Healthy Home Construction, Building Smarter, and the Future of Better Homes with Lauren Riddei
Release Date: 05/01/2025
How a French Developer Rebuilt Miami’s Luxury Market - One Spec Home at a Time with Pascal Nicolai
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
How a French Developer Rebuilt Miami’s Luxury Market - One Spec Home at a Time with Pascal Nicolai Pascal shows up in Miami in 2008 with some cash from selling assets in France, right when everything's melting down. Most people would think that's terrible timing, but he saw it differently. "I said to my wife at the time, look, I think there is one opportunity to go there, it is now. I don't think we're going to see this kind of opportunity in our lives. The market was crashed, very accessible if you have some money." He didn't even know he'd end up in construction. His specialty...
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Are You Leaving Money on the Table? CRM for Builders with Shari Morton
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
CRMs aren't sexy. Understatement of the year! They're not the kind of thing you get excited to talk about at the jobsite. But here's the thing: if you're building homes and not using one, you're probably leaving serious money on the table. And we're not talking pocket change here. In this episode, Michael invited Shari Morton, founder and Chief Growth Officer of Shared Drive, to talk about something most builders would rather avoid: customer relationship management systems. We call it the "broccoli" of the building industry. Everyone knows it's good for you, but most people stay away from it...
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Build For Speed: America Needs Housing Now! with Scott Menard
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Scott Menard has been in construction since he was 17 years old, starting as a laborer for KB Homes during summer breaks. Over nearly four decades, he's worked his way through purchasing, project management, land acquisition, and operations at some of the nation's most respected builders, including Ryland, Taylor Woodrow, and Shea Homes. Now he's the president of Homes Built for America, a company that didn't exist four years ago and is already the 14th largest builder in the San Francisco Bay Area. They're doing something many builders won't touch: focusing exclusively on first-time...
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How Two Brothers Survived the Housing Crisis and Scaled to 1,000+ Homes | Chris & Clif Poston
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
There's something rare about sitting down with two brothers who genuinely like working together. Chris and Clif Poston make running a homebuilding company that closes over 1,000 homes a year look almost easy, but their story is anything but. Clif: "Doing what we say we're going to do is really, really important. A foundation of our business. And we try to get that out to people in every aspect of the business, from our employees, to the marketing side, to the sales side, to dealing with our vendors, to dealing with the public when it comes to buying land and rezoning." The Poston brothers...
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Housing, Policy, and the Fight for Affordability with Jim Tobin
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Jim Tobin never set out to spend 27 years at the National Association of Home Builders. He wanted to fly helicopters like his dad photographed at Sikorsky Aircraft. Then politics caught his attention, and he found himself on Capitol Hill in 1995, thinking he'd become a defense lobbyist selling guns and things that go boom. Instead, he landed at NAHB and discovered something better: an industry that builds shelter, creates wealth, and gives families a shot at the American dream. Now as President and CEO of NAHB, Jim spends his time doing something most association heads don't: actually visiting...
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Debunking the Modular Myth with Ken Semler
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
If you've ever driven past a construction site and wondered why we're still building houses the same way we did 50 years ago, this conversation is for you. Michael sits down with Ken Semler, President and CEO of Impresa Modular, who's spent the last 25 years trying to get people to understand what modular construction actually is. And no, it's not a double-wide trailer. That's the first misconception Ken tackles, and honestly, it's the one that's been holding the industry back for decades. Ken's journey into modular started almost by accident. He was flipping houses back in 2003 when his day...
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The $4 Million Bottleneck: Working ON Your Business, Not IN It with Glen Harris III
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Glen Harris III was living the contractor's dream in 2016. His custom home building company was doing $4 million in revenue, clients were happy, and he was making good money. There was just one problem: he WAS the business. Every estimate, every decision, every five-minute phone call ran through him. He'd hit a ceiling and couldn't see how to break through it. This episode is about what happened next and why it matters if you're stuck in the same trap. What You'll Learn Why systems beat hustle when you want to scale. Glen breaks down the moment he realized working harder wasn't going to get...
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Start Small, Build Big: Lance Williams on 30 Years of Homebuilding, Risk, and 100% Completion Rate
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
In this conversation, Lance walks through what it actually takes to build a homebuilding business that lasts. He talks about why his first hire made the first project successful (because he knew what he didn't know), how to structure your first deal so you have enough margin to survive your mistakes, and why contingency planning isn't optional when unexpected costs show up. When Lance Williams started his homebuilding company in 1996, his equity partners were his wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Talk about pressure! He'd just been laid off during a market downturn, took a short...
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Builder Mindset to Business Mindset with Duane Johns of Alair Homes
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Most builders hit a wall. They work 80-hour weeks, carry tools, manage crews, chase payments, and somehow still struggle to make ends meet. Sound familiar? That was Duane Johns twenty years ago, grinding it out in Charlotte, North Carolina after moving from the Hamptons. Then 2008 hit. While other builders went under, Duane used the crisis as a mirror. "I think that that too, one thing that happened in that 2008 environment, especially the few years after, was everyone got reduced to a commodity, you know, I mean, the builders or modelers, they had the lower hand, no doubt." The...
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Scaling a Construction Business: From College Dropout to $100M+ Builder
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Starting a construction company during the 2008 recession sounds insane, but sometimes desperation breeds the best business decisions. Matt Millsap's story starts like a lot of ours do - working weekends with dad, thinking he was going to hang out with friends but ending up tearing out bathrooms instead. What makes his story different is where it goes from there. After flunking out of college, Matt found himself cutting grass for a builder who saw something in the kid. That builder, Mark, became the mentor who taught him everything. It was old-school apprenticeship at its finest, and Matt...
info_outlineHealthy home construction is more than just a buzzword—it’s fast becoming the next frontier for serious builders, and Lauren Riddei is right in the middle of the shift.
Lauren Riddei is a strategic advisor and consultant specializing in building health, indoor air quality, and the use of non-toxic materials. Her background spans brand strategy, marketing, and now an intense focus on how homes affect the health of the people living in them.
In this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Lauren breaks down why healthy home construction isn't just for luxury clients anymore—it’s something buyers are starting to demand across all market levels. From indoor air quality and moisture control to material selection and smart ventilation, Lauren lays out how even small decisions during construction can have huge impacts on long-term occupant health.
“The way we’ve been building for speed and cost efficiency has introduced real health problems—especially in energy-tight homes.”
Lauren shares how the industry’s push for energy efficiency created a second problem: homes that don't breathe properly. Without better ventilation, filtration, and smarter material choices, today's "tight" homes can trap pollutants inside, leading to serious health consequences over time.
She’s clear about this: healthy home construction isn’t just about switching to non-toxic paint or eco-friendly insulation. It's a full systems approach that builders need to understand if they want to future-proof their projects—and protect their reputations as client expectations rise.
Lauren also highlights simple, practical ways builders can start improving their builds today:
- Choosing low-VOC and formaldehyde-free materials
- Implementing balanced ventilation systems
- Designing for proper moisture management from slab to roof
- Educating clients early to set realistic expectations about upgrades and options
“You don’t have to flip your entire process overnight. Start small. But start thinking differently.”
One powerful insight Lauren shares is how the pandemic shifted consumer awareness. People are now more concerned than ever about the air they breathe indoors—and that awareness is bleeding into how buyers shop for homes, especially in competitive markets.
Builders who lean into healthy home construction now will be positioned as leaders, not laggards, when these demands become standard across the industry.
She also touches on the financial angle: properly executed healthy home features can actually increase property value, drive better appraisals, and offer a new angle for marketing homes in crowded markets.
“You can’t afford to ignore this. The clients are waking up. It’s not a niche anymore—it’s an expectation.”
If you’re a builder, developer, or tradesperson serious about staying ahead of market shifts, Lauren’s insights will show you how to integrate healthy building practices without blowing up your margins or operations.
Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen here or on your favorite podcast platform.
About Lauren Riddei
Lauren Riddei is a building health consultant and brand strategist dedicated to improving the construction industry's approach to occupant wellness. After years in corporate brand strategy, Lauren pivoted to focus on healthy home construction, indoor air quality, and building biology. She works with builders, developers, and architects to design homes that support better health, performance, and peace of mind.
To learn more about Lauren Riddei’s work and her upcoming resources for builders, visit HAUSHolistics.com
About Michael Krisa
Michael Krisa is the host of Builder Straight Talk, where builders, developers, and tradespeople come for real-world strategies on scaling businesses, funding smarter, and building legacies. With over 20 years of experience in real estate investing, digital marketing, and brand strategy, Michael delivers straight-talking insights that help construction entrepreneurs grow without the corporate noise or fluff.