#434 - MATT RISINGER, Founder of the Build Show
SUMMARY
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by Matt Risinger, Founder of the Build Show, and CEO & Chief Builder at Risinger Build. The three discussed the LA Wildfires; disaster prevention strategies; new construction materials; how mat became a builder; hiring good builders; the importance of a stable home; convincing clients to try new products; getting better at sales; the Build Show & Risinger Build’s evolution; project NDA; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT MATT
Matt started learning about construction by working summers working on houses for elderly people who owned their homes but couldn’t afford to maintain them. He got a BS in Industrial Management from Grove City College and worked for one of the National Production Builders (NVR Ryan Homes) in DC after college. His 7 years with that mega builder was fun, but the fast-paced building it did not satisfy his desire for “Craftsmanship” and Building Science. Matt’s passion for building science led him to create a Building Better blog and start positing educational YouTube videos short videos.
With the increasing popularity of his videos, Matt launched Build Productions in 2018 is now approaching 1M followers across his social channels. Build Productions’ expert network continues to grow along with the audience.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Texas & LA Wildfires.
(04:32) Houses that survived the Los Angeles fires.
(07:03) Disaster prevention.
“If a client sells their house after two years, builders are still on the hook for at least another ten years legally for the house. The house could be 10 years old with three owners, but if there's a problem, they don’t have a previous relationship with us. If they think, “Oh, this builder is absolutely horrible. I'm going to sue them.” I'm hosed. I'm in trouble. We need to make sure that clients are doing the best thing for the house, which is the right thing for them and is consequently, the right thing for you as the architect and the builder. When it comes to health, durability, longevity, and resilience, those things need to be baked into the process no matter what we build.” (08:16)
(09:33) Fire Rated Plywood.
(14:20) New construction products & Fire Prevention Strategy.
“The very wise architect [who built the house that survived the Palisades Fire] decided to use unventilated metal roofs without overhangs, a combination of stucco for the walls, and a wood-looking fiber cement on the front of the house. The concrete fence was also [a wise decision]. A perimeter fencing that stops embers is a big deal for people who have a fire next door. If you can stop those ambers from coming through your fence when the wind is blowing, whether it's by putting a metal fence that has an ember screening or going to the expense of a concrete fence, that's really going to help prevent your property from igniting.” (20:03)
(22:48) How Matt became a builder.
“The national mold crisis is what really drove me to realize we need to pay attention to how we build houses. If we just build them without thinking and there are leaks in a modern house, those leaks turn into mold, rot, and other problems. People who spend $250,000 on their dream homes suddenly start living in nightmares. They're looking at me as the builder like, “You crushed my dreams. You're the worst person ever. We're going to sue the pants off you.” So here I am, this 30-year-old builder who loved my job six months ago, and now all these people hate me and think I'm the worst person in the world because their kids are going to die of mold poisoning. I just can't build the way we've always built. I need to figure out what it is that makes a well-built house a healthy house, a house that's not going to have problems or molds.” (28:49)
(31:32) Hiring good builders.
“How do you find a good builder? I really think that homeowners and architects really need to visit job sites under construction. It's really hard to evaluate based on pretty pictures, whether the builder is good or not. By visiting sites under construction, that's where you can really see their quality. We need to be better at interviewing and doing our own research. I think it's interesting how over the years, people have stopped calling for reference checks. For anybody who's thinking about hiring builders, you want to get a reference from three people within the last 1 to 2 years that build a house with them. Get the customer’s numbers and ask for their experience. If there are at least three excellent experiences, then you know the builders are reliable.” (34:48)
(39:23) Builders repeating designs.
(44:44) LA Fires & Importance of a stable home.
(47:57) Convincing clients to try new products.
“We're not going to sell a Passive House by telling people that you're going to save the whales. We're going to sell passive houses because people want a comfortable, resilient, durable, and well-built house that has healthy air for their children. That's why they're going to buy a passive house. So, we need to bring the rubber to the road where it really matters and talk about the things that matter to the clients. Part of that is also figuring out what does matter for them and sometimes it may not matter to them until you ask them.” (53:28)
(55:43) Communicating with clients & getting better at sales.
“Builders and architects both need to be better at sales. A big part of being a good salesperson is being a good listener and really understanding what people are saying, what motivates them, and what drives them. I think that in the building industry, we get caught up in this, “What's it going to cost to build?” And that's the only thing we hear. As a result, we start competing on price and it's a race to the bottom. We need to get rid of that race to the bottom mentality and go right to what's important to the client as a homeowner and really listen. Then frankly, we should utilize some good sales skills to secure the project.” (56:54)
(58:38) Success of the Build Show.
(01:05:43) Design build & Project NDA.
(01:12:35) The Build Show & Risinger Build evolution.
(01:19:47) Matt's favorite buildings.
