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Comment by sjg007 | Hacker News Reader

Weird.. you can build a house in the upper midwest USA for 200k. That's land + all of the regulations etc... Condos should be cheaper per unit too. But like everywhere there is a construction labor shortage. I would hope that the kids gets into construction, at least as a summer job or something while pursuing education.

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Finding young unskilled apprentices for construction work is easy, finding experienced skilled journeymen is hard because most of them leave the field during each construction bust.

You just can’t make a career out of construction with the current boom and bust way the cycle is going.

You can absolutely have a career in construction, as I know many people who have.

The challenge is health. It's a very demanding line of work where you have to carry weight, wake up in the early morning and work in the cold. People don't want to work like that. It's very hard on the body and you're broken when you reach your 50's.

I think a lot of things can be improved here with technology both in materials and for doing the actual work where the risk is lower so your body isn't completely shot.

It's almost like that problem would be partially solved if the US had a system where you could get healthcare without needing it to be tied to full-time employment.

It's not just an insurance problem. I assume accidents are already covered as part of your construction work.

When you are in your 20's. You fall from a ladder, break some bones, you heal and get back on your feet one year later. When you are in your 50's, you are more fragile and less resilient, same thing happens, you might never be able to work again. It's brutal.

Eh I don't really buy it... HVAC techs, plumbers, electricians, earthwork, even carpenters/framers can all find work outside of construction booms. And you can move towards prefab as much as possible as well if you are deeply concerned..

A 2.4M 2x4 costs almost 10 NZD here. And that is the cheapest lumber.

There are huge markups in the local market on building materials due to a duopoly. It is cheaper to fly to Australia buy NZ made siding there and ship it to NZ than to buy it locally.

huh... sounds like an opportunity to ship over some containers from China.

The land in Auckland is driving the value. It's a lovely climate, great city to live in, stable economy and government and open the water. There simply isn;'t much of that sort of living around.

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