people still build houses these days, even by themselves. will you really be so easily defeated by mere regulations? are they so fearful that you cannot even try?

i spent 9 months building homes with habitat for humanity and found the regulations largely reasonable (like steel strapping for earthquake resistance). the lackadaisicalness of the inspectors on the other hand was frustrating. most of the build could have been done by a single person who possessed determination, ingenuity and loads of time.

I helped a friend tear down an old house so he could build a new one himself. He had the odd person lending a hand at times but it was a one man job for the most part. He had no prior experience, read some books and watched YouTube videos. He would get compliments from building inspectors on his work. The house turned out wonderful.

In the suburbs there is a lot of regulation and that’s a good thing, but there are a lot of places in the US where you can build with literally or virtually zero building codes. (Except, usually, for septic).

There are building codes everywhere, but yes, many places that don't inspect. Where I am from in the south, there are literally no restrictions and that includes septic. You can go in a 5 gallon bucket and dump it out the window if you want.

Other responders comment on the sensibility of many regulations. I agree.

What I find less acceptable, is placing them in the hands of and behind the paywall of commercial interests.

In some cases, that does make them quite expensive for the individual.

It also places consumers of building and trade services at a disadvantage. Is your job being done correctly? Well, the building and other code defining a good bit of this, may not be readily accessible to you.

Creating it is and should be a public effort. The public should pay for that, up front. And then we should all have access to it.

Transparency is also essential for good and effective government. And regulation is a part of that.

Yet sadly enough people complain about the multiple trips back to HomeDespot when they forget to pick up said screw, bolts, or wooden panels instead of being told to use them.

Houses aren't being built anymore? No wonder there's a housing shortage.