55. Why Builders Aren't Charging Enough: Andrew George on AI, Pre-Construction and Systems For Builders
Behind The Design
Two years ago, Andrew George sat in this chair known as the Passive House guy. Now he's back, and he's not so sure he ever was. In this return conversation, the owner of Lou Projects looks back on the hardest stretch of his career: a run of complex projects, rushed contracts, countless variations, supply issues and long-distance jobs that left his business running on fumes, all while building a new shed, workshop and office and welcoming his son, Enzo.
Camilla and Andrew talk about what it took to rebuild. Andrew shares how he turned dozens of spreadsheets into his own pre-construction platform, why he cut his subcontractor checklist from 50 items down to 10 or 15 quality questions, and why bringing 3D modelling in-house saves time and money. He also explains why he's let go of the Passive House label, how he talks to clients about budget, and why he believes most builders aren't charging enough because they don't understand the cost of running their business.
It's a conversation about taking responsibility, slowing down pre-construction to speed up construction, and the kind of resilience that comes from quietly rebuilding one system at a time.
In this episode:
What growing the team to around a dozen people really costs
Why rushed contracts and unasked questions lead to variations, and the simple process to avoid this
Turning dozens of spreadsheets into a pre-construction platform
The difference between being thorough and being useful
Why he no longer wants to be "the Passive House guy"
Why builders aren't charging enough, how overheads explain the gap between quotes, and why he'd like to mentor other builders
How Andrew uses AI in his business to save time and money
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00:00 Builders aren't charging enough
01:27 Welcome back to Behind the Design
02:07 Engaged, a baby, a new home and a hard-fought business
03:15 What growth actually cost
05:36 Custom homes roaring in, and Lou Homes on hold
06:24 The hardest stretch: rushed contracts and variations
09:50 A series of chaos, and the moment things had to change
11:49 Taking responsibility and weekly team meetings
14:01 A word from Unfolded
14:28 Pulling back to the Central Coast
16:04 Who you bring into a project
16:52 Building his own pre-construction platform
19:41 RFIs and the discover, develop, deliver stages
21:30 Thorough vs useful: cutting the checklist down
23:14 Bringing 3D modelling in-house
25:28 No longer "the Passive House guy"
28:28 Passive House windows and long lead times
29:14 Talking budget and Passive House principles with clients
30:19 Status symbol, or health and durability?
31:43 Why builders aren't charging enough
33:28 What would surprise him from two years ago: resilience
35:17 Demystifying overheads and mentoring builders
37:57 Three questions in three minutes
40:02 Wrap up
interior design
residential interiors
creative business
design consultancy
Behind the Design podcast
Camilla Ingall
Andrew George
Lou Projects
Central Coast builder
custom home builder
pre-construction
building variations
scope of works
builder overheads
quoting a build
3D modelling for builders
Passive House
Passive House principles
heat recovery ventilation
resilience in business
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