Risinger Build Behind the Business: Trailblazing a new path in residential construction (Part 1 of 5)

This week, we bring you the first in a series highlighting Risinger Build and The Build Show Network out of Austin, Texas. In this five-part series, you’ll learn from Matt Risinger, CEO and chief builder, about the future of residential construction and how one of the most well-known names in the industry got to his level of success – and the role tech played in helping him get there.

Risinger Build is at the top of its game when it comes to fine craftsmanship and building science.

However, early on, Matt and his team encountered failures that ended up being critical learning experiences. These disappointments led them to one of the main focuses of their business – building not just beautiful homes, but homes that can withstand the sometimes brutal Texas climate.

“Everything on the outside needs to be as bulletproof as possible,” Matt said.

Matt’s drive to learn from his mistakes and build better has proved to be his secret to success. “The big thing that has separated me from my competitors over the years is that I build every single house just a little bit better,” Matt said. “And as a result, we’ve been in business 18 years.”

In this video, Matt discusses what he’s learned throughout his career and the importance of building quality homes that can withstand generations.

We sat down with Matt to learn more about his building tips and tricks. Plus, we learned how Buildertrend’s Onsite Consulting has eased his transition process to working with tech and why he recommends Buildertrend’s construction management software to all of his peers.

Q: Will you talk a little bit about how you got started in the business?

Matt:

I founded this company in 2005 and said that this company is gonna build differently.  We’ll pay attention to the details, both from a craftsmanship perspective and from a building science perspective. If you boil it down, building science is just studying houses to understand why they fail so that you can avoid those failures. There’s all kinds of other things that go into it. We can talk about resiliency and durability and health and indoor air quality … but it basically boils down to a fundamental desire to build a good house for my clients.

Q: Is your knowledge of building science what separates you from other builders?

Matt:

We’ve always said that the two things that separate us are our eye for detail – we call it fine craftsmanship – and a deep understanding of building science. Having those two in parallel means that we can take really detailed plans from architects and integrate them early on to make sure the details are well thought out through the design process and that a builder’s been involved.

Q: How did you make your decision to go with Buildertrend?

Matt:

One of the things that really took us over the top of Buildertrend in terms of wanting to move to them was something that was new back then, which is Onsite Consulting.

We really felt like everybody understood where we were going and that we were all rowing the boat in the same direction. And to be able to have somebody live one-on-one to do that training at our facility – that was huge for us. It made that transition to Buildertrend seamless, and it allowed us to get going right away on all the parts of Buildertrend that made a huge difference to us. And boy, did that make a big difference in our building company. 

Q: What do you say to people who are hesitant about getting started with Buildertrend?

Matt:  

I’ve been a Buildertrend ambassador now for a couple years, and so people kind of associate Buildertrend with my business.

I get calls on a regular basis: “Hey, I’m struggling; here’s my issue. … Matt, tell me about your experience at Buildertrend, and would that be something that could help my business?”

I want to say it’s at least on a biweekly basis that I take a text, a phone call or an email from someone with that exact same scenario. I can happily tell them, look, I may be a brand ambassador, but I started with Buildertrend on my own accord because I thought they were the best solution and the best fit for my business. I’ve stayed with them for that same reason. As you tell me about this problem or that problem with your company, here’s where I think Buildertrend can make a big difference for you.

Q: At your company, is there a mantra you all go by?

Matt:

I mean, our mantra really is “build better.” And once you have the knowledge to build better, then you have the ability to build better.

Be like Matt: Build better with the help of Buildertrend

Matt Risinger is evidence of how a company seamlessly transitions its construction management process with help from our Onsite Consulting team. Our experts will come to you and walk through how Buildertrend can help your company get the most out of our construction management software.

If you’re not already using Buildertrend, schedule a demo to get started today.

Check back for the second installment of our Behind the Business series. Matt Risinger talks about how and why you should upgrade those spreadsheets to a construction management software.