> Blue collar wedges (wages?) are pretty similar across time, but the cost of house construction (ignoring land) is dramatically higher. Blue collar wages as a

> Blue collar wedges (wages?) are pretty similar across time, but the cost of house construction (ignoring land) is dramatically higher. Blue collar wages as a whole may have, but construction workers' wages since 2006 have increased 47% when adjusted for inflation. This should come as no surprise, since that field historically has strong unions. You also have more rigorous safety codes for those workers. On top of that, building codes have changed dramatically (thankfully) in those past 100 years. Whether it's structural, insulation, windows, electrical wiring and capacity, plumbing (older homes pipes were narrower, so couldn't handle things like a garbage disposal).