Posted on 11/05/2025 9:16:34 AM PST by grundle
We will never get the cost of housing down until we go back to the levels of per capita construction that we had in the 1960s and 1970s.
Current zoning laws make that impossible.
It seems to me at least that every time we as a country have replaced labor sources to reduce “costs”, “prices” don’t seem to follow. Then the population is stuck with ever increasing prices while wages stagnate. Now we are in a pickle because to bring labor back will increase “costs”, and we can’t have “prices” not following that increase. It’s not impossible to reverse this trend, but the majority can’t see past tomorrow.
That sounds similar to what my electrician said.
He understood and generally agreed with the changes up to about 2000 and thought most of the stuff after that was overkill.
The problem is that 90% of home buyers do not want to add a little sweat equity.
Even first time home buyers.
It has changed a lot since when you and I bought are first home.
The problem with a lot of younger people they have no concept how to even start. They have never done any type of physical labor. Much less construction.
Even though today you can literally learn how to fix ANYTHING by watching a YouTube video. So, houses that are a little “dated” are only bought typically by contractors. Who then flip them.
Lumber, plywood and OSB are all 25% of what they were in 2022.
Lumber is now selling at the less than the prices prior to covid-19. Many sawmills are curtailing production because lumber and OSB are selling at wholesale prices less than the cost of production.
The type of “housing” has greatly changed over the last fifty years.
Many of us grew up in a three bedroom, one bath house with a one car garage. If it even had a garage. That one bath and small kitchen did not have granite or Silestone counter countertops. Or stainless steel appliances. Or a laundry room. There was one bath that all six of us shared with one sink. Us four boys shared two bedrooms. We did not have central air either. The windows were not made by Anderson, Marvin or Pella. Mom never even had a dishwasher or a dryer.
Now, with the cost of the land to build a house in many markets it forces the builder to increase the size of the house along with the higher end features. Houses typically are 2400 square feet or larger. With at least a two car garage. In many places in the country that becomes a $750-850K house to build and make money on for the builder.
Not to mention most new construction is such over-priced, shoddy garbage, I’m beginning to think all the major construction companies are just money-laundering fronts for organized crime.
Gotta stop immigration too.
What about the taller people? Get 'em out by Friday?
It’s not just the zoning and construction codes. It’s also the war on landlords and the property taxes.
The average size of a new single-family home built in the U.S. in 1975 was approximately 1,645 square feet. In 2017 it was 2,631.
Yes, it’s very much a local issue.
We don't need jobs. What we do need are the things that are created by jobs. If machines can do it better, safer, and cheaper than people, we'll all be better off in the long run.
As more and more illegals leave, this will take pressure off housing and drive prices down.
Are saying that San Francisco is crime-free because it makes it almost impossible to build new housing?
Which of those two cities would you rather live in?
We have a ton of high-density housing going up around where I live. None of it wanted by anyone I’ve talked to about it.
It’s NIMBYism. Everyone has it in them but when it comes to share the wealth the left says your front yard is on the table.
That is funny! Hahahaha....
What is funny?
That sawmills are going out of business?
West Fraser lost $207 Million US dollars last quarter prior to the increase in tariffs/duties.
Canfor lost $157 million in the second quarter. They have closed multiple sawmills in the USA. People have lost their jobs.
What part of that is funny?
“Now, with the cost of the land to build a house in many markets it forces the builder to increase the size of the house along with the higher end features”
1. The cost of land does not “force” builders to build larger houses. It - larger houses - simply began with a trend by the builders to get HIGHER PROFITS off of x square feet of space - higher profits not the cost of land did that. Then that trend became what - keeping up with the joneses - buyers wanted. Then it became a competitive factor between builders. Then it increased the “standard” folks wanted. Price competition, ginned up buyer expectations, ginned up buyer demands - not cost of land, drove up the average house size. Then we went through successive phases of FED created inflation bringing money inflation on top of house size house price inflation. If the trend continues, more “home buying” will be more like Europe - fewer single family homes, more condos & co-op apartments and town home style units. Either that or massive and painful deflation.
2. Yes. We - our family of 10 - had a 4 bedroom tract home i california in the 1950s - one bath for mom and dad with one bath for use 8 kids - three girls in one bedroom, three boys in one bedroom, baby girl with mom and dad and oldest son with the smallest bedroom. Lousy single pane windows, no air conditioning, no dishwasher, asphalt tile floors through out, washer hook up but no dryer hook up or space. Eat in kitchen and not a huge living room. The best house we had ever had yet at that time (on dads lousy military salary).
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