In this episode, We sit (virtually) down with Reece Barnes, Head of Construction Network at Adaptive and host of the Builders, Budgets & Beers podcast. What starts as a casual conversation quickly turns into a deep dive on project financials, AI, and what separates sustainable luxury builders from everyone else.
Reece shares how growing up around construction shaped him, why he originally hated working in the trades, and how he eventually found his lane selling software to builders. Drawing from 50+ podcast episodes with builders and construction accounting pros, he explains why financial clarity is the single biggest differentiator between builders who scale and those who stall.
We get into:
Why so many residential builders struggle with financial systems, and how to fix it
How AI is already changing job costing, billing, and office workflows
Cost-plus vs fixed-price, and what clients usually misunderstand about both
What residential builders can learn from commercial processes and standardization
The real value of efficiency: why fewer hours should not mean less profit
How consumer education and transparency build trust on large custom projects
The key questions every client should ask a builder before signing a contract
Reece also tells the origin story of Builders, Budgets & Beers, how the show evolved once he took it over solo, and why consistent, honest content is becoming a serious advantage in the construction space.
Perfect for custom builders, architects, trades, and anyone planning a major custom home or remodel who wants to understand what is really happening behind the scenes on budgets and financials.
Connect with Reece:
IG: @reecebarnes / @adaptivereece / @adaptivebuilds
Podcast: Builders, Budgets & Beers
Web: adaptive.build
