Are house made from brick stronger than wood framed houses?

Answer 1

Much of it has to do with actual construction techniques and local. If it is a new home to be constructed, adding brick is not necessarily adding "structure", in the sense that it holds up a part of the building. In modern brick construction, the walls behind it are structural, and the brick is used as a facade, the same as vinyl siding. The difference between those two, in this case, is that the brick is more resistant to wind, but not impervious to it. Wind can blow a modern "brick" home down. In an earth quake zone, such as the mid-west, structures are built with wood because it is more forgiving in an earthquake; concrete could be reduced to pieces. Likewise, in South Florida, nearly everything newly constructed is a CBS home (Concrete, Block, & Stucco), because we don't have earthquakes... ;) We have hurricanes. LOL