Homebuilders have taken a cue from car and appliance makers and begun incorporating the principles of planned obsolescence in new home builds. Unsatisfied with homes that last a hundred or more years, the new generation of houses are built to last twenty years with cosmetic problems appearing after five. To further their chances that homeowners will just say, “Doze it and start over,” builders are also using completely new architectural plans so that today’s new homes will definitely be “dated” in twenty, if not ten, years.
Planned Obsolescence Reaches the Housing Market
