In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a well-regarded builder is promoting quality over quantity. The Spokesman Review reports:
Imagine shopping for a car today and having to choose between a Ford Pinto and a Chevy Vega.
People shopping for new homes aren’t much better off, says builder Andy Smith.
“If you take today’s standard construction techniques,” he said, “they really haven’t evolved much in the last 40 years.”
And new tract homes aren’t built to last, Smith said.
“A National Association of Home Builders study concluded today’s typical entry-level home has a 10-year lifespan.
“To begin with, workers with the least amount of knowledge and experience are building them,” Smith said. “And the products going into those homes – plumbing fixtures, furnaces, hot-water tanks, floor coverings, cabinets – are not designed to last much beyond 10 years.”
