The thing that we're most focused on right now is this idea that

And so the question that we keep coming back to is what is the home of our

And how do we build it in a way that's gonna benefit future generations?

Welcome to the Construction Disruption podcast, where we uncover

I'm Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries, manufacturer of specialty metal

And today my co-host is Seth Heckaman, also of Isaiah Industries.

Our goal here at Construction Disruption is to provide timely and forward-looking

As part of that, we look at new innovations as well as trends in the

Basically our goal is to learn of new and emerging things that are going to shape

Then go out and find an expert in that area to be spotlighted as a guest on the show.

So, Seth, I have a couple questions for you.

Three questions, actually.

All right.

Is that okay, to start with some questions?

Okay.

What do a tick and the Eiffel tower have in common?

No idea.

They are both parasites, Paris sites.

Parasites.

Okay.

Okay.

Badum tis.

Don't worry, they get worse.

what do you call a poor Santa Clause?

I'm at a loss

At a loss, I'm stumping you.

Saint nickel-less.

There you.

Told you they got worse.

Okay, last one.

Why don't eggs tell jokes?

Because it cracks them up.

You're right.

I got that one.

One out of three is not bad.

Good dad jokes.

It's been a while.

Thank you.

Yes.

You can go home and tell your girls those.

Well, thank you.

Um, and thank you for tuning into here to Construction Disruption.

Um, always enjoy these episodes.

Uh, today we are talking with a longtime partner of ours here at Isaiah Industries,

North Carolina, Deltec Homes describes themselves as a home design company

Their vision is truly to change the way the world builds.

Known for working with customers to design their very unique and

They've also branched out in recent years, uh, to non-round designs with their

Uh, Deltec of course, uh, with everything they do places strong

Steve, welcome to Construction Disruption.

Truly a pleasure to have you as our guest today.

Thanks, Todd.

Thanks Seth, that's, uh, it's great to be here and thanks

Well, we appreciate and looking forward to this conversation.

So I wanna really dig into the way in which you folks are designing homes that

Um, and I wanna look deeper into that, but can you first give our

Sure, be happy to.

So Deltec started in 1968 and as you mentioned, we're based out

Uh, they're in all 50 states and in almost 30 countries.

We've built over 5,000 homes, uh, since our inception.

And like you said, our, our big dream, our vision is to change the way the world builds.

And we see that in three particular ways just to give the, the listeners an understanding

First is resisting hurricanes and natural disasters.

So we're creating these panoramic homes, these circular homes that are intentionally

Second, is really about providing exceptional sustainability.

Uh, how do we have a positive effect on the planet?

How do we expand how we think about sustainability to be, uh, what I think

And then the third thing that a Deltec Homes does, that's really special, is it

You really have to get inside of one of these homes, but you know, often say in a

You get this connection to the outdoors that is unique and,

And a lot of people build our homes in beautiful places.

Say on a coastline where there are hurricanes, you know, you

You could, but living in Deltec sort of gives you that connection to the outdoors

And, um, so yeah, that's who we are and, um, yeah, looking forward to, to sharing more.

Wow, I love that.

What was that?

You said nature is your wallpaper.

Is that what you said?

That is a fantastic, uh, line.

And does, uh, very descriptive of what you folks do.

Um, so Steve, I know that you have been with Deltec for about 15 years, and

And I think a lot of what you did at that time was you really brought to

Um, it seemed like I, I really saw that shift, uh, with your presence.

Um, tell us about some of the ways in which you folks do, uh, ensure that

Yeah, that's a great question.

We really, since our inception have always had customers highly interested in

And when I came on in 2007, it was to provide really additional expertise and,

And so there are really sort of three directions that, that we took it.

One was, you know, what services can we provide to coach people through

But, you know, how can we help them with creating the best details for, um, for

So that was sort of one aspect.

Then there was the, the product side.

And so we spent a lot of time and we still do innovating the product, you know,

our energy wall, where we have gaskets between the pieces, which is pretty unique

You know, looking at how do we design a passive solar home that takes advantage

Really, how do we get that building envelope to be as efficient as possible?

And then we can look to renewable energy sources and other technologies

So that's the product side.

And then the third piece was, the sort of process or the, the manufacturing side.

So we're an offsite manufacturer of, of homes.

And how can we build a green home in a green way?

So our, so our facility here is powered by a hundred percent renewable energy.

We have a giant solar array that we put in at 2007.

Um, just after I started, we really try hard to manage waste.

So we have about 80% less waste that goes into our home than a typical home.

So, you know, those are kind of the, the things that we tackled when I

I think the other thing that's just interesting to point out that people

panoramic home as we often call it, there's this really cool thing that happens with

So it's actually, it's nature's most efficient shape.

There is not as much external area in contact with the outdoors

And so, for any engineers in the crowd or, or people who love geometry,

So with less surface area, you have less heat transfer.

And so right off the bat between 15 and 20% less heat loss is gonna

And our homeowners have seen that all along.

You know, they tell us how inexpensive it is to operate a Deltec.

And part of that just goes right back to the shape.

Uh, obviously in addition to that, we do lots of enhancements that I mention.

Very interesting.

Um, and I remember once before you telling me about that 80% less waste, uh, compared to

And, um, I think something that folks oftentimes don't even think about.

So I, I think that's, uh, that's a very interesting fact.

You know, one of the things I think about when I think of you folks is a lot of the

from a very, very high-end, custom-designed, custom-built home and, and they would have

And instead you folks are bringing it all together in a predesigned

And, uh, is that, so when you talk about changing the way the world builds, it,

Does that mean partly these things, you know, being able to incorporate them intoa

That's definitely a big part of it.

You know, it's hard to imagine a future a hundred years from now

And, you know, as I'm sure all of the listeners would understand.

We're pretty much building homes the way we did a hundred, two

There really haven't been a lot of changes when you look at the big picture.

And so, you know, we're starting to see all kinds of interesting solutions to, yeah.

How can we get to the level of advanced manufacturing that we see

You know, the phones in our pockets, our cars, all those things are

It just doesn't make sense.

And so that's one of the ways that, that we're out there seeking to

Yeah, let's, let's build this stuff in a facility that's, you know, conditioned

gets put together much more quickly and it's out of the elements and it's

So that's definitely a big, a big piece for sure.

Todd of, of what we're doing.

Good stuff.

Well, I wanna talk a little bit about resiliency and sustainability of your homes.

And I know, you know, I certainly have seen on your website and maybe

you know, where your homes and Deltec homes have survived, uh, hurricanes

Um, are you finding that as we look at changing weather patterns, um, is

Um, is it something they're asking you for?

Without a doubt.

I think people are, you know, experiencing, uh, how the world is changing and

And so that's kind of the mindset that we all have to take is, you know,

And so that idea of resiliency is absolutely essential when you start to

know, back to what you asked last, uh, about changing the way the world builds

You know, we have to get away from just building a house in a way that's not designed

So yeah, the way that we approach that, we have a lot of homes

We have an amazing track record, uh, you know, 99.9% of all of our homes over our

And so year after year, storm after storm, the Deltec are the homes that are left

a lot of homeowners have, um, went through all these storms have been the beneficiary

And that drives a lot of interest in what we do.

And, um, so yeah, that's, without a doubt, you know what we're seeing

But it's more intense storms.

That's really where the, where the science is pointing.

And so what does that look like when we have a storm that's 200

And that's really, what's driving our innovation at this moment right now.

Are you finding more, uh, and more of your customers are being

fortified home program certification for instance, or some of these other sort

Are you, are you seeing those initiatives driving, uh, demand for Deltec and,

Yeah, I think so.

You know, people, when they come to Deltec, they, they see a higher standard, right?

Whether that's in sustainability or resiliency and you know, it's really,

And right off the shelf, our home, you know, is gonna put them into a, a home that can

And you know, similar things can be said about the sustainability aspect.

So yeah, you're, you're already many steps ahead when, when you work with Deltec.

You know, as I, as I think about that, I mean, Seth kind of alluded

know, have resiliency and sustainability, but the other side of that coin is I think,

I think that homeowners are increasingly concerned about the aesthetics of the

And they're seeing them more and more as a reflection of themselves, or maybe they're

Um, Really a person only has to go to your website and see the incredibly, um, fresh

Um, just kind of curious when someone steps into a Deltec home for the

One of my favorite experiences, Todd is when I walk into a Deltec with

And just the almost, most often, honestly is the speechless response.

Like I, you know, you, you really can't comprehend what it feels like to be in a

So it's, um, it's generally either wow with the wide eyes or a speechless response.

And you know, what, what I think is interesting is we all have gotten

outside in, you know, what, what does our home look like from the driveway or

And every home has that, um, sort of aesthetic and they're

It's really only a Deltec that can be viewed from the inside out.

And that's kind of what makes it special.

So when you get inside the home, you really feel like you're living outside, but you're

And that's what always strikes people.

Um, as what's most, you know, magical about the experience and, you know, I think about.

You know, architecture and how it creates situations that

And, you know, really at the end of the day, we, we become different

And what, what I find fascinating is talking to homeowners who live in a Deltec, describe

I don't wanna overstate it, you know, but in some ways has changed their life.

Right?

It's changed their view of the world.

And so that great design really helps us all kind of strive for

And it's a really cool concept that I think isn't talked about a whole lot, cuz it's

Well and it makes every bit of sense.

I mean, so many of your customers are building in very beautiful

Um, just these beautiful locations.

So it makes every bit of sense to have a home that brings the outside in,

Just, uh, just as you get, when you go out and stand in your yard and look at the

For those that are interested, you have a couple of show

Uh, that they can come and see, and at least one with a beautiful metal

We do, yes.

And, um, you know, we have homeowners across the country who open their doors

know, so if you're not anywhere close to Asheville, uh, we can still often

Well, and, and Seth led into this perfectly.

Um, you know, as I had mentioned earlier, our companies have had a

And one of the things that's always struck me about Deltec is you folks are very focused

I'm, I'm just kind of curious, how would you describe, um, your corporate culture

Yeah, great question.

We, we describe our culture as one of caring craftspeople.

And you, you know, you sort of already brought some of that out in your observations

and that sort of creates a, you know, really special environment where people come to

Um, the way that we think about our homeowners is they're at

And so we're constantly asking the question, what does the homeowner want?

How are they gonna experience this and how can we support them?

And so an example of something that we did a few years ago is sort

So rather than being handed off from one department to the next, we now have

And so that's just one example of what you're talking about, which,

And so that's, that's a great part of, uh, I think what both of us are able to do.

Yeah.

That's good stuff.

And that definitely separates, uh, uh, the great companies in a, in a lot of aspects.

So good.

Um, so I'm kind of curious, can you kind of talk us through the process of receiving and

What does that look like for your customers and who are the local trades

For folks who build a Deltec in the Southeast, we have

And so that's sort of one pathway that, that often happens.

But as I mentioned, we have homes go around the world.

And so for someone in California, for example, they're gonna have, you know, a

And so we can send one individual person out there to work with

Honestly, this thing goes together really quite simply.

Uh, we've perfected it over many years, but the process is yeah, gets unloaded

And the, all of the pieces are gonna be, you know, assembled almost in a, in a

Um, you know, you put the floor system in and, uh, wall panels that

So the wall panels would go in kind of around the circle.

Um, and then the roof system goes on and all the, you know, trusses are

So oftentimes it's about a week from start to finish where that home is dried in, which

Yeah, that's amazing in terms of speed, to be able to do that.

And what, what do the, what is the size range of homes that, uh, you folks provide?

So it's almost across the board.

We, we have a model that is 300 square feet is our smallest.

That would be an eight sided, um, structure.

We go up to 22 sides, which is 2,500 square feet on a single level.

But what's unique about the, the Deltec panoramic homes is you can sort of craft

So you could go multiple stories.

You could connect multiple structures.

So we've had people do 10,000 square feet and we've had people do 300 square feet.

You know, most of the time it's 1500 to 2,500 square feet is kind of the, the sweet

And, um, we've got tons of options in between those ranges and, um, yeah.

So you talked about that speed of assembling and

I I'm just curious.

I mean, with the labor shortage and everything going on, is, is that something

with more that you can do in the plant, um, and then less on the job site, or do

No, we're always asking that question and sometimes it's the little

Or like you said, there's, uh, you know, the labor market is so challenging now

And so, um, just had a conversation about some ideas with our plant manager yesterday.

So yeah, it's a very common topic of, of discussion something we're

Yeah.

Well, I know, and we've got a meeting coming up here in a couple weeks where we've invited

And what does that mean?

As far as the application of our products as well.

I'm, I'm kind of curious a little bit, you know, we're seeing homes being built so

Is that something your customers are asking for?

Or a lot of times, because someone's going, you know, building out in

Yeah, that's an interesting question.

I think you nailed it there.

It's it's actually both.

I see some homes that are highly tech-forward and some that are intentionally not

And, you know, an example that comes to my mind, one of the, the model homes

There's no TV in the whole, you know, sort of living side of the home, but

drop down if you wanna watch TV, but it doesn't take away from the experience

So I'll see people do things like that as well, where they're trying to kind

Hmm, makes a lot of sense.

Is there anything that, you know, you are seeing out there as far as

construction or, um, things that you think are going to become trends or

You know, further that we can go more that we can do.

Um, just kind of curious for your thoughts on that as someone who has

Well, I'll share the direction that we're going.

And then maybe we can, um, volley back and forth a little bit

The, um, the thing that we're most focused on right now, I alluded to earlier, is this idea

And so the question that we keep coming back to is, what is the home of our

And how do we build it in a way that's gonna benefit future generations?

And so the, the issue that we are tackling right now is this one of resilience

So what we saw in hurricane Dorian, for example, um, was sustained winds at 185 miles

And you start to ask yourself, well, what's next?

You know, how do we prepare for that?

So that our homes can continue to, to make it through these storms unscathed.

And so we've got a project now we call Project 225, which is with the

Maybe it's 50 years from now, before that becomes a thing, but let's build

And so that's kind of a big focus of our innovation, um, in the greater

And I, I think the title of the podcast is very interesting, cause I, I think a

Um, so obviously we're, we're focused on a particular side of that with the resilience,

Yeah, no, I think that's interesting and certainly I agree.

I think resiliency is one of those driving factors.

I, I think as we touched on saving labor is going to be another driving factor.

Uh, I think incorporating more tech, both in the how and the

Um, are going to be factors as well.

And as I think about younger folks entering our industry, um, those all seem like

There's gonna be things that permanently change, uh, those areas.

Um, I'm just kinda curious along those lines, because we do think, uh, a number of

Um, any advice you have for folks who are getting started in a career in this industry?

I would probably, I would say two things first, be open to learning as

Cause I think the, the real innovations are gonna come from people who've seen

So like, you know, as you're early in your career, be open to trying all those different

And then I think the other thing I would say is just, um, you know, ask yourself what

You know, so for me, it's how do I leave things better than I found them and

And so if I'm learning new things and I'm finding ways to take care of the planet, then

And if you can mirror that with a, uh, or match that with a company,

Yeah, that's gonna be your sweet spot.

Love it.

Good stuff.

Well, we are really getting close to the end of our time here.

And again, I want to thank you for your time.

Um, before we close out, though, I do want to ask you if you're willing to participate

So, this is seven questions, may be a little serious, some may be silly.

Um, your only commitment is to provide a answer for each one and our audience needs

In fact, we had someone the other day who had to pass on a question and that's fine too.

Um, but, uh, anyway, anxious to see if you're willing to participate in it.

Sure, why not?

Let's do it.

Fantastic.

Well away we go.

We're gonna alternate asking you the questions.

I'll let Seth start.

All right.

Question number one.

All right.

Uh, Steve, what is your favorite hobby?

Rock climbing.

That's an easy one.

You're in a pretty

good area for that too.

I suspect.

Yeah, for sure, there's tons of it.

Very neat.

I've never done it.

I've watched all the Alex Honnold documentaries on Netflix, but I'm

Your mom warned you years ago to stay on flat ground as much as possible.

True.

You've told that story.

Yes.

Question number two.

Um, do you think you have ever seen a, or have you ever seen a UFO?

Have I ever seen a UFO?

Um, wow.

Never been asked that question before.

I'm gonna have to go with no, but.

There was, we were backpacking a couple years ago in the middle of nowhere.

And you, you do see things that just don't make sense, but, um, I attribute them to

I, uh, couple of years ago, um, I was outside late at night and just this

I mean it was incredibly bright and fast.

And, uh, the weirdest thing was, I mentioned it to my business partner

And he had been outside and seen the exact same thing at the exact same time.

So I, I thought that was kind of cool.

Okay.

Question three.

It's up to you now.

If you could trade places with anyone living in the

Trade places.

Even just temporarily.

who would I trade places with?

Um, temporarily, I'll give you one that pops to my mind.

Uh, Charles LeClerc, Formula One driver for Ferrari.

Awesome.

Good answer.

Uh, okay.

Fourth question.

Was there anything that you seemed to consistently get in trouble for as a child?

You know, I was a pretty well behaved kid.

But there was probably the stuff that my parents didn't know that I was doing,

Um, the one story, I do remember a friend of mine and I took my aunt's Polaroid

Like, uh, that one stands out in my mind, but, uh, yeah, nothing, nothing too juicy.

I think those were like a buck an image even back in that day or something.

Alright, next question.

what's the worst haircut you've ever had?

Ooh, worst haircut.

Um, you know, I know that it's back in style now, but I definitely had

So that's, that's an easy answer for me.

Yeah, it was more like college years for me.

Okay, next to last question, I think.

But did I give him an extra question, no.

Next to last question, what's a weird fact that you happen to know?

We, we made challenging ones for you, Steve.

These are, you guys are really twisting the screws here.

Um, A weird fact.

I'm trying to think of something that would actually be fun.

And, and, uh, all right.

Gimme the last question.

Let me keep working on that one and I'll, I'll come up with something.

All right now.

Second, uh, last question.

Is there any food you'd have a tough time living without?

So that one's pretty easy.

I'm definitely a chocaholic and I don't know that I would make it without chocolate.

I've got, you know, in, in my drawer right here next to me, I've got several

Um, alright, so I'm still, I'm still trying to come up with a fact

We could always report it on a future episode too.

Yeah, that'd be good.

Yeah.

Nothing.

I mean, nothing's popping into mind and I know this is a lightning round,

I'll audible and give you a question you can answer, as I'm always

Steve's picture, but we have a bookshelf in the background of obviously books that

And, uh, what's, uh, what's a couple of recommendations off the shelf behind you?

So I would say the there's a book called How Executives Fail.

This would be an, a recommendation for anybody who's in a leadership position.

Fascinating read, cuz it's written exactly opposite of what you should do.

Um, and so it's a fun read.

Um, author is Lee Thayer.

Um, I would, I also really, if, if y'all haven't read any of the books by Ryan

are sort of taking stoic philosophy and, and putting it into modern

Um, and then one that's actually on my shelf, Think Like a Rocket Scientist is a really

So there you go.

Add those to your reading list.

Those sound great.

Good stuff.

Well, thank you again for joining us really enjoyed this, a great deal.

Is there anything we haven't covered today that you would

I think probably just my blood type.

We've covered it all up.

Well, good stuff.

Well, how could folks get in touch with you if they wanted to get in touch with you and

Sure.

Yeah.

I definitely encourage people to go to deltechomes.com.

It's D E LT E C H O M E S dot com.

Folks can email me at S for Steve, slinton, L I N T O N, @deltechomes.com.

And thanks for listening.

Fantastic.

Well, thank you so much.

And, thank you to our audience for tuning into this episode of Construction Disruption

We ask you, please watch for future episodes of our podcast.

We always have great guests on tap, and don't forget to leave a

Until the next episode though, change the world for someone, make them smile,

In the meanwhile, God bless, take care.

This is Isaiah Industries signing off until the next episode of Construction Disruption.