What makes you think quality standards have gone down?
From what I have seen, there's two reasons people think this. One is that modern houses are extremely well insulated. Which means that if you drill into a wall or just tap it with your hand, it sounds hollow, because it is rammed with cavities full of insulation. People have a "perception" that somehow brick and mortar is magically of higher quality and solid sounds better - even though functionally it is worse, especially with the way heating bills are going.
The other is just timber framed construction. This is an objection particularly in England - in Scotland timber framed buildings have been common since the 60s, in England it is realtively recent practice. Add to that, modern builders understand exactly what size of wood to use to bear loads calculated for a once in 200 year storm event per regulations, and don't just whack in huge beams because they have no clue anymore - it means there's a perception again that older is higher quality (no matchstick wood in them!), especially in areas with a weird prejudice towards masonry or brick.
But having experience living in 18th, 19th and mid 20th century houses in the UK - I'd take a new build any day. At least it generally won't have damp, a leaky roof, tiles blowing off every time there's a storm, lead paint/pipes and a colleciton of horrific DIY mistakes inherited from previous owners. Or incredibly cold and draughty rooms - some houses I just shut the door on the cavernous living room from Seoptember till May, it was too cold and too expensive to heat.
From what I have seen, there's two reasons people think this. One is that modern houses are extremely well insulated. Which means that if you drill into a wall or just tap it with your hand, it sounds hollow, because it is rammed with cavities full of insulation. People have a "perception" that somehow brick and mortar is magically of higher quality and solid sounds better - even though functionally it is worse, especially with the way heating bills are going.
The other is just timber framed construction. This is an objection particularly in England - in Scotland timber framed buildings have been common since the 60s, in England it is realtively recent practice. Add to that, modern builders understand exactly what size of wood to use to bear loads calculated for a once in 200 year storm event per regulations, and don't just whack in huge beams because they have no clue anymore - it means there's a perception again that older is higher quality (no matchstick wood in them!), especially in areas with a weird prejudice towards masonry or brick.
But having experience living in 18th, 19th and mid 20th century houses in the UK - I'd take a new build any day. At least it generally won't have damp, a leaky roof, tiles blowing off every time there's a storm, lead paint/pipes and a colleciton of horrific DIY mistakes inherited from previous owners. Or incredibly cold and draughty rooms - some houses I just shut the door on the cavernous living room from Seoptember till May, it was too cold and too expensive to heat.