patrick.net

curious2 says

zzyzzx says

Exactly how does one do this?

One calls a company that specializes in it. They jack up the house, slide it to one side, dig the hole, pour concrete basement walls and foundation, then slide the house back into position on top of the basement. Surprisingly, it can cheaper to add a concrete basement than to raise the height of an attic in a wood frame house. Jacking up a house and moving it requires specialized expertise though; I would never recommend it as a DIY project.

I was thinking more along the lines of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDyrmNtxwA

cheap efficient solar panels with high efficiency battery technology.
maybe 20+ years out to reach the 'cheap' stage...?

JodyChunder says

I predict that in the future, there will be a solution people can take which will allow them to live in any climate almost totally free of discomfort. Discussions about energy efficiency and insulation will be like discussing buggy whips or the most efficient way to crank the tin Lizzy.

robertoaribas says

I end up living in older homes, because they are in the convenient neighborhoods I like, but there are tradeoffs.

In big cities... you simply don't have the option to buy a newer home.. Unless you want to tear down the existing home and build a new one from scratch... That stands out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood of 1950s tract housing. I see this in my neighborhood of 50s tract homes... There's a couple extravagant early 2000s Spanish style homes sandwiched between 1950s cape cods and Eichler's. Looks odd.