Just one point though - I'm not sure how it is in the US, but new building regulations can increase the cost of a house, too. In the 80s, people suffocated on their wood-fired stove, asbestos in the walls, and draft in winter.

Windows alone, we've gone from wood with 6mm glas, to something like 4-layer glazing and thermally broken profile. That stuff is not cheap. 

 Lots of regukk lol actions here are less about safety and more about making everybody involved an extra dime. The insurance companies get up with the manufacturers and come up with the shit lol