“The only smart thing I’ve ever done in construction is to stay curious about how to figure things out.”

That’s how Gabe Joseph, partner at Joseph Design Build (JDB), sums up the mindset that’s carried him from swinging a hammer in upstate New York to scaling a firm in Austin, TX that’s now managing a pipeline of nearly 300 homes across the state.

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In our latest episode, Gabe joins Reece for a conversation that’s part business strategy, part hard-earned lessons, and part philosophical riff on what it really takes to build a company... not just houses.

From Blood-and-Guts to Business Growth

Gabe’s path into construction wasn’t glamorous. He started as a framer, worked his way up to superintendent, and eventually into project management. Along with his brother Thomas, he built JDB’s reputation on high-design, detail-driven infill homes in Austin.

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But as Gabe points out, excellent execution shouldn’t be the goal- it should be the baseline. “If you can’t deliver a flawless product, you won’t last. The question is, what comes after that?”

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For JDB, the answer was to shift their focus from craft alone to the business of building.

A 30x Leap in Nine Months

That mindset shift set the stage for what came next: a merger with a Houston-based company that expanded JDB’s footprint across Texas and opened the door to rapid growth.

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In just nine months, their pipeline went from 15–20 luxury homes a year to nearly 300 across Austin, Dallas, and Houston. It’s a dizzying leap, and Gabe admits it’s not comfortable: “You don’t do it comfortably. You do it as uncomfortably as you’re willing to admit.”

Rethinking Procurement

One of the biggest drivers behind JDB’s ability to scale has been rethinking procurement. Instead of relying solely on local vendors with inflated prices, the team now sources 70% of their materials directly from manufacturers overseas.

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The payoff? Up to 40% lower build costs while maintaining the same level of quality and design.

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What that looks like in practice:

• Direct partnerships with overseas manufacturers
• Navigating tariffs, time zones, and logistics to control costs
• Custom-built materials that meet JDB’s design standards
• A dramatic shift from $100/ft build costs down to $60/ft in some cases

As Gabe puts it: “A 40% net savings is worth figuring out.”

Building Teams, Not Just Houses

Growth on that scale also meant building a stronger team and learning to let go of control without letting go of accountability.

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Gabe describes his role today as being in the “control tower,” watching design, engineering, and field ops across multiple cities and even multiple countries.

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The key, he says, is putting grinders in the right seats, setting standards, and staying engaged enough that everyone (right down to the guy swinging the hammer) knows the leadership is paying attention.

Final Thoughts

This episode isn’t a blueprint for easy growth. It’s an honest look at the discomfort, discipline, and decisions required to scale. From surviving downturns to firing bad subs, from hiring culture-fit grinders to cutting build costs by 40%, Gabe makes the case that curiosity — not ego — is what drives real margins.

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