Older homes are not build to last. Older homes are just worth preserving. I live in the Netherlands we have a shit ton of old homes, if these homes weren’t repaired or renovated across the centuries most of them would have collapsed. Before modern build codes, like before the 20th century, it wasn’t uncommon for an old home to just collapse with the inhabitants in it.
In many Dutch cities old homes are literally sinking into the ground, but instead of demolishing them most owners put in a new foundation. If it was an ugly modern glass box it would have been razed to the ground without a second thought.
Interesting. There are a ton of homes here built (starting about 1920) that still stand. And trust me they were built to last. Minor upkeep and they are still good today, but then everything is going to require minor upkeep.
Survivors bias. You don’t see the old houses that weren’t built well because they’re gone.
Look at trainguyrom and read his comment it might give you a different perspective.
I would also say the ones that didn’t survive were the ones that failed do to not being maintained.
My house was built in the late 19th century with an expansion added on in the 40s. The build quality of the original part of the house compared to the later built section is night and day, with the newest part of the house being the part that has aged so much worse due to trying out this new wood framing thing they started really getting into after the war