this thread basically touches on the way the global market is going: cheaper construction = more profit.

look at houses built a year ago compared to houses built 100 years ago. the size and quality of the lumber used and the quality of the fixtures and hardware pale in comparison today, as opposed to what was used back then. now, sure... the insulation and energy-efficiency levels are now much higher. but what does a maintained masonry townhouse built in 1898 look and feel like, compared to a 1975 vinyl-sided ranch?

i just bought a 3-room brick house built in 1890 for $33,000 that only needed plaster repair to be move-in ready. per my insurance, the cost to rebuild this house today if it were destroyed would be $210,000! of course, it was a foreclosure and we are in a down market, but even 5 years ago during the boom it only sold for $70,000.

today, there just isn't the quality in materials or construction of anything--housing, cars, furniture, etc--that there was "back in the day". we have sacrificed quality for quantity and low cost.

i'm not stubborn: latex > lead paint. vinyl sewer pipes > cast iron or clay pipes. hardie board saves trees, and double pane glass saves dollars. but quality and longevity just don't sell to the current market anymore. shiny, fast, clean, and disposable things sell.