Post #2: Planned Obsolescence Has a ZIP Code
How the Logic of Disposability Infiltrated the American Home
We know what planned obsolescence looks like in tech.
Your phone slows down after three years.
Your laptop charger breaks just after the warranty ends.
We grumble—but we expect it.
What we don’t expect is that our homes are built the same way.
And yet, in too many neighborhoods across America, that’s exactly what’s happening.
The Logic of Failure, Baked In
Planned obsolescence isn’t just a manufacturing strategy. It’s a mindset:
Build it fast. Make it look good. Design it to wear out.
Because replacements are profitable. Longevity is not.
This logic has made its way into American housing—quietly, but systemically.
Consider:
Builder-grade faucets that corrode in 24 months
Composite trim that begins to swell before the first paint touch-up
Cabinet hinges that can’t be adjusted once the door alignment fails
Windows that meet code but leak energy and noise
Smart home gadgets that become obsolete with the next app update
These aren’t just minor annoyances.
They represent a larger truth: our homes are being engineered to degrade.
Why Would Anyone Build This Way?
Because the system rewards it.
In most housing markets:
The builder isn’t responsible after the first year.
The buyer doesn’t know what to look for.
The trades are siloed, focused only on their scope.
The manufacturer is optimizing for mass distribution, not long-term use.
In other words, no one is accountable for how the whole house performs over time.
And so, the incentives stack like this:
📈 Lower cost = higher margin
⏱ Faster build = faster sale
🎨 Nicer finish = higher perceived value
It’s not criminal.
But it is corrosive.
The Real Cost of Cheap
Homeowners pay for this failure in slow motion:
Through constant maintenance.
Through energy inefficiency,
Through comfort issues they can't trace.
Through systems that fail just after warranty.
Through renovations they didn’t plan for.
By the time most people realize what’s wrong, they’re told it’s “Normal wear and tear.”
But it’s not.
It’s engineered decay.
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
At The High-Performance Home, we reject the disposability model.
We’re building homes—and a system—that are:
✔ Designed for longevity
✔ Built with tested assemblies
✔ Backed by coordination across trades
✔ Transparent to the homeowner
✔ Supported by a performance ecosystem—not left to chance
Our homes aren’t designed to be replaced.
They’re designed to be upgraded.
The ZIP Code of Obsolescence
Somewhere in your town is a beautiful new neighborhood already headed toward dysfunction.
The parts were never meant to last.
The people who installed them were never asked to collaborate.
The model wasn’t built on service—it was built on sales velocity.
That’s what planned obsolescence looks like in housing.
And it’s time we said the quiet part out loud.
Next Up: Post #3 – “The Lie of Customization”