Comment Wrong focus (Score 4, Informative) 78
Today, I can buy prefab house kits from Amazon for about $20,000, as older generations could from Sears catalog, and build our own.
However, the next question is: where?
The previous generations could easily buy a land on the outskirts of the city (or even use "homesteading" to get it for free), cut down ancient forests, and build their own home. Not saying we should do that anymore, but even if you find a piece of land completely barren, it would take 10 years to get a permit in California, along with unending streams of CEQA lawsuits from unrelated parties. Basically any "new" construction is out of the question, at least for middle class.
That leaves you with existing permitted land. The problem:
https://www.latimes.com/califo...
The charred remains of a burnt down house costs $1,000,000
So my brave new home project cost goes from $20,000 by a measly 5,000% to $1,020,000
As long as we don't fix permitting, there is no reason to worry about construction costs.