[MattGaiser]

Does efficient use of materials matter compared to efficient use of labour/financing to get homes built?

Electron is regularly considered a horrible waste of "materials" in the tech world. It is still sensible to use as RAM is far more abundant than tech labour.

[icegreentea2]

Labour costs in construction is highly variable and situational, but 30-50% is a typical range. Material costs are a serious consideration in construction. Tradeoffs of material vs labour/capital costs have to take into consideration the specifics of the application.