I guess we are talking about different thing when referring to a brick or concrete house...    By brick or concrete house I'm not talking about a house with wooden framing and brick or concrete facades... I'm talking about a house with no wood in it (only as decorative elements like closets, doors, etc..)    The construction process is roughly as follows:    1) Foundations: holes are dug , depending on the terrain can be refilled with boulders and concrete scraps, inside the holes goes an iron wire frame that creates the bases for the columns, something like this:   http://www.materialeslosandes.com/images/cabillas1.jpg  The wire frame is made using these:   http://www.ferreteriasanjorge.com/Data/Cabilla.jpg   http://www.dt.gob.cl/documentacion/1...o_portada.jpeg    2) Columns: the wire frame is then filled with concrete (a mixture of cement, sand, water and construction rocks), when dried you end up with something like this:   http://usuarios.lycos.es/ribosoma/co...on_pilares.jpg  There are horizontal ones to support the ceiling too.    3) Floor: is made by pouring concrete and then smoothing it, it can be polished, or you can put tiles on it or wood, ivory, etc...   http://www.multiservices.com.ve/_fot...la_desague.JPG  Before pouring the concrete you have to lay down all the pipes for water and sewer.    4) Walls: both exterior and interior walls made with concrete blocks:   http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...reteblocks.jpg  The exterior ones might be reinforced filling the holes in the blocks with concrete. You add the electrical pipes in this stage.  Then you apply cement and smooth it to finish the walls. These are usually painted.    5) Ceiling: a wire frame is made and then is filled with concrete, after it's dry you finish it by applying cement and smoothing it. After finished it is usually painted in the same fashion as the walls.    6) Accessories :D after you are done with the cement and all is dry, solid and clean, come the electricists to insert the cables in the built-in electrical pipes, and set up the outlets and lamps, etc...  Also things like wood (or metal) doors are installed, closets, stair rails, etc...    I hope this have cleared a bit what I'm talking about...    I doubt a house built in this fashion can't withstand a twister and other natural disasters...