If it has modern conveniences and is even vaguely up to modern electrical code, that means someone renovated it at one point.
All modern buildings are compliant with building codes and there is very little room for creativity. If you don't like the building then you don't like the code.
You can build better than the code allows would be the point. Code cares about minimum levels of safety, not planned obsolescence or market segmentation. E.g. why not build homes out of concrete instead of wood? Why not use better roofing material than asphalt shingles? Etc.
I'm not sure but I kind of doubt houses are built out of wood entirely because of costs. I live in SV so I assume anyone who owns a house is ultra-rich, but they're all wood.
Most of Europe builds primary residence houses out of concrete air bricks of some kind or just plain bricks. Wood is used mostly for roof support. Wooden houses are usually built for vacation places.
All modern buildings are compliant with building codes and there is very little room for creativity. If you don't like the building then you don't like the code.