Why Sustainable Homes Are the Future of Building with Jake Wilson
Release Date: 06/24/2025
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
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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
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Builder Mindset to Business Mindset with Duane Johns of Alair Homes
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
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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_outlineSustainable homes are no longer just a “nice to have.” They’re fast becoming the smartest path forward for builders facing tighter margins, supply chain headaches, and rising buyer expectations. Few understand this better than Jake Wilson.
As the founder of Conscious Living Design and Build and Conscious Energy Collective, Wilson has made it his mission to redefine homebuilding by combining affordability, innovation, and real-world performance. He’s doing this through a powerful mix of 3D printed construction, net-zero energy systems, and smarter financial structures.
“Sustainability isn’t just greenwashing,” Jake says. “It’s smarter business. These homes cost less to run, last longer, and go up faster.”
Wilson’s process starts with structure. Traditional framing is out—concrete 3D printing is in. The tech isn’t just for headlines. He’s printing full home shells in under 48 hours, cutting out the delays, labor shortages, and material waste that bog down most jobs.
“You’re not chasing lumber deliveries or praying the crew shows up,” Jake says. “You’re printing a wall that’s square, plumb, and ready to work with—fast.”
What follows is just as intentional. From solar panels to advanced HVAC, from passive cooling strategies to airtight insulation, every piece is selected for performance. The goal isn’t just energy efficiency—it’s net-zero living. That means homes that generate as much energy as they consume.
But sustainable homes also have to be practical, and Wilson doesn’t shy away from cost. With a background in both building and finance—he also works with Security National Mortgage Company—he understands how vital it is to keep the numbers tight.
“It’s not enough to build green,” he says. “You’ve got to get people in the door. That means financing has to work. Monthly costs have to make sense. You have to build for the long haul.”
Wilson sees sustainable homes as the answer to the housing crisis—not just an environmental fix, but a market solution. His projects target the missing middle: people who can’t afford luxury, but don’t want junk.
“We’re building homes that are durable, efficient, and cost-effective,” Jake says. “That’s how we solve real housing issues—not with more of the same.”
And his impact goes beyond just single homes. Through Conscious Energy Collective, Wilson is exploring how sustainable homes can reshape entire communities. He’s working on utility-scale solar solutions, energy sharing models, and streamlined permitting to help developers build smarter at scale.
“The tech is here,” he says. “The bottleneck is mindset. Builders, cities, even inspectors—they need to catch up. We’re proving it can be done differently.”
Part of that mindset shift is helping other builders see that sustainable doesn’t mean soft. These homes are strong, efficient, and built for real-world wear and tear. They’re not lab projects—they’re livable, ownable homes.
“Sustainability should never feel like a sacrifice,” Jake says. “It should feel like a win—for the builder, the homeowner, and the planet.”
Jake Wilson’s work is showing what the next chapter of construction could look like. It’s fast, clean, cost-aware, and purpose-built for the next generation of homebuyers.
For those in the building trade tired of Band-Aid solutions and margin pressure, the rise of sustainable homes offers a new playbook—one where doing right and doing well aren’t at odds, they’re aligned.
Watch the full interview on YouTube.
About Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson is a builder, innovator, and founder of Conscious Living Design and Build and the Conscious Energy Collective. He’s leading the charge on sustainable homes through 3D printed construction, net-zero design, and cost-effective building strategies that don’t cut corners. With deep experience in both construction and finance—including his work with Security National Mortgage Company—Jake bridges the gap between smart design and real-world affordability.
His mission is to make sustainable homes the new standard by proving they can be faster to build, cheaper to run, and tougher than traditional builds. From individual projects to full-scale community solutions, Jake’s redefining what’s possible in housing—without the fluff.
Learn more at CLDesignAndBuild.com and ConsciousEC.com.
About Michael Krisa and BuilderStraightTalk.com
Michael Krisa is the creator and host of Builder Straight Talk, a podcast and platform built for real builders—not corporate suits. With a background in real estate, media, and marketing, Michael cuts through the noise to bring honest conversations with the people who actually swing the hammers, manage the crews, and build the future of construction.
Builder Straight Talk is where builders, GCs, and tradespeople share real-world lessons on growth, funding, scaling, and what it really takes to stay ahead in today’s market. No fluff. No hype. Just field-tested stories, smart strategies, and straight talk.
Explore more at BuilderStraightTalk.com.