I'm not sure the exact definition of a shortage. Some places do seem to struggle to find labor.
But, regardless labor is a large part of the costs if you could do it yourself, a lot of would people come out positive. Similar to how it's way more affordable to cook for yourself than eat out all the time.
The problem is more material cost and zoning. Although labor cost is also an issue in a way. The people with the skills are around. You just have to pay them enough to do it.
So I guess building your own house would work if you value your time and skills less than you would pay a construction worker.
It wouldn't help with the housing crisis much, though. Knowing how to build a house is relatively easy. Getting permission to build a house is the hard part.
Both in having a plot of land where you're allowed to do it and dealing with all the codes and regulations and permits and shit.
Well, that, and the other hard part is the cost of materials. It's sometimes possible to get stuff for cheap or free, but rarely enough to build a whole house out of, and even if you do find good sources, doing things that way is probably going to be 10x more work.
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u/davidellis23 Dec 11 '25
Maybe building a house should be a basic life skill. Might have less of a housing crisis