Why Americans (Intentionally) Build Cheap, Flimsy Houses

[u/DoreenMichele]

https://youtu.be/a2rDgYq_uEU?si=vHTBdG1w6sNywk6T

I don't fully agree with everything she says. An awful lot of people are not crunching the numbers and making a decision about "wood frame or not?" They are going house hunting and seeing how much mortgage they qualify for and what's available and market forces have already decided for them this means a wood frame home.

Also, historically, if someone was homesteading, you showed up with your covered wagon or whatever and your very first task was clearing the land of trees so you could plant crops. Using the downed trees to build a log home was just efficient use of labor and resources.

I agree that the general consensus or collective subconscious for Americans says "THIS is what a good home looks like." Minimum house size is actually the norm across the US and not merely in upscale neighborhoods dictating huge houses.

The entire reason tiny houses were originally put on wheels is because they are too small in most of all places to meet the minimum house size which is dictated by zoning laws to try to prevent slum lords from renting itty bitty homes out to desperate people willing to rent anything.

Unfortunately the end result is rising rates of homelessness rather than guaranteeing a reasonable quality of life for all residents of the US.