Question

We all know that a dollar today does not buy what a dollar bought 100 years ago. Imagine what portion of a house $100 would have bought in 1907 for your great-grandfather, say. Now take a guess: about how much would that portion of house cost if constructed today?

Answer

Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $8,000 for that $100 portion of house. Fortunately we earn far more per hour today than most of our great-grandfathers ever did. If only the lumber were as good today.