A builder in Australia goes from nearly losing everything to dominating a market segment. Then he discovers America has completely missed what he's been doing for 20 years.

Mick Fabar left school at 15, became a qualified builder by 21, and started his company at 22. By the early 2000s, he was running a solid business outside Sydney doing 30 projects a year. Then six American volume builders arrived. His business collapsed from 30 projects to two.

"I thought every single builder here is going to do the same thing. We're all going to stand at the front and say, I've got the best price, the best time, the best quality. It was just a race to the bottom."

His wife suggested building green. They built two homes as an experiment, tracked everything, and within a year were back to 30 homes annually, all sustainable. By 2006, they'd stopped doing anything else.

"It's 2025, we're moving into 2026 and they still haven't done it. Everyone else is at the other side of the playground, fighting over the same consumer, still giving free holidays away. We're not even in that discussion."

By 2012, they had 40+ territories across Australia and New Zealand, building around 450 homes a year through franchising.

In 2017, a guy from New York kept emailing saying nobody in America was doing this. Mick flew over, met with 100 professionals, and discovered something shocking.

"The consumers that wanted green, energy efficient, healthy, sustainable homes were 10 times the quota of what Australia and New Zealand were combined. And there's no one delivering it."

Mick talks about the frustration of breaking into the US market and the industry's resistance to change.

"The building industry is very cultural. The contractors working today were trained by contractors trained in the previous generation. We're still doing stuff that we were doing in the fifties."

The key insight? It doesn't cost more if you design it right from the start.

"People think building green is expensive. It's not. The fundamental things don't cost any more money. It's about the design, the envelope sealing, the orientation. That just takes time to think."

The franchise model gives builders the brand, processes, and 20 years of data.

"The education about building green homes is not the secret sauce. The secret sauce is building a brand, consumer confidence, and a business to be able to deliver that."

They've built about 100 homes in the US with a 70-home subdivision going up outside Atlanta.

"My reason for getting up in the morning is to crack this American market wide open and deliver positive change. I want to change the building industry. That's my mission. Every day, 24 hours a day."

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About Mick Fabar Founder & CEO, Green Homes Builders

Mick Fabar is the Founder and CEO of Green Homes Builders, a global leader in sustainable residential construction across Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. With over 25 years of experience, he has pioneered high-performance, energy-efficient homes.

Since founding Green Homes in 2006, he has built one of the world's most advanced green-building networks, delivering over 10,000 projects annually. The company holds extensive international IP in energy-smart design and construction processes.

Green Homes has earned numerous accolades, including the HIA National Award for Australia's Most Efficient Home (2007 and 2009), multiple Master Builders Excellence Awards, and Global Home of the Year (2023). Mick is the only two-time NAHB Global Innovative Award winner.

Beyond building, Mick was inducted into the Motoractive Hall of Fame in 2022 and is a four-time Guinness World Record holder in boxing.

Connect with Green Homes:

Green Homes Builders USA: https://ghbuildersusa.com

Green Homes Builders Australia: https://greenhomesaustralia.com.au

Green Homes New Zealand: https://greenhomesnz.co.nz