Michael Klanja left the upper storey of a townhouse development because he thought it would be safer working on the ground level when strong winds lashed Melbourne.
But the 30-year-old died when a gust of wind toppled a partly-built brick garage wall, trapping him in the rubble.
It's the second tragic accident to strike the Klanja family, after Mr Klanja's mother died in a car crash.
A co-worker frantically tried to rescue the father-of-two from the rubble but paramedics could not revive him.
Mr Klanja's family said he was a generous and loving man who was loved by all.
"Michael Klanja, husband to Isabel and father to two beautiful boys, will be dearly missed," his family said in a statement.
"He goes to meet his mother also taken by an accident as tragic as this.
"A life that was taken too early but a life that will stay with us forever."
Mr Klanja's mother reportedly died in a car accident about five years ago.
Mr Klanja was working on a two-storey townhouse development in Brighton East when strong winds hit Melbourne on Monday morning.
His supervisor and family friend, Stan Bilic, was devastated to see Mr Klanja die after knowing him for so long.
"I knew the day when he was born and I (saw) it when he died as well, which is really hard for me," Mr Bilic told reporters.
Detective Sergeant Gerry Richardson said the two workers decided not to work on the upper floor due to high winds.
"They came down from the upper storey level that they were working on and they decided it would be safer to work on the rear of the construction site," Det Sgt Richardson told reporters.
"They moved from the upper storey level to the rear of the premises because of the wind."
Det Sgt Richardson said police would investigate how the wind brought down the wall.
"We've got to look at how the wall was braced in regards to that, whether that was part of the factor of why the wall collapsed," he said.
Det Sgt Richardson said paramedics arrived soon after the collapse but were unable to revive the man when he was freed from the rubble.
Neighbour Leala Sawicki said she was lying in bed when she heard the wall collapse, but thought it was just normal sounds from the building site.
"I heard a really loud bang. I didn't think anything because I'd been hearing noises all the time," Mrs Sawicki told AAP.
"By the time I got up, they (emergency services) were already here."
Mrs Sawicki said she saw her neighbour trying to talk with Mr Klanja but he didn't seem to be responding.
"I could see my neighbour talking to the guy, he looked terrible."
Three pedestrians died when a building site wall collapsed in Melbourne's CBD in March 2013.
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