I once read an article as regards this. I wish I still had it. In a country rich in building materials, I was surprised when I lived in USA how many wood built or plasterboard built houses there where. Here in UK, most houses are built of brick or stone. Mine is a stone built house. However, it makes sense in UK as there are virtually no hurricanes. The article suggested the building of more fragile homes was deliberate as they are cheaper to rebuild when they are inevitably destroyed. Stone and brick houses are also destroyed, but are far more expensive to rebuild.