"In America, a frame is a thing of pure utility" Yes, I would agree. In addition they had a different setting to deal with and perhaps did not have the time to perform time consuming "....is hewn to very precise dimensions" type of joinery. I am suggesting they didn't have a choice, to make pretty, it was a utility thing and necessary.
Buildings, settlers buildings in particular tend to reflect the environment in which they were built. Where I grew up in Saskatchewan the first houses and out buildings were very crude and hastilly built. Not a big surprise being that to get the 160 acre plot they also had to break and clear 10 acres of land, and probably even dig a well in that first summer. So, most of the abandoned buildings on farm sites of that era are poorly fitted spruce or poplar log buildings. Their second house was usually stick framed, insulated with wood chips. Houses from the Eatons Catalogue were a common thing in parts of the country.
On the eastern side of this continent there are many old barns. Mostly cut with square rule, and by carpenters this shows a more settled culture by comparison. Many of the traditional building styles in Europe(wood or otherwise) show another degree of this, but again with flair from their own culture and local materials incorporated.
