Housing - the last frontier !

In the last half century the world has changed. Movies have gone from black and white to colour. The automobile has evolved from a boxy clunker to a sleek piece of almost aeronautical precision. The computer runs everything from communications to commerce - and yet we are still building houses the same way as at the time of the Roman empire - one brick on top of another !
Little has changed in fifty years. The average house has got a lot bigger, but the materials involved have changed little. We still favour brick and tiles - and there is no fast way to construct or lessen the labour content.
The average person needs three homes during their lifetime. Initially a small home will suit a young couple's needs, but when family comes along more room is needed - and finally when they become old, empty nesters - a size reduction is called for.
The homes we build have no capacity to alter to meet those needs.
It would be reasonable to think that by now the modular home would have emerged - and that used homes would be as common as used cars. The most valuable thing we are likely to own is the block of land on which the home sits. Would it not be reasonable to expect to trade in the home on that land as our needs change - with the old home having a portability that would allow it to be attractive to a buyer as holiday accommodation or low cost housing ?
We have upgraded home design to include items such as solar water heating and insulation to lower heating costs, but the basic home has not changed over the past half century - which in this day and age makes it unique.
The most probable cause is simply public perception. We accept change in every other facit of our lives, but we have a deep down resistance to anything other than the time honoured brick and tile home our parent's and grandparent's built.
If the family home is to move with the times in this twenty-first century it will take a huge change in public opinion - plus the ingenuity of architects to sell a concept that will meet the needs during the average persons lifetime.