How Trust Builds Better Homes
This week on the podcast, I sat down with Marty Brodsky from BuildWell, someone who has spent the last ten years moving from sweeping jobsite floors to managing some of Boulder’s most impressive high-end builds.
We covered a lot, but one idea kept showing up again and again:
Trust is not a “nice to have” in construction. It is the actual framework your home sits on.
When trust breaks, everything else starts slipping with it.
1. The Real Reason Projects Go Sideways
We have all heard the horror stories. Budgets explode. Schedules slip. Everyone starts pointing fingers.
Most of the time, it starts with a lack of trust. Not just between client and builder, but between architects, designers, project managers and trades.
Marty and I talked about the classic “blame matrix,” where everyone is protecting themselves instead of working as a team. A lot of this starts before the project even kicks off, often when a client chooses the lowest bid and assumes the higher ones are “overcharging.”
Real trust and real value come from transparency, detailed planning and a willingness to invest in the unglamorous parts before construction starts.
2. Trusting Expertise (and Admitting You Don’t Know Everything)
One of my favorite takeaways was the idea that:
Builders are not hired to know everything.
They are hired to coordinate expertise.
Marty shared how often he leans on his subs, the people who spend every day perfecting a specific craft. If something in the drawings does not look right, he trusts the installer’s experience to guide the best solution.
This only works because everyone respects each other’s knowledge.
When the architect trusts the installer,
when the client trusts the builder,
and when the builder trusts the trades,
the whole project runs smoother.
3. Healthy Culture Creates Better Work
Trust also shows up in the culture of the jobsite.
We talked about how old-school construction glorified burnout. The “work until you drop” mentality might sound tough, but it destroys communication and kills morale.
A healthy jobsite is one where people feel safe asking questions, raising concerns and speaking up when something seems off. When trades feel supported instead of micromanaged, they do better work. Small issues get flagged early, instead of becoming big expensive problems.
Trust literally improves the quality of the build.
4. Humanizing the People Behind the Work
This was the heart of the conversation.
Marty told a story about his painter, not as a number on a spreadsheet, but as a person with a family and full life behind the scenes. And how that relationship changes the way you show up for each other.
When homeowners understand who is actually building their home, the entire feel of the project changes.
They trust the process more.
They value the craftsmanship more.
They take more pride in the final product because they feel connected to the people behind it.
A home is not built by paperwork.
It is built by people who care.
5. Trust Creates Pride. Pride Creates Better Homes.
One of my favorite moments was Marty describing a framer who was taking selfies to show his daughter the project he was working on. He was proud of his work, and she was proud of him.
That pride fuels everything.
Trust leads to better communication.
Better communication leads to more ownership.
More ownership leads to better craftsmanship.
Better craftsmanship leads to better homes.
It is that simple.
Details
Date
3/6/25
Category
Content
Reading Time
10 Min
Guest Info
Marty Brodsky
Project Manager at BUILDWELL
Marty Brodsky is a project manager at BUILDWELL who has risen through the ranks - from general laborer and trim carpenter to overseeing high-end residential builds. With over ten years in the field, Marty brings a unique mix of hands-on trade experience and site leadership. He is committed to cultivating trust and craftsmanship on every project, focusing on people just as much as process.
