LivLive Ep. 0000023 - Ian Schwandt

Kicking off 2026 with a fun one: Dave sits down with Ian Schwandt of TDS Custom Construction (Madison, WI). Ian’s the Operations/Production Manager at TDS, a writer for JLC (Journal of Light Construction), and a guest host on the Fine Homebuilding Podcast.We talk about Ian’s fast-tracked path from union carpenter apprenticeship to the business + leadership side of residential remodeling, including how the “craft culture” (and even Passive House / net-zero training) shaped how he thinks about teams, processes, and what makes this industry worth the grind.Later, we get into the practical stuff: problem-solving culture, shop/prefab advantages, and how Ian is using Google Sheets, JobTread, and AI tools (ChatGPT/Gemini) to get sharper about labor constraints, duration, and whether projects are actually returning the gross profit they need to.What You’ll Learn :How Ian went from early trade work to a union carpentry apprenticeship, and what pushed him toward operations + leadershipWhy the Yestermorrow / Passive House orbit attracts a certain “craftsmanship + thinking” mindset (and how it shows up in remodeling)A clear snapshot of TDS Custom Construction: history (“Two Dumb Swedes”), project mix, and the “neighborhood people” nicheWhy remodelers need a culture that assumes mistakes will happen, and how to normalize problem-solving across design + field teamsHow shop work / pre-milling can help a smaller crew punch above its weight on schedule and executionPractical ways Ian and Dave are thinking about AI for documentation, repeatable reports, and contract/package reviewIan’s approach to evaluating work through the lens of labor as the constraint (hours + dollars) and gross profit per labor load