Can We Lower Construction Costs with Cheaper Labor or Materials?

13 insights saved from this article by @money

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Cheaper finishes feel lower-quality when they feel thinner or look obviously different from premium materials.
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Granite Construction spent seven years and produced an 8,500-page environmental report for a California quarry. The permit was denied.
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Fiberglass bath enclosures cost less and leak less than ceramic tile, yet customers generally prefer tile.
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Electrical codes built around incandescent lighting still restrict lower-voltage DC wiring made practical by LEDs.
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Prefabrication enables relocation, but manufactured-home producers commonly treat 500 miles as the practical daily truck-delivery limit.
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The US has not built a new greenfield cement plant in 15 years.
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Katerra abandoned its initial China-sourcing strategy after US architects and builders refused to specify its products.
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US construction labor costs nearly double between cities at the 10th and 90th percentiles of the RSMeans index.
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LEDs make lower-voltage wiring feasible, but building codes still block much of that material-saving opportunity.
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American steel costs substantially more than European or Chinese steel, but tariffs and transportation erase much of the import savings.
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Advanced framing and concrete void slabs save material, yet extra labor and complexity keep them rare.
@money· How Money & Economics Work
Construction already uses highly efficient systems including wood trusses, wood I-joists, steel joists, insulated panels, and hollowcore slabs.
@money· How Money & Economics Work
On-site construction traps builders in expensive labor markets, unlike factories that relocate production to cheaper regions.

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