Sirius - Termites are easy to prevent in new construction, even the aggressive kind now moving up the coast from SoCal to mid-Cal areas like Monterey due to warming climate. Things like wooden studs can either be pre-treated at higher expense in advance, or treated with nontoxic borate solution during construction. The underlying soil can also be treated. Local building codes apply regardless; but those are almost routinely violated and bribed away in many inland tract developments anyway, where long-term integrity of a building is very low on their priorities. In the past, places especially susceptible to termites, like Santa Barbara, once required old growth redwood framing due to its inherent resistance to bugs and dryrot; but now that's impossible because nearly all of it was cut down long ago.
And what amazes me about SoCal building codes, versus here on the NorCal coast, they allow substandard "whitewoods" like hemlock as framing, versus the Douglas fir mandated here, assuming of course the materials have been legally rated and sold, and not just arbitrarily sold under unofficial retail categories like the big box outlets use. It's all supposed to be checked for legitimacy by inspectors anyway, if they themselves happen to be competent and honest. Now engineered framing materials are beginning to take over, which have certain advantages in dimensional stability, strength, and linearity, but are still relatively expensive.
A fascinating exception to the lax LA standards is in Beverly Hills, where everyone is so rich and conscious of high property values that they are able to maintain a strictly run building inspection department. One of my former assistants became an Inspector there, and kinda became a hero to us when the little guy was given enough official clout to successfully shut down a massive shoddy illegal remodel in one of the alternate homes of a particularly famous individual (I won't say who, but it just might be coincidental with the most controversial name pervading the Soap Box portion of the forum; but I never go there, so can't say for sure). All the neighbors were certainly happy about that too. A fun anecdote, at least. Wish my own city had a clean inspection department; but it's 50/50. I lucked out with a good one when my darkroom was built and formally inspected - someone interested in building one for himself.
