These systems usually include installation of gravel and polyethylene film beneath basement floors and concrete slabs, and provide for later installation of vent pipes and fans, if required. Older homes frequently have no gravel in which to collect the gas, no polyethylene film to retard movement of the gas through the slab, and no vent pipes. Mitigating radon from an existing home is generally far more expensive than building radon prevention techniques into a new home. Because of better windows, more efficient heating and cooling equipment, better control of air infiltration, and greater use of insulation, new homes consume half as much energy as homes built prior to 1980. Old homes tend to be drafty and less comfortable, and frost and condensation are more likely to appear on windows, drip down, and cause deterioration of wood trim and walls.
New homes require less maintenance.
New homes are available with siding, windows, and trim that never need painting. Wood decks are typically made of pressure-treated lumber resistant to rot and insects. Pressure-treated wood is also used where wood comes in contact with concrete. What you see is what you get. In an older neighborhood, everything is already built.