Reduce the number of schools NAAB accredited by limiting the number of schools that can be NAAB accredited. Probably a problematic issue. Raise the requirement for licensure to a Masters level or doctoral degree maybe an option to really cut down how many people can meet the licensure requirement. Lengthen the process of licensure like increasing AXP to 12 years of AXP in addition to 5 year degree or experience in lieu of a degree. Then make the exam more difficult and more comprehensive requiring not just passing the AXP but various exams relating to the ICC exams for plan reviewers and inspectors and code officials AND also the PE exams for Structural and also the PE exam for Architectural Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering (Power), and I think also Plumbing and possible a few others. PASS THEM ALL and then you'll be licensed in addition your JE or state exam on the laws. If we did that, it will be a very intensive process and I would say very few will pass the rigor of all that. That will certainly have an effect on reducing the number of people getting licensed. Now, anyone up to meeting that standard including also requiring existing architects to pass those additional exams as a condition of renewal after a 5 to 10 year window where they'll have to pass those exams by then to renew after that time period comes due otherwise, license goes Inactive. Now, that would be grueling for sure and impact the number of licensees but I suspect that will be very HIGHLY unpopular.

You have half of that correct . . .

. . . " so this should be easy. You shouldn't have to charge more that $300 for this."

LOL.... yeah.... the typical (_________) that we have to deal with for clients for a lot of residential projects comparing to the price of stock house plans. Ugh..... stock house plans are plans that have been sold multiple times and thus reused plans NOT plans that are one-off custom plans. Just like it doesn't cost only $40 to make a video game even though that maybe the price you pay for that game..... because the cost of the development work of that video game is distributed over the sales at a particular price point.... which requires a minimum number of sales of usually 100,000s of sales in order to break-even..... sometimes, the sales needs to be over a million sales to break even. Stock house plans follows a similar principle where they have to sell the same plans multiple times until enough purchases have been made to break even on the expense. If you don't make break-even, you don't have an profit. You have a loss. In short, you are spending more money than you are earning.... which means... you're on the path of going out of business. Why don't clients have any sort of intelligence and sense in their heads when they think a one-off custom designed home for them is going to be cheap like stock house plans. Architects are selling books. They are selling a service resulting in a custom design for their project.... and custom means.... ONE off. It means, there is only ONE exactly like it..... just like a complete custom car designed by Kindig or others. They sure aren't going to be paying a few hundred dollars. What the hell. Architects aren't necessarily rich. Some may be well to do in the sense that they aren't living on poverty level income but most are not rich like Bill Gates. We just don't get that kind of income from designing buildings.

Professional blueprints can involve dozens of 100s of sheets of 24x36 to 36x48 paper full of technical drawings, specifications, and such. Often requiring easily a couple hundred hours to prepare the construction documents after already doing design development documents before that and schematic drawings before that. The services can easily involve over a 1000 hours for a relatively modest size custom design home.