The Construction Life

We have Tony Cordeiro of TC Service & Installations INC on the show today talking about cabinetry installs and more. With over 20 years of experience, Tony has a lot to say about The Construction Life so you don’t want to miss this show. The show begins with Tony singing our first Portuguese tune as our intro and we loved it. Thanks Tony.We get right into the show with a question about the origin of dust extraction, who and when?So now we get into the real hammer Tony got as a gift from his parents when he was 3 years old and that was the beginning of his construction career and we jump to high school and building construction and cabinetry course that set him on a path to the pros. His first real job was actually at a bank and that paved the way for Tony to run a better business, so important to learn your math. Finally got into a shop and it was all sanding and finishing for Tony and so important that he did.We get into a lot of Toronto history and construction shops in and around town and of course a few Portuguese jokes do come up. Tony was given his first chance be a shop foreman that believed in him and that established his career, word spread around, mixed in with a couple major life lessons and that was the beginning of TC Installations Inc. A cabinet maker, installer and overall super nice gentleman, one of the best in construction.Tony’s Dad, a retired renovator always told Tony, "we have to figure out a way to solve this" and that has been Tony’s go to on the job site. Tony is known as one of the cleanest trades on any job site and he makes sure his team feels the same way, must be a Portuguese thing.We get into a series of cabinetry company names from all over the world and what Tony thinks about it them and cabinetry details from North America and all over. What are Tony’s thoughts on shaker cabinetry? Tony also services these cabinetries’ and that is an art in itself. It is about time that we state all showers and kitchen walls should be built with LSL lumber, no more dimensional lumber for these areas. Then we get into Tony’s way of starting the work, where to begin, how to proceed and how to wrap up and get things ready for templating. Have electronics taken over way too much of the kitchen? Should we have plywood or drywall for main kitchen cabinetry walls? We do get into Tony fav tools and vehicles from what’s in his vehicle and the shop.Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny, Building Code Talk with Manny and Green Book Talk with Carlito.Thank You Tony so much for joining the show and sharing so much about construction, renovations and more. Check out Tony @tc.installations.incThis is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

Ian opens the show with his version of the Hips Courage. On today’s show we have Ian from @galeforcemasonry and we are talking historical buildings and restoration and a lot to do with the oldies but a goodie when it comes to construction. From brick, to lead roofs, to those original windows and more.Ian begins with school at Algonquin College and how there really is a shortage in stone and mason trades and we have to go outside the country to find good guys, Irish, Polish and others. Ian brings up a massive point, with any trade you can take that skill anywhere in the world and you will find work, that is a fact. We love hearing that. Learning from the time and actions during his Union days which brought Ian to planning for his retirement one day.We get into a little safety and proper set up of scaffolding because when you work in high end neighborhoods, the neighbors are watching. This part of the podcast leads us into a scenario in Ian’s past that could have been a lot worse. A serious injury when he was working in a crypt with a hospital right across the street.Let’s talk about the seven P’s Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, everyone needs to understand you have to slow it all down to speed it up. Ian talks about construction recipes, where he worked on something, did all the testing and figured out what he needed to restore the damage and Ian stays in touch with client’s years later with the hope that they will hire him to move forward with the work.Let’s get into heritage buildings in Toronto, NYC, Boston, Chicago and Philly and why Toronto is terrible at restoring and would rather knock down. Then the big questions, how does one price a restoration job? We get into stone details of yesterday and compare them to today’s building details. And let’s talk Widths or Wydths of brick and stone. Then we get into the paperwork behind actual heritage buildings and the work involved to get the work started, building permits and the years attached to doing the work along with the building reports that Ian has been task with. We even get into talking about Hot Lime process and how it was done back in the day.How to reading buildings and what clues Mother Nature shares with us, what a fascinating talk with Ian. We get into different stone finishing and the tools needed, there are so many options out there. Talk about health and safety and understanding that grinding out joints for tuck-pointing is now considered and Type 1 abatement and the rules apply.We finally get to See You Next Tuesday, a first for our little show. Lastly we get into making 6 figures in this business easy and how more people should consider trades. Special thank you for the listeners listening right now as Carlito tells the listeners. We end the show with Twinkle Twinkle, we outta here.Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny, Building Code Talk with Manny and Green Book Talk with Carlito.Thank you Ian so much for joining the show and sharing so much about construction, restoration, renovations and more. Check out Ian @galeforcemasonry and [email protected] is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

We are recording live at Foam Core Mouldings 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Niagara Falls. Over 1000 different profiles to choose from and you can still walk in with a custom order and have that turned around in days. Working with foamcore panels, siding, all kinds of options from Foamcore Mouldings for exterior and plaster interior products.Let’s get right into the origin of stucco. Testing the product to hold up to 4 seasons including Canadian and USA harsh winters and hot summers. It all begins by cutting the product on a Hot Wire machine and from there is built up with plaster or a cement embedded with mesh for flexibility, durability and strength.We even ask Matt, what is the largest sized crown and he tells us about a 36” crown, Holy Crown!! Matt tells us about working with Heritage buildings and repairing the old with new technologies like his product.Matt tells us about his own personal build going on right now and how he is mixing and matching up different types of products to build a beautiful home, from his new foam siding, foam soffit and more.We get right into DuRock products and best applications and the short cuts that a few take. What kind of person gets into stucco and stucco products, what kind of business to build, installation to ICF and stages of a proper install, you really shouldn’t and can’t miss a step?How durable is stucco? High Impact Mesh stucco products and why they are worth it? What is the proper price points for these products? Why so many Eastern European guys get into stucco and plastering and why there really aren’t that many stucco girls and plenty of stucco guys.And yes we get into proper building envelope because every single trade should know this, they all contribute and must understand the WHY.Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny, Building Code Talk with Manny and Green Book Talk with Carlito.Thank you Matt so much for joining the show and sharing so much about foam mouldings, stucco and interior and exterior products. Check out Matt and everyone @foamcoremouldings and www.foamcoremouldings.comThis is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

What an amazing show we have today, Paul from Mack Constructions Inc. and we are talking self-leveling products and applications. Believe it, Paul is one of the leaders and he actually began in plumbing as a licensed Master Plumber but then one day on a job he was asked if he could and he did and that was the beginning of his self-leveling career in construction.Paul went from doing one job a month to doing 8 jobs a week and two crews and hasn’t looked back. Pumping the material as high as 14 floors and he could have gone even higher and further. Always up for the challenge. He has done leveling basements, with or without radiant, bonding to old and new concrete, you name it, Paul and his crew have done it.He exclusively works with LaFarge Agilia Screed and loves the product for so many reasons. What are the differences between Agilia and Concrete and why concrete guys do and don’t get it. What a floating floor system really means and how it really works. Working from different thicknesses, as thin as 10mm to as thick as 9 inches, Mack Constructions Inc. knows how to make your floor perfect.Paul gets right into estimating, scope of work, steps involved, calculating true level before during and after right down to the mm, taking the final floor to a perfect sanded surface ready for finishing. Staircases and how important it is NOT to order your finish staircase until the pour has happened because Paul knows floor framing is never perfect and self-leveling is about being perfect. We even get into a little self-leveling vs dry pack vs barrel bag mixing products and listen to find out who wins.We even get into sound proofing and Paul loves to work with MSL Sonopro underlayment, it rolls out onto the subfloor, taped to each other and never stapled to the subfloor and what a difference it makes with those hard walking sounds. Working with Schluter BekoTek foam products, why use it and the added benefit by lowering the overall weight. We also get into slump testing each batch regardless if the batch was tested at the yard, what types of primers to use and where, taking care of any issues and always making the customer, the GC or the homeowner happy from the start to the end.We end the show with word of mouth from digital to old school and how has Paul built his business.Don’t forget we have Construction History from Manny, Building Code Talk with Manny and Green Book Talk with Carlito.Thank you Paul so much for joining the show and sharing so much about Self-Leveling. Check out Paul @mackconstructionsinc and www.mackconstructionsinc.comThis is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

We have another amazing show talking finish carpentry and hardwood with the one and only Andrew Prete of @carpenteronsite An elder millennial that has really taken the industry by the horns and made the business better than most. Andrew isn’t shy about how and why he builds the way he does, the best that he can filled with a lot of passion no matter the size of the project, it is all the same to him.Andrew is different than most contractors, nobody from his family is in construction, no one really influenced him to get into construction, he followed his passion and built a solid and reputable company. Once he touched those first tools back in high school, he was hooked for life.Andrew was a Union member and loved his time there because he learned so much but once he was on the job site he met Nelson Gonzales and boy did Nelson take his skill set to a whole new level. School was very much worth the experience Andrew dives deep into what and why he learned what he did.Of course we get into a lot of techniques, tricks of the trades for trim and hardwood installs and we even get into his fav tools, here’s a hint, BOSCH. We even get into the great debate, van or pick-up truck? We will give you another hint, SPRINTER.Early in his days Andrew would trim out a 2500 square home, around 20 windows, doors and over 300 LF of base in one single day, two guys, boogie and get the work done with next to no deficiencies. At 25 bucks a window, those were the valuable days on site, the knowledge he learned even though there were some days where he made no money. Andrew even talks about the DAPENDERS on site and how he is a part of Respect The Next Trade TM. Andrew talks about hiring and keeping good and bad guys and what he looks for in a tradesperson.We talk about going on his own, pricing out jobs quickly, budgeting, client’s expectations, poplar vs mdf, hardwood installs and so much more. At 30 years old, Andrew is already thinking about retirement, not looking to stop, planning to stop hugely successful. We get talking hardwood flooring install, wax paper, layouts, inlets of details, when to install hardwood and more.Andrew is hungry for construction and during his early days and still today, he will always stop by a job site and offer up a quote, why not, you never know, that GC might be looking for a new guy. Andrew gives Tony and the family @mississaugahardwarecentre a well-deserved shout out and even talks about Collin Clamps and how he tells his clients the clamps are found at adult sex shops.What an amazing show, Andrew thank you so much for being on the show and sharing all of your valuable experiences with us so far. We look forward to watching your business grow even further.Find Andrew @carpenter_onsiteThis is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

We have Val, AKA @safetyval a Safety rep that helps your business, your employees, your sub trades, and the owners, the industry be better and safer on the jobsite. She offers up basic safety knowledge, hardhat and safety, fines and max fines, deaths on site and plenty more very valuable knowledge.We talk about alcohol and weed on the jobsite and how it can impact your day to day operations. Who really is responsible when a worker is drunk and or high? Proper workwear and we are not talking about “daisy dukes” or sweat pants, Carlito.Who wrote these safety rules and why? Val started a great program called Speak Up For Safety and since her first day on site nearly twenty years ago she has been making the construction industry a safer place.She discusses the lack of safety and respect from clients while they visit contractors onsite. She even gets into all of the safety requirements on site, all 25 of them so grab a pen and make sure your job site has all 25 and not just the first aid kit.Val also offers up on site training for one or more of your employees and or sub trades. Paying for safety and more, we even get into stickers on your hardhats and writing on your harness, good or bad, is it allowed?This is one extremely important show and worth listening to the very end.Thank You so much Val for being a part of the show and offering up so much amazing information. Please contact Val at 416 899-9272This is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

Part II of Jim Caruk – The Godfather of Construction and Jim gets right into his very first build as a tween and his first run in with an inspector. Jim shares more of his great insight into the construction industry.Jim gets into his details and what has worked for him and his clients, from plaster crown to his love for wood trim. He discusses how the trades have changed over the decades and what they are like today versus the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. Keeping the jobsite clean, professional, and how to deal with the new digital age on site and online.Jim has always had a love for the business and anyone can see it when they walk through one of his homes. He has built himself a few homes and sold those homes for exactly what they were worth and stuck to his price because of the respect of the work, a few great stories about those sales.We finally get into Jim’s other passion, Renos For Heroes a charity he began to help wounded soldiers. Jim with help from the Canadian government has helped so many people that have given up so much.Lastly we get into van or pick-up, what tool brand is he and a few interesting quick question and answer inquires.A massive thank you to Jim for spending the 3 plus hours with us talking construction. Really appreciate your time, your knowledge, your stories. Two amazing shows worth listening to the very end.Find Jim at www.carukhall.com@jimcaruk@[email protected] is The Construction Life

We have Jim Caruk, the man, legend, the Godfather of Construction on the show and he has nearly 50 years of experience to share with us. So much talk we had to split the show into two parts, Corleone would be so proud.Starting his career in construction right out of high school with a major in trades, sheet metal, Jim went right into Union work, the year was 1973. He did the sheet metal work for 15 years, worked hard, learned a lot about the business and people, made an enemy or two along the way, then decided to go on his own. Began a two-man renovation business and went right into the work for the love of it. Started with small renos, then came an addition with no access to the back, so Jim suggested go underneath the home, they did. Turned out, that particular reno was for a TV producer and with a camera following Jim the hit show Real Renos was born, that was the early 2000’s and went on for 8 years. Jim had one request with the show, whatever happened, happened, it doesn’t get changed, and that went both ways, the clients can say whatever they want and so could he, and he did. That is what made it real compared to what is currently on TV today.Jim has had his fair share of issues with the Ministry of Labour and he brings up a few of the good ones, mixed in with Inspectors arriving on site. Jim gets right into what makes a good contractor, what makes a successful renovation company, yes there are bad clients and there are great ones that have hired him several times. Of course Jim has lost money on projects, walked away from projects but he has always stayed loyal to the construction and his passion, and building.Lastly on this first part, Jim tells us why homes are so expensive today. He shares how clients know how to screw contractors over. Why he is well respected by his crew that have been with him for 2 decades or more and by the new guys.A massive thank you to Jim for spending the 3 plus hours with us talking construction. Really appreciate your time.Find Jim at www.carukhall.com@jimcaruk@carukhallconstructionThis is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

We’ve got a great show for you this week. We’re talking with Renoshield about building more trust in the construction industry. Payments are a big source of frustration when it comes to renovations. From scope changes to stolen deposits to homeowners refusing to pay, contractors are put in a tough position. Dave Strang and Tyler Burton join us as our special guests to talk about how Renoshield is shaking up the industry. Both have mechanical engineering backgrounds and they’ve built an app that lets you and your client securely transfer payments -- up to $50k from your phone. No more chasing cheques or multiple e-transfers. They have a special promotion for listeners when Renoshield launches their new version later this year. Join the waitlist at try.renoshield.com/TCL to get 6 months free. And if that’s not already enough, their sister company Smart Reno, the largest network of contractors across Canada, has a promotion of $200 off. Learn more at register.smartreno.com/tcl/.This is The Construction Life.www.renoshield.com/tcl

Jackie Schagen Design introduces us to her world of Space Planning Expert. What an amazing show about the whole truth behind Interior Design, the relationships with contractors, clients and changes. Jackie has a great outlook on the construction and design industry sharing her thoughts from school to the job site.Jackie understands that dynamic between her client and her contractor and how everyone needs to be on the same design page. She discusses the good and bad, the low and high budgets and working with clients on creating functional spaces for years of great living no matter what the budget is.Jackie even gets into a little talk about the reno TV show and the so called “designers” on these shows. Manny and Carilto have a great time talking shop with Jackie.Thank You Jackie so much for your valuable time and knowledge.Please give Jackie a follow @jackieschagendesignPlease contact her at www.jackieschagendesign.caThis is The Construction Life.www.theconstructionlife.com

We finally have a conversation about Geothermal heating and cooling systems and we have Roman and Orest working with Denis Campbell from Polar Bear Geo. Let’s talk about a system that has been around for over a century in Europe, even longer than that if we discuss the very early days of capturing heat from Mother Earth and using that energy to save the planet.Let's not forget how Geothermal is actailly saving the planet in energy consumption and producing properties.This podcast gets very technical and Orest and Roman do an amazing job dumbing it down for Manny and Carlito. We all know the good and the bad behind Geothermal but on today’s show we uncover it all and you will be amazed on the valuable information the guest share.Please give them a follow @polarbeargeoPlease check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVWyFrMbtu0Please contact them for any inquires https://www.polarbeargeo.comThank you Orest and Roman for being on the show.This is The Construction Life

Manny and Carlito are on location at the Artistic Skylight warehouse talking with Marco and Nenzio from Artistic Skylights. We get right into the history of the skylight and how far back in history was the very first skylight ever built and installed and we also get into the 40-year history of Artistic and where it all began. Then we get into all of the benefits especially the health benefits behind natural daylight inside your home and business. We discuss the difference between glass and acrylic skylights and how large can Artistic build a skylight for your next project. Of course we discuss, do skylights leak? We get right into the myths of skylights and even talk about the days of Purple Glass. What an amazing show and thank you again Marco and Nenzio for all of the great information on Artistic Skylights. Please check them out online and on social media www.artisticskylight.com @artisticskylight This is The Construction Life.

Matthew Janeko joins us and we get right into talking about cash jobs and are they worth it. Manny was surprised to hear what Matthew had to express. We also get into operating your construction business from registering to incorporating and how it is best to keep the Canadian Tax Revenue off your hard working back. We begin the show with our new format and we share what some of the retirement stats are like, they are not good. We get into what you can and cannot write off as a part of your business and you will be surprised to hear that anyone in construction and on social media there are other writes offs to consider that will benefit your bottom line. Midway through the show we share another Ontario Building Code detail and we wrap up the show with another Green Book infraction and fine. Thank you Matthew for being on the show. This is The Construction Life.

Here's a thought...why not have actual clients on the podcast? Let's ask them what they think of us, think of contractors, think of construction, think of our pricing, think of our schedules, think of our rates and more. So many great questions here and we didn't hold back even when they really didn't want to share. These cleints tell us truth when it comes to The Construction Life.We discuss how the clients find contractors, their first impressions, their last impressions, what they think of our estimates, what word of mouth means to them, the stress associated with construction and dealing with us. So much great talk in this one show.We even get into the reno TV shows and what these cleints truly feel about them.Thank you so much Cesare and Marie for your valuable time, we know our listeners will appreciate what you had to share.This is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

We have the one and only Daniel Vella of Vella Contracting on the show. We get right into finish carpentry, where and how Daniel began, a self taught contractor and trim expert with a love for everything wood, especially crown moulding.This show opens in our new format, all of you know that our guests sing a little tune as our opener, now we get into a little construction history, fact and today we find out when and where was MDF first introduced into the market. Half way through the show we share a building code detail, then we wrap up the show with a Green Book infraction and fine followed by Carlito's beatbox.What a great chat with Daniel, his fav tool brands, glues, a few tricks of his and others, we get into social media, pros and cons. Daniel was even kind enough to arrive with a pizza, what a perfect gentleman. Thank You Sir.@vellacontractiing www.vellareno.comThis is The Construction Lifewww.theconstructionlife.com

On the show today, we have Adnan Zabian an Architect and Engineer with a focus on building modular shipping container structures. What a facinating talk as we get into every detail of taking a shipping container and turning it into a home, office or temporary space. The pros and cons of working with these shipping containers and why. We get into all types of cladding options, design options, construction options when it comes to modular building. We loved this talk a lot. Find Adnan @acadmodular and www.acadmodular.orgThis is The Construction Life.

What an amazing show we have today, we have been waiting for this one for a very long time, let's get right into Demolition, Excavation and Abatement with Michael from MagCor Demolition. We talk about the industry in general and what made Michael get into demo first, excavation quickly followed and then abatement. With only a few years in the business, Michael has been able to carve out a very solid brand. Determined to change the construction industry with every project he works on, Michael and his crew are doing exactly that, plenty of respect from Manny and Carlito for doing so. Have a listen to this show where we talk about anything and everything to do with his business and how he runs his business. Thanks Michael for being so open and honest with us. Check them out, give them a follow @magcordemolition and www.magcor.caThis is The Construction Life

In this week’s podcast, The Construction Life team has the opportunity to speak with Rick Clark from Rick’s Mechanical. Rick is a self-employed master plumber with a wealth of knowledge and history, 40 plus years. He is also an Authorized Service Representative for Kohler products in the Toronto area. This informative and interesting conversation will cover the advancement of digital valves, plumbing requirements from the supply source to the fixture, important things to consider such as copper vs plastic and hot water tanks vs on demand … and many other plumbing considerations. It has been 20 podcasts since we last talked plumbing and this show is a great follow up with so much to learn from. This is The Construction Life www.kohler.com www.theconstructionlife.com

On another great episode of The Construction Life, we have Greg Labbe, a Lab Technician from the Ryerson Research Lab. We get right into what we need to know about the air barrier "System" and discuss how these individual types of materials work to maintain a healthy home for decades to come. Where these types of materials should be installed, interior and or exterior applications. Understanding that all trades and we mean all trades must be aware of the "System". This isn't a show about promoting individual brands and or products, this is a show about how to use those products. Mind you, fibreglass insulation was jabbed at more than a few times and for good reason. Lastly, and this is a first at TCL, Greg makes a great comparison to 6mm poly, tuck tape and condoms. You don't want to miss this entire show, full of valuable building information. Thank you Greg for your time, your expertise over the years and your friendship. We are better builders because of you. Can't wait to do a follow up to this show in the lab. This is The Construction Life.

On the show we have Anatol and Tim of Digital Fab, a workshop that is doing things a little differently. Taking woodworking and any other kind of material to new heights by way of computers and CNC's and other machinery. When Manny walked into the Digital Fab shop in 2019 it was the first time the creativity was ahead instead of behind. Digital Fab will never say no to a client or creativity, they want and encourage new creativity ideas and materials. Building such an amazing brand in 4 years you have to wonder where will they go next? From what we have seen in the shop, the showroom, and the completed projects, you want to check them out on the daily to find out what is really next? This is beyond woodworking, metalworking, glass working, this is next level shop work. Check out this amazing podcast, give the Digital Fab team a follow on social @digital_fab and their web site www.digitalfab.ca and hire them for all of your fabrication needs, you will not regret it. Thanks guys for being on the show and inviting us into your digital world.This is The Construction Life.

Frank Cozzolino from DeVille Electric joins the podcast and we get a rough and a no sugar coated version of the electrical industry from the last 25 years.  It all begins with Frank wanting to be an accountant and very early into that career choice he decided to work with his hands instead, left the spreadsheets and trading all of that paper for a set of pliers.  It all begins with the J O B - Just Over Broke.  Frank talks about permits, licensed contractors, homeowners, educating, building and running an electrical business, closing down an electrical business and getting back to being an employee and why.  Frank even gets very personal and shares a near death health scare that changed his life for the better.   Thanks Frank for being on the show and sharing so much with our listeners.  This is The Construction Life.

Tyler and Andrew from Stott HVAC Systems join us in the Skyluxe Studios for our 50th podcast and we get right into everything to do with Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning and nothing to do with House Vacuuming And Cleaning as one of the Stott team members kids have expressed. On this show Tyler and Andrew run us through forced air, boilers, radiant, air filters and purifiers, snow melt systems, CFM's, backdraft from fireplaces, manintainance and the dreaded evil CLR and never to use that on your humidifier pads. What an amazing show we have with so much incredible information for tradespeople, general contractors and homeowners. Thank you Tyler and Andrew so much and please give the guys a follow @stott_hvac_systems and find them at www.stotthvacsystems.ca This is The Construction Life.

We have Evan Jatou from Veracity Group Construction in our Skyluxe Studios speaking candidly about his early self taught brick and stone days, to building a hugly successful commercial construction business, to expanding into custom residential renovations and the proper way to manage and build with clients and crews. On this show we get a lot of great info regarding brick masonry, stone masonry, the quick commerical construction turn around and we even get into the evil entity known as Instagram. It would not be a pure Construction Life conversation if we didn't bring up motorcycles, Evan and Manny try our hardest to get Carlito back on two wheels. Thank you so much Evan for taking the time to share your stories, your experiences, and your passion for this amazing industry. You can find Evan and Veracity at www.veracitygroup.ca and on LinkedIN, Twitter and Facebook.This is The Construction Life.

WOW! What a year it has been. We brought The Construction Life podcast back and back in a big way. We recorded 30 new shows in less than 4 months. Wrapping up the 2019 year with a grand total of 47 shows and we figured let's make our 48th show all about our beginning, the last 47 podcasts and all of the wonderful guests. One by one Manny and Carlito discuss what this podcast means to each of them and what each show brought to the table. Listen in and get a bit more insight into the making of the fastest growing construction podcast online. Catch the show on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, GooglePlayMusic, and YouTube. www.theconstructionlife.com www.hardcorerenos.com This is The Construction Life.

Hans Eich joins Manny and Carlito and we have a full tilt show talking about Passive Home Building and the Construction Industry. From air tightness, air barriers, vapour barriers, proper ventilation, phase shifts, diffusion open, to energy consumption and achiveing that Passive rating of 15 Killawatts per hour, per square meter, per year. This is a podcast to listen to carefully. Did we mention Carlito gets political on this one and has a few choice words to express about building inspectors. Thank you so much Hans for spending nearly two hours with us and educating us about the passion of passive. Check out Hans on social @pinwheelstructures.com and online at www.pinwheelstructures.comThis is The Construction Life.

Let's talk NextGen Professional and the mindset of construction personnel with Agnes who has started a movement to change the industry on so many levels. She has coined the phrase, Today's students. Tomorrow's construction Leaders. Agnes gets right into what the construction industry is like, where it will be in the near future, what employers and employees need to understand and what she calls Emotional Depositing. What a great conversation at The Buildings Show 2019, we encourage students to have a listen, we encourage construction companies to listen and we really need everyone to work together for a better and bigger construction industry. Thank you so much Agnes for your time and sharing all of this valuable information. @nextgenjobs www.nextgenprofessional.com This is The Construction Life.

We have Mike Cardoso from Schluter Systems Canada join us and we get talking a lot about this amazing orange company at The Buildings Show 2019. We get right into all the new products and the amazing new finishes. We ask Mike over and over what else is coming in the next year but Mike won't give it up but he does hint at a few ideas and Carltio runs with those ideas. Manny and Carlito have always used Schluter and listen in to see how these amazing products have added so much value to their renovations. https://schluterevents.com/en/about.php @schlutersystemsna This is The Construction Life.

In our first Drywall and Mudding podcast we have a 20 plus year tradesperson from the business, Teddy from Paint Ready Finishing. Teddy has seen a lot over two decades, he has watched and worked in all kinds of drywall and mudding situation, from commerical to custom and unfortunately the business has gotten worse but he feels optimistic the business can get better. We get right into hand troweling to machining, durabond to premix, metal to plastic corner beads and more. We even get right into the health risks attached to compounds that most refuse to address or even consider on and off the job site. This is one great show and thank you Teddy for being so open and honest. This is The Construction Life.

Let's get right into stone and brick masonry with Mike Pereira from Greenstone Fine Masonry and a little Yoga while we are at it. Mike dives deep into 20 plus years of masonry work from his first week on site throwing bricks to make a point to jobsite etiquette today. Mike a student of many schools of masonry and now a teacher has built a solid masonry business. We discuss custom and we mean custom granite stone masonry to working with clients directly to the next generation of stone and brick masons. Is masonry a dying trade? Mike has a few thoughts to share about that. We wrap up the show with some great insight into how Mike takes care of his body and yoga plays a large role. Thanks again Mike for your time and sharing such valable knowledge. @greenstone_fm This is The Construction Life.

We have Andrew from Lusso Design as our special guest and talking how important doors are when it comes to design, fabrication and install. We get right into different types of doors from steel to fiberglass to wood, discuss insert designs, insert failures, insert installs and the importance of the frame and key materials that shoud be used in today's type of doors and frame design and construction. Andrew is extremely passionate about The Construction Life and it shows in this podcast. Andrew sheds a lot of light on the door industry and how "cheaper" over sea fabrication isn't the best way to go with a new door. Andrew has built a strong brand with Lusso Designs from years of seeing so many typical and often negative attitudes from other installers to fabricators. Listen it and we promise there is only one The Doors track that is brought up. Thanks Andrew for joining us. @lussodesigncanada www.lussodesigns.ca This is The Construction Life.

Matthew (Matty) from MMC Tiles joins us and we get talking a lot about tiling and the tiling industry in the last decade. It all begins with Matty arriving on a high rise job site on his first day in the construction industry where he finds a couple of trades were actually having a physical fight. From there Matty got tiling at 2 bucks a square and using mastic for walls, floors, everything. What an intro. After two years of high rise Matty went onto sub division work, it wasn't that much better but Matty is the first to say, those early days taught him so much. Have a listen to this amazing show and get a great appreciation of a kid that litterially started at the bottom of the high rise tile industry and worked his way all the way to the top of the ultra custom high end work and a massive following on social media. Thank you Matty for joining the show and please give him a follow. @mmctilesinc www.mmctiles.com This is The Construction Life

The Construction Life podcast is on location north of Toronto inside Tony Fogarty's garage workshop and we are talking finish carpentry, woodworking, the construction industry and we even get talking about Carlito's brief attendance at gynecology school. Back to Tony, also known as The Timber Tailor on social media he talks about being a bass player in Texas, meeting a Canadian wife, moving to Toronto and jumping into construction head first. A self taught, and an amazing problem solver on site has built quite the reputation, clientele and portfolio. Tony is one of the best finish carpenters, furniture maker in the industry and Tony enjoys posting some of the best finger pointing Instagram stories about life, humanity and occasionly construction. Tune into this amazing show, there are plenty of laughs and if we offended you? Remember, you found us. Check out Tony Fogarty AKA @thetimbertailor Thanks Tony so much for a great chat. This is The Construction Life

On our first podcast from The Buildings Show 2019 in Toronto we have Michal from Tilt Wall talking about old school concrete building. We are excited to hear what Michal has to tell us about this 100 year old technique of forming and pouring walls on the ground and then tilting them up into position. Michal and Len are passionate about bringing this technique to the Canadian market and proving that a concrete wall is a better wall and we agree. We get right into the R values, the mechanical runs, the structual points, subfloors, roofing, cladding and mariachi bands. Listen to this amazing show and we are confident you will learn a few things. Please reach out to Michal and the great folks at Tilt Wall for any questions you might have. Thank you Michal for such an amazing talk on concrete building. www.tiltwall.ca www.janveek.ca @tiltwallontario This is The Construction Life

We are in the Ciot North Toronto location talking about natural stones, porcelain, tiles, lots and lots of tiles and the tile industry in general over the last 70 years. Our special guests are Jack and Sonya and after a great duet intro we get right into the humble beginnings of Ciot in Montreal all the way to the new locations in New York city, Detroit and Atlanta. We discuss the trends, what's making a great come back, working with clients and contractors and where is the stone and tile industry heading. A lot to talk about when you get the four of us in one room talking stone and tile. www.ciot.com @ciot1950 @ciot.toronto This is The Construction Life

Mike Moll from Social Media House joins the talk today and we get right into everything digital and online for construction and tradespeople. Mike walks us through all of the social media platforms and why Instagram is playing games with construction content, everyone's content. Mike tells us why Google has the IQ of a 6 year old when it comes to context. Mike tells us the best ways to actually set up Ad Words and working your SEO to actually work for you and not against. Mike tells us that it is time to go back to Facebook and make it work for your business, generate leads and build trust for your future clients and business. We discuss the importance of LinkedIN and how that platforms reach can impact your business better than Instagram. Lastly, we get into who you as a contractor should be online and how you should position your business online. This podcast is an amazing show full of incredible information, trust us, you want to listen to this one right to the end and over and again and again while making notes. Thanks Mike for sharing such valuable insight. @smhtoronto https://linktr.ee/smhtoronto This is The Construction Life

On this show, we have Danny Tseng an Architect from the Toronto area talking to us about contractors, clients and changes.Danny gets right into it with a very big intro piece of music that most of us will reconize, well done Danny. Carlito and Manny get right into the questioning about the Architect and Contractor dynamic. What to expect frome ach other? How to work with each other? And the most important part of all construction, how to say NO.Check out this great podcast where Danny gives us a lot of insight into the world of drawings, permits, changes, tendering, hiring, firing, design and clients. Well worth the time to listen to this latest episode.Find Danny at www.syllable.design.com @syllable.design and [email protected] Thank you Danny for your time.This is The Construction Life

Roberto Fraschini (Rob) from Galaxy Plumbing Inc. joins TCL Podcast and nearly 2 hours later Rob dives deep into the fascinating world of pipe. We get Rob's perspective of nearly 20 years of union work and then another 5 years on his own. Rob talks to us about what and who drove him to be the best plumber, the lessons he learned over the years and still learning to this day, standing his ground and where he sees Galaxy Plumbing Inc. in the near future. We get right into his fav tools, toliets and fixtures and Rob even shares his dislikes and what should change. Listen to this 112 minute long podcast, our longest show to date. We just had so many things to discuss and Rob is a huge fountain of plumbing knowledge. Thanks Rob and we have to get you back on the show soon. Contact Rob and his guys for your next project. https://galaxyplumbinginc.ca [email protected] 416 464-1740 This is The Construction Life

John Morra from Craft & Clerk is our special guest and we hear how he began with his Uncle in bricklaying in his teenage years to building his own successful Mason and Landscaping business to giving back to the industry with his new renoventure Craft & Clerk. John shares so many stories that every contractor can relate to on and off site. He gets right into his teenage years and learning the good and mostly bad details of the construction business and doing what most don't, question it all. So many of these questions led him on a path to change the industry. We love having guests on our podcast that want to honestly give back. Tune into this 88 minute long podcast where John talks how to make your business run better on paper, a lot of paper, the paper side of the business that most contractors are too afraid to discuss. Thank you so much John for joining us. Check out his web sites www.craftandclerk.com www.stonesthrowconstruction.com Reach out to John for any construction projects at [email protected] Reach out to Kate for any paper building business at [email protected] This is The Construction Life

We have a very special guest on today's show John from McLennos Landscaping get's right into the dirt of things, from starting his own business to dealing with clients, drug use from trades and weather. Get a very realistic view on starting your own landscaping business, John talks us through his highschool years to some 20 years later working outside. The ups and downs of one of the hardest trade in construction. Dealing with employees, clients and Mother or Father Nature calling the shots on your work hours. Thank you so much John for being a part of our show and all of the valuable information you shared. You can reach John at www.mclennonslandscaping.ca This is The Construction Life

Josh from OnHive is here to talk about anything and everything to do with your Custom Smart Home Automation, we dive deep into cyber security, web, entertainment, network and data systems. Hold on to your carpenter pencils and open you notebooks because on today's show we get very tech heavy. We talk about 5G, WiFi 6, Cyber Security and cameras, Network set ups, Home Theater / Entertainment Systems, and how DATA will be the most powerful currency in the world 10 years from now. Listen to this entire show and get some extermely valuable intell to what your home will be like tomorrow and beyond. As for the trdespeople listening in, listen up because this new kid on the block affects every single trade so you better smarten up and make nice. Find out more info from Josh at www.onhive.ca Thanks Josh so much for an amazing show. This is The Construction Life

Let's talk personalities and sales in construction with Sunny from Tubs, one of the founding owners who is determined to take the business to new heights and Frank Cone of Cone Construction, Frank has 50 years in the construction business and has seen his fair share of highs and lows.We get right into misname calling from the first minute and then we get right into personalities and how to connect with clients, suppliers and your crew. You really need to be a match to make construction work for everyone involved.Plenty of vauable “sales” talk on this podcast and Sunny gives us great insight into how he operates his business and more importantly, why he runs it that way.Sit back and have a listen at yet another great podcast from The Construction Life.This is The Construction Life

On this episode of The Construction Life we are on location at the new home of Aria Vent, right here in Toronto. We have Paolo and Roberta Mantenuto from Aria Vents and they tell us how this little family business has changed the construction industry.We get right into the origin of the invention, the family better known as The Board, the many and we mean many "no's" they heard when they first launched the product and how this simple idea has captured all of our construction hearts.We dive deep into the science behind the vents.We also get a chance to ask Paolo and Robbie some great questions about construction and how things need to evolve.This is The Construction LifeAfter 3 years Aria Vent is now across Canada at Home Depot, Prosol and many other flooring suppliers, Aria Vents are working their way across the USA and it is also in Australia. They will ship the product anywhere in the world, just contact them at www.ariavent.com

We have the man himself, Mark from Skyluxe Roofing and Metal on the show again and we are talking all kinds of construction, from roofing all types of roofing, metal cladding all types of cladding to millennials and more. In this episode, we finally had to censor a few things that were expressed about crappy products and brands. We are not interested in talking about the bad materials, let's focus on the great materials. Our apologies for the beeps during the podcast. DM us if you really want to know what was said in those missing sections. What an amazing podcast and thank you to everyone for listening, leaving us great feedback and asking us to continue talking The Construction Life. This is The Construction Life

Sean a "younger" but very experienced commercial concrete "voodoo doctor' joins the show and we get the inside on big concrete projects, from bridges, skyscrapers and airports. Sean gives us the load down on how big concrete projects are handled, from the plant, to the trucks, to pouring, to all of the political red tape along the way. We get into the concrete stereotypes, the mafia, the techniques, the pride and so many things that need changing so we can continue to build a better construction industry. Please enjoy another real construction podcast where egos are not allowed on the mic when it comes to Manny and Carlito. This is The Construction Life

Jorge from DGR Concrete Forming joins the show and in this 84 minute long show we talk about residential concrete and more, lot's more. Jorge, with nearly 4 decades of experience walks us through the ups and downs of concrete, clients, trades people and the industry in general. We even get into radios on site, smoking on site, smoking weed on site and more. Jorge has some amazing information to share and this show is well worth the longer time especially if you as a construction business owner are intersted in running a better ship and making more profit and having more personal time. This is The Construction Life

Gary Mares is our guest and plenty to talk about reagrding Trim Carpentry. In the next hour we go old school and new school and has the construction industry changed for the better or worse?We also get into the some very cool trim techniques, tools and what a typical day on and off site is with Gary and his Old Man. Dealing with clients, other trades and the industry in general. Once again we don't hold back and niether do our guests, always trying to make our conversaions as real as the work day.What an amazing time we had with Gary picking his brain about The Construction Life.This is The Construction Life

What a great podcast on Windows, Doors and Garage Doors, we get right into what's the norm, how to install and the clients. We have Joe Fernandes from @Joerf1 as our guest, with decades of experience we get ritght into everything to do with these openings in your home. Why most go one style over another, what are the good, bad and ugly truths about installing windows. Why clients always go cheap and learn thigns the hard way. Are the upgrades worth it? And so much more as Manny and Carlito and Joe have a blast while educating. This is The Construction Life

Manny and Carlito have a very special guest on today's podcast, Matthew from e6 Analytics talking about how to run your construction better. We get right into how you as a tradesperson, contractor and general contractor should get organized. From contracts, to scheduling to progress to closing out the job no matter if it's a powder room or a complete new build. Plenty of great ideas presented in this weeks show. This is The Construction Life

Manny and Carlito have Omid @thetileguy.gta and Flo @procustompainting both of them being 24 years old as guests on today's show. A couple of 47 year olds vs a couple of 24 year old trades. What could go wrong? We get right into it, no BS here and you will be surprised what Omid and Flo have to say about their generation. Sorry Eddy, you made your own bed. We might have to do a follow up to this show and topic, after 74 mins we still had more to discuss. This is The Construction Life.

Manny and Carlito are back in the saddle without Mikey. The Construction Life podcast will go on as Manny and Carlito have a lot to share since the last time these two contractors have been recorded. Its a funfilled show talking a little bit of everything to do with construction. Hold on to your butts cause we don't hold back and with Carlito on his own proffesionally speaking, there doesn't seem to be a filter so you know this talk will get good. Great to be back and both of us are commited to producing some great shows and stir up that construction talk all over again. This is The Construction Life.