The Construction Margin Trap Killing Builders | Garath Vella
Jimmy Talks Construction by James Starbuck
Episode notes
In Episode 51 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Garath Vella from Lorden Vella to talk about the real business of building: margins, risk, hiring, subbies, COVID, cash flow, and what it actually takes to start and grow a construction company in Melbourne.
Garath shares his path from plumbing, site supervision and project management into co-founding Lorden Vella during one of the most unstable periods the construction industry has seen. He opens up about starting with no work lined up, navigating COVID, dealing with shut-down businesses, and building a company from the ground up.
This episode digs into why builders take on work at low or even negative margins, how subcontractor pricing changed after COVID, why relationships matter more than contracts alone, and why culture, communication and good people can make or brea ...