Levelheads

What do you get when you mix zero software, a yellow legal pad, 1,000 pushups a day, and a guy who’s been building monster custom homes since the 1970s? You get Paul Taylor. In this episode, we finally nail down the hardest man in construction to schedule (seriously—it only took a year). Paul breaks down how he builds some of the largest, cleanest custom homes in California without superintendents, office staff, or apps—just experience, discipline, and an almost unreasonable level of standards. We talk: Why Paul refuses to use construction software (and somehow still beats everyone’s schedules) How growing up poor, starting in 6th grade, and learning every trade shaped his no-BS approach Running multi-million-dollar projects solo while serving 30 years in the military The infamous mutiny that made him fire everyone and rebuild his company leaner than ever Why crooked lights, sloppy work, and “good enough” don’t exist in his world And yes… the This or That questions get absolutely unhinged If you want motivation, perspective, and a reminder that mastery still matters—this one hits hard. Huge thanks to our sponsors for supporting the show: Andersen Windows – when precision and performance actually matter Ressio Project Management Software – for builders who do like staying organized Purezawood Flooring – craftsmanship that holds up to Paul Taylor standards Hit play. Just don’t expect excuses, shortcuts, or sleep.

The Levelheads look back on 2025—job changes, market surprises, permit nightmares, exploding porta-potties, and why building custom homes is anything but efficient. We also give away an RR Buildings tool belt, roast ourselves, and accidentally drop one of the best construction stories of all time. Consider this your warning.

After about a year and a half of chasing him—and thanks to some brutal Midwest weather—we finally got Kyle Stumpenhorst of RR Buildings on the Levelheads Podcast. Kyle went from IT desk job to building massive post-frame shops, then accidentally built one of the biggest construction channels on the internet (1.8M YouTube subscribers 👀). We talk about how barns became content, why post-frame beats remodels, the real truth about making money on YouTube, burnout in the trades, and why Kyle still straps on a tool belt every single day. We also get into his brand-new RR Buildings tool belt, bad sponsorship offers, life in the cold, and wrap it all up with a wildly unhinged This or That segment involving chickens, orangutans, and questionable life choices. 🔥 GIVEAWAY ALERT To celebrate the episode drop, The Levelheads are giving away an RR Buildings tool belt on Instagram. Keep an eye on our feed for how to enter. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. #LevelheadsPodcast #CustomHomeBuilders #ConstructionLife #NoFluff #BuilderTalk #HomeBuilders #ContractorProblems   Special thanks to our podcast sponsors @andersen_windows , @purezawood & @ressiosoftware • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely

On this episode of the Levelheads Podcast, the guys kick things off with a high-stakes game of “silence chicken” before diving headfirst into end-of-year chaos, impossible deadlines, trim fights, shadow gaps, door jamb wizardry, and whatever fresh hell designers have cooked up this week. Jamie casually drops that he can summon thirty workers in fifteen minutes like some kind of construction Jedi master, while Mike and Zane debate whether budgets actually exist or are just myths clients tell themselves. From bonfires on job sites to brain-melting finish schedules to deciding whether the design or the dollar drives the boat, this episode is basically therapy for builders—and entertainment for everyone else. Buckle up. It's a ride. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. #LevelheadsPodcast #CustomHomeBuilders #ConstructionLife #NoFluff #BuilderTalk #HomeBuilders #ContractorProblems   Special thanks to our podcast sponsors @andersen_windows , @purezawood & @ressiosoftware • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely  

On this episode of the Levelheads Podcast, Mike, Jamie, and Zane sit down with the man brave enough to manage job sites and Zane — the legendary Fred Trainer of F.E. Trainer Construction. What begins as a conversation about building a powerhouse construction company quickly turns into a masterclass in leadership, growth, and why scaling too fast feels like fighting an orangutan with a broadsword once a year. Fred breaks down how he went from a two-man crew to a fifty-person operation, while Mike questions all his life choices, Jamie keeps stirring things up, and Zane quietly prays he still has a job when it’s over. It’s insightful, it’s unfiltered, and it’s way funnier than a construction podcast has any right to be. If you want real talk about growth wrapped in pure chaos, this episode is for you.

This episode of the Level Heads podcast has it all: AI, booze, construction, and a very confused orangutan! We sit down with Reece Barnes, Head of Construction Network at Adaptive, to talk about cutting-edge AI bookkeeping and how technology like Toggle is actually saving time on the job. Reece dishes on his past life cold-calling builders for Builder Trend (spoiler: it involved lots of dialing and screaming voicemails) , the ongoing debate of Cost Plus vs. Fixed Price , and what it's really like to go from Denver to Boston. But the real hard-hitting questions come at the end, where Reece is forced to choose between punching his grandmother and taking on a giant chicken every time he gets out of his car. Pop a beer, turn up the volume, and prepare for some serious laughs and construction gold!

What do project management software, AI agents, and three butt cheeks have in common? This episode of The Levelheads Podcast. This episode we’re joined by Mitchell Kasselman, CEO and co-founder of Ressio Software—the fast-rising project management tool shaking up the building world. Mitchell breaks down his startup journey, the headaches with field adoption, and how AI “agents” might soon handle the busywork for builders. We cover growth, innovation, and even some laugh-out-loud “this or that” questions (including three butt cheeks). Packed with insights and banter, this one’s not to be missed.

This week on The Levelheads Podcast: Matt Howell from Smrter Home drops in from Downers Grove to talk low-voltage, AI-powered home networking, and sound systems that are getting way too smart. We dive into Matt’s start in the industry, the case against ‘dumb dimmers,’ and why Zane still can’t wrap his head around Japanese. Don’t miss it. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. #LevelheadsPodcast #CustomHomeBuilders #ConstructionLife #NoFluff #BuilderTalk #HomeBuilders #ContractorProblems   Special thanks to our podcast sponsors @andersen_windows & @purezawood • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely

This week, Mike drops a HUGE announcement about joining the Build Show Network — and we get the inside scoop on what that means for his future (and for seeing more of his face online). We swap hilarious stories about Cousin Johnny, including why the internet’s obsessed with him and whether we can finally get him out of his “content closet.” Plus, we talk Grappa-fueled misadventures, behind-the-scenes in custom homebuilding, crazy 20-something work stories from Australia, and how scaling a business can change your life. It’s part big news, part comedy, and part masterclass in building — you don’t want to miss this one.

This week on The Levelheads Podcast, things get weird—in the best way. Jamie’s gearing up for a mysterious wedding trip that may or may not involve livestock, questionable fashion, and zero cell service. Meanwhile, one of our clients spotted something truly horrifying in a neighbor’s window… and now we all need brain bleach. We also dive into the rise of AI and what a dwindling labor force could mean for our future (spoiler: it’s either utopia or total robot domination—no in between). Tune in for laughs, awkward mental images, and a healthy dose of existential dread. You won’t want to miss it.

This week we have Jeff Sweenor, founder and owner of Sweenor Builders in Rhode Island. We get into a bunch of topics like cycling, growing a company, This Old House and how Jeff bought a masonry company because he coulndt afford to lose them to another builders job for 6 months! Check it out!   🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. #LevelheadsPodcast #CustomHomeBuilders #ConstructionLife #NoFluff #BuilderTalk #HomeBuilders #ContractorProblems   Special thanks to our podcast sponsors @andersen_windows & @purezawood • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely

This episode features Jim Lundquist, known as "the Swede," a trim carpenter, inventor, and self-described "happy-go-lucky guy" and "monkey wrench". Jim shares insights from his 40-plus-year construction career, which started in Seattle before moving to Arizona, navigating periods like the Great Recession which led him to work with a cabinet company importing from China for seven years. Now 60, he works as a lead carpenter and tackles diverse tasks on job sites. He discusses his unique perspective on aging in the trades and an exit strategy, considering a transition to a handyman role due to increasing demand and income potential. A highlight is his patent-pending invention, "the Swede," a multi-tool combining a scribe, magnet stud finder, and margin tool, which he sells and manufactures in the USA using 3D printing. Jim also touches on his past as a rock musician, balancing touring with construction work, and humorously credits turmeric with pepper for alleviating his hip pain

Hosted by Zane Ellis, Jamie Verdura, and Mike Conneely, The Levelheads is the podcast for custom home builders who are sick of the BS. Zane’s had more knee surgeries than he has patience for business coaches, Jamie’s allergic to fluff, and Mike’s got no time for clunky construction management software that doesn’t get the job done. Together, they tackle the real challenges of building high-end custom homes—without pretending there’s a one-size-fits-all solution. If you’re tired of being pitched “the next big thing” and just want straight talk from guys who actually build, you’re in the right place.

We caught a whoppa. You gotta listen. Our longest podcast yet. Johnny bears all. He's a stud in our industry who faced a ton of challenges. We talk it out.   Special thanks to our podcast sponsor @andersen_windows • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely     #answerquestions #levelheadspodcast #customhomes #Designbuild #buildingscience #luxurybuilder #craftsman #newconstruction #remodels #renovations   #architect #architecture #custombuilder #homebuilder #deconstruction #finehomebuilding #podcast #builderpodcast

This week we have Lisa McNealy a commercial broker in Knoxville TN that also operated in Scottsdale AZ. We talk about selling businesses, cadavers, basketball, and more. We get into how Lisa thrives in a male dominated industry and how her strong personality is an asset when competing with the "good ol' boys" in the business. We also find out how she got the title Miss USA. Listen in!

This week the Levelheads welcome Bryan James from Liberty Homes this week. Bryan has an interesting story of how he came into the home building business. The path was definitely not typical and  not free from road blocks. He also tells us how his company narrowly escaped going out of business after signing 26 contracts to build 26 new homes. Great episode. ALSO listen in to here a special announcement about the Levelheads at this years International Builders Show     Special thanks to our podcast sponsor @andersen_windows • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely     #answerquestions #levelheadspodcast #customhomes #Designbuild #buildingscience #luxurybuilder #craftsman #newconstruction #remodels #renovations   #architect #architecture #custombuilder #homebuilder #deconstruction #finehomebuilding #podcast #builderpodcast

For the first podcast in 2025 Jamie, Zane & Mike welcome Nick Sandifer from Sandifer Design Build. Nick is based in Jacksonville Florida and speaks about how his business has grown from small renovations to multi-million dollar custom home projects. Some great insight from Nick on thus episode and he also gets personal. He tells the Levelheads how the relationship with his father in the family business went through a rough point which ultimately led Nick to establish Sandifer Design Build. Very relatable story. Listen in. Special thanks to our podcast sponsor @andersen_windows • Hosts:
Zane Ellis
Jamie Verdura 
Mike Conneely  #answerquestions
#levelheadspodcast #customhomes #Designbuild #buildingscience #luxurybuilder #craftsman #newconstruction #remodels #renovations   #architect #architecture #custombuilder #homebuilder #deconstruction #finehomebuilding #podcast #builderpodcast

This week and our final podcast of 2024 we have Matt Krsyzkowski from Monetti Custom Homes. This is matts 2nd time on the podcast and we get heavy into BuilderTrend discussions. He tells us how he has taken the lead in at MCH for implementing BuilderTrend into their systems & processes. Listen in for the great tips Monetti Custom Homes has come up with to make BT work for them. Great stuff.       Special thanks to our podcast sponsor @andersen_windows • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely     #answerquestions #levelheadspodcast #customhomes #Designbuild #buildingscience #luxurybuilder #craftsman #newconstruction #remodels #renovations   #architect #architecture #custombuilder #homebuilder #deconstruction #finehomebuilding #podcast #builderpodcast

We've got Spencer Lewis back on the podcast this week. Our first repeat guest on The Levelheads Podcast and were super excited to have the best trim carpentry teacher on the internet. Spencers generosity with his knowledge, tricks tips is second to none. We talk shop. We talk about how Spencer doesn't need a pat on the back to know he's done a good job. We talk about some of the specialty work that Spencer post on his youtube page. So much packed into this episode!       Special thanks to our podcast sponsor @andersen_windows • Hosts: Zane Ellis Jamie Verdura Mike Conneely     #answerquestions #levelheadspodcast #customhomes #Designbuild #buildingscience #luxurybuilder #craftsman #newconstruction #remodels #renovations   #architect #architecture #custombuilder #homebuilder #deconstruction #finehomebuilding #podcast #builderpodcast

This episode the Levelheads welcome Austin Katje who is director of operations at Veldhouse Companies. The boys get into Zane's injury and why he misses the last podcast. They also discuss Austin's position in Veldhouse, the projects they are building including multi-family projects. Also discuss estimating and growing our businesses. Zane also has some crazy this or thats!