question: why do most suburban houses in USA are made of wood, despite all the strong winds and tornadoes they experience?
comment: Some time ago it was explained to me that the problem with tornados etc. are not the strong winds, but the stuff that is flying around because of that winds. A stone house may be better suited to withstand the wind, but when it is hit by a tree or similar large/heavy stuff it will be badly damaged or collapse the same as a house made of wood. But at the same time it is much more expensive to build a proper stone house. So in the long run it is cheaper to build wooden houses and rebuild with low costs instead of build expensive stone houses that also do not withstand the tornado. Additionally when the stone house is only damaged but not totally destroyed it may still be beyond the point where you could repair it or it is save to live in it. Then instead of just rebuild you also have the extra cost of properly tear down the ruins.
passages: The phenomenon is associated with older multistorey apartment buildings with wooden porches. Architect Stanley Tigerman said that in New York City one finds steel fire escapes, but in Chicago, the distance to alleys behind multistorey brick buildings encouraged the construction of wooden multistorey porches. 
  
  While not an everyday occurrence, collapses happen often enough in Chicago that city building inspectors make a point of checking porches when making inspections. People have been killed and injured by collapses of wooden porches in other cities as well.
   In Garrison, Iowa, straight line wind of 110 to 130 mph produced widespread damage to structures. Many roofs were partially or fully removed and the walls of some buildings collapsed, including the fire station and town library. Nearly every tree was significantly damaged or snapped off . Power outages were widespread.
   Ranch houses are very common in the city as well. Most of these houses were built in the northern neighborhoods during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Older ranch houses were often built with aluminum siding, whereas newer ones, such as the ones built in the Courts, were built in brick or stone.
   Depending on location, various safe-haven areas have been prepared. The goal has been to avoid outer walls which might collapse when a roof section becomes airborne and the walls below lose their upper support: many interior rooms resist collapse longer, due to smaller walls interconnected to each other, while outer walls deflect the force of the winds. Because mobile homes typically lack foundation anchors and present a large surface-area sail (to catch wind), the advice has been to seek a safe haven elsewhere, such as in a stronger nearby building. When a mobile home begins to roll, people have been injured by hitting objects inside, or being crushed when a trailer suddenly hits the ground and begins to collapse around them.
   Section::::History and traditions.:Americas.
  
  Most "haft-timbered" houses existing in Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas were built by German settlers. Old Salem North Carolina has fine examples of German fachwerk buildings. Many are still present in Colonia Tovar (Venezuela), Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), where Germans settled. Later, they chose more suitable building materials for local conditions (most likely because of the great problem of tropical termites.)
  
  Section::::History and traditions.:Americas.:New France.
   BULLET::::- Larix: in Italy it grows at high altitudes around mountain tops, its timber stand sudden climatic change, from icy winds to high temperatures in sunny afternoon summers, it is excellent for use in the building of exposed structures as bridges, roofs, etc.
   When FEMA studied the destruction wrought by Hurricane Andrew in Dade County Florida, they concluded that modular and masonry homes fared best compared to other construction.
  
  Section::::United States.:High-performance manufactured housing.
   As of Fall 2000, the following residential energy codes had been partially or fully adopted by states:
  
  BULLET::::- 2000 IECC rule making (Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina)
  
  BULLET::::- 1995 MEC or equivalent (Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming)
  
  BULLET::::- 1993 MEC or equivalent (Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota)
  
  BULLET::::- 1992 MEC or equivalent (Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, New Mexico, Tennessee)
   By contrast, producers of modular homes must abide by state and local building codes. There are, however, wind zones adopted by HUD that home builders must follow. For example, statewide, Florida is at least windzone 2. South Florida is windzone 3, the strongest wind zone. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, new standards were adopted for home construction. The codes for building within these wind zones were significantly amended, which has greatly increased their durability. During the 2004 hurricanes in Florida, these standards were put to the test, with great success. Yet, older models continue to face the exposed risk to high winds because of the attachments applied such as carports, porch and screen room additions. These areas are exposed to "wind capture" which apply extreme force to the underside of the integrated roof panel systems, ripping the fasteners through the roof pan causing a series of events which destroys the main roof system and the home.
   However, further work on making homes in the urban interface ignition resistant is needed. This was a major topic at the NFPA Backyards and Beyond conference held in Salt Lake City in 2013.
  
  Section::::Impact of 2013 Floods.
   Section::::Construction.
  
  In the United States, modern house-construction techniques include light-frame construction (in areas with access to supplies of wood) and adobe or sometimes rammed-earth construction (in arid regions with scarce wood-resources). Some areas use brick almost exclusively, and quarried stone has long provided walling. To some extent, aluminum and steel have displaced some traditional building materials. Increasingly popular alternative construction materials include insulating concrete forms (foam forms filled with concrete), structural insulated panels (foam panels faced with oriented strand board or fiber cement), and light-gauge steel framing and heavy-gauge steel framing.
   Historically, timber has been a plentiful, locally available resource in many areas. Today, timber piles are still more affordable than concrete or steel. Compared to other types of piles (steel or concrete), and depending on the source/type of timber, timber piles may not be suitable for heavier loads.
   Section::::Standards and zoning considerations.:U.S. regional differences with modular construction.:Southeast.
  
  Manufacturers in the Southeast often limit their ability to customize homes and focus on very traditional single story floor plans. Much of the south is in coastal and high wind areas; modular construction may prove appealing in this area as it is already inherently stronger as it must be built for transport and craned installation, therefore offering wind resistance as good or higher than site-built construction.
  
  Section::::Standards and zoning considerations.:U.S. regional differences with modular construction.:Central Plains.
   "Twenty to fifty years ago when timber was abundant and the best only was selected for building purposes, much more durable houses were built than at present. Large sized and heavy pieces were used for the framing and the beams. These were frequently hewn by hand, so as to utilize the heart which is the best and most durable part of the timber.
   According to climatologists, the "Big Tree" has survived from anywhere between forty and fifty major hurricanes, including the most recent, Harvey, as well as numerous floods, droughts and wildfires.
  
  Section::::"Quercus virginiana".
   Hurricane-force winds, caused by individual thunderstorms, thunderstorm complexes, derechos, tornadoes, extratropical cyclones, or tropical cyclones can destroy mobile homes and structurally damage buildings with foundations. Winds of this strength due to downslope winds off terrain have been known to shatter windows and sandblast paint from cars.
   Section::::History.
  
  "The aptly named 'Number One Shelterbelt' is located in Greer County, in southwestern Oklahoma. Oklahoma's first State Forester, George R. Phillips, had the distinction of planting the very first tree in the federal program's very first shelterbelt in 1935." The first tree was an Austrian pine planted on the H.E. Curtis farm near Willow, Oklahoma, on March 18.
   BULLET::::- 2000 IECC or IRC or equivalent (Alabama, California, Idaho, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin)
  
  BULLET::::- 1998 IECC (Oklahoma)
  
  BULLET::::- 1995 MEC or equivalent (Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont)
  
  BULLET::::- 1993 MEC or equivalent (Delaware, Montana, North Dakota)
  
  BULLET::::- 1992 MEC or equivalent (Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee)
  
  BULLET::::- No code or code not EPAct compliant (Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming)
  
  Section::::Historical Codes.:Energy codes in the United States.:2000.
   Other areas of the world that have frequent strong tornadoes include Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, China, and the Philippines. Australia, France, Russia, areas of the Middle East, Japan, and parts of Mexico have a history of multiple damaging tornado events.
  
  Section::::Tornadoes in the United States.
   Continuing to the east-northeast, the tornado weakened to EF3 strength as it crossed Alabama State Route 51 and struck the small neighboring community of Dupree. Many additional manufactured homes were completely destroyed with debris strewn downwind, numerous trees were snapped and debarked, and frame homes sustained total roof and exterior wall loss in this area. The tornado moved slightly north of due east, crossing Lee County Road 100 and Lee County Road 166, snapping numerous trees as it weakened further to high-end EF2 strength. A well-anchored manufactured home in this area was ripped from its foundation and blown , but remained mostly intact. A frame home had major roof damage, windows blown out, and a few exterior walls ripped off. Crossing County Road 165 and County Road 40, high-end EF2 damage continued as a house lost its roof and exterior walls, another home had much of its roof torn off, several manufactured homes were damaged or destroyed, and many trees were snapped. Farther along the path, low-end EF2 damage was observed to the west of Alabama State Route 169, where numerous trees were snapped and a few structures at the periphery of the damage path sustained minor impacts. Further weakening occurred as the tornado crossed and continued to the east of Route 169, downing trees at EF1 intensity.
   As of March 2017, the following residential codes have been partially or fully adopted by states:
  
  BULLET::::- 2015 IECC or equivalent (California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington)
  
  BULLET::::- 2012 IECC or equivalent (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, Texas)
  
  BULLET::::- 2009 IECC or equivalent (Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin)
  
  BULLET::::- 2006 IECC or equivalent (Utah)
   More generally, people often build houses out of the nearest available material, and often tradition or culture govern construction-materials, so whole towns, areas, counties or even states/countries may be built out of one main type of material. For example, a large fraction of American houses use wood, while most British and many European houses use stone or brick or mud.
   BULLET::::- 2006 IECC or no statewide code (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming)
  
  Section::::Historical Codes.
  
  Section::::Historical Codes.:Energy codes in the United States.
  
  Section::::Historical Codes.:Energy codes in the United States.:2005.
  
  As of September 2005, the following residential energy codes had been partially or fully adopted by states:
  
  BULLET::::- 2003-2004 IECC or equivalent (Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington)
   Exterior wall surfaces can be finalized in the plant production process or in the case of brick/stone veneers, field applications may be the builders' choice. Roof systems also can be applied in the field after the basic installation is completed.
  
  Section::::Standards and zoning considerations.:U.S. regional differences with modular construction.
  
  Weather, population density, geographical distances, and local housing architecture play a role in the use of modular construction for home building. Because modular construction is so adaptable, it has begun to permeate every region of the U.S.
  
  Section::::Standards and zoning considerations.:U.S. regional differences with modular construction.:Northeast.
   BULLET::::- 1998-2001 IECC or equivalent (Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin)
  
  BULLET::::- 1998 IECC (Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee)
  
  BULLET::::- No statewide code / weaker (Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming)
  
  Section::::Historical Codes.:Energy codes in the United States.:2004.
  
  As of January 2004, the following residential energy codes had been partially or fully adopted by states:
  
  BULLET::::- 2003 IECC or IRC (Kansas, New Mexico, Utah)
  
presuppositions: Houses made of wood are susceptible to damage from the winds of tornadoes. Houses should be made of stronger materials to withstand strong winds and tornadoes.
corrections: It is generally cheaper to build wooden houses and rebuild at low costs than to use more durable materials. Stronger houses will still collapse when hit by flying objects, so it is cheaper to rebuild a wooden house.
raw_presuppositions: Houses made of wood are susceptible to damage from the winds of tornadoes. Houses should be made of stronger materials to withstand strong winds and tornadoes.
raw_corrections: It is generally cheaper to build wooden houses and rebuild at low costs than to use more durable materials. Stronger houses will still collapse when hit by flying objects, so it is cheaper to rebuild a wooden house.