> ...and I just don’t see anything that can hold a candle to modern construction in DACH. You say "Money was not the problem". I take that to mean your friend

> ...and I just don’t see anything that can hold a candle to modern construction in DACH. You say "Money was not the problem". I take that to mean your friend was reasonably not willing to pay as much as an order of magnitude more in the US than average (say a range of $300-1K psf for just the improvement and not including the dirt). Generally, if he went to high-end commercial builders, opened a checkbook, and said, "use these materials and parts, build to these specs and tolerances", he'll get whatever he wants in the US. Compare average US tract residential SFH construction build quality to what you find in private venture companies that builds and operate their own MFH's. While the interiors are similar, the private venture companies are staffed by people who know what will and will not work in the bones of the structure over the investment payoff timeline. They won't care about insulation for the tenants' benefit, but they will make very certain for example that the walls, roof and foundation stand for as long as they project to hold the investment. The US aggressively min-maxes for the wealthy capital-holding class. It is no accident that if you want something done right and will last, you will avail yourself of the same kinds of resources that class will use themselves.