This is the Simply Home Podcast - Ladies Who Build, a podcast for women by women.

This is Ashley Wainscott and Michelle Mullins.

After spending the last 10 years revolutionizing the construction industry and raising the bar of the contracting world.

We are inviting you on our journey as we continuously learn how to be extraordinary and thrive in this industry.

Now, come hang with us.

Michelle (00:13.312)

Hello, welcome to season three, episode 29 of the Ladies Who Build podcast. Today we are touching on the points of the future of construction and where do we go from here. So I think this is a really fun episode because it's new for the world of construction, there's a lot of things that are coming out, so it's exciting to see. So some of the things that we'll be talking through are what we are seeing in construction and what is to come and hopefully what we want to come. What still needs a lot of work in the industry and what's kind of lagging that really needs technology but doesn't necessarily have it. We'll also be talking about if AI can benefit or hurt the construction world or maybe a little bit of both. And why are these changes so important and kind of what they would, what it would show to the homeowner or the consumer. once these start getting rolled out. So let's dive in.

Ashley Wainscott (01:18.482)

I'm ready. This is my bring it on stance. Oh yeah.

Michelle (01:19.708)

Also love the Simply Home shirt. I'm calling out a little name check here because it's your rep in today.

Ashley Wainscott (01:31.602)

I am, yes, and I don't always wear Simply Home branded clothing because I just like to be my own person. But today is a special day because we got new clothes.

Michelle (01:32.973)

Large and in charge is the way to go, even when you don't have a bump.

Ashley Wainscott (01:34.602)

Thank you. It is rather large, but you know what? When you have a bump, you wear anything that's large.

Michelle (01:38.973)

Right. Yeah, I take large. Yep.

Michelle (02:07.676)

Yeah. Okay. So in the world of technology, where do we start with construction? There's a lot.

Ashley Wainscott (02:18.734)

What we, we all know, we all know this, that there is not a whole lot going on with software and technology and construction. And yes, I'm throwing shade because I think that there's so much more people could be doing in the industry.

Ashley Wainscott (04:07.442)

So we all know that software is lacking in that it's the stepchild that gets no attention in the software industry. And I'm not impressed. That's what I have to say.

Michelle (04:24.44)

Yeah, it's, it's like, it's really kind of mind boggling that in other industries, the software is really great. It's really high tech, it's really on brand for companies that gets just rolled out really nicely. And then in construction, it seems as if there's only like a few platforms that are really I mean, there's a lot, but are they even good? And like, what are their capacities? There's only a few. And to be honest, like, they're not even that great, you know, like they don't, remember we used to always joke, like the people who created our platform, they were in tech and they probably never worked a day in construction because like half of the stuff they built, they wouldn't have built, you know, like they're not, they don't know. And so that is, it's kind of like frustrating that the software hasn't really caught up in the construction industry because as anybody who's ever hired even like a plumber or an electrician,

you know how antiquated their invoicing system is. I'm not kidding you, I hired a contractor the other day and they're so old school in this tiny town of Texas that I had to mail them. They mail me an invoice and they don't take any other payment any other way except for a check mailed back to them. And I was like, oh, well, it's gonna be months because I don't write checks.

Ashley Wainscott (05:54.189)

Also expect there to be like a five day turnaround and that your check may get lost in the mail. Like

Michelle (05:57:148)

Yeah, yeah, so old school. I was like, do you have a link I could pay online? She said, no.

Ashley Wainscott (06:13.55)

Of course not. I mean, it's like, it was like pulling teeth, getting our current vendors and contractors set up through the electronic payment system we use. And I mean, that's not even a construction software, what we use, you know, like we just made it work for us. But yeah, remember Michelle, the guys and women now we have women, but the vendors wouldn't, they fought it. They fought hard resistance towards anything outside of check writing. But we also had realized that check writing wasn't the safest because you're sending out checks with your account number and your routing number on the check. And if you're not checking your bank daily, the bank doesn't, what do you call it, doesn't take on the liability if you don't report. someone taking money out of your account because they have your account number and your routing number same day. So anyways, long story long, it's not the safest way to go.

Michelle (07:15.944)

Yeah, I know. And so it's like, so yeah, so what we did was automated payments, so they just get like direct deposit in their account, but man, that did not go over well at the beginning. They just wanted cash. And so it's just, I think that's like, it's such a cash system, it's a cash industry, where it's like you work, these contractors work on cash, and it's like, no, cash is not the way to go.

Ashley Wainscott (07:52.382)

It is not. And that's probably how the financial pieces of construction are always so sticky with contractors because it's not being managed in a system that it should be, right? It's just cash and it goes into one account and they're buying materials for different projects and they're doing things with different things. I think that there are more softwares out there that are helping smaller contractors now, but getting them briefed and educated to use that software is one hump and then working with remodeling firms that, I mean, the, the software that we use for our client portal and invoicing are all of our clients complain about because it's so clunky and our team complains about it because it's not user not user friendly. And so, but it's better than nothing. Like we know it's better than nothing.

Michelle (08:45.992)

I know we could really, man, we could do a whole episode on like the shortages in technology in construction. And I guess that's kind of where we started was the shortages. I think, so another thing we've always talked about too, I guess on the line of like where it needs improvement that we haven't quite seen it yet is. You know, construction is such a wasteful industry in general. There's so many different materials that you're using to build a home. And unless you're measuring to the T on the dot, every single project, you're going to have waste and you're going to have waste with cutting. And so of course that all just goes to landfill. But on top of the actual physical waste of construction, there's also the like sustainability piece to the materials. And you know, yeah, we've come a long way in regards to, okay, paint isn't made with lead anymore, we don't really put asbestos in the insulation, but at the same time, these materials are really toxic. And I mean, paint itself is really still very toxic. Countertop stones are very toxic to breathe in the dust. You know, a lot of these chemicals that are still being used for installation purposes, I mean, it's really not. it's not healthy to be in there for long periods of time. And so I think that's where we've seen some changes. Like I do think there's, we're slowly picking up traction here, but I think we have a long way to go to get like full sustainability on materials.

Ashley Wainscott (10:32.886)

I think we do too. I mean, even, cause there's habitat for humanity and other places where, I mean, really that's it, but other places where you can donate materials that we pull out of homes, which is nice, right? When we have cabinets, vanities, we have a lot of clients that buy a new home, but it doesn't fit their needs. So then, we're going in and taking new things out. And that's when we donate it. But if that was a common practice between all contractors and construction companies, there'd one be a lot less waste, but two, it's trying to figure out, I mean, Michelle, like, it's something our firm wants to focus on, but the industry should be focused on this too, of like, think about the amount of plastic and RAM board and zip walls. And it's like, what are things that can be reused over and over again with job sites? And it's hard because those things do get really dirty. So it's like, how do I clean these things and then reuse them? And I think a lot of people don't put the time and effort into figuring out how can I clean them? How can I reuse them? We started using gym mats on projects a long time ago, and we're trying to recirculate those back in to put over the Ram board. Um, and it also helps when like people are dropping hammers or, you know, if they're anything like me and they trip over something and fall and knock something over, right? Like the, the mats just help protect the floors overall. But then you don't have to change the ramboard as often, then there's less waste. So there's a long ways we can go here as an industry. I just don't think anyone's focused on it.

Michelle (12:13.852)

Yeah, it's tough, it is. I think we've done our part into try to do the little that we can, but it becomes only, you can only do so much when there's only so much on the market. And then, we all know construction costs are always increasing. I mean, they're not coming down anytime soon. And so then you have the cost of construction overall is, okay, yeah, this might be a really eco-friendly, drywall material or eco-friendly paint, but to be honest, low VOC paint is actually more expensive than normal paint. So if you're on a budget, which a lot of people don't, aren't looking to spend the top of the line on all these materials, that poses a problem because then you want your project done eco-friendly, we wanna push it more, but we're also not trying to push more cost on a client that's already spending a lot of money on the remodel. So, it's, yeah, it's tricky. And I think we have a long way to go for that. But I think we'll start seeing this take off more, I think, than we ever have, because there's also been so many studies where, you know, a lot of people, like, especially me and you, like we go down these like health journeys and we're like, we really care about what we eat and our environment and all these things. And so much of our focus is focused on like food or movement and you know sunshine getting all these health benefits, but people don't realize the homes that they live in can make someone very sick and especially if these homes were built a very long time ago there's you have a lot of things that can build up in your home to not be a healthy environment and so at least what I'm seeing is people are really focused on how do you bring more health and sustainability into your home. And so I think this is a conversation that's continuing to kind of get bigger, then companies will start getting behind production of that, you know, to maintain the ecosystem of the home in a healthy way.

Ashley Wainscott (14:36.606)

I fully support this.I'm so excited about..

Michelle (14:22.489)

I know.

Ashley Wainscott (14:36.606)

that being a trend, like how to bring wellness inside your home. I mean, and there's all kinds of things we can do, you know, like all sorts of elements and ways that we can incorporate one sustainable materials. But then two, just educating people on, you know, testing their deck work for mold. If they want an air purifier attached to their HVAC system. Um, a lot of indoor air pollution.

Ashley Wainscott (15:21.462)

What'd you say?

Michelle (15:05.312)

I was gonna say water purifiers, like a lot of like putting water softeners on your shower heads. Because that's like a tricky one that I actually just realized. I'm like, oh, the water that I take a shower with is getting absorbed into my body. And if it's super hard with minerals, that's like, I'm just absorbing all of these, can be chemicals, I mean depending on where you live. And so it's like, whoa I didn't even think about that. Like I don't drink tap water, but my body does when I shower.

Ashley Wainscott (15:55.507)

And I've been, I've been doing the same thing. I've been studying like reverse osmosis water systems versus just a purifier, you know, but then you go down the rabbit hole and you're like, so do I need this one or do I need this one or is this one better? Cause it has this, you know, and you like, don't really know because you're not a scientist. I mean, I don't, I don't study water. I don't know, I'm just listening to the Instagram influencers.

Michelle (16:01.778)

Yeah. I know, name, guilty pleasure for sure.

Ashley Wainscott (16:30.035)

Yeah, but it's something we as individuals in the construction industry can get informed of and then help spread the word and educate clients and other individuals in the industry of things that they should know of how they should be healthy in their home and how to incorporate plants in your home to breathing cleaner oxygen.Yeah, there's so many different elements to it though

Michelle (16:43.708)

Yeah, there is for sure. I think one thing too I realized recently was homes having appropriate sized HVAC. And I don't really know a lot about air conditioning because I'm not a specialist in it. Like I just think, you know, every room needs a vent. You need an intake, you need an outtake. Right, pretty basic. But I've recently learned that if homes, especially older homes, don't have appropriately sized HVAC, then like what you were saying earlier is that it can start causing um like mildew in the home and moisture build up which can cause mold and so if you kind of maybe go the cheaper route to say well I don't need the bigger unit but then you do an addition and you're not appropriately um putting airflow into that then that can really cause build up and back up on your system for the rest of the house so it's like little stuff like that but I'm like oh whoa that's like actually a really big deal for health issues.

Ashley Wainscott (18:00.478)

Yeah, I mean, you sound like a pro to me. So in the end, long story long, make sure you have a good HVAC tech because they need to check your humidity and they need to check and make sure your HVAC system is running properly with the insulation you have in your home and with all the airflow and how much air it's pushing out and sucking back in and all of it matters. That's my professional HVAC opinion.

Michelle (00:33.84)

because we are professionals in the effect.

Ashley Waincott (00:36.878)

Right? Trust everything that I say.

Michelle (00:44.272)

I think, so moving on to kind of some new things we've seen, I will say we've seen more over the years, like smart features throughout the home and like throughout certain materials. So like electrical we've been seeing for a while, you know, like eco -friendly lighting or timed lighting systems, so you're not running electricity all the time. I think also with smart plumbing features and smart appliances, we're seeing more of those come through. And I think it's interesting. Yeah.

Ashley Waincott (01:20.622)

Ooh, ooh, yes. Michelle, you just reminded me of the water monitoring system. Like, they tell you when you have a leak.

Michelle (01:25.36)

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ashley Waincott (01:36.91)

Yeah, you can install it underneath pretty much on any device or like plumbing device that has water going in and out of it. So you can have it under your sink for your washer dryer, hoses or dryer. I guess you don't need that on the dryer, but for your washer, toilet, you could have it for your water heater, like anything that could potentially leak. It can one, notify you on your phone and two, turn off the water.

Michelle (02:14.32)

That's great. I love that.

Ashley Waincott (02:20.174)

And you know how many people get floods all the time. I mean, people, they're, everything leaks all the time, especially when they're not home. So I'm, I'm rooting for this. I hope the industry, like this is the new standard, all new homes and remodels have water monitoring systems because it would save. I mean, the remediation companies might not be too happy, but it would save a lot of like headache.

Michelle (02:50.992)

Yeah, that's a good point. Like if homes were equipped with what's like, it's like flood, fire, I feel like something else, but like even wires in your house, like let's say you have an old home and you have cloth wiring and you know, over time, it's like maybe a rodent has chewed those wires or they just get frayed over time. Cloth wiring is now banned because it's like a fire hazard. Like hello, who would put cloth around electricity? But I would really love, and maybe this exists, but just triggers in the wall throughout your wires that if something is running thin, like if that's about to start a fire in your wall, then it could trigger electricity to shut off, which would be really frustrating. But then if you're like, well, we don't know what it could be, and maybe it sends an alert or something of like, this is what we have, we need to find it in the wall or whatever. But how many homes would be prevented if house fires. That's still a common thing.

Ashley Waincott (03:54.126)

Yeah, I'd prefer that over a house fire. Mm -hmm. Yeah, I'd way prefer that, especially because, you know, there are all those electrical wires running through one walls, but attics that are buried with insulation that you can't, you don't see. I mean, we've discovered so many hazardous or unsafe conditions just by following the wire trail and you wouldn't really see it, just by glancing.

Michelle (04:24.176)

No, you definitely wouldn't, no. And like how we've seen, you know, with older homes, we've seen like rats chew up old wires. Like that's such a hazard because then you just have exposed wires in your wall.

Ashley Waincott (04:37.902)

Also, that rat is a bandit. Like, what a little jerk. Because you could eat anything. Why would you eat the wire?

Michelle (04:42.16)

Yeah, like ew, ew, ew, ew, I can't.

Ashley Waincott (05:18.734)

I was reading about, um, self -healing concrete, which I think is really interesting. And it like repairs itself essentially from leaks in the slab or, um, if it gets really dry. It's chipping and I don't even know the science was way beyond my brain capacity because my brain has moved from my head down to my uterus. And so I have, yeah, because I have a baby in my uterus. So it is not fully here, but long story long, I would encourage reading about that. That was really neat.

Michelle (06:48.56)

So another thing I was seeing was people reusing, well, either reusing drywall or recycling their drywall. So, and granted, there's an art to all of this, right? Like, okay, so in today's standard of demo, you know, people just throw a sledgehammer through a wall and you're ripping out drywall and it all goes to the dump, right?

But if people were a little bit more systematic with the removal of the drywall, let's say they're cutting it in sheets, just like they come installed, then you can recycle the drywall. And I think there's even like plants that, like production plants where you could take it and they could like reproduce it. I've also seen like paper, like compacted paper to become drywall. So, which is obviously using recycled materials. And so I think, that would be, that's something really interesting that we might see more of is like recycled materials in general to be used as construction pieces. But I think that's a really good one because drywall in itself is just, that is, can be really wasteful as well because you're not gonna reuse, you've got these random sized pieces of drywall that you're like, I'm not gonna use it, I'll just toss it and buy a new sheet. Well, that's A, expensive and B, then that stuff just goes to the landfill, you know? And so, if it's an old home, it's got lead paint on it. And so it's just, again, it's just like sitting bad quality for the environment.

Ashley Waincott (08:20.878)

I wonder if we went dumpster diving, Michelle, what would we see that's the most wasteful?

Michelle (08:25.872)

They've done that, it's clothing.That's like the number one thing that people throw away. That's like majority of our landfill is old clothing. Yeah.

Ashley Waincott (08:37.934)

Really? Okay, you came prepared for this podcast.

Ashley Waincott (09:00.366)

Right. What would we see in construction dumpsters? Like what would be the most faced item? Would it be drywall?

Michelle (09:09.36)

Maybe paint. Like I know you can't put paint in a landfill, but I think probably paint. So, okay, so the next thing that we've seen a movement in in construction, and I'm sure a lot of you all have heard about 3D printed housing and, you know, the way that homes are being built, it's been the same for 100 years, right? It takes manpower, it takes multiple men, and it takes a very long time to build a home. And so these companies that are coming out to build 3D homes, there's obviously a big one in Austin that's doing it, which is amazing. I also think we're seeing a lot of modular building versus on -site. So homes that are being built in a factory and then being brought over. And where that saves my is A, material because if a lot of these companies are certain size layouts that they can do for modular and so They know exactly how much material it's gonna take so I think you're saving a lot on that So it's less waste but also the amount of time for a modular home to be built is is weeks compared to Months if not a year for a home to be built or multiple years for a home to be built if you're going like super custom and so I think we're gonna see a lot more of that and which can, I think it's good for a lot of reasons, but of course it's very limiting, right? So like if you wanted a custom home, I don't know that super custom modular exists yet, maybe to some extent, but it's pretty basic right now.

Ashley Waincott (11:26.446)

I'm excited to see where that goes because I think it's awesome how efficient and effective that whole process is. And that you can buy a home that isn't necessarily like a trailer, but it's a home and then they put it there and then you hook it up and then it's ready to go. I mean, and then you can finish it out, right? Of course, with different elements and wallpaper and things, but, I think that's going to be a really cool element of the future. And that one got me thinking about the augmented reality, like the 3D, all the goggles that you can wear. And I've seen a lot of architects that have been using this where you can put it on and it's like you're standing in your new home or you're standing in your remodeled home. And you can like walk up and utilize the kitchen or like really see the bathroom, especially for people that don't have as good of a, you know, a creative mind or visual mind where they can see it on their own.

Michelle (12:34.096)

Yeah, I do know that exists. I heard somebody in Austin doing it for like a very, very expensive build that's happening. The one on Lake Austin, but they offer 3D headsets for the owners to come in that are spending like a ton of money on this building to come in and like see what their layout's gonna be. And then if they want to change anything because it's in the build phase, they could say, oh, instead of that cabinet here, I want it here as they're walking through and the builder could take notes. I mean, it was pretty cool. I mean, that's like a very custom service, but it was, it's pretty cool to see. And I think, I hope that it eventually during mainstream, and affordable because then we as a small company can start offering it to our clients. Like what a cool feature. And then to get clients excited, like look at what your space is going to be soon, you know.

Ashley Waincott (13:29.71)

Yeah, and then I might feel a little more courageous to be even more, you know, bold with my color decisions or with what I'm the wallpaper, which I'm already kind of bold, but because you'll get, you're going to see how it's laid out. I think it's going to be huge for clients.

Michelle (13:43.92)

Yeah. I love it. And then I think another one for kind of the high tech, some more of is I've seen this more in commercial, like commercial companies using them, but it's like all measuring done by computer. And so nothing is being done manually. So right now there's like laser measurement, like, um, measuring tools that exist, but they're not always accurate and you have to get the right placement. And so I've seen these little like robot things. They kind of look like a, there's a certain name and it gets it slipping my mind, but it looks like one of those like, what's that robo vacuum that like goes around. Yeah, so it looks like a Roomba and it goes on floor to floor or like on your slab and it measures out exactly the placement of everything and like tells you where to stop and start. But hilarious story about one of these things. I think it's called like Rover or something, I don't know. But this woman I met, she's using one of her commercial properties downtown Austin, super high rise and they're in the construction phase. So like there's no walls, it's just like slab on slab on slab, and she put one of these robo things on one of the top floors and it didn't catch that there was no wall and she said all of a sudden you just see the robot just fall off the edge and shatter and she was like oh the girl's robo.

Ashley Waincott (15:20.558)

Wow, Robo wasn't having a good day, he just decided to end it.

Michelle (15:22.128)

He did, he ended his life. And I don't know why it was so funny to me because she like named it and everything and like took this thing with her on site everywhere and then it just didn't understand that there was no wall and just kept going.

Ashley Waincott (15:38.798)

Well, also because it's supposed to be smart, right? So it's like supposed to know there isn't a wall there and then and then it just keeps going and you're like, oh, robot. Oh, okay.

Michelle (15:41.68)

It's too funny. So you heard his work to do on it. But I think that's really cool. You know, so you get exact measurements.

Ashley Waincott (15:54.894)

It is so cool. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Think of all like the hand, you know, hand exhaustion and manual labor it would take to go around and even with a laser pointer. I mean, I was doing a tape measure, but even with the laser pointer, you know, we're like putting on this wall and you have to get this accurate read. And no, I'd, I'd robot it all day. Like sign me up for that.

Michelle (16:12.816)

Right, I would sacrifice some robots to make my life easier.

Ashley Waincott (16:22.83)

Yes, and I'm not, we don't need to go so far as like having human robots. Like I don't need to Will Smith. Remember that Will Smith movie, the robot movie, like we don't need, we don't need to go there. I think the world needs to like shut it down and we can just keep robots as like little robots, in my opinion. I don't know why we're trying to end the world with robots. I don't know. But like measuring a square footage of a building, I'm on board.

Michelle (16:52.432)

Yes

Ashley Waincott (16:56.046)

Also, Michelle, we can't forget where else we have to go.

Michelle (16:56.528)

Where?

Ashley Waincott (16:56.046)

We have to talk about, well, we got to go here in our mind, but we have to talk about the workforce development of construction industry and trade schools.

Michelle (17:09.424)

Oh yeah. Yes.

Ashley Waincott (17:18.062)

We gotta pick that up because the world needs, we have a shortage of people.

Michelle (17:19.248)

Yeah, we definitely have a shortage of people for sure. And it's, you know, I think people underestimate, we're just talking about a money standpoint. I think people underestimate how much money these tradesmen make. It's pretty insane. So there's definitely no shortage of jobs that these people can have, especially in growing cities like Austin. And they do okay for themselves, let's just say.

Ashley Waincott (17:53.102)

Yeah, Michelle and I have seen what Simply Home pays out to these individuals and companies just from us alone, knowing what they make. I mean, that they work for other people on other projects, doing other things, and they're all set. They are great. They make great money. Yeah, I highly recommend like. I would encourage Leo, my son, I would encourage him to get into a trade school, right? Like I think learning anything from welding to HVAC to electrical to plumbing to carpentry, I mean, I think it's all really amazing work. And I just wish people were able to choose that path earlier in life. And, you know, it doesn't just have to be like the college path. I think. There needs to be a bigger push nationwide and regionally and locally for kids to know what their options are as they're going into adulthood and being able to be like, yeah, I do like working with my hands or like, yeah, I don't really love going to school. What are my other options?

Michelle (19:04.112)

I think and and work being able to work with your hands, especially in 2024 and then beyond, it's probably only just going to continue to get greater of people working behind computers is I don't think learning to do anything with your hands is only going to be of service for you or for your family, whoever like I don't there's no negative that comes from learning a hands on skill. Because we're going to be seeing less and less of it, it's like a timeless knowledge to know, you know?

So yeah, I don't think I, there is so much space needed for more people in this industry. And it's cool to see younger people doing this or like younger people taking over their parents' companies because they can bring in more of the technology and processes and systems to really make that business more efficient. And so I think it's cool seeing when I, like when I see vendors or contractors using better payment systems, on time tracking, communication that, you know, your tech is on the way and it's based on their geo tracking and it texts you like, I love seeing all these new developments happening because it's cool that they're like investing in this and then they know they can just get more business from it in the end.

Ashley Waincott (20:31.406)

Nothing makes me happier than the things that you just said.

Michelle (20:29.168)

I agree.

Ashley Waincott (20:37.454)

I mean, oof, light, it was light in my fire. I was feeling happy about it. I mean, it really doesn't.

Michelle (20:35.152)

It doesn't take a lot to get us happy.

Ashley Waincott (20:37.454)

And I mean, bringing the youth into, I didn't think about that, but like the apprentices and bringing the youth into these companies really can, you know, bring the old school individuals and OGs. To a modern age and I mean, I think they'd enjoy it if they had somebody who could teach them and get them caught up on what's going on. It's just getting over that initial hump. It's kind of like me learning how to do Instagram reels and I would prefer not to, but I might have to.

Michelle (21:25.776)

Right. Or I just pay a robot to do it. It's my take on it.

Ashley Waincott (21:36.718)

Right?

Michelle (22:10.8)

Yeah, and I think, you know, I'm for robots in regards to like making lines easier. I'm for technology. You know, I think construction though is hard because I see how hard these people work and that we've had relationships for a long time. And I think some people are scared, you know, in cross industries that that tech and AI is going to overtake the workforce in some extent. And I do think that in some aspects of

construction it can be. So like some examples I was thinking about that would actually be really helpful if robotics could step in is like brick laying, for example, which is a very tedious hand job to do. And painting could be really awesome if that was like sped up. Loading and unloading really heavy materials, pouring concrete or even tile installation could be something that robotics or AI could really assist with. But at the end of the day, being built by physical hands, you can't, like, and this is just in today's world, maybe technology gets better 20 years down the road, but there is still some element of you walk in and have to make sure that the flow and the system and everything is running really smoothly on the job site. You can't just expect everything to be done by a robot. It just won't work. There are some things that just have to be done by hand. And I think, so I think construction. It's a long time coming before those jobs ever get erased by technology.

Ashley Waincott (23:52.942)

I agree. I mean, think about all the things that come up on a job site and how things are working together or have to be their complex issues that have to be thought through carefully of how the countertop is meeting the tile and where things are ending and how, you know, how it looks when it's all finished out. There's just so many pieces of it. And I think it's. Yeah, it's going to take a lot of time, but I do like this idea. There's so much opportunity on all of the items you just listed in robotics and then all of the items that we've talked about today. There's just so much opportunity in this industry. And we just need people to solve them. So tell everyone to pick a problem and somebody solve them because we're busy. We're remodeling. So like we can't do it right now.

Michelle (24:40.784)

Right. Right. Someone else figure it out and then we'll integrate it.

Ashley Waincott (24:54.638)

Yeah, yes, please and thank you. Okay.

Michelle (24:50.128)

Yeah, so that's the tip of the iceberg for where you know, I think rare technology is going in construction and there's a lot more and I hope to see there's a lot more maybe in a couple years when we talk about this again that we'll start seeing some of these things actually be regular standards in the industry, but it's exciting. It's exciting to see at least our industry is being touched to some extent with smart features and better efficiency.

Ashley Waincott (25:30.83)

That's my love language, Michelle, efficiency. So bring it on. Any of you guys that solve these issues are superheroes and thank you all ahead of time. But we've put it out there, now you know. Now you know.

Michelle (25:34.096)

Yeah, yes, now you know. Well, we hope you enjoyed listening and as always, you can reach out to us and ask questions or consider options you wanna put in your home. We're totally open and love new ideas that clients come up with. So, yeah, thanks.

Ashley Waincott (26:04.014)

That's a wrap. All right.