The problem with pine is that it has to be grown and pine plantations have been aptly described as "tree deserts".

IM,
Just a 30 year crop instead of an annual like cereals. Not too many trees in a wheat paddock.
They can be grown on some rather poor soils as well.
SD

There is very little timber in a modern pine house, as is quickly realised of you want to build an awning onto the frame or put shades on window frames.

Along with lack of mechanical barriers against termites, suspect termite treatments and the other corner cutting that causes the cracks that are common in concrete slabs, these houses are home-owner financial catastrophes waiting to happen when termites get into the untreated pine structure. God knows what happens when new pests arrive through our 'risk managed' ie hit and miss import inspection.

One other problem is that the blue-board and other cladding such as used for architectural purposes as for mimicking concrete columns is usually but-joined, without sealants and only covered by decorative surface treatments, which shift and crack allowing water penetration after a few years. With water, that so-called 'hardwood' pine can rot to powder in a few months. When buying property, I can go past dozens of large, expensive homes and see the cracks apparent where sheeting meets. Up closer there is the tell-tale stream of black ants where mould is within. Expect to see more decks collapsing and Tuscan and similar style beams and columns failing. They are heavy too!

We cannot expect to build more durable homes without proactivity in government inspection and a bar set for the obligatory minimum standards for construction. At present there is a Building Code, Australian Standards and manufacturers guidelines, however it is NOT a formal requirement to meet any of it. That was also the root cause, the fundamental systemic fault, that inevitably led to the previous Labor government's insulation debacle.

OTB,
Plenty of pine in our house. The house is all timber including the inside wall panels which are also structural. The roof as one would expect is corrugated iron.
It is now 20yo, no signs of white ants, no damage despite winds well in excess of 100kph.
As I say it is an engineered structure, looks conventional but it isn't.
It is warm in winter and cool in summer, we are happy and more than satisfied with it.
SD

Shaggy Dog,

Pleased to hear that. It is all in the building. Where the Building Code and manufacturers' guidelines are adhered to there should be a long trouble free life with minor maintenance.

The various booms in construction have seen a lot of shabby corner-cutting. For example, it is commonplace for showers to leak despite the excellent materials and detailed Standards available.

By way of another example, I saw a builder only yesterday propping window frames on the Gyprock wall liner edge while he nailed them in place. You may realise that the wall liners should be clear of the window frames to allow movement that doesn't disturb the window fitting. The manufacturer's 25mm wide installation guide square in the middle of the window glass is at face height but ignored.

Laziness, rough work and lack of care ('bang 'em up') that will see the luckless owner with warped aluminium windows and doors.

Cut and fill construction - all smell mouldy, all leak. Yet in Europe there are basements dry and cosy for a hundred years and more.

Paint - it is see-through in many new homes. A builder I chipped said "Why should you worry about the colour coat(!) when you will likely sell the house in a few years?". Total lack of care about the preservation of the asset and no pride in seeing 'his' work enduring beyond the statutory warranty period, if that.

Yet there are hundreds of good young tradesmen in northern Europe who want to migrate to Australia but are prevented from doing so.

Para 3, last sentence should be, "The manufacturer's 25cm wide installation guide square in the middle of the window glass is at face height but ignored".