We open the show with the Albanian National Anthem, The Construction Life rendition. Enjoy. Flo lived in Italy for 13 years, 6 in Albania and now 6 in Canada, he hopes to continue to build his legacy right here in the good old SIX. An immigrant coming to Canada and understanding the opportunities is something Manny and Carlito can relate to and can respect. We discuss the work ethics and how immigrants differ, how the life and having so little drives a person to have a better life. Flo has alway...
Aug 19, 2020•1 hr 44 min
It all begins with our latest and greatest segment, Construction Bone to Pick and Carlito has a few things to say about trades that smell. We roll out this 101th show talking about the details of tiling and it begins with thin set. Omid draws a hardline in the mix, he only uses white thin set for all applications, no more grey. We talk about all the brands and the pros and cons of each product. We get into the whole modified and non-modified debate and what has worked for all three of us. The de...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 50 min
#100 THANK YOU. Carlito and Manny are the guests on this special show Hold on as we get to celebrate our 100th show and this round we have the hosts of the most listened to construction podcast be the guests. With over 130 hours of real construction conversations Manny and Carlito have change the industry beginning with one simple message, Good Enough Is Never Good Enough For Us. The show has been turned over to Teddy from Paint Ready Finishing and he does an amazing job getting to know the host...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr 58 min
We get right into with a great History with Manny and a perfect Construction Bone to Pick and this time Carlito gets the talk going and Jesse brings up some really strong arguments. Then we finally get talking FRAMING! Jesse is 24 years old and began his career at 19 and fell into framing after a mason site visit that never happened, a framer called and asked him to come in for an interview and that is how he began. Jesse has a 4-man crew including himself, from as young as 20 to as old as 31 an...
Aug 05, 2020•1 hr 50 min
We have a homeowner on the show telling us about his experience with a custom builder that wasn’t a very good contractor. You don’t want to miss this show as we focus on what Mark went through but even better what Mark learned during this whole ordeal that is still going on, he is still paying tuition on that education. We start the show with History with Manny and then our new segment, Construction Bone To Pick with and we go after tradespeople damaging others tools and employees and sub trades...
Aug 05, 2020•1 hr 39 min
Leo sings an original rap for us and he doesn’t approve of drinking and fishing for the record. Before we get right into asphalt and trust us, that one word will be expressed a number of times on this show, we get briefly talking about millennials and what they are worth, a constant battle of wage vs worth. Bottom line everyone must always deliver on their worth and the moment any tradesperson decides to slow down, not care, make mistakes, because these are choices they made, and when the GC spe...
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 29 min
We open with the good old boys and what an opener to out show, one of the best ones yet, thanks Jeff for setting the bar. The Loft Doors story actually began with a fireplace mantle that led to a pergola for a client and that very first trip to a dilapidated barn, take as much of the board you want, the owner said to Jeff. Jeff and his creative team considers his pieces as “functional art”. This podcast was an overload of visually stunning pieces in the showroom and a free for all creative sessi...
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 37 min
Chris comes from the Hospitality sector and Jason was always in construction and they thought let’s partner and take on the construction world. Wasn’t an easy task. It all began with a bin business, that led into more reno work, then it was too much to handle without any proper organization so Chris and Jason sat down during the early Covid days and came up with this Business and Employee Guideline Plan they developed and that is when their business actually became a proper business. We begin ch...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr 28 min
We get right out of The Construction Life gate with food that Matt brought us from Speducci, pizzas, spiedini and more, what a pure gem of a gentleman. Matt began his construction career like most, sweeping floors in sub division and once he saw other trades digging holes for the next build he was hooked and wanted to know everything about excavation. The official term that Matt performs is Engineered Earth Retention Shoring. We get chatting about his very first machine and what that cost him to...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr 32 min
We begin with a specific shout out to David from @blucarpentry and how he gets a good laugh at Manny and Carlito having a hard time converting imperial to metric. Enjoy. Brendan gets right into his pretty sweet IG handle @red seal carpenter and his matching license plate that has been stolen before. Brendan wrote his test, achieved higher than 70% and that grade got him into his first year of apprentice and with that got a secure job with an established builder. Right of the construction gate an...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 34 min
We are talking with Tony Anderson from Upwardor, one “o” should have been two “o”’s but he never named it, he just bought it. We have a lot to talk about when it comes to garages. We get into colors, styles, construction of the doors, all of those little details that make a garage door last a very long time. People don’t realize that a single car garage door is 56 sq ft of surface area and on your front façade of your home and more attention to detail and care should really be put into the selec...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 25 min
34-year-old Jason began his construction career 17 years ago working with his Dad who was a body man. We quickly get into the image of your construction brand and Jason has benefits for his employees and even goes as far as to give them all a boot allowance, this is such a great idea. Branding your business leads to a lot of work and completion and every contractor should embrace the competition and continue to build better, Jason has a lot to say about that. Jason has built his business by reac...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 35 min
Vincent opens the show full of awesomeness and talks about his Uncle and how much of an influence he was, is and continues to be. Vincent was 11 years old when his Uncle brought him along onto the job site and he was hungry to learn how best to prep, fill and paint. This show isn’t all about paint or prepping, we dive into a number of construction topics and great products to use. Sit back and listen to what the new generation is thinking about when it comes to construction. Don’t forget we have...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 35 min
We have a great show for you today and will be discussing a number of fine cabinetry and woorkworking details. We get right into talking about shop classes at the high school level and how they are disappearing. Machine vs hand wood working and grasping the differences in working each piece. You can hear the passion that Chris brings to every project he works on. Chris brings up a great connection between construction and furnishings, we are going to quote him for years to come. After his univer...
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr 48 min
We have Valerie and John from Bins Plus Disposal on the show talking everything to do with garbage. Right into contractor and client expectations and how they just keep throwing all kinds of garbage and couldn’t care less about separation of garbage for the environment. From there we get into our biggest pet peeve about bin companies that don’t care, driveway protection. A lot of garbage can be and should be recycled such as concrete, asphalt and dirt, please don’t mix these up or worse place al...
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr 24 min
We begin the talk with a very interesting History with Manny segment and that leads into the real estate market is not going to crash and our guests explain why. The investment in properly marketing your property is paramount in the buy and selling of real estate and our guests share all of those key details. Let’s discuss what people should be buying and for how much and why. The beauty and benefits of being a landlord and looking at getting others to pay your total mortgage and keep your cash ...
Jun 24, 2020•1 hr 41 min
We open the show with some very interesting facts about trades, you will be surprised to hear what we researched. From there we discuss the lovely wine Mario was so kind enough to bring us and for any future guests we accept any gifts you are considering bringing us. Thank you Mario, such a gentleman. On with the show. We get right into how Mario was taught, who taught him, and the reasons behind those lessons, from there we get into electrical functionality in every single room. We dive deep in...
Jun 24, 2020•1 hr 34 min
Liz has carved out a nice niche where she has built a strong Circle of Construction and takes great care in bringing the best trades to her clients to get the work done correctly, on schedule and within budget. We discuss the effects of certain stones and how stone can add heathy elements to your life and your outdoor areas of escape. We get right into balcony sizes and limitations for furnishings and decorating details. A lot of shopping when it comes to outdoor landscaping projects, Liz never ...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Jeff gets right into painting and the lack of respect from the homeowners and other tradespeople. It’s true that so much is left for the painter to fix. Painters are always on the hook for touch ups when it’s really a repaint, people have to take responsibility for their actions. We discuss the possibility behind paint failing and how Jeff would handle it. We get talking about painting tools and things to consider when purchasing and working with them, for all you homeowners, listen to what the ...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 23 min
We are talking about living in your home, wellness in your home and how simple things like the smell of grass and how impactful those scents are to your mental state. Since 2009 she has been a resource for the residential trade sector, a subject matter specialist and advocate for Inclusive Design and one of Canada's experts on living in place and wellness in the home. She’s a Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP) and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). She just completed sever...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 36 min
Marc decided at 16 years of age he wanted to be a Bricklayer, that simple. Listen to find out how and why he came to become a bricklayer. Craig’s career in construction began at 14 years old in demolition, pick up a couch and moved it three times and that was it, he’s in construction for good. Marc had the mindset to look at construction though the numbers, the power of money and time, he was 14 years old making 16 dollars an hour while his circle of friends were making 8 dollars an hour at an e...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 35 min
What an intro – Pink Floyd Another Brick in The Wall the Portuguese version. Marcelino sets the tone of this show and we love it. A lot of education for Marcelino but no passion, no love, no drive, he wanted hands on and he found it with an established company Melo Landscaping. Marcelino has been with them for over 25 years now and there are things that he learned from them that he would have never learned anywhere else. Marcelino learned very early on, working for a smaller Mom and Pop shop the...
Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 46 min
We get right into Part II beginning with do inspectors look for any contractor licenses? From there we get into the requirements to become an inspector, all of the exams associated with each section of a home and once you pass the exams you can begin to inspect each section of the Code. We get right into key details of the Code and how the powers at be came to sign off on these Codes and we bring up the “ball” drain test and all of the stages of inspections and what Inspectors are typically look...
Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 22 min
We open the show with a great tune and then we get right into the questions that were asked by followers, a lot of questions that every contractor have asked themselves, now we finally get a reply. Inspectors expectations when they arrive on site and does a dirty job site factor into the inspection? Plans are never approved, they are reviewed and there is a difference, understand the difference and you as a contractor will understand the inspector that much better. Dealing with a disagreement an...
Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 21 min
We get right back into it and begin with post beam structural engineering, very cool talk. We discuss fixed tie offs for commercial and residential projects and how they are designed and built. Larry and Brian discuss rigging, spreader bars and lifting beams leading into the 108 max length of engineered 2 Ply trusses and that brings the conversation to mechanically graded lumber. From there we get into ICF structure, concrete roof slabs, 25mm rebar for structure and raft slabs. There is such a t...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 16 min
We have a couple of Engineers on the show today, Larry and Brian from Waddell Engineering join us to talk about Agricultural, Industrial, Commercial and Residential Structural engineering. We had so much to talk about we had to split the show into two parts, here is Part I. We begin the show talking about the CN Tower and it turns out our guests had a little something to do with the tower from there we get into agriculture structural engineering and “cow comfort”. We discuss the relationship bet...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Let’s get right into it, COVID and what is it all about, what is true, what is fear, what is ignorance? Why did we have to stop using cash? Cash has always been dirty. Mississauga Hardware sill accepts cash cause not every contractor lives off of credit / plastic. As much as we have fun the show and share jokes we are still being serious regarding all the deaths and businesses that had to close down for good. This is so serious. We ask that people be smart about things and don’t let fear drive y...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Our 75th SHOW!!! What a treat we have today, we are going to be talking about the origin of plaster work, real lime based plaster. We begin with our 75th GIVEAWAY contest rules, we have 8 questions, answer any 3 correctly and the first 10 listeners to do so will receive a The Construction Life PRIZE. Good Luck everyone. Back in the day Plasterers and Masons and even Roofers would work hand in hand and it wasn’t unheard of for these trades to cross the work line. It was Kieran’s Mom that persuade...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 35 min
The show begins with Euan and his rendition of a classic Kenny Rogers track and we love it. A few housekeeping shout outs and Euan was so kind to bring us homemade olives and Renossance tees, what a gentleman. It all begins in BC and Euan moving to Toronto, working with tradesmen from B.C. go figure, working as a plumbing apprentice working on sprinklers and black pipe and a lot of oil, possibly olive oil, that led to a very bad motorcycle accident that changed things. The bad head injury brough...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 33 min
Zak walks us through his early days, university days and how he got into painting, how a flyer left on his classroom desk for student painters inspired him to become a painter. Manny follows that up with telling home owners that painting is a justifiable and skilled trade and not everyone especially clients thinking because some idiot taught them to do a “W” on a wall gives clients the experience they require to paint. Painting is 95% about prep and 5% about painting. Understood? Painters are th...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 33 min
