A new NAHB study shows that, on average, regulations imposed by government at all levels account for $131,734, or 26.4%, of the final price of a new single-family home built for sale. Of this amount, $46,795 is due to a higher price for the finished lot, attributable to regulations imposed during the lot’s development. The remaining $84,939 is the result of regulatory costs imposed on the builder during construction, after the builder purchases the finished lot.
The individual line items in the above figure range from under $2,000 per home for the pure cost of delay during the construction phase of the project, to more than $40,000 for changes in building codes over the past 10 years.
Results show that the cost of regulation climbed at its fastest rate between consecutive surveys. The current estimate of $131,734 is over 40% higher than the $93,871 figure from the 2021 study, and more than double the NAHB’s initial estimate of $65,224 back in 2011.
The estimate of $46,795 in regulatory costs incurred during lot development is based largely on the “Land Developer Survey on Regulatory Costs” conducted by NAHB in March of 2026. The $84,939 estimate of regulatory costs during the construction phase is based largely on questions in the March 2026 survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Data from the two surveys were combined with information on average construction times, interest rates, profit margins etc. to produce estimates of regulatory costs as a percentage—either of the price of a lot purchased by a builder, or of the builder’s narrowly defined cost of construction. The percentages were then converted to dollars using the January 2026 average new home price of $499,500 from the first release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s New Residential Sales report. For more information on the methodology, including both survey questionnaires and a complete documentation of all other information incorporated into the estimates, please consult the full study.
Regulatory costs are one of several factors, including record increases of tariff rates on building materials, ongoing skilled labor shortage, a dearth of available lots and tighter lending conditions, currently limiting the supply of housing—particularly housing for the entry-level market, where additional inventory is most needed.
This article was originally published by a eyeonhousing.org . Read the Original article here. .
Unless you’re planning a wet room, you don’t need to cover every inch with tile, Ghaly says. Not only is tiling just part of the room cheaper, both in terms of labor and materials, but also it’s often more practical.
“The advantage of part-tiling is that the bathroom becomes much more flexible,” he says. “For example, you can paint the rest of the walls, which means the bathroom can be redesigned more easily in the future, using different colors.
“Hanging pictures on bathroom walls is also becoming popular, and part-tiling gives you this option,” he adds.
When it comes to tile prices, Ghaly says, ceramic tiles are generally cheaper. “Imitation tiles — marble-look, for example — can be inexpensive yet will give your bathroom a similar luxury look and feel like the real thing.”
Shop for bathroom tile on Houzz