Housing Innovators Converge on Washington, DC, To Showcase Cutting-Edge Building Methods

Homebuilders will be the first to admit it's very difficult time for the business. But they're also hopeful that the nation's housing crisis will spur new ideas and solutions to bring costs down.This week, at the Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall in Washington, DC, builders touted the latest housing ideas, from manufactured housing to 3D-printed homes and modular construction.At the event, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sought to highlight new innovations in the homebuilding world. This comes on the heels of Congress passing the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, the largest housing reform package in 30 years.But it also comes as Americans are more and more concerned about affordability in daily life. And younger Americans, in particular, are more and more pessimistic that home ownership is slipping further out of reach.Bill Owens, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, said the new federal housing law is just the beginning. NAHB estimated this year that regulatory costs add $131,000 to the cost of a new home. But those are from all kinds of sources, including state, local, and federal regulations.Regulatory costs also compound wi...