[djdjfhsje33edh]

> They cost like 3x what a newbuild does, this "but building codes" stuff doesnt stand up to scruitiny.

I don't think that's a fair comparison. There is a fixed supply by definition of those old buildings, so their price will be pushed up by demand with little relation to their cost to build since they can't be built anymore.

A better comparison would be to look at the cost of new houses in developing places like SE Asia where there are little to no building codes.

[blitzar]

The building code certainly allows homes to be built with 3 foot brick walls, but home builder building 100 cookie cutter homes on a plot of land are in it for the money (despite saying they are in it to build peoples dreams in their ads).

They build using the cheapest methods allowed by law, see the choice to build with fireproof cladding (£24 psm) vs flamable (£22 psm). Building codes are about setting a floor in the construction quality, not a ceiling (pun intended).

[OJFord]

There's a lot more than you probably imagine, other than these 3x price ones GP's thinking of - that seems pretty niche, they'd have to be exceptionally well-preserved and dripping in original features.