and what homeowners are actually assessing
- Why showing the hurdles publicly builds more trust than showing the highlights

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Meet Zoe and Andrew
02:13 Buying the house and the original bungalow
03:38 What sold them on the location
05:12 From a tizzy up to a full renovation
07:55 Where the sustainability passion came from
09:57 Lessons from previous builds
11:47 Living on site during the build
16:18 A word on site safety
16:43 Time, quality and cost
18:36 Engaging an architect
20:07 Why early contractor involvement matters
21:04 Why good design takes time
22:55 What they learned about each other
26:01 Choosing a builder
28:24 Why social media sealed the decision
29:25 Advice for builders
30:19 Wrap up

🎧 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

The code is moving. Slowly. But there's a lot you can do without waiting for it.

Part two with Jess from Climasure picks up where we left off, starting with the state of the NCC and what the next update means for builders. South Australia's energy efficiency pause, the drained and vented cavity change everyone's talking about, and why blower door testing already sits in the code as a verification option that almost nobody uses.

From there, Jess gets practical. If you want to build better but can't overhaul everything on your next job, where do you start? Her answer is a step by step: benchmark with a blower door test, then get serious about membranes and moisture management, then build the team around it. Because a builder pushing high performance without the right client, trades and designer is fighting uphill.

The back half goes into the two rabbit holes Jess is currently down. EMFs, including the moment a monitor reading dropped because the electricity was travelling through her body. And mould, which she calls a silent killer for good reason, with a story from a client whose respiratory problems cleared up only after a leaking shower wall came out.

What you'll learn:

- Where the NCC is heading, and why drained and vented cavities are a game changer for moisture management
- Why air tightness sitting in the code as an option is still a win, and how the UK does it differently
- The step by step for builders who want to improve without blowing the budget
- Why energy efficiency upgrades have unintended consequences if you don't understand the whole system
- What foil backed membranes can no longer be used for, and what to check on your spec
- Why hidden mould is so serious, and what a mould inspection actually involves

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Where the NCC is at
03:09 - Drained and vented cavities
04:00 - Is the code heading in the right direction
07:56 - The rabbit hole of building science
09:28 - Where to start if you want to build better
12:32 - Membranes and the one product Jess swears by
14:41 - What's next: the EMF rabbit hole
18:05 Mould, moisture and chronic illness
21:03 - Studying building biology
22:17 - Where to find Jess and the Building Sciology Podcast

🎧 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

You can't control what you don't measure. And in most homes, no one's measuring anything.

Recorded on site straight after the final blower door test at the Callery Creek House project (4.1 air changes an hour, for the record), this episode brings back one of Build Insite's most popular guests, Jess from Climasure. Third time on the show, and she's brought a whole new rabbit hole with her.

Jess walks us through her path from doing energy efficiency star ratings for the building code, to realising that what gets designed, what gets assessed and what actually gets built can be three very different things. That realisation set off a domino chain: blower door testing, ventilation, Passive House, hygrothermal modelling, and now building biology. We also get into her own podcast, the international guests she's landed, and the internet's very strong opinions about insulating brick cavity walls

Then things get interesting. Jess has just started working in the EMF space, taking radio frequency, electric field and magnetic field readings on a certified Passive House site before the slab was even poured. Plus the everyday stuff most people never think about, like what happens to particulate matter when you fry an egg on a gas cooktop, and why the CO2 in your bedroom is probably sitting at more than double what it should be.

What you'll learn:
• Why a blower door test is the cheapest, easiest way to measure how a building actually performs, and exactly what it exposes (window installs, downlights, skirting gaps, even your key lock)
• When you can test mid build on a membrane system, and why anticon makes that a lot harder
• What EMFs are, how they're measured, and why "you can't control what you don't measure" applies here too
• The indoor air quality numbers worth knowing: CO2 targets, particulate spikes from cooking, and the monitors Jess uses at home and on the road
• Practical advice for younger builders who want to build better but don't know where to start

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:50 - What Jess has been up to at Climasure
02:12 - From star ratings to building science
04:30 - Starting a building science podcast
10:01 - The brick cavity wall insulation debate
11:56 - EMFs explained
14:52 - Indoor air quality: what you can't see
19:34 - Where builders should start with testing
23:29 - What a blower door test actually is
25:27 - The best and worst results Jess has tested

Host: Luke Callery
Guest: Jessica Kismet from Climasure

🎧 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

The real test of a building business isn't the boom times. It's how you communicate, hire and hold your ground when things get tight.

 

In Part 2 of this conversation on the Build Insite Podcast, Dean and Luke continue the chat with Brett Way from VW Building Projects. This time, the focus shifts from heritage craftsmanship to the engine room of running a strong building business through uncertain conditions.

 

Brett opens up about VW Building's Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) process, how they educate clients on the unknowns that come with heritage homes, and the challenges of navigating council delays in Victoria. He also gets candid about the current pressure on pricing, fuel costs and material escalations, and how transparent conversations with trades, clients and team are more important now than ever.

The discussion moves into team structure, apprentice development, building culture across two divisions, and Brett's personal approach to staying present at home while running a high-performing business. He also shares where he gets his best learning, his honest take on AI in construction, and what the future looks like for VW Building.

What You'll Learn:

- Why Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) protects both builder and client
- How to have honest pricing conversations with clients and trades in tough markets
- What real apprentice development looks like across multiple sites
- How to set clear communication lines so problems get solved at the right level
- Why networking and collaboration are now non-negotiable for solo operators

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:18 - Educating Clients Through Heritage Content
02:33 - Managing Client Expectations and Unknowns
04:13 - Council Delays and Approval Challenges
05:19 - Navigating Price Hikes and Tough Conversations
10:02 - Inside the VW Building Team Structure
11:43 - How They Train and Retain Apprentices
13:19 - Team Events and Run Melbourne
14:22 - Staying Healthy and Switching Off
17:32 - Best Learning Resources and AI in Construction
20:44 - Future Plans and Pipeline for VW Building
24:51 - One Thing to Change in the Victorian Building Industry
26:25 - Rapid Fire Questions
29:30 - Where to Find Brett

🎧 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 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