@kristiedegaris
It only became used in my country,NZ, when European and Asian migrants arrived. So, 1800s.
Our indigenous people, Maori, used wood which was more plentiful and probably quicker and easier to build with. And that has continued in our housing.
Concrete of course is king for large builds, which other than being easy to manufacture, has little to offer is aesthetics in a build.
@BigD It's also the worst for the environment. that industry is responsible for a shocking 7%-8% of global carbon emissions (to put that in context, the global aviation industry accounts for only 2.5% of CO2 emissions).