Why don't construction prices go down?

The construction industry will have to automate more in order to meet high demand with a declining workforce at somewhat affordable prices, yes. However, I currently don't see any change in thinking when the boss of a plastering company tells me: "Silo? Not worth it, I can put a man there who carries bags all day, in the end it's even cheaper."

This is also one reason why construction workers are often physically finished by their mid-fifties. Because it's cheaper for them to work themselves to the bone instead of getting a machine or a crane.

For me, building a prefab house was not a thing. We only decided on the location of the sockets on site with the electrician, which is why they are, with few exceptions, optimally placed. Unimaginable if you had to fix that with a half-hearted planner at the computer like some neighbors. When we were standing in the shell bathroom, we completely changed the bathroom again. That would not have been possible with a prefab house.

Possibly that will change someday through Virtual Reality. But for many homebuilders, that will cause big problems because you can only really imagine it when you are inside the room... and even then my wife sometimes still has problems with spatial imagination.

Because with stone-on-stone construction, I see rather few automation possibilities that already exist today. A slot robot would be great, but it would then have to complete an entire floor completely independently. And complex tasks like pulling and connecting cables... I do not see that happening with a machine anytime soon...

The construction industry will have to automate more in order to be able to serve high demand with a declining workforce at somewhat affordable prices, yes. However, I currently don’t see a change in mindset when the boss of a plastering company tells me: "Silo? Not worth it, I can put one man there who carries sacks all day, in the end it’s even cheaper." That’s also one reason why construction workers are often physically done for by their mid-50s. Because it’s cheaper if they work themselves to the bone instead of getting a machine or a crane. For me, building a prefab house was nothing. We only decided on the location of the sockets on site with the electrician, which is why they are, except for a few exceptions, optimally placed. Unimaginable if you had to fix that with a lazy planner on a computer like some neighbors did. When we were standing in the shell bathroom, we completely changed the bathroom again. That wouldn’t have been possible with a prefab house. Possibly that will change someday through virtual reality. But for many home builders it will cause big problems because you can only really imagine it when you’re standing in the room... and even then my wife sometimes still has trouble picturing it :D Because in traditional stone-on-stone construction, I still see few automation possibilities that already exist today. A slot robot would be great, but it would have to completely do an entire floor independently. And complex tasks like pulling and connecting cables... I don’t see that for the machine anytime soon...

Special requests just get left behind in the standardized mass business. Personally, I honestly don’t mind the placement of the sockets and I find it a relief not to have to plan everything myself. I see it in car buying: I can choose from all the lists and configure the optimal car for me, which I may then have to wait a long time for and never use parts of the special equipment. Or I take one that is available, standing on the dealer’s lot, and accept the included features.

However, it is also quite easy for both to ponder that special requests simply have to be set aside when you already live with special requests in your own house, right?

That's what annoys me about such debates, for example, also when 63-year-old actors who have enjoyed their lives to the fullest tell me on television that we now have to slowly reduce consumption. Or a Rakers, who made her money with "the wrong life," explaining to us that we all have to move to the chicken farm and provide for ourselves.

Usually, one tells others, mostly the younger ones, that they have to give up things that one already has (or had)...

The placement of sockets is a minor issue. Adapting to development plans is a bigger one, and adapting to the property can also be a problem. Especially on a slope, the standard is often an expensive but mediocre solution. Of course, there are houses that fit almost everywhere, but they are then also quite generic.

A car is only comparable to a limited extent; the regulations for it are harmonized across Europe and roads are similar everywhere. Imagine if every municipality had its own regulations on the color of the indicators, the required ground clearance of a car, how wide and tall it may be, the color, if in [Vordertupfingen] the car is allowed to consume a maximum of 5l diesel, and in [Hintertupfingen] 6l petrol, in [Großtupfingen] two solar panels on the roof are required, in [Kleintupfingen] only locally produced rapeseed oil may be used, ...

However, it is quite easy for both to reflect on the fact that special wishes inevitably have to be sacrificed when you already live in your own house with special wishes, right? ;)

What annoys me about such debates is, for example, when 63-year-old actors who have enjoyed their lives to the fullest explain on TV that consumption must now slowly be reduced. Or a Rakers, who made her money with "the wrong life," tells us that we all have to move to a chicken farm and provide for ourselves.

Usually, people tell others, mostly the younger ones, that they have to give up things they themselves already have(d)...

We bought a then four-year-old apartment from the first owner about four years ago. And since then, we have neither moved sockets, renovated the bathroom, nor relocated the partition wall. And I am really glad that all of this was practically given by God and that we didn’t have to plan or decide where what should go. That was also one of the reasons for us not to build or renovate a house.

An advantage is also that we are not emotionally attached to the apartment like someone who hammered the slots themselves in the sweat of their brow. The apartment, like a car, serves a specific purpose: living.

It is pretty easy for both of us, however, to reflect on the fact that special requests simply have to be left behind when you already live in your own home with special requests, right? What annoys me about such debates is, for example, when 63-year-old actors who have enjoyed life to the fullest explain on TV that we should now slowly start to reduce consumption

Hehe, I have to smile a bit right now because we are experiencing something quite the opposite. So it feels like here in the forum (and also in some personal conversations, especially if someone has built recently or is about to build) you rather have to defend yourself if you don’t want certain special requests. Yes, not even have the desire to ask for them...