Tired of high costs, some Americans are importing homes straight from China | CNN Business

Gennadiy Tsygan knows how expensive it is to build a home in the United States. That’s why he imported almost everything for his dream house from China. Most of his home fixtures were imported directly from over two dozen factories, and Tsygan — an engineer in Baltimore — flew halfway around the world in 2024 to choose some of those products. His home is cozy but industrial, standing out in a sea of Baltimore’s colonials and ranches. It’s made out of gray fiber cement but has welcoming floor-to-ceiling windows and an open kitchen. Tsygan is proud of even the smallest features, such as doors with a magnetic lock to achieve a silent click and European-style windows. The home is on track for LEED certification, he adds. “Building home is a project of a lifetime, and I treat it as an adventure and try to have fun with it,” Tsygan said. “That’s how I came to trying to import some building materials from China.” With the high cost of home construction, more Americans are becoming curious about working with Chinese suppliers on their renovations. The price of home construction materials in the United States increased by 3% from last year, according to the National Asso

Apr 25, 2026 → Apr 25, 2026